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Friday, April 30, 2004

Later today the 11th Annual Spiece Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic will tip-off at the Spiece Fieldhouse in Ft. Wayne, IN and we will be there to cover it from start-to-finish, as the field of teams will include 56 Teams in the Seniors-To-Be Division, 40 Teams in the Juniors-To-Be Division, and 28 Team in the Sophomores-To-Be Division.  And this is an extremely important tournament for us, because it provides us with an opportunity to see a number of teams from Indiana and the Midwest that we have not yet seen this spring, as we're covered the three tournaments in Las Vegas, NV (Las Vegas Easter Classic, Las Vegas Spring Showcase, and Pump "N" Run Spring Tournament) and the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX the last three weekends.  The action will begin at 7:00 PM tonight with games in all three Divisions.  The Seniors-To-Be Division will include the Spiece Indy Heat, which finished second in the Houston Kingwood Classic and features 7'0 Soph Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'10 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN 6'1 Soph Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'9 Soph Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, and 6'3 Frosh Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, Seattle Rotary Select I, Team Philly MJC, and Illinois Fire in Pool #1; the Inner City Players, Blessed IJN, Cincy AAU White, and Michigan Hurricanes White in Pool #2; the Long Island Roadrunners, Dayton Metro, Seattle Rotary Select II, and Los Angeles (Rockfish Orcas) CA in Pool #3; Cincy AAU Black, Spiece Select 2005, Los Angles Rockfish, and Martin Brothers Select in Pool #4; King James Shooting Stars, Indy Warriors, Cincy AAU Red, and Michigan Mustangs in Pool #5; Randoph Boys Club, Arkansas Hawks, All Ohio Red, Michigan Hurricanes Black in Pool #6; Billy Shepherd Sports, Bearcats AAU, Nashville Stallions, Kentucky Hoop Stars Red in Pool #7; Tiffany's, Full Package Athletics Select, Kentucky Hoops Stars Blue, St. Louis Gameface in Pool #8; Illinois Warriors, Fox Valley Skillz, Gateway Basketball Club, and Spiece Dayton Airmen in Pool #9; Friends of Hoop Wisconsin, Grand Rapids Storm, All Ohio White, and SYF Players in Pool #10; Team CBIZ Ohio Pride, Pump-N-Run All-Stars, DTA Wisconsin, and Salt Lake Metro in Pool #11; SYF Hoopers, Spiece Blaze, Waterloo Wildhawks, and Grand Rapids Lightning in Pool #12; Indiana Ice, Indy Red, Spiece Saints, and NW Ohio Basketball Club in Pool #13; and Full Package Athletics Silver, Michigan Panthers, Southern Illinois Hawks, and St. Louis Falcons in Pool #14.   The Juniors-To-Be Division will include Blessed IJN Purple, Cincinnati Royals, and Martin Brothers, Select in Pool #15; Indy North, Spiece Dayton Airmen, Michigan Hurricanes, and Cincinnati AAU Black in Pool #16; Blessed IJN White, King James Shooting Stars, Los Angeles Rockfish, and Grand Rapids Storm in Pool #17; Arkansas Hawks, Long Island Roadrunners, All Ohio Red, and Ferrari Basketball in Pool #18; Full Package Athletics, Northwest Indiana Alliance, Kentucky Hoop Stars, and Randolph Boys Club in Pool #19; Michigan Mustangs, Queen City Prophets, Illinois Warriors, and Spiece Indy Heat in #20 Pool; Northwest Arkansas Raptors, Cincy AAU Red, Gateway Basketball Club, and Evansville Basketball Club in Pool #21; Nashville Stallions, Ft Wayne Select, SMAC Storm, and Team Philly MJC in Pool #22; Northwest Express, Northwest Ohio Basketball Club, Spoilermakers 2007, and Milton Redhawks in Pool #23; and Spiece Elite, Seattle Rotary Select III, Fox Valley Skillz, and Salt Lake Metro in Pool #24.  The Sophomores-To-Be Division will include the Grand Rapids Storm, All Ohio Red, St. Louis Gameface, and Kentucky Hoop Stars in Pool #25; Cincy AAU Black, Ferrari Basketball, Michigan Hurricanes, and Twin City Magic in Pool #26; Spiece Central Stars, Idaho, Iowa Mavericks, and Long Island Roadrunners in Pool #27; Blessed IJN, Speice Dayton Airmen, DTA Wisconsin, and Michigan Mustangs in Pool #28; Spiece Hustlers, Waterloo Wildhawks, Illinois Warriors, and Cincinnati AAU Red in Pool #29; St. Louis Eagles, Ohio Stars, Spiece Northwest Stars, and Randolph Boys Club in Pool #30; and Fox Valley Skillz, Gateway Basketball Club, Salt Lake Metro, and Northwestr Ohio Basketball Club in Pool #31.  There also will be a set of games at 8:30 PM and 10:00 PM tonight and Pool Play will resume bright and early tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM and continue non-stop until 5:00 PM tomorrow.  Then, the playoffs will begin early Saturday evening and run through the middle of the afternoon on Sunday cumulating with the championship in all three Divisions.  For more information about the 11th Annual Spiece Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic, other Spiece events, and the Spiece program, click on Spiece Run N' Slam.

