Saturday, April 28, 2001, Sunday, April 29, 2001, and Monday April 30, 2001

By the time we had heard late Friday afternoon that three more of our top 100 juniors - 6'4 Jr Rashaad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH to North Carolina, 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA to Duke, and 5'9 Jr Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY to Kentucky - had made it official for Division I schools, we were already on the way to the gym to cover the Houston Kingwood Classic.  And with four sets of games on Friday night, 11 sets of games beginning at 8:00 AM all day Saturday, and eight sets of games beginning at 8:00 AM Sunday, plus flying home on Sunday night, there has been little time for anything else, except to eat and sleep, until today.   So I have combined the last three days and only now am I getting to these three significant verbal commitments.  Stockton and Melchionni were expected (we actually had predicted both earlier in last week), but McCants took us by surprise.  So let's start there!  First of all, we aren't buying into the hype about McCants being a top 10 junior nationally.  We think he's more like top 25 junior, because he will have a position question at the level, unless he improves his ball handling and outside shooting.   In other words, right now he's somewhat of tweener,as the closer to the basket he gets, the more effective he becomes.  McCants is a tremendous physical specimen, great athlete, and unstoppable force when he decides to go to the basket.  So maybe some of the Jerry Stackhouse comparisons are in order.  However, this might be good news for the Tar Heels, because it mean he'll stay in college all four years, as he continues to improve his perimeter skills.  Actually we don't think he could have made a better decision, because Tar Heels head coach Matt Doherty and his staff are among the best at developing talent.  Melchionni, who is a legitimate top 75 junior nationally, is one of those guys who you have to continue to watch to appreciate.  He's not a great athlete, but he is extremely skilled and incredibly consistent.  While his high school teammate - 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washingotn (Germantown Academy) TN, who reminds us former Kentucky All-American Rex Chapman, is up and down like the stock market, Melchionni never has a bad game.   He also shoots extremely well and rarely tries to do something he can't do.   He's also a coach's dream, because he appears to be willing to walk-on and pay his own way next year, if Duke needs his scholarship.  Already the Blue Devils have commitments from 6'4 Jr. J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA and 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL and they are the heavy favorite for 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL and 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  They also are in the mix, along with schools like North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State, for 6'10 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK.    Let's say the Blue Devils strike gold and get Randolph, Dockery, and Williams to go along with Redick, Thompson, and Melchionni.  Then, Melchionni will pay his own way for a year while he red-shirts and then will get a scholarship the next year.   Stockton, who ranks among our top 100 nationally, is small, but he's got jet-like speed and quickness, is a prolific scorer, and his a good enough ball handler and passer to provide head coach Tubby Smith with the one thing he doesn't already have in his program - a pure point guard.  As a result, we think this a great catch for the Wildcats, although he does probably eliminate them from being a serious contender for a great point guard, like 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, like they say, one in the hand is worth two in the bush.

This comes as no suprise, but 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, who is ranked among the top 10 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has passed the ACT and, as a result, will be eligible as a freshman next season at the University of Louisville.  Previously we'd reported that this would likely happen because Hurt was less than a point away from making it on his last attempt.   We also have confirmed that Hurt's AAU teammate from last summer with the Houston Hoops - 6'7 Chris Rhodes from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX - has made it official for the University of Mississippi and 6'6 Berry Jordan from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL has picked Arkansas.  Both players fall into the tweener size and, as a result, rank in the 100-300 range nationally.  Another one of the better players still available - 6'2 Kahleaf Watson from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA - appears to be close to making a decision.  Last weekend he was at Rutgers and this weekend he will be at Miami-FL and we think it will be one of those two, despite the fact that Florida State, Virginia, and Clemson have been recruiting him for football.  The deciding factor appears to be that Watson, who is a terrific wide receiver, wants to play both sports.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR, who is ranked #60 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has given Arizona an early verbal commitment.   This is interesting, because Rodgers, who is an excellent combo guard, as well as a very good outside shooter, becomes the 16th player who is ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally to have made an early verbal commitment.  If you will recall, a year ago over 20 juniors committed before the beginning of the summer evaluation period and, if the trend continues, that number will be even higher this year.  It also is significant, because a lot of people think Arizona head coach Lute Olson will retire soon.  However, people we've talked with close to the program tell us nothing could be further from the truth.  As a matter of fact, Olson has done a great job getting out this spring and following the underclassmen the Wildcats are interested in for the future.  Further evidence is provided when one finds out Olson doesn't have any real hobbies besides basketball, he only plays golf when he has to, and, with death of his wife at the beginning of the year and the fact that his children are all adults, there is nobody at home anymore.  Olson also is in great health and he makes a lot of money coaching.  So the smart money says he will coach at least another five years. 

