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SCOOP OF THE DAY
FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2001
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Wednesday, October 31, 2001 - Already 6'7 Derrick Character from Scotch Plains, NJ and 7'1 Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who are widely regarded as the top two 8th graders in the nation, are receiving a lot of national attention, but our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us there is another player in the class who is just as good. He's talking about 6'6 Durrell "Slim Shady" Arthur from Dallas (Brown Middle) TX. "I haven't been this excited about a player in a long time," says Grandstaff. "He's very already fundamentally sound, doesn't miss free throws, and is almost unstoppable with his baby hook shot and good turnaround jumper." But that doesn't even begin to tell the story. However, 20 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 blocks for Team Texas against the Top Achiever Pistons in the championship game of a 15-Under Tournament last weekend in Texas does give you an idea of how dominant this aggressive shot blocking athlete is inside. And Arthur was playing up a year against 9th Graders. Team Texas lost the game, but that was after Arthur fouled out with four minutes remaining. Arthur also helped the Team Texas 13-Under team achieve a 150-11 record last summer, as well as a 3rd place finish in the 13-Under AAU National Tournament. Is Grandstaff, who is the director of the Team Texas AAU program, just trying to overhype one of his players? He could be, but his track record is pretty good. Remember, he told us how good 6'10 Frosh Kendrick Johnson from Morton, TX was a year ago and, after watching him last spring in the Houston Kingwood Classic, we have to concur. We also bring this up, because the comparison is especially interesting. Johnson is physically a lot bigger and stronger physically, but Arthur is a lot more athletic and polished offensively. He also might be better than Johnson, who is ranked as the #1 freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, right now. The only other important news that Grandstaff has to pass along involves 6'9 Ike Diagu from Garland (H.S.) TX, who burst onto the national scene at the adidas ABCD Camp, where he finished ranked #12 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP, and, as a result, was a guy everybody tried to get involved with the rest of the summer. However, Arizona State has been there the longest and strongest, so it makes sense that the Sun Devils are among the final three, along with Connecticut and Illinois. And Grandstaff thinks a final decision could be forthcoming at any time.
Tuesday, October 30, 2001 - Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has a number of signings and commitments to pass along, but the most interesting commitment involves 6'2 Jason Haas from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who has verbally committed to Stanford. Sure, The Cardinal could have taken somebody right out their own backyard, like 6'1 Patrick Hadden from Woodbridge) CA, if they wanted a backup point guard. However, Hadden doesn't have somebody like 6'8 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who will be ranked #3 among juniors nationally when we update our junior list next month, as a teammate. If you will recall, the new regimes at Rutgers and Seton Hall were hoping to convince Deng to stay home, but all that changed last summer when Deng's value went off the Ricketier Scale. Now Deng's list includes schools like Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Villanova, and Stanford. Another very signficant commitment comes to today from 6'1 Frank Richards from Olney Central (JC) IL, who is the #4-ranked point guard in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook. Richards picked Kansas State, where he will join a three other highly touted junior college players from a year ago in 6'5 Gilson DeJesus from Trinidad State (JC CO, 6'6 Janerio Spurlock from Chipola (JC) FL, and 6'9 Pervis Pasco from Pensacola (JC) FL. In other words, second year head coach Jim Wooldridge already has most of the pieces in place and, as a result, it wouldn't surprise us a bit if the Wildcats were one of the sleeper teams in college basketball a year from now. The University of Buffalo has gotten a commitment from 6'4 Mario Jordan from Cleveland (Benedictine) OH, Siena has a steal in 6'9 Paul Williams from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and Utah State has beaten Brigham Young for 6'11 Steve Cobbley from Pocatello (Highliand) ID. Instead, Brigham Young got 6'11 Rafael Araujo from Arizona Western (JC) AZ, who is ranked as the #2 center in the junior college ranks in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook. This too was a two-horse race, but when UNLV got 6'8 J.K. Edwards from Indian Hills (JC) IA over the weekend, that pretty much was the deciding factor for Araujo. And the same thing appears to have happened with 6'8 Cody Horning from Longmont (H.S.) CA when he picked Pepperdine over Wichita State. If you will recall, Wichita state recently got a commitment from 6'10 Sasa Mijajlovic from Hutchinson (JC) KS. Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Jr LaBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the consensus #1-ranked player in the nation regardless of class, is still at least paying lip service to attending college for a year or two. The six schools being mentioned by James are Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Florida, California, and Cincinnati. However, if by some chance he does attend college, it's really only a two-horse race between the Buckeyes and the Tar Heels. Speaking of James, somebody recently asked me if James did indeed play football this year? If you will recall, we reported several months ago, that James was supposed to play both sports, but never followed up. Well, Johnson tells us that James missed the first two games, but in the last nine games has caught 45 passes and scored 13 touchdowns. He also is averaging about 20 yard per reception. All this could become important, if his team keeps winning in the state football playoffs, because James and four of his girdiron teammates also play important roles on the basketball team, which promises to be ranked among the top five nationally pre-season.
Monday, October 29, 2001 - We told you on Friday that the tide had turned in the sweepstakes for 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN and boy does it look like we were right. We still haven't confirmed it as official, but by all accounts it appears that May is a done deal for the University of North Carolina. Obviously this is huge for the Tar Heels, because they had already lost out on a number of their prime targets this fall, including 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who picked Duke; 6'9 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who picked Duke; 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who picked Notre Dame; 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, who picked Texas; and 6'10 Alou Kane from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, who picked Minnesota. Our first reaction is that May was probably the least likely of the bunch to pick the Tar Heels. Remember it's tough to beat Indiana for a player right in their own backyard. However, North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty and his staff may have had an unfair advantage on this one, because Doherty was the head coach at Notre Dame for a year prior to taking over a North Carolina a year ago. Not only did they recruit May when at Notre Dame, but they obviously also benefited from the exposure and familiarity that comes from being at another program in the same state. Getting May moves North Carolina's recruiting class from #19 to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date, but, even more important, it give the Tar Heels the coveted big man they need to go to war with in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It also means that North Carolina has three probable McDonald's All-American's in the fold, plus it gives the Tar Heels the highest talent rating average per recruit (8.7) in this recruiting class and it moves them into a tiew with Duke for the best three players who are committed to any school this fall. And they aren't done yet, as they are still among the final four for 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY and they're in the hunt for 7'0 Keith Butler from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA.
