HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2002

Hot Recruiting Information available for previous months June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001 June 2001 July 2001 August 2001 September 2001 October 2001 November 2001 December 2001 January 2002 February 2002 March 2002 April 2002

Tuesday, April 30, 2002

We've been telling you for months that we thought 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was a near lock for the University of Michigan.  Well, he made it official yesterday!  This is important, because Harris will join 6'1 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who signed with the Wolverines last fall, to give Michigan one of the best backcourts in college basketball a-year-and-a-half from now.  The Wolverines also are set at both wings spots for at least the next several years with Bernard Robinson and 6'6 Lester Abram from Pontiac (Northern) MI, so they are really only couple of quality big men away from once again becoming one of the dominant teams in college basketball.  And one of them will probably be 6'10 Jr Drew Naymick from North Muskegon (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #41 in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Actually it's a two-horse race between Michigan and Michigan State, but, if Michigan State gets 6'10 Erazem Lorbeck from Slovenia, which is something that is supposed to happen any day now, we would be surprised if Naymick picked the Spartans.   Remember, Michigan State already has landed two quality inside players - 6'10 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI and 6'8 Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI - in this recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that over the weekend the University of Kansas got a pair of commitments from 6'1 Jr Jeremy Case from McAllister (H.S.) OK and 6'6 Jr J.R. Giddens from Oklahoma City (John Marshall) OK, who is ranked #42 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Neither commitment comes as much of a surprise, because both players were in Lawrence, KS recently on official visits.  So was 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Kansas is also believed to be the co-favorite, along with Georgia, for 6'9 Mohammed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA.  Speaking of Georgia, it was reported over the weekend that 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK had picked the Bulldogs.  However, I've been sick in bed since returning home yesterday from Houston, TX and, as a result, have been out of the loop.  Assuming that Lamptey's commitment is official, that would move Georgia's recruiting class up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If you will recall, they signed 6'11 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA and 6'3 Wayne Arnold from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA last fall, 6'10 John Toombs from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL committed during the winter, and 6'10 Larry Turner from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, who signed a year ago, will return after a year in prep school.  In other words, they could have four new players in the program next year who are 6'10 or bigger (last year the tallest player on the team was 6'8).  They also have Damien Wilkens waiting in the wings and the word we get is that is attitude has never been better.  Moral to the story, don't be surprised next season if this turns out to be one Jim Harrick's best teams ever and that's saying a lot when one remembers that he won the NCAA Championship in 1995 at UCLA and he guided Rhode Island to the Elite Eight with Lamar Odom.  We also heard over the weekend from Reggie Tisdale that 6'6 Rodney Carney from Indianapolis (Northwest) IN, who is ranked #3 among seniors in the state by Indiana Basketball News, was going to pick Memphis or Oklahoma.  Well, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman left a message for me earlier today telling me it was Memphis.  We also have confirmed that Manhattan has signed 6'5 Mike Konovelschick from New Hampton (Prep) NH.   Unfortunately we didn't get to see Konovelschick play in the National Prep School Invitational in early February, but we heard they were missing one of their best players.  Konovelschick is described as a tough hardnosed skilled white kid who may turn out to be the best player head coach Bobby Gonzalez has landed during his three years at Manhattan.  We also expect Manhattan to get 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY.  It appears that 6'1 Carlos Hurt, who was kicked off Louisville's team at the conclusion of the season, has signed with Wabash Valley (JC) IL.  Apparently the connection is Wabash Valley assistant coach Everick Sullivan, who played at the University of Louisville in the early 90's.   South Carolina has beaten Tulane for 6'5 Marcus Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, who is ranked #4 in the senior class in the state of Florida by the HOOP SCOOP, and San Diego State appears to have a major steal in 6'10 Samuel Eze from Abuja, Nigeria.  Eze joins 6'3 Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who signed with the Aztecs last fall, and 6'5 Travis Hanour, who is transferring from Arizona to San Diego State, and 6'10 Chris Manker, who is transferring from Oregon State to San Diego State.   Ironically, both Hanour and Manker played on the same team at Laguna Hills (H.S.) CA two years ago.  We also expect San Diego State to land Marquis Poole from Mt. San Antonio (JC) CA.  William & Mary has landed 6'8 Brian Hutt from Wheatridge (H.S.) CO, who is ranked among the top 200 seniors nationally.  This also is significant because he joins 6'7 Jack Jenkins from Andover (Proctor Academy) NH, 6'0 Brett Howell from Auburn (H.S.) AL, and 6'5 Taylor Mokris from Charlotte (Providence Day) NC, all of whom signed with the Tribe last fall, to give William & Mary the top ranked recruiting class, along with George Mason, in the Colonial Athletic Association. 

Saturday, April 27, 2002, Sunday, April 28, 2002, & Monday, April 29, 2002

It was one of the most intense battles I've seen in a long time.  I'm talking about the match-up between 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA versus 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX in the quarterfinals game between the Houston Hoops and the Belmont Shore/H-Squad in the 8th Annual Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX early Sunday afternoon.  Bass, who is one of the fastest rising players in the junior class nationally, reminds us of Kenyon Martin in many ways.   Not only is he an incredible athlete and tremendous physical specimen who is almost impossible to stop whenever he decides to drive to the basket, but he also is a fierce competitor (he plays every possession like it might be his last).  Ebi is rail thin, but he too is a tremendous competitor, awesome athlete, and an unbelievable shot blocker.   As a matter of fact, he is one of the most active big guys and best shot blockers I've ever seen.  His lean frame, long wing span, and explosive quickness are reminiscent of Darius Miles.  Prior to the Houston Kingwood Classic we already had Ebi ranked as the #2 junior in the nation, but, after watching his two incredible performances in the quarterfinals against Belmont Shore/H-Squad and YOMCA Team Memphis in the semi-finals, we are more convinced than ever.  Ebi was complemented in the backourt by one of the top junior point guards in the nation in 5'11 Jr Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX and one of the top five sophomores in the nation in 6'3 Soph Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX.  Jones reminds you of Stephon Marbury.  Not only can he play both guards spots, thanks to his terrific handling and passing skills, excellent outside shooting, and explosive moves to the hole, but he also has a great feel for the game, plays good defense, and is an excellent rebounder for his size.   Minor reminds you of a smaller version of Jonathan Hargett with his upper body strength, explosiveness, and ability to change speeds.  However, Minor doesn't shoot it like Hargett does, plus he has a tendency to cherry pick and coast on defense.  Kentucky, Connecticut, LSU, Oklahoma, and Duke are the top schools on his list, but right now it appears that Cincinnati is the heavy favorite and, if he picks the Bearcats, it will interesting to see how Minor and Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins deal with one another.  Also playing well for the Houston Hoops were 6'3 Michael Morris from Katy (Cinco Ranch) TX and 6'2 Jr Prince Cousinard from Houston (Yates) TX.  Cousinard is an athletic wing player who can beat you both outside with his 3-point shooting and inside with his athleticism and explosive quickness to the basket.  Morris was one of the few seniors who played in the tournament, but he got to play, because he's young for his class.  And what a steal he is for Colorado State!  Morris is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he's got surper quick hands, is tough on the boards, and excellent at the defensive end.  Providing depth for the Houston Hoops were 6'5 Jr Ugo Inekweazu from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'2 Jr Michael Rose from Houston (Spring Woods) TX, 6'10 Jr Elijah Miller from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.   Belmont Shore/H-Squad also had the horses, as 6'3 Soph Demarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Soph Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 6'3 Jr John Winston from Richmond (Salesian) CA, and 6'3 Jr Mark Bradford from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA rotated in and out at the point guard and wing spots and 6'7 Jr Oneye Ibekwe from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, and 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA complemented Bass inside.  And for a while we thought we had an upset in the making as Belmont Shore jumped out to 30-20 lead midway through the first half.  However, at that point Ebi, who had 10 blocks in the first half, took over the game and the Houston Hoops went on a 30-10 run to take a 50-40 at half-time lead.  And they  never looked back in the second half, as Minor scored 41 points and Ebi went for a triple double.  Ebi (26 points) also edged out Bass (24 points) in the scoring column, while Washington chipped in 20 points for the losers.  Minor and Gibson also combined for 51 points in the championship game, as the Houston Hoops beat a good Ft. Sooy No Limit (Illinois) team, 83-69, to take home the title.  Ft. Sooy No Limit had a lot of interchangeable parts as all five of their starters - 6'4 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'6 Soph Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, 6'8 Jr Brian Randle from Peoria (Notre Dame) IL, 6'6 Jr Rodney Edgerson from Peoria (Woodruff) IL, and 6'7 Blake Schib - fall into the 6'4 to 6'8 range.  McBride was their  best outside shooter and leading scorer with 18 points; Randle, Edgerson, and Schib, who apparently is bound for prep school next fall, formed a good trio inside; and Livingston, who, at 6'6, has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard, ran the show.  Livingston reminds us of a smaller version of Tayshaun Prince, although Livingston is more explosive and better off the dribble than Prince.  California Team Select, which lost to Ft. Sooy No Limit, in the semi-finals, featured 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Gabriel Pruitt from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'4 Soph Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Jr Darryl Strawberry from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'1 Jr Shaun Davis from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, and 6'10 Soph Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Garces) CA.   However, we were extremely disappointed in Swift, who was supposed to have been the best sophomore on the West Coast.  Sure, Swift has both skills and upside, but he's not as good right now as 6'10 Soph David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, who is ranked #9 on our list of the top sophomores in California and was solid this weekend playing for the Southern California All-Stars.  Speaking of the Southern California All-Stars, 6'3 Jr Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA played well the first day, but was somewhat of a disappointment after that.   Instead, we liked 6'6 Soph Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and 6'4 Soph Arron Aflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA.  Earlier in the tournament we also were very impressed by the two young players - 6'3 Frosh Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY and 6'7 Soph Dayshaun Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY - we told you about from the Albany Rocks.  Mayben has incredible poise, savvy, and skills for somebody his age.  He reminds us of Andre Barrett and Terrance Ford, but he's a lot better at the same stage. As a matter of fact, he's best player we've seen nationally in the freshman class to-date.  Not only does he make great decisions, but he's an incredible passer, good defender, and deceptively quick off the dribble.  Wright is a physical specimen with the athleticism and aggressiveness inside to develoip into another Elton Brand.  Another one of our favorites player in the entire tournament was 6'0 Jr Derek Ravio from Bend (Mountain View) OR.  We're talking about an overachieving tough hardnosed white kid who led his team to the championship in their pool and the final 16 in the tournament before losing to the Houston Hoops.  In other words, Dan Dickau comparisons may be in order.  Another white point guard who really impressed us was 6'1 Jr Lee Humphrey from Maryville (H.S.) TN.  As a matter of fact, we were impressed with a number of players from the Tennessee Travelers, including 6'8 Jr Kenyona Swaden from Smyrna (H.S.) TN, 6'2 Soph Justin Hare from Cleveland (Bradley Central) TN, 6'5 Jr Antiyan Koger from Lavergne (H.S.) TN, and 6'9 Jr Matt Malone from Greenville (H.S.) TN.  However, the Tennessee Travelers weren't good enough to beat the Orlando Force, which featured 6'3 Jr Jimmy Hudson from Eustis (H.S.) FL, in the first round of the playoffs.  Hudson, who is ranked #10 in the state of Florida by John Adkins, is a big time athlete who explodes to the basket and beats you outside with his 3-point shooting.  YOMCA Team Memphis, which advanced to the final four of the tournament, was led by 5'10 Soph Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN, 6'7 Jr Courtney Bohannon from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'6 Soph David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, and 6'10 Soph Marc Gasol from Memphis (Lausanne) TN.  The Arkansas Wings Red finished among the final eight in the playoffs, thanks to the efforts of 6'5 Jr Vakeaton Waffler from Pineview (H.S.) LA.  We're talking about a major sleeper with big time athleticism, a knack for getting to the basket, and good perimeter skills.   The two best players for the Louisiana Select Team were supposed to be 6'1 Jr Troy Aaron from Lake Charles (St. Louis) LA and 6'1 Jr Jay Jackson from Monroe (Quachita) LA, but 6'8 Jr Paul Milsap from Grambling (Lab) LA blocked shots, scored seemingly at will inside, and dominated the boards well enough to get top 100 national consideration.  And the same can be said about the Georgia Stars with 5'11 Jr Matt Causey from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA and 6'8 Jr Patrick Ewing from Marietta (H.S.) GA, both of whom are overrated in our opinion.   Instead, we liked 6'9 Jr Rashun Bryant from Rome (Coosa) GA.   Not only is Bryant a physical specimen who knows how to use his body inside, but he's surprisingly mobile and, as a result, also is a threat out on the perimeter with his 3-point range.  We also thought 6'8 Jr Alex Weeks from Lilburn (H.S.) GA, 6'2 Jr Vincent Banks from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 5'11 Jr Mike Woodard from Creekside (Fairburn) GA, and 6'3 Jr Demetric Bennett from Albany (H.S.) GA played well for Georgia Elite.  However, we disappointed in 6'8 Jr Corey Gibbs from Atlanta (Pace) GA and 6'9 Soph Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  The Ft. Worth Lions have a pair of forwards who need to be mentioned in 6'8 Jr Warren Carter from Dallas (Lake Highlands) TX and 6'7 Jr Phillip Thomasson from Burleson (H.S.) TX.  Thomasson is a tough hardnosed blue collar white kid who gets it done inside and, as a result, is a steal for Colorado State.  Carter is a silky-smooth skilled athlete with long arms and a soft jumper from mid-range.  We missed out on seeing 6'10 Soph Tyrone Nelson from Hempstead (H.S.) TX, because he had to attend his prom on Saturday night, but we were impressed by 6'6 Soph Marshall Brown from Johnson City (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX, who is one of the top sophomores in Texas, and 6'2 Jr Michael Umeh from Missouri City (Hightower) TX, who was one of the best 3-point shooters in the tournament.  The best player for Houston Select was supposed to be 6'8 Jr Cartier Martin from Houston (Nimitz) TX, but he didn't shoot it like he did when we saw him last winter at the National Academy Invitational.  We also were disappointed in 6'9 Jr Darrell Dora from Gonzales (H.S.) TX and 6'9 Soph Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, both of whom pass the look test with their size, athleticism and mobiliity.  However, neither dora nor Jones was a dominant force inside.  The Mississippi Panthers featured 6'8 Jr Emanuel Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS, who played so well that we think he deserves top 50 consideration nationally.   As a matter of fact, he reminds us of Kenyon Martin with his aggressiveness, body, and athleticism inside.  We also liked 6'0 Jr Lester McGlabb from New Orleans (O.P Walker) LA and 6'2 Soph Milton Collins from New Orleans (O.P. Walker) LA.  McGlabb is an uptempo point guard with good ball handling and passing skills, plus he can shoot the three.   Collins can't shoot, but he's a phenomenal athlete who reminds you of Stevie Thompson.  Team Texas, which lost to California Team Select in the final eight, got the most out of 6'2 Soph Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jr David Fisher from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, and 6'8 Soph Keith Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX, but 6'7 Soph Rell Porter from Pittsburg (H.S.) TX appeared to be vastly overrated.  So is 6'10 Soph Ra'Sean Dickey from St. Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC.  Instead, we like three other players - 6'2 Soph Zam Fredrick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, 6'2 Jr Victor Sims from Irmo (Dutch Fork) SC, and 6'10 Soph Damien Harris from Greenville (Wade Hampton) SC - on the South Carolina Ravens a lot better. 

Friday, April 26, 2002

The University of Virginia has signed 6'6 Devin Smith from Coffeyville (JC) KS and this is huge, because the Cavaliers needed an immediate replacement on the perimeter to replace Roger Mason, who recently entered his name into the NBA Draft.  It also is huge, because they beat Iowa and Kansas for a player right in their own backyard.  Acutally Smith is originally from Delaware, but the Jayhawks and the Hawkeyes had all the contacts necessary to get this one done.  However, in the end, Smith still elected to sign with Virginia.  In other words, Cavaliers head coach Pete Gillen hasn't lost his touch when it comes to closing the deal, but assistant coach Walt Fuller also deserves a lot of the credit.  Smith led his team to a runner-up finish in the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS last month and probably would have been the tournament MVP, if his team had won.  Smith joins 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, who signed with Virginia last fall, to move Virginia's recruiting class into a tie at #58, along with Kansas and Charlotte, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If you will, we don't include transfers when ranking recruiting classes, but, if we did Virginia's class would moved all the way up to #14 behind Louisville and ahead of Michigan.  Remember, 6'1 Todd Billet, who transferred from Rutgers, and 6'10 Nick Vander Laan, who transferred from California, are both waiting in the wings and 6'2 Majestic Mapp may finally be healthy next season after two years of injuries.  In other words, Virginia, which has been snubbed by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee two of the last three years and lost in the first of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, should emerge as one of the team's to beat in college basketball next year.  We also have confirmed that 6'2 Jr Tron Smith from Canyon Springs ( Moreno Valley) CA has verbally committed to Arizona State.  Smith doesn't rank among our top 100 juniors nationally yet, but he will!  We saw him three weeks ago in the Desert Shootout in Las Vegas, NV, where he impressed us with his outside shooting, athleticism, and toughness.  And our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that he's gotten even better since then.  We also have confirmed that Syracuse has gotten an early commitment from 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who is ranked #83 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  This comes as somewhat of a surprise, because St. Andrews head coach Mike Hart had always led us to believe that Providence was the heavy favorite.  Speaking of being the favorite, we believe the Orangemen are the leader for 6'8 Jr Terrance Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who is ranked #25 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and one of the leaders for 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shukur from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA.   Remember, the Orangemen stole Shukur's former high school teammate (Hakim Warrick) a-year-and-a-half ago.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'5 Johnny Jackson from Memphis (Fairley) TN and 6'5 Ashley Champion from Jackson State (JC) TN both made it official yesterday.   Jackson signed with Boston College and Champion, who was the Tennessee Junior College Player-of-the-Year, signed with UT-Chattanooga.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Chris Williams from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD has signed with Kent State.  Kent State also signed 6'1 Armon Gates from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH last week, plus they landed 6'2 DeAndre Haynes from Detroit (Southwestern) MI and 6'6 Cliff Brown from Ferndale (H.S.) MI, who are ranked #14 and #15, respectively in the state of Michigan by Steve Bell.   If that weren't enough, new head coach Jim Christian has hired one of the top young assistant coaches in the business in Rob Senderoff, who previously was at Towson and Yale.  If you will recall, Senderoff was ranked #19 on our list of the top assistant coaches at the lower Division I level.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 Pat Betley from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ has picked Lafayette, 6'6 Lawrence Hamm from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA has signed with Towson, and 5'9 John Iati from York (Catholic) PA. 

We also were surprised last night when we heard that Valparaiso head coach Homer Drew had retired yesterday after 14 seasons.  Drew, who will remain at the school as a special assistant to the president for university advancement, steps down with a 236-185 record at Valparaiso.  His teams also won the Mid-Continent Conference Championship seven times and advanced to the NCAA Tournament six times, including in 1998 when they advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16, thanks in part to his son and point guard Bryce Drew.  However, it will be Drew's other son, Scott Drew, who has been an assistant for his father the last nine years and is widely regarded as the best there is when it comes to finding good international players, who takes over the helm for the Crusaders.  The younger Drew also is was recognized as one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, as is evident by the fact he was ranked #2 on our list of the top assistant coaches at the lower Division I level.  I was even more surprised when we found out this morning that Marquette assistant coach Tod Kowalczyk had gotten the Wisconsin-Green Bay job.  No, it's not that we don't think Kowalczyk isn't a great choice and extremely qualified for the job, because we do.  Remember, this is the guy who signed players like Dahntay Jones, who is now at Duke, and Todd Billet, who is now at Virginia, when he was Rutgers and helped Marquette become one of the surprise teams in college basketball this season.  Instead, I was surprised, because I talked with Kowalczyk on the phone yesterday afternoon and he never said a word about the Wisconsin-Green Bay job.  One that we did see coming was University of Kentucky assistant coach Mike Sutton getting the Tennessee Tech job.  Sutton, who has been an assistant coach under Tubby Smith the last eight years at Tulsa, Georgia, and Kentucky, is not one of the bright up-and-coming young guys in the business.  Instead, at age 46, Sutton has been around a while and we have to give him credit.  Not only is he one of the smartest assistant coaches in the business, but he has been one of the hardest working assistants out on the road since  replacing Shawn Finney, who became the head coach at Tulane two years ago.  We also understand that Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld has finally moved up the ladder by getting the Evansville job today.  The only surprise here is why it took so long.  Remember, Hampton pulled off on of the all-time great upsets in NCAA Tournament history when they beat Iowa State in the first round a year ago and Merfeld is ranked #6 on our list of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the game today (you must have been a head coach five years or less to make the this list).  And if that weren't enough, Hampton's recruiting class, which includes 6'9 Bakary Konate from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, 6'7 Rodney Hughes from Owens (JC) OH, 6'3 Jeff Granger from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'2 Dewayne Spencer from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township) PA, 6'7 Troy Washington from Denmark (Denmark-Olar) SC, 6'11 Bruce Brown from Richmond (Henrico) VA, and 6'10 Frank Russell from Fayetteville (Pine Forest) NC, is ranked #29 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We're also pleased to see that Merfeld's top assistant coach Bobby Collins, who was instrumental in helping build the program, has gotten the head coaching job at Hampton. 