It looked like Belmont Shore, which was the #3 seeded team in the playoffs from their pool, was on the verge of winning the championship at the Houston Kingwood Classic late yesterday afternoon in Houston, TX.  Belmont Shore was up three and they had the ball with only 20 seconds remaining in the game.  However, this was the same team that blew a 29-13 lead against the Houston Hoops on Friday night and once again their youth and lack of toughness became very apparent.  Instead, of getting the shot they needed to ice the game, they turned the ball over.  Then, 6'2 Jr Maurice Hampton from Russellville (H.S.) KY hit a 3-pointer for the Kentucky Stars to tie the game.  Belmont Shore failed to convert again and 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY missed a long three that would have won the game in regulation, if it had gone.  At that point it was 5:55 PM, the game was going into overtime, and the Kentucky Stars had a 6:40 PM flight to catch back to Louisville, KY.  So Bush took over the game.  Bush scored the first basket in overtime on a breakaway lay-up.  Next, he went in for an earth-shattering slam dunk that brought the house, as well as a time-out by Belmont Shore head coach Dinos Trigonis.  By the time they were finished the Kentucky Stars had gone on a 12-0 run en route to a 78-69 victory.  It doesn't get much more exciting than this and, yes, they did make their flight and, yes, this is the second consecutive championship the Kentucky Stars have won in eight days.  If you will recall, they also won the Kentucky Hoopstars Classic a week ago at Male High School in Louisville, KY.  Bush was the MVP of the tournament, but the leading scorer in the championship game was 6'4 Jr Kevin Reinhardt from Alexandria (Campbell County) KY with 15 points.  Also playing well was 6'0 Jr Chris Gaither from Leitchfield (Grayson County) KY, who hit four 3-pointers in a 12-point effort.  And playing well throughout the tournament for the Kentucky Stars were 6'6 Jr Donte Smith from Buckner (Oldham County) KY, 6'2 Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, and 6'8 Soph Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY.   But really once again the key to the Kentucky Stars was good chemistry, excellent coaching, and lots of depth (they go 11 deep).  The leading scorer for Belmont Shore was 6'4 Jr Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who 23 points in the championship game.  However, the key to the team was 6'7 Jr Marcedes Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who is a better football player than he is a basketball player, but gave Belmont Shore the inside presence it needed to knock off the Southern California All-Stars and Team Texas in route to the championship game.   Speaking of Team Texas, one of the best performances we saw all weekend in the 17-Under Division was turned by 5'11 Jr Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who was unstoppable going to the hole, very unselfish, and good defensively.   But that still didn't make up for the disappointing performance turned in 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also were somewhat disappointed in the Houston Hoops' 6'10 Soph Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, who is the #2 ranked in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Sure, Perkins had prolific numbers all weekend, including 27 points versus Belmont Shore on Friday night.  But, while he's gotten bigger and stronger since we saw him at this time a year ago, he has lost some of his speed, quickness, and athleticism.  So a Marvin Stone comparison might be in order right now.  However, Perkins' high school coach Andre Boutte, who is widely regarded as one of the top high school coaches in Texas, does a great job  developing and pushing his players and, as a result, we suspect Perkins will lighter on his feet when we see him this summer.  In other words, we still think the sky is the limit.  Unfortunately Perkins and 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is another one of the top sophomores in the nation, weren't matched up against one another in the Houston Hoops-Belmont Shore game on Friday night.  But it was probably better for Schaen, because he lacks the strength and toughness to get it done somebody inside against somebody as physically big as Perkins.   Schaen only scored six points and was in foul trouble part of the game, but he still does a lot of little things that don't show up in the box score   Others in the 17-Under Division who really impressed us were 6'9 Soph Nick Stigger from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN, 6'0 Soph Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Soph Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'3 Jr Dwight Jones from Houston (Klein) TX, 6'7 Soph Cartier Martin from Houston (Nimitz) TX, 5'10 Jr Frank Utley from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'6 Jr Tim Mayes from Houston (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'2 Jr Carl Hood from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'4 Jr Cedrick Hensley from Houston (Heritage Christian) TX, and 6'6 Jr Kersh Milson from Houston (Northshore) TX.  However, what really made this a great tournament were the all the outstanding players in the younger Divisions.  Let's start with the 14-Under, where the Dallas Mustangs manhandled most of the competition.  Remember the names - 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Pearl Anderson) TX and 6'0 Aaron Jackson from Dallas (Apollo) TX.   Eaton, who has to rank among the top five 8th graders in the nation, reminds us former UCLA All-American Baron Davis.  Eaton already has a great upper body, incredible quickness, excellent handling and passing skills, and is almost unstoppable when he goes the to basket.  Jackson, who is a legitimate top 20 8th grader nationally, is a lefty with long arms, great passing skills, and excellent 3-point shooting range.  They are complemented by 6'1 Austin Jackson from Dallas (McMad) TX, who is another outstanding athlete who makes a living off defense, transition and shooting the three, and 6'5 Ryan Boyd from Dallas (Hood) TX and 6'3 Arthur Webster from DeSoto (East) TX, both of whom are extremely active both in the open court and on the boards.  We saw the Dallas Mustangs play two games and they called off the dogs they were up 30-6 against H-town Hangtime and in pool play and 33-7 against the Kansas City Jr. Knights in the semi-finals.   However the second unit, which included 6'0 Omar Hassan from Dallas (Lake Travis) TX, 6'0 Booker Woodfox frm Lewisville, TX, 6'3 Demarcus Bass from Dallas (Young) TX, 5'9 Anthony Thomas from Arlington, TX, 6'3 Tim Jackson from Everman, TX, 6'2 Antwoine Hight from Dallas, TX, 6'0 Corey Hall from DeSota (East) TX, 6'1 Jacoby Tremble from DeSota (East) TX, 5'8 Steffon Wiley from Dallas (Atwell) TX, never let up and the Mustangs scored won by 40-plus points in both games.   Especially noteworthy are Hassan, Woodfox, and Bass.  Hassan is a prolific scorer, which was especially evident when he came off the bench to score 23 points versus H-town Hangtime.  Woodfox is a great passer, excellent defender, and terrific in transition.  Bass has long arms and excellent quickness, which makes him especially effective inside.  Apparently this team dominated at the national level in their age group a year ago and we'd be surprised if this trend doesn't continue.  This is a great team!  However, the best player in the 14-Under Division is 6'8 Kendrick Johnson from Morton (H.S.) TX, who lived up to his #1 billing in the 8th grade class and is comparable to 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozne) TX in many ways.  Johnson already is an incredible physical specimen with great hands, good shot blocking ability, and  the ability to score inside.  Ironically, Morton, TX is near Lubbock, TX, which recently hired former Indiana University head coach Bob Knight, and he might be good enough to step in and start for the Red Raiders right now.  However, it appears the new regime will still have to beat out Duke and North Carolina for Johnson, because those are the two schools he mentioned when we asked him about his favorite schools.  Team Texas also featured two other talented athletic big guys in 6'4 Vincent Williams from Dallas (D.H. Hanley) TX and 6'4 Chris Evans from Dallas (Young) TX, a sharpshooting wing guard in 5'10 Tyron Nedd from Conroe (Oak Ridge) TX, and 5'10 Antoni Hanson from Dallas (Dunbar) TX and 5'7 Justin Charlton from Barnett, TX, who shared the point guard duties.  Team Texas lost to the Dallas Mustangs in the championship game, but beat an excellent Houston Hoops team in the semi-finals.  And the big difference in the game was the inability of 6'6 Fendi Onobun from Houston (O'Donnell) TX, who also has to rank among the top 10 8th graders nationally, to score inside on Johnson.  However, once Onobun develops a mid-range jumper and better post moves, the sky is the limit!  He's so quick, explosive, athletic, and naturally talented, plus he plays hard is an excellent rebounder, and is a great kid.  Another one of the elite 8th graders in the nation has to be 5'10 David Devezin from Houston (First Colony) TX.  At first Devezin reminded us of 5'10 Terrance Ford, but the more we watched him, the more we realized he is like Allen Iverson.  This incredible quick point guard, who can either beat you going to the basket or with his outside shot, is usually out of control and he doesn't play much defense.  In other words, he's capable of winning the game for either team.  The Houston Hoops 14-Under Team also featured 6'4 Carter Tynes from Houston (Beck) TX, 6'0 Aldic Reynolds from Houston (Teague) TX, 6'4 Lawrence Jones from Houston (Arnold) TX, and 6'6 Wes Christensen from Houston (Creekwood) TX.  Tynes is a skilled white kid with excellent mobility and athleticism who can play inside or outside.  However, he'll need to get stronger down the road.  Reynolds makes his living complementing Denezin at the 2-spot in transition.  Jones is an athletic power forward who is scores around the basket and is good on the boards.  Christensen is extremely slow, but he does have surprising mobility for somebody so big and so young.  We're talking about a physical specimen who will likely grow to 7'2 or 7'3.  The Kansas City Jr. Knights were somewhat disappointing and one of the reasons was their star player - 6'3 Xavier Breakfield from Independence, KS - lacks the killer instinct.  Sure, he has talent and athleticism, but he appeared to be content to let 6'1 D.J. Hord from Raytown, MO, who is an aggressive athlete and warrior on the boards, do all the dirty work inside.  Breakfield is multi-dimensional enough to play outside, but he didn't do much on the perimeter either.  Instead, we liked 6'2 Marcus Frye from Kansas City (Pembroke) MO, because he does a little bit of everything, including handle the ball, play defense, and rebound, except shoot the outside shot.  Right now Frye is probably a legitimate top 50 8th grader, but if and when he develops a shooters mentality, the sky's the limit.  We also have to mention 5'4 Charles Bush from the H-town Hangtime Team, because shot the lights out against the Kansas City Jr. Knights, and the Chatman twins - 6'0 Desmon and 6'0 Dasmon from Conroe (Lynn Lucas) TX - from the Pressure Team.  Dasmon is the better of the two, but they both are extremely athletic and very versatile.  And of course there was the TUAC team, which featured 6'0 Nick Smith from Houston (Campbell) TX and 6'0 Nick Chestnut from Houston (Campbell) TX.  Smith is the better of the two, because he is a better ball handler and passer, but both are lethal outside shooters and excellent in transition.  Now let's move to the 10-Under Division, where we made it a point to watch the Inland Stars.  The last time the Inland Stars were this good at so young an age, they had 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  But this team promises o be better.   As a matter of fact, Joe Keller has come out of retirement to coach this group.  Their best player is 5'8 Demetrius Walker from Live Oak, CA.  Sure some Tyson Chandler-comparisons are in order, but just like we told our buddy Pat Barrett, who is Chandler's mentor and club team coach, Walker plays a lot harder.  Also, Walker's father is 6'8 and his mother is 6'1.   So his potential for growth is scary.  But right now we're talking about an outstanding athlete who is very fluid and almost impossible to stop inside at this level.   He's complemented up front by 5'8 Joseph Burton from Monte Vista, CA and 5'10 Chris McFalls from Rancho Hills, CA and in the backcourt by 5'2 Dejuan Copeland from San Diego, CA, 5'2 Pe'Shon Howard from Mayfield, CA, and 6'2 Andrew Bock from Fitzgerald, TX.   Unfortunately we only got to see this team for about a quarter, because we had to go the 15-Under Championship game where the Westside All-Stars beat Team Texas, 90-82.   Both teams rank among the very elite nationally in their age group, but when the Westside All-Stars started to pull away, it was all over, as they have more depth and better guards.  The guards include 6'2 Frosh Rodney Foster from Houston (Mayde Creek) TX, 5'11 Frosh Charlie Jones from Houston (Cinco Ranch) TX, 5'10 Frosh Sean Morris from Houston (Cinco Ranch) TX.   Foster is the best of the three, because he can shoot, run the team, and makes big plays at crunch time.  Jones is a great passer and he does a lot the little things that go unnoticed in the box  score.  Morris, who is the son of former NBA star Chris Morris, is really more of a 2-guard, because he's an excellent 3-point shooter.   However, he's limited somewhat by his lack of size.  But the star on this team is 6'5 Frosh Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, who is a legitimate top 10 freshman nationally.  Dowell is a great rebounder inside, but he also can shoot the three, pass, and handle like a perimeter player.  But it's his explosive moves to the basket and incredible dunking ability that gets your attention real fast.   He's complemented by inside by 6'2 Frosh Myles Guidry from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX and 6'5 Frosh Matthew Wheaton from Houston (Mayde Creek) TX.  Wheaton physically and athletically reminds you Dowell, but he doesn't play as hard and he doesn't have any perimeter skills.  However, the best athlete of the bunch is Guidry, who combines an aggressive work ethic, great nose for the ball, and world-class leaping ability.  Team Texas also goes to war with three incredible athletes up front in 6'6 Frosh Rell Porter from Pittsburgh (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Frosh Kevin Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX, and 6'6 Frosh Ryan Johnson from Dallas (Carter) TX.  Johnson, who had 17 points in the championship game, is physically bigger and stronger than Porter and Langford.  So he is the one who does the dirty work inside.  Porter is a great talent, but he needs to develop physically or improve his perimeter skills.  Langford, who has a tremendous wing span and is very active around the basket, is more multi-dimensional, which leads us to believe he has even more potential than his older brother, 6'4 Frosh Keith Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX, who signed with Kansas last fall.   We also liked 6'2 Frosh George Youngblood from Dallas (Highland Park) TX, who is a skilled white kid, and 6'3 Frosh Lindy Holmes from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, who is a slasher/athlete.  However, 5'10 Frosh Evan Risher from Crowley (North Crowley) TX and 5'8 Frosh Ed Robinson from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX weren't big enough or talented enough to match-up against the talented guard trio for the Westside All-Stars.  Also impressing us in the 15-Under Division on the Shreveport/Bossier Select team was 6'0 Frosh Michael Lewis from Pineview (H.S.) LA.  Not only does this point guard with long arms and a good first step have good ball handling and passing skills, but he is an excellent athlete and a good rebounder for his size.  We didn't see much of the 16-Under Division, but we did like several players from the Shreveport/Bossier Select team, including 6'0 Soph Jay Jackson from Monroe (Ouachita) LA and 6'7 Soph Paul Millsap from Grambling (H.S) LA and three players - 6'6 Soph Ryan Griffin from San Antonio (Reagan) TX, 6'6 Soph Brian Robinson from San Antonio (Holmes) TX, and 6'2 Soph Brandon York from San Antonio (Reagan) TX - from the San Antonio GATA team.  In the game we saw Jackson had 23 points, but we were even more impressed with his defense, passing, and ability to make things happen in transition.   In other words, we're talking about a major sleeper to watch for this summer.   Millsap needs strength, but we like his ability to go to the basket and shot blocking ability.  Griffin is a blue collar warrior with long arms and the ability to play either inside or outside.  York is an athletic white kid with great passing skills, but  we'd like him better if he'd shown a shooter's mentality.  Robinson is active and athletic inside, but he needs to get bigger and stronger.  We also had planned on seeing John Eurey's loaded Houston Superstar's team in the 16-Under age bracket, but they lost before we got a chance.  We also heard that 6'8 Soph Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA was sensational in the 16-Under Division, but, unfornuately, we couldn't be everywhere at once.  We did briefly get to see 5'9 Nick Wise from Houston (Beck) TX in the 13-Under Division and in one possession he missed a 3-point shot, stole the ball, and hit a teammates with a behind the back pass.  Needless to say we weren't disappointed, as this guy can  already really play!  A special thanks to tournament director Hal Pastner for his hospitality and Brandon, who drove me from gym to gym, for making this an easy event to cover. 

