HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2000

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Tuesday, February 29, 2000

Several weeks ago our Question of the Day was "what is the biggest problem with college basketball today?"  It is not surprising that 39% of those responding said the NCAA.   However, if you combine players going hardship early to the NBA, which got 24%, and street agents and lawyers, which got 20%, you'll have identified the biggest problem currently facing basketball at every level.  Obviously, when big money becomes part of the equation, all the sleazy people start to get involved and nowhere in our society has this become more evident than with professional sports in general and basketball in particular during the last five years.  It all started with the great Class of 1995, which featured Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Ron Mercer, Shareef Abdul-Rahim, et al.  That was when Garnett established the precedent for high school players jumping straight from high school to the NBA. Unfortunately, there hasn't been anybody since 1995 even close to being good as Garnett.  As a matter of fact, I remember a lot of people thought I was crazy when I said  in Basketball Times five years ago that I would have traded Scottie Pippin to whoever had the #1 pick in the NBA draft, if I had been the general manager of the Chicago Bulls.  "That way I could make sure I got Garnett and, as a result, I would still have the best player in the league when Michael Jordan retires."  Up until 1995, the majority of the top players remained in college, but Marbury and Abdul-Rahim jumped after one year and Mercer left the next year and the precedent was set, as everybody seems to leave early now.  Today the NCAA is going after AAU coaches and players whose amateur status is in question, but as usual the NCAA can't find the fly in front of its nose, much less address a real problem that is quickly becoming one of the most important issues the organization has ever faced.    We're talking about professional sports agents who are driven solely by the big money that can be made, but know nothing about what it takes to make it in the NBA or become a great player.  Auburn's Chris Porter is the latest victim.   I say victim, because he took money recently from an agent to prevent his mother from being evicted from her rural home in Abbeville, AL.  Instead of being made out to be one of the bad guys, Porter should be applauded, as a role model, because he returned to college for his senior year.  Remember, he wanted to set an example for his two 2-year-old sons by graduating from college, which he will do this summer.   However, due to the fact that the NCAA passed a rule about amateurism in the 1950's in a quest to gain and maintain institutional control over its members and, as a result, beat out AAU in track, Porter will become the latest fall guy.  Remember, Porter brings in millions of dollars to Auburn and the NCAA, but in the NCAA's quest for total control, the rules prevent him from getting anything, except tuition, room, and board.   Something is really wrong here!  Instead of penalizing Porter, the agent should be the one who pays the price.  Why doesn't the NCAA go after professional agents and ban them, just like with the overzealous booster who is caught paying players, from having anything to with the college game and players permanently.  And if they seriously want to address the problem, the NCAA should do everything in its power to create a stigma about agents who are caught paying players.  They could even go so far as to publish a list of agents who are the worst offenders and go over that list on television during half-time of every regular season and NCAA game.  Instead of going after AAU coaches, the NCAAcould help the U.S. Justice Department, similar to what they do with gamblers, go after the agents. After all, many of these people and, especially the people who are helping them get close to players, are hustlers, con men, and the dregs of society and, as a result, are often involved in unscrupulous and illegal activities.   So make it a known fact that if you're an agent and you mess with players, you're going to get looked it.  Obviously, with the kind of money that is being thrown around, mostly under the table, the IRS would be a great place to start.  Make it a crusade to keep agents as far away from players with college eligibility as possible.   Place a stigma on agents that is so bad that it is the equivalent to being a drug dealer, politician, pimp, or lawyer.  As a matter of fact, that's our Question of the Day.   What is the lowest career one can aspire to?    We are also interested in your comments and thoughts via email at clark@hoopscooponline.com?   Or even better, contact the NCAA and let them know how you feel.  Do something before these people ruin the game forever!

This is not confirmed, but we continue to hear that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will be adding Lakewood (Artesia) CA head coach Wayne Merino to his staff this spring and this makes perfect sense for a number of reasons.   Remember, Merino has close ties with Sonny Vaccaro, who is in charge of basketball operations for adidas, and has head coaching experience at the high school level.  Even more important, Merino's arrival would help solve some internal problems (i.e. Jason Kapono is talking about transferring - perhaps to Missouri) and would be a value asset in terms of recruiting (i.e. 6'9 Jr Apolinar Fernandez and 6'8 Jr Jack Martinez, who are two of the top juniors in Southern California, as well as the nation both play for Marino at Artesia).   While neither Merino nor sources close to the UCLA program will confirm that there is anything to this, we have several sources who think that it is only a matter of time before this happens.  So stay tuned!

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY may have played in his last high school game on Sunday night against Flushing (Holy Cross) NY.   No, Christ the King wasn't upset and knocked out of the playoffs.  However, Cook did get into an argument and bumped the ref after the game was over and, as a result, will have to serve a two game suspension.  The first game, which will likely be against either Staten Island (St. Peter's) NY or Bronx (All Hallows) NY, should be a win.   But then Christ the King will likely face Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, which already has beaten Christ the King twice this year with Cook in the lineup.  And Cook isn't the only player who was named to the McDonald's All American Team yesterday who has run into problems this week.  Did you know that 6'5 Jerome Harper from Columbia (Keenan) SC was arrested yesterday for an alleged assault that occured in the middle of February?  Harper probably wasn't going to make it academically anyway and, as a result, is expected to go the prep school route - probably to Millersburg (Military) KY.  So the fact that the University of Cincinnati has rescinded his scholarship today looks good, but in the long run we don't think this will effect whether he becomes a Bearcat. The key will be whether he makes it academically and stays out of trouble for the next year.

Rick Bozich, a columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal, confirmed something in his column today that I have known for years.   The Rating Percentage Index, which is the rating system that the NCAA Selection Committee uses to help determine the seedings for their tournament, is seriously flawed.  The example that Bozich uses to prove his point is the University of Kentucky, which currently is ranked #2 in the latest RPI Rankings.   Currently Kentucky is ranked #22 nationally by the Associated Press, #18 by the USA Today, and #17 by the Sagarin Ratings, which in our estimation is the best measurement, because it provides a true reflection of what each team has done against Division I competition.  Instead, a team's actual performance on the court accounts for only half in the formula used to determine a team's RPI rating.   Your strength of schedule and your opponents strength of schedule account for the rest.  I do agree with playing a tough schedule, but for years I have wondered how your opponents' strength of schedule has anything to do with how good you are?   However, the strength of schedule of your oppenent makes up for 25% of your RPI, which means it must be important to play non-conference games against weak teams in good leagues.  Based on this theory, this season would have been a good time for anybody outside of the Pacific-10 Conference to have played the University of Washington not once, but twice or even three times.  After all, several wins against Washington, which currently is 8-18 with the 4th toughest schedule, according to the Sagarin Ratings, would be big when determining your opponents strength of schedule in the RPI.  While that's the best example, any bad team in a good conference will do, especially if you're a mid-major team looking for some wins against big names teams.  How about Northwestern, which is 5-22 and ranked #236 with the 47th toughest schedule in the nation, according to the Sagarin?  Or Kansas State, which is 9-16 and ranked #158 with the 21st toughest schedule in the nation.  Even better, Texas A&M is only 7-18 and ranked #193 with the 40th toughest schedule.  And if you were lucky enough to have scheduled all these teams this year, just think how good your RPI would be!  Am I missing something or is this par for the course with regards to the NCAA, which has a history of being inconsistent and well beyond anything reasonable, except when somebody decides to hold them accountable in a court of law?

Monday, February 28, 2000

Finally, after a great deal of anticipation, the McDonald's All American High School Basketball Teams were announced earlier tonight.  The East Team was announced at halftime of the game between Connecticut and Rutgers and the West Team was announced at half-time of the game between Kansas and Texas.   The 24 players selected to the McDonald's All American Team are a follows:  6'8 Marion Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL, 5'8 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Brian Boddicker from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA, 6'9 Alton Ford from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'5 Jerome Harper from Columbia (Keenan) SC, 6'8 Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'8 Garner Meads from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S) IL, 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'2 Luke Ridnour from Blaine (H.S.) WA, 6'3 Scooter Sherrill from Mt. Ulla (West Rowan) NC, 6'5 Deshawn Stevenson from Washington (Union ) CA, 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, and 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL.  For over 20 years now, being named to the McDonald's All American team has been widely regarded as the most prestigious honor that a high school player can receive, so each of these players should be congratulated.  To provide you with more information about the selection process and our thoughts and observations about the team, we have added a special page to our web site and you can access it by clicking on McDonald's All American Team.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Joel Jean Battiste from France, who was at La Salle over the weekend making an official on-campus visit, has made a verbal commitment to the Explorers.  Rubin also tells us that the University of Pennsylvania has gotten a commitment from 6'0 Charlie Copp from Bernville (Tulpehocken) PA, who is a great outside shooter, as he evident by the fact that he holds the career scoring record for 3-point field goals in Berks County.  Rubin is also looking for Drexel to get a commitment from 5'11 Bruce Davis from New Castle (William Penn) DE, but it hasn't happened yet.  It comes as no surprise that 6'6 Andre Sweet from New York (Rice) NY, who made an official visit to Durham, NC over the weekend, has verbally committed to Duke.  Remember, we reported that we thought this would happen almost three weeks ago.  Southern California has beaten Arizona Utah, and San Diego State for 6'5 Travis Hanour from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, who has emerged as one of the fastest rising players on the West Coast this winter.  Arizona had 6'9 Andrew Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA on campus for an official visit, along with 5'10 Jr Jason Fontenet from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, over the weekend and we wouldn't be surprised if the Wildcats got verbal commitments from both players in the near future.