Sunday, October 28, 2001 - It happened a week ago, but it wasn't made public until this morning. We're talking about the verbal commitment that UNLV has gotten from 6'8 K.J. Edwards from Indian Hills (JC) IA. This is huge, because Edwards is the #1 ranked center in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook. And at 6'8, 250 lbs, Edwards also is the best low post scorer in the junior college ranks, which means new head coach Charlie Spoonhour is already well on his way towards restoring the Runnin' Rebels into the powerhouse they once were during the Jerry Tarkanian days. If you will recall, earlier this fall UNLV also landed 6'8 James Peters from Butler County (JC) KS. He too will provide a physical presence inside, but didn't get the notoriety he deserves, as he didn't attend any camps last summer. This second commitment moves UNLV's recruiting class into a tie, along with UNC, Charlotte, Kansas, and Georgia, at #27 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. It also comes on the heels of a recruiting class, which included 6'1 Marcus Banks from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'2 Ernest Turner from Sterling (Somerdale) NJ, 6'5 Lamar Bigby from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 6'7 Louis Amundson from Louisville (Monarch) CO, 6'9 Jamal Holden from Westark (JC) AR, that was ranked #21 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP last spring. Bigdy, Amundson, and Holden all promise to be good players, but Banks, who was the best point guard in the junior college ranks last winter, and Turner, who was ranked #59 nationally in our final rankings of the top players in the Class of 2002, should make the same kind of impact this year in the backcourt that Edwards and Peters make inside a year from now.
Saturday, October 27, 2001 - I have received several phone calls this week from people who wanted to know when we were going to update our calendar of Future Events. Well, thanks primarily to the efforts of Eddie Oliver, who is the editor & publisher of HoopsUSA.com, we have published the most comprehensive list that is currently available anywhere. While this list does a great job of giving you the basics, like the name, city, and date of each event, we haven't gone into the incredible detail that Oliver always does. And you get it all in his 2001-2002 HOOPSUSA Tournament and Events Report, which is a must for anybody who is trying to figure out where they need to be this winter (are you listening scouts and college coaches?). This report feature the teams, players, dates, sites, and more for nearly 100 events that are scheduled from late November until early March. Printed out this report is 19 pages and the best way to receive it is via email for only $35. Oliver also has contact names, phone numbers, and email addresses for the director or person running each event that is available to college coaches for $100. To reserve your copy, send your email address and billing information to ozone@sccoast.net or mail a check to HoopsUSA, P.O Box 15403, Surfside Beach, SC 29587. Or you can call Oliver at 1-(843) 650-5422. Obviously having all this information at our fingertips has been extremely valuable as we attempt to figure out what events we plan to attend this winter. Tentatively our schedule looks like this: Morgan Wootten Invitational in College Park, MD on December 1st; KMOX Shootout in St. Louis, MO on December 6th; Blue Chip Basketball Invitational in Louisville, KY on December 7th; Adolph Rupp Classic in Lexington, KY on December 14th-15th; King of the Bluegrass at Fairdale, KY on December 18th-19th; City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL on December 20th-22nd; Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE on December 26th-28th; Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX on December 29th; Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC on December 30th; the National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH on January 19th; the Dream Classic in Azusa, CA on January 21st, Mater Dei/NIKE Prep Classic in Long Beach, CA on February 2nd, the National Prep School Invitational in Smithfield, RI on February 7th-8th the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ on February 9th-10th, and the St. James Invitational in St. James, MD on February 14th-16th.
Friday, October 26, 2001 - If you had told me yesterday that North Carolina was the leader for 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, I would have thought you were nuts. But things can change quickly in the recruiting game and we now have reason to believe the Tar Heels are the favorite over both Indiana and Louisville. As a matter of fact, we have a source, who over the years has always been very reliable, telling us that the word on the street in Bloomington, IN is that May is going to North Carolina. We also have a source in North Carolina who is telling us the same thing. One thing is certain. Both of May's parents appear to be pushing him away from Indiana and the driving force behind this former IU head coach Bob Knight, who is pissed off at current IU head coach Mike Davis. This doesn't come as too much of a surprise, because Knight, who is now getting a second chance at Texas Tech, is usually pissed off at somebody. However, in this case he's doing the best he can to sabotage Indiana's chance and it appears he has enough influence over May's parents to be successful. Remember, May's father, Scott May, was one of the best players to ever play for Knight at Indiana and, as a result, it should come as no surprise that Scott May is one of the Knight's biggest allies. So the million dollar question is whether Sean May, who has grown up around IU basketball, will be strong enough to stand up to his parents, if he indeed wants to stay home. If you recall, one of the big reasons why 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykes (South Carroll) MD and 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX both committed to Indiana was because they thought May would also be part of the recruiting class. And they had to have gotten that idea from someplace. We've also heard that Knight was pushing May to Louisville (Knight and Rick Pitino have been friends for a long time). So North Carolina may be the compromise choice. The Tar Heels are also desperate for a quality inside player, especially after already having lost out on 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who picked Duke; 6'9 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who picked Duke; 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who picked Notre Dame; 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, who picked Texas; and 6'10 Alou Kane from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, who picked Minnesota, this fall. And there is a precedent for this dating back to the 1989-90 season when Eric Montrose picked the Tar Heels over the Hoosiers. However, this all may be a smoke screen. Remember, most people thought, 6'9 Jared Jeffries, who was May's high school teammate at Bloomington (North) IN two years ago, was a lock for Duke. But we told you not to bet against Indiana and we turned out to be right. No, we didn't have any more first hand knowledge than we do right now. The key is when in doubt bet on the local school, because 90% of the time we'll turn out to be right.