We now are hearing that 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY will sign a National Letter-of-Intent tomorrow (it was today, but apparently he's put it off again) with the University of Louisville and we suspect that 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA could also sign as soon as tomorrow with either Kentucky or Georgia Tech.  However, we have no idea what's going to happen with 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who still has UCLA, Michigan, Ohio State, Kansas, Oregon, and Oklahoma on his list, nor do we know when it is going to happen.   However, we have confirmed that 6'5 Brian Lake from Bolivar (Central) TN, who is ranked #355 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Middle Tennessee State, and this is interesting for a number of reasons.  First, our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead thinks Lake is a steal, because he's a tough hardnose blue collar power forward who doesn't take any prisoners inside.  Second, Lake is a proven winner, as he led his team to the Tennessee State High School 3-A Championship last month.  Third, Lake is showing signs of being able to convert to the wing forward spot at the next level, as his outside shot and ability to put it on the floor have improved.  Fourth, the addition of Lake moves Middle Tennesse State's recruiting class up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Fifth, Middle Tennessee State assistant coach Jeff Walker deserves the credit for getting this one done.  Remember, Middle Tennessee State assistant coach Donnie Tyndale has been largely responsible for landing three disporoationaly highly ranked recruiting classes in a row.  It also appears that about a week ago Baylor landed 6'5 Patrick Fields from Panola (JC) TX.   If you will recall, this is the guy who spent the 2002-2003 season at the University of Mississippi, as a walk-on and then transferred to Panola Junior College, where he averaged 17.6 ppg and 7.6 rpg last season.  Fields, who will have three years of eligibility remaining at Baylor, also was an honorable mention All-Region XIV selection and was ranked 7th in scoring, 8th in rebounding, and 15th in 3-point shooting (35.6%).  In other words, Fields is like a jack-of-all-trades and, as a result, should be an excellent complement to 6'11 Mamadou Diene from Senegal, 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham Australia, and 6'0 Roscoe Biggers from Globe Tech (JC) NY.  Speaking of Baylor's recruiting class, the addition of Fields moves their class into a tie at #23, along with Ohio State and Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Palacios pulls a major surprise and picks Baylor tomorrow, instead Louisville, then their recruiting class would move up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, behind Memphis, Texas, Louisville, and Indiana.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Lamont Gordon from Minereal Area (JC) IA and 6'10 Levi Dyer from Eaton (H.S.) CO have both signed with Illinois State.  The addition of Gordon is especially noteworthy, because we're talking about a Third Team Junior College All-American who can score on the blocks, face-up, and shoot the mid-range jumper.  Dyer, who averaged 22 ppg, 11 rpg, and 3 bgp, is a good shooter at 6'10 (33-82 from 3-point land last season), but he'll probably red-shirt next year, because he needs time to develop.  These two additions move Illinois State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Nedu Oneyuku from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'1 Justin Dentman from Carbondale (H.S.) IL into a tie at #66, along with New Orleans, South Alabama, Western Kentucky, and Penn State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And just like with Donnie Tyndale, it appears there is a direct correlation between Illinois State assistant coach Steve Forbes and the school at which is coaching in terms of getting it done in terms of recruiting at the mid-major level.  If you will recall, Forbes played an instrumental role a year ago in landing Louisiana Tech's recruiting class, which included 6'8 Paul Millsap from Grambling (H.S.) LA, 6'3 JueMichael Young from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'7 Barry Thompson from Odessa (JC) TX, 6'3 Donell Allick from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'1 Solomon Brown from Cypress (JC) CA, and 6'2 Fred Marshall from Coffeyville (JC) KS and finished ranked #7 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for 2003.  And Illinois State isn't done yet!  As a matter of fact, 6'2 Khalif Ford from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, who is one of the top point guards still available, was at Illinois State on an official visit two weeks ago and it wouldn't surprise us if they got this one done as well.  We also are waiting to see whether 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who is ranked #55 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picks Pittsburgh, Rutgers, or Kansas.  If you will recall, Galindo committed to UTEP last fall, but reneged on the Miners when Billy Gillispie took the Texas A&M head coaching job a month ago.  It appears the leading candidates for the Louisiana-Lafayette job are LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, North Texas head coach Johnny Jones, Mississippi State assistant coach Robert Kirby, Oklahoma State assistant coach Glynn Cyprien, and Louisiana-Lafayette assistant coach Robert Lee.  We also wouldn't be surprised if 6'7 Jr Brian Grimes from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA ends up at Virginia.  