Sunday, February 27, 2000

The word on the street is that 6'5 Jr Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA has reneged on UCLA, but, as of yet we have not confirmed it.  Apparently Bozeman has told a number of people in Los Angeles that his commitment to the Bruins is no longer firm, but an official announcement has not been made and sources close to the Bruins program tell us that Bozeman hasn't informed them that he's looking anyway else.  If you will recall, UCLA turned up the heat to get Bozeman last August, because they thought he would be the first step towards solidifying a package that would include Bozeman, 7'1 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Jr Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'5 Jr Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA.  We still think Chandler is a lock for UCLA, unless he declares hardship for the NBA draft in the spring of 2001, but with the other three, it looks like exactly the opposite has happened.   That's right!  Arizona now appears to be the favorite for Childress and it appears that Sampson and Bozeman are interested in following Childress there as part of the package.  While the school seems to change, the names haven't.  If you will recall, last summer Childress, Sampson, and Bozeman were talking about going to Kansas together.  Then it was UCLA and now it's Arizona.  Getting back to UCLA, it came as no surprise yesterday that 6'8 Josiah Johnson from Montclair (Prep) CA, who the younger brother of former Bruin Kris Johnson and son of former UCLA All-American Marquis Johnson, committed while making his official visit.  Johnson isn't real quick afoot and has limited athletic ability, but he is an excellent outside shooter, which is what UCLA needs, and he may grow to 6'10, which makes him intriguing.  Making him even more intriguing is the name recognition that he brings to the UCLA program, which should help solidify head coach Steve Lavin's position with the alumni.  He will join 6'8 T.J. Cummings from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, who signed with UCLA last fall, and 7'0 Josh Moore from Long Beach City (JC) CA, who is expected to sign with UCLA in the spring.  However, for Lavin to survive at UCLA, he needs a point and he needs one immediately, especially if the rumors about Jason Kapono transferring to Missouri are true.  Among the most likely candidates are 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'0 Kevin Bradley from Compton (JC) CA, and 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Towson (Catholic) MD.   However, Jenifer isn't good enough to step in and immediately solve UCLA's point guard problems and Brooks and Bradley are still academic question marks.  And so is 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who signed with Missouri last fall, but who has always wanted to go to UCLA.  If Stokes doesn't graduate from high school or pass the SAT, his national letter-of-intent would be null and void with Missouri and, as a result, Lavin still may be having nightmare about taking Stokes.  Speaking of point guards who are available in Southern California, it looks like 5'10 Kevin Augustine from Fullerton (JC) CA, who is sitting out this year after transferring from USC a year ago, may be heading to St. Louis.  Obviously, the connection is Billikens head coach Lorenzo Romar, who is did a great job of cultivating the local players when we has an assistant coach at UCLA and head coach at Pepperdine.  

Saturday, February 26, 2000

We continue to find the situation in Miami-FL regarding alleged illegal recruiting by Homestead (Berkshire Academy) FL, Miami (Christian) FL, and Miami (Northwest Christian) FL interesting, because, as usual, the mainstream media is unable to sort out the good guys from the bad guys.  In an article in the USA Today several days ago Carolyn White lumped all three schools together saying that "the FHSAA, acting on a complaint from Ace Academy in Coral Gables, says it took action against not only Berkshire but also Miami Christian (three recruited players and Northwest Christian in Miami (playing with a fifth-year players)."  The major culprit is Berkshire Academy, which didn't even have a basketball team a year ago, but last summer went the international route and, as a result, features 14 players all of whom were recruited from Europe.  Add the fact that Berkshire is currently 34-2 and ranked #1 in Class 1A in the state and it's easy to see why the Florida High School Athletic Association has put the program under the microscope.  Actually, the FHSAA recently banned Berkshire from tournament play and ordered the school to forfeit all of its games.    That was 10 days ago.  However, on February 17th district judge David Tobin issued a court order delaying the decision until after the season allowing Berkshire to continue in postseason play.  But that order only stood a week.   That's right!  On Thursday that injunction was reversed in a state appeals court.  "The decision, reached by a three-judge panel of David Gersten, Gerald Cope and Rodolfo Sorondo in Florida's Third District Court of Appeals, means the original decision reached by the FHSAA stands," says Stephen F. Holder, a writer for the Miami-Herald.  Miami Christian, which also has six players on its roster from the Dominican Republic, also had to forfeit all of its regular season victories earlier this month, but has been allowed to continue in playoffs, because the three allegedly recruited players have been suspended.  Then, earlier this week Northwest Christian head coach Anthony Pujol, who apparently was dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's to make sure that everything was in order, found evidence that one of his players is ineligible.  No, we're not talking about 6'3 Eddie Starks.  Instead, we're talking about 5'5 David Christ, whose transcript contained a typographical error and led to Northwest Christian turning itself in to the FHSAA - after the state group announced it had found no wrongdoing in the program.  "It turns out he began his 10th-grade year in 96-97 and his old school, Victory Baptist, N.H., fessed up only after Pujol called the school again Tuesday to grill them about it," says Donnie Wilkie, the tournament director of the City of Palms Classic.  "Florida rules, at that time, allowed a student three years of eligibility after he or she began the 10th grade year.  Currently, Florida rules allow four years after the beginning of the 9th-grade year, but those who fell under the old rules were grandfathered in (i.e. Starks) and are subject only to the three-and-10th rule.  Christ is in violation of that guideline.  Pujol, who was not taking calls Thursday, nonetheless took mine and confirmed the sequence of events.  He also said he and the school would make no attempt to sue or secure any type of injunction."   Which means that they will have to forfeit all of their games this season and be ineligible to compete in the playoffs.  And that brings us to our point.  It's too bad that Northwest Christian has to be lumped into same category with Berkshire Academy and Miami Chrisitan.   Pujol easily could have swept the Christ matter under the rug.  Instead, Wilkie quotes Pujol saying, "We're accepting the penalty.  It's pretty clear that the kid repeated the 10th grade, now that we've received this clarification."   Not only does this reinforce everything we have seen and heard about Pujol being a legitimate guy who does things the right way, but hopefully his actions will become a role model for others.  Life isn't always fair, but obviously it is still important to do what is right, fair and just.  And hopefully what goes around comes around.   Maybe in this case it already has, because Pujol has the best player in South Florida.  No, we're not talking about Starks, who got our vote on our original ballot for McDonald's All-American Game over a month ago and would be a legitimate top 20 player nationally if we included 5th year players with prep school players.   Instead, we're talking about 6'7 Jr Rafael Luis, who has sat out all year due to eligibility questions of his own after transferring last year from Miami (Champagnate) FL to Northwest Christian.  However, Luis will be eligible next year and he's a big reason why Wilkie has already invited Northwest Christian back to his to tournament for a third consecutive year.

Friday, February 25, 2000

One of the biggest events of the spring is always the Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, VA, which will be April 7th-9th, but we also are making plans to go back to Virginia the next weekend (April 14th-16th).   That's right!  Tony Squire's Richmond Shoot-out at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA will be loaded!  Among the teams that Squire already has lined up are DC Assault, Team Carolina, Atlantic Celtics, Danville, VA, Queen City Prophets, Team Detroit, New Orleans Jazz, Newark Rams, Michigan Mustangs, All Ohio, Illinois Fire, South Carolina Tops, Long Island Panthers, and the Cleveland Basketball Club.  And of course, Squire will also have his own team, which will feature four players - 6'1 Jr Johnathan Hargett from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Harvey Thomas from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC,  6'6 Jr Tyrone Sally from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'1 Jr Darius Hargrove from Lawrenceville (Brunswick) VA - who played in the underclassmen in all-star game last summer at the adidas ABCD Camp.  And if that weren't enough good young talent on the horizon, did you know that  that Squire's 15-Under  team might be the best AAU team for that age in the nation?   We'll have more on this in the near future, but thanks to Squire we're going to drop another bomb right now.  According to Squire, the legendary Joel Hopkins is leaving Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  No, Hopkins isn't getting fired or forced out.  Instead, he is taking the head coaching job at Durham (Emmanuel Academy) NC.   And this is big, because the school has better teachers, better facilities, and is accredited by the state of North Carolina.  It also is big, because Hopkins plans to take all of his current players with him, except for 6'3 Jr Jarrett Jack.   In addition to the three players we already mentioned above, Hopkins also has a terrific sophomore in 6'9 Soph Amir Stoudamire and there is no telling who else might end up there by the time school starts next fall. 

Rivals.com doesn't allow their writers to provide information for attribution to their competitors, so any time we get anything from somebody from Rivals.com, it has to stay off the record.  Which is kind of strange, because it is common practice for people in the business to exchange information.   However, thanks to their stupid policy, they don't get credit for anything one of their people give us   Remember, if you want something (i.e. information), you have to have something to give back (i.e. other information).  As a matter of fact, it has always been my philosophy that anything that is good for our writers and correpondents in terms of credibility and enhancing their reputation, it is also good for the HOOP SCOOP.  So with this in mind, the situation in Oklahoma is especially ironic, because we gave Greg Swaim, who is now recognized as one of the top contributors to Rivals.com, his start in the business.  But thanks to the stupid Rivals.com policy, he can't write for us and doesn't contribute information to us anymore.  However, Swaim did one better.   He put us in touch with our current Oklahoma Correspondent Bob Grace, who has emerged into #1 guy in Oklahoma.  We say that, because Grace has emerged as the #1 guy in Oklahoma.  That's right!  We think he's even better than Swaim, because he's focused on one area, while Swaim now covers the entire Midwest.    Which brings us to the real point and irony of all this.  We have to call up Grace to get the dates for Swaim's three events this spring, which are always great for both high school and junior college players to get seen by college coaches from all levels around the country.   Grace tells us that Swaim's 9th Annual Spring Big Time Shootouts will be held on March 18th in Joplin, MO, April 8th in Wichita, KS, and April 9th in Little Rock, AR.  To register for any of these events, call (405) 377-4667 or go to www.midwestbasketball.com/shootouts.html to register online.

