Hiring assistant Clifton could pave way for Baylor to land Wall

It appears Baylor will land the No. 1 basketball recruit in the country.

D-One Sports coach Brian Clifton told CBSSports.com on Thursday that Baylor has hired his brother and assistant, Dwon Clifton, as its director of player development. On the surface, it's a meaningless transaction. But given that the Cliftons coach elite point guard John Wall, sources have indicated this transaction will almost definitely lead to Baylor gaining a commitment from the Class of 2009's top prospect, and sooner rather than later.

"After receiving offers from several schools in the Big 12 and many other conferences, Dwon has decided to accept a coaching position at Baylor University," Brian Clifton said via text message. "Dwon will rejoin his former collegiate coach Matt Driscoll as a member of the Bears staff."

Driscoll was an assistant for Larry Shyatt at Clemson when Dwon Clifton played there earlier this decade, but that's barely crucial to the equation. The key to this development is Clifton's relationship with Wall, a quick, fast and dominant point guard who was spectacular in the Reebok Summer Championships last week in Las Vegas while leading D-One Sports to a runner-up finish.

Officially, Wall is still considering Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Oregon, North Carolina State, Southern California and Texas in addition to Baylor. But that list should be dwindled to one in the coming weeks as the Clifton hiring precipitates Wall's imminent commitment to the Bears.