Thursday, April 25, 2002

The limitation on scholarships, whereby, a school can only sign five players one year and four the next for a total of nine over a two-year period, helps schools that don't recruit the top players, but penalizes schools that sign players who more often than not aren't going to remain in college all four years.  The perfect illustration is the University of Memphis.  If you will recall, Tigers head coach John Calipari landed the #1-ranked recruiting class a year ago with 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Chris Massie from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, 6'2 Antonio Burks from Hiwassee (JC) TN, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, plus at one time he had 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, 6'3 Jeremy Hunt from Memphis (Craigmont) TN, and 6'8 Almany Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC all the fold for this year.  More recently Caliapri added an explosive point guard in 6'0 Clyde Wade from Memphis (Kingsburg) TN via prep school at Winchendon (School) MA as a walk-on.  He also will have 6'6 Billy Richmond, who transferred from Vanderbilt last winter, available beginning second semester next season, and 6'3 Rashaad Carruth, who is rumored to be transferring from Kentucky, appears to be almost a done deal.  And when you add Scooter McFadgon, Modibo Diarra, Arthur Barclay, and John Grice, who were the nucleus of Calipari's first recruiting class two years ago, into the equation, the Memphis program should be in terrific shape.  However, it's not.  Let's start with Stoudemire.  His commitment to Memphis fell through last summer when George Raveling got Stoudemire's mother out of jail and, as a result, Stoudemire switched back to NIKE.  This is important, because that eliminated Stoudemire's legal guardian and AAU coach Travis King, who is originally from Memphis and was the connection to the program, from the picture.  The next to go was Wagner, who is expected to be one of the top picks in the NBA Draft this June.  And right behind Wagner was Woods, who is widely regarded as the top player in the junior college ranks, as well as a potential top five pick in the draft.  All this was expected, but I don't think a lot of people were predicting that McFadgon would transfer to Tennessee last week and Massie would enter his name into the NBA Draft earlier this week.  In other words, with the graduation of Kelly Wise, the premature departure of Wagner, Massie, and McFadgon, and the loss of several recruits (Stoudemire and Woods), Calipari suddenly finds himself in a tough spot.  Let's take a closer look.  Earl Barron and Grice will be seniors, Barclay, Diarra, and Richmond will be juniors, Rice and Erwin will be sophomores, and Hunt and Thiero will be freshmen next year (Burks and Wade are both walk-ons).  That's nine players on scholarship, two of whose status is still questionable.  Will Barclay return now that Wagner is gone and will Grice, who sat out last year for academic reasons, return for his final season?  This group also includes only one player who was a full-time starter (Burks) on a team that just missed making the NCAA Tournament, as well as two part-time starters (Rice and Barron) and a two-year starter at Vanderbilt (Richmond).  There also is a major question of proven size inside, which means the Tigers #1 recruiting priority should be trying to sign the best inside player still available.  Remember, Memphis signed five players a year ago in Wagner, Massie, Erwin, and Rashid Dunbar, who is still in school, but not on scholarship due to his medical problems.  So, with Thiero, Hunt, and Richmond counting towards the current class, the Tigers can only sign one more player.   In other words, it makes no sense for Carruth to go to Memphis, because the Tigers already are well stocked at both guard and wing spots with Richmond, Rice, Hunt, Burks, and Wade.  And it makes even less sense for Carruth to go there, because Calipari runs a pro-style offense, whereby, you have to create shots for yourself.  Didn't Wagner set a school record for missed shots doing exactly that (creating for himself) last season?  Sure, Carruth is a great shooter when he has time to get set, but creating off the dribble has never been one of his strong suits.  An even bigger problem may occur if Memphis continues to be plagued by injuries and transfers, and/or their recruits in the junior class go hardship.  The Tigers should be able to sign five players next year - the most likely being 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX.  However, if Perkins never materalizes or something else unforeseen occurs (several more players transfer or are injured), Calipari could have a hard time finding enough bodies to even practice a year from now.  In other words, this is a classic example of how the current rules hurt the schools at the top, but help everybody else at different levels of the Division I spectrum.  While all this is extremely interesting, it also brings us to a very important question.  What would do if you were in Calipari's position for next year?  Sign the five best players available and run the risk of more defections or sign less talented and/or less high profile players who you think you can build your program around.  Make sure you tell us by answering our "Question of the Day".

Wednesday, April 24, 2002

Forget about the fact the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX is the only event in the nation where college coaches can evaluate high school players this weekend.   And don't worry about the fact the tournament will include over 200 teams and be broken down into 9-Under, 10-Under, 11-Under, 12-Under, 13-Under, 14-Under, 15-Under, 16-Under, and 17-Under age groups.  That's tournament direcotor Hal Pastner's problem.  And a big problem it will be, as all nine age groups are scheduled to be completed from start-to-finish within 48 hours beginning with pool play on Friday night at 7:00 PM and ending with the championships in each age group late on Sunday afternoon.  Some things you may want to know are that the game between the Hoosier Hoops and the Dallas Mustangs, which are the two teams that played for the national championship in the AAU 14-Under age group last summer, at 1:50 PM on Saturday afternoon in the 15-Under Division (there will be at least 10 future major Division I players in that game alone) is a must see.  You might also want to know that Pastner thinks the freshman class in the United States is the best he's seen in over 20 years.  And he should know, because he has teams in the younger age groups and, as a result, has already seen a lot of these players in person.  While that's nice to know, it's even nicer to know that a shocking number of these freshmen are expected to be in attendance this weekend at the Houston Kingwood Classic.  Some of the big name players who will be in attendance include 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 6'11 Soph Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Garces) CA, 6'9 Soph ReSean Dickey from Clio (Marlboro County) SC, 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) IL, 5'11 Jr Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX,  6'3 Soph Daniel Gipson from Houston (Jessie Jones) TX, 5'11 Soph Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Corey Gibbs from Atlanta (Pace) GA, 6'10 Soph Tangara Mohamed from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'6 Jr Brian Randle from Peoria (Notre Dame) IL, 6'6 Soph Shawn Livingston from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, 6'9 Jr Mohamed Abubar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA, 6'10 Soph David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'2 Jr Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'0 Jr Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Ayinde Ubaka from Oakland (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Oneye Ibekwe from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 5'11 Soph Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, 6'0 Jr Jay Jackson from Monroe (Quachita Parish) LA, 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, 6'3 Jr Ryan Appleby from Stanwood (H.S.) WA, 6'7 Soph Dayshaun Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY, and 6'3 Frosh Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, plus I guarantee you that some major sleepers will emerge, especially from places that get underrecruited nationally in the first place, like Louisiana and Mississippi.  All these players will be in the 17-Under Division, which includes a 66-team field with teams from seemingly everwhere.  The schedule can be found by going to Houston Kingwood Classic, but the list of teams tells the entire story.  We're talking about the Southern California All-Stars, Houston Hoops, and Bloomington Red in Pool A; Kentucky Hoopstars, California Team Select, and YOMCA/Team Memphis in Pool B; Georgia Stars, Albany City Rocks, and Arkansas Wings Red in Pool C; Houston Select, Tennessee Travelers, and Portland Legends in Pool D; Belmont Shore/H Squad, Georgia Elite, and Magnolia Bulldogs in Pool E; Louisiana Select, Team Texas Elite, and KW Mustangs White in Pool F; St. Louis Eagles, Houston Superstars 3 Stripes, and Austin Dawgs White in Pool G; Arizona Stars, KYBA Select, and Port Arthur Heat in Pool H; Arizona Heat, Atlanta Prep Stars, and KT Mustangs in Pool I; Team Indiana/Bloom Black, Houston Jr. Hardballers, and KW Mustangs Blue in Pool J; Ft. Sooy No Limit, Houston Hoopdogs, and ATX in Pool K; Salt Lake Metro, Austin Dawgs Red, and Houston Unknowns in Pool L; South Carolina Ravens, Corpus Christi Elite, and Southside Allstars in Pool M; Mississippi Panthers, Gulf Shores Academy, and North Texas Rice Owls in Pool N; Ft. Worth Lions, Team Texas Select, and Arkansas Wings White in Pool O; New Jersey Wildcats, Houston Gold, and Texas Platinum in Pool P; Emerald City Pioneers, San Antonio Gata, and Texas Heat in Pool Q; High America, Houston Lynx Blue, and Texas Tornadoes in Pool R; Copper State All Stars, Houston Superstars Elite, and Gulf Coast Stars (MS) in Pool S; Orlando Force, North Texas Cowboys, and Shot Callers in Pool T; Texas Top Prospects 2002, Arizona Stars Gold, and Galveston Hornets in Pool U; and TABA Team Illinois, Atlanta All Stars, and Ft. Worth Jayhawks in Pool V.  

I remember it like it was yesterday.   It was July 6, 1998 and I was getting ready for the practice session at the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ, when I got the call from one of my guys at the NIKE All-American Camp.  The big topic of conversation was the big kid that nobody had ever seen before and, as a result, the main item that I wrote previewing the NIKE All-American Camp is as follows:  "The big story at the NIKE Camp promises to be the emergence of 7'3 Yao Ming from Shanghai, China...somebody who saw Ming practice yesterday tells us he is unbelievably skilled and versatile enough to post you up inside or beat you outside with his 3-point range."   Well, fortunately that person was just a source and not somebody ever worked for the HOOP SCOOP.  But, if he had, I would have fired me.  Not only did I get a chance to see Ming play at both the NIKE All-American Camp and at the NIKE Summer Championship in San Diego, CA, but I have to admit that was one of the biggest misses we're ever had.   Ming was mechanical and lacked both mobility and coordination, plus his skill level and versatility weren't nearly as good as advertised.  He did get ranked #20 among centers at the NIKE Camp by the HOOP SCOOP, but, by that time, we're usually just trying to find a few more names at that position to balance out the list.  In other words, he wasn't a factor!  Sure, Ming was extremely long and he did have a lot of potential to develop, but he also had a lot farther to go in terms of development than any of the average men in the class.  Actually comparing Ming to 7'5 Neil Fingleton, who transferred from North Carolina to Holy Cross this spring, would have been a good comparison at the time.  Ironically a year earlier another overhyped big man - 7'1 Raynell Brewer from Houston (Bellaire) TX - was also ranked #20 among centers at the adidas ABCD Camp.   And similar to the situation with Ming, the overhype job that Brewer had received prior to coming to camp was incredible.  "He should be no lower than top 10 or 15 country," said his AAU coach.  Brewer did look great in the airport, because you can't teach somebody to be that tall and athletic.  Unfortunately Brewer didn't have much heart and, as a result, 2 ppg and 2 rpg were the norm during the summer of 1997.   So maybe he was top 10 or 15 in another country, but not in this country.  Top 500-1000 was more like it.  The story gets better several years later when the same AAU coach told tried to me how much Brewer had improved, as he attempted to back up the ranking I'd just seen in a pre-season basketball magazine that had Brewer ranked #17 in the junior college ranks.  Now I can be fooled once, but not twice.  So naturally I was skeptical at the at time and not surprised a month or two later when the athletic director at the junior college Brewer was attending told me that Brewer still was   averaging only a couple of points and rebounds a game.  Now Ming may have improved dramatically, as well as gotten bigger, stronger, more athletic, and more coordinated since we saw him four years ago.  However, I also know one person in our business who once told me he would probably rank a 7'5 dead guy high, if we propped his arms up and could keep him from falling over.  In other words, you're just going to have to show me on this one.  Remember, we broke the story about how good Ming was the first time.  What do you think?  Is Ming for real this time....will he make an impact in the league next year.  Or is Ming a fraud again, somebody who will tease you with his potential, but who can't live up to the incredible expectations that should go along with being one of the top picks in the NBA Draft?   Tell us by answering today's "Question Of The Day".

Miami (Christian) FL head coach Art Alvarez tells us that the two senior guards - 5'11 Jose Juan Barea and 6'2 Carlos Rivera - who led his team to a 38-2 record and a 11 national ranking in the final USA Today poll both signed a National Letter-of-Intent yesterday.  Barea, who is ranked #6 in the senior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Northeastern.  And we think this is an absolute steal, because Barea is a hardnosed relentless competitor who can both shoot the lights and make his teammates better with his excellent ball handling and passing skills.   He also is an excellent defender, outstanding student, and terrific kid.  In other words, the only thing preventing him from playing at the highest level mighr be his lack of size.  We also think Rivera, who is ranked #12 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, is a steal for Jacksonville University.  Not only does he have the athleticism, ballhandling skills, and deep shooting range to play either guard spot, but he also is a terrific competitor who will likely blossom into one of the best players in the Atlantic Sun Conference.  As a matter of fact, Rivera reminds us of the type of player that Jacksonville head coach Hugh Durham was so successful with during the 70's at Florida State.  Alvarez also tells us that Memphis head coach John Calipari was in town yesterday to see his two juniors - 6'8 Jr Ivan Lopez, who is ranked #7 in the junior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 Jr Jesus Verdajo, who is ranked #14 in the junior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.   Obviously Northeastern assistant coach Frank Martin will be hoping to take advantage of his Miami contacts again in the future when it comes time to get both Lopez and Verdajo, but he may have another war on his hands (we understand it was really difficult for Berea to say no New Orleans and Oregon State), as Memphis, Connecticut, Texas Tech, Louisville, Florida, Florida State, N.C. State, Marquette, Miami-FL, Florida International, South Florida, and Arizona are among the schools that have already shown interest in both players.  Alvarez also tells us not to fall asleep on Verdajo.  Last winter we liked Verdajo's ability to slash, defend, and rebound, but we also thought he was a tweener at 6'4.  However, now he's grown an inch and put on 20 pounds.  And it looks like he's not done yet, as Alvarez expects Verdajo to top out at 6'7 or 6'8.  We also understand that Northeastern has landed 6'1 David Sills from Bronx (Regional) NY, who might be one of the biggest sleepers in the nation.  The word we get is that he's a 4th year senior, but this athletic 2-guard played most of his senior year for New York Riverside Church's winter team, instead of for his high school team.  As a result, Sills didn't get the notoriety and exposure that he would have gotten, if he'd played all year exclusively for his Bronx Regional.  But that doesn't mean he's wasn't one of the top players in the New York City this year.  As a matter of fact, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks Sills might be good enough to play in the Big East, instead of the America East.   However, once again, we have to give Martin credit for getting this one done.   Did you know that Sills almost committed to Northeastern last fall, but then decided to drag it out until spring?  Last fall Northeastern also landed 6'10 Gene Olinyk from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL and 6'3 Jeremy Lang from Springfield (McDuffie) MA, but since that time Lang has been denied admission into school and, as a result, is free to go someplace else where the academic standards aren't as tough.  Northeastern also has landed a walk-on in 6'6 Javorie Wilson from Odessa (JC) TX and there is a Frank Martin connection here as well.  Did you know that Wilson played for Martin at Miami (Senior) FL prior to originally signing with Northern Iowa?  And, if that weren't enough, Northeastern head coach Ronnie Everhart also has two other excellent players (Sylbrin Robinson and Cornelius Wright) waiting in the wings (they both had to sit out last year).  In other words, Northeastern should be one of the most improved teams in college basketball next year and Martin will have be ranked high on any list of the top assistant coaches that we do in the future.  Another team in the America East Conference that has been busy as of late is New Hampshire.  If you will recall, last week the Wildcats signed 6'4 Griffin Wallace from Coffeyville (JC) KS and last night, according to our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey editor Allen Rubin, they signed 6'4 Brian Gibbs from Huntsville (H.S.) AL and 5'10 Shejdie Childs from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA.  Childs' commitment is especially impressive, because he's one of the best point guards still available.  In other words, forget about the fact that he's ranked no higher than #25 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey by Rubin.  Childs is an excellent defender and good playmaker, plus Rubin has never been known to be on the high end when ranking undersized point guards.  So we think getting Childs elevates New Hampshire's recruiting class into one of the top classes in the league, right up there along with along with Northeastern and Boston University, which landed 6'8 Richard Bagby from Richmond  (Collegiate) VA and 6'2 Shawn Wynn from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY last fall and signed 6'8 Kevin Gardner from Peninsula (Rolling Hills) CA over the weekend. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2002

Jim Hart, the director of the Albany City Rocks club team program, tells us that his team won Wayne Simone's adidas Hoop Challenge in New Haven, CT over the weekend.   The Rocks beat the Long Island Panthers, 63-48, in the championship game, thanks to the efforts of 6'7 Rashawn Freeman from Schenectady (H.S.) NY with 19 points, 6'7 Soph Dayshaun Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY with 16 points, and 6'3 Frosh Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY with nine assists.  That's right!  Hart's two youngster are getting it done at the 17-Under level right now and, as a result, they both must be ranked among the top players nationally in their class, respectively.  Wright, who is already a physical specimen and dominant force inside, scored all but one of his baskets (seven) off dunks.  "He's really going to special," says Hart.  "At the Boo Williams Invitational they were calling him baby-Wilt (Chamberlain), because on several occasions he caught the ball in the post and just flipped it over his head for an easy basket.  But I think he's more like Caron Butler, because he has big hands, incredible athleticism, toughness, and he can do things away from the basket, like run, catch, handle, and shoot.  All Wright is lacking right now are post moves."   Hart also compares Mayben to T.J. Ford.  "He's super quick, great a penetrating and dishing, and he's always looking to set up his man.  He's also a good outside shooter.  As a matter of fact, I wish he'd look to shot more.  The Albany City Rocks also have another outstanding sophomore to keep an eye on in 6'7 Soph Will Daniels from Poughkeepsie (Franklin D. Roosevelt) NY.  He's not in same class right now with Wright and Mayben, but he has grown five inches during the last year and has a tremendous upside.  Playing well for the Long Island Panthers were 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Jr Mike Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'1 Soph Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY, who is another outstanding sophomore from upstate New York who you need to keep an eye out for.   We also are keeping an eye on who is going to get the Richmond and Tennessee Tech jobs.  The word we get is that former North Carolina assistant coach Dave Hanners, who is now an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers, turned down the Tennessee Tech last week.  So now it looks like the two leading candidates are University of Kentucky assistant coach Mike Sutton and Dayton assistant coach Ron Jirsa.  Ironically both Sutton and Jirsa worked for Tubby Smith at Georgia and Tulsa.  UNC-Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffery, American University head coach Jeff Jones, UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright, Davidson head coach Bob McKillop, and Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall are the names we're hearing for the University of Richmond, but the real question is why did John Beilein turn down jobs of equal stature (i.e. Rutgers) a year ago and decide to make the jump now?  We also hear that South Florida assistant coach Clive Vaughn and George Washington assistant coach Kevin Broadus are the two finalists to replace Dave Leitao, who left Connecticut last week to become the new head coach at DePaul.  Vaughn may have more experience, but Broadus knows the Washington, DC area like the back of his hand, plus he may have the right connections.  Remember, George Washington head coach Karl Hobbs previously was an assistant coach at Connecticut. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'10 Donald Copeland from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ has verbally committed to Seton Hall and that 6'1 Calvin Wooten from Detroit (MacKenzie) MI may have verbally committed to Rutgers.  Copeland got overshadowed last year in the backcourt at St. Anthony's by 6'0 Elijah Ingram and 6'0 Dwayne Lee, but he is good enough to provide the perfect backup to Andre Barrett in the backcourt next year.  This also gives Seton Hall the necessary in to continue to recruit St. Anthony's players in the future.  It also will likely prohibit the Pirates from taking 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, which reinforces what our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio told us over the weekend - that Wingate will pick either Manhattan and Fairfield.  Copeland joins 6'6 J.R. Morris from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'9 Eric Davis from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, and 6'7 Kelly Whitney from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC to move Seton Hall's recruiting class up to #55 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If the Wooten commitment is holds up, the Scarlets Knights may have stolen one.  Wooten was the leading scorer in the Detroit Public League last season, plus he is ranked #7 in senior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP behind 6'11 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI, 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Ricardo Billings from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'4 Maurice Ager from Detroit (Crockett) MI, 6'6 Lester Abram from Pontiac (Northern) MI, and 6'7 Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI.  Rubin also told us several days ago that 6'3 Adam Payton from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ has signed with Vanderbilt and 6'8 Kevin Gardner from Peninsula (Rolling Hills) CA has signed with Boston University.  The Gardner commitment is especially interesting, because he's an athletic white kid with skills and the ability to play with both his back to the basket and facing the basket.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that it's a two-horse race between Kansas and Georgia for 6'9 Jr Mohammed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA, plus he thinks Southern California may now be in the lead for 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Apparently Schaen's recent official visit to USC went extremely well.  Another interesting connection that USC is that Schaen's father is a professor at school.  Texas Christian appears to the leader for 6'9 Jr Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free Street) KS.  Did you know that Wooden plays on the same AAU team as Neil Dougherty's son?   Remember, Dougherty, who previously was an assistant coach at Kansas, recently got the head coaching job at TCU.  We've also heard rumors that Wooden wants to transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA or Louisville (Male) KY.  Apparently Wooden's father lives in Louisville, KY.   Thus, explains why Louisville and Kentucky are both on his list, along with schools like Kansas, Wichita State, Nebraska, Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, and Duke.  However, we'd be surprised if Wooden isn't back at Lawrence (Free Street) KS next season, because his mother has legal custody and wants to remain in control.  As for Dougherty, don't underestimate the connection (Wooden is best friends with his son and, as a result, has been sleeping over at his house since he was in 7th grade).  Despite the fact we weren't very impressed with 6'8 Jr Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY at the 2002 Executive Inn All-Star Classic, he probably has to be our choice for Mr. Basketball in the state, if we had to cast a vote today.  Not only does Neltner have a 3.9 gpa and the potential to grow several more inches, but he's also very skilled and versatile.  However, he's not a great athlete and he needs to get bigger, stronger and tougher, which means he needs to be careful when making his college choice.  Among the schools that are showing interest in Neltner are Stanford, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Xavier, Purdue, Princeton, Louisville, Northwestern, Western Kentucky, Notre Dame, and Michigan.  Louisville, Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee, Ohio State, and Penn State are the schools that 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY gave to Michael Cruz of Basketball America, who later passed the list onto us (sometimes you have to give up information in order to get other information).  But we think the deciding factor will be when Cardinals head football coach John L. Smith tells Bush he can play both football and basketball in college.  However, we're not sure that Bush is the answer for Louisville in basketball, because he doesn't play very hard and, as a result, he hasn't lived up to his vast potential.  In other words, he looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane. 