Thursday, October 25, 2001 - It comes as no surprise that 6'6 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC has verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati. Actually it happend several days ago and, as a result, the Bearcats recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'7 Armein Kirkland from Tyler (Lee) TX, moves into a tie with Kentucky at #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. Hicks is not ranked among our top 100 nationally, because he falls into the undersized inside player category. However, that will change next time we update our national rankings, because the word we're getting is that Hicks just keeps getting better and better. He also is the protoypical player that Bob Huggins has been extremely successful with over the years at Cincinnati. Sure, Hicks doesn't have a true position, but he's a tough hardnosed aggressive athlete who doesn't take any prisoners inside. And the Bearcats aren't done yet. As a matter of fact, they are in the hunt for three of the top big men still available nationally in 7'0 Keith Butler from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK, and 6'11 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA. Yes, it looks like Johnson has opened things back up, as is evident by the fact that he is planning on making an official visit to Cincinnati in the near future. Actually he was supposed to visit Cincinnati this weekend, but he cancelled that visit yesterday due to a death in the family. Cincinnati also appears to be right there with Butler, although North Carolina and Miami-FL have suddenly become a serious players, Illinois has been there the strongest and the longest, and Temple has the advantage of the kid being right in their backyard. If you will recall, Butler transferred this fall from Winchendon (School) MA to Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA. Cincinnati is believed to be a long shot with Lamptey, but they are on his list, along with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Washington, Illinois, and Georgia. Wouldn't it be ironic if Georgia lost Johnson to Cincinnati, but ended up getting Lamptey?
Wednesday, October 24, 2001 - For the second consecutive day our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff has the scoop on a verbal commitment made by a Texas player. Actually 6'10 Alou Kane attends Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, but he plays AAU ball for Team Texas, so we associate him with from that state. Kane, who is ranked #52 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the University of Minnesota and we think this comes as somewhat of a surprise. Sure, Minnesota was among the final three on Kane's list, along with SMU and North Carolina, but we thought he would either follow 6'1 Bryon Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who was his teammate last spring and summer on Team Texas, to SMU or remain in ACC country and pick the Tar Heels. However, in terms of developing against great competition a year from now as college freshman, Kane couldn't have made a better choice. Remember, the Golden Gophers landed two outstanding big men a year ago in 6'10 Jerry Holman, who was one of top junior college players in the nation two years ago, and 6'10 Rick Rickert, who was a McDonald's All-American last spring and has been frequently compared to former Duke star Christian Laettner. Right now Kane is raw offensively, but he does have good hands and a natural feel around the basket. He also is a physical specimen with surprising athleticism, shot blocking, and rebounding skills. But what we like the most about Kane are the intensity and effort he brings every night. In other words, he doesn't take any prisoners. The fact that he's also a great kid and outstanding student are just the icing on the cake. Yes, the sky is the limit for Kane and, assuming he continues to develop the way we expect, Golden Gophers head coach Dan Monson should have one of the best inside one/two punches in the Big-10 for years to come. Minnesota also recently landed a talented wing forward in 6'7 Stanley Gaines from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, but that should not effect their ability to land 6'7 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is one of the top 10 juniors nationally according the HOOP SCOOP, a year from now. We've also heard that Texas and UCLA are high on Humphries early list, but when it is all said and done, we'd be surprised if Humphries leaves home.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001 - Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that we'll be able to finally write it down later today. He's talking about 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, who has a press conference scheduled for this afternoon and the word is that he will announce for the University of Texas. This comes as no surprise to us, despite the fact that North Carolina made a serious run in the end. If you exclude 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who is believed to be a near lock to enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, Buckman was the highest ranked player still available. He is ranked #15 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but, even more important, he gives the Longhorns an extremely talented blue collar banger with skills and athleticism inside. And you can bet he will make a living getting easy baskets from Terrance Ford, who was ranked as one of the top five high school seniors by the HOOP SCOOP last spring in our final ranking of the Class of 2001. Buckman's commitment also is important, because it reaffirms the fact that the Longhorns can keep their share of the top players in their backyard at home. If you will recall, Texas features six players among our top 30 ranked seniors in 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who recently committed to Georgia Tech; 6'1 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who has verbally committed to SMU; 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who made it official for Michigan last June; 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who has picked Indiana; Buckman; and 6'2 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who will sign with Illinois. But really this one was never in doubt, because Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes and Buckman's father a long time friends and business partners.
Monday, October 22, 2001 - The National Prep School Invitational has become one of our favorite events to cover in recent years, so we were excited to get a fax yesterday from Mike Procopio, who is the tournament's director. This year's tournament will take place at Bryant College in Smithfield, RI on Thursday through Sunday, February 7th-10th, and will include Winchendon (School) MA, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Milford (Academy) CT, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Homestead (Berkshire) MA, Long Island (Our Savior) NY, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, Toronto (West Hill Prep) ON, Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, Salisbury (The Salisbury School) CT, Andover (Proctor Academy) NH, Worcester (Academy) MA, Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, Springfield (The MacDuffie School) MA, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Hamden (H.S.) CT, and Troy (Redemption) NY. In other words, the field is loaded and the number of great players is ridiculous, as 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Antoine Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'7 Francis Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'3 Jarrett Jack from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Denham Brown from Toronto (West Hill) ON, 6'8 Jr Lawrence Carrier from Salisbury (The Salisbury School) MA, 6'7 David Bell from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Almamy Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Nick Stafford from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'4 David Teague from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 J.R. Morris from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 5'11 Jr Steve Hailey from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'6 Cortez Davis from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Luis Clemente from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'6 Demario Eddin from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Kelly Whitney from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'9 Kevin Young from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, 5'11 Darryl Hill from Milford (Academy) CT, and 6'7 Jack Jenkins from Andover (Proctor Academy) NH head what promises to be a star studded cast.
