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Alabamas Avery Johnson and Auburns Bruce Pearl have taken their basketball programs into recruiting territory more commonly occupied by the schools football teams: The top 10.Both their latest classes include five-star prospects and are currently ranked among the nations best collections of incoming talent, even if the teams remain a long way from that kind of high ranking. The Crimson Tide beat out more tradition-rich programs like Kansas to pull point guard Collin Sexton out of Mableton, Georgia, and got Huntsville, Alabamas John Petty over Kentucky.The Tigers landed five-star center Austin Wiley, a longtime commitment whose parents both played basketball for Auburn. Its perhaps another indication of a culture change within the programs that both coaches think got started with their respective hirings and renewed efforts to lure fans back to the arenas and drum up excitement.The best way to sustain that is beefing up the talent, which both have done.We think maybe some of the kids that didnt take our (Alabamas) phone calls years ago, at least they are taking our calls now, Johnson said. If theyre taking our calls, and we can eventually get them on campus, we think weve got a great shot.Alabamas five-player class was ranked No. 3 nationally by Scout and Rival on Wednesday, the final day of the early signing period. Auburns three-player group was ranked fourth by Scout and sixth by Rivals.Its a change from previous years when many top recruits left the state, including DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe, who had stopovers at Kentucky on their way to the NBA.Johnson and Pearl have brought the players in but are still seeking the wins.Entering Johnsons second year and Pearls third, the next couple of seasons will tell how much recruiting successes the past two years will translate into success on the court. Pearl thinks there could be a reprisal of the days when Alabamas Wimp Sanderson and Auburns Sonny Smith regularly had their teams in the NCAA Tournament.I hope we can see a time (like) when Wimp Sanderson and Sonny Smith were at Alabama and Auburn, Pearl said. Avery and I are at Alabama and Auburn; and hes coached well and theyve recruited really well. Yeah, I can see that being a factor. I can see that contest that we play, the Iron Bowl in basketball, being on ESPN or maybe being on CBS. Wouldnt that be a culture change?Auburn has sold out season tickets in each of his first three seasons, a first for the program. An injury-plagued 11-20 second season didnt derail the momentum on the recruiting trail, where freshman Mustapha Heron became Auburns first five-star signee.Wiley is the second. The 6-foot-11, 255-pounder was ranked among the top 17 recruits nationally by several recruiting services. His mother, Vickie Orr, was an Auburn All-American, and father Aubrey Wiley led the SEC in rebounding in 1993-94.Redshirt freshman Danjel Purifoy, another highly rated recruit last year, said the allure is simple.Its just BP, man, said Purifoy, who wasnt cleared academically by the NCAA to play last season. BP is a good coach. He did some good things at Tennessee. When he came here, everybody wanted to be here. When I signed here, Mustapha came here, Horace (Spencer) came here and now we have one of the best recruiting classes in basketball right now.Evan Daniels, Scouts national director of recruiting, said both coaches have brought in strong staffs with good recruiting connections. That group includes former Alabama point guard Antoine Pettway and ex-Auburn All-American and NBA player and coach Chuck Person.The head coaches also carried bigger names than most of their predecessors. Johnson is a former NBA point guard and head coach, while Pearl has led 17 teams to NCAA Tournaments, mostly at Tennessee.They both appear to be recruiting at unprecedented levels at this point, Daniels said.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.orgNew England Patriots Gear . -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. Fake Patriots Jerseys .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . Thats about all he can do right now, so hes trying not to think about when he might be able to play again for the Los Angeles Lakers. New England Patriots Store . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Cheap Patriots Jerseys . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim.Theyre already talking up their chances, but former Cronulla coach Chris Anderson says the Sharks will need to play outrageous in 2017 to become the first team in a quarter of a century to win back-to-back titles in a united competition.No side since the great Brisbane line-up in 1992-93 featuring Allan Langer, Kevin and Kerrod Walters, Steve Renouf, Willie Carne, Michael Hancock and Glenn Lazarus has successfully defended their crown.Not even star-studded Melbourne, with future Immortals candidates Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Greg Inglis and Cooper Cronk, or Manly, who also won two grand finals from four over the past decade have managed the feat.It was also a bridge too far for Johnathan Thurstons North Queensland Cowboys in 2016, with the Broncos in a 10-team Super League in 1997 and then in the first NRL season in 98 the last side to go back-to-back.Anderson, who coached both Canterbury and Melbourne to premierships before falling one game shy of guiding Cronulla to the 2002 grand final, believes the Sharks will be up against it next year.But he isnt completely writing Shane Flanagans men off.Theres no way youd put money on it because Brisbane are the only ones who have done it (in the past 26 years) and Melbournee cant do it, Anderson told AAP.ddddddddddddBut theyve got a good side. They played outrageous this year. They were a team who believed in themselves, they believed in their football and under pressure they delivered.I watched the game against Canberra that they played in the semis and they just knew how to win. That was the turning point.The Sharks are hoping monster recruit Tony T-Rex Williams will have a major impact in 2017, but their biggest dilemma is finding a replacement for influential hooker Michael Ennis, who retired after the 14-12 grand final win over the Storm.Skipper Paul Gallen on Tuesday all but ruled out the premiers making a play for James Segeyaro, who wants out of his English Super League contract with Leeds Rhinos.The Rhinos are threatening to sue the former North Queensland and Penrith No.9, as well as placing a $425,000 transfer fee on the 26-year-old.I think that would rule a lot of clubs out if they had to pay a $400,000 fee, Gallen said on Triple M radio.That fee goes into your salary cap and you got to pay a fee on top of it ... so thats a big, big transfer fee. ' ' '