Monday, April 22, 2002

The senior Division of the 2002 Kentucky Hoop Star Classic featured some excellent players like 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'6 Soph Shawn Livingston from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, 6'5 Jr Dwight Holmes from Dayton (Stebbins) OH, 6'9 Jr Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free Street) KS, 6'2 Jr Kenny Love from South Bend (Adams) IN, 6'3 Jr Grant Gibson from Bloomington (South) IN, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'1 Soph Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY, and 6'3 Jr Jonathan Lee from Evansville (Harrison) IN.  However, it was the Junior Division at Eddie Ford's tournament that got most of our attention.  Let's start with the Kentucky Junior Elite Team, which beat Dayton Metro, 67-61, in the championship game.  Any way you slice it, 6'2 Soph Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY and 6'2 Soph Justin Taylor from Lexington (Tates Creek) KY have to be ranked among the top players in the state's loaded sophomore class.  Lofton is the better of two right now, because he's smart, savvy, and extremely talented.   He also plays under control, makes great decisions, and big plays with his excellent passing ability, good defense, and athleticism.  Lofton also shoots it well enough and has enough size to move over to the 2-guard spot when 6'1 Soph Stephen McKinney from Louisville (Male) KY, has the ball in his hands.  McKinney isn't quite ready to take over at this level yet, but this extremely talented point guard with good handling and passing skills and quickness off the dribble has a tremendous upside.  Taylor has incredible natural talent, explosive athleticism, an aggressive on the boards, and a flair for the spectacular.  He also always seems to find a way to score when he gets the ball around the basket.  However, Taylor may fall into the tweener trap down the road, if he doesn't grow at least several more inches and/or develop more of a perimeter game.  Unfortunately McKinney got hurt and didn't play in the playoffs of the tournament and 6'4 Soph Stephen Gabbard from McKee (Jackson County) KY, who is another one of the top sophomores in the state, had a prior commitment and, as a result, was not in attendance over the weekend.  So Lofton and Taylor, who combined for 33 points in the title game, and 6'3 Soph Ty Rogers from Eddyville (Lyon County) KY, who is the ultimate blue collar player, picked up the slack en route to the championship.  The Dayton Metro Team were led by 6'3 Soph Marquis Brooks from Trotwood (Trotwood Madison) OH with 15 points in the championship game and 7'0 Soph Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, who provided a physical presence inside.   We also were impressed by 6'5 Soph Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'3 Soph Josh Lanham from Sellersburg (Silver Creek) IN, 6'5 Soph Derek Drews from Elkhart (Central) IN, and 6'10 Frosh Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN and intrigued by 6'8 Soph Lowell Grissom from ?????? (Canterbury) ?? and 6'6 Mike McCoy from Indianpolis (Pike) IN.  Neither Grissom and McCoy understand how to play the game, but they're both extremely active and very athletic.  The most interesting games for us at 2002 Executive Inn All-Star Classic at duPont Manual High School on Saturday were early in the day, because that's when we got a chance to see some of the top 8th graders, freshmen, and sophomores in the state.  Clearly the best player in the first game was 6'3 Frosh Ra'Von Lee from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who finished with 12 points, most of which were off dunks or athletic moves to the basket.  Lee also is a terrific shot blocker, but he will either have to grow down the road or develop perimeter skills.   However, right now he is the best of Ballard's three outstanding freshman - 6'1 Frosh Jordan Newby and 6'5 Frosh Will Reeves, who combined for 21 points in the second game.  The leading scorer in the first game was 6'6 8th Grader Patrick Elliott form McKee (Jackson County) KY.   We're talking about an agile white kid with a soft touch from the high post, excellent moves to the basket, and excellent rebounding skills, which he used to clearly outplay 6'7 8th Grader Albert Jackson from Madisonville (Hopkins County Central) KY, who passed the look test, but who wasn't nearly as impressive once the game started.  We also liked the savvy, hustle, ball handling skills, and long range shooting displayed by 5'9 Frosh Ryan Troutman from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, plus we want to mention 5'10 Frosh Brandon Adams from Horse Cave (Caverna) KY, 6'1 8th Grader Aaron Dunaway from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 5'9 Frosh Louisville (Waggener) KY, 6'2 8th Grader Walt Allen from London (South Laurel) KY, 5'9 Frosh Andrew Robinson from Louisville (Manual) KY, and 6'0 Frosh Justin Royles from Louisville (Manual) KY.  The most natuarally talented player in the second game was 6'3 Frosh Maurice Gridner from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, but the three players who played the best were 5'11 Frosh JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY with 15 points; 5'11 Frosh Dominic Tillford from Louisville (Jeffersontown) KY with 14 points, and 6'7 Soph Matt Maresca from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY with 11 points and 16 rebounds.  Spillman and Tillford both had a field day in transition with their athleticism and quickness.  However, Spillman also impressed us with his outside shooting and excellent defense.  Maresca is a versatile white kid with the athleticism and versatility to play both inside and outside.   However, what we liked best about Maresca were his competitiveness and willingness to battle on the boards.  In other words, here's another outstanding sophomore who needs to move way up on our list (previously we had him #22 in the Class of 2004).   Others who made an impact in the second game include 6'6 Frosh Mark Patton from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'2 Frosh Jawan Wilson from Berea (Madison Southern) KY, 6'2 Soph Brock Whitney from Bowling (Green (Warren Central) KY, 5'6 Frosh Keith Nash from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'4 Soph Jordy Maxey from Horse Cave (Caverna) KY, and 5'9 Frosh Keith Burton from Fulton (City) KY.  The third game was the story of two halves as 6'2 Soph Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY stole the show prior to intermission by scoring all of his 21 points and 6'9 Soph Robbie Simpson from Louisville (Seneca) KY did most of his damage in the second half en route to 22 points.   However, the player with the most potential might just be 6'10 Soph Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, who scored only five points, but did more to effect the game than anybody else with his rebounding, shot blocking, and improved aggressivness at the defensive end.  We also think 6'0 Soph Isaiah Britt from Louisville (Seneca) KY, who finished with 12 points, and 5'9 Soph Richard Long from Owensboro (Apollo) KY, who finished with 17 points, deserve mentioning.   But that's it!  What a terrible game!  And the next game was even worse, so we'll skip right to the 5th game of the day, where 6'6 Jr David Cornwell from Louisville (Eastern) KY played well enough to get strong consideration for top player honors in Kentucky's mediocre junior class.  I know, if we did that we'd probably get the same type of reaction that Time Magazine would have gotten if it had named Osama bin Laden as its Man-of-the-Year.  Remember, Cornwell has had all kinds of off-the-court problems and, as a result, was kicked off Ballard's team early last season.  However, 6'8 Jr Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY and 6'9 Jr Isaiah Mills from Corbin (H.S.) KY, who scored seven and eight points apiece in this game, haven't stepped up and impressed us yet either.  And neither has 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who coasted through the Hoop Star Classic over the weekend.  Maybe we should compromise and go with 6'2 Jr Sean Booker from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who had 19 points in the game, or 6'8 Jr Guy Ngarndi from Louisville (Western) KY, who is the biggest slepper in the state right now.  Ngarndi is a foreign exchange student who came to this country in February, but he really impressed us with wing span, athleticism, and ability to go coast-to-coast.  We talking about somebody who is extremely raw in terms of skills, but his upside may be unlimited.  The most impressive outside shooter in the game was 6'2 Jr Maurice Blakey from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, who finished with 19 points.  We also have to mention a pair of multi-dimensional athletes in 6'5 Jr Dante Sweet from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY and 6'6 Jr Marques Dawson from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY.  We were not able to stick around for the final two games of the day, but in the top senior game 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY hit a trio of 3-pointers en route to 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists.  The two leading scorers in the game were 5'11 Petie Brown with 17 points and 6'6 Victor Gomes with 19 points, both from Louisville (Moore) KY.  However, Moore head coach Don Evans' best prospect - 6'9 Mohammed Camara - had only three points. 

Saturday, April 20, 2002, & Sunday, April 21, 2002

The rumor that 6'7 Jr Lebron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, who is widely regarded as the best player in the nation regardless of class, is thinking about transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA appears to be is totally false.  And it doesn't make sense either.  Remember, everybody thinks James is going to enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from and he might even do so this year, if NBA commissioner David Stern would let him.  In other words, James' biggest concern is not what he does in core classes or on the SAT, it's becoming the best player he can be and not letting the overwhelming amount of attention and notoriety that goes along with being the most heralded high school player since Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant go to his head.  Instead, we like the rumor about James getting a $9 million offer to play professionally next season in Italy.  We've also heard that adidas is willing to give James $20 million per year, but our guess is that NIKE will top that with no problem.   Remember, we reported several months ago that NIKE thinks James is so good that when the time comes they will do whatever it takes financially to sign James to a long term shoe deal.  Can we confirm any of this?  No!  Are we predicting this will happen?  No!  However, we are raising the possibility.  What would you do if you were James and you get at least $29 million next year to skip your senior in high school and go play in Europe?  Tell us by answering our "Question of the Day" from Saturday, April 21, 2002.  In our opinion James would be crazy not go to for one simply reason.  He's good enough to make the same type of impact that Garnett did 1996 and Bryant did in 1997.  Remember, it is our believe that you should only by-pass college and go straight to the NBA, if you are going to get quality playing time immediately.   This is the point where somebody asks what about James graduating from high school?  Well, I'm sure if he gives St. Vincent-St. Mary's a million dollar endowment, they'd probably give him an honorary degree.  And with the kind of money he's potentially going to make, if going to college is important, he can buy his own college and give himself an honorary degree.   But let's not stop there, because we may be talking about the next Michael Jordan.  At some point, if James doesn't get what he wants from NIKE and adidas, he probably will be able to go out and find his own venture capitalists and start his own shoe company.  Of course, if this rumor is true and James went to play in Italy, he would not get to play in the McDonald's All-American Game next March and all the wheeling and dealing that the high school tournament directors will have done will have been for not.  However, this is big business, not amateur athletics.   And that's "Question of the Day" for Sunday, April 21, 2002.  Does this NCAA get it?   Do they understand they are in competition with not just the NBA and minor league basketball, but everything else that is out there competiting for the entertainment dollar?  Tonight on our radio show from 10:00 PM-12 Midnight EST we will talk about all of this, as well as how the new NCAA rules will effect the game this summer.  You don't want to miss it!  You can listen to live or archived later by clicking on HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.

Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'2 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY has signed with Iona.  This comes as no surprise, because two of Soliver's teammates - 6'0 Marvin McCullough and 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann, both from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, signed with the Gaels last fall.  Soliver's big claim to fame came when he played out of his mind (he scored 48 points in one game and was the leading scorer for the tournament) at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL right before Christmas.  Soliver also was on fire when we saw him as a junior at the AAU Super Showcase when New York Riverside Church advanced all the way to the championship game.  However, more often than not this streaky outside shooter who creates all kinds of havoc with his speed, quickness, and athleticism belongs in the Atlantic-10 or the Colonial Athletic Association.  In other words, we think he is a steal for the Iona and, if he ever puts it altogether consistently and gets bigger and stronger, there is no doubt in our mind that he could be a pro.  However, that's easy said than done.   Naclerio also tells us that 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY appears to be close to signing with either Manhattan or Fairfield.  Seton Hall also is still being mentioned for Wingate, but our guess is that Pirates head coach Louie Orr isn't going to make the scholarship offer.   We also have confirmed that 6'5 Orlandus Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, who is the #5 ranked senior in the state of Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Eastern Kentucky.  We also are looking for the Colonels to sign two more players tomorrow and, we'll let you know all the details, as soon as they become available.  A lot of people seem to think the University of Kentucky isn't recruiting a lot of the top players in the nation, but that isn't true, as the list we've accumulated includes 6'7 Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillside) NC, 6'5 Jr Olumuyiwa Famutini from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Jr Brian Randle from Peoria (Notre Dame) IL, 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, 6'9 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 5'10 Jr T.J. Banninster from Jacksonville (Detroit Country Day) FL, 6'7 Jr Omari Israel from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD,  6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, 6'11 Jr Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI, 6'8 Jr Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, and 6'9 Jr Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free Street) KS.  

Friday, April 19, 2002

Western Kentucky wrapped up its recruiting for the Class of 2002 by landing two prep school players from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  We're talking about 6'2 Danny Rumph and 6'5 Kevin Massiah, neither of whom would be ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally, if they were high school seniors, but both of whom would fall into the 100 to 200 range nationally, just like the three players - 7'2 Michael Doe from Ft. Walton Beach (Choctawhatchee) FL, 6'4 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN, and 6'7 Jamaal Brown from Spartanburg (H.S.) SC - the Hilltoppers signed last fall.  In other words, the Western Kentucky has landed five players who can make an impact in the Sun Belt Conference and, as a result, their recruiting class is ranked #49 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   We also have confirmed that 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (H.S.) AL has not only gotten his release from the University of California, but has signed with the University of Alabama.  Normally we would treat Winston like a transfer, because he would have to sit out a year.  However, it appears that Winston will likely get out of the National Letter-of-Intent he signed last fall with the University of California due to an illness by his mother.  Winston replaces 6'9 Rodney Bass from Shelton State (JC) AL, who was the marquee player in the Crimson Tide's recruiting class last fall, and, as a result, Alabama's class, which also includes 6'8 Charles Davis from Selma (Southside) AL, 6'5 Emmett Thomas from Bevil State (JC) AL, and 6'8 Evan Brock from Marrietta (Lassiter) GA, will remain ranked #23 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  In other words, with everybody back, except 6'8 Soph Rod Grizzard (assuming he enters his name for the NBA) and 6'7 Soph Reggie Rambo, who is rumored to be transferring to to South Alabama, the Crimson Tide not only should be even better than they were this past season, but they also will likely be one of our pre-season top five teams next season.  Merrick Horn of MidSouth-Hoops.Com has beaten our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman to the punch by telling us that Scooter McFadgen plans to transfer from the University of Memphis and that Tennessee is the favorite over Miami-FL and South Florida.  Horn also confirms that 6'4 Trey Pearson from South Fulton (H.S.) TN has signed with Ole Miss.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 Jr Adam Liddell from Waterloo (DeKalb) IN, who is ranked #217 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP has made an early verbal committed to Purdue, and Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com thinks Kansas may be on the verge of getting a verbal commitment from 6'1 Jr Jeremy Case from McAllister (H.S.) OK, who made a visit to Lawrence, KS two weeks ago.  McAllister isn't ranked among our top 225 juniors nationally, but Swaim thinks that will change when we see him this summer.  Case is the son of the legendary Oklahoma City University head coach Win Case, who has several NAIA National Championships on his resume'.  Swaim also thinks the Jayhawks will get a commitment next week from 6'6 Devin Smith from Coffeyville (JC) KS, who was one of the top players at the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS in late March.  However, Smith's junior college coach has strong ties to the University of Iowa.  As a matter of fact, Smith will be at Iowa this weekend and you can bet they will turn up the heat to get Smith to follow in the footsteps of another former player from Coffeyville (JC) KS who signed with the Hawkeyes two years ago (Reggie Evans).  If Smith picks Iowa, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, 6'2 Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, and Josh Rhodes from Santa Cruz (H.S.) CA, would move up from #28 to #10 on out list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  However, if Smith, as expected, picks Kansas, the Jayhawks' class would move up from #56 into a tie at #28, along with Iowa.   Swaim also tells us the final three for 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK appear to be Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, and Georgia.   "If he stays in-state, I think it will be Oklahoma State," says Swaim.   "And, if he leaves, it's going to be Georgia.  Kentucky and Connecticut just have too much ground to make up."

Catholic University head coach Mike Lonegran could be on the verge of having his best team ever next season, which is saying a lot when one is reminded of the fact that Catholic University won the Division III National Championship two years ago, finished in the final 16 with 26-3 record a year ago, and finished ranked #7 in Division II just last month.  As a matter of fact, the three recruits - 6'5 Matt Tanner from Hagerstown (St. Maria Gorietti) MD, 6'9 Matt Spierenburg from Hagerstown (St. Maria Gorietti) MD, and 6'8 Shane Sowden from Wilmington (St. Mark's) DE - that Lonegran's right hand man (assistant coach Steve Howes) landed this spring are good enough to make Catholic University the pre-season Division III #1-ranked team next year.  Tanner, who was the MVP of the Baltimore Catholic League, also is good enough to be one of the leading candidates for Division III Rookie-of-the-Year next season.  We talking about an athletic white kid who can beat you inside with his ability to get to the hole and outside with his excellent 3-point shooting range.  Spierenburg, who also elected to stay close to home by picking Catholic University over a number of Ivy League and Patriot League schools, as well as Towson State and Mt. St. Mary's, gained his claim to fame this spring by dominating 6'10 Jr Byron Joynes from Towson (Catholic) MD, who is ranked #87 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in the Baltimore Catholic League Semi-Finals.  Sowden is an athletic shot blocker who was first team All-State in Delaware last season.  We also understand that 6'2 Brian Morrison, who is transferring from North Carolina, was at UCLA on an official visit two days ago and a source close to the Bruins program think it's almost a done deal.  Also transferring from North Carolina is Adam Boone and one of the schools being mentioned is University of Kentucky.  However, the smart money appear to be on the University of Minnesota.  Remember, he's originally from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN.  As a matter of fact, Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com tells us that Golden Golphers head coach Dan Monson has already been down to recruit him.   We also have confirmed that Hampton University has added another player in 6'2 Dewayne Spencer from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township) PA, who is ranked #12 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by Allen Rubin.   Not only is this a steal for Pirates head coach Steve Merfeld, whose team is already is recognized as a giant killer, after knocking off Iowa State a year ago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago and after being on the first team's to knock off North Carolina last season, but Spencer's signing also moves the Pirates recruiting class up even higher on our list of Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. That's right!  Hampton's class, which is ranked #29 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is highest ranked class in the nation among schools that aren't in the top eight Division I Conferences (ACC, SEC, Big-10, Big-12, Pacific-10, Big East, Conference USA, and Atlantic-10).  However, the class does have seven players - Spencer, 6'9 Bakary Konate from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, 6'7 Rodney Hughes from Owens (JC) OH, 6'3 Jeff Granger from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'2 Dewayne Spencer from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township) PA, 6'7 Troy Washington from Denmark (Denmark-Olar) SC, 6'11 Bruce Brown from  Richmond (Henrico) VA, 6'10 Frank Russell from Fayetteville (Pine Forest) NC.  Hampton can do this, because Konate and Granger both enrolled after the semester break in early January and, as a result, count with last year's recruiting class with regards to the NCAA rule that allows Division I schools to sign nine players over a two-year period (five on year and four the next). 

Thursday, April 18, 2002

Yesterday we told you that we thought Duke was on the verge of landing two of the top five players in the junior class nationally in 6'7 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX  and that the University of Louisville appears to be in a position to land what may be the best recruiting class in college basketball next year.  However, let's take a closer look at the top juniors nationally and make some predictions.  There is no doubt in our mind that 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the consensus #1 ranked player in the nation regardless of class, will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now.  As a matter of fact, James is so good that if he entered his name into the NBA Draft this spring, he would almost for sure be the #1 pick.  We've already said that Deng is a lock for the Blue Devils and we also think they are the favorite for Ebi.  And, if it were done today, we think Louisville would get 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, Illinois would get 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, Michigan would get 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, Mississippi State would get 6'9 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkeville (H.S.) MS, Memphis would get 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, Florida would get 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Kansas would get 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, Illinois would get 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, Louisville would get 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, Villanova would get 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, Syracuse would get 6'8 Jr Terrance Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Arizona would get 6'10 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, Georgia Tech would get 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, Michigan would get 6'10 Jr Drew Naymick from North Muskegon (H.S.) MI, Louisville would get 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA, USC would get 6'10 Nick Sigger from Van Nuys (Montclair Prep) CA, USC would get 6'4 Jr Roderick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and USC would get 6'4 Jr Loderick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA.  Speaking of the Trojans, it is being reported that USC signed 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who was ranked as the #3 point guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and 6'4 Roy Smiley from Southeastern (JC) IA, who was ranked as the #3 point guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  If you will recall, we reported on Tuesday, January 22nd, that both players had verbally committed to the Trojans.  We also are looking for USC to have a huge recruiting year next year.  As a matter of fact, we think it's almost a done deal for Stigger and the Stewart twins, despite the fact the Stewart's teammate - 5'9 Nate Robinson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA - reneged on the verbal commitment he made in December to USC and, instead, signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play football at the University of Washington in February.  We also hear that 6'8 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is ranked #49 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Jeff McMillan, who is transferring from Fordham, are both making officials to USC today.  USC also is one of the favorites, along with schools like LSU, Miami-FL, and Indiana, for 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, and they are in the hunt, along with California, Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, and UCLA, for 6'9 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA.  Speaking of Ibekwe, UCLA is also in the hunt for his older brother - 6'7 Onye Ibekwe from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA - who is one of the best inside players still available nationally.  Not only does Ibekwe combine toughness and athleticism, but he might be the entrée necessary to get his younger brother.  UCLA also appears to be out of the picture for 6'10 Erazem Lorbeck from Slovenia, who at one time was thought be a done deal for either UCLA or North Carolina.  Instead, it looks like Lorbeck may now be on the verge of signing with Michigan State.  And, if that happens the Spartans recruiting class would up to #2, behind Duke and ahead of Iowa State, North Carolina Maryland Villanova, and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. The top three schools for 6'7 Bobby Jones from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who is one of the top unsigned players available who is academically qualified, are Utah, Oregon, and Oregon State.  Kansas, Iowa, and Virginia appear to be three finalists for 6'6 Devin Smith from Coffeyville (JC) KS, who was one of the top players at the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS in late March.   Not only was Smith one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks last year, but he is academically qualified and, as a result, eligible to transfer to a four-year school and play for three years.   