Saturday, October 20, 2001 and Sunday, October 21, 2001 - Hampton University pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history last March, but, even more important, Pirates head coach Steve Merfeld and his staff have been able to capitalize on their success on the recruiting trail. If you will recall, a year ago Hampton's recruiting class finished ranked #1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference by the HOOP SCOOP when they landed 6'5 Devin Green from Columbia (Beechcroft) OH and 6'3 Tihon Johnson from Columbus (East) OH, both of whom were ranked among the top 200 nationally and were good enough to attract some Big-10 attention. And this fall Hampton has stockpiled size, as 6'9 Bakary Konate from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, 6'7 Rodney Hughes from Owens (JC) OH, 6'7 Troy Washington from Denmark (Denmark-Olar) SC, and 6'11 Brian Brown from Richmond (Henrico) VA all recently have made verbal commitments. Konate is a big time athlete with good ball skills, excellent 3-point shooting range, and the ability to run the court like a deer. This explains why schools like Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, East Carolina, Iowa State, and Marquette were all showing interest a year ago. However, Konate needed another semester in order to graduate from junior college and, as a result, he slipped through the cracks. The same situation applies to Hughes, who at 6'7, 250 lbs., is a physical presence and a warrior inside. In other words, Merfeld will have two players who will transfer in and enroll second semster. This is important, because they will be able to practice every day with the team. And Merfeld will have another player who is already in school. That's right! Brown, who was a top 300 senior nationally when he originally signed with Duquesne a year ago, is a Prop 48 casualty. Although NCAA rules prohibit Prop 48 casualties from practicing with the team, this physical specimen with great hands and mobility should emerge into one of the best big men in the league down the road. Washington, who is a consensus top 200 senior nationally, is another outstanding athlete and he can play either forward spot. None of these players is the equivalent of top 100 senior nationally. However, collectively they move Hampton's recruiting class into a tie at #29 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. And they aren't done yet, as the final piece to the puzzle is a point guard who will play both behind and along side of Johnson in the backcourt.
Friday, October 19, 2001 - We have already mentioned on several different occasions that Danny Hurley has surfaced as the new head coach at Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ. But we haven't gotten a chance to tell you about all the talent he has stockpiled at what promises to be one of the fastest rising high school programs in the nation. His best player will be 6'3 Jr Art Bowers, who already is getting early interest from school like Maryland, Wake Forest, Villanova, Connecticut, and St. John's. Bowers needs to work on his ball handling and decision making in order to become a pure point guard, but at 6'3 he also can play the two. As a matter of fact, Bowers' explosiveness and ability to score remind Hurley of a smaller version of Dahntay Jones. His best inside player right now is 6'7 Emmanuel Massey, who is ranked #25 on our list of Top 5th Year & Prep School Players. Right now Fordham, La Salle, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and New Mexico are showing the most interest in Massey, but assuming he signs late, he'll probably also get some Big East attention. The two best prospects in the program are 6'8 Soph Stanley Branch and 6'7 Soph Keving Palacios. Branch is an explosive athlete with excellent 3-point shooting range and a chance to play 10 years in the NBA, assuming that Hurley is a chip off the old block. Remember, his father, Bob Hurley, Sr, has for years been regarded as the best high school coach in America at Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ. Palacios is a multi-dimensional offensive player who can shoot the three, post up, and put the ball on the floor. He also comes from the an ideal basketball environment, because both his parents are tall and his father played professionally in Venezuela. Hurley also will go to war with 6'0 Jr Bashir Mason, 6'4 James Mathis, 6'3 Al Ishmal, and 6'6 Eric Hazard. Hazard is a really skilled combo forward with an 1100 SAT. Mason is a lefty point guard who makes a living beating you off the dribble. Mathis has an excellent body and knows how to score. He also was getting underrecruited prior to making a verbal commitment to Niagara earlier this week. Ishmal is a wing player with athleticism.
Thursday, October 18, 2001 - Did you know that 6'7 Stanley Gaines from Chicago (Providence-St Mel) IL recently committed to the University of Minnesota? We didn't until tonight when we talked with Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report. Gaines is a big time athlete with a lot of natural talent and potential, but it's hard to get real excited about this one. Remember, Gaines put up prolific numbers in middle school and, as as result, was ranked as one of the top five 8th graders in the nation. However, Gaines has been a disappointment ever since and, as a result, doesn't even get a sniff on most national top 100 senior lists. Instead, the player in the state of Illinois who gets us excited is 6'7 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who ranks #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. "Igoudala is a big time athlete who locks his opponent up defensively, makes pressure shots, and has unlimited potential," says Schmidt. "He's the prototypical type player Nolan Richardson has made a living with over the years. And, if I had to bet on where he's going to college, I think it will Arkansas. But I also like the chances of Arizona and Boston College." In hind sight, the Illinois coaching staff may wish they'd gone after Igoudala harder earlier, but, at the same time that leaves the door open for the Fighting Illini to lock up all three of the top juniors - 6'2 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'6 Jr Brian Randle from Peoria (Notre Dame) IL, and 6'2 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL - in the state early. Schmidt actually thinks that's already on the verge of happening. "They're in great such great shape on McBride that a commitment could be forthcoming in the not too distant future. Brown will probably go through the recruiting process to some extent, but remember how early his teammate (Dee Brown) committed to Illinois. Randle will definitely go through the recruiting process, as school like North Carolina, Kansas, Notre Dame, and Duke all will give it their best shot, but, in the end, it will be tough for that kid to leave the state."
Wednesday, October 17, 2001 - We also continue to hear that conflicting things about where 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL is leaning. One source swears up and down that Anderson is still a lock for Connecticut, but we also are getting strong indications that it might turn out to be the University of Florida. Apparently Anderson wanted to go to Florida all along, but the Gators didn't know how good he was last spring and, as a result, didn't offer him a scholarship at the time. Then, Anderson had a terrific summer, which was highlighted by his performance at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #2 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP, and the Gators lost out on several of the big men the were targeting, like 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, and 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA. So Florida turned heat up on Anderson and it looks like it has worked with his father who is putting a lot of pressure on Anderson to stay home. However, it appears Anderson feels like the Gators snubbed him and that his word is important. Did you know that he secretly committed to the University of Connecticut coaching staff the first week in October, but, due to increased pressure to stay home, is now struggling with the decision? We also are still waiting to see if 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (Blount) AL is going to make it official for California and, if he does, what it will do to the Golden Bears chances of getting 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA. Speaking of Adams, he visited Arizona last weekend and is scheduled to visit California on the weekend of October 27th, which was supposed to have been his final official visit. However, we have gotten word that Adams has cancelled his visit to UCLA, which was originally scheduled for this weekend, and rescheduled it for the weekend of November 10th. In other words, it looks like the Bruins are positioning themselves perfectly to turn up the heat at the most opportune time.