Speaking of Rivals.com, Steve Beck likes to tell people that paid web sites will soon become obsolete.   Until recently I thought he was totally wrong, but now I am beginning to think he is at least partially correct.  I say that because two and a half years ago we changed everything from print to the internet, because I was tired of giving 60 to 70 percent of our gross revenue to the printer and post office.  For the first year we were doing fairly well, but it has become especially evident in the last year with the evolution of the Rivals.com that most people don't want to pay for recruiting information and player rankings and, as a result, it just doesn't matter if you are far better than your competition.  As a result, I have had to re-think what we're doing.   In the past, our target audience has been both the fan and the college coach at a price that most people can afford.  However, it is a well known fact that college coaches will pay double, triple, or even quadruple our current $100 subscription price.   And two weeks ago when our announced price increase was met with total silence by subscribers, I was knew that it was simply reaffirming what I already knew.    Quite honestly I'm burned out and tired of paying yesterday's bills with tomorrow's subscriptions.  Which leaves me with two options.  Go do something else or raise the price.  After doing the math, I have decided to raise the price for access to the website by 150%, which means we will exclusively target college coaches and not worry about the average fan.  That's right!  I don't think it is right to charge college coaches one price and fans another price, so the price to the Members Section still will be the same for everybody.  However, I also think it's fair to give anybody who wants to subscribe or extend their subscription at the old prices a limited amount of time to do so, before raising the prices.  So look for the price increase to take effect beginning the first day the NCAA Tournament starts.  At that time one month's access to the web site will be increased from $12 to $25, three month's access will be increased from $30 to $65, six month's access will increase from $60 to $130, and one-year's access will be increased from $100 to $250.  Lifetime subscriptions will no longer be offered in the future, but if you want to purchase a lifetime subscription now, the price is $375.  Obviously, this move will exclude a lot of subscribers in the future, but it is very positive step financially.  Not only will this ensure that Rivals.com will never be able to beat us in terms of the information that we provide, but it also means they won't be able to run us out of the business.  Don't believe it?  Well, in June when we invoice over 300 college coaches at $250, we will bring in a lot cash flow than we had all of last year.  And then, any subscriptions we get from fans, as well as advertising, will just be gravy.    While that's probably bad news for the "evil empire" (Rivals.com), it is great news for college coaches and the select group of fans who still want all the information that we can make available.   And for everybody else, the Visitors Section will remain the same.

Thursday, February 24, 2000

We have finalized our list of the Top Prep School, 5th Year, and Foreign Players and I am really pleased with the results, because I think it is far superior to anything I've ever seen in terms of covering prep school players, which in the past has always been an area that has not gotten the attention that it deserves.   Remember, to qualify for the list a player needs to be at least in his 9th semester of high school or a foreign player who has signed with or is being recruited by a Division I school in this country.  At the top of the list is 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who gets our vote as the #1 player in the nation in both prep school and/or the senior class in high school after watching him a week and a half ago in the National Prep School Invitational in Boston, MA.  He's tremendous!  And he better be if he's going to get ranked ahead of 6'9 Jason Parker from Fork Union (Military) VA and 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  Next on the list is 6'3 Eddie Starks from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, who by the way, is still available and might be for a while, because he may have to return to prep school for another year, because he's behind academically.  However, after watching Starks in the Nations' Bank City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL in December, he's one of our favorite players.  He simply won't let his team lose and he's got the moves and the strength to beat just about anybody one-on-one going to the hole.  Next is 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH and he too would be ranked among our top 20 players in the nation, if we included him on our list of high school seniors.   Rounding out our top 10 are 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Toronto (Westhill) ON, 6'7 James Thomas from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Terry Sanders from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'2 Shieku Kabba from Bronx (Regional) NY, all of whom are good enough to be ranked among in the top 20-40 range, if they were included among high school seniors.  Next are 6'6 Jason Conley from Millersburg (Military) KY, 6'9 Carlton Aaron from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Michael Haynes from Millersburg (Military) KY, 6'8 Joaquin Gomes from Angola, and 6'6 Derick Payne from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  Payne is especially interesting, because he is a 5th year player in terms of eligibility, but he is only a junior academically, so he'll likely be on our 5th year list again next year.  The list goes 135 players deep, but obviously will expand even further, as we continue to find out about players - especially foreign players - this spring.  So click on Top Prep School, 5th Year, Foreign Players and feel free to email us clark@hoopscooponline.com, if you think we're missing somebody. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2000

Stanford has added a commitment from 6'6 Teyo Johnson from San Diego (Mira Mesa) CA, but he has signed a national letter-of-intent to play football, which is his best sport.  Not only is he one of the best one football players in the nation playing linebacker/quarterback/tight end, but he also ranks among our top 150 nationally in basketball.  As a matter of fact, Johnson's one of the only players to make Frank Burlison's Orange County-Register Fab 15 in both football and basketball.  N.C. State has a commitment from 6'3 Trey Guidry from Baton Rouge (Central) LA, who made his reputation last fall at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament at College Park, MD.  Guidry is an excellent outside shooter, which is why schools like Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Clemson, Wisconsin, Syracuse, and Michigan State were all showing interest.  Kentucky appears to be making a push for 6'5 Liberto Tetamindinger from Worcester (Academy) MA and 6'7 Erik Daniels from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH, but we're not sure that either player is the answer to Kentucky's needs.  Besides, Daniels is believed to be a near lock for Temple, which is where he plans to visit this weekend, and he probably isn't good enough to step in and help Kentucky.  Tetamindinger probably isn't either, but he may could help Kentucky solve some of their point guards problems, because he's a good enough ball handler and passer to play point guard at 6'5. 

Kansas and California are still being mentioned prominently for 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, but we think Missouri will be tough to beat.  And if that happens, the new regime will have gotten three terrific inside players within one year of hiring former Duke assistant Quin Synder.  Remember, last fall they got 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI and everybody in the knows that 6'9 Jr Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI lives with the parents, who are his legal guardian, of current Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey.  So the question about Whaley is not where he's going, but just when he's going to make it official.   Another prime target for Missouri in the junior class is 6'8 Jr David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO and they're making push from 6'9 Jr Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH.  However, we not sold on Lee and Williams will be tough to get away from Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Duke.  Instead, the icing on the cake would be if the Tigers were to land 7'0 Jr DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  But, as Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith tells us, Diop is totally wide open and the Missouri coaching staff has only started to make inquiries.  However, Diop is totally wide open - we don't believe the rumors that Virginia is the favorite.  However, the Cavaliers are on his list, along with Cincinnati, Miami-FL, Auburn, Kentucky, Maryland, Louisville, and Florida. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2000

We have confirmed several commitments today, including 6'0 Jave Meade from Northfield (-Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA to Holy Cross and 6'3 A.W. Hamilton from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Wake Forest.  You remember Meade!  He's the combo guard who played in the shadow of Omar Cook and Will Poole a year ago in high school at Middle Village (Christ the King) NY and, as a result, got underrecruited.   Offensively Meade needs to continue to develop his point guards skills, but defensively he's quick enough and strong to immediately step in and shut most of the better point guards in the Patriot League.  Which is why we think he is an absolute steal for the Crusaders.  Hamilton has always been a tough hardnosed competitor, but he's become more consistent with his outside shot now, plus he's developed into a point guard.  He isn't the best player at Hargrave Military this year, but he might be the most valuable, according to his coach Kevin Keatts.   Keatts also tells us that another one of his players - 6'6 Corey Sears - is going to a big-time school.  Sears will walk-on next year at Purdue with the hope that he will earn a scholarship during his final three years of college.

Oklahoma State, which was tied with Texas last fall for the #8 ranked recruiting class by the HOOP SCOOP, may be on the verge of moving way up in our rankings this spring.  That's right!  Our Oklahoma Editor Bob Grace tells us that the Cowboys may be on the verge of landing 6'2 Maurice Baker from Dixie (JC) UT, who ranks as one of the top five point guards in the junior college ranks, and 6'4 Immanuel McElroy from Tyler (JC) TX, who is a consensus top five junior college player nationally.  Even, if Oklahoma State doesn't land anybody else, their recruiting class would move into our top five, because 6'8 Ivan McFarlan from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who jumps from being ranked among our top 100 nationally into our top 40, is one of the fastest rising players in the nation.  As a matter of fact, Joe Smith comparisons are in order.  If head coach Eddie Sutton lands Baker and McElroy, their class would be comparable to St. John's #1 ranked class.  As a matter of fact, it would be almost too close to call for the #1 billing.  However, one thing would be for sure.  Health permitting, Sutton won't be going anywhere anytime soon, because he appears to be one verge of landing his best recruiting class ever! 

UCLA is in the for hunt 6'8 Josiah Johnson from Montclair (Prep) CA, who the younger brother of former Bruin Kris Johnson and son of former UCLA All-American Marquis Johnson.  Right now Johnson, who has limited athletic ability, but who is a very good shooter, is considered a project.  However, he has excellent size and those who have seen him like his potential.  Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Boston University had shown previous interest, but now Gonzaga, Xavier, San Diego State, and UCLA are all in the hunt.  Remember, we told you about 6'8, 220 lbs. Andreaus Block from Fresno (Central) CA late last summer.  Well, this skilled wing player with Jason Kapono-like skills has emereged into one of the best players in Central California this year.  He can hit the three, take you inside with either hand, and beat you off the dribble, which is why Fresno State is showing serious interest and hopes nobody else will find out about him.

We continue to hear that John Calipari is a done deal for the University of Memphis head coaching job and that University of Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson is now the leadeing candidate for Georgia Tech, but the one that is especially interesting is the situation at UCLA.  Apparently adidas' Sonny Vaccaro on several radio sports talk-shows in Southern California has been publicly pushing for UCLA to get rid of head coach Steve Lavin and hire Utah head coach Rick Majerus.  This is very important, because UCLA, which historically has been cheap in terms of what they will pay their coaches, would be able to pay Majerus the same amount that Lavin is currently making right now.  The rest would be made up by Vaccaro via adidas' 22 million  dollar a year contract with UCLA.  Obviously if UCLA can win five of their last six conference games and make the NCAA Tournament, Lavin would be off the hook.  However, sources close to the UCLA program tell us that Lavin may have to shake up his staff, but that he will survive for at least another year, which should give Lavin time to land a great point guard, like 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR.  Also very intriguing is the fact that Tulsa head coach Bill Self appears to have taken himself out of the running for the Georgia Tech job, because he is waiting to see what happens at Kansas and Oklahoma.  Normally Oklahoma wouldn't hire somebody with an Oklahoma State background, but Self might be the exception, because he has a good relationship with Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione.  So if Sampson does get the Georgia Tech job, Self might be in line for Oklahoma.  If not, Kansas might be the perfect fit, assuming that Roy Williams leaves for North Carolina.  Self also was mentioned with Nebraska, but we now expect Colorado State head coach Ritchie McKay to get that job, if Cornhuskers head coach Danny Nee gets the ax.  We also hear that Wyoming head coach Steve McClain is the leading candidate for the Kansas State job. 