This weekend there will be two events - the Executive Inn All-Star Classic at duPont Manual High School and the Hoop Stars Classic at Male High School- in Louisville, KY, both of which I plan to attend.  The Hoop Stars Classic will tip-off tomorrow night at 7:30 PM with the four teams in the Senior-To-Be Division from Pool C (Kentucky HoopStars Senior Elite versus Southern Indiana BBall and GCBA Gray versus the Evansville Basketball Club).  Then, at 8:45 PM we will get a look at some of the top teams in the Junior-To-Be Division as it will be the Kentucky HoopStars Junior Elite versus Indiana South and the Kentucky HoopStars Frosh/Soph versus St. Louis Gameface.  At 10:00 PM we'll get another look at the Senior-To-Be Division as it will be Team Ohio versus the Indiana Shooters and GCBA versus Kansas City Nets.  And that will be followed by another set of games in the Junior-To-Be Division at 11:15 PM with the Kentucky HoopStars White versus the Cincinnati Stars and the Nashville Stallions versus the Spiece Top Prospects.  We also plan to get up early on Saturday morning to see the 8:00 AM games, which will feature Bloomington Red versus the Durham Disciples in the Senior-To-Be Division and Team Ohio versus the Indiana Shooters in the Junior-To-Be Division.  The other two teams in the 12-team senior division (Ft. Sooy No Limit versus St. Louis Gameface) will play at 9:30 AM Saturday morning and the remaining teams in the Junior-To-Be Division (Ft. Wayne Bearcats versus the Spiece Stars) will play at 9:30 AM at Male High School and (Dayton Metro versus Bloomington Gold and the Nashville Stallions versus Maximum) will play at Waggener High at 11:45 AM.  Pool play will continue on the rest of the day at Male High School.  The playoffs will begin at 8:00 AM on Sunday at Male High School.  The championship of the Junior-To-Be Division will be at 3:30 PM and the championship of the Senior-To-Be Division will be at 5:00 PM on Sunday afternoon at Male High School. The Executive Inn All-Star Classic will tip-off on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM with some of the top freshmen and 8th graders in the state playing in Game #1.  In that game the West Squad will feature 6'2 8th Grader Walt Allen from London (South Laurel) KY, 6'6 8th Grader Patrick Elliott from McKee (Jackson County) KY, 6'2 8th Grader Andre Henderson from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'1 8th Grader Charles Keene from Frankfort (Western Hills) KY, 6'3 Frosh Ra'Von Lee from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5'8 8th Grader Travis Owsley from Owensboro (Catholic) KY, 5'9 8th Grader Ty Proffitt from London (South Laurel) KY, 5'9 Frosh Andrew Robinson from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'0 Frosh Justin Royles from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'2 Frosh Justin Troutman from Shepherdsville (Bullitt Central) KY, 5'9 Frosh C.J. Willis from Louisville (Seneca) KY versus 5'9 Kelvin Wilson from Louisville (Seneca) KY and the East Squad will feature 5'10 Frosh Brandon Adams from Horse Cave (Caverna) KY, 5'11 Frosh Daniel Alcorn from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, 5'8 8th Grader Damion Barnes from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'0 Frosh Daniel Bolden from Louisville (Waggener) KY, 6'1 8th Grader Aaron Dunaway from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'7 8th Grader Albert Jackson from Madisonville (Hopkins County Central) KY, 5'10 Frosh Frank Middleton from Evarts (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Frosh Jacob Porter from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, 6'2 Frosh Anthony Thomas from Munfordville (Hart County) KY, 5'9 Frosh Ryan Troutman from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, and 6'0 8th Grader Tyler Wimsatt from Owensboro (H.S.) KY.  Game #2 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature freshmen and sophomores, will tip-off at 11:30 AM.  The West Team will include 6'3 Frosh Maurice Gridner from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, 5'11 Soph Brett Haskins from Bardwell (Carlisle County) KY, 6'2 Frosh Julius Maddox from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'7 Soph Matt Maresca from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, 5'9 Frosh Troy McFarland from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, 6'1 Frosh Jordan Noble from Corbin (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Soph Jordan Samuels from Frankfort (Western Hills) KY, 5'11 Frosh JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 5'10 Soph Corey White from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, 5'11 Frosh George White from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'2 Soph Brock Whitney from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, and 6'2 Frosh Jawan Wilson from Leitchfield (Grayson County) KY.   The East Team will include 5'9 Frosh Keith Burton from Fulton (City) KY, 6'9 Frosh Tyler Clark from Vanceburg (Lewis County) KY, 6'0 Frosh Will Current from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'2 Soph DeCoreo Edwards from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, 5'11 Frosh Wesley Jones from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 6'4 Soph Jordy Maxey from Horse Cave (Caverna) KY, 5'6 Frosh Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'1 Frosh Jordan Newby from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'6 Frosh Mark Patton from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'5 Frosh Will Reeves from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5'11 Frosh Dominick Tillford from Louisville (Jeffersontown) KY, and 6'1 Soph Michael Whitlock from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY. Game #3 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature exclusively sophomores, will tip-off at 1:00 PM.  The West Team will include 6'0 Soph Ryan Anderson from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, 6'3 Soph Melvin Beasley from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'6 Soph Lonnell Dewalt from Bowling Green (Warrren Central) KY, 6'5 Soph Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'5 Soph Brandon Hamby from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, 5'10 Soph Michael James from Owensboro (Apollo) KY, 5'9 Soph Spindle Johnson from Louisville (Jeffersontown) KY, 6'4 Soph Travis Johnson from Owensboro (Apollo) Ky, 5'9 Soph Richard Long from Owensboro (Apollo) KY, and 6'7 Soph Mario Urririta from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY.  The East Team will include 6'0 Soph Isaiah Britt from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'10 Soph Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'2 Soph Ronnie George from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'3 Soph Dustin Grutza from Maysville (Mason County) KY 6'2 Soph Steve McKinney from Louisville (Male) KY, 5'11 Soph James Ray from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'2 Soph Rajan Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'9 Soph Robbie Simpson from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'2 Soph Chris Warfield from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'2 Soph Demetrius Woods from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, and 6'8 Soph Gerry Young from Louisville (Seneca) KY.  Game #4 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature exclusively juniors, will tip-off at 2:30 PM.  The West Team will include 5'10 Jr Matt Beil from Union (Ryle) KY, 6'1 Jr Matthew Belcher from Feds Creek (H.S.) KY, 6'2 Jr Andrew Coates from Munfordville (Hart County) KY, 6'0 Jr Adam Coleman from Pikeville (Millard) KY, 6'2 Jr Kevin Collins from London (South Laurel) KY, 5'9 Soph Matt Fabiani from Covington (St. Henry) KY, 6'2 Jr K.B. Falks from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, 6'2 Jr Buddy Hinton from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'5 Jr Brad King from Berea (Madison Southern) KY, 5'10 Jr Jacob Raymond from Hartford (Ohio County) KY, 6'6 Jr Ricky Redden from Franfort (H.S.) KY, and 5'10 Jr Maurice Sanders from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY.  The East Team will include 6'1 Jr C.J. Brewer from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, 6'2 Jr Keenon Burton from Louisville (Manual) KY, 6'2 Jr Demetrius Fuqua from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'3 Jr Gerrard Garrett from Louisville (Doss) KY, 5'10 Jr Michael Hall from Hi Hat (South Floyd) KY, 5'11 Jr Ryan Isam from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, 6'5 Jr Blake Powers from Brandenburg (Meade County) KY, 6'3 Jr Roman Ritchey from Hodgenville (La Rue County) KY, 5'9 Jr Brian Steele from Shepherdsville (North Bullitt) KY, 5'9 Jr Chad Stivers from Shepherdsville (Bullitt Central) KY, and 6'0 Jr Terrance Walker from Louisville (Iroquois) KY. Game #5 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature exclusively juniors, will tip-off at 4:00 PM.  The West Team will include 6'2 Jr Sean Booker from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'6 Jr David Cornwell from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'0 Jr Zach Grace from Tompkinsville (Monroe County) KY, 6'2 Jr Radford Graves from from Tompkinsville (Monroe County) KY, 6'4 Jr Bryan Miles from Louisville (DeSales) KY, 5'11 Jr Nathan Myrick from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 6'8 Jr Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 6'8 Jr Guy Ngarndi from Louisville (Western) KY, 6'2 Jr Matt Norris from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'3 Jr Trey Sharpe from Somerset (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Jr Armund Taylor from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, and 6'2 Jr Chris Wilson from Evarts (H.S.) KY.  The East Team will include 6'2 Jr Maurice Blakey from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'3 Jr Anthony Chism from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, 6'3 Jr Brandon Cummings from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, 6'6 Jr Marques Dawson from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 6'2 Jr Matt Endy from Louisville (Kentucky Country Day) KY, 5'11 Jr Jerome Givens from Versailles (Woodford County) KY, 6'0 Jr Pat Kelly from Louisville (St. Xavier) KY, 6'4 Jr Mark King from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 6'9 Jr Isaiah Mills from Corbin (H.S.) KY, 6'5 Jr Donte Sweat from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'1 Jr Carlos Williams from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, and 6'4 Jr Leroy Wilson from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY. Game #6 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature exclusively seniors, will tip-off at 5:30 PM.  The West Team will include 6'3 Ryan Atwell from Campbellsville (H.S.) KY, 6'3 Deandre Burnette from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Aaron Ferrell from Fulton (City) Ky, 5'6 Larry Fox from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, 5'11 Darryl Hunter from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'7 Paul Ladzik from Owensboro (Catholic) KY, 5'11 Brandon Oldham from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, 6'3 Adam Schott from Shepherdsville (North Bullitt) KY, 6'7 Jordan Sulker from Owensboro (H.S.) KY, 6'4 Jarius Sykes from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, and 6'2 Kevin Taylor from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY.  The East Team will include 6'6 Patrick Bugg from Harrodsburg (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Monte Calloway from Somerset (Pulaski Southwestern) KY, 6'4 Carroll Coffman from Madisonville (Hopkins County Central) KY, 5'10 Tee Commodore from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 6'1 Travis Foley from Crestwood (South Oldham) KY, 6'3 Kevin Hill from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'7 Matt Jarrett from Henderson (County) KY, 6'2 Early Jefferson from Louisville (Waggener) KY, 6'5 Jordan Mann from Somerset (H.S.) KY, 5'10 Robert Myrick from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 6'1 Marques Osborne from Louisville (Doss) KY, and 5'10 Jamie Roach from Louisville (Shawnee) KY. Game #7 of the Executive Inn All-Star Classic, which will feature exclusively seniors, will tip-off at 7:00 PM.  The West Team will include 6'3 John Berry from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'7 LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'2 Eric Davie from Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, 6'4 Demarko Foreman from Henderson (County) KY, 6'7 Brad Lightle from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'1 Johnny Mathis from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'3 Scott Reynolds from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'7 Daniel Russ from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 6'7 Todd Spencer from Shepherdsville (Bullitt Central) KY, 6'1 Rusty Tackett from Hi Hat (South Floyd) KY, and 6'7 Larry Williams from Louisville (Seneca) KY.  The East Squad will include 6'1 Petey Brown from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'0 David Bryant from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'9 Mohamed Camara from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'4 Robert Daniels from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, 6'1 Bobby Fuqua from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'6 Victor Gomez from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'3 Brandon Kirk from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, 6'5 Anthony Milan from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, 6'2 David Quero from Louisville (Beth Haven) KY, and 5'11 Quentin Smith from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY.  Unfortunately, due to NCAA rules, Division I college coaches can't attend either event. 

Wednesday, April 17, 2002

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Temple has lot out in the sweepstakes for 5'11 Roscoe Biggers from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.   Instead, Biggers has signed with Auburn.  The Tigers also signed another point guard last week in 6'0 Chris Lollar from Johnson County (JC) KS.   Neither Biggers or Lollar is the equivalent of a top 100 senior (Biggers is a 5th year player and Lollar is a junior college player), but both are good enough to help solve Auburn's point guard problems.  Remember, the Tigers should be as good as anybody in the league at the other four positions next year with Kyle Davis, Marco Killingsworth, Brandon Robinson, Derrick Bird, Dwayne Mitchell, Adam Harrington, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Steve Leven from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, plus Cliff Ellis is a heck of coach.   So don't be surprised if he puts all the pieces together and Auburn is one of the most improved teams in college basketball next season.  Previously we thought Biggers might walk-on at Temple and get a scholarship when one becomes available a year from now.   At least that's what Rubin told us might happen in late February.  Now the Owls coaching staff is trying to work-out the same type of arrangement with 6'1 Chris Gaither from Leitchfield (Grayson County) KY, who is ranked #13 in the state of Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP and was named to the Kentucky All-Star Team, which will play the Indiana All-Stars in the annual Kentucky-Indiana Series in June.   However, our guess is that Gaither will end up at Austin Peay, where he will join another talented guard the Governors stole recently in 6'2 Maurice Hampton from Russellville (H.S.) KY.  Rubin also tells us that New Hampshire has signed 6'4 Griffin Walker from Coffeyville (JC) KS and it appears that Arizona has landed 6'6 Chris Dunn from Hobbs (H.S.) NM.  Our guess is that Dunn, who is not very highly touted, but is a phenomenal athlete, will red-shirt next year, as the other three players - 6'3 Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR, 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'5 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL - in Arizona's recruiting class battle for playing time at both wing spots.   We also have confirmed that Fordham has signed three players - 6'8 Manny Messy from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Drew Williams from Australia, and 6'4 Jermaine Anderson from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON - to go along with 6'2 John Blackgrove from Winchendon (School) MA, who signed with the Rams last fall.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also tells us that Fordham assistant coach Shay Berry has been spending a lot of time in Poland, Finland, and Germany looking for a quality big man who can step in and make an immediate impact next year for the Rams.  We also believe that Duke is extremely close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, Deng is supposed to be in Durham, NC this week on an official visit to Duke and it wouldn't surprise us if a verbal commitment from Deng was forthcoming to the Blue Devils as soon as next week.   And that may get some of the other dominos to start falling.  Take 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, for example.  Humphries claims he is wide open, but all his father talks about is what great coaches Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams are, which leads us to believe Duke and Kansas are two of the favorites.  Well, if Deng commits to the Blue Devils next week and 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX also picks the Blue Devils this spring (Duke is believed to be Ebi's favorite school, but Arizona, Texas, and Louisville also are in the hunt), then Humphries may be out of luck, if he wants to go to Duke.  That's unless he makes up his mind soon.  Another school that appears to be in a similar position is the University of Louisville, which is one of the favorites for a number of the top players in the nation, including Ebi, Humphries, 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, 6'5 Jr Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'10 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA, 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'9 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'9 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, and 6'10 Nouha Diakite from Barton County (JC) KS.  If you're Rick Pitino, do you take Iti or Alleyne?  Alleyne checks in at 7'3, but Iti is more athletic and has an incredible upside.  And do you take whichever two players commit first out of the group that includes Butler, Powe, Ariza, Padgett, Outlaw, Diakite, Villanueva, and Taft or do you wait on Butler, Padgett, and Powe, where you have obvious connections?  Did you know that Marvin Stone's former AAU coach and Butler's AAU coach are one in the same in Mark Komara?  Speaking of Komara, our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that Butler has a lot of  respect for Komara and, as a result, Komara will have a lot of influence when it comes time for Butler to make a decision.  University of Louisville associate head coach Mick Cronin also has known Powe's high school coach for years via their association with adidas and Cronin is extremely close to Dana and David Pump, who run the Pump N Run Club Team program for which Padgett has played during the last several years.  However, we still don't believe the Cardinals can beat the University of Michigan for Harris and the University of Illinois for Brown.   Remember, it's almost impossible to beat these schools in their backyard, but Louisville is believed to be #2 on Harris' list and they are in the hunt, along with schools like Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, and Cincinnati, for Brown.  Actually we may find out fairly soon what's going to happen with Harris, because he's supposed to make a decision by the end of the month.  But when it's all said and done we think the Cardinals have a better shot at Jenkins, who, at 6'4, is a pure point guard.   Remember, the University of Michigan signed a great point guard in the current recruiting class in 6'1 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, so the Wolverines may have a hard time signing both Harris and Jenkins.  Insntead, we think Louisville and Pittsburgh, which landed Jenkins' teammate last week - 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI - are the co-favorite's for Jenkins.   Seemingly everybody seems to be in the hunt for Famutimi, but, if the Cardinals pull of the upset and get both Harris and Jenkins, then, it's not unrealistic to think Famutimi could become part of the package.  But if that happened, they would only be able to sign two inside players. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2002

Unless something unforeseen happens, like they can't come to terms on the contract, it appears to be a done deal with regards to Connecticut assistant coach Dave Leitao taking the DePaul job.  And the fans in Chicago, IL should be more than a little excited, because Leitao is one of the bright up-and-coming coaches in the game today.  He also is a heck of a recruiter, plus he was ranked as the #5 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP in February.  Speaking of those rankings, Leitao is the third assistant coach who was ranked among our top five assistants to get a head coaching jobs in a high major conferences this spring.  If you will   recall, Arizona's Jay John, who was ranked #1, got the Oregon State job last week, and Kansas' Neil Dougherty, who was ranked #2, got the Texas Christian job several weeks ago.  And, if that weren't enough, Florida's John Pelphrey, who was ranked #9, got the South Alabama job prior to the start of the NCAA Final Four; Oklahoma's Ray Lopes, who was ranked #24, got the Fresno State job right after the NCAA Final Four; Virginia's Tommy Herrion, who just missed making our list of the top 25 assistants, got the College of Charleston job last week; Arkansas' Mike Anderson, who was listed among the best of the rest assistants by the HOOP SCOOP, recently got the UAB job; and LSU's Kermit Davis, who wasn't on our list, but should have been, was hired over the weekend at Middle Tennessee State.  Obviously we are pleased, because these are some of the top up-and-coming people and they deserve an opportunity to move up the ladder.  As a matter of fact, we'd rather give a smart up-and-coming an assistant coach a chance to rebuild a program than to just recycle a proven head coach with name recognition.  By doing this an athletic director is taking a chance, but, if the guy he's hired can't get it done in two or three years, he can always be bought out a lot cheaper than a proven head coach.  A top level assistant coach, whose livelihood has depended to a large extent upon identifying and recruiting the top high school players in the nation, also is probably going to bring in better talent than already was in the program prior to when he arrived.  So, if you find out he (the former assistant) can't coach, at least you'll probably have better players in the program, when you buy him out and bring in somebody who you know can coach.  However, our guess is that none of these guys is going to get fired anytime soon.  Instead, the biggest problem that Oregon State, TCU, DePaul, Fresno State, South Alabama, UAB, the College of Charleston, and Middle Tennessee are going to have is keeping these guys over the long term.  In other words, we didn't rank these guys among the best in the business for nothing.  With so much movement in the assistant coaching ranks this spring, it is time to look at who has moved up on our list.  As things stand now, ranked #1 is Louisville's Mick Cronin, #2 is Auburn's Mike Wilson, #3 is Ohio State's Paul Biancardi, #4 is Villanova's Fred Hill, #5 is USC's Kurtis Townsend, #6 is Duke's Johnny Dawkins, #7 is Memphis' Steve Roccaforte, #8 is Missouri's Tony Harvey, #9 is Michigan State's Brian Gregory, #10 is Illinois' Norm Roberts, #11 is Duke's Steve Wojciechowski, #12 is Oregon's Scott Duncan, #13 is Florida's Anthony Grant, #14 is Alabama's Orlando Early, #15 is Stanford's Tony Fuller, #16 is Joe Dooley, who was at New Mexico, but who currently is looking for a job; #17 is Syracuse's Troy Weaver, #18 is Cincinnati's Andy Kennedy, #19 is Oklahoma State's Sean Sutton, and #20 is LSU's Butch Pierre.  All of these guys do an outstanding job, but they had better not take their positions for granted, because Illinois' Billy Gillespie, UNLV's Derek Thomas, N.C. State's Larry Harris, Michigan's Charles Ramsay, Arizona State's Tony Benford, Tennessee's Kerry Keating, Syracuse's Mike Hopkins, South Florida's Dave Zimroth, San Diego State's Brian Dutcher, Texas' Brian Cousins, UCLA's Jim Saia, Colorado's Larry Gay, Louisville's Vince Taylor, UTEP's Silvy Dominguez et al. are not only quickly moving up on the list, but also have great futures down the road as Division I head coaches.  We also are keeping an eye on what the shoe companies (NIKE and adidas) are planning to do with regards to all the hurdles and red tape the NCAA is planning on putting AAU coaches and events through this summer.  The word on the street is they (NIKE and adidas) both may say to hell with the NCAA and not fill out any of the paper work, which is necessary for college coaches to attend their events in July.  It is our editorial position that the NCAA is way out in left field with all the new rules they've adopted governing what college coaches can and can't do in terms of recruiting and, as a result, it would be good for the game if this happened.  Maybe this would be the wake-up call the NCAA needs, if it doesn't want college basketball to end up like track in the 50's and 60's.  In any case, you can bet there will be a lot of furious coaches, if they couldn't attend events like, the NIKE All-American Camp, the adidas ABDC Camp, the adidas Big Time Tournament, and the adidas Three Striples Classic, and the NIKE Peach Jam.  As a matter of fact, the fall-out from something like this might be enough to finally get to the top schools in Division I to bolt from the NCAA altogether and form their own organization.  What you do think are the chances of this happening?  Tell us by answering today's "Question of the Day."

Those people who voted for Adams Chiles as the most likely player to leave the University of Kentucky program this spring in our "Question of the Day" from Friday, April 12th, win the satisfaction of knowing they were correct.  Actually it happened earlier today when Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith told Chiles that he was being released from his scholarship and, without going into details, what happened next was not a pretty sight.  It also comes an no surprise that the meeting that was supposed to follow between Smith and Jason Parker was cancelled.  However, if that meeting had taken place, it's anybody's guess whether Parker would have been next to go.  Remember, Parker is already rumored to be on the verge of flunking out of school and Smith may be in the process of cleaning house.  We also know that Rashaad Carruth is probably going to transfer to Memphis, but his list also includes St. John's, Georgia Tech, California, Kansas State, Florida State, UCLA, Michigan, and Miami-FL.  But our guess is that Carruth plans to stick around long enough to see if Smith takes a NBA job this spring.  In other words, Carruth would be a fool to leave, if Kentucky hired somebody like Billy Donovan, who would give him the green light to fire at will from beyond the arc, as well as more playing time.  We also wouldn't be surprised to see Keith Bogans and Gerald Fitch both leave, but in terms of chemistry and becoming more enjoyable to watch, the program might be better off.  Sure, the Wildcats wouldn't be as deep as they've been the last several years, but, with Cliff Hawkins and Brandon Stockton at point guard, 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL at the 2-guard spot, 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK at the three spot, Chuck Hayes at power forward, Marquis Estill at center, Jules Camara backing up both forward spots and the center position, and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal, QU, Josh Carrier, Erik Daniels, and Matt Heissenbuttel as role players, there still would be enough talent to go deep into NCAA Tournament next year.  As a matter of fact, Smith got to the NCAA Sweet 16 when he was at Tulsa with a lot less.  What do you think?  Would Kentucky be a better team next year without Bogans, Parker, Carruth, Fitch, and Chiles?  Tell us by answering tomorrow's "Question of the Day".  Allen Rubin tells us that Penn State has gotten a second early commitment from 6'10 Jr John Kelly from Wayne (DePaul) NJ.  If you will recall, the Nittany Lions also got a commitment several months ago from 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Quincy Davis from Mobile (McGill-Toolen) AL has signed with Tulane.  We're talking about an excellent shot blocker with athleticism, long arms, and lots of natural talent and potential.  However, most big time schools didn't recruit him, because they didn't think he was going to make it academically.  But Davis surprised everybody and the Green Wave stole him.  Texas A&M has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'2 Kevin Turner from Fullerton (JC) CA and 6'1 Leandro Garcia-Morales from Miami-Dade (JC) FL.  This moves the Aggies recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, 6'8 Luis Clemente from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'4 Marcus Watkins from College Station (Consolidated) TX, into a tie at #25 nationally, along with Xavier, on our list of Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Hawaii just misses our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date after signing 5'9 John Carter from Barton County (JC) KS and 6'10 Dane Dmitrovic from Slovenia, but that should change soon, because the Rainbows also are expected to get 6'7 Emigijus Lukosius from Weatherford (JC) TX.  And all three should be immediate impact players for Hawaii head coach Riley Wallace, who will be attempting to get into the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive time next March.  Lukosius was named a second team National Junior College All-American, Dmitrovic is the starting power forward on the Slovenian Junior National Team, and Carter was one of the better point guards in the junior college ranks last year.  It's finally official for 6'9 Lamont Hamilton from Milford (Academy) CT, who is ranked #52 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, we've been telling you that Hamilton was a done deal for St. John's ever since we saw him February at the National Prep School Invitational Tournament and he's exactly what the doctor ordered (an impact player inside) for Red Storm head coach Mike Jarvis.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-Eye Report tells us that nothing official has happened yet with regards to DePaul hiring University of Connecticut assistant coach Dave Leitao.  However, Schmidt does confirm that Illinois State has landed 6'5 Chris Burris from Chicago (Leo) IL and Southern Illinois has signed 6'1 Tony Young from Schaumburg (H.S.) IL.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that it is finally official for 6'0 Patrick Hadden from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, who has picked Pennsylvania over Princeton, Yale, Cal Poly-San Luis-Obispo, Loyola-Marymount, Hawaii, and San Francisco.