Tuesday, October 16, 2001 - Well, it looks like the University of Kansas has hit the jackpot, as the Jayhawks have gotten verbal commitments from two of the top big men who are still available. We're talking about 6'9 Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA, who is ranked #91 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jeff Graves from Iowa Western (JC) IA, who is ranked #4 among junior college centers by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook. Instantly this moves the Kansas' recruiting class into a tie at #25 nationally, along with UNC-Charlotte, Oklahoma, and Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. However, that's way too low, if you factor in Niang's potential. If you will recall, when we first saw Niang at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions last spring, we thought the sky was the limit. Right now he's a skinny shot blocking athlete who runs the court like a deer, possesses excellent 3-point shooting range, and is a tremendous competitor. But he's only just begun to scratch the surface. The fact that he's a terrific student and a wonder kid are just added pluses. We also have confirmed that 6'2 Ashanti Cook from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA has committed to New Mexico, which means that the Lobos now have landed eight players from California since the Fran Fraschilla era began two years ago. We're talking about 6'9 Patrick Dennehy, 6'11 Chad Bell, 6'6 Jamaal Williams, 6'4 Senque Carey, 6'4 Ruben Douglas, and 6'2 Marlon Parmer, all of whom are already in the program, and Cook and 6'9 David Chiotti from Mountain View (St. Francis) CA, who committed to the Lobos several weeks ago. Chiotti is 6'9, 250 lbs and is ideally suited to play in New Mexico's high/low post offense, because he's got the wide body necessary to play inside and the jump shot necessary to step away from the basket. Cook, who is like a jack-of-all-trades, has grown to 6'2 and has improved his athleticism, which means he will get plenty of playing time as a freshman as a combo guard backing up Marlon Parmer and Ruben Douglas. And just like Chiotti, Cook is extremely young for his class, as is evident by the fact he turned 17 this fall.
Saturday, October 13, 2001, Sunday, October 14, 2001, & Monday, October 15, 2001 - Sometimes it's funny how things turn out. Last winter 6'2 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA appeared to be a lock for Auburn and 6'9 Terry Licorish from Laurinburg (Institute) NC was a lock for the University of Louisville. However, when Auburn head coach Cliff Ellis saw Moore play last summer he decided that Moore wasn't the point guard of the future for the Tigers. Instead, Moore verbally committed to Cincinnati in August. The only thing holding Licorish back from going to Louisville was academics and, as things turned out, he needed another year to get the grades and test score necessary to become eligible to play as a college freshman. But when the coaching staff changed Licorish became less of a priority for the Cardinals, which enabled Auburn assistant coach Mike Wilson to sneak in the back door and get this one done. Licorish is ranked #10 on our list of the top 5th Year & Prep School Players, but don't let that deceive you. If Licorish were a high school senior, he would be ranked among our top 30 nationally. Licorish is listed as a power forward by the HOOP SCOOP, but he also has excellent 3-point shooting ability and perimeter skills. "Combine that with his ability to block shots, rebound, and play defense and he reminds you of Glenn Robinson, but without the toughness," says Ro Russell, who is the co-director of the Grass Roots Canada AAU team. Wilson also took advantage of the fact that Licorish's teammates Laurinburg promises to be the ultimate role player at the big time college level. We're talking about 6'4 Steve Leven, who checks in at #38 on our list of the top 5th Year & Prep School Players. Leven is an excellent outside shooter and surprisingly athletic, but what makes him so valuable is his tough hardnosed demeanor. The commitments by Licorish and Leven move Auburn's recruiting class into the top 30 nationally on our list of the top 30 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date, but even more important they give the Tigers two excellent players to complement the #3 ranked class nationally, which included 6'5 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA, 6'8 Brandon Robinson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Derrick Bird from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, and Marco Killingsworth from Birmingham (Central Park) AL, they signed last spring. However, Auburn is still looking for a point guard and, if they sign another player in this recruiting class, that will be the position the player needs to fill. As a result, it should come as no surprise that Auburn is out of the hunt for 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (Blount) AL, who is ranked #31 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. And so are Cincinnati and Alabama, which means it's now a one-horse race. As a matter of fact, we think you can write it down for California and it may happen as soon as today.
Friday, October 12, 2001 - It has been the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP for a number of years to rank players who are in their 9th semester or more of high school separately as 5th year players. Obviously at times this can be a great source of confusion and controversy, but after a careful review of this policy we have decided to continue to rank 5th year players separately for several reasons. First, most players who fall into this category are older than the rest of the players in the senior class nationally and, as a result, have an advantage of in terms of maturity both mentally and physically. Second, it gives us a different perspective, just like when we combine our ranking from different states (i.e. Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma). Third, New York teams are not allowed to play against teams with players who are in their 9th semester of high school, although an exception appears to have been made recently with Marion (Tabor Academy) MA. Apparently 6'9 Torin Francis didn't play basketball when he was a true freshman in high school and, as a result, has been reclassified, whereby, he is now regarded as a true high school senior by everybody but us. This is important, because it means that Tabor Academy will be eligible to play in both the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL before Christmas and Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE after Christmas against teams from New York. However, for our purposes it is important to establish certain guidelines and, once we've done that, be consistent. The best example is 6'9 Dermarr Johnson, who would have been the #1-ranked player in the Class of 1999, if he hadn't been a 5th year player (Johnson was a freshman in high school at two different schools in two years). However, not all 5th year players fall into the academic risk category. As a matter of fact, two of the top five ranked players on our 5th year list - Francis and 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykes (South Carroll) MD - are straight A students and first class people in every way. Also listed among our top five 5th year players are 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA. The situation involving Iti is especially interesting, because Winchendon head coach Mike Byrnes is telling people that It is only going to be a junior this year. Apparently Iti plans to be in the program for not one, but two years. However, before Iti returned to Australia for a year last fall, we reported that he would only have one year of eligibility left, which would have made him a senior in high school last season, according to our guidelines. So for our purposes he'll be a 5th year player both this year and next year and sooner than later he may end up being the #1 player on our list, which includes the top 60 players ranked in order. Especially noteworthy is depth of 5th year players in this class, as the top five are all good enough to receivedserious McDonald's All-American consideration, the top dozen all would be ranked among the top 40 high school seniors, if they were ranked altogether, and the top 25 are all good enough to receive top 100 national consideration.