Monday, February 21, 2000

The big gun for Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in the Republic Bank Classic on Friday night against Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN was 6'3 Jr Rashaad Carruth, who finished with 31 points and hit 12-17 field goals, including 6-10 3-pointers.  However, the next night against Louisville (Ballard) KY, Carruth only had three points and was only 1-11 from the field including 1-5 from beyond the arc.  Ballard's defense didn't give him a lot of open looks, but when Carruth did get an open shot, it proved to be a very off night.   However, all the rest of Oak Hill's starters - 6'11 Jr DeSagana Diop, 6'6 Luke Whitehead, 6'9 Abdou Diame, and 6'1 Cliff Hawkins - picked up the slack as they all scored between 10 and 14 points.   Especially impressive was Diop with 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven blocks.   He still isn't a banger inside, but his soft shooting touch and ability to score around the basket, as was evident by his 7-9 field goals shooting, was especially impressive.  Diame hit 6-10 from the field, scored 12 points, and grabbed nine rebounds and Hawkins, who scored 12 points, hit 4-9 field goals, dished out seven assists, and had four steals,  played well, if you're willing to overlook his 10 turnovers against Ballard.  As a matter of fact, Hawkins also had nine assists and eight turnovers the night before against Patrick Henry, which means he had a terrible assist to turnover ratio (16 assists versus 18 turnovers) in two games.  Hawkins is great defensively and thrives in transition, plus he's a terrific passer.  However, we have major reservations about his decision-making and outside shooting, which is why we still think Kentucky still needs to find a point guard.  The player who really stepped up for Ballard was 6'8 Mac Wilkinson with 18 points and six rebounds, but apparently he still lacks the killer instinct necessary to get schools like Louisville and Kentucky interested.  However, Wilkinson, who is Felton Spencer's younger brother, would be an absolute steal for somebody like Dayton, which currently is the leader.  Others showing a lot of interest are Clemson, Southern Miss, UNC-Charlotte, and South Alabama.  Complementing Wilkinson inside were 6'9 Jr Brandon Bender with 12 points and 14 rebounds and 6'1 Jr Adam Chiles with 13 points.   However, Bender only hit 5-16 field goals, which was the direct result of Diop's presence inside, and Chiles wasn't any better, as he was only 5-15 from the field.   Which brings us to the big difference in the game, as Ballard hit only 20-60 from the field for 33.3%, while Oak Hill connected on 27-57 field goals for 47.4%.   Ballard did out rebound Oak Hill 40 to 33, but if you find out that half of Ballard's  rebounds were at the offensive end and enter the shooting percentages and number of missed shots (31 for Oak Hill versus 43 for Ballard) into the equation, then the rebounding  totals become very misleading.

Chris Johnson tells us that NIKE EuroCamp will be in Barcelonia, Spain again June 4th-8th.  Speaking of players from abroad, Johnson confirms that the great 8th grader - 6'7 Tahirov Sani from Mali via France - that Allen Rubin was talking about recently is the real deal.  Mind you he was playing against players his own age, but recently Sani had 48 points, 36 rebounds, 16 blocks, and six assists.  Mark Lane, who is a scout in for Toronto Hoops.com tells us that 6'9 Terry Licorish from Toronto (Westhill) ON, who is a Marcus Camby type with better skills at the same stage, is drawing interest from Louisville, Syracuse, Michigan State, and North Carolina.  Lane also tells us that we need to watch out for 6'3 Chris Exilus from North Marion (H.S.) WV, who signed early with Virginia Tech.   And just like with 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA and 7'6 Yao Ming from Shanghai in the People's Republic of China, we will get to see him play  in the NABC/NIKE International Hoop Summit, which will be played Sunday, April 2, at 1:00 PM at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.  And as long as we're talking about the top international events, Sani will likely be playing for Mali in the Douai World Junior Tournament in Douai, France, June10th-12th against the United States team that will include 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'3 Jr Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Darius Miles from East Louis (Lincoln) IL, 6'11 Jr Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 7'1 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Jr Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, 6'9 Jr Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA, 6'6 Jr Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 6'4 Jr Anthony Rice from College Park (North Clayton) GA, and 6'7 Jr Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  And if you can't afford a plane ticket to France in June, Sani also plans to for Linzy Davis next summer on the Georgia Elite in the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA, the NIKE Super Showcase in Orlando, FL and the NIKE Summer Championship in Portland, OR. 

Saturday, February 19, 2000, and Sunday, February 20, 2000

When Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins announced that he would step down at the end of the season, he finally got the ball rolling in what promises to be the craziest spring ever in terms of turnover in the coaching world.  We already hear that Eddie Fogler at South Carolina, Danny Nee at Nebraska, and Eddie Payne at Oregon State are on the way out and Michigan head coach Brian Ellerbe is currently skating on thin ice.  So is University of Massachusetts head coach James "Bruiser" Flint, but sources tell us that both Flint and Rhode Island head coach Jerry Degregorio will survive at least another year.   Despite his six-year roll over contract and UCLA's contract with adidas, which would have to broken if they get rid of the basketball coach, the word is that Bruins head coach Steve Lavin has to make the NCAA Tournament.  Western Kentucky head Dennis Felton also could be in trouble, which is why Rhode Island assistant coach Jeff Jones' name is already being mentioned as the next possible coach of the Hilltoppers.  And we're hearing Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ head coach Kevin Boyle and Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY head coach Bob Leckie both being mentioned for the St. Peter's job, if current head coach Rodger Blind gets the ax this spring.  But the one that may surprise you the most is Mike Jarvis at St. John's.  No, we don't think Jarvis will get fired, but this spring might be the perfect time for Jarvis to bail out and take an NBA job.  How about the Boston Celtics, if Rick Pitino comes back to college basketball and Larry Bird, who obviously would be the Celtics first choice, decides he doesn't want to coach anymore?  Remember, Jarvis recently accused the NCAA of being like the Gestopo after they recently suspended Red Storm star point guard Erick Barkley for several games.   And now the NCAA is looking at St. John's again.  This time it has to do with Rob Johnson, who is an infamous street agent from New York City with a history of getting programs in trouble.  As a matter of fact, Johnson is the only none coach in history who has gotten more than one program on probation.  The best known case was Syracuse in 1992, but he also was responsible for taking down Texas A&M in the early '90s.  Johnson also has gotten assistant coaches at Akron and Clemson fired and his association with former UNLV assistant coach Greg Vetrone certainly did't help his situation.  The stories about Johnson are endless and he is not somebody you want to piss off if you are a college coach, because he does have a history of saying just about anything.  "Getting Johnson mad at you is worse than an atomic bomb hitting you," says one college coach.   All this important because Johnson allegedly contacted and offered Barkley money on behalf of Mitch Frankel, an NBA agent from Florida who currently has one of Barkley's best friends (Ron Artest) as a client.  The NCAA also is looking how Barclay paid for his tuition, which was in the neighborhood of about $20,000, when he was at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME during the 1997-98 season, and they are looking into who is paying the high school tuition for 6'1 Omar Cook at Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who signed with St. John's last fall.  And the word we get is that there are even more surprises about to surface in the New York media early next week.  Which brings us to the fact that Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker might be smart to head for the hills as fast as possible by taking Georgia Tech, Michigan, or any other big time job that becomes available.  Like Jarvis, Amaker is one of the most legitimate guys in the business, but he's got several players - Desmond Herod and Charles Manga - on his team who are very close to, you guessed it, Rob Johnson.  And if he's not careful, he could be Johnson's next victim. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the Temple-Dayton game last week proved to be a major recruiting opportunity for both teams.  Dayton had a number of the top underclassmen in the state on campus for unofficial visits, including 6'5 Jr Danny Horace from Cincinnati (Western Hill) OH, 6'8 Jr Adam Waleskowski from Kettering (Alter) OH, 5'11 Jr Brian Swift from Bedford (Chanel) OH, 6'8 Jr Elgrace Wilborn from Springfield (South) OH, 6'0 Soph Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 5'11 Jr Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, 6'9 Josh Higgins from Vandalia (Butler) OH.  Temple had on one of the top seniors in the state at the game in 6'7 Erik Daniels from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH.  Speaking of Daniels, he is supposed to take an official to Temple next weekend and an official announcement for the Owls could be forthcoming sometime in March.  While Daniels is a legitimate top 200 player nationally, he is attracting an incredible amount of interest.  As a matter of fact, on Friday night Temple head coach John Chaney, Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, and Connecticut assistant coach Karl Hobbs were all in the house to watch Daniels play. 

Friday, February 18, 2000

We've been talking about Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins being on the bubble since early January, but now it official.  That's right!  Cremins announced this afternoon that he will retire at the end of the season.  While this obviously is no surprise, it's a sad day for college basketball, because Cremins is one of the best people in the business.  As a matter of fact, we're not sure we've ever heard anybody say anything bad about him as person.  Hopefully Cremins will take another job or even move into the the television booth next year.  Now that it is official that Cremins will gone at the end of the season, it's time to start speculating on who will be the next coach at Georgia Tech.   The first name that comes to mind is former University of Massachusetts head coach John Calipari, but current Georgia Tech assistant coach Mark Price also appears to be a legitimate shot.  And wouldn't Miami-FL head coach Leonard Hamilton be perfect in Atlanta, GA?  Or Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker, if he gets the inside scoop that his prize recruit 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA plans to put his name into the NBA draft.  Other possible candidates might include Tulsa head coach Bill Self, Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings, Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, Kent head coach Gary Waters,   Southwestern Louisiana head coach Jessie Evans, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown, Kentucky assistant coach George Felton, Indiana assistant coach Mike Davis, and Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey.   Speaking of head coaching jobs that are open, the Buffalo News is reporting that there are at least six candidates to replace Tim Kohane, including interim head coach Reggie Witherspoon, assistant coach Ohio State Dave Spiller, Richmond assistant coach Phil Seymour, DePaul assistant coach Larry Harrison, California assistant coach Scott Beeten, and Ball State assistant coach John Fitzpatrick.   Although all are qualified for the job, Spiller might have the inside track, not only because he has Buffalo area ties, but also due to the fact that he has spent the last three years recruiting in the Midwest, which is where a majority of the players in the Mid-American Conference come on. 