Monday, April 15, 2002

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Charlie Villaneuva from Blairstown (Academy) NJ was the best player at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament at Villanova University this weekend and that is especially fitting, because the Wildcats appear to be the top school on his list.  Villaneuva made 3-point shots, slashed to the basket immanent grace, rebounded well, and was consistent in every game.  But Villaneuva didn't take home tournament MVP honors, because his team was upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Fairfax Stars, which lost to the eventual champion (the World Wide Renegades) in the championship of one of the two open divisions.  Challenging Villaneuva for top player honors were 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shuker from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA and 6'4 Jr Michael Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA.  Shuker, who is clearly the second best point guard in the junior class nationally behind 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, is an athletic point guard with size and the ability to penetrate, dish, or pull-up.  However, what he does best is set the table.  Jones, who is ranked #18 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete who plays with intelligence and lights it up from outside.  Other top juniors in the tournament ranked in order based on performance by Rubin and Dave Schultz were 6'5 Jr Ricky Lucas from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'3 Jr Louie McCloskey from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'7 Jr Regis Koundia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Jr Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NY, 6'1 Jr Anthony Harris from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'10 Jr Konimva Diarra from Centereach (Our Savior New America) NY, 6'3 Jr Nick Grant from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, 6'2 Jr Jamal Warren from Holyock (H.S.) MA, 6'8 Jr Dewayne Curtis from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'7 Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New America) NY, 6'2 Jr Ray Barbosa from Allentown (Allen) PA, 6'0 Jr Mark Daniels from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'1 Jr Darrell Blackman from Williamsport (H.S.) PA, 6'7 Jr Tavon Nelson from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'5 Jr Troy Roundtree from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 6'11 Jr Aaron Gray from Emmaus (H.S.) PA, 6'5 Jr Robert Taylor from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, 6'8 Jr James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, 6'7 Jr Phillip Hawley from Burgettstown (Tri-State Christian) WV, 6'6 Jr Rob Hines from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 6'0 Jr Maurice Madden from Ft. Washington (Upper Dublin) PA.  The top sophomores in the tournament ranked in order based on performance by Rubin and Schultz were 6'8 Soph Juan Deigo Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New America) NY, 5'9 Soph Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 6'7 Soph DeSean White from Philadelphia (Cardinal Daugherty) PA, 6'6 Soph Shawn Livingston from Peoria (Woodruff) IL, 6'8 Soph Bass Bieng from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Daugherty) PA, 6'4 Soph John Luckey from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 6'4 Soph Dave McClure from Sanford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'0 Soph Sean Fingletary from Pennsburg (Perkiomen Prep) PA, 6'3 Soph David Whitehurst from Tinton Falls (Monmouth Regional) NJ, 6'7 Soph Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'4 Soph Anthony Stowe from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'1 Soph Antoine Brown from Philadelphia (Southern) PA, 6'0 Soph Taurean Green from Ft. Lauderdale (Westminister Academy) FL, 6'6 Soph Derrick Simmons from Lake Wales (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Soph Darnell Harris from Baltimore (St. Francis) MD, 5'10 Soph Jordan Brown from Baltimore (Woodlawn) MD, 6'1 Soph DeShawn Williams from Baltimore (Southern) MD, 6'4 Soph Darryl Proctor from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, 6'5 Soph Brett Johnson from Medford (Shawnee) NJ, 6'4 Soph Nate Fry from York (Northeastern) PA, 6'2 Soph Kyree Brown from Philadelphia (Dobbins Tech) PA, 6'1 Soph Al Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Soph Alvin Lewis from Concord (Tilton) NH, 5'7 Soph Somari Moore from Memphis (Melrose) TN, and 6'2 Soph Devon Moffatt from Clifton (H.S.) NJ.   The only freshman who really stood was 6'4 Frosh Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ.  The top seniors in the tournament ranked in order by Rubin and Schultz were 6'7 David Bell from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Maurice Collins from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, who recently committed to Temple, 6'4 J.R. Pinock from McDonough (Eagle Landing) GA, 6'9 Josh Boone from Sykeville (South Carroll) MD, 6'4 Mike Cook from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'5 Amadou Fall from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, 6'7 Chaz Crawford from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 5'11 Roscoe Biggers from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Myheem Shiggs from Newark (Westside) NJ, 6'2 Winton Hinds from East Orange (Essex Catholic) NJ, 6'5 Dahliek Powell from Philadelphia (Roxborough) PA, 6'4 Terrance Davis from Scotland (H.S.) PA.  As for the results, the Baltimore Bombers beat Philadelphia MJC, 71-65, and Philadelphia Positive Image beat the South Jersey Rising Stars, 73-69, in the two 16-Under Divisions and the World Wide Reneges beat the Fairfax Stars, 57-48, and the New York Minutemen Press beat Raleigh's Finest Ruffrats, 65-62, in the two open divisions. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has an impeccable source that tells him that 6'2 Dajuan Wagner will enter his name into the NBA Draft.  To most this is hardly news, because it's something that everybody has assumed for months.  However, nobody else has gone on record saying that it is 100% done.  So when it happens, remember where you heard it first!  Speaking of Wagner going pro, NBAdraft.net has Wagner going third in the draft behind 7'5 Yao Ming from China and Duke's Jason Williams and ahead of 6'6 Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS and Kansas' Drew Gooden.   We also have confirmed that Cincinnati has beaten out Auburn, Oklahoma State, and Charlotte for 6'8 Kareem Johnson from Chipola (JC) FL.  Johnson isn't a great player, like several of the other players the Bearcats have landed in this recruiting class, including 6'3 Tony Bobbitt from Southern Idaho (JC) ID and 6'6 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC.  However, he does provide the Bearcats with the physical specimen inside that they need to replace Donald Little.  He also moves Cincinnati's recruiting class, which already features Bobbitt, Hicks, 6'2 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (H.S.) VA, and 6'7 Armein Kirkland from Tyler (H.S.) TX, into a tie at #7, along with Michigan State and Illinois, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  And the Bearcats are already off to the races in terms of recruiting some of the top juniors in the nation, including 6'4 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 5'11 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'7 Corey Gibbs from Atlanta (Pace) GA, and 6'11 Shawn Taylor from Vienna (Dooley County) GA.  It also comes as no surprise that Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton has signed two of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally in 6'7 Vincent Callier from Grove City (George Junior Republic) PA and 6'8 Al Thornton from Perry (H.S.) GA.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Arkansas has landed its first recruit under the new regime in 6'9 Kendrick Davis from Sugar Land (H.S.) TX.  However, the real steal is Arkansas State getting 5'10 Antonio Rambo from Southwestern Illinois (JC) IL.  If you will recall, Rambo was ranked #8 among point guards by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Donald Wilson from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA and 5'8 Eugene Jeter from Gardena (Serra) CA have both followed former UCLA assistant coach Mike Holton to the University of Portland.   Wilson, who has been ranked as high as #62 nationally in the senior class by ESPN.com, is a big time athlete with tremendous versatility (19.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, and 1.2 spg).  Jeter not only averaged 10.1 apg last season, but he has the athleticism, leadership, and savvy necessary to step in and run the show right away.   Portland also landed a pair of junior college players - 6'9 Andreas Gahlmann from Fullerton (JC) CA via Zurich, Switzerland and 6'7 Dustin Geddis from Phoenix (JC) AZ last fall, which means that Holton has brought in nine new players since taking over the job a year ago.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tell us that 6'4 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA has become the first big-time player in the junior class from Southern California to make an early commitment.  That's right!  Washington has picked the University of California and, as a result, four players - 60 Jr Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, 6'8 Jr Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN, Washington, and 6'11 Jr Stefan Zimmerman from Oren (Mountain View) UT - who rankd among our top 30 nationally in the Class of 2003 are already verbally committed.  This also may give the Golden Bears an edge in the sweepstakes for 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who has Pac-10 schools, like USC, Stanford, Arizona, and California, and Ivy League schools, like Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Yale, at the top of his list.  Our Florida Editor John Atkins called last night with tragic news about his son, Matt Atkins, who was abducted, robbed, and killed last Thursday.  Obviously everybody in the basketball world will be deeply saddened to hear this news, because Matt Atkins was not only one of the good guys, but he was one of us (somebody who loved the game, loved working kids, and helping those who needed a helping hand).  Atkins also was instrumental in helping his father build the Tallahassee Wildcats into one of the fastest rising club team programs in the nation, as well as the best AAU team in the state of Florida.  John Atkins told us that at first he thought he didn't have the heart to continue on with the Tallahassee Wildcats, but now he knows that continuing on with the program is something his son would have wanted him do.  Matt Atkins was only 20-years-old, but he married early and as a result, leaves behind a wife and two kids.   The funeral will be tomorrow.   However, whenever we see the Tallahassee Wildcats play in the fiture, we'll always think of Matt. 

Saturday, April 13, 2002, and Sunday, April 14, 2002

Ever since Thursday morning when we left for the Jordan Brand Capital Classic in Washington, DC, it seems like all hell has broken loose in terms of signings and commitments and only now are we catching up.  Let's start with the two players - 6'3 Jerikus Singleton from Clinton (H.S.) MS and 6'4 Jason Forte from Bay Springs (H.S.) MS - that our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us have signed with Southern Mississippi.  This is important, because it means the Golden Eagles have landed three of the top four seniors in the state.   If you will recall, Southern Miss also landed 6'5 Sammy Richardson from Utica (Hinds) MS last fall.  And the fourth player is 6'9 Byron Sanders from Gulfport (Harrison Central) MS and Johnson confirms that he has, as expected, signed with North Carolina, which is the school he committed to in January.  We also have confirmed that 5'11 Ricky Clemons from Southern Idaho (JC) ID has signed with Missouri.  No surprise here!  As a matter of fact, we told you it was going to happen a day in advance.  We also expected 6'5 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL to pick Arizona over Kansas.  Well, it happened yesterday (Saturday).  This gives the Wildcats three outstanding wing players to go with everybody who is coming back.  Did you know the Wildcats didn't have one senior on the roster this year?  In other words, if 5'10 Jason Gardner doesn't enter his name into the NBA Draft, the Wildcats may be the team to beat in college basketball next year.  This also is important, because it moves Arizona's recruiting class up from #36 to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We also understand that Clemson has added another player in 6'7 Lamar Rice from Mott (JC) MI.  The word is that Rice is a versatile athlete who can play three different positions (2-guard, wing forward, and power forward).  He joins 6'5 Julian Betko from Sharon (H.S.) PA, who committed to the Tigers early this spring, and 6'9 Akin Akingbala from Greenwich (Brunswick School) CT, and 6'3 Shawan Robinson from Raleigh (Leeville Road) NC, both of whom signed with the Tigers last fall, to give Clemson a recruiting class that is ranked #45 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date, as well as a great supporting cast to go along with all the good young players, like Sharrod Ford, Chey Christie, and Steve Allen, already in the program.  Auburn has landed the point guard they were looking for in 6'0 Chris Lollar from Johnson County (JC) KS, South Carolina has gotten a prolific scoring 2-guard in 6'4 Tim Pickett from Indian River (JC) FL, and 6'3 Lamar Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX has reneged on Baylor.  Instead, it appears that Hurd may be heading to Northwestern and, if this happens, head coach Bill Carmody should be thrilled.  We're not only talking about a point guard with athleticism and size, but also a player with the talent and skills to be ranked among our top 100 nationally.   Hurd also has a huge upside, which means he may have NBA potential down the road.  Appalachian State has landed 6'6 Oliver Holmes from Wilmington (Hoggard) NC and 6'7 Chad Mohn from Fayetteville (Pine Forest) NC, N.C. State has signed 6'3 Dominic Mejia from Voorhees (Eastern Regional) NJ, and Maryland has finally landed 6'9 Jamar Smith from Allegany (JC) MD.   If you will recall, we've been expecting this to happen for several months.  Smith's commitment also is significant, because it gives the Terrapins the quick fix they'll need inside, if 6'10 Chris Wilcox decides to enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  It also means Maryland's recruiting class will move into a tie at #3, along with North Carolina, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Also making a significant jump on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date is Oklahoma State, which has signed 6'2 Janovey Weatherspoon from Odessa (JC) TX, 6'9 Mory Correa from Pratt County (JC) KS, and 6'3 Tony Allen from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, all of whom are ranked among the top junior college players in the nation.  When added to the two players they got last fall - 6'0 Julian Richardson from Miami (Pace) FL and 6'1 Ross Derogtias from Mansfield (H.S.) TX, who will be a walk-on, the Cowboys recruiting class suddenly jumps up to #9.  And they aren't done yet according to Greg Swaim of www.gregswaim.com.  That's right!   Oklahoma State is still very much in the hunt for 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  As a matter of fact, he's supposed to visit Stillwater, OK during the next several days.  Lamptey also was in Norman, OK visiting the University of Oklahoma over the weekend, plus he still has Georgia, Connecticut, and Kentucky on his list.  Speaking of Kentucky, they still have another scholarship to offer and, if the local schools don't get this one done in a hurry, the Wildcats could become one of the favorites.  Remember, Kentucky is tough to beat when they get a kid on campus.  But let's assume for right now that Lamptey signs with Oklahoma State.  That would move their recruiting class up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  However, if the Cowboys have to go to plan "B," which would be to take 6'3 Keion Kindred from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who is ranked #159 nationally by Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports, their recruiting class would still move up to #6.  A commitment by Lamptey could also have a dramatic impact on Kentucky's class, which would move up from #17 into a tie with Illinois and Michigan State at #7; Oklahoma's class, which would move up from #37 into a tie at #19, along with Syracuse; Connecticut's class, which would move up from #28 to #12; or Georgia's class, which would move up from #30 to #13.  It also appears that 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK is exactly what the doctor ordered for the University of Kentucky, which could lose as many as six players, if all the rumors about transferring, flunking out, or going pro materialize.  We're talking about Keith Bogans, Rashaad Carruth, Jason Parker, Adam Chiles, Josh Carrier, and/or Gerald Fitch.  If they all leave, that would leave the Wildcats with Cliff Hawkins and Brandon Stockton at point guard, 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL at the 2-guard spot, Azubuike at the three spot, Chuck Hayes at power forward, Marquis Estill at center, Jules Camara backing up both the power forward and center spots, and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal, QU, Erik Daniels, and Matt Heissenbuttel as role players.  While they may be lacking the depth the Wildcats have had in recent years, the chemistry could be a lot better.  Providing even further depth might be 6'0 Preston LeMaster from Paris (Bourbon County) KY, who is considering walking on at Kentucky.  If you will recall, LaMaster's father was an All-American at the University of Kentucky in the 60's.   Speaking of LeMaster, he was one of 13 players named to play in the Kentucky-Indiana All-Star Game following try-outs this weekend.  The others were 5'8 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, 6'8 Maurice Surguski from Ashland (Paul Blazer) KY, 6'7 Lamar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'8 Mohamed Camara from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'5 Donte Smith from Buckner (Oldham County) KY, 6'5 Orlando Hill from Paducah (Tilghman) KY, 6'5 Brian Silverhorn from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, 6'2 Maurice Hampton from Russellville (H.S.) KY, 6'0 Preston LeMaster from Paris (Bourbon County) KY, 5'10 Johnny Mathies from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'1 Chris Gaither from Leitchfield (Grayson County) KY, 6'3 Raui Moss from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, and 6'3 Butch Jointer from Nicholasville (East Jessamine) KY.  Stockton also was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Kentucky. 

Despite the fact the score was extremely lopsided (the White Team beat the Purple Team, 149-120, in the Derby Classic All-Star Game last night at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY), University of Kentucky fans had to have been pleased with the performances by two of their recruits - 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK and 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY.  Azubuike, who was unstoppable as he used his incredible athleticism and terrific moves to slash to the basket, scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and hit 11-16 field goals en route to MVP honors for his team.  Obviously this doesn't mean Azubuike has any business thinking about entering his name into the NBA Draft, which is something his father has talking about doing, but we do think he needs to move up some in our rankings.   Currently Azubuike ranked #62 nationally in the senior class, but when we update our ranking of the top seniors, which should happen within the next week, he will be in the 20-40 range nationally.  We also were impressed by Stockton, who helped set the tone early, as he did most of his damage when the game was on the line (the White led by two at the end of the first quarter and by 10 at half-time).  Stockton finished with 17 points, three assists, and five steals, but we were especially impressed by his ability to penetrate and score or dish.  Also playing well for the winning White Team were 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'5 Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, and 6'8 Mario Boggan from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Boggan, who scored 18 of 24 points in the second half, hit 10-14 field goals, grabbed 13 rebounds, and had some moves in his repertoire that reminded us of Zach Randolph in this game two years ago.  And just like Randolph, Boggan's mobility for a guy his size defies belief, plus he seems to get all the roles, because he has soft hands and almost always gets the right angle when making his move the basket.  Modica, who is another world-class athlete, scored most of his 25 points in transition.  As a matter of fact, if you take away his 1-5 3-point shooting, Modica was almost perfect from the field, as he hit 12-19 field goals.  Williams was both the games's leading scorer with 26 points and the leading rebounder with 15 boards, but he's going to Duke, not Kentucky.  So obviously he got the shaft when it came to the MVP voting for his team.  However, Williams resembled the player we saw last summer enough to move him back into our top 10 nationally.   Remember, we saw Williams play five or six times during the winter and he was a major disappointment.  Williams was also had three blocks and three steals, but what impressed us the most were his athleticism and effectiveness in transition.  In other words, several players in Duke's recruiting class may be overrated, but there is no question our mind that this guy is not one of them.  The five players we mentioned above were all terrific, but the best player in the game played for the losing team Purple Team.  No, we're not talking about 6'8 Yusuf Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, who scored the first six points of the game for this team, but then was sidelined the rest of the game with an injury.  Instead, we're talking about 6'6 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, who finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks en route to MVP honors for his team.  Hicks, who is an incredible athlete and intense competitor, is the prototypical undersized power player that Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins had been so successful with over the years.  And the fact that Hicks was the runaway winner of the Slam Dunk Contest is just icing the cake.  We're talking about one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally (previously he wasn't listed among our top 100, but when we finalize our updated rankings, he will be list among our top 30 seniors), as well as an ideal complement to 6'8 Jason Maxiell, who was one of the top freshmen in the nation last year while playing for the Bearcats.  With two power forces like this inside, it's not surprising that Huggins turned down West Virginia earlier this spring.  Also playing well for the Purple Squad were 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Almany Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD.   Dean finished with 21 points, plus he won the 3-point shooting contest and finished second the dunking contest.  Thiero was one of the leading scorers and rebounders in the game with 17 points and 12 boards.  The outside shot wasn't going down for Strickland, but he finished with 11 points, three assists, and had one of the top plays in the game when he made a powerful move to the basket for an impressive dunk.  Also showing flashes were 6'10 Ike Diogu from Garland (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'3 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX.   Diogu, who is so long and athletic that he's impossible to stop when he gets it inside, finished with 11 points and five rebounds.  Winchester, who is a steal for Western Kentucky, impressed us with his outside shooting and ballhandling, as he scored 14 points, including 2-3 3-pointers.  Garcia made things happen in the open court (four steals) and was perhaps too unselfish, but that didn't show up in the box score, as he finished with only six points, three rebounds, and two assists.  Williams scored only 6 points, but he did have seven assists and three steals.  The other two players - 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI and 6'7 Daryl Pegram from Worcester (Academy) MA - for the Purple Team both had a tough night, as they shot a combined 2-11 from the field and scored only two points apiece.  Getting back to the White Team, 6'3 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV was the unsung hero of the game, as he finished with 12 points, including 5-8 field goals, seven rebounds, four steals, and eight assists.  The biggest disappointment of the game was 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, who finished with five points, including 1-6 field goals, one rebound, one assist, and two turnovers in 21 minutes.  Also having a tough night were 6'5 Dan Grunfeld from Glendale (Nicolet) WI, who hit only 1-12 field goals and also lost out in the 3-point shooting contest (he was one of the finalists from the previous evening) and 6'8 Chuck Davis from Selma (Southside) AL, who hit only 1-7 field goals en route to a five-point effort.  Last, but not least, is 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, who finished with six points and seven rebounds, which isn't great, but it was better than expected.  Although the talent level in the Derby Classic didn't come close to matching the talent level in the other three all-star games (the EA Sports Roundball Classic, McDonald's All-American Game, and Jordan Brand Capital Classic) that we've attended during the last two-and-a-half weeks, it was the most enjoyable to watch.  Not only the game close throughout most the first half, but the players on both teams were unselfish, at least as far as all-star games go.  Speaking of the other all-star games, I've gotten a lot of feedback from people who thought I was too critical of the EA Sports Roundball Classic.   But I stand by what I've written, because from my perspective, it really was an ugly game.  However, from the perspective of Sonny and Pam Vaccaro, it was a smashing success.  Not only did it turnout to be a great experience for most of the players, but some of the alumni from previous games, like Tracy McGrady, Mike Miller, Eddy Curry, Kwame Brown, Eddie Griffin, DeShawn Stevenson, Jalen Rose, Gerald Wallace, and Jermaine O'Neal, donated in the range of  $3,000-$10,000 each to by tickets for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, IL so that inner city kids could attend the game.   Not only is this a great gesture, but it is important to point out, because all too often professional athletes forget where they came from and don't give nearly enough back to the game.  Obviously all the players mentioned above (and several others) should be appalled for being excellent role good models.  However, one player - 6'10 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA - is a lousy role model.  He's the guy who committed to play in the Derby Classic, but failed to show without giving any prior notice.  And that brings us to our "Question of the Day" for Saturday, April 13th.  Why do you think Johnson failed to show up to play in the Derby Classic?  Not only tell us what you think, but also use this opportunity to send a message to future players about the importance of making a commitment and keeping your word.