Thursday, October 11, 2001 - He's not as good as 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, who verbally committed to the University of Kentucky yesterday, but he may have just as much natural talent, athleticism, and the ability to light up a scoreboard. We're talking about 6'4 John Winchester from Raleigh (Bonner) NC and the comparison is extremely interesting, because Winchester has elected to play for one of the Wildcats biggest rivals - the University of Tennessee. We've been expecting this commitment for some time, but it still is important, because Winchester is the marquee player around which the new coaching staff will likely to build this into one of the premier programs in college basketball. And, unlike Barbour, Winchester won't be looking to declare hardship for the NBA Draft any time soon. However, Winchester is good enough right now to be regarded as a legitimate McDonald's All-American candidate and, as a result, he moves the Volunteers recruiting class up to #14 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date behind Iowa and head of Wake Forest. If you will recall, Tennessee also recently got commitments from 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'6 Justin Albrecht from Iowa Western (JC) IA, and 7'0 Justin Herndon from Nashville (Donalson) TN and they also are hoping to get 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK or 6'6 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC. The addition of Bookout would move Tennessee's recruiting class all the way up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date behind Florida and ahead of Memphis and Iowa State. Hicks would move the Tennessee's class up to #8 behind Purdue and ahead of Louisville and Syracuse.
Wednesday, October 10, 2001 - It was more a question of when 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD would commit to the University of Maryland. If you will recall, we told you two-and-a-half weeks ago when we were at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament in College Park, MD that we thought this was a done deal for the Terrapins. Well, our Washington, DC Editor Steve Turner and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson both tell us that Garrison made it official last night. Currently Garrison is ranked #48 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he will move up considerably next time we update our national rankings. If you will recall, Garrison and 6'4 Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont Heights) MD were two of the best players at Weber's Tournament and, as a result, will go a long way towards filling the void that will be created at Maryland when Juan Dixon, Bryon Mouton, and Lonnie Baxter graduate after this season. The Terrapins also already have landed the heir apparent to Stephen Blake at point guard when the recently got a commitment from 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, plus they have 6'7 Nik Caner-Medley from Portland (Deering) ME, who isn't a finished product, but has a major upside. So it should come as no surprise that the Terrapins recruiting class now moves into a tie, along with Iowa State and Memphis, at #3 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. Another program that already has successfully replaced players in the program who will either graduate or are expected to declare hardship after this season is the University of Kentucky, which did indeed get a verbal commitment this afternoon from 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL. The players we expect Kentucky to lose after this season are Tayshaun Prince and Keith Bogans and the players who are already earmarked to take their place and who may turn out to be just as good down the road are Barbour and 6'4 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who signed with the Wildcats last fall. Barbour, who is ranked as the #1 shooting guard in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, led Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY to the Kentucky State High School Championship two years ago and Wabash Valley (JC) IL to the National Junior College Championship in Hutchinson, KS last March. So it should come as no surprise that he is widely regarded as the best junior college player in the nation. In other words, he is expected to step in immediately and start next year, unless he instead opts to put his name into the NBA Draft next spring. Yes, Barbour is that good!
Tuesday, October 9, 2001 - Like so many other players who we're currently waiting on, it isn't done yet, but it's pretty close. We're talking about 6'9 Terry Licorish, who was supposed to be heading to Butler County (JC) KS, but who has surfaced at Laurinburg (Institute) NC. Auburn is the heavy favorite, according to Laurinburg head coach Chris Chaney, and it may get done by this weekend. As a matter of fact, Chaney confirms that Tigers head coach Cliff Ellis will be in Laurinburg, NC tonight to make an in-home visit. As usual, the connection appears to be Auburn assistant coach Mike Wilson due to his strong ties to Ro Russell, who is the co-director of the Grass Roots Canada AAU team and the editor of a soon to be web site, www.hoopscanada.fan.ca. If you will recall, Licorish made his way to the United States via Canada. And it could turn out to be a package deal, because Auburn also is the co-leader, along with East Carolina, for 6'4 Steven Leven from Laurinburg (Institute) NC. Chaney also reports that Loyola-Chicago, Rhode Island, and South Carolina are all showing a lot of interest in 5'11 Terrance Whittier, South Florida is the favorite for 6'4 Sheldon Franklin, and it appears to be a three-horse race among Miami-FL, Florida State, and Miami-FL for 6'6 Cortez Davis. Chaney also has 6'5 Christiano Johnson and 6'6 Kiel Butler on his prep school team, but the player who intrigues us the most is 6'8 Boubacar Coly, who made the move from Oak Hill to Laurinburg this fall. If you will recall, Coly hardly played last year at Oak Hill for head coach Steve Smith, but apparently has come on like gangbusters, as he was terrific when we saw him this summer at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV, while playing for the Atlanta Celtics. Coly, who has been reclassified as junior, will join 6'2 Tristan Martin and 6'3 Jr Dwight Jones on the Laurinburg High School team. We also talked today with Mike Byrnes, who is the head coach Winchendon (School) MA and it looks like this could be his best teams ever, despite the fact 6'9 Sani Ibrahim transferred to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykes (South Carroll) MD didn't return. Instead, Winchendon's best player is 6'11 Martin Iti, who has been missing in action in Australia for the last year-and-a-half after being ruled ineligible to play at Villa Park (H.S.) CA. We're talking about somebody who is half-Nigerian and half-Australian, but doesn't even begin to tell the story about this incredible shot blocking athlete with great foot work and timing who drew Lew Alcindor comparisons when we saw him for the first time in several years this summer. So it should come as no surprise that Iti is ranked as the #2 player, behind 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, on our 5th year list, which will be published in several days. And providing Iti with the perfect complement out on the perimeter will be 6'7 Francisco Garcia, who transferred from Cheshire (Academy) CT to Winchendon this fall, and 6'6 Demarion Eddin, who is back for another year. Garcia also has superstar written all over him. Remember, Garcia, who exploded onto the scene this summer as he continued to gain confidence and impress everybody with his intensity, outside shooting, versatility, and athleticism. As a result, Reggie Miller comparisons are in order. You may not remember Eddin, but he's the big time athlete we liked so much last winter at the prep school tournament in Worcester, MA. And apparently the Arkansas coaching staff agreed with us, because they signed him last spring. However, Eddin didn't make it academically, so he's back at Winchendon. From there Byrnes will have lots of versatility and depth, as 6'5 Corey Herring, 6'2 Andres Sandovas, 6'0 Kyle Wade, 6'2 Curtis Stinson, 6'2 John Blackgrove, 6'2 David Reyes, and 6'2 Bryant Avant, and 6'10 Andrea Crosarios will all get mid-to-high major looks and 5'8 Kenny Minor has already committed Manhattan.
