Gillespie's the real deal

The writing has been on the wall, but it's very clear to me now that Statesville's Keyrra Gillespie is bound for a major Division I college.

Which one?

Well, Florida is the early frontrunner. Late last week, the Gators became the first to extend an offer to Gillespie, according to Greyhounds girls basketball coach Todd Jones.

The kid's just a sophomore but, whoa, she's talented. And yes, that would explain the umpteen recruiting letters from schools all across the country. Heck, even Connecticut has scouted the dynamic point guard.

Gillespie may be the best high school girls basketball player I've ever seen in North Carolina since I moved to this state in 1989 -- I'm not exaggerating. And I've seen some pretty darn good ones, namely Wendy Palmer (Person County), a two-time ACC Player of the Year at Virginia in the mid-1990s, and Shea Ralph (Fayetteville Terry Sanford), who starred at UConn.

Some women's basketball program is going to strike it rich in the near future when it's Gillespie's turn to sign on the dotted line. That's for sure. Who knows, it might be that school in Gainsville, Fla. You know, the one that recently celebrated its second consecutive national championship in men's basketball.