Currently his list includes Virginia, Connecticut, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Kentucky, Georgetown, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale, and Cornell, but the Cavaliers would provide the strongest combination of basketball and academics, which is what Grimes' father tells us that his son is looking for.  And, if the Cavaliers pull this off, it would be the third player from the Philadelphia area that Virginia assistant coach Walt Fuller will have landed in the last two years.  If you will recall, Fuller, who both played and coached at Drexel University, also was the key to the Cavaliers getting 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA a year ago and getting 6'0 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA in this year's recruiting class.  We haven't talked with Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA head coach Steve Smith lately, but we do know that his program won't miss a beat next year, because 6'4 Jr K.C. Rivers and 6'11 Jr Bamba Fall both are expected to return and we're hearing that 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Jr Jamont Gordon from Nashville (Glencliff) TN, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'0 Soph Tywon Lawson from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, who is ranked #14 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP; are among those who are expected to end up at what annually is the preimer high school basketball program in the land next year.  We also are hearing that 6'4 Roderick "Rocky" Trice from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who was the Player-of-the-Year in the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association this past season and was the #4-ranked wing guard by the Lindy's Basketball Yearbook, will sign with South Carolina next week.  And when this happens, South Carolina's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Jared Gaither from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD and 6'5 Dwayne Day from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA, willmove into a tie at #58, along with UTEP and Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Thursday, April 29, 2004

A year ago we thought Travis Ford and his staff might be in trouble at Eastern Kentucky.  Well, it looks like they've not only survived, but this season they finished 4th in the Ohio Valley Conference, behind Austin Peay, Murray State, and Morehead State, with a 8-8 conference record and a 14-15 overall record, which is the best the record the Colonels have had in a dozen years.  And the best is still yet to come, because Eastern Kentucky has a recruiting class that checks in at #30 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. If you will recall, last fall they signed 6'10 Alonzo Hird from Santa Fe (JC) FL, who was one of the top junior college centers in Florida this past season.   They also recently landed 6'6 Ryan Wiersma from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who was the 6th man on what was arguably the best prep school team in the nation.  And now they've added two more top notch junior college players in 6'3 Zack Ingles from Pasco-Hernando (JC) FL and 6'2 Jason McLeish from Westchester (JC) NY and two players out of their backyard in 6'9 Darnell Dials from Lexington (Lafayette) KY and 6'4 Stephen Gabbard from McKee (Jackson County) KY.  Ingles was named the Suncoast Conference Player-of-the-Year and was the leading scorer in the Florida Junior College ranks with 22 ppg.  McLeish, who averaged 18 ppg and 7 apg, was the Mid-Hudson Junior College Conference Player-of-the-Year.  In other words, Ford not only should be able to replace 6'9 Sr Jon Bentley and 6'0 Sr Mike Scott, who were his second and fifth leading scorers with 13.4 ppg and 6.5 ppg, respectively, but he also appears to be bringing in three players who are as good as anybody he currently has in the program.   Daniels and Gabbard were second and third team all-state selections by the Louisville Courier-Journal, which also is important because it shows that Ford can get more than his fair share of the top players in his backyard.  Making the story even more interesting is the fact that Gabbard, who has agreed to be a walk-on, was highly touted when he was a freshman and sophomore, but dropped off the radar screen when he had a knee injury that pre-maturely ended his junior year.  However, Gabbard, who can play nearly almost any position on the court and has big time athleticism, managed to recover well enough to average 21 ppg, 5 rpg, and 3 apg as a senior in high school this past season.  We also have confirmed that Tennessee Tech had landed 6'2 Justin Taylor from Lexington (Tates Creek) KY and 6'9 Rashaun Bryant from Atlanta (Mt. Olive Prep) GA and both of these signing are extremely interesting.   Bryant, who signed with Colorado a year ago as a high school senior at Rome (Coosa) GA, was ranked #276 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003, but he's got a tremendous upside (top 100 potential), if the light ever clicks on and decides to get into shape (currently he's 6'9, 270 lbs.).  Taylor is a big time athlete, but he never developed a jump shot and never had the perimeter skills necessary to play point guard and, as a result, never had a true position.  However, Taylor should thrive in the Ohio Valley Conference and, as a result, Tennessee Tech's recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Anthony Fisher from Alpharetta (Chattahoochee) GA, moves into a tie at #123, along with St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Eastern Michigan, Valparaiso, Florida Atlantic, San Diego, Virginia Commonwealth, William & Mary, Fresno State, UC-Santa Barbara, Miami-OH, South Florida, Lehigh, East Carolina, Indiana State, and Mt. St. Mary's, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, Tennessee Tech's recruiting class moves up to #3 in the league behind Eastern Kentucky and Murray State.