Saturday, October, 6, 2001, Sunday, October 7, 2001, and Monday, October 8, 2001 - Anybody who is telling you that 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made it official for the University of Connecticut is jumping the gun. We do understand the press conference is scheduled for tomorrow and we assume that it will be the Huskies. However, if by some chance the press conference gets cancelled and/or there is some kind of a delay making an announcement, then don't be surprised if the University of Florida sneaks and pulls off a major upsets. Remember, the Gators still have one available scholarship and Anderson is an in-state kid. Anderson is one of our favorite players in the class, because he is a tremendous competitor, big time athlete, and great outside shooter. This was especially evident in July at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he hit everything in sight on the last day and finished ranked #2 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP. He also was the heart and sole of the Tallahassee Wildcats AAU team, which quickly is emerging as of the top up-and-coming programs in the nation. As a matter of fact, the Tallahassee Wildcats won the championship in the tournament that Bob Gibbons and the Hoop Group hosted over the weekend in Clemson, SC. No official MVP was named, but, if there had been, Anderson would have easily been the choice, as he scored 22 points in the championship game and was the leading scorer in the tournament averaging 18 ppg. Also playing extremely well for the Tallahassee Wildcats was 6'0 Soph Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who averaged nearly a double-double for the tournament in both scoring and assists, 6'11 Jr Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, and 6'8 Kevin Young from Homestead (Berkshire) FL. Getting back to Anderson's expected commitment to Connecticut, this would move the Huskies recruiting class into the top 20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. Remember, Connecticut also struck gold earlier this fall when they landed 6'5 Denham Brown from Toronto (Westhill) ON. Talk about the perfect future complement at the wing spot. Brown and Anderson are almost interchangeable at both the two and the three spots, because they both have lots of athleticism, can shoot the lights out, and still have plenty of untapped talent and potential. Anderson's expected commitment also is significant, because there aren't very many of the top players left. Let's take a closer look. Right now only six players - 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI - who ranked among our top 30 are still available. Digging a little deeper, 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Mobile (Blount) AL, 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (H.S.) IN, 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'9 Ike Diagu from Garland (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ all are still uncommitted and ranked in the 26-50 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. So only 14 of our top 50 seniors are still available. In other words, 72% of the top players in the class are already gone. Also still available and ranked in the 51-100 range are 6'10 Alou Kane from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'7 Marques Hayden from Midwest City (Putnam City) OK, 6'10 Matt Haryasz from Page (H.S.) AZ, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK, 6'1 Mike Lasme from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Charles Davis from Selma (Southside) AL, 6'1 Greg Brown from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'7 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'6 Brandon Roy from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'5 Alex Carmona from Troy (H.S.) OH, 6'5 Maurice Wade from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'6 Elliott Poole from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'8 Rashawn Freeman from Schenectady (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Brian Feeney from Gilbert (Mesquite) AZ, 6'10 Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA, 6'5 Maurice Petty from Shelby (Crest) NC, and 6'6 Bobby Jones from Long Beach (Poly) CA. So only 31 players in our top 100 are still uncommitted, which means that 69% of the players ranked among our top 100 nationally are gone and at this time of the year, that's a staggering percentage.
Friday, October 5, 2001 - Yesterday we mentioned briefly that Rutgers had gotten a commitment from 6'3 Dominick Mejia from Voorhees (Eastern Regional) NJ and St. Joseph's had landed 6'0 Dwayne Lee from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, but we didn't get a chance to talk about the significance of these commitments. Neither player is ranked among our top 100 nationally, but they both should get a lot of top 100 consideration. Lee has always lived in the shadow of 6'1 Elijah Ingram at Jersey City (St Anthony) NJ, but he's an excellent point guard in his own right. He makes excellent decisions, has excellent ball handling and passing skills, and isn't afraid to beat you with his 3-point shooting. In other words, he is the stereotypical player who has gone to St. Joseph's and continued to develop under Phil Martelli, who is emerging into one of the best coaches in the game today. Mejia is an excellent athlete and prolific scorer, but, even more important, he helps establish that the new regime at Rutgers can get the top players from in their own backyard. Remember, pre-existing relationships are especially important when recruiting in New Jersey and this was one of the big questions that a lot of people had when Gary Waters and his staff took over as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights last spring. With this commitment they obviously have made a major step in the right direction. Another school that is making major strides in the right direction is the University of Louisville, which now appears to be one player away from being a legitimate NCAA Final Four contender in Rick Pitino's second year on the job. We're talking about 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY or 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN. Louisville has only one scholarship remaining in this recruiting class and either player would provide the perfect complement to what the Cardinals will have inside a year from now with Brandon Bender, Ellis Myles, and 6'10 Kendal Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, who is ranked #8 among power forwards by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook. Louisville also figures to be very strong outside a year from with Carlos Hurt, Reece Gaines, Larry O'Bannon, Erik Brown, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'2 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ. Fraser would bring to the table the defense and rebounding that Louisville that needs, but May also is intriguing, because he's so skilled and smart around the basket. However, in both cases the Cardinals have their work cut out for them, because beating Indiana on May won't be easy and Villanova and St. John's have all the right contacts win the Fraser-sweetstakes.