It looks like the HOOP SCOOP will finally get some serious competiton from Rivals.com on a national basis.   That's right!  We have learned that Dave Telep, the primary writer for Prepstars.com, which is based in Chapel Hill, NC, will become the latest person to join the vast Rivals.com network on the internet.  This is huge, because Telep is one of the hardest working and most  knowledge young guys in the business and, as a result, has tremendous respect among his peers.  The word is that Telep will begin working for Rivals.com in early March and apparently this is a major scoop, because only yesterday did he inform Dennis Wuycik, the publisher of Prepstars.com, the Recruiter's Handbook, and ACC Area Sports Journal, of his decision. While the deal was finalized this week, it appears that Telep had been talking with Rivals.com for some time.   As a matter of fact, he had previously turned them down, but this time it appears they've come at him with a lot more money.  With incentives and bonuses, he could make almost $100,000 per year.  While we're used to beating Rivals.com in terms of recruiting information, player rankings, and insight that you can't get anywhere else, this is also big for us too, because they can't even beat us when it comes to announcing they're own hirings. 

As expected, 6'3 Reggie Bryant from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT has picked Villanova over Rutgers and George Mason and 6'1 Ludmil Hadjisotirov from Winchendon (School) MA has accepted the scholarship offer that he received last Friday from Boston College.  UNLV, UCLA, Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Georgia appear to be the final five for 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR.  The top two for 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA are Missouri and California, but don't count Kansas out just yet.  UNLV is close to getting a committed from 6'0 Steve Scoggin from Mater Dei (Santa Ana) CA, according to Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat.  Jira also tells us that 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA visitted Hutchinson (JC) KS last weekend and thinks Southern California is close to getting a commitment from 6'7 Ellis Myles from Compton (Centennial) CA.  Speaking of Southern Cal, the Trojans also recently got a commitment from 6'0 Robert Hutchinson from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) CA.  

Donnie Wilkie, the tournament director of the Nations Bank City of Palms Classic, tells us that the situation involving foreign players in the Miami area is a total mess.  FHSAA is   investigating Miami (Christian) FL, Homestead (Berkshire) FL, Hialeah (Champagnat) FL, and Northwest (Christian) FL for possible recruiting violations and the use of 5th players involving international players.  The FSHAA has made Miami (Christian) FL forfeit 25 games and ruled three players ineligible saying they've exhausted their eligibility and Berkshire, which won the King of the Bluegrass Tournament in December and currently is 28-2 and ranked #1 in the state in the Class, was suspended from the state playoffs.  However, Berkshire will be playing tonight, because they have gone to court and gotten an injuction.  The person investigating all this associate commissioner Dan Boyd and he has created a storm of his own when he was quoted in the Miami-Herald saying "the fact these teams even have these players is repugnant and disgusting."  So now you can see why he's being affectionately referred to in the basketball community in Florida as "Commissioner Rocker."   There is also talk that Champagnat and Northwest Christian are next, but we hear they don't have anything on any school.  Especially interesting is all the finger pointing at 6'3 Eddie Starks from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL.  Everybody knows he's a 5th year player, but his situation is perfectly legal, because you have three years to play once you enroll in your 10th grade year.  He repeated his 9th grade year, so he is not only fine, but the FHSAA commissioner signed off on it the first day when he enrolled in school a year and a half a ago.  The irony of all this is that Miami (Senior) FL isn't good enough this year to get investigated and Miami (Booker T. Washington) FL isn't old enough to be worry about.   Remember, Booker T. Washington head coach Frank Martin is building a program from scratch and, as result, only has freshmen.  And obviously he doesn't have any 5th year freshmen.  Getting back to Starks, Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat is reporting that he Starks is down to two schools - UNLV and Rutgers, which means Miami-FL is out.  And we believe that it is mistake.   Wilkie also tells us things are falling into place for next year's Bank America City of Palms Classic.  He already has commitments from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, Fresno (Clovis West) CA, Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, Louisville (Male) KY, Huntsville (Lee) AL, Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, Bruinswick (Glynn Academy) GA, Jacksonville (Andrew Jackson) FL, and Lakeland (Kathleen) FL and he has offers on the table from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, and Camden (H.S.) NJ.  While Wilkie is no Bobby Jacobs, he isn't trying to become the next P.T. Barnum.  At Wilkie's tournament everything is pretty much laid back.  There are no tolls on the interstate, they have great weather, the games don't start until noon, and you get to stay on a beach that isn't frozen.  Plus, annually since 1993 Wilkie has produced a product unsurpassed by anybody without nearly the budget.   All of which explains why Wilkie is willing to give Camden all the time they want.  

One of the hottest programs in college basketball right now is Iowa State, which not only is ranked among the top 20 nationally in all the polls, but which knocked off Kansas in Lawrence, KS for the first time in 17 years.  This might be the biggest win for Iowa State in over a decade and it also puts Marcus Fizer and Larry Eustachy both on the radar screen among the leading candidates for National Player-of-the-Year and National Coach-of-the-Year honors  However, that's not only news about Iowa State.  It also appears that the NCAA is looking to their recruitment of 7'0 Ernest Brown, who is regarded by many as the #1 junior college player in the nation.  According an article in today's AmesTrib, "Mesa Community College Athletic Director Allen Benedict said this morning that the NCAA contacted him late last year to ask what role, if any, former Mesa assistant — and current ISU administrative assistant — Tres Chapman may have played in bringing Brown to ISU. The NCAA also was interested in whether ISU did any recruiting of Brown during an NCAA-mandated “dead period,” Benedict said.  Benedict said there was nothing improper in either case."  The article goes on to quote Benedict saying,  "Anything that was relayed from my office to the NCAA regarding Ernest Brown and Iowa State was positive in nature,” Benedict said. “I have no documentation that they did anything wrong, illegal, or whatever.”  The article also says, "Chapman resigned from Mesa last spring to become camps coordinator at ISU. He since has been promoted to the men’s basketball program’s administrative assistant.  Benedict said Chapman left Mesa and accepted the position at ISU a couple of weeks before the end of the spring 1999 semester, and at that point the Mesa athletic director asked that Chapman not return to campus in order to avoid any hint of impropriety."  Brown verbally committed to Iowa State several months after Chapman got his job with the Cyclones, but “I cut the cord and removed him from any type of question that might come up,” Benedict said. “It wouldn’t have looked good for him to be hanging around.”   According to the AmesTrib, "Iowa State Athletic Director Gene Smith said ISU received a letter of inquiry from the NCAA regarding a basketball issue last August, and the unviversity responded to the NCAA in November."  Smith was quoted with the usual "can't talk about the particulars of the case because it is still pending."   But according to the newspaper, he did add that "the letter was not regarding ISU’s role in Brown's transfer from Mesa to Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, where Brown is currently enrolled."  He's also quoted saying "there are no red flags here and that "he expects the case to be closed by the NCAA this spring."  However it all could become a mute point, because those in the know think there is a good chance that Brown will never enroll at Iowa State.   Instead, they think he will be a lottery pick in the NBA draft in June.  Speaking of potential lottery picks in the NBA draft, it also looks like University of Minnesota center 7'1 Joel Pryzbilla will enter his name into the draft this spring.  And really this comes as no surprise, because Pryzbilla was recently suspended from the team, because he had been failing to attend class. 

Thursday, February 17, 2000

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that Oregon State and Connecticut appear to be the final two for 6'7 Ellis Myles from Compton (Centennial) CA.  We wish it were that easy for 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA.  Bryant, who really enjoys the entire recruiting process, still has Missouri, California, Kansas, Michigan, UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona, Kentucky, and Duke all on his list, but hopefully he'll start to narrow it down after his high school season is over.  The other big fish in Southern California who is still available is 6'9 Andrew Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA.  Right now UCLA and Arizona are both interested, but we'd be surprised if anything happens for a while.  And from there the list is seemingly endless.   Among those Trigonis regards as "sleepers who are still available" are 6'10 Chris Manker from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Anthony Coleman from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Keith Brooks from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Cedric Thompkins from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'7 Chris Davis from Long Beach (Crenshaw) CA, 6'5 Larry Johnson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Travis Hanour from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Sherman Gay from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Jason Sanford from Pasadena (Marshall) CA, 6'6 Ryan Stacey from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'5 Walter White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'4 Steve McMarion from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, 6'4 Scott Stern from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'5 DeVarion McKey from Pasadena (Marshall) CA, 6'6 Brett Mitchell from Simi Valley (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Ryan Mollins from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'1 Alfred Williams from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Steve Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'2 Micah McKinney from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'1 Todd Tomlinson from Moore Park (H.S.) CA, 6'0 Steve Scoggin from Santa Mater (Dei) CA, 6'3 Deshawn Anderson from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'2 Felipe Williams from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA, 6'0 Ryan Hogan from Santa Ana (Foothill) CA, 6'4 Chris Prins from Escondido (Calvin Christian) CA, 6'3 Kevin Brown from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'1 Chris Pacana from Chino Hills (Ayala) CA, 6'3 Eric Smith from Los Angeles (Hollywood) CA, 6'0 Russell Lakey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 5'9 Raji Burnett from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 5'9 A.J. Diggs from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 5'11 Eric Alvarez from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'9 Brian Taylor from Compton (Inglewood) CA, 6'1 Michael Lynch from Los Angeles (Price) CA, and 5'9 Martin Crasto from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, 5'9 Adrian Martin from Long Beach (Poly) CA, and 5'11 Jonathan Williams from Pasadena (Muir) CA.  The rosters for the DaDa All-Star Classic at the Pyramid in Long Beach State University in Long Beach, CA on April 16th have yet to be released, but 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'9 Patrick Dennehy from Mountain View (St. Francis) CA, 6'4 Jameel Pugh from Sacramento (Grant) CA, 6'7 Ellis Myles from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'8 Garner Meads from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT are all expected to be on the West Coast Squad.  The United States Squad will likely include 6'9 Jason Parker from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'6 Rickey Paudling from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'5 Desmon Farmer from Flint (Northwestern) MI, and 6'5 Orien Greene from Gainesville (H.S.) FL.