Friday, April 27, 2001

We told you a week ago that the Houston Kingwood Classic this weekend in Houston, TX promises to be the one of the best events of the entire spring.   However, we didn't get a chance to more than scratch the surface when talking about all the outstanding talent that will be in attendence at this event, which tips off tonight at 6:30 PM.  Having already arrived and, thanks to the organization of tournament Hal Pastner, with a program in hand we already have a pretty good idea who to watch.  The Host Houston Hoops will showcase 6'4 Jr Cedrick Hensley from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  If you will recall, he's the player who scored 100 points in a game earlier this year.  While Hensley provides the outside fire power, 6'10 Soph Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozne) TX, who is ranked as the #2 sophomore in America by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Soph Ndubi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX make it tough to come inside on the hoops.  The Houston Junior Hardballers will feature 6'10 Jr Elijah Miller from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'6 Jr Tim Mayes from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, and 6'9 Soph Nick Stiggers from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN, who is the #2 ranked sophomore in Tennessee according to our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman.  The Georgia Stars arrive with 6'4 Jr Derrick Broony from Woodland (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Jr Quentin Moses form Athens (Cedar Shoals) GA, 6'8 Jr Chris Ellis from Marietta (HS.) GA, and 6'4 Jr Wayne Arnold from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA.   The Houston  Lynx will feature 6'2 Jr Kevin Smith from Humble (H.S.) TX and the Southern California All-Stars have 6'7 Jr Bobby Jones from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Jr Darius Sanders from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Jr Nate Carter from San Diego (Horizon) CA, and 6'0 Soph Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA.  Belmont Shore features 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Soph Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Jamaal Walls from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA  6'8 Soph Trevor Ariza Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'1 Jr Patrick Hadden from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA.   The Kentucky Stars are a well rounded team, but 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'7 Jr LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, and 6'5 Jr Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY have to mentioned.   Team Texas has 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX and 5'11 Jr Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  However, those are just the players we know about.  I'm sure we're add a number of new names to this list as the weekend progresses.  We also have to mentioned the 14-Under Division once again, because it looks like a national championship could be on the linem because the The Houston Hoops, Team Texas, and the Kansas City Junior Knights all appear to have a shot at upsetting the powerful Dallas Mustangs, which are the #1 seed.  The Dallas Mustangs are led by two of the premier 8th graders in the nation in 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Pearl Anderson) TX and 6'1 Austin Jackson, who together put on a ferocious full-court press backed by 6'5 Ryan Boyd from Dallas (McMad) TX.  We already told you about Team Texas' 6'8 Kendrick Morton from Lubbock (Morton) TX, who we've been touting as the #1 8th grader in the nation, but the Houston Hoops have 6'6 Fendi Onobun from Houston (O'Donnell Middle School) TX, who promises to be the next great one out of Houston and also is being mentioned as one of the leading candidates as the #1 8th grader in America.  The Houston Hoops 14-Under Team also is led by 5'10 David Devezin from Houston (The First Colony Middle School) TX.  The sleeper in the 14's is the Kansas City Junior Knights, but 6'3 Xavier Breakfield from Independence (H.S.) KS, who has been ranked among the top 10 8th graders in the nation by several scouting services, and 6'1 D.J. Hord from Raytown (H.S.) MO, who also has big time talent and potential, makes them worth mentioning as well.  We also plan to check out 5'9 Nick Wise from Houston (Beck) TX in the 13-Under Division and the Inland Stars in the 10-Under Division might be worth a look as well, because this top rated team includes tremendous size with 5'10 Chris McFalls from Rancho Hills, CA, 5'8 Joseph Burton from Monte Vista, CA, 5'8 Demetrius Walker from Live Oak, CA, and 5'5 Rome Draper from East Heritage, CA.  Burton and Walker all both in the 5th grade, but McFalls and Draper all only 4th graders.  Check out all the brackets at http://www.cbball.com and click on the Houston Kingwood Classic. 

Well, it looks like we've got a shot at going five-for-five in terms of all the overhyped soft pampered spoiled big men in the senior class nationally by-passing college and going straight to the NBA.  If you recall, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA was the first to make it official in early March.  More recently 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL and 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL announced they were entering their names into the draft and now 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has followed in their footsteps.  Now all we're waiting on is 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA.  Sure, all, except Cisse have a shot at being picked among the top 10 players drafted, but what will be interesting is to see if any of these guys get any playing time next year.  Forget about being as good as Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant at the same stage.   These guys aren't even as good as Darius Miles was a year ago.   We also have confirmed that Alabama's Gerald Wallace and Arkansas' Joe Johnson are the latest college players to test the draft waters.   However, neither appears to have signed with an agent.  So the both could return to college for another year, if they don't like what they hear. 

Earlier this week 6'3 Jerome Gumbs from Glasgow (Barren County) KY, who came out of nowhere at the tryouts for the Kentucky All-Star Team to make the team, visited the University of Cincinnati, but it appears the Bearcats weren't ready to offer him a scholarship.  So, instead, he has signed with the University of San Francisco.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 Clark Williams from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA has made it official for Ohio State and our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has confirmed that 6'0 Eric Ferguson from Milford (Academy) CT has signed with Villanova.  Naclerio also tells us that 6'2 Cheyne Gadson from Westchester (JC) NY has signed with Oklahoma State and tells us that 6'7 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Roberson) NY, who signed with the Blue Demons last fall, will get his release.  And, when that happens, Adeleke would be free to transfer to Hofstra and sit out a year or go the prep school route.  Remember, he still hasn't made it academically, so it really doesn't matter if he has to sit out next year.  Our New England Editor Wayne Simone has confirmed that 6'8 Ryan Gomes from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has signed with Providence and predicts that Gomes will make the same type of impact on the Providence program that Will Solomon made at Clemson, despite the fact they play different positions.  If you will recall, Solomon was one of the biggest surprises in the ACC in recent years, but now he has joined the overwhelming number of players who have already decided to declare hardship for the NBA draft.  Simone also notes that Gomes has grown to 6'8, 250 lbs and is continuing to improve his perimeter skills.  As a result, Simone predicts Gomes will be the perfect combo forward in the Big East, as well as a wing forward in the NBA someday.  Simone also notes that the only two players who are still available in Connecticut are 6'6 Jon Zito from Windsor (H.S.) CT and 6'8 Ferdinand Cain from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT.  Right now Northeastern, Long Island University, Stony Brook, and Wagner are the leaders for Zito and Stony Brook, St. Bonaventure, and Creighton are fighting it out for Cain.   Simone also gives us a list for 6'8 Mike Hayes from Cowley County (JC) KS, who had signed earlier to Xavier, but never returned the National Letter-of-Intent.  So now that former Musketeers head coach Skip Prosser is heading to Wake Forest, Hayes has opened things back up and his new list includes UNLV, Cincinnati, and Colorado.

The number of Division I head coaching  job openings this year now stands at 45, but only six of those job are still yet to be filled.  We're talking about Xavier, Towson, Robert Morris, Morgan State, George Washington, and Florida A&M.  Our guess is that UNC-Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffery or Butler head coach Thad Matta will get Xavier.  We thought University of Georgia assistant coach Michael Hunt would get Towson several days ago, so now we're wondering why the delay.  We also though N.C. State assistant coach Sean Miller as in line for the Robert Morris job, but   now it looks like they have moved in a different direction, as the final two now appear to be Creighton assistant coach Greg Grensing and Xavier assistant coach Mark Schmidt.  We're also hearing McCaffery's name being mentioned for George Washington, but the perfect candidate might be Penn State's Jerry Dunn, who guided the Nittany Lions to the final 16 of the NCAA, but has yet to get a new contract.  Speaking of contract extensions, Rusty Hampton in the Louisville Courier-Journal reports that University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith's contract extension is done.  All that is left now is for him to sign it.  "The new deal will extend Smith's contract to six years, through the 2006-07 season, and could make him the highest-paid coach in the country," says Hampton.  "He already is one of the highest-paid, making slightly more than $1.2 million annually.  Counting other income, including speaking engagements, summer camps and coaching clinics, he's set to take in a little more than $1.4 million in fiscal year 2001."  However, it appears that athletic director Larry Ivy has not provided any new details about the contract.  Especially interesting will be the cost of the buy-out in his contract.   If you will recall, Smith has been rumored to be going to the Philadelphia 76ers for months.  However, for that to happen we believe that current 76ers head coach Larry Brown would have to retire or move into a front office position (i.e. general manager).  Also, Smith was rumored for several NBA jobs a year ago, including the Atlanta Hawks, but it never materialized.  Assuming that Smith remains at the University of Kentucky, we assume the Wildcats will be one of the teams to beat in college basketball for a long time.   Not only is the cupboard absolutely full for next year, unless Keith Bogans or Tayshaun Prince both go hardship this spring, but 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY is supposed to make an early commitment to the Wildcats today.  And that would be one of the final pieces to the puzzle.   Remember, ever since Wayne Turner graduated, we have questioned whether Smith had a true point guard in the program.  However, we think Stockton will fill that void a year from now and next year it may not matter, because they will have so many other weapons.  

Thursday, April 26, 2001

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has the scoop on the four players - 5'11 Michael Cleaves from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Steve Smith from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 6'6 Jeff Farmer from Clinton (The Morgan School) CT, and 6'8 Dzflo Larkai from Washington Depot (Gunnery) CT - that have signed with La Salle this spring.  The best of the group appears to be Smith, who established himself as the biggest sleeper at the area with his play this spring in the Albert C. Donofrio Basketball Classic in Conshohocken, PA.   But Smith is not expected to make it academically and, as a result, the Explorers may have another scholarship to offer this spring.  However, they may get Smith back a year from now, if they stash him in the right prep school.  When you add 6'10 Marcus Gantt from Camden Woodrow Wilson) NJ, who signed with La Salle last fall, to this group, this has to be considered a very successful recruiting class.   Remember, new La Salle head coach Billy Hahn has only had the job two weeks.  However, much of the credit has to go to his assistant coaches - John Gallagher and Rowland Houston, both of whom were retained from the previous regime and have had the time and opportunity to lay the foundation for this class all winter.  Rubin also tells us that 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who is ranked #35 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will make an early verbal commitment next week and the smart money is on the University of Florida.  But really this comes as no surprise.  As a matter of fact, we mentioned that Florida was the heavy favorite over Maryland and Arizona for Walsh several weeks ago.  Rubin has believes that 6'10 Braheem Howard from Wyncote (Cheltenham) PA, who signed with Drexel last fall, won't make it academically.  So the prep school route also is likely in his future. 

Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that St. John's has scored big by beating DePaul and Iowa State for 6'2 Marcus Hatten from Tallahassee (JC) FL, who is regarded by many as the best 2-guard in the junior college ranks.  Hopefully this will be enough to get Red Storm point guard Omar Cook to change his mind and not enter his name into the NBA draft in June.  If that should happen, head coach Mike Jarvis would have one of the premier guard tandems in college basketball next season.  Naclerio also tells us that Connecticut 2-guard Marcus Cox is transferring to Massachusetts and 6'8 Chris Sandy from Westark (JC) AR has signed with Fresno State.   Speaking of Fresno State, don't be surprised if 6'1 Adrian Walton from Bronx (Regional) NY doesn't end up playing for the Jerry Tarkanian.   Actually it would be a perfect it, because Walton is terrific in an uptempo setting and he needs a coach who can steer him in the right direction.  Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com is reporting that Oklahoma has signed 6'5 Ebe Ere from Barton County (JC) OK and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Tulane has finally locked up 6'4 Ben Bowling from Hazard (Perry County Central) KY.  The Green Wave will also have 6'5 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked as the #2 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, on campus this weekend for an unofficial visit.  Sure, we still believe St. John's is the school you have to beat for Cooke, if he doesn't by-pass college and go straight to the NBA, but this will mark the third time Cooke has been in New Orleans making an unofficial visit to Tulane.  Johnson also has stumbled upon two commitments that Arizona State got over a week ago.  We're talking about 6'8 Chris Osborne from Compon (JC) CA and 6'2 Curtis Millage from Southwest (JC) CA, but apparently all of our West Coast people were asleep at the switch on this one.   William & Mary has gotten an early commitment from 6'5 Jr Taylor Mokris from Charlotte (Providence Day) NC and Murray State has signed 6'8 James Singleton from Pearl River (JC) MS. 

Wednesday, April 25, 2001

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that the University of Memphis has gotten another big early commitment from 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Moberly (JC) MO.  If you will recall, the Tigers got a verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who is ranked as the #1 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, in January.   Woods was one of seven freshmen named to the first, second, third, and honorable mention Junior College All-American Team several weeks ago, but Rothman tells us Woods might be better than that.  As a matter of fact, Rothman has several sources that tell him Woods, who averaged 22 ppg and 8 rpg last season, was the best junior college player they saw all last season regardless of class.  So it looks like this is the fourth superstar that John Calipari and his staff have landed since taking the job a little over a year ago.  Remember, last spring they got a commitment from 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is the consensus #1 high school senior in the nation, and last fall they signed 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, who is regarded by many as the #1 junior college player in the nation.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that Rhode Isalnd has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'4 Dustin Hellenga from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'8 Troy Wiley from Paris (JC) TX.  Rubin also believes that La Salle is on the verge of getting a commitment from 5'11 Mike Cleaves from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and Rider has signed 6'0 Jerry Johnson from Lancaster (McCaskey) PA.   However, Rubin has saved the most significant thing for last, because 6'8 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA is expected to make an early commitment to Duke tomorrow.  This is especially interesting, because the Blue Devils already have early commitments from 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA and 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL and they are the heavy favorite for 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL and 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  They also are in the mix, along with North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State for 6'10 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, but they may not have a scholarship available for him, unless Melchionni agrees to pay his own way the first year and then receive a scholarship his second year.  And Melchionni might not be the only player to do this.  Remember, one of his best friends is 6'11 Jr Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA and just like Melchionni, Schuchas' father went to Duke and, as a result, has very strong ties to the school. 

It appears that the magic of Rick Pitino is already working, because the University of Louisville received a verbal commitment yesterday from 6'5 Coric Riggs from Fairdale (H.S.) KY and the great part about it is that he will be a free player.  In other words,  Riggs will be a walk-on and, as a result, won't effect Louisville's scholarship situation.   If you will recall, Louisville already has the maximum number of scholarships committed to 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Leroy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL, but most people seem to think that Coutee and Davis won't make it academically.  However, until we hear otherwise officially, they do count.  So does 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, who is the ranked #77 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play football at Louisville during the winter.   Making the Tinch story even more interesting is the fact that basketball is his first love, as was evident by the fact Tinch didn't play football his senior year in high school.  However, Tinch has a very slim shot at making money playing basketball, because he can't shoot.  But he will likely play professional football due to his incredible athleticism and explosive speed and quickness.  So we think Tinch would be best advised to red-shirt in football his first year at Louisville and concentrate exclusively on basketball after October 15th.  Then, he could gradually phase out basketball and concentrate more on football as his college career progress.   Remember, next year is when Pitino will need Tinch, who is the best defensive player in the senior class nationally, the most.  This also would help the Cardinals sell 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who plans on playing both football and basketball in college.  As a matter of fact, we think Bush is good enough for Pitino to offer a basketball scholarship right now.  That way the football coaches would be doing the worrying about what sport he concentrates on in November and December.  Getting back to Louisville's recruiting class, with seven players currently counting in the class, they jump into the #3 position nationally behind Memphis and LSU and ahead of UCLA and Florida.  However, all that is subject to change when we finalize our rankings of the top recruiting classes in early June.  By that time we may know that Coutee and Davis aren't going to make it academically and if 6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC is going to make it.  Licorish hasn't officially committed to Louisville, but he may, if he gets the necessary score on the ACT and a scholarship becomes available.  It also looks like Louisville is making a strong push on some players in the next recruiting class, like 6'9 Bernard Cot'e from Montreal, QU, 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Jr Markus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, and 6'5 Jr Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL.  As a matter of fact, Lawrence reportedly now has the Cardinals right at the top of his list.

The University of Nebraska has gotten it's third early verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Wes Wilkinson from Grand Island (H.S.) NE and this is very important, because it allows Barry Collier and his coaching staff to start concentrating on recruiting players exclusively in the sophomore class.  Not only does this give them a huge advantage as they continue to build the Cornhuskers program, but it enables them to get a major head start on the future (remember how much the recruiting process has been speeded it in recent years).  It also is important, because they are doing with players from right in their own backyard.   If you will recall, the Cornhuskers already have early verbal commitments from 6'9 Jr Roy Enright from Omaha (Burke) NE and 6'5 Jr Jason Dourisseau from Omaha (Burke) NE.  This comes on the heels of the class, which includes 6'2 Brennon Clemmons from Olney (JC) IL, 6'11 Dan Heimos from Waterloo (Gibault) IL, 6'3 Jake Muhlheison from Lincoln (Southeast) NE, and 6'5 Corey Sims from St. Louis (Normandy) MO, that Nebraska brought in last fall.  In other words, Collier is building it the same way he did at Butler.  However, in his next recruiting class (the Class of 2003), he will need to find several more players like Enright and Wilkinson, who can take the program to another level, which is no easy task when you consider that teams like Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are all in their conference.  Currently we know they are already targeting 5'11 Soph Evvon Turner from Omaha (Millard South) NE and 5'11 Soph Tyron Canby from Lincoln (H.S.) NE, but you can bet that list will get longer before it gets shorter.  Speaking of early verbal commitments, we also are waiting to see what happens with 5'9 Jr Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, who is ranked #92 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Stockton's final three schools are Kentucky, Auburn, and Butler, all which he has already visited unofficially.  Our guess is that Auburn will get 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks among the top 10 juniors nationally.  So we'd be surprised if Stockton picked the Tigers and we just don't see Butler beating the University of Kentucky for a kid in their backyard, especially this early.  So write it down!  Stockton, who average 29.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 5.0 apg, 3.3 spg, and hit 100-263 from beyond the arc last season, is going to pick Kentucky. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Team Ohio has returned victorious after beating Varese, 96-62, in the championship game of the Reita International Tournament in Rizzi, Italy.   The MVP was 6'1 Jr Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, who scored 13 points and had 12 assists in the championship game.  Quinn also has established himself as the #1 junior in the state of Ohio, according to Johnson, who is expected to revise his rankings with the next month.  Johnson also tells us that Quinn is extremely far long in the recruiting process, as it appears that Notre Dame is the strong leader over Ohio State and Dayton.  In addition to the Quinn, 6'8 Soph Ivan Harris from Springfield (North) OH, 6'10 Jr Allen Pinson from Hebron (Lakewood) OH, 6'10 Soph Matt Lefeld from Coldwater (H.S.) OH, 6'0 Soph Kyle Greathouse from Lancaster (H.S.) OH, 6'10 Ivan Todorovic from Yugoslavia, 6'10 Nicola Bulajic from Yugoslavia, 6'10 Luka Siekloca from Yugoslavia, and 6'8 Vincent Polakovic from Germany were all named to the unofficial all-tournament team, which was provided to Johnson by Bobby Kortsen, who runs the Columbus Basketball Club and takes teams to Europe.  However, before college recruiters get too excited about the three 6'10 guys from Yugoslavia, Johnson warns us that they play for the same professional team as former Ohio State-signee 7'3 Aleksandar Radojevic, 7'3, C, Barton County (JC) KS and, as a result, all three are likely pros.  Johnson also tells us that the University of Hawaii, which already a major international influence on its roster has landed 6'9 Luc-Arthur Vebobe from Foothill (JC) CA and 6'8 Tony Apkan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  Hawaii also appears to be one of the final two for 6'6 Lucky Williams from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  If you will recall, Apkan and Williams are both originally from Nigeria, but recently were at Newark (East Side) NJ when that situation exploded a year and a half ago. 