Thursday, October 4, 2001 - Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it looks like Texas Tech is done recruiting, as the Red Raiders landed 6'8 Robert Tomaszek from Eastern Wyoming (JC) WY about a week ago and 6'8 John Ofoegbu from San Antonio (Taft) TX sometime within the last 48 hours. We also have confirmed via Mark Smith of the Albuquerque Journal that 6'6 Bryson Kruger from Gilbert (Mesquite) AZ has verbally committed to Vanderbilt and that 6'4 Tony Skinner from Northeastern (JC) CO has picked Gonzaga over Baylor. Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that St. Joseph's has gotten commitments from 6'0 Dwayne Lee from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and 6'4 Chet Stachitas from St. Augustine (Nease) FL, plus he's trying to confirm the reports we've gotten about 6'3 Dominick Mejia from Voorhees (Eastern Regional) NJ making a verbal commitment to Rutgers. We also understand that 6'2 Eric Wilkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has verbally committed to Miami-FL, which means that all of the seniors at Oak Hill Academy, except 6'9 Sani Ibrahim, have already verbally committed. If you will recall, 6'5 Richard Joyce and 6'1 Justin Gray are both going to Wake Forest, 6'9 Ian Johnson is committed to Davidson, 6'2 Chadd Moore has picked Cincinnati, 6'7 Antywane Robinson picked Temple earlier this week, and 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Towson (Catholic) MD is the big prize in Syracuse's recruiting class. Speaking of Anthony, there is no question in our mind that he's the #1 senior in the nation. As a matter of fact, a college coach who was at Oak Hill in mid-September watching work-outs tells us that Anthony was absolutely sensational before he twisted his ankle. At that point they wrapped up the ankle and let Anthony to continue to play, but told him to take it easy. So he took his game exclusively outside where he hit 6-8 3-pointers. Yes, Carmelo Anthony is that good and that versatile! In other words, we are likely talking about the next Tracy McGrady. We also have gotten a report from Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com about 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK cancelling his official visit to Tennessee this weekend. Apparently Bookout is afraid to fly. However, the same can't be said about 6'7 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who will be on the East Coast next weekend taking an unofficial visit to both Duke and North Carolina. Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that Ariza will attend the Tar Heels Midnight Madness on Friday night, the UNC-Virginia football game on Saturday, and practices at both Duke and North Carolina before heading home on Sunday.
Wednesday, October 3, 2001 - Among the things that separate us from most of our competition are our willingness to go out on a limb, make predictions, and state the obvious before it becomes too obvious. And a great example is the current Duke recruiting class. If you will recall, on Friday, December 29th, we wrote: "The recent reports about 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, who ranks #31 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP, making a verbal commitment to Duke appear to be premature. However, our best Duke source tells us that it's not only a done deal, but it will likely become official in early January once school resumes after the Christmas break. And Thompson isn't the only Chicago area player who appears to be destined for Duke. As a matter of fact, this same source tells us that the Blue Devils will likely get 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, who is ranked #9 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and they already have a verbal commitment from 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Springs) VA, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP. If that weren't enough, our source also believes the Blue Devils will prevail in the big recruiting battle among N.C. State, Duke, and North Carolina for 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they also to have the early edge over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and North Carolina for 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK. Obviously if Duke can pull this off, we'd be talking about a Fab Five recruiting class, as well as the best recruiting class in the nation a year from now." Obviously when you put it on the line everyday, you're going to win some and your're going to lose some, but it is especially rewarding when you predict something nine months in advance and turn out to be right on the money. With Randolph's commitment today, those are the five players that the Blue Devils will offer scholarships to in November. Also counting in this recruiting class is a 6th player - 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who will walk-on and red-shirt next season. However, due to current NCAA rules, which allow a school to sign a maximum of five players in one recruiting class and only three in the next, Melchionni will get a scholarship the following season when a scholarship becomes available. Randolph was slowed by injuries during the spring and summer and, as a result, didn't live up to his best clippings. So currently we have him ranked #20 nationally in the senior class, but he may move back up if he has a good senior year. Remember, Randolph is incredibly skilled, extremely talented, and every versatile, which is why some publications had him ranked as high as #1 in the nation prior to the start of the summer evaluation period. While Randolph's commitment comes as no surprise (we've been telling you for some time that it was a done deal), it does put the Blue Devils recruiting class well ahead of everybody else in our ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.
Tuesday, October 2, 2001 - The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'1 Jonathan Burnett from Texas City (H.S.) TX has verbally committed to Lamar and 6'7 Richard Law from Houston (Clear Lake) TX recently committed to South Alabama. Burnett, who is ranked as the #2 point guard in the Houston area by one scouting service, as well as #39 in the state by Mike Kunstadt, is best described as a combo guard. He's too small to be a true 2-guard and doesn't make good enough decisions with the ball to be a true point. Instead, what Burnett does best is score and, as a result, he should provide another piece to head coach Mike Deane's puzzle a year from now. Speaking of Lamar, most of the pre-season basketball magazines are picking the Cardinals in the second half of the Southland Conference. However, we think Lamar could be the sleeper team in the conference this year, as well as the team to beat in the conference a year from now. Not only does Lamar return four starters, but since Deane took over two years ago, they have landed a number of excellent players, including 6'7 Damany Hendricks from Santa Rosa (JC) CA, who was one of the best junior college players in California last year, 6'6 Krunti Hester, who transferred to Lamar from Marquette, 6'6 Ben Jacobsen from Omaha (Central) NE, and 6'11 Brian Rowan from St. Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN. Law is a combo forward with with good skills and deceptive athleticism and, as a result, ranks among our top 150 nationally. He also was the best player on John Eurey's Houston Superstars Team, at least until late in the summer when 6'9 Jr Tyrone Nelson from Hempstead (H.S.) TX really elevated his game at the adidas Big Time Tournament. How good is this shot blocking athlete with big time athleticism and potential? Eurey thinks Nelson is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation and is predicting that he's going to be his next McDonald's All-American. I guess only time will tell. Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that the three favorites for 6'9 Alou Kane from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA are Minnesota, SMU, and North Carolina. And speaking of the Tar Heels, Grandstaff also confirms what we heard from several sources yesterday - that North Carolina is making a strong push from 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX. However, we're still betting on the University of Texas, so stay tuned!
Monday, October 1, 2001 - We also are getting reports that 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has cancelled the rest of his college visits and will have a press conference on Wednesday to announce his college decision. If this happens, we think you can write it down for the Blue Devils, which already have the #1 ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. And assuming this happens, only three players who are ranked among our top 20 seniors nationally will remain unsigned. We're talking about 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, and 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY. We'd be very surprised if Collins doesn't declare hardship for the NBA Draft next spring and if Buckman doesn't go to the University of Texas. However, we're hearing that North Carolina is making a strong push for Buckman. With Fraser anything is possible. We still think Villanova and St. John's are the schools you have to beat, but North Carolina are both a lot stronger than a lot of people realize. It's not official yet, but our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'11 Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA will announce for Vanderbilt this afternoon. Earlier we reported that 6'11 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA may be close to reneging on the University of Georgia, but as it stands now his commitment is still firm and, as a result, the Bulldogs' recruiting class is ranked among the top 25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.
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