We talked with 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ at the Prime Time Tournament in Trenton, NJ on Sunday and he told us that there is nothing new in terms of his recruitment.  The list is basically the same, as Louisville, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Connecticut are the schools at the top of his list.  However, we still think that Wagner will have a tough time saying no to the NBA when the time comes in the Spring of 2001.  While there are salary cap restrictions on what a player can make in his first three years in the NBA, there is no limit on what a shoe company can offer a player.  So the question becomes how much is it worth to NIKE to sign players, like Wagner, 7'0 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'11 Jr Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, all of whom have unlimited potential.  Remember, the idea is to find the next Michael Jordan and NIKE can't take the chance on letting somebody like adidas steal one of their guys.  Speaking of watching Wagner on play on Sunday, most people probably assumed that Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach John Calipari was in the house to scout Wagner for the 76ers, but maybe there was more to it than just that.  If head coach Bobby Cremins doesn't hang on at Georgia Tech, Calipari obviously would be a natural for the job.  As a matter of fact, when we made this our Question of the Day a month and a half ago, more people thought Calipari would end up at Georgia Tech than Memphis, which right now is his job to turn down.  Wherever goes Calipari, he should be able to recruit like crazy.  But if he takes the Memphis job, we would be very surprised if he'd be able to get Wagner, 6'7 Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ, and 6'3 Jr Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, all of whom have talked about going to the same school and currently have Georgia Tech high on his list.  However, if Calipari takes the Georgia Tech job, that might be enough to tip the balance.  Remember, Carruth is from the Atlanta area and Cremins has done a great job of recruiting both Wagner and Barclay.  Which brings us back to why Calipari was at Wagner's game on Sunday.  Maybe Calipari was trying to get an early recruiting advantage on Wagner in case he takes the Georgia Tech job this spring.

Wednesday, February 16, 2000

Despite the best efforts of Executive Tournament Director Bobby Jacobs, it looks like Camden (H.S.) NJ won't be attending the Slam Dunk to the Beach next year.  Obviously, the big reason why Jacobs wants Camden is because 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner is the #1 ranked junior in the nation by a number of publications, including the HOOP SCOOP.   However, Camden head coach Glen Jackson appears to be almost impossible to deal with.  As a matter of fact, Jackson big-timed Jacobs Sunday at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ.  Apparently Jackson did tell Jacobs that had received his invitation and he'd get back to him, but Jacobs isn't very happy.   "I've got the best tournament in the country and I can't be strung along," says Jacobs, who is trying to get his field for next year finalized.   "Decisions have to be made now.  What's so tough about it?  Either you're coming or you're not.  You can't looking for a better deal, because there isn't one out there.  If you want to play against the best, you have to come to the best."  Speaking of who will be at Slam Dunk to the Beach next year, Jacobs now has a signed contract from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, which will feature 6'1 Jr Ted Mumford, who ranks as the #3 junior in New York City by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 Soph Curtis Sumpter, who is our  #2 ranked sophomore in New York City's loaded sophomore class.  That will give him two excellent New York teams, as well as Compton (Dominguez) CA, Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, Philadelphia (St. John's Neumann) PA, and Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ in his eight-team Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament.  Jacobs also will have four of  the top juniors in the nation ready to square off , as Jackson (Murrah) MS with 6'0 Jr Maurice Williams, Lakewood (Mayfair) CA with 6'5 Jr Josh Childress, Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX with 6'3 Jr Carlos Hurt, and 6'9 Jr Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL are slated for either the four-team Tip-Off Tournament or the Power Series.  The state of New Jersey now has rules limiting the number of out-of-state teams that New Jersey teams can play, so Jacobs will probably lump a bunch of teams from New Jersey together, like Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Atlantic City (H.S.) NJ, Sterling (Somerdale) NJ, Cape May Courthouse (Middle Township) NJ, and/or Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ in the same four team tournament.  If that weren't enough, Jacobs also has commitments from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, Coatesville (H.S.) PA, Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Towson (Catholic) MD, Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, New Castle (H.S.) DE, Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, Greenville (A.I. DuPont) DE, Newark (Hodgson Vocational) DE, New Castle (William Penn) DE, and Felton (Lake Forest) DE.   So, as you can see, Jacobs doesn't need any more teams and, as a result, if Jackson ever does make up his mind, it probably will be too late - even if he does have the best player in the nation next year. 

We already have provided you with a list of schools for most of the players we talked with at the National Prep School Invitational over the weekend.  However, we didn't mention anything with regards to 6'2 Jr Jermaine Watson from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA.  Ohio State is believed to be the heavy favorite, but this is not something that he confirms.   In addition to the Buckeyes, he says Miami-FL, Providence, Texas, Boston College, and Cincinnati are all currently on his list and adds that he's still wide open.   Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA head coach Dave Anwar tells us that he expects to have 6'9 Taurance Johnson, who transferred recently from Glassboro (Faith Christian) NJ, eligible this week.  However, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin isn't so sure.  Rubin talked to Johnson's AAU coach Sam Rines today and he thinks Johnson may stay at Faith Christian.  We also are getting unconfirmed reports about the University of Massachusetts getting a verbal commitment Johnson within the last few days.  However, Rubin doesn't confirm that either.  But he does add the UMass does appear to be the leader and if this does happen, Obviously it would be a major get in terms of where the Minutemen's recruiting class will be ranked this spring.  However, that probably won't translate into wins and losses next year, because his chances of being eligible next year are slim and none, because he's missed so much school this year.  As a result, it appears that another year of high school is likely, as he attempts to get the necessary core to become eligible under NCAA guidelines.  Rubin also tells us that 6'7 Tahirou Sani, who is the best prospect in France, is interesting in coming to the United States next year and he's already made inquiries about enrolling at Lakewood (Artesia) CA and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  You might want to remember the name, because we're talking about an 8th grader. 

Recently I was reading about the Big East being split into two divisions next year and I saved the article because I was totally shocked.  Remember, with the addition of Virginia Tech next season, the league will expand to 14 teams and "each school will continue to play a 16-game conference schedule, facing each divisional opponent twice and having four games against teams in the other division."  That would be fine if they paid attention to what made the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Conference great in the first place.  Two things actually that go hand-in-hand - fan support and geographic proximity.  Why do you think the ACC has so much interest fan interest?  Obviously when you have three great programs located as close as North Carolina, N.C. State and Duke, it is going to create fan interest, as well as tremendous rivalries.  And when most of the rest of the  schools in league are located in the same geographic area (within driving distance), like the Atlantic Coast Conference, even more natural rivalries and fan interest are created.  The Big East became a smashing success in the early 1980's because all of it's original members were located within a six hours drive of New York City.  However, whoever came up with the alignment for the teams, which include Boston College, Connecticut, Miami-FL, Providence, St. John's, Villanova, and Virginia Tech in one division and Georgetown, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and West Virginia in the other division, apparently has no clue about this very important concept.   Under this new alignment, Syracuse and St. John's, which is probably the biggest rivalry in the league, will only play a regular season game once every two years.  And the same would be true with St. John's playing the two other schools located in the New York City Metropolitan Area (Seton Hall and Rutgers).   This is not only totally ridiculous and just plain dumb, but it also is totally unfair to the fans.  Boston College, Connecticut, Providence, Syracuse, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Rutgers have to be in the same Division.  It's a no-brainer.   It's good for fan interest.  It's good for television ratings and it's good for recruiting for those schools in the Northeast.  So obviously that would be called the Northeast Division.  That would leave Villanova, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, Miami-FL, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech in other division, which has no rhyme or reason in terms of geography or fan interest.  However, it does reach just as many households in terms television, because Villanova and Pittsburgh are located in the Northeast, Miami-FL is in the South, Georgetown, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech are in the Southeast, and Notre Dame is in the Midwest.  Naturally this would be the National Division and obviously this would help these teams in terms of recruiting nationally. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2000

We have been slow to update the last four or five days due to our travels.  Remember, I was at the Saint James Invitational Tournament at St. James, MD last Thursday, the National Prep School Invitational in Boston, MA on Friday and Saturday, and the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ on Sunday.   I am not making excuses, but I think it is important to tell you why I have been behind getting information posted, because usually we are able to add information daily.   Since leaving Louisville, KY on Thursday morning, I have driven over 2000 miles, been up all night two out of four nights, and seen at least four games a day Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Yesterday, I had every intention of getting home, taking a nap, getting up last night, and writing about the three previous days.   However, I slept 17 hours instead.  Then, I ran into several other problems today, including the fact that the company that has been processing our subscriptions for the last year hasn't been doing so for the last week.  Obviously, this is not acceptable and, as a result, I will no longer be doing business with Creditcards.com, which might be the most non-customer friendly company I have ever dealt with.  This means that until further notice (probably about two weeks) we will no longer be able to process credit cards via our web site.  Instead, you will have to call us and place your order over the phone.  And as long as we're changing everything anyway, now seems to be the perfect time to announce a price increase to the Members Section of the web site.  Beginning on March 1st, the price for a one-year subscription will be increased from $100 to $125, a six-month subscription will be increased from $60 to $70, a three-month subscription will be increased from $30 to $40, a one-month subscription will be increased from $12 to $15, and daily and weekly subscriptions will no longer be offered.  Remember, you get what you pay for!    If all you want is a list of where players are going, there are a lot of publications out there that do that just as well as we do.  However, they can't and don't provide you with insight and analysis regarding why something has happened nor do they analyze recruiting the way we do.  They might like to, but they can't, because they don't have nearly 20 years of experience in the business nor have they been following basketball and recruiting most of their life.  They may provide you a ranking of the top players in certain areas, but they can't provide state-by-state rankings from most of the major hotbeds around the nation in the depth that way we do.  Here, you can get more basketball information than any other web site on the internet.  If you already subscribe, you know that's true.  If you don't, I encourage you to find out by subscribing.  The number is (502) 493-0043.  Master Card and Visa are accepted and I will be home the rest of the month, except on weekends to go to games in the area.  If you already subscribe, you can renew for another year at $100, which is a 25% saving.  If you don't already subscribe, now is the perfect time to do so, because we will be finalizing our state-by-state lists in February, as well as our updated National Player List, which will include our ranking of the top 1000 seniors, top 1000 juniors, top 500 sophomores, and top 200 freshmen all in order, in March.  Plus, the spring signing period is just around the corner and there still are a lot of players left at all levels of the Division I spectrum who will be making college decisions.    Spring all-star games, AAU tournaments, wrapping up recruiting after the spring signing period, the summer camp season, and early commitments for the fall signing period.  It never really stops, but if you don't subscribe, you'll be missing out on an awful lot!  And if you already subscribe and don't renew, you'll miss out on saving up to 25% on your renewal.