Friday, April 12, 2002

The next time a player reneges on his commitment to Dan Dakich, he'll have a better understanding how the people at West Virginia University must feel right now.  If you will recall, a week ago Dakich, who was and apparently still is the head coach at Bowling Green, became the head coach West Virginia.  However, it was made public that he has changed his mind.   Apparently Dakich didn't like the shape he found the Mountaineers program, plus he was blindsided by the fact there is a potential NCAA infraction that involves current West Virginia player Jonathan Hargett and his association with an agent prior to signing with the Mountaineers a-year-and-a-half ago.  So suddenly the search for a head basketball coach at West Virginia begins again and the first name we've heard mentioned was, you guess it, Univesity of Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins.   It also appears that DePaul is having a hard time keeping people interested in the job, much less filling the job.  The latest group to take their names out of the running for DePaul, includes Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, and UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright.  In othe words, the Blue Demons appear to be down to three assistant coaches (Michigan State's Brian Gregory, Connecticut's Dave Leitao, and DePaul's Tracy Dildy).  Our choice would be Leitao, because he's previously had Division I head coaching experience at Northeastern, he's played a pivotal role in the Huskies success in recent years, and he's black, which should be a big plus when recruiting players from the Chicago Public League.  Our Michigan Editor Steve Bell tells us that the University of Pittsburgh has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI and he also thinks that an early commitment from 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI to the Panthers may not be too far behind.   However, don't write it down just yet, as beating out Louisville and Michigan for Jenkins' services may not be that easy a task.  Bell also tells us that Saint Louis or DePaul could be the team to beat for both 6'7 Jr Ije Nwankow from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI and 6'1 Jr Curtis Gilmore from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, who are ranked #9 and #14, respectivley, in Michigan's loaded junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, if Gregory gets either job.   Remember, the Spartans own Michigan right now and one of the big reasons is the great job both Gregory and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo have done recruiting in their backyard in recent years.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK has signed with the University of Kentucky and, despite previous reports, Josh Carrier has gone on record saying that he has no plans to transfer to another school.  However, the word on the street is that Jason Parker is on the verge of flunking out, Keith Bogans will likely enter his name into the NBA Draft, Adams Chiles appears to be already gone, Rashaad Carruth will likely transfer to Memphis, and Gerald Fitch may transfer to a school closer to home (i.e. Clemson).  When you also take into account that the rumors just won't go away with regards to Tubby Smith taking a NBA job and the strength and conditioning of the Kentucky players has fallen off dramatically since the days of Rick Pitino, then you have a pretty good list of who might not be at Kentucky next year.  What do you think?  Tell us by answering today's "Question Of The Day".  We also have confirmed that Maryland has finally landed 6'9 Jamar Smith from Allegany (JC) MD and we have gotten unconfirmed reports with regards to 6'0 Chris Lollar from Johnson County (JC) KS signing with Auburn, 6'6 Vincent Callier from Grove City (George Jr. Republic) PA picking Florida State, and 6'7 Jr Reyshawn Terry from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC being on the verge of making an early commitment to North Carolina.  It also appears that 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (Blount) AL has asked for and been given his release by the University of California.  That means Winston will only have to sit out one-year, instead of two-years, which would have been the case if California hadn't released him.  Alabama, which went right down the wire with the Golden Bears for Winston last fall, has to be the favorite, but don't count out John Pelphrey and South Alabama!  Also reneging on his commitment to Rutgers is 6'4 Dominic Mejia from Voorhees (Eastern Regional) NJ.  And Mejia can get out of it, because he never signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent with the Scarlet Knights.  Instead, it appears that Mejia is bound for N.C. State.

The White All-Stars jumped out to a 10-0 lead early, led 83-51 at half-time, and coasted to a 167-121 victory last night in the National Game of the Jordan Brand Capital Classic at the MCI Center in Washington, DC.   However, the best player in the game was 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who finished with 27 points, four rebounds, and four assists for the losing Red Team.  You simply can't stop Anthony, as he uses his size, athleticism, explosiveness, skills, and ability to get his shot just about whatever he wants.  As a result, there is no question our mind that he is the best high school senior in the nation.  But none of our competition has caught on yet, as, believe it or not, we're the only publication or scouting service that has ranked Anthony #1 to-date.  And we've done so for the last eight months (since he led Baltimore Select to the final four of the adidas Big Time Tournament last July).  The co-MVP's for the winning White Team were 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, who finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL with 23 points, 17 rebounds, six assists, and three steals.  Not only is May in much better shape than he was last summer, but he was aggressive on the boards, scored around the basket, and even was 3-4 from beyond the arc.  So obviously he's a lot closer to being the player we had ranked #6 nationally as a rising junior than the overweight and out-of-shape guy we had ranked #35 (based more on potential) in our post-summer rankings last August.  Stoudemire, who has been a disappointment the last several times we've seen him, finally stepped up and played like he did last summer at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he was clearly the best player in camp.  Also finally convincing us that he belongs among the top five or 10 seniors in the class is 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH and thought 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD redeemed himself, after a mediocre performance last week in the McDonald's All-American Game.  McCants, who also deserved serious consideration for MVP honors in the McDonald's All-American Game, hit an impressive 10-13 field goals, including 3-5 3-pointers, en route to 23 points.  Garrison scored 16 points and hit 7-14 field goals while playing mostly inside.  However, don't be surprised when Garrison, who also has the speed and quickness, ball handling skills, and 3-point shooting range to beat you on the perimeter, makes an immediate impact next year as a wing forward at the University of Maryland.   The unsung hero in the game was 6'2 Jarrett Jack from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who has tremendous natural talent, but whose forte is running the show and making those around him better.  And knowing Howard Garfinkel, who helps select the players for the Capital Classic, the legendary Five-Star Camp director will probably tell us Jack was secret to the White All-Stars' success.   Jack had 12 points, eight rebounds, eight assits, and hit 5-8 field goals, including 2-3 3-pointers.  We also have to give 6'7 Evans Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA his due, as he scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.   And as long as we're talking about this world-class athlete who is best in a wide-open unstructured game like this, the word out of Southern California is that Burns has made the necessary test score to be eligible next year at UCLA.  Also finishing in double-digits for the White Team were 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA with 15 points, 6'5 Denham Brown from Toronto (West Hill) ON with 12 points, and 6'2 Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA with 11 points.  However, all three were in the 8-12 range, along with 6'2 Justin Gray from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and and 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, both of whom are finished with 17 points apiece, in terms of how we would rank the players in the game.  Azubuike also had nine rebounds, but he did most of his damage in transition and slashing to the basket, instead of out on the perimeter, where we continue to question whether he can do more than hit a stationary jump shot.  Of these five (Gilchrist, Brown, Horner, Gray, and Azubuike), Gray was the player we liked the best, as he displayed good ball handling skills, excellent court awareness, and the ability to shoot the lights out (5-8 3-pointers).  In other words, Gray is a lot better than we originally thought and, as a result, is a steal for Wake Forest.  The other three players - 6'5 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (Blount) AL, and 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL - proved to be a bust for the White Team.  However, Thompson had the flu and Winston also was injured, as he played only a minute and failed to score.  Iguodala, on the other hand, had no excuses, as he simply failed to live up to the hype.  Sure, he may be a lottery pick someday, based on his incredible athleticism, but six points and five rebounds proves the point about his inconsistency and he never even looked for an outside shot.  Also not living up to the hype for the Red Team were 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC with six points and one rebound; 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA with seven points, including 1-5 3-pointers; 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with nine points, including 1-5 3-pointers; 6'4 Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO with eight points, including 1-6 3-pointers; 6'10 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA with two points, three rebounds 1-5 field goals; 6'3 Bracey Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX with four points, including 0-3 3-pointers; 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL five points and four rebounds; 6'4 Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR with eight points; and 6'7 Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA two points and seven rebounds.  And that was the biggest difference in the game, as this group collectively hit only 25-63 field goals and only 6-29 from beyond the arc.  In other words, it would have been a lot worse if Anthony, Gray, and Azubuike hadn't combined for 21-45 field goals and 7-13 3-pointers.  In contrast, the White Team hit 68-117 (58.1%) from the field and 16-25 (64%) from 3-point land.

Thursday, April 11, 2002

Seven players - 6'7 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 17 points, 6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH with 15 points, 6'2 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'5 Shawan Robinson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC with 12 points apiece, 6'7 Nik Caner-Medley from Portland (Deering) ME and 6'8 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA with 11 points apiece, 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN with 10 points - led the United States All-Stars to a 119-97 victory over the Capital All-Stars in the preliminary game earlier tonight in Jordan Brand Capital Classic.  MVP honors for the United States team went to Hite, who legendary Five-Star Camp director Howard Garfinkel likes so much that he thinks it's a travesty that he was named to the McDonald's All-American Team.  However, our choice for MVP honors would have gone to Bowman or 6'0 Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH.  Bowman, who appears to have picked up where he left off last week in the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany (he led the United States team to a bronze medal), was a perfect 3-3 from 3-point land and was his team's third leading rebounder with six boards.  In other words, we're talking about a multi-dimensional athlete who can play both inside and outside.  Quinn only scored eight points and had four assists, but he was the floor general that every All-Star team needs.  Quinn also made most of his shots (3-4 field goals, including 2-3 pointers).Another player only scored in single digits (seven points and only 2-8 field goals), but who was one of the most dominant players in the game was 6'7 Ricky Cornett from Homewood (Christian) IL with 11 rebounds.  We also thought Robinson helped the value of his stock, as he also finished with six assists and 2-3 3-pointers.  The biggest difference in the game was the outside shooting (the United States hit 47-88 field goals compared to only 41-99 for the Capital All-Stars).  But not everybody for the United States Team shot well, as Cornett, 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, and 6'4 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ hit a combined 6-23 field goals attempts.  Also not much of a factor for the United States All-Stars were 6'11 Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA with two points and five rebounds and 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY with two points.  The MVP for the Capital All-Stars was 6'7 Nick George from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who finished with 18 points and six rebounds.  George is a good old-fashioned blue-collar athlete who does all of his damage around the basket, but he's still unsigned and good enough to step in and impact at the Atlantic-10 level.  We also were impressed by 6'5 Chris Williams from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, 6'10 Kevin Steenberge from Clarksville (H.S.) MD, and 6'4 Chris McCray from Fairmont Heights (Capital Heights) MD. Williams, who also is still unsigned, is a strong athletic wing player who makes a living slashing to the basket, as was evident by his 6-12 field goals and five rebounds.  However, we question Williams' outside shooting and, as a result, what position he plays at the next level?  Steenberge, who is a steal for Richmond, only had three points and two rebounds, but he effects the game in other ways, as was evident by his three blocks and five steals.  McCray, who has the natural talent and potential to become the next Juan Dixon at Maryland, scored most of his 11 points at garbage time.  But we still have to mention him, because he also had six rebounds and five assists. 

Unlike the major all-stars that are scheduled for this weekend, the adidas Texas Classic 2002 at Clear Lake High School in Clear Lake, TX is sanctioned by the state of Texas and, as a result, this is place to be if you are a high school prospect and want to get seen this weekend.  Games will tip-off beginning at 5:00 PM tomorrow and the tournament is divided into three divisions (17-Under Group A at Clear Lake High School, 17-Under Group B at Clear Lake Ninth Grade Campus, and 16-Under Group C at the Lobo's Athletic Facility).  The teams in Group A will include the Houston Superstars, Belmont Shore, Southeast Texas All-Stars, and DC Assault in Pool 1; Branch West, Arkansas Hawks, Tim Thomas Playaz, and Seattle in Pool 2; Team Minnesota, Oakland Slam N Jam, Portland ICP, and Atlanta Celtics, in Pool 3; and IEBP, Michigan Hurricanes, Milwaukee DTA, and Dallas Slam n Jam in Pool 4.  The teams in Group B will include Houston Superstars Elite, New Orleans Buccaneers, Northeast Texas All-Stars, and Mississippi Panthers in Pool 1; H-Squad, EBO, Katy Shotcellers, and Squires Richmond in Pool 2; Arizona Heat, Midland Hawkeyes, New York Juice, and Baltimore Select in Pool 3; and Southeast Pump N Run, Sports Academy, Illinois Fire, and Texas Blue Chip in Pool 4.  The teams in Group C will include Pearland High School, Dallas Mustangs, Arizona Heat, and Beaumont Hoop Stars in Pool 1; Houston Superstars Blue/White, Clear Lake High School, CABC Waco, and Inner City Youth in Pool 2; and Squires Richmond, DC Assault, Memphis Wildcats, and Texas Blue Chip in Pool 3.  In two weeks Houston, TX will also be the place to be as the Houston Kingwood Classic, April 26-28, is shaping up to be one of the largest weekend boys basketball tournaments in the country in years.  Over 200 teams from around the US are entered. The weekend is open as an evaluation period and the tournament has been approved by the University Interscholastic League of Texas making it allowable for Division I coaches to attend. This is a unique opportunity for college coaches as the event run by Hal Pastner is in its 8th year and will draw many of the top high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in the country.  Teams such as the Southern Cal All Stars, Bloomington Indiana Red, Kentucky Hoopstars, Albany City NY Rocks, Houston Hoops, Tennessee Travelers, Georgia Stars, Salt Lake City Metro, Emerald City Washington, St. Louis Eagles, Team Texas, and Portland Legends are just a few of the teams with stars such as 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'2 Jr Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, and 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX. 

Wednesday, April 10, 2002

It won't be official until tomorrow, but we understand 5'11 Ricky Clements from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who is widely regarded as the top point guard still available in the junior college ranks, is already a done deal for Missouri.  So unless something unforeseen happens with the next 24 hourrs, Missouri's recruiting class will move up from #47 to #17 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If you will recall, the Tigers also landed 6'4 Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'9 Kevin Young from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, and 7'2 Giedrius Rinkievicius from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME.  Neither Young nor Rinkievicius are ready to make a major impact next year, but McKinney and Clements should combine to form what has to be one of the best incoming backcourt duos in college basketball next year.   And when you add that to the last two recruiting classes that head coach Quin Snyder has landed at Missouri, it is easy to see why he recently turned down the University of Washington job.  Remember, a year ago Missouri's recruiting class with 7'0 Uche Okafor from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'9 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'5 Duane John from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, and 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI (despite off-the-court problems that prevented Whaley from enrolling in school, he still counted with their recruiting class due to the fact the signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Tigers) was ranked #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And that class came on the heels of Missour's recruiting class two years ago, which was ranked #6 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and included 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'5 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, and 5'10 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA was ranked.  And the guy who deserves most of the credit is Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey, who was ranked #12 on our list of the top assistant coaches, but now must be included among our top 10 because Oregon State has hired Arizona's Jay John, Texas Christian has hired Kansas' Neil Dougherty, and South Alabama has hired Florida's John Pelphrey.  Another class that is dramatically on the rise is Arizona State's class, which includes 6'9 Ike Diagu from Garland (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Serge Angounou from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM, and 6'6 Allen Morrill from Arlington (Sam Houston) TX from last fall and 6'7 Jamal Hill from San Jose City (JC) CA, who, as expected, signed with the Sun Devils today.  In other words, similar to the situation at Missouri, it should become obvious why Arizona State head coach Rob Evans has elected to stay put (Evans recently turned down the New Mexico job).  Remember, a year ago the Sun Devils signed two good guards in 6'3 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA and 6'2 Curtis Millage from Southwest (JC) LA and now they have a terrific big man in Diagu, who is ranked #40 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as two excellent wing forwards in Angounou, who has been ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally on some lists, and Hill, who was the best wing forward in the junior college ranks in California this year. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Coppin State has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'6 Nicholas King from Milford (Academy) CT and 6'5 Darron Bradley from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA and he expects the Eagles to also get 6'3 Raheem Scott from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA, who is he widely regarded as the best point guard in the Philadelphia Public League.  Rubin also tells us that Siena has a verbal commitment from 5'9 Jamal Jackson from Des Moines (JC) IA and that 6'5 Maurice Collins from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA has verbally committed to Temple.  Collins is the high school teammate of 6'6 Michael Blackshear, who signed with the Owls last fall, and we think he is a steal.  We're talking about a late developer who is one of the fastest rising players in the area.  Rubin also has confirmed that 6'0 Warren Williams from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has verbally committed to Dayton and St. Joseph's is expecting to sign 6'11 Chris Cologer from Globe Institute (JC) NY.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Valparaiso has beaten out Miami-OH, Vanderbilt, Princeton, Pennsylvania, and Yale for 6'2 Seth Colclasure from Decatur Bellmont) IN.  Colclasure finished third in the balloting for Mr. Basketball in the state of Indiana behind 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN and 6'5 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN, but sight unseen, I'd be surprised if he's better than 6'9 Matt Keifer from Evansville (Mater Dei) IN and 6'9 Chris Hunter from Gary (West Side) IN, both of whom are legitimate top 100 players.  However, that's just the normal politics that goes along with basketball in the state of Indiana.  Remember, players from the Northwest Gary-East Chicago region of the state rarely get the notoriety and coverage the deserve.  Our California Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'9 Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is ranked #49 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the potential to move much higher once he gets stronger physically, already has an official visit scheduled for the University of Arizona on the first weekend in May and also is expected to visit Stanford, California, and USC prior to the start of the summer camp season in early July.   Trigonis also tells us that Pepperdine, San Diego State, UC-Santa Barbara, Oregon, and Oregon State appear to be the leaders for 6'7 Adam Zahn from Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) CA and 6'4 Cody Pearson has asked for his release from Long Beach State.  Ironically, Pearson, who only played in the last 13 games for the 49ers, might have saved Wayne Morgan's job, if he'd been available for the enter season.  Did you know that Long Beach State went 9-4 once Pearson became eligible.  Right now Pepperdine Loyola-Marymount, Wyoming, San Diego, and George Washington are the favorites, but that list was likely get longer once the word gets out that Pearson is available.  We also understand that 6'5 Shawn Witherspoon from Oviedo (H.S.) FL has signed with Murray State and Florida is not the lock they once appeared to be for 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  However, the Gators are still one of the favorites for Ariza, along with Maryland, Louisville, Kansas, and Indiana.  Yes, Ariza was one of the players IU head coach Mike Davis was watching at the Pump 'N' Run Easter Tournament last weekend in Las Vegas, NV.  And looking ahead even further, another prime target for Davis and Hoosiers will be 6'8 Soph D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL.  As a matter of fact, we think you can almost write this one down.  Remember, Davis played college basketball for C.M. Newton at the University of Alabama, plus he has always been extremely strong throughout the South.  As a matter of fact, IU's current roster has more players from the south (A.J. Moye and Jeffrey Newton are from Georgia, George Leach is from North Carolina, and Kyle Hornsby, and Donald Perry are from Louisiana) than it does from state of Indiana (Tom Coverdale, Jared Jeffries, Sean Kline, and Jarred Odle).

Tomorrow I will be heading to the Washington, DC to attend the Jordan Brand Capital Classic at the MCI Center and this weekend I will be back in Louisville, KY for the Derby Classic All-Star Game at Freedom Hall.  However, it is our understanding that college coaches can't be at either event due to the fact the changes in NCAA rules.  In any case, the participants in the National Capital Game, which is scheduled to begin at 8:30 PM, will include 6'2 Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, 6'0 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'3 Jarrett Jack from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'5 Denham Brown from Toronto (West Hill) ON, 6'7 Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'7 Kenny Winston from Pritchard (Blount) AL, 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, and 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence Catholic) IL on the White Team and 6'0 Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'2 Justin Gray from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3, Bracy Wright form The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'3 Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'7 Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, 6'10 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA, and 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL on the Red Team.  The participants in Regional Game, which is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 PM at the MCI Center, include 6'2 Jermaine Thomas from Frederick (Thomas Johnson) MD, 6'1 Todd Galloway from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, 6'4 Louis Hinnat from Brandywin (Gwynn Park) MD, 6'4 Chris McCray from Fairmont Heights (Capital Heights) MD, 6'0 Warren Williams from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'2 Pele Paelay from Rockville (Magruder) MD, 6'3 Wade Dunston from Potomac (The Bullis School) MD, 6'4 Ahmad Smith from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'5 Chris Goodin from Springfield (Robert E. Lee) VA, 6'5 Chris Williams from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, 6'7 Nick George from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Michael Castro from Washington (Springarn) DC, and 6'10 Kevin Steenberge from Clarksville (River Hill) MD on the Capital All-Stars and 6'1 Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, 6'1 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (Eastside) NJ, 6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 6'2 Shawan Robinson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'7 Nik Caner-Medley form Portland (Deering) ME, 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'8 Ricky Cornett from Homewood (Christian Academy) IL, 6'8 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'11 Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA on the United States All-Stars.  The participants in the Derby Classic, which also will have a Night of the Future Stars on Friday night at Bellarmine College in Louisville, KY, where players will participate in a dunking contest, two-on-two, and 3-point shooting contest, include 6'6 Kelanna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'7 Mario Boggan from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Bernard Cote from Montreal, QU, 6'8 Chuck Davis from Selma (South Side) AL, 6'5 Dan Grunfeld from Glendale (Nicolet) WI, 6'10 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA, 6'5 Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, 5'8 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'9 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'6 Antoine Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA on the White Team and 6'8 Yusuf Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Ike Diogu from Garland (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'8 Daryl Pegram from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD, 6'8 Almany Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'2 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, and 6'4 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) TX on the Purple Team.

Tuesday, April 9, 2002

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the University of Wisconsin has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'1 Marcetteus McGee from Chicago (Farragut) IL and 6'11 Soph Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI.  McGee's commitment rounds out Wisconsin's current recruiting class, which is now ranked #31 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date and also includes 6'3 Maurice Wade from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'7 Ray Nixon from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI, 6'4 Alando Tucker from Lockport (Township) IL, and 6'9 Jason Chappell from Worcester (Academy) MA.  However, Steimsma's early commitment is the one that will get most of the attention.  "He's an total steal," says Johnson.  "Steimsma is one of the top young big guys in the country and, if the Badgers hadn't gotten it done now, they would have had to fight off all the top schools in the nation to keep him home."  Johnson also has confirmed that Ohio State has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'6 Shaun Jenkins from Itawamba (JC) MI, who is reported to be one of the fastest rising junior college players in the nation.  If you will recall, we told you this would probably happen last week.   This moves Ohio State's recruiting class into a tie at #38, along with Kentucky, Mississippi State, Kansas State, Ohio State, and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We also mentioned yesterday that George Washington gotten a verbal commitment from 6'4 Carl Elliott from Pauling (Trinity Pauling) NY.  However, we didn't tell you that this moves Colonials class, which also features 6'9 Omar Williams from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA, 6'7 Nana Mensah-Bensu from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'11 Alex Kireyev from  Shreveport (Evangel Christian) LA, and 6'6 Mike Hall from Palos Heights (Shepard) IL, into the #36 position on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  In other words, Karl Hobbs and his staff have done a great job of laying the foundation for the future in less than a year on the job.  Miami-FL, Texas, St. John's, and Georgia appear to be the top four schools for 6'4 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, who is ranked #38 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   This is especially noteworth, because Lawrence is one of the top three players in the class, along with 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA and 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, both of whom will likely by-pass college and enter the NBA this spring, still unsigned and/or uncommitted.  Georgetown has gotten a verbal commitment from 5'11 Matthew Causey from Gainesville (East Hill) GA and James Madison had landed 6'0 Wes Miller from New Hampton (Prep) NH.  Miller isn't as talented as Sean Miller and Archie Miller, but he's that same type of floor general and leader.  James Madison also has gotten a transfer in 6'7 David Cooper from Southern New Hamphire, which is a Division II school, and he too should make an immediate impact for the Dukes.  Cooper, who slipped through the cracks as a high school senior at Manchester (H.S.) NH several years ago, is a big time athlete with long arms and excellent rebounding skills.  We also continue to hear rumors about University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith leaving sometime this spring to take a job in the NBA, plus the word on the street is that Rashad Carruth will transfer to Memphis, Gerald Fitch will transfer to a school closer to home (the word is he's homesick), Keith Bogan will enter his name into the NBA Draft, and Josh Carrier will transfer to Western Kentucky (his father wants him to get more playing time).  However, it also appears that 6'6 Kelanna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK will be added to a Wildcats recruiting class that already includes 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Chaplain-St. Lambert) QU.  Currently that recruiting class is ranked #38 nationally, but Azubuike's addition will move Kentucky's recruiting class into a tie at #18, along with Alabama and Nebraska, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  And Azubuike, who is ranked #62 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is best described as a slasher/athlete/physical specimen, isn't the only one who will be moving to Kentucky.  As a matter of fact, Alan Cutler of WLEX-TV in Lexington, KY reported this evening that the entire Azubuike family will be moving and his younger brother and sister both plan to enroll at Lexington (Catholic) KY. 