Take about the perfect fit!  There is no question in our mind that Xavier head coach Skip Prosser will get it done big at Wake Forest, because he walking into a very similar situation.  Both are private schools, but they're both tough places to win, unless you have the right coach who goes after the right players.  And that's exactly why Prosser, who was 148-65 in seven years at Xavier, has been so successful.  So obviously the next question is who gets Xavier?  You can bet that new Seton Hall head coach Louie Orr is kicking himself right now.  Orr is originally from Cincinnati, he was an assistant at Xavier during the Pete Gillen era, and he has always thought of Xavier as his dream job.  The cupboard is also full at Xavier.  In other words, you walk into Xavier and win big the next several years and move onto a top level job.   Instead, Orr, who brought his entire staff with him from Siena, has a major rebuilding task ahead of him at Seton Hall and, as a result, needs to be careful or he could be looking for a job in a couple of years.  Instead, the guy who appears to be perfectly positioned to make the move to Xavier is Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, who was at Xavier for a year with Gillen and Orr.  Manhattan was 14-15 last season, but all the key players from a year ago will be back next year, plus Gonzalez continues to recruit like crazy.  So winning 20-25 games and pulling off an upset or two in the NCAA Tournament next March isn't out of the question. And Gonzalez can get some heavy hitters to call for him, like Gillen and new University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.  Another coach who has the right contacts to get the job is UNC-Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffery.  Remember, McCaffery was an assistant coach at Notre Dame for many years and, ironically, the athletic director at Xavier is close with McCaffery dating back to their days together at Notre Dame.  Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey also is expected to go to bat for McCaffery and help get him the job.  Others already being mentioned for Xavier are Toledo head coach Stan Joplin, Butler head coach Thad Matta, Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey, and Creighton head coach Dana Altman.  The word out of DC is that George Washington wants to hire somebody with head coaching experience, but they don't want to pay the necessary salary to get a big name head coach.  Obviously American University head coach Jeff Jones fits that description perfectly, but the name we're hearing now is Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff.   But let's say that Jones does move down the street to George Washington.  Then, Catholic University Mike Lonergan, who won the Division III National Championship this past season, would probably be the leading candidate for the American University job.   We also hearing that University of Georgia assistant coach Michael Hunt, who is regarded by the HOOP SCOOP as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, is now the leading candidate for Towson State. 

Tuesday, April 24, 2001

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that North Carolina's Joe Forte has decided to enter his name into the NBA draft this spring and it could happen as soon as today.  We also have confirmed that St. John's point guard Omar Cook is planning on putting his name into the draft sometime in the near future and our guess is that he will follow in the footsteps of another former Erick Barkley, who can out early a year ago.  We also expect 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) VA to join 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, who already have announced they are going to by-pass college and go straight to the league next year.   However, none of the players mentioned above are ready to take that big step to the highest level.  But that doesn't mean everybody isn't ready.  If 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ surprises us and comes out, we'd have to think long and hard about whether to take him #1 in the draft.  Physically he's so much stronger than most of the rest of the players his age.  He also has tremendous speed, quickness, athleticism, and savvy and that puts him in a class with Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant, who went straight out of high school to the NBA in 1995 and 1996.  However, like everybody else, Wagner still would be best advised to go to college for a year or two, because those years will be pivotal for his continued development and long term money making potential.  In this case, we're talking about somebody with good coaching, which he will get next year from John Calapari at Memphis, and normal development eventually becoming on the best players in the game.  But he could mess it up, if any of the street agents and flesh peddlers that are now synonymous with the NBA draft get their hooks into him.  We've heard rumors that he might still go, but our guess is that he will enroll at Memphis.   Remember, his father, Milt Wagner, is there on the staff, his best friend (Arthur Barclay) goes to school there and will be on the team next year, and he's had people steering him in the right direction throughout his career.   Stay tuned! 

We recently talked about how the recruiting process has been speeded up dramatically in recent years and provided evidence when we told you that 10 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 50 juniors have already made early verbal commitments.   Even further evidence is provided when you take a quick look at our revised list of the top 15 juniors nationally, which includes in order 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'5 Jr Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, and 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX.   Stoudemire is already verbally committed to Memphis.  Cook appears to be near lock for St. John's.  Duke is believed to be the leader for Randolph, but North Carolina and N.C. State are going to make it a war.  So Florida or Stanford could sneak in the back door as the compromise choice.  The Blue Devils are also right there with Roberson, but our guess is that he will stay home.  Remember, new Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker is a tremendous recruiter and so is Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo.  But the icing on the cake should be that Roberson’s best friend is 6’4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who signed with the Spartans last fall.  Ibrahim appears to be wide open, but he also may have trouble getting eligible academically in college, plus players from the Atlanta Celtics AAU program (i.e. Dion Glover, Jumaine Jones, and Donnell Harvey) have history of going into the NBA draft prematurely.  So he may not have much choice other than to declare for the NBA draft a year from now.  Felton verbally committed to North Carolina in late March.  The last list we had on Lawrence was in December, but at the time he mentioned Florida, Miami-FL, Kentucky, Cincinnati, St. John's, Texas Christian, and South Florida.  Duke is the heavy favorite for Dockery, but Cincinnati and Illinois are still in the hunt. Burns likes UCLA, Arizona, and Duke.   Moore is believed to be a near lock for Auburn.  Redick is already done for Duke.  Duke, North Carolina, Illinois, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are the favorites for Williams.  May's list includes Ohio State, Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Indiana, but Texas Tech may also make a late push.   McNamara committed to Syracuse several weeks ago.  Texas is the heavy favorite for Wright, but Louisville, UCLA, Tennessee, Maryland, and Notre Dame.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that former Towson State assistant coach Julius Allen has been hired into a similar position at Northeastern.  The connection is that Allen previously was an assistant coach at McNeese State with new Northeastern head coach Ronnie Everhart.  Naclerio also tells us that Adelphi head coach Jim Ferry, who guided his team to an undefeated regular season and a final eight finish in the Division II ranks this past season, is debating whether to move to Siena as an assistant coach.  And one of Ferry's assistant coaches, Van Macon, appears to be in line for a job at Hofstra, along with Niagara assistant coach Tom Parrotta.   As a result, it appears that a lot of the high school coaches in New York City are less than pleased with this news, because new Hofstra head coach Tom Perora by-passed a number of extremely qualified and very eager guys who would have brought more experience and all the local connections necessary to maintain the program at a top level.   Naclerio also tells us that the New York Daily News is reporting that Kevin Clark and American University head coach Jeff Jones are among the candidates for the George Washington job.  Maryland, Hoftstra, St. John's, and Memphis are reported to be the leaders for 6'4 Ryan Williams from Troy (Redemption) NY, but this one appears to be far from done, as Williams is expected to return to prep school for another year.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Sam Smith is transferring from Dayton.  He could end up at Ohio State as a walk-on, but our guess is that he will probably pick a school in the Mid-American Conference.  Dayton also has signed 6'3 Shawn Wiggins from Washington (Spingarn) DC, who is espected to be ranked #14 in the senior class in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area when we publish our latest area report later this week or earlier next week.  Johnson also tells us that Notre Dame's Ivan Kartelo is transferring to Purdue, Tennessee has gotten a commitment from 5'11 Thadyeus Holden from Seward County (JC) TN, UAB signed 6'8 Cedric Davis from Sinclair (JC) OH, and Alabama landed 6'9 Rodney Bias from Shelton State (JC) AL.  The Bias commitment is especially noteworthy, because he was ranked on the Junior College All-American Third Team that came out recently.  However, the big recruiting story in the SEC belongs to LSU, which signed 6'4 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA and 6'2 Xavier Whipple from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA both last week.  Add that to the three players LSU signed last fall - 6'7 Kendrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'9 Shawnson Johnson from Lee (JC) TX, and 6'8 Thomas Davis from Kilgore (JC) TX - and the two football players - 6'4 Marcus Spears from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA and 6'4 Michael Clayton from Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA - the Tigers landed during the winter and we're talking about a recruiting class that is ranked #2 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Don't believe it?   Well, Brown was a legitimate top five junior college players, Spears is ranked #59 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Johnson and Davis would be in the same 50-70 range if they were being ranked as a high school players.  Hudson is a top 100 senior, Clayton isn't far off, and Whipple is in the top 250 range.  And even if you don't include the two football players (Spears and Clayton), LSU's class still would be ranked among our top five nationally behind Memphis, UCLA, and Florida and ahead of schools like Virginia, Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, and DePaul. 

Monday, April 23, 2001

Who do you think is the most likely to go pro from the University of Kentucky - Tayshaun Prince, Keith Bogans, or Tubby Smith?  We think it would be a mistake for any one of the three to leave, but in our mind the head coach of the Wildcats is the most ready.   Remember, Smith is regarded as one of the top five head coaches in college basketball by several polls we've taken in recent years and he has his team in a strong position to make a run at another NCAA Championship next season, especially if Prince and Bogans both stay put.  However, we've been hearing the rumor for months that he is #1 on the list for the head coaching job of the Philadelphia 76ers, if Larry Brown retires and/or moves into the front office this spring.  If you will recall, Smith was one of Brown's assistant coaches for the U.S. Olympic Team last summer.  Smith also was in Miami, FL recently to see the Philadelphia 76ers player the Miami Heat.   It could be a total coincidence, but we also have heard rumors about Smith not finalizing his new multi-million dollar contract with the University of Kentucky, because he's not happy with the buy-out clause in the contract.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the Wake Forest job has not been offered  to Richmond head coach John Beilein, which is something that had been reported last week.  However, he does have a source who tells him the job has been offered to Xavier head coach Skip Prosser.   And we think that would be a perfect fit, because nobody at his level has done a better job of battling the elite school in the nation on the recruiting trail in recent years.  And that's exactly what any coach who wants to be successful at Wake Forest will have to do.  Remember, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, and UNC-Charlotte are all just down the road.  We also have confirmed that Holy Cross assistant coach Kevin Nickelberry has replaced Orlando Early, who left last week for Alabama, at UNC-Charlotte.  Early will be a tough act to follow, but, if anybody can do it, Nickelberry can.  Not only is Nickelberry widely regarded as one of the best assistant coaches in the business, as is evident by the fact that was on Rick Pitino's short list of candidates to hire at Louisville, but he also is extremely well connected in the Washington, DC area.  This will be especially valuable down the road, because the sophomore, freshmen, and 8th grade classes in the the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area are tremendous.  Speaking of that area, putting together a report from the area is a very long and tedious task, but we're hoping to finalize what promises to be most comprenhensive report ever compiled on the area by the end of this week or early next week.  And that's not all, as we're also working on Larry Kihnley's updated Kentucky Report, which also should be finalized within another day or two.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/ South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'6 Brennan Martin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Villanova last fall, appears to be reneging on the Wildcats.  Instead, he intends to follow Steve Lappas to Massachusetts.  NCAA rules normally prohibit a player from getting out of his letter-of-intent, but in this case it appears that Martin has not been accepted academically at Villanova, which apparently has tougher admission standards than Massachusetts.  Also reneging on Villanova and following Lappas to Masschusetts is 6'1 Kyle Wilson from Rock White (Christian) ON.  If you will recall, Wilson committed to Villanova last December, but that was after the fall signing period.  So he is also not locked into a binding National Letter-of-Intent.  As a result, only one player - 6'9 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick's) NJ - remains in Villanova's three-man recruiting class.  However, Austin is the most important player in the class, because he is a legitimate 50-100 range player nationally and has a huge upside.  Speaking of Villanova, Rubin also believes that 7'0 Chris Charles from Milford (Academy) MA is close to signing with the Wildcats.  Rubin also tells us that 6'2 Robert Taylor from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA has signed with Rider and 6'8 Marcus Rosser from Kansas City (JC) MO has with Montana.  As predicted last week, 6'0 Charles Ford from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has signed with Hartford and the University of Connecticut has beaten Vanderbilt and Arkansas for 6'9 Emeka Okafor from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who was one of the top big men in the senior class nationally still available.  We also understand that Iowa has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Greg Brunner from Charles City (JC) IA.  Brunner doesn't rank among our top 100 nationally in the junior class, but he probably should, because he's a stronger version of Jess Settles.  At 6'7, 245 lbs., Settles is a physical specimen with excellent hops and 3-point shooting range. 

