Leslie weighing all his options

CARY — C.J. Leslie is not in a hurry.

After committing to N.C. State as a freshman, the Word of God junior wants to take a second look at his college options. As the 16th-rated prospect in the country in the class of 2010, Leslie has plenty of options.

"I wanted to open it up and see what else is out there," Leslie said Saturday at Dave Telep's Carolina Challenge in Cary. "I wanted to make sure I didn't miss any opportunities."

Leslie, a 6-8 forward, said he was too young when he made his initial verbal commitment. Leslie said the Wolfpack is still on his list but he has "no favorite." Leslie said he has offers from "everybody" and has recently talked to Florida, Memphis, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami.

"I want to look at everybody before I make my final decision and make sure that's the place that I really want to go," Leslie said. "There may be something else out there and I would have missed out on that if I had stayed committed [to N.C State]."

Leslie showed flashes of the ability that has so many colleges pursuing his services. The tall and skinny forward hit a quick turn-around in traffic, a move that showed touch, in his first game on Saturday with Team Josh Howard. In the same game, he rained in a 3-pointer from the left corner, showing some range.

Leslie has a busy summer planned with trips to the Vince Carter Skills Academy (June in Orlando), LeBron James Skills Academy (July in San Diego) and NBPA top 100 camp. He said he will make his official visits in the fall before making a final decision.

"I want to take my time," Leslie said. "I'm going to weigh my options after all the visits. I'm just focused on finding a good team that's a good fit for me." --J.P. Giglio