Monday, February 14, 2000

He had some incredible dunks, explosive moves to the basket, and great passes, but the outside shot wasn't falling for 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who was well below his average with only 32 points.   So our vote for the best performance of the day entire at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ might surprise you.  That's right!  Wagner's teammate and best friend - 6'7 Arthur Barclay - had 26 points and 19 rebounds and was main reason why Camden beat Linden (H.S.) NJ, 70-52.  We're still not sure convinced that Barclay belongs among our top 100 nationally, but he's a lot better than we thought and he definitely is better than 6'10 Pape Badiane from Glassboro (Faith Christian) NJ, who committed to Louisville late last week.  Barclay is also a lot better than 6'8 Bonell Colas from Miami (North Miami) FL, who is ranked #18 in Florida's senior class by Breakdown, which is a web site that ranks the top players in the state Florida.  We mention this because Louisville, which needs all the front-line help they can get, because there is not a single player 6'7 or bigger currently in the program who will be back next year with any experience, had Colas on campus for an official visit at the Marquette game yesterday.   The fact that Louisville has shown no interest in Barclay becomes even more interesting when one remembers that Wagner has repeatedly said he will probably pick the same school that Barclay signs with the spring.  Not only are they best friends, but they are like brothers.  As a matter of fact, Barclay has lived with Wagner, his mother, and stepfather for the last several years.  Speaking of Louisville, we also have confirmed that Louisville had 6'7 Johnny Selvie from Southeastern (JC) IA, who ranks as a top 20 junior college player, on campus on Sunday.  However, it appears that 6'7 Jackie Rogers from Barton County (JC) KS, who ranks in the same range as Selvie, missed his plane and, as a result, was a no-show yesterday.   Apparently the Cardinals are in great shape on both Selvie and Rogers, but they still need a big man and Badiane and Colas don't appear to be the answer.  Neither is Barclay, although he would probably be a great role player and, even more important, the key to getting Wagner.

The other performance at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ that left everybody shaking their head was turned in by 5'8 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, who had 28 points, including 6-8 3-pointers, and 10 assists.  And after watching Barrett lead New York (Rice) NY to a 96-67 victory over Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, there is no doubt in our mind that he is the best point guard in New York City.  He also just might be the best point guard in the senior class, period!  And that's a major statement, because that would mean he's better than 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA and 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who rank #3 and #4 in the class nationally.    In other words, we thinking about moving Barrett up from #5 to #3 in the class.  Whether we do that or not is yet to be determined, but there is no doubt that Barrett is the best 5'8 point guard we've ever seen at the high school level and pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, he's the best player in the senior class nationally.   Speaking of the #1 ranked player in the senior class, 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA had 36 points and 10 rebounds, but don't let the numbers deceive you - his effort was not a very inspiring.  Also chipping for Roman Catholic was 6'5 Jr Tamal Forchion with 14 points and 10 rebounds.   However, the best inside player in the Rice-Roman Catholic game was 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, who played as well as we've ever seen him play.   Cuffe also had 28 points, while 6'6 Andre Sweet complemented Barrett and Cuffe with 21 points of his own.   Earlier in the day one of the other two great point guards in New York City, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, put on a show of his own, as he led Middle Village (Christ the King) NY over Chester (H.S.) PA with 21 points and 12 assists.  As usual, 6'8 Zach Williams complemented Cook inside with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while 6'3 Lateef Watts and 6'1 Jameer Nelson led the losers with 16 points apiece.  Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY beat Neptune (H.S.) NJ in the biggest blowout of the day, 104-71, thanks to the efforts of 6'5 Julius Hodge, who recently has emerged as the #1 junior in New York City, and 6'5 Peter Mulligan, who was an absolute steal for Loyola-Maryland when they signed him early, and 6'4 Jr Chris McRae.  Together, McRae, Mulligan, and Hodge combined for 71 of St. Raymond's 104 points.  Hodge also had 11 rebounds.  New York (La Salle) NY beat Metuchen (St. Jospeh) NJ behind a 24 point and 12 rebound effort by 6'6 Soph Len Cooke, who appears to be the best player in New York City's loaded sophomore class.  Later in the day Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY beat Jersey (St. Anthony) NJ 49-40, thanks to the outside shooting of 6'5 Jr John Sikiric and Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA beat Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, 69-44, in what might have been the ugliest game we've seen all year.  That set up the last game of the evening between Camden (H.S.) NJ and Linden (H.S.) NJ.  Camden jumped out to a 16-2 lead, but by halftime Linden had cut it to two, 33-31.  In the second half, Linden kept in close for a while, but in the end 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner and 6'7 Arthur Barclay, who combined for 58 of Camden's 70 points proved to be too much. 

Saturday, February 12, 2000 and Sunday, February 13, 2000

One of the best things we've done in a long time was go to the National Prep School Invitational at Northeastern University on Friday, February 11th, and Saturday, February 12th.  As a result, we now have a good handle on a lot players we didn't know about or hadn't seen before.  We also reinforced a number of things we already had seen previously, including how much we like 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who simply picked up where he left off last summer, as he scored 30 points and grabbed 21 rebounds against Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA and scored 24 points against Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.   However, Butler, who would rank as the #1 senior nationally, if we included him with high school players, was not able to get Maine Central InstituteI over the hump against Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA in the opening round.  As a matter of fact, head coach Bill Barton told us after the game that it was the biggest win in Notre Dame history.  Remember, under former head coach Max Good, MCI was by far the best team in the prep school ranks and, as a result, Barton had never beaten MCI until last Friday night.  But the celebrating didn't last long, because Saturday evening Notre Dame ran into another major roadblock in Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, which features the two best players, besides Butler, in the prep school ranks today.    Obviously, we're talking about 6'8 Jeff McMillan and 6'8 Jr Julian Sensley, who is listed as a junior for the second consecutive season.  As a result, Sensley will be one of the leading candidates for the #1 ranking on our 5th year list next fall.  Remember, once a player is in his 9th semester of high school, he gets listed separately on our 5th year list, instead of with high school seniors.   While our New England Editor Wayne Simone was right on the money when he recently told us that Sensley would be the #1 ranked player in either the junior class or senior class in New England and while Sensley scored more point in both games than McMillan in both games, McMillan is the best player.  And it really isn't even close, because McMillan, who had 18 rebounds against Notre Dame, is such a dominant force inside.  Not only is he a total physical specimen, but he has great timing and is such a quick leaper for his size.  Sensley also does his share of damage on the boards, but he's also versatile enough to beat you with his outside shooting from beyond the arc and quick enough and strong enough to beat you in transition and in traffic when going to the whole.  Also really stepping up for St. Thomas More were 6'3 Reggie Bryant and 6'5 Mathew Quinn.  Quinn, who is St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn's son, is a tough hardnosed white kid who can shoot the lights out, which was especially evident in St. Thomas More's, 91-88, win in the opening round against Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, as he was tied with Sensley for high team scoring honors with 17 points.  Quinn, who will likely sign with Bucknell in the spring, also had 12 points against Notre Dame Prep, but Bryant was the player who proved to be almost unstoppable, as he hit 9-12 field goal attempts and showed why those who have seen him think he's one of the best 2-guards available.  Brown signed with American University last spring, but is now getting some big time looks.  As a matter of fact, Quinn told us that he will make an official visit to Rutgers on Monday, Villanova on Wednesday, and then probably make a decision.  George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga was in the house to see Bryant on Friday night, so the Patriots also have to mentioned.  However, right now it looks like Villanova is the leader and Rutgers is a close second.  Obviously you can't discount the presence of 6'10 Modibo Diara defensively and on the boards, but offensively Diara still has along way to go.  As a matter of fact, Diara and 6'11 Marcus Douthit only scored four points apiece in their opening round win against Maine Central Institute and only two points apeice against St. Thomas More in their semi-final loss to St. Thomas More.    Instead, the player who really stepped up offensively for Notre Dame was 6'7 Nate Daniels, who had 26 points and impressed us with ability to score both inside and outside against St. Thomas More.  Daniels  also had 12 points versus Maine Central Institute, but he also had plenty of help, as 6'5 Tejay Anderson had 10 points and nine rebounds and 6'0 Kevin Lee chipped in with 12 points.  And what a steal both of those guys are!  That's right!  Anderson signed early with Youngstown State and Lee is heading to Central Florida.  York (Crispus Attucks) PA trailed most of the way in the other semi-final game, but took over in the last two minutes against Winchendon (School) MA en route to an eight point win.   This was especially nice to see, because Crispus Attucks, which only in their first year on the prep school circuit, is well coached, they play with a lot of poise and heart.   Their secret weapon is 5'10 LaFonte Johnson, who is quick off the dribble, an excellent passer, and good decision-maker.  We still aren't convinced that he's a good outside shooter, but he hits more than his share, as was especially evident when he scored almost half of his 20 points against New Hampton (Prep) NH from beyond the arc.   Johnson is getting the most attention from Miami-FL, Providence, UNLV, and Manhattan, but the school that he says he really likes, but hasn't heard from is the University of Maryland.  Remember, the Terps are waiting to see if 5'9 Andre Collins from Crisfield (H.S.) MD makes it academically.   While Collins is more of a prolific scorer, Johnson is better at running a team and he also recently got the necessary score to be eligible next year as a freshman in college.  We also were very impressed with 6'9 John Toombs, who is much more aggressive inside than when we'd seen him during his high school days.  As a result, he would be a steal for Villanova, Georgia Tech, or Georgia, which appear to be his final three.  We also really liked 6'5 Dontaz Dean, who complemented Toombs on the boards and averaged 20 ppg in the two games we attended.   He too is a steal for Wagner, which signed him early.  Crispus Attucks also features 6'9 Omari Pearson, 6'1 Erick Wills, 6'2 Brandon DeShields, and 7'0 Christian Charles.  Pearson is a big time athlete with the ability to step out and knock down some threes, but he needs to develop some post moves in order to be more than a good role player at UNLV, which stole him early.  Wills is quick off the dribble and he's an excellent passer, but we still question his decision making.  As a result, we believe he's better suited to be a combo guard, instead of a point at the next level.  DeShields, who is best described as an athletic 2-guard, was one of the unsung heroes, as he scored 15 points against Winchendon.  Charles doesn't do much right now, but like they say, you can't teach 7'0.  However, he needs to get bigger, stronger, and tougher in order to justify the big time attention he's receiving.   Winchendon's best player is 6'2 Soph Marshall Strickland, but he was out with the flu the first night and only had four points against Cripus Attacks.  Instead, the two players who picked up the slack were 6'9 Carlton Aaron and 6'1 Ludmil Hadjisotirov.  Aaron has gained weight again, but he still was a force around the basket and on the boards, as he averaged 16.5 ppg against Crispus Attucks and Marion (Tabor Academy) MA.  Hadjisotirov is a two-guard all the way, which is a problem, because physically he's so small, but that didn't stop Boston College from offering him a scholarship after his performance against Tabor Academy on Friday night.  In that game he hit five 3-pointers and scored 23 points.  And the next day against Crispus Attucks, he was even better, as he scored 24 points and impressed everybody with his dunking ability and tremendous hustle.  We also thought 6'2 Brian Woodson and 6'6 Ron Robinson played well for Winchedon, but the player with a big time future is 6'7 Barry Thompson.  Thompson has always been a great athlete, but we remember him being primarily a slasher/athlete/rebounder without a true position.  However, he's grown and now shoots the lights out, which was especially evident against Tabor Academy when nailed five triples from beyond the arc.  Philadelphia Lutheran lost two games and went home, but 6'5 Rodney Bass and 6'7 Jason Herring were two of the best players in the entire tournament.  Herring needs to get bigger and stronger and/or improve his perimeter shooting, but this active versatile athlete has quick hands and a nose for the ball.  He was at his best in the opening game of the tournament with 12 points and 14 rebounds against St. Thomas More.  Bass needs to get bigger and stronger and improve his shooting range, but he's especially effective from mid-range and in, because he gets his shot off so quickly.  He also has great body control and athleticism, which explains why Rutgers, Youngstown State, Dayton, College of Charleston, and Fairleigh Dickinson are all showing a lot of interest.  However,that list will likely expand, as college coaches continue to find out that Bass is so good.   The same thing will also likely happen with Herring, who currently is getting attention from Texas Tech, Hawaii, Hofstra, Baylor, and Rider.  New Hampton Prep featured 6'6 Bernard Robinson, who was one of the top five players in the tourament, 6'10 Gabriel Hughes, who had unlimited potential, and 6'3 Justin DeBarry, who is a wiry white kid with lots of hustle, good passing skills, and excellent shooting range. The two best players for Tabor Academy, which lost by 19 points to Winchendon and 29 points to New Hampton, are underclassmen - 6'2 Jr Jermaine Watson and 6'9 Soph Torrin Francis.   So better days are ahead.  A special thanks to tournament director Mike Procopio for his hospitality and for running a great event!