We found an article by Jerry Tipton in yesterday's Lexington Herald-Leader about Mike Bradley especially interesting.  Did you know that Bradley has had three different coaches leave on him?   The first was Jim O'Brien at Boston College.  Remember, Bradley made an early verbal commitment to the Eagles, but, before he ever got a chance to sign with Boston College in the fall before his senior year, O'Brien had had a falling out with the administration and ended up taking the Ohio State job the next spring.  So Bradley signed with Kentucky, because he wanted to play for Rick Pitino.   However, Pitino left for the Boston Celtics less than a month after he signed.  Bradley stuck it out at Kentucky for two years, but then transferred to Villanova.   He then had to sit out a year, but this past season Bradley was one of the best players in the Big East Conference.  He averaged 20.8 ppg, 9.8 rpg, and led the nation in field goal percentage with 69.2%.  So now Bradley has declared hardship for the NBA draft, but, if he doesn't sign with an agent, could still return to play for another new head coach, Jay Wright, who recently replaced Lappas at Villanova.  All this important, because the single biggest reason why most recruits pick a school is the head coach.  However, with a turnover rate of over 40 Division I head coaching jobs a year, statistically the chances of the head coach being at a school four-and-a-half years and, often five-and-a-half years, if the player takes a red-shirt year, doesn't make it academically, or transfers, from the time most players sign in the fall, is in the 70% range.  I'm not naive enough to think the NCAA will change the rule that prevents players from transferring and being eligible to play at another school, but I do think they should consider allowing the player to follow the head coach, if he leaves to go to another school, without any sort of penalty.  What's fair for the coach should also be fair for the player.  In other words, this is a perfect illustration of why we think NCAA rules are so hypocritical.

Better late than never, as our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with a wrap-up from the 41st Annual Albert C. Donofrio Basketball Classic at the Fellowship House in Conshohocken, PA.  The championship game, which was played last Tuesday, April 17th, between the New Jersey Roadrunners and the HBAWaterview (PA) was a  thriller, as the Roadrunners pulled away in the second half en route to 63-58 victory.  Leading the way for the Roadrunners was tournament MVP 6'4 Jr Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ with 14 points and four assists.  He was complemented by 6'5 Jr Jeff Varen from Buffalo (Traditional) NY with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  However, the main topic of conversation at the tournament was 6'7 Steve Smith from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, who led HBAWaterview with 21 points and 14 rebounds.  But even more important, Smith now appears to be the biggest sleeper in the Philadelphia Area and he's still available.   That's the good news.  The bad news is that he probably will be a non-qualifier.  Smith outplayed the two big kids - 6'9 Jr Eric Davis from Camden (H.S.) NJ and 6'10 Soph Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, both of whom will be recruited at the big-time level down the road - on the Tim Thomas Playaz in the quarterfinals.  Smith also outplayed Clemson-signee 6'7 Olu Babalola from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ in the semi-finals and Villanova-recruit 6'9 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ in the championship game.  La Salle University is the favorite, because assistant coach Roland Houston has by-far-and-away spent the most time recruiting him since mid-season and new head coach Billy Hahn has put his stamp of approval on taking Smith even if he doesn't make it academically.  Other awards went to 6'0 Jr Sharief Bray from Philadelphia (Central) PA, who won the Little-Big Man Award, and 6'2 Soph Max Schaffer from Wayne (DePaul) NJ, who won the Sportsmanship Award.  Also of note were the top two players in the tournament - 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ and 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.  But, unfortunately both only played in one game due to other commitments.  

Saturday, April 21, 2001, and Sunday, April 22, 2001

It was 45-all with 12:50 remaining the championship game, but then the Kentucky All-Stars outscored the Illlinois Gold 39-20 en route to an 84-65 victory in the 2001 Kentucky Hoopstars Classic at Male High School in Louisville, KY early today.  Clearly the best player for the Kentucky Hoopstars was 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, but this is a team that goes 10 deep and has excellent chemistry, as 6'7 Jr LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY and 6'8 Soph Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY take care of business inside, 6'2 Jr Preston LeMaster from Paris (Bourbon County) KY runs the show, and 6'6 Jr Donte Smith from Buckner (Oldham County) KY and 6'5 Jr Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY provide athleticism both on the perimeter and around the basket.  We also liked the versatility of 6'4 Jr Kevin Reinhardt from Alexandria (Campbell County) KY and 6'4 Jr Brian Silverhorn from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, both of whom are excellent role players on this team, plus 6'0 Jr Kevin Gordon from Frankfort (H.S.) KY and 6'0 Jr Chris Gaither from Leitchfield (Grayson County) KY give them plenty of depth at point guard.  However, the best player in the entire tournament might have been 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL.  Not only did Brown impressive everybody with his speed and quickness, ball handling and passing skills, and ability to shoot the three, but he also has the savvy and natural talent to push 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL as the #1 player in the Windy City next year.  He also seemed like a great kid when we got a list of schools from him, which included Illinois, Cincinnati, Michigan State, Iowa State, Iowa, and Seton Hall.  Complementing Brown inside for the Illinois Gold were 6'8 Jr Markus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL and 6'6 Jr Elliott Poole from Chicago (Farragut) IL. White is more naturally talented, a little bigger, and more athletic.  But Poole might actually be better at this stage, because he plays harder and does more of the dirty work inside.  However, giving Brown a strong run for his money as the top player in the tournament was 6'3 Jr Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, who was ranked #64 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has McDonald's All-American potential, as well as the athleticism, skills, and ability to score necessary to be ranked among the very elite players in the nation.  We didn't talk with McKinney, but the word on the street is that he's already a lock for Missouri.   As a matter of fact, Tigers assistant coach Lane Odom was seen standing behind the basket at his game on Friday night watching his every move.  We also really liked McKinney's teammate - 6'8 Jr Nicholas Kern from St. Louis (Vashon) MO - on the St. Louis Gameface 17-Under team.  He too may be a top 100 junior nationally.  Not only does he have good hands, lots athleticism, and an aggressive nature around the basket, but he also has the ability to beat you outside with his jumper.  However, he's a four who can step out (his perimeter skills need work and he's so quick and athletic around the basket) and trying to play him at the 3-spot would be almost as ridiculous as making 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO into a wing forward next year at the University of Florida.  We also have to mention 6'6 Soph Kewain Gant from Charleston (H.S.) MO, 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Dean from Charleston (H.S.) MO, and Frosh Dwayne Polk from St. Louis (Vashon) MO.  Gant has the most potential, but right now he's like a deer learning to run.   Dean is a terrific 3-point shooter. Polk is young, but he's flat out quick and excellent with the ball.  The most prolific scorer in the tournanent was 5'10 Frosh Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, who had several games in the high 30's.  Douglas has a shooter's mentality just like 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA did at a young age.  However, Douglas 's a lot smaller and quicker than Carruth was at the same stage.  Remember, we saw Carruth hit seven straight 3-pointers in the first half at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas when he was in 8th grade.  The biggest disappointment in the tournament was Bloomington Red, which lost the first night to Illinois Gold.  Also, 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, who is widely regarded as one of the top 10 juniors nationally, was not in top playing shape nor did he seem to possess that buring desire that he had last summer.  However, that didn't stop us from talking with him and getting an updated list of schools, which includes Indiana, Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Louisville, and Michigan State.  He also said that he's not sure if he wants to go to school that far away from home, but he would be receptive to Texas Tech.  If you will recall, new Red Raiders head coach Bob Knight coached May's father, Scott May, when he was an All-American at Indiana University in 1975 and 1976.  However, as of yet Texas Tech has not shown any interest.  May also seemed to like the idea of Texas Tech taking his older brother, Scott May, Jr.  And if that happened, it wouldn't be the first time that Knight has taken a player  in an attempt to get a better player down the road.   Remember, Indiana signed Todd Leary, who at the time was the best friend of Eric Montross.  However, it didn't work out they way they had hoped, because Montross signed with North Carolina a year later.  But maybe this time Knight could seal the deal by hiring May's father into an administrative position.   The Bloomington Red Team also featured 6'8 Jr Justin Johnson from Merrillville (H.S.) IN and 6'11 Jr Chris Hunter from Gary (West Side) IN, but really we were more impressed with the play of their guards 6'0 Jr Ryan Baumgartner from Munice (South) IN and 6'4 Jr Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN.  Winchester, who is being recruited by Purdue, Iowa, Indiana State, Butler, and Xavier, isn't a great athlete, but he does have great skills and in many ways he reminds us former IU star Randy Wittman  As a matter of fact, Purdue assistant coach Jay Price made it a point to watch his every move on Friday night.  Price also made sure he watched 6'9 Jr Matt Keifer from Evansville (Bosse) IN, who played for the Warrick County Wildcats and is a top recruiting priority for the Boilermakers.  We think Purdue is a near lock for Keifer, but Notre Dame, Evansville, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky are still showing interest.  We didn't watch much in the 16-Under Division, but one player who we have to mention is 6'6 Frosh Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN.  If you will recall, this is the guy who verbally committed to Purdue last November before he ever played a high school game.  He's also the player that our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg said was the best 8th grader he's ever since.  Well, now we know why!  We're talking about somebody who is already physically mature beyond his years.  Not only does he have an incredible upper body and is a physical specimen, but he's also extremely mobile, athletic, and agile for his size.  In other words, he can put the ball on the floor, shoot the three, and dominate inside.  So the only real question now is how much will he grow?  Also falling into the tweener category, but with a great upside, if they grow are two of Vaden's teammates on the Spiece Top Prospects Team.  We're talking about 6'6 Frosh Mike McCoy from Indianapolis (Pike) IN.  We also have to mention 5'9 Sabastian Moore from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is a jet quick 8th grader with range, quickness, and handling ability, and 6'0 Frosh Desmond Gadis from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN.  Also playing extremely well in the junior Division was 5'11 Soph Brandon Englemon from Covington (Holmes) KY, who shot the lights out when we saw him play.

