Raleigh Word of God's John Wall talks to UNC, but says Tar Heels are not recruiting him.

Roy Williams' decision to call John Wall is not only a desperate move but the epitome of the eternal "Can you top this?" contest between Duke and Carolina I referenced in Duke's pursuit of Wall last week.

Look, UNC might be a point guard away from a third straight trip to the Final Four in 2010 (although I wouldn't count out Larry Drew II), so on some level it makes sense for Ol' Roy to call Wall, the highest-rated guard prospect in the class of 2009.

From Preps Now:

Brian Clifton, who heads the summer basketball program for which John Wall plays, confirmed that the highly recruited point guard got a call last night from North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, whose team is getting ready to face Villanova on Saturday in the NCAA Final Four.

UNC had not previously been among the universities Wall was seriously considering — Baylor, Memphis, N.C. State, Duke and Kansas — and Clifton has said he's not on talking terms with Carolina coaches.

Read the rest here.

Adviser Brian Clifton, who heads the point guard's summer team, said the Word of God senior got a call last night from Carolina coach Roy Williams. But Clifton sounded more enthusiastic about Wall's recent visit to Carolina's rival, Duke.

Memphis is no longer the leader for John Wall.

Well, the John Wall sweepstakes just took a turn. John Calipari's leaving Memphis, the front-runner for Wall's considerable services, for Kentucky, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

ESPN says the deal is worth $31.65 million over eight years.

Wall, the No. 1-rated guard prospect in the class of 2009, said Monday Memphis was his leader but he was waiting for Calipari's decision. The Raleigh Word of God senior said his final list is Memphis, Duke, N.C. State, Baylor and Kansas.

Duke's pursuit of Raleigh's John Wall, a presumed "one-and-done" basketball recruit, illustrates both a shift in Mike Krzyzewski's recruiting philosophy and just how desperate the situation is for Duke.

In the aftermath of the 2004 Final Four, losing Luol Deng after one season and Shaun Livingston before he got to campus, Coach K made a conscious decision to avoid one-year college players.

John Wall says Memphis is still the leader among Memphis, Baylor, Duke, N.C. State, Kansas and Miami.

Kentucky followed through on its long-rumored promise to can coach Billy "Matt Doherty" Gillispie on Friday.

When one of the premier jobs in college basketball opens up, a circus is sure to follow. The names being thrown out as the next Kentucky coach could potentially impact the ACC.

Here's how:

CHAPEL HILL — Sonny Vaccaro, a man known more for making shoe deals with college coaches and running summer basketball camps, is embracing a new role these days: college basketball reformer.

Vaccaro, who has represented Nike, adidas and Reebok and signed Michael Jordan, came to the University of North Carolina on Wednesday evening to spread his message. Afterward, he gave The N&O a brief sit-down interview where he talked about college recruiting, NBA restrictions on drafting high-school players, and Raleigh prep recruit John Wall.