Friday, February 11, 2000

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR made an official visit to UNLV a week ago, but very people in the business picked up on it.   However, we think it is important to mention, because Brooks is the best available point guard in the senior class nationally and he is tailor made for UNLV's uptempo style.   Remember, the Runnin' Rebels have made major progress this year with the addition of the #2 ranked recruiting class from last spring and assistant coach Max Good, who is arguably more important to the program than any of the recruits.  And if you add a great point guard, like Brooks, to that mix next year, head coach Bill Bayno could transcend him from being on the hot seat, which is where he was a year ago, into one of the leading candidates for National Coach-of-the-Year in only two years time.    Speaking of not being a dead duck just yet, if Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins can get 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, he might turn things around in a hurry.  Remember, Cremins already has a great outside shooter signed, sealed, and delivered in 6'4 Marvin Lewis from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and he'd be a perfect complement to Rice, if he picks Georgia Tech.  If you will recall, Rice made official visits last fall to Mississippi State, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Miami-FL, which leaves one official visit remaining.   We'd heard Memphis, Texas, and Cincinnati all being mentioned, but Georgia Tech quietly came in the back door and got the last visit.  We also hear that Georgia Tech is now interested in 6'6 Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ and this would be smart, because Barclay may  be the key to getting both 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ and 6'3 Jr Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Remember, Barclay and Wagner are best friends and Carruth joined the group when they all played on the team that Linzy Davis took to France last spring.  We also are hearing that Duke is a near lock to get 6'6 Andre Sweet from New York (Rice) NY.  And perhaps even more important, a source close to the Blue Devils program, who is almost always on the money, tells us that 6'7 James White from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD is almost a done deal for Duke.  So, if and when it happens, remember where you heard it first.  However, right now we think White is a long way from making a final decision, as schools like North Carolina, Maryland, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, UCLA, and Texas are all being mentioned.  Another junior that Duke is making a prime target is 6'9 Jr Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, but our source feels like this one is far from a lock. 

Thursday, February 10, 2000

Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA jumped out to a 22-3 lead against Mercersburg (H.S.) PA in the final game of the evening earlier tonight in the opening round of the 27th Annual Saint James Invitational Tournament at St. James, MD.   The primary assassin was 6'3 Jr  Rashaad Carruth, who once again proved why many think he is the best 3-point shooter nationally in the high school ranks today.  Carruth finished with 17 points, but he did most of his damage early.   As a matter of fact, he hit three 3-pointers from beyond the arc and had another three the old fashioned way by converting both the field goal and the free throw en route to 14 of his team's first 22 points.   After that Oak Hill never looked back as they coasted to an easy 89-47 victory.   Earlier in the day the story was almost the same as Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD jumped early to 13-2 lead against Hagerstown (St. Maria Goretti) MD.   Here, the big gun was 6'3 Marvin Lewis.   He had  hit four 3-pointers in the first half and was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points, as Montrose Christian coasted to an easy 62-36 victory.  And if both Oak Hill and Montrose Christian win tomorrow, as expected, there should be several other matchups that will be worth the price of admission in the championship game on Saturday.   Montrose Christian's 6'10 Mohamed Diakite and Oak Hill's 6'11 Jr DeSagana Diop will battle inside.  Both have tremendous potential and athleticism, but neither is there yet.  They both are originally from Africia and, as a result, are still learning to play the American Game.   And it shows, because they both need to become more aggressive inside.   Also, we are hoping that  Montrose Christian's 6'7 Jr Levi Watkins, who had only six points tonight, to redeem himself against Oak Hill's 6'5 David Holmes.  However, Watkins may have his work cut out for him, because he's limited offensively, except right away around the basket and he's not nearly as tough as Holmes, who is one of the great competitors in the senior class nationally.  We also have to mention 6'1 Frosh Dominique Smallwood, who didn't get any minutes until late in the game.  However, when head coach Stu Vetter finally put him, he nailed his first two 3-pointers and also add a free throw, as he finished the night with seven points.  This is especially important, because Smallwood promises to be a great one and getting to see him so early gives us a great starting point from which to track his development during his high school, college, and perhaps even pro career.  In the only upset of the day, Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA surprised Kensington (Newport Prep) MD, 79-76, and it wouldn't be a total surprise if they did the same tomorrow against Montrose Christian.  While they don't have anybody as good as Newport Prep's 6'7 Jr James White, they do have a very well balanced team.  And all their best players - 6'8 Jr Guy Saragba, 6'6 Jr Marcus West, and 6'10 Amel Minyem - juniors.   Saragba is the enforcer and West gets a lot done on the perimeter and in transition, but Minyem has  the most potential!  He's needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's extremely mobile and athletic, plus he surprised everybody a couple of times with his ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper.  Also providing outside fire power with a number of 3-pointers was 6'3 Bobby Weismiller, 5'10 Jr David Carter was solid at point guard and 6'7 David Aliu did a lot of the blue collar work on the boards.  Also worth mentioning is 6'10 Mustapha Dieuf.   He only had two points and he's a project right now, but he has enough athleticism and size to be more than just a little intriguing.  However, 6'4 Sherrod Teasley, who has been around seemingly forever, wasn't very intriguing, as he only scored three points and wasn't much of a factor.  Frederick (Thomas Johnson) MD beat St. James (Prep) MD, 79-43, in the other game of the day, but St. James has three young players - 6'6 Soph Jared Knotts, 5'9 Frosh Brandon Monroe, and 6'4 Jr Billy Keyes, who accounted for 37 of St. James' 43 points.   It may have been closer if 6'1 Jr Phillip Scott hadn't been out with an injury, but Thomas Johnson was also without Marcus West, who recently transferred to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  However, 6'2 Soph Jermaine Thomas, 6'2 Jr Joe Higbee, and 6'4 Jr Rashaad Wells more than picked up the slack.  While this was an ugly game, both the game and the tournament should prove to be good learning experiences for the future. 

Wednesday, February 9, 2000

We have added a number of links recently to our list of Favorite Links, but we still have plenty of room to add some more.  I'm especially interested in adding more links to high school and AAU team web sites, but I'm pretty much receptive to anything that is worthwhile for our readers.  So feel free to email me at clark@hoopscooponline.com with any suggestions and make sure you put the link name and the address.  We also been working on our rankings of the top players in Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia and Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana, but with the events we'll be covering this weekend, we won't be finishing those areas until next week.  We also plan to finalize our prep school rankings late next week and then start working on our Florida, the Carolinas, Kansas/Missouri/Iowa/Nebraska, Texas, and Illinois Reports.  Once that's out of the way, we'll update Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Georgia, and Michigan and then we will build our national list, which will include the top 1000 seniors, top 1000 juniors, top 500 sophomores, top 200 freshmen, and top 30 8th graders, off all our state-by-state and area reports.  When that is finished, we should have the most comprehensive and accurate national list ever published.  However, it will be exclusively published in the Members Section, so make sure you tell your friends to subscribe and be sure that your own subscription doesn't run out!

We continue to get reports about 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks among the top 10 juniors by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committing to the University of Kentucky, but no official announcement has been forthcoming or is expected any time soon.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis, who is also Carruth's AAU coach and mentor, confirms that Kentucky is the leader, but also quickly adds that it's really too early to even start talking about where Carruth will end up.  Carruth's top five includes Kentucky, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Georgia, and Connecticut.  But right now the coaching situations at both Georgia Tech and North Carolina are both up in air and Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith has to put to rest several questions marks, like how fast he's going to bring Carruth along and who is going to be point guard.  "And that will be the biggest factor in the decision," says Davis.  "Carruth is going to follow the great point, like Dajuan Wagner or Carlos Hurt.   A point guard who is going to score a lot of points just opens everything up,