While I was covering the 2001 Kentucky Hoopstars Classic at Male High School in Louisville, KY this weekend, our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley was at Lexington Catholic High School watching the tryouts for the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game, which will be held June 16 in Owensboro, KY and June 23rd in Indianapolis, IN.  Unfortunately the most talented player in the state - 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY - did not attend.  He said he was studying to get the score he needs to pass the SAT and be eligible as a college freshmen, but we've heard otherwise.  Also getting hurt early yesterday was 6'5 Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY.   However, Carrier is assured a spot on the team, because he finished first in the voting for Mr. Basketball.  Also named to the team were 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'1 Rony Dawn from Newport (Central Catholic) KY, 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'4 Coric Riggs from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, 6'4 Jerome Kelly from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'6 Michael Haney from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 6'5 Tarran Harbut from Lexington (Bryan Station) KY, 6'8 Brian Thornton from Louisville (Manual) KY, and 6'2 Patrick Sparks from Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY.  Kihnley says it was the deepest tryout he can ever remember and Hurt, 6'10 Tony Key, and 6'3 Ben Bowling from Hazard (Perry County Central) KY weren't even there.  The best player was Sparks, because he's quick and can dribble, pass, and shoot, plus he plays ever possesion like it's his last.  Also ranking among Kihnley's top five at the tryout based on performance were Haney, Kelly, Harbut, and O'Bannon. The surprise of the team was probably 6'4 Jerome Gumbs from Glasgow (Barren County) KY.  Evansville has offered and Cincinnati is looking, but he'd perfect for the right mid-major looking for an athletic scoring 2-guard.  The biggest disappointment was Bender.  However, this comes as no surprise, because he has a history of not being a good practice player, but stepping it up in big games.  As a result, we will be very interested to see how Bender plays in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Series.

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'9 Darnell Tyler from Tallahassee (JC) FL has signed with Manhattan.  This is important, because Tyler is the first legitimate big man that head coach Bobby Gonzalez has been able during his two years with the Jaspers.  As a result, Tyler is expected to step in and start immediately next year at center, along with David Holmes at the power forward, Justin Jackette at the wing forward, Luis Flores at two-guard spot, and Von Damien Green at point guard.  So Manhattan, which was 14-15 last season, should be one of the most improved teams in college basketball next year.  They also should dominate the Metro Atlantic Conference and could be one of the surprise team's next March in the NCAA Tournament.  Tyler, who originally had committed to Rhode Island last fall before the previous regime was forced out, picked Manhattan over Seton Hall and Texas A&M.  He joins a recruiting class that also includes 6'0 Justin Gatling from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, who signed with the Jaspers last fall, and 6'6 Kareem Grant from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who gave the Jaspers a verbal commitment in March.  Gonzalez also has 6'6 Jason Benton, who was a Prop 48 casualty, sitting out.  So that means he will have four talented new players to add into the mix next year.  And Gonzalez may not be done yet, because Manhattan is also battling UNC-Charlotte, West Virginia, Ohio State, Connecticut, Saint Louis, East Carolina, and New Orleans for 6'6 Hector Romero from Independence (JC) KS and, in the end, Gonzalez may steal 6'0 Darryl Hill from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  Remember, Hill exploded onto the scene last winter, but is still a major academic question mark. Hill's  high school coach Ron Naclerio would probably have steered him toward the prep school route a year or two ago, but several of his former players have struggled lately in prep schools.   Instead, it appears Naclerio would prefer that Hill go to a four-year school and sit out next season.  And that's exactly what Gonzalez would like to do, because a year from now, Hill would be the heir apparent to Green at the point guard spot.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has already reported that 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, who is ranked #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will not try and get out of his National Letter-of-Intent, which he signed last fall with Seton Hall.  However, this is not the case for 7'0 Chris Charles from Milford (Academy) CT, who committed to the Pirates after the conclusion of the fall signing period and, as a result, never signed a National Letter-of-Intent.  As a result, Charles is free to go to any school of his choosing.   Sure, Seton Hall is still on the list, but so are Michigan, Villanova, and Massachusetts. So obviously the new regime was hedging their bets when they took 7'0 Alex Gambino from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY earlier this week.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo appears to be in great on 6'5 Cory Starks from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) CA and 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA.  Actually Starks appears to be a near lock for the Mustangs, while Pearson's final three are Pepperdine, Long Beach State, and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.   It also looks like new Portland head coach Michael Holton is on the verge of landing his first recruit - 6'2 Ryan Reyes from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.

One of the premier events of the entire spring promises to be the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, which will tip-off beginning at 6:30 PM on Friday, April 27th at 11 different facilities in the Kingwood/Humble area.  There are 120 boys teams entered and the 17-Under Division is absolutely loaded, as is evident by the list of teams, which includes the Southern California All-Stars, Houston Hoops, Team Texas, Georgia Stars, Belmont Shore, Shreveport/Bosier Select, Kentucky All-Stars, Houston Select, Junior Hardballers, Northwest Houston Raptors, San Antonio Tornados, Texas Tornados, Southwest Arkansas Hornets, KYBA Select, Galveston Hornets, Dallas Dirty Dozen, Houston Jaguars, Cy Creek Cougars, Houston Lynx, Southeast Texas All-Stars, Texas Warriors, Houston Gold, Midland Hawkeyes, and San Antonio Platimum.  The Southern California All-Stars are the top-seeded team, but they may have a tough time even winning their pool, as they will have to first get past Team Texas and the Kentucky All-Stars, which also are two of the top teams in the tournament.  Team Texas features a tremendous guard duo in 6'2 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 5'11 Jr Byron Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, plus 6'3 Jr Josh Washington from Lubbock (Monterey) TX promises to be one of the top sleepers in the tournament.  Kentucky features a balanced attack that includes 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'7 Jr LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'8 Soph Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highland) KY, 6'5 Jr Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, 6'6 Jr Donte Smith from Buckner (Oldham County) KY, and 6'2 Jr Preston LeMaster from Paris (Bourban County) KY.  There should be a number of excellent match-ups, but the one we're really looking forward to will be when the Houston Hoops and Belmont Shore square off at 9:15 PM on Friday night in Gym #2 at Kingwood's 9th Grade campus. This battle between 6'10 Soph Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX and 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, both of whom rank among our top five sophomores nationally, will be for bragging rights, as well as an advantage in the playoffs, which are scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM on Saturday evening.  However, the younger Divisions, especially the 14-Under Division, which includes four national powerhouse teams - the Dallas Mustangs, Team Texas, Houston Hoops, and the Kansas City Junior Knights - will also be worth some of our time.  As a matter of fact, this will be our first opportunity to see 6'8 Kendrick Johnson from Lubbuck, TX, who not only reminds those who have already seen him of a younger version of Kendrick Perkins, but might just be the best 8th grader in the nation.  The championship game for the 17-Under Division is scheduled for 5: 15 PM on Sunday afternoon at Kingwood High School's 9th Grader Campus.  The championship game for the 16-Under Division will tip-off at 3:45 PM on Sunday at Humble High School at 3:45 PM.  Also, at 3:45 PM on Sunday will be the championships for the 15-Under Division at Creekwood Middle School, the 14-Under Divison at Kingwood College, the 13-Under Division at Riverwood Middle School, the 12-Under Division at Humble 9th Grade, 11-Under Division at Timberwood High School, and the 10-Under Division at Humble Middle School.  For more information on the tournament call 1-800-499-6692 or look on the internet at http://www.cbball.com.

Friday, April 20, 2001

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that rumors about 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA not wanting to honor his commitment to Seton Hall are totally inaccurate.  As a matter of fact, new Pirates head coach Louie Orr met with the Allen family last night and all the parties appear to be very confortable with the decision.  This is huge for Orr, because Allen, who now is ranked #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is one of the fastest rising players in the senior class.  He also was the MVP for his team in the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic in Evanston, IL a week and a half ago.  However, the biggest news of the day involves 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who made it official for the University of Louisville at 1:00 PM this afternoon.  If you will recall, 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY committed to the Cardinals two days ago and, as a result, that made Bender's fate pretty much a foregone conclusion.  O'Bannon and Bender have been close friends for years and there was a lot of talk last summer about Bender and O'Bannon going to the same school as a package.  This is especially important for head coach Rick Pitino, because Bender provides the inside presence that had alluded the previous regime in recent years.  Currently Bender is ranked #22 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he may be in the for the shock of his life.  Remember, Bender has a history of being lazy and Pitino has a history of getting his players to overachieve whether they like it or not.  Bender and O'Bannon will join 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL, all of whom signed with the Cardinals last fall.  However, as it stands now, none of them are guaranteed of making academically.  Hurt, who is ranked as one of the top dozen seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the closest, as he needs only a point more on the ACT to become academically qualified. 

We still think it is Richmond head coach John Beilein's job to turn down, but yesterday the hot name for the Wake Forest job was former Washington Wizard head coach Leonard Hamilton.  And today the list was getting longer, as Seton Hall head coach P.J. Carlesimo, Missouri head coach Quin Snyder, and Phoenix Suns assistant coach Frank Johnson, who played at Wake Forest, all are now being mentioned as possibilities for the Demon Deacons.   We also believe that N.C. State assistant coach Sean Miller is a near lock for the Robert Morris job.  A month ago we reported a rumor about George Washington head coach Tom Penders possibly being in trouble at George Washington.  But then we retracted it, because we thought our source was wrong.   However, now it unfortunately looks like we might have been a lot closer to being accurate than we originally thought.  Sam Albano of Redmen.com thinks Penders is out.  "Penders' isn't going to get fired for a 14-18 season," says Albano.  "He's also not going to get the ax, because some players ran up a $1400 telephone bill on an assistant coach's phone card.  But he may get fired over the Attila Cosby deal.  And it may happen as soon as today."  And if that happens, St. John's assistant coach Kevin Clark, former Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton, and Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins are among the names we're hearing as possible candidates for the job.  Also being reported by the Washington Post today is the fact that 6'8 Danny Miller is transferring from the University of Maryland to Notre Dame.  Apparently Miller is unhappy with the amount of playing time he received last season after getting beat out by Byron Mouton at the wing forward spot.  One of the primary reasons why Miller picked Notre Dame is the previous association his family has had with Irish head coach Mike Brey, who coached Miller's older brother (Greg Miller) at Delaware. 