Like they say, patience can be a virtue.  In this case we're talking about Arizona assistant coach Jay John, who was passed over by Oregon State when Ritchie McKay got the head coaching job two years ago and by Butler each of the last two years when Thad Matta got the job in the spring of 2000 and Todd Lickliter got the job in spring of 2001.  However, now it looks like John, who has turned down head coaching jobs at lower level schools, like Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, has found the perfect opportunity.  Remember, this is the guy who not only helped build the Butler program into the powerhouse that it is today, but he was largely responsible for stealing Jason Gardner away from Indiana and Purdue, plus he had a shot to do it again, as the Wildcats were one of the favorites for Jared Jeffries.  John also helped Ernie Kent lay the foundation for a year at Oregon and during the last four years he has played an instrumental role at Arizona.  As a result, John was ranked as the #1 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP when we published our rankings of the top coaches in February.  Speaking of our coaching rankings, our #2-ranked assistant coach (Kansas' Neil Dougherty) already has gotten the head coaching job at Texas Christian and our #5-ranked assistant coach (Connecticut's Dave Leitao) is one of the four finalists for the DePaul job, along with Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory, DePaul assistant coach Tracy Dildy, and Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers.  Our guess is that Ayers will get it.  However, if Leitao gets it, three of our top five assistants will have gotten head coaching jobs in major conferences this spring.  And, if that weren't enough, our #6-ranked assistant coach (Ohio State's Paul Biancardi) is one of the leaders for Bowling Green, our #9-ranked assistant (Florida's John Pelphrey) is the new head coach at South Alabama, and Virginia's Tommy Herrion, who was high on our list of the best of the rest, got the College of Charleston job today.  Getting back to John, his movement to Oregon State also opens the door for another one of the bright young guys in the business to move up the coaching ladder.  We're talking about Josh Pastner, who already has been moved up from an administrative position into the #3 spot at Arizona.  Obviously this movement by assistants into head coaching positions helps establish an important precedent, especially if they do well, for the next generation of assistants trying to get head coaching jobs.  However, it is not good in terms of producing the ripple effect that often translates into more head coaching openings.  In other words, we originally thought there would be a lot more job openings, but, as things stand now, only 35 jobs have opened this spring.  And they all have been filled, except Bowling Green, DePaul, Evansville, Lehigh, Middle Tennessee, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M, Saint Louis, Tennessee Tech, and Wisconson-Green Bay.

The first day of the spring signing period is tomorrow, but we're actually are lot more concerned about the top juniors nationally, because very soon the dominos are going to start falling.  Actually one has already fallen, as 6'0 Jr Brandon Cotton from Detroit (DePorres) MI, who is ranked #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early commitment to the Michigan State.  Cotton is the highest ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP to have made a verbal commitment and he gives the Spartans the point guard they will need a year from now to replace Marcus Taylor.   Yes, we know that Taylor recently announced that he will enter his name into the NBA Draft, but he has until June 19th to pull his name out and our guess is that he will do so once he finds out where he might get drafted.  Remember, Mississippi State's Mario Austin, Duke's Carlos Boozer, Tennessee's Marcus Haislip, Stanford's Casey Jacobsen, Indiana's Jared Jeffries, Virginia's Roger Mason, California's Jamal Sampson, and Illinois' Frank Williams, 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, and 6'9 Kei Madison from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL have already entered their names into the draft and there likely will be to be a lot more, including Duke's Jason Williams, Memphis' Dajuan Wagner, Connecticut's Caron Butler, Kansas' Drew Gooden, Maryland's Chris Wilcox, Duke's Michael Dunleavy, Alabama's Rod Grizzard, Stanford's Curtis Borchardt, Kentucky's Keith Bogans, Florida's Brett Nelson, Fordham's Smush Parker, Fresno State's Chris Jeffries, Georgia's Jarvis Hayes, 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, and 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  That's already 29 players, plus there are a number of foreign players, including Yao Ming from China, Nikoloz Tskitishvili from Italy, Luis Scola from Italy, Lazaros Papadopoulos from Greece, Jiri Welsch from Slovenia, Mario Stojic from Italy, Andreas Glyniadakis from Greece, Hilario Maybner from Brazil, Juan Navarro from Spain, and David Anderson from Italy, who will likely enter their name into the draft prior to the May 12th deadline.  And we have even mentioned all the seniors who will likley get drafted in the first two rounds, like Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus, USC's Sam Clancy, Florida's Udonis Haslem, Tennessee's Vincent Yarbrough, Maryland's Juan Dixon, Cincinnati's Steve Logan, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau, Fresno State's Melvin Ely, UCLA's Dan Gadzuric, Temple's Lynn Greer, Texas' Chris Owens, Wake Forest's Darius Songalia, and Hawaii's Predrag Savovic.  Even it Taylor is better than most of the above mentioned players, he's still a 6'1 point guard and guys like that are a dime a dozen in the NBA Draft.  And if you don't believe it, just ask Omar Cook, who was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft last spring.  As a matter of fact, only one player smaller than 6'8 was drafted among the top 20 picks in the NBA Draft a year ago.  So unless you are a great one, like Williams or Wagner, you have no business even thinking about coming out if you are a guard.  In our opinion Taylor is more like Cook, which brings us to our "Question of the Day"  for tomorrow.  Who do you like better Cook or Taylor?  Getting back to Cotton, he picked the Spartans over Ohio State, Duke, Louisville, Miami-FL, Boston College, Kentucky, Penn State, and Detroit. 

We returned our ballot today to Louis Johnson for the Best in the West/2002 Team, which will be published in the Long Beach    Press-Telegram on Sunday, April 29th, and the six five-man teams that we voted for are as follows:  Our First Team has 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR, 6'7 Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'5 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA.  Our Second Team features 6'5 Brandon Roy from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'11 Matt Haryasz from Page (H.S.) AZ, 6'7 Bobby Jones from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, and 6'6 Josh Rhodes from Santa Cruz (H.S.) CA.   Our Third Team includes 6'10 Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA, 6'5 Richard Chaney from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'8 Brian Feeny from Mesquite (H.S.) AZ, 6'6 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'7 Mercedes Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA.  Our Fourth Team has 6'8 Davis Paris from Modesto (Christian) CA, 6'6 Bryant Markson from Monrovia (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Nate Carter from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 6'3 Brandon Lincoln from Portland (Jefferson) OR, and 6'5 Marquis Kately from San Francisco (Riordon) CA.  Our Fifth Team has 6'6 Onye Ibekwe from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'10 Kevin Field from Tacoma (Wilson) WA, 6'7 Adam Zahn from Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) CA, 6'4 Bryson Krueger from Phoenix (Mt. Pointe) AZ, and 6'3 Tim Drisdom from Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA.  Our Sixth Team includes 6'2 Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'9 Armundo Surratt from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'2 Brandon Worthy from San Jose (Oak Grove) CA, 6'3 Keion Kindred from Los Angeles (Dominguez) CA, and 5'10 Curtis Lincoln from Portland (Jefferson) OR.  Our choice for MVP honors Collins.  Who would you have picked?  Tell us by going to the "Question of the Day."

Saturday, April 6, 2002, Sunday, April 7, 2002, & Monday, April 8, 2002

David and Dana Pump had five different teams (the Double Pump All Stars, Pump N Run, Pump N Run Arizona, Pump N Run Seniors, and Pump N Run Southeast) participating in their Pump 'N' Run Easter Tournament in Las Vegas, NV over the weekend.  However, they not only fell short of having an all Pump final, but the one team they still has standing at the end of the day - the 6'8 Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA led Double Pump All Stars - lost 71-62 to the Southern California All Stars #1 in the championship game.   Ironically it was the other tournament in Las Vegas (Las Vegas Desert Shootout) that featured the two host teams in the final.  We talking about Belmont Shore, which had to go into overtime to beat Belmont Shore Black, 99-91, in the championship game.   The two leading scorers in the game were 6'5 Shaddean Aaron from Claremont (H.S.) CA and 6'7 Marcedes Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who combined for 50 points, but Belmont Shore's attack was a little more balanced as four players scored between 16 and 20 points, plus they got a little help from the officials when the game was on the line.  The leading scorer for Belmont Shore was 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 20 points, but 5'10 Jr Kevin Bell from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA was their best player throughout the entire tournament.  We're talking about a small, but quick, point guard who can both score and make everybody around him better.  So it should come as no surprise that Bell, who has top 100 potential nationally, is being recruited by schools like Nebraska, Connecticut, Georgetown, Oklahoma, Oregon, Oregon State, and Georgia Tech.   Washington, who played much better when we saw him with his high school team in early February than he did in this tournament, tells us California is the leader over Arizona, Kansas, and Missouri.  Also somewhat of a disappointment was 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Schaen is being recruited by just about everybody in the Pacific-10, but he still appears to be hampered by a lack of strength and injuries that have slowed him down for the better part of the last year.   Instead, our three favorite players in the Las Vegas Desert Shootout were Lewis, 5'10 Frosh Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA and 6'2 Jr Tron Smith from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA.  Lewis is a warrior inside, but he doesn't get the respect he deserves, because he's one of the top football prospects in the nation and that's the sport his scholarship will be in at UCLA.   McGee is small, but he's extremely quick off the dribble, a great passer, an excellent shooter, and mature far beyond his years.  As a matter of fact, McGee is so poised and talented that he has to be regarded as one of the top five or 10 freshmen in the nation.  Smith can beat you with his outside shooting, but it's his combination of strength, toughness, and athleticism that makes him a legitimate sleeper nationally.   Also impressing us in both tournaments was 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, who firmly established himself, as one of the fastest rising players in the nation.  We're talking about a big time athlete who is extremely active getting to the basket and on the boards.  Our guess is that LSU will be tough to beat on Bass, but right now he appears to be wide open, as schools like Duke, Miami-FL, Texas A&M, Missouri, Maryland, UNLV, Louisville, and Kentucky are all being mentioned.  We also were very impressed by several other players on the H Squad, including 6'3 Jr Ayinde Ubaka from Oakland (H.S.) CA and 6'7 Jr Oneye Ibekwe from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA.  Ibekwe is an athletic power foward who is aggressive to the basket and good on the boards.  Ubaka isn't as naturally talented as 6'2 Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, but the comparison is interesting, because Ubaka might be the better choice for the college coach who is looking for a pure point guard to come in and run show at the big time level.   And the same also can be said about 6'3 Jr John Winston from Richmond (Salesian) CA, who appears to be vastly underrated at #162 on our list of the top juniors nationally.  Winston is strong and physical, makes good decisions, and has nice size for a point guard at 6'3-1/2.  However, Winston is probably not quiet as good as Ubaka and Williams, because he doesn't shoot it like they do.  Currently Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Connecticut, USC, and California are showing the most interest in Winston, but you can bet that list will get longer before it gets shorter.  We didn't get a list for Ubaka, but Williams says Arizona and UCLA are the heavy favorites over schools like Missouri and Louisville.  Williams also confirmed that he will be transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year.  Speaking of players who may be transferring to Oak Hill, we've also heard 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA, 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'8 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX all mentioned as possible candidates to transfer to that basketball factory in Western Virginia.  The biggest disappointment of the tournament has to be the Southeast Pump N Run team, which lost in the quarterfinals of the Pump Tournament to the H Squad.  We're talking about a team that is absolutely loaded.  Inside 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS has Moses Malone written all over him.  We're talking about an incredible athlete with great quickness, timing, and shot blocking ability.  Butler does still need to become more consistent and play harder at times, but the difference in his condition since last summer is dramatic and, as a result, he has the ability to take over a game seemingly at will.  Another top five player in his class nationally has to be 6'4 Soph Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL.  We're talking about a point guard at 6'4 with an excellent handle who makes great decisions and shoots the lights out, plus he's a tremendous competitor and a gym rat.  We also liked 6'8 Jr Marlon Pompey from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, but the key to this team is the future, as 6'2 Soph Casey Stafford from (Hazel Green) AL and 6'3 Soph Shannon Shay from Padmore (H.S.) AL are both excellent outside shooters and 6'6 Frosh Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN and 6'7 Frosh Rashard Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA are two of the of the top freshmen in the nation.  And when they add 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox-Central) AL, who was is a consensus top five sophomore nationally, but who was not on the trip, the potential for this group is unlimited.  Butler told us that everybody is on his list, but the main schools appear to be Louisville, Kansas, Kentucky, LSU,  Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama, and Florida.  Miles told us his early favorite is Alabama, but also mentioned North Carolina and Kansas.  Powe told us that Louisville and California are both on his list, but they aren't necessary the heavy favorites that everybody has been led to believe.  Instead, the first school out of his mouth was Maryland, followed by Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, UNLV, California, Michigan, Oklahoma, Louisville, and Mississippi.  Another player who has to move up is 6'9 Jr Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA.  Currently we have him listed #99 nationally in the junior class as a power forward, but Abukar is too skinny and shoots it to well not to be a wing forward all the way.  Abukar is getting the most attention from schools like Kansas, Georgia, Kentucky, UCLA, Arizona, and Syracuse.  Another one to write down for the futurre is 7'1 Soph Robert Rothbart from Mountain View (St. Francis) CA.  We're talking about a an agil big white kid with an incredible wing span, surpring mobility, a nice touch, and good post moves.  Speaking of big men with a lot of potential, 6'11 Jr Ray Shafer form Wasilla (H.S.) AK has a good frame, long arms, and excellent skills.  Combine that will his long wing span, good shot blocking ability, and toughness on the boards and this is a guy with top 100 potential.  We also liked 6'8 Jr Chris Devine from Chugiak (H.S.) AK.  Devine needs strength, but he has good body control, a soft touch, and excellent moves to the basket.  Devine also rebounds well and is an intense competitor.   One of the best 3-point shooters in the Pump 'N' Run Easter Tournament was 6'1 David Gale from Sherman Oaks (Buckley) CA.  As a matter of fact, Gale's outside shooting was the big reason why the Pump N Run Seniors almost knocked off Pump N Run Southeast in the round of 16.  We also have to mention 6'9 Jr Sean Phaler from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, because he led the Villa Park Spartans to a second round upset against the top Pump N Run team, which featured 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Jr Omar Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (school) MA.  

We understand that Sunday was not a good day for New York Riverside Church as both their 17-Under and 16-Under teams got knocked off in the championship games at the Boo Williams InvitationalTournament in Hampton, VA.   And the Alabama Lasers pulled off the upset without their star player - 6'8 Soph D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, who is one of three tremendous sophomores, along with 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL and 6'9 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, with size in the Deep South.   Speaking of Jefferson, he led the Jackson Tigers to the championship in the 16-Under Division over a Riverside Church team that featured 6'7 Derrick Character from Scotch Plains, NJ, who is widely regarded as the #1 8th grader in the nation, and 6'1 Soph A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY.  Getting back to the 17-Under Division, New York Riverside Church beat the Fairfax Stars and the Alabama Lasers beat the Houston Hoops in the semi-finals.  This too is worth mentioning because 6'9 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX apparently did nothing but reinforce the fact that he's the #2-ranked junior in the nation, according to the HOOP SCOOP.  We also stubbled upon a number of other interesting items while at the  Pump 'N' Run Easter Tournament and the Las Vegas Desert Shootout over the weekend.  Like verbal commitments by 6'4 Carl Elliott from Pauling (Trinity Pauling) NY to George Washington and 6'4 Tony Allen from Wabash Valley (JC) IL.  Like the top two candidates for the Tennessee Tech job both being on the staff at the University of Tennessee.  We're talking about Chris Ferguson and and Kerry Keating.  Like University of Kentucky assistant coach Mike Sutton deciding against taking  the Radford job.  Instead, it looks like they are going to move Radford assistant coach Brian Samuels into the top spot.  Like Indiana University star Jared Jeffries announcing that he will enter his name into the NBA Draft.  Jeffries can test the waters and come back, if he doesn't sign with an agent.  And that's exactly what we think he should do due to his lack of strength and unfinished business at Indiana.  Remember, Indiana will be loaded next year in the backcourt with the addition of 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD and 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, both of whom are the equivalent of a top 20 senior nationally, and 6'3 Roderick Wilmont from Miramar (H.S.) FL, who, according to our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation (Naclerio saw Wilmont last week while on vacation in Florida). 

Our Ohio Edtior Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL has verbally committed to the University of Illinois.  This is important, because it moves the Fighting Illni's recruiting class, which also includes 5'11 Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'2 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'10 James Augustine from New Lenox (Lincoln Way) Il; and 6'8 Kyle Wilson from Dallas (Jesuit) TX, up from #12 into a tie at #6, along with Michigan State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date. It also means that the rumor about Illinois not being able to recruit Larry Butler's players was wrong.  This is important, because we had heard several months ago that 6'4 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL would not go to Illinois for this very reason.  However, with Spears now in the fold, we'd be very surprised if Brown, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, doesn't follow in his footsteps.  As for Spears, he is a major steal, because he's lost a lot of weight and gotten a lot meaner and tougher since last summer.  In other words, he's is the best available big man with grades in the senior class nationally who is still available, as the spring signing period pproaches in only two days.  Yes, the first day players can sign a National Letter-of-Intent is this Wednesday and, as things stand now, the top 10 recruiting classes in order belong to Duke, Iowa State, North Carolina, Villanova, Florida, Illinois, Michigan State, Tennessee, Louisville, and Maryland.  Memphis was previously tied with Louisville, but we have dropped them off the list because 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Moberly (JC) MO has announced that he will enter his name into the NBA Draft and 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who committed to Memphis 15 months ago and has never officially reneged, will likely follow suit.  And as things stand now, Wake Forest will just miss making the top 10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date, because 6'9 Eric Williams from Wake Forest (Rolesville) NC and 6'5 Richard Joyce from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA both are a lot better than we originally thought.   Remember, Williams was the leading rebounder last week in the McDonald's All-American Game and Joyce was the second best player for Oak Hill most of hte season.  Another class that could be knocking on the door of being ranked among our top dozen is Arizona, if 6'7 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL wins his appeal with regards to the National Letter-of-Intent he signed last fall and if he signs with the Wildcats (our guess is that he will).  Remember, under normal circumstances a player who signs a National Letter-of-Intent must sit out a year, if he elects to go to another school.  However, in Igoudala's case, he should be able to get out of it based on the fact the guy who sold him on becoming a Razorback in the first place is now telling everybody how bad the University of Arkansas is for the black student-athlete.  After all, the NCAA is supposed to be about the student-athlete and, if they don't release him, it not only would be very hypocritical, but it could turn into a public relations nightmare. 

Friday, April 5, 2002

Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich got the West Virginia job, Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo moved to UT-Chattanooga, former DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy is back in the business at Montana, Arkansas assistant coach Mike Anderson is the new head coach at UAB, and Oklahoma assistant coach Ray Lopes finally made it offfical for Fresno State.  Those are the coaching moves that have occured during the last 48 hours while I've been criss-crossing the country (yesterday I flew to New York for the McDonald's All-American Game and this morning I flew to Las Vegas, NV for the Pump "N' Run Easter Tournament and the Las Vegas Desert Shootout, both of which are sanctioned for college coaches).  Especially surprising to us was the Lebo move, but when you find out that he's going to get a $300,000 per year 10-year deal, it makes a little more sense.  The early favorite to replace Lebo appears to be University of Tennessee assistant coach Kerry Keating and our guess is that either Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi or Bowling Green assistant coach Keith Noftz will replace Dakich.  Noftz has paid his dues by working for the last two regimes (Dakich and the Jim Larranaga era), but Bowling Green Athletic Diretor Paul Krebs has strong Ohio State ties and, as a result, that may make Biancardi the favorite.  Other good potential candidates include Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld, who also was at Bowling Green during the Larranaga era, Dayton assistant coach Ron Jirsa, who previously was the head coach at the University of Georgia, Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion, and Iowa assistant coach Rich Walker.  We also hear that Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson is the leader for the College of Charleston and it appears to be official for J.J. Sullinger, who is transferring from Arkansas to Ohio State.  Speaking of the Buckeyes, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us the Ohio State has dropped out of the running for 6'4 Marcus Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, which means it's now a two-horse race between Auburn and Tulane.  John Rhodes, who is in charge of putting together the American team for the Albert Schweitzer Games in Manheim Germany, tells us the American Team has won it's first three games against Russia, Australia, and Israel to advance into today's semi-finals and that 6'7 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA has taken his game to another level, as he's currently the second leading scorer in the tournament with a 21.7 ppg and the fifth leading rebounder with 7.7 rpg.  However, our focus is on the two tournaments in Las Vegas, NV, which is one of the only places that is sanctioned in the nation this weekend for coach colleges.  As a result, it's like a Who's Who of Coaches, including Indiana head coach Mike Davis and Kansas head coach Roy Williams, both of whom were in the NCAA Final Four only a week ago.  We'll have a lot more coverage of the both events tomorrow, but the highlight of the evening was 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA.  If you will recall, most of our competition has never even heard of Bass, but we had him ranked #53 on our most recent list of the top juniors nationally.  However, after watching him dominant inside with 22 points, that's too low.  In other words, Bass should be a legitimate McDonald's All-American candidate a year from now.