Eddie Ford, who is one of the best event organizers and promoters in the country, was planning on having a nice little event this weekend at Male High School in Louisville, KY.  However, the Hoopstars Classic, which will tip-off at 5:30 PM this afternoon, has already gown into something much bigger than Ford originally anticipated.  As a matter of fact, Ford tells us that he had to turn away over 20 teams, all which were pretty good.  There will be 12 teams in the Senior-to-be Division, including the Bob Pryor's Bloomington Red team, which features three of the top juniors in the state of Indiana in 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'9 Jr Chris Hunter from Gary (West Side) IN, and 6'7 Jr Justin Johnson from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, and the Kentucky Elite, which features a number of the top underclassmen in Kentucky, including 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'7 Jr LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'5 Jr Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, 6'7 Soph Ross Nelter from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'2 Jr Preston LeMaster from Paris (Bourbon County) KY.  The senior division also will feature 62 Jr Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon ) MO, who promises to be the best player in the Missouri next year, and 6'6 Jr Elliott Poole form Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'8 Jr Markus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, and 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who are two of the best juniors in Chicago, IL.  There also will be 16 teams in the Junior-to-be Division.  Tonight's schedule in the large gym has Kentucky Elite versus Warrick County at 5:30 PM, Bloomington Red versus Illinois Wildcats at 6:40 PM, Spiece Pistols versus Atlanta Prep Stars at 7:50 PM, Kentucky Elite versus Illinois Explorers at 9:00 PM, Bloomington Red versus Ohio Valley at 10:10 PM, and Spiece Pistols versus Kentucky Gold at 11:20 PM.  In the Small Gym it will be Illinois Explorers versus New Haven at 5:30 PM, Ohio Valley versus Spiece North Gym Rats at 6:40 PM, Kentucky Gold vernsu St. Louis Gameface at 7:50 PM, Warrick County versus New Haven at 9:00 PM, Illinois Wildcats versus Spiece North Stars at 10:10 PM, Atlanta Prep Stars versus St. Louis Gameface at 11:20 PM.  The tournament will run all day tomorrow and Sunday, but tonight is the time when Division I college coaches can be attendance, because this is the last day of the spring recruiting period.   The championship game in the Senior-to-be Division will be played at 2:15 PM afternoon on Sunday and the championship game in the Junior-to-be-Division is scheduled 8:30 PM on Sunday night.

Thursday, April 19, 2001

For the second straight day I have been surprised by developments that have occurred right in my own backyard.  Yesterday I was actually shocked when I read in the Louisville Courier-Journal that Mick Cronin was the guy new University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was going to hire as his right hand man.  Sure, Cronin is regarded as one of the bright young guys in the business and I have known him well since his days as an assistant coach at Cincinnati (Woodward) OH.  But I thought Pitino was going hire someone with whom he had a strong preexisting relationship.  And today I was equally surprised when I found out that Pitino had offered a scholarship to 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY.  O'Bannon is a local kid with excellent grades and he has a toughness and competitiveness that currently is lacking in the program.  He also promises to be the best athlete in the program and appears to be the entree' that will help the Cardinals seal the deal with 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who is expected to sign with the Cardinals tomorrow, and get 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who promises to be both the next great football player and basketball player in the state of Kentucky.  However, Bush doesn't shoot the ball well enough off the dribble nor does he have the perimeter skills necessary to be ranked higher than in the 75-125 range nationally.  If O'Bannon was willing to walk-on or take an academic scholarship, he would have been a great recruit.  But with the year-old  five-and-three rule, whereby, a school can only sign eight players (five players one year and only three the next) over a two-year period, Pitino needs to be very careful in terms of how many players he takes in this recruiting class.  The problem is that last fall Louisville signed three players - 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL.  Sure, there is speculation that Coutee and Davis won't make it academically, but, if they do make it, Louisville doesn't have any more scholarships to offer this year and only three next year.   And that includes any transfers they might stubble upon this spring (transfers count the year after they enroll against the total of eight players over two years).   So, unless Coutee and Davis both don't make it academically, it is our editorial position that taking O'Bannon right now was a premature decision.  However, this won't be the first time we've disagreed with a recruiting decision that Pitino has made (i.e. Carlos Toomer and Aminu Timberlake when Pitino was at Kentucky).  Only time will tell whether we're right, but the key is the five-and-three rule, not the number of players you can have on scholarship in the program.   As a matter of fact, our guess is that Pitino will run off several players and, as a result, the 13-player scholarship limit will not be a factor in the foreseeable future.   However, the five-and-three rule could be a major problem, because it does not allow Louisville much margin for error.

Last week we told you that San Jose State was on the verge of landing one of the top junior college players in the nation, but we didn't tell you who it was, because we were sworn to secrecy.  The player we were talking about was 6'7 Carlton Baker from Barton County (JC) KS.  Prior to the season Baker was ranked as the #4 wing forward in the the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, but he was not mentioned on any of the post-season Junior College All-American Teams, because he served the longest suspension in junior college history after taking a swing at an opposing player.  Fortunately he missed the player, but unfortunately he hit the ref.  Up until that point Baker had been averaging 22 ppg and 9 rpg.  He also was drawing comparisons to former St. John's All-American Walter Berry, because he had combined his powerful inside game, which had severed him well in high school, with refined perimeter skills.  Baker replaces 6'5 Lamar Bigby from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, who signed with San Jose State last fall, but who has since been released from his letter-of-intent and, as a result, is currently available.  If you will recall, San Jose State class, which also included 6'3 Gary Black from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'11 Garvin Davis from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, 6'2 Moises Alvarez from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, 6'5 Lamar Bigby from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, and 6'2 Phil Calvert from Cloud County (JC) KS, was ranked #50 last fall.  However, with the addition of Baker, who is widely regarded as one of the top 10 junior college players in the nation, San Jose State's recruiting class will move into the top 30 range nationally.  This class should also move San Jose State, which was 9-14 this past season, into the upper echelon of the Western Athletic Conference right away.  Baker and Black figure to be two of the better players in the league from day one, Davis has a tremendous upside due to his athleticism and size, and Calvert, who was named to Second Team All-Conference in the tough Jayhawk League on a team that only won nine or 10 games, is a major sleeper.  And the guy who deserves a lot of the credit for getting all this done is Patrick Springer, who previously was the head coach at the College of the Desert (JC) CA.  And apparently Springer's boss, San Jose State head coach Steve Barnes agrees, because he recently named Springer the associate head coach. 

One of the most improved programs in college basketball next year promises to be the University of Hartford, which was only 4-24 last year under first-year head coach Larry Harrison.  However, Harrison and his staff have already done a great job of increasing the talent level in the program.  If you will recall, last fall signed Hartford signed 6'1 Sean Swan, who put up prolific numbers this past season at Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, and 6'9 Trevor Goode from Virginia Beach (Cape Henry) VA, who is a project right now, but has the potential to develop into a good player down the road due to his size.  Hartford also has 6'7 Deon Saunders, who transferred from American University, sitting out and now it appears the Hawks are on the verge of landing 6'1 Charles Ford from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Especially interesting is the fact that all four of these guys are originally from the Washington, DC area and  Swan, Saunders, and Ford are amazing athletes.  Nearly everybody will back for San Diego State next year, but on the first day of the spring signing period the Aztecs got a steal in 6'8 Tremaine Davis from Pittsburg (H.S.) CA.   Davis recently took home Bay Area Player-of-the-Year honors, but most schools backed off him, because they didn't think he was going to make it academically.   Well, he did make it academically and Brian Dutcher, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, was perfectly positioned to take advantage of the opportunity.  Then, San Diego State signed 6'4 Tommy Johnson from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA on Monday or Tuesday.  Johnson originally signed with Washington State a year ago, but he didn't make it academically.  So he's been going to night school at Crenshaw and, as a result, it appears he will eligible at San Diego State next fall.  But the big one didn't materialize until yesterday when Steve Fisher and his staff landed 6'9 Michael Mackell from Porterville (JC) CA, who was the California Junior College Player-of-the-Year.  Also of major significance was the commitment by 6'7 Jr Sean Mallon from Spokane (Farris) WA, who is ranked #72 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP.   Mallon has elected to stay home attend Gonzaga!  In other words, Gonzaga finally appears to be taking advantage of their name recognition and success in the NCAA Tournament during the last three years.  However, Mallon isn' t the first top 100 player that head coach Mark Few has had in his program.  Remember, Dan Dickau, who transferred from the University of Washington to Gonzaga two years ago, was also ranked among our top 100 nationally.   We also have confirmed that Toledo has gotten a commitment from 6'7 Kareem Milson from Youngstown (Rayen) OH.   Milson was ranked #18 in Ohio on Chris Johnson's last report, but this is another guy who was underrecruited due to the fact that most people thought he wouldn't make it academically and, as a result, would likely have to go the prep school route.

How quickly things can change in this business.  Yesterday it appeared that University of Charleston head coach Jayson Gee would get the Kent State job and Richmond head coach John Beilein appeared to be a near lock for Wake Forest.  However, today at 2:00 PM press conference Michigan State assistant coach Stan Heath was named the new head coach at Kent State.  Also this afternoon Washington Wizards head coach Leonard Hamilton resigned effective immediately and already we're hearing Hamilton's name being mentioned in connection with the Wake Forest job.  Talk about a perfect fit!   If Wake Forest hired Hamilton, the competition for supremacy in the ACC would be that much tougher among Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, et al.  But let's say that Beilein does become the next head coach of the Demon Deacons.  Wouldn't Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins be perfect at Richmond?  Dawkins, who is originially from Washington, DC, would also be perfect at George Washington and that's not as farfetched as you might think after the phone card scandal that broke yesterday at GW.&n