Thursday, April 4, 2002

The East Team jumped out to a 26-9 lead and never looked back en route to a 138-107 victory earlier tonight in the McDonald's All-American Game at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.  However, the game still wasn't as ugly as the EA Sports Roundball Classic last week in Chicago, IL.   That was due to the fact that the players on the East Squad, which happened to feature four of the five most talented players in the game - 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, and 6'8 Jason Fraser from Latta (H.S.) SC - not only played with a lot more intensity than the West Squad, but also were a cohesive unit with some continuity, which seems ot be rare in all-star games in this day-and-age.  Anthony, who is ranked as the #1 high school senior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, set the stage early, as he scored six of his team's first 12 points to put the East up 12-4 early.  Then, 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who hit 9-12 field goals, grabbed six rebounds, and played as well as we've every seen him play, took over as he scored 13 of his 22 points throughout the rest of the first half.  In other words, McCants finished what Anthony started, as the East Squad was up by as many as 32 points late in the first half.  And after the intermission it was all 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, as he scored 18 of his game high 26 points en route to game MVP honors.  Ridick not only shot the lights out, as he hit 10-15 field goals and 5-6 3-pointers, but he had the legendardy Howard Garfinkel, who along with Will Klein has been the co-director the Five-Star Basketball Camp for 37 years, calling him the best pure shooter he's seen since Chris Mullin.   We also thought Felton, despite the fact that his stats (five points four rebounds, four assists, and four turnovers) weren't very impressive, was the unsung hero, as well as one of the top five players in the game..  We're talking about a great point guard who understood his role and got eveybody else involved.  As a matter of fact, we thought he played much better in this game than he did a week ago in the Roundball Classic when he had 21 points, six assists, four steals, and one block.   Other big keys to the game were the dominant inside play by the East Squad, which outrebounded the West 81-59, and the pathetic guard play provided by most of the guards on the West Team.  Let's look at the rebounding first.  Believe it or not, 6'10 Eric Williams from Wake Forest (Rolesville) NC was the leading rebounder in the game with 13 rebounds, including eight at the offensive end.  Williams isn't that quick or athletic, but he's a space eater with surprising mobility, a nose for the ball, and good hands.  He also played a lot more aggressively than when we saw him last spring and summer.  In other words, Williams, who was believed to be a political pick by Morgan Wootten, turned out to be one of the biggest surprises in the game.  He also promised to be a major steal for Wake Forest, which also has a number of other terrific young players in the program to complement him.  Fraser with 10 rebounds, 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN with 12 rebounds, and 6'9 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD with nine rebounds, also combined for 31 rebounds for the East, while only one player - 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX - got double digit rebounds for the West Squad.  Wright also was the leading scorer for the West, but we thought their best player was 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and 5-7 field goals.   Getting back to Wright, he was the only guard on the West Squad who played worth a darn until late in the game when 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI got hot from outside, as he hit three straight 3-pointers.  Unfortunately that's about all Roberson did as he shot 5-14 from the field and finished with 13 points.   But that was good when compared with 6'1 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, and 6'0 Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) Il, who finished with a combined 3-19.   That's right! Dockery hit only 1-2 field goals en route to two points, Brown hit only 1-8 field goals en route to two points, and Horton hit 1-9 field goals en route to two points.  So it should come as no surprise that another big difference in the game was the outside shooting,.  The East hit 55-111 field goals (49.1%) compared to 41-111 field goals (36.9%) for the West.  And the 3-point shooting was even more lopsided, as the East hit 11-25 3-pointers (44.0%) compared to 7-26 3-pointers for the West (26.9%).  The West also was 0-11 from beyond the arc in the first half.   Stoudemire played for the winning East Squad, but he was one of the biggest disappointments in the game, as he coasted to a 10-point/seven-rebound performance.   So was 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who got all but two of his nine points at garbage time.  Instead, we thought 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who helped take care of business inside with seven points and six rebounds, and 6'1 Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who had nine points and four assists, were two of the better players in the game. The only other player who played well for the West was 6'9 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, who finished with 10 points and nine rebounds.   Also showing some flashes was 6'7 Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who finished with 11 points, did show some flashes.  However, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providcnce) IL, 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA,  and 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA were less than inspiring for the West.  Thompson finished with seven points and three rebounds.  Adams had 13 points, but shot 6-15 to do it.   Collins also hit 6-15 field goals, as he continues to diminish his market value for the NBA by continuing to drift out on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers.   Unfortunately he hit his last two, which probably means he'll never figure out that he's a dominating four-man and not a 3-man.   

Wednesday, April 3, 2002

If it's not already official, it will be very shortly.  We're talking about Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar taking the University of Washington job.  He wasn't there first choice, but he was the guy who has been rumored to be in line for the job the longest.  As a matter of fact, we had Romar penciled in as the next head coach of the Huskies a year ago.  However, numerous other names, including Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, Missouri head coach Quin Snyder, Minnesota head coach Dan Monson, and Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland, had emerged in connection with the job more recently.  But we always thought Romar, who played at the University of Washington, was the perfect fit, despite the fact he has had 51-44 record during his three years at Saint Louis.  Not only is Romar an outstanding coach (this was evident during his first year at Saint Louis when he guided to Billikens to a 19-14 season and the Conference USA Post-Season Tournament Championship), but he also has done an excellent job of building not one, but two programs, during his six years as a head coach.  If you will recall, Pepperdine went from 6-21 in Romar's first year to 19-13 two years later, plus the players he left behind knocked off Indiana two years ago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Bob Knight's last game as head coach of the Hoosiers.  And we think the same thing could happen at Saint Louis, because everybody is back from this year's 15-16 team, plus the Billikens signed two inside players last fall in 6'8 Nicholas Kern from St. Louis (Vashon) MO and 6'10 Ryan Hollins from Pasadena (Muir) CA.  Hollins is a project and, as a result, probably won't contribute much next year.   However, the same can't be said about Kern who is ranked #97 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Kern is a big time athlete with good rebounding skills, the versatility to play both inside and outside, and an incredible upside.  In other words, if Romar had returned, we think he would have won 20-plus games next year at Saint Louis.  Instead, current Saint Louis assistant coach Brad Soderberg or UNLV assistant coach Derek Thomas appear to be the most likely candidates to rep the rewards of what Romar has built.  Our choice would be Thomas, because we think he is one of the top assistant coaches in the business.  If you will recall, Thomas was both a high school coach in St. Louis and an assistant coach at Saint Louis during the Charlie Spoonhour era.  He also had a brief stops at the University of Minnesota and University of Illinois prior to moving onto the Atlanta Hawks with Lon Kruger.  In other words, Thomas has all tremendous ties to the St. Louis area, as well as the states of Minnesota, and Illinois.  Ironically, both Soderberg, who is a heck of a coach, and Thomas are also the front-runners for the Wisconsin-Green Bay job.  Another coach who we thought would be in the mix for the Saint Louis job is Missouri's Tony Harvey.  However, it appears that Harvey is now the leading candidate for the UAB job.  Can you imagine Harvey, who is second to none as a recruiter, at UAB with all his Michigan connections?  We also aren't surprised to hear that 6'11 David Harrison may be interested in transferring from Colorado to Vanderbilt, especially in light of the fact that Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton appears to be the leader for the UT-Chattanooga job.  We also know that South Florida head coach Seth Greenberg is interested in the Oregon State job, Kent State assistant coach Jim Christian was named as Stan Heath's replacement yesterday, and Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich was in Morgantown, WV today interviewing for the West Virginia job.  We also continue to hear rumors about Kentucky's Jason Parker not making it academically and, as a result, entering his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Mike Sullivan of RivalsHoops.com is reporting that Rashaad Carruth has already made the decision to transfer from the University of Kentucky.  And we suspect he's right (although we don't have any official confirmation), unless University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith leaves first to take an NBA job (i.e. the Phialdelphia 76ers).  We also believe 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK will verbally commit to the University of Kentucky within the next week, which will be just in time for his appearance in the Derby Classic All-Star Game in Louisville, KY on April 13th. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it's official - Tony Stockman is transferring from Clemson to Ohio State.   And, as we reported last week, we don't think Arkansas' J.J. Sullinger will be too far behind.  Neither will count with the Buckeyes recruiting class, which currently includes 6'3 Ricardo Billings from Detroit (Rogers) MI and 6'9 Charlie Bass from Crete (Crete-Monee) IL, but they will count towards Ohio State's five with regards to the five-and-four rule, whereby, a school can only sign nine players during a two-year period.  In other words, Ohio State only has one more scholarship to offer and our guess is that it will go either to 6'6 Shan Jenkins from Itawamba (JC) MS or 6'4 Marcus Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL.  Ironically both are scheduled to make official visits to Columbus, OH this weekend.  Morrison appears to be the better player, but Jenkins is more what the Buckeyes need.  Remember, Stockman, Sullinger, and Billings are all perimeter players, but the Buckeyes need immediate help inside and, as a result, Jenkins, whose stock has risen dramatically after a strong showing two weeks ago in the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS, will probably get the scholarship if he commits soon.  Obviously losing Stockman, as well as Dwon Clifton, was a setback for Clemson last week, but the Tigers coaching staff is among the best in the business at finding players most people don't know about.  So it should came as no surprise that Clemson has stolen 6'5 Julian Betko from Sharon (H.S.) PA.  We're talking about a guy with deceptive athleticism and big-time shooting range who was off the radar screen due to the fact he's an exchange student from The Slovak Republic and was out most of the season with a stress fracture.  Word had started to get out, as schools like Kansas, Ohio State, New Mexico, Kentucky, Miami-OH, and Wright State were showing interest, but Clemson appears to have been the only school that had offered.  Apparently everybody else wanted to wait until they saw him play in person.   The Born to Run All-Star Game in Pennsylvania in early April would have been the perfect opportunity for that to happen, but it's unsanctioned by the state and, as a result, it's against NCAA rules for college coaches to attend.  Just more classic example of how the kid gets screwed by the NCAA's stupid rules!  Johnson also has a pair of verbal commitments to pass along, as 6'2 Tyler Jones from Dry Ridge (Grant County) KY has picked Miami-OH and 6'10 Donatas Rauskaukas from New Hampton (Prep) NH has picked SMU.  Johnson also tells us that 6'8 Al Thornton from Perry (H.S.) GA, who is currently ranked #47 in the state of Georgia on the list that we've been waiting two months for our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis to finalize, may be about to burst onto the national scene.   Cincinnati is already involved and you can bet his list will get longer before it gets shorter.  Did you know that Thornton was the leading scorer in the Tennessee-Georgia All-Star Game?  Sounds like another Gerald Fitch to me.  Remember, due to a lack of communication between Davis and myself, we didn't know until Fitch was close to committing to Kentucky that he was the fastest rising player in the state two years ago. 

Tuesday, April 2, 2002

It looks like our thoughts about the importance of past NCAA Final Four experience with regards to the University of Maryland and Indiana head coach Mike Davis being the obvious choice for HOOP SCOOP National Coach-of-the-Year were both right on the money.  However, Maryland's 64-52 victory over Indiana in the NCAA Championship Game last night in Atlanta, GA will not be remembered as one of the more memorable games in NCAA title game history.   Sure, Davis deserves all the credit in the world for slowing the game down and making sure his players had the patience necessary to hit 10-23 3-pointers last night and 47 of 93 (50.5%) during the six games of the tournament, which is a record for NCAA Tournament 3-point shooting.  But the biggest difference in the game was Indiana's inability to score inside.  However, the Hoosiers were still in a position to win with 11:41 left and the scored tied at 40-40.  That's when the Terrapins woke up and started to play again after what was a miserable 20-minute stretch that began with 10 minutes left in the first half (at one point late in the half Maryland had a five minute stretch where they failed to even score a point) and ended when IU tied the game with the score at 40-all.  And that brings us to our theory about parity and/or mediocrity in college basketball, whereby, anybody can beat anybody on a give night, especially if they shoot the basketball well (i.e.  Indiana in 2002).  Was Indiana really that good or did they just get hot at the right time?  Make sure you tell us by answering today's "Question of the Day."   Also answer tomorrow's "Question of the Day"  by telling us which you think is better in college basketball - parity or power?  There is no question that players today are bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic than they were 20 or 30 years ago, but most players today also are less skilled and do not have the great heart that players had in previous eras.  There also aren't many dominating big men and when you do find one more often than not he would prefer to shoot 3-pointers on the perimeter than take care of business inside.  Plus, it is harder than ever to maintain the continuity necessary to achieve greatness due to the overwhelming number of players who enter the NBA Draft prematurely every year.  In other words, do you really think the so-called "great teams"of today, like Duke and Maryland, could beat the obviously great teams, like UCLA in the late 60's with Lew Alcindor, Lucius Allen, Sidney Wicks, and Curtis Rowe and early 70's with Bill Walton, Keith Wilkes, Greg Lee, Tommy Curtis, David Meyers, Marques Johnson, and Richard Washington or the great Indiana teams from 1975 and 1976 with Quinn Buckner, Scott May, Kent Benson, and Bobby Wilkerson.  Tell us by answering our "Question of the Day" for Thursday, April 4th.  Obviously we will be interested in your answers, just as we are especially interested in a number of other questions we've recently asked you in our "Question of the Day".  Like on February 11th when we asked "how would you compare the college game today with the way it was 20 or 30 years ago?  Only 24% said it was better today, while 73% said not as good today and 3% said it was about the same."  However, that's in direct contradiction to our "Question of the Day" from January 23rd, which is "is parity good for college basketball?"  Not surpringly 66% said yes, while 34%.  We also asked on March 5th whether they should expand the NCAA field by an extra week and include all 330-plus Division I teams in the tournament?  That one was pretty close, as 46% said yes, while 54% said no.  On February 15th we asked which ranking system is more accurate?  That one was overwhelming in favor of Sagarin, which got 77% of the vote, over the RPI, which got only 23%.  Providing even further evidence of the accuracy of the Sagarin Ratings is the fact that Memphis and South Carolina, which were two highest ranked teams by Sagarin not included in the NCAA Field of 65, were both still playing in the finals of the NIT. However, when we asked the question on March 10th who our readers thought got snubbed the worst, Butler got 33% of the vote, while Louisville got 16%, Memphis got 12%, Virginia and Syracuse got 10% apiece, and South Carolina got 8%.  On March 4th we asked who should get the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament?   Interestingly 67% said the conference regular season winner versus 33% for the conference tournament winner.  On March 17th we asked what grade would you give CBS' coverage of the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament?  Only 2% gave it an "A", while 32% gave it a "B," 18% gave it a "C," 24% gave it a "D," 8% gave it an "E," and 17% gave it a "F."  So much for the all the propaganda that CBS puts up about how good their coverage is of the NCAA Tournament.  Maybe CBS should also listen to our readers regarding what to do when there is a time-out late in a game and they won't switch to another game.  In our "Question of the Day" from March 24th, nobody wanted to see the commericals.   Instead, 75% said switch to another game (unless it's a girls game) and 25% said switch to any game.  Our "Question of the Day" from March 13th asked what grade would you give the NCAA Selection Committee on picking the teams and seeding this year's tournament?  Believe it or not only 2% gave it an "A," while 20% gave it a "B," 25% gave it a "C," 28% gave it a "D," and 25% gave it a "F."  In other words, 78% of those responding said it wouldn't qualifty under the guidelines that NCAA uses to admit college refreshmen.  Remember, the minimum grade point average a player needs to have in core classes is a 2.5 gpa.  Perhaps this also was one of the reasons why Indiana was able to advance all the way to the NCAA Championship Game.   Sure, they had to beat some good tems, like Duke and Oklahoma, to get there, but wasn't this also the regional where everybody thought the deck had been stacked to help Duke get back to the Final Four?  Remember, the other three #1 seeds (Maryland, Kansas, and Oklahoma) made it to Atlanta, GA.  It also appears the NCAA is out to lunch with regards to the needs of college coaches.  As a matter of fact, our "Question of the Day"  from January 29th asks "with 10 being the best and one being the worst, how in tune is the NCAA with recruiting and the needs of college coaches in terms of helping them do a better job?"  Not one person gave the NCAA a nine or 10 and only 12% voted in the 6-8 range.  In contrast, 43% voted in the 2-5 range, while 46% gave the NCAA a one, which is the lowest score possible.  But do you think the NCAA will get the message?  Our readers were also tough on the McDonald's All-American Team that was announced on February 17th when only 13% of those responding gave it an "A," while 30% gave it a "B," 37% gave it a "C," 9% gave it a "D," 3% gave it an "E," and 8% gave it a "F."  On March 8th we asked who has been the biggest disappointment in college basketball this season?  It comes as no surprise that North Carolina heads that list with 47% of the vote.  We also asked on February 18th whether the NCAA should do away with the fall signing period?  I was one of the 33% who said yes, but obviously I am in the minority, as 67% voted the other way.  On February 21st we asked what is the best city for the NCAA Final Four?  Believe it or not New Orleans, LA and New York City were tied with 25% of the vote apiece.  Well, everybody voting for New York, NY didn't attend that Final Four in 1996, because in terms of atmosphere it was terrible.  As a matter of fact, New York City is one of the few places that's just too big for the Final Four.  However, the 25% who voted for New Orleans, LA probably did attend the 1993 NCAA Final Four, which was one of the best ever.  They also probably attended the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis, IN, which got 14% of the vote, and San Antonio, TX, which got 13% of the vote.  Both are great cities for the Final Four, because everything is centrally located right downtown.  Atlanta got 10% of the vote, but nearly all that came before the fact.  Remember, a lot can change in 25 years, which is when the last Final Four was held in Atlanta, GA.  We also asked a great question on March 15th about what we should do when our national and state-by-state rankings don't agree.  Only 19% of those responding said we should edit the state-by-state rankings to make them correspond with our national rankings.  In contrast, 58% thought we should leave them alone and point out that we agreee to disagree and 23% thought we should take it on a case-by-case basis.  On January 8th the question was "excluding Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who is the best coach in college basketball?"  Louisville's Rick Pitino with 22% of the vote edged out Michigan State's Tom Izzo with 20% of the vote.   Then came Texas Tech's Bob Knight and Kansas' Roy Williams with 10% of the vote apiece, followed by Arizona's Lute Olson with 9%, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins with 8%, Kentucky's Tubby Smith with 8%, Florida's Billy Donovan with 7%, Temple's John Chaney with 5%, and Maryland's Gary Williams with only 2%.  Our guess is that, if we asked that question today, Gary Williams would do a lot better now that he has a NCAA Championship under his belt.  And maybe we should add Indiana's Mike Davis to the list after the great job he's done during the last month.  We also asked on January 4th who is the best high school senior in the nation?  Believe it or not 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was the overwhelming favorite with 34% of the vote.  However, the only publication to my knowledge to rank Anthony as the #1 player in the class is the HOOP SCOOP and we have done so since last summer!  Anthony was followed by 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC with 21% of the vote and 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL and 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY with 16% of the vote apiece.  We also think our question from March 28th sends a clear message. "Of the guys who are rumored to be interested in by-passing college and entering their names into the NBA Draft, who do you think is making the biggest mistake?"  The overwhelming winner was 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, who got 56% of the vote.  We also are pleased to see that one's word still means something, because 76% of those responding to our "Question of the Day" from March 25th thought 6'3 Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY should honor the National Letter-of-Intent he signed with Hofstra, instead of reneging, sitting out a year, and going to a higher level school.  All this is interesting, but we still want to know what you think about these and all the other questions we've asked in our "Question of the Day" section.  So, if you haven't already voted (you can only vote once per question), please do so now.  Also feel free to email me at clark@hoopscooponline.com with any questions that you'd like us to ask. 

Monday, April 1, 2002

It appears that Quin Snyder has turned down the University of Washington job and, as a result, will remain at Missouri.   So now it appears the Huskies will hire Minnesota head coach Dan Monson.   However, don't rule out Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar just yet.  Remember, Romar played at Washington, plus he's a great recruiter and is one of the bright up-and-coming young head coaches in the business.  We also are hearing that Cal State-San Bernardino head coach Larry Reynolds will get the Long Beach State job today, plus appears to be a done deal for Oklahoma assistant coach Ray Lopes to Fresno State.  Believe it or not, the word on the street is that Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton wants the Middle Tennessee job.   Apparently he was previously an assistant coach for the Blue Raiders and he thinks now might be a good time to make a change.  We also are hearing that Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo is in line for both UT-Chattanooga and West Virginia.  Our recommendation would be for Lebo to take West Virginia, but to hold off on the UT-Chattanooga job, because it's not a step up.  Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin also could be in the mix for the UT-Chattanooga, as well as Evanville and Kent State job, but his time will come soon enough.  Right now Cronin has unfinished at Louisville, where he is helping Rick Pitino turn the Cardinals into one of the premier teams in college basketball.  And he's already done a remarkable job.  Remember, Louisville will probably start four new faces next season and be one of the most improved teams in college basketball.  Plus, they are involved with an overwhelming number of the top juniors in the nation and, as a result, the #1 recruiting class a year from now may not be out of the question.  

Twenty-nine years ago tonight Bill Walton hit 21-22 field goals and scored 44 points against Memphis State in the NCAA Championship Game, as UCLA won its seventh consecutive NCAA Championship.  I was only 13-years-old at the time and I was there!  I also have been lucky enough to have attended every NCAA Final Four since and I have never missed a game.  This year I also attended the annual party hosted by Dan Wetzel on Wednesday night in honor of the late Larry Donald, who was the editor and publisher of Basketball Times; the Five-Star Basketball Camp Party on Thursday night; the adidas party on Friday night; and the New York Party on Sunday night, but the event that took on the most significance was the NABC 2002 Guardians of the Game Awards Show at the Hilton Sunday evening.   In addition to paying attention to who got the usual awards, like 2002 NABC Players of the Year (Drew Gooden of Kansas and Jason Williams of Duke were named co-Division I MVP's, Ronald Murry of Shaw University was the Division II MVP, and Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein was the Division III MVP) and 2002 NABC Coaches of the Year (Division I Coach of the Year went to Kelvin Sampson of Oklahoma, Division II Coach of the Year went to Mike Dunlap at Metropolitan State, Division III Coach of the Year went to Dick Reynolds of Otterbein, NAIA Coach of the Year went to Harry Statham of McKendree, and Junior College Coach of the Year went to Jeff Kidder of Dixie Junior College), I was particularly interested in the four 2002 NABC Guardian of the Game Awards.  The award for Education went to John Wooden, the award for Leadership went to Dave Gavitt, the award for Advocacy went to Ed Billik, and the award for Service went to Ron Naclerio.   Yes, that's the same Ron Naclerio who has served as New York City Editor of the HOOP SCOOP for the last 16 years and is now the co-host of the HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.  This is especially important, because Naclerio is the first high school coach ever to receive a Guardian of the Game Award.  Naclerio, who became famous through his association with the Rucker Summer League and Rafer Alston, received this award not just for his 24 years at Cardozo High School in Bayside, NY, but also for the time and sacrifices he's made to help kids from all over New York City develop both on the court as players and off the court as people.   Naclerio's speech was especially compelling, as he combined humor with the serious to illustrate what coaching is like in the inner city.  He also got the audience's attention when he read a letter, which was written to his father in 1959 from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The previous year Naclerio's father, who was a heart surgeon, had operated on King after he was stabbed during a visit to New York City.  In the letter King thanked Dr. Naclerio for saving his life.

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