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Siena has landed 6'5 Marshall Taylor from Philadelphia (West Catholic) PA, who was ranked #13 in the senior class in the area on Rubin's most recent report.  And Taylor's not the only player the Siena coaching staff has stolen in this recruiting class.   If you will recall, last fall they signed 6'5 Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #290 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'1 Jack McClinton from South Kent (Prep CT, who is ranked #65 on our 5th Year List and is a lights out 3-point shooter, and more recently they landed 5'10 Artavius Fisher from Kingston (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #267 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is capable of putting up prolific numbers, and 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who is ranked #55 on our 5th Year List and is capable of playing either guard spot.  So Siena now has five players who fall into the 100-300 range nationally and, as a result, it should come as no surprise that their recruiting class moves into a tie at #55, along with Hartford, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  

We have not confirmed whether the college presidents voted in favor of rescinding the five-eight rule, whereby, you can only sign five players one year and three the next with a maximum of eight over two years, but the word on the street is that it happend earlier today.  And assuming that our sources are correct, don't be surprised if it's like the Wild West this spring, as top level schools load up, players who signed at the lower level try and get our of their National Letter-of-Intent and go higher, and players transfer.  And one of the big winners has to be University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, who hasn't worried about the numbers and, as a result, has recruited as if his only restricton was a 13-scholarship limitation.  If you will recall, the Wildcats landed 7'2 Frosh Lukasz Obrzut, 7'3 Frosh Shagari Alleyne, 6'8 Frosh Sheray Thomas, and 6'7 Frosh Bobby Perry in last year's recruiting class; also added a transfer last spring in 6'2 Jr Patrick Sparks; signed 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV last fall; and received verbal commitment from 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI and 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in late January.  And, as expected, Williams announced that he plans to attend prep school next year, but that still left no room until today for the Wildcats to take 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #17 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, even though Morris narrowed his list to Georgia Tech and Kentucky months ago.  As things stand now, we think the race for Morris is too close to call.  But, if he picks Kentucky, that would moves the Wildcats recruiting class into a tie at #2, right behind Memphis and along with Texas, Louisville, and USC, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also would put Kentucky's recruiting class #1 in the tough Southeastern Conference, just ahead of Arkansas and Florida, as well as give the Wildcats the coveted inside player that they need to once again be one of the premier teams in college basketball next season.  If you will recall, Crawford was the best 2-guard in the high school ranks last season, Bradley is a tenacious defender who is equally good at either guard spot, Rondo is ranked #31 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and impressed a lot of people with his performance in the McDonald's All-American Game; and Sparks was the Sun Belt Conference Player-of-the-Year prior to transferring from Western Kentucky to Kentucky a year ago.  So all they need is one great inside player to complement Chuck Hayes at the power forward spot and Kelenna Azubuike at the wing forward spot.  As a matter of fact, if the Wildcats get Morris, it wouldn't surprise us if they do what  Syracuse did when the Orangemen had Carmelo Anthony and Gerry McNamara as freshman and won the NCAA Championship 13 months ago.  Remember, at some point talent trumps experience and Tubby Smith has done an incredible job each of the last two years with more experience, but not as good a players.  And, if Kentucky pulls this off, Smith should give Wildcats assistant coach Reggie Hanson, who is one of the fastest rising young guys in the business, a big fat raise, because he did the bulk of the work when it came to landing this recruiting class.  But, if Randolph picks Georgia Tech, then their recruiting class, which already includes 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, and 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, would move up to #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, Morris would give Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, who will have four starters back, a pair of twin towers to go to war with in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as make another run at the NCAA Championship.  And, if Morris does show up, just imagine what the Georgia Tech practices will be like, as 7'1 Jr Luke Schenscher was one of the most improved players in college basketball last year from the start of the season to the end of the season.  We also are waiting to see what 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is tied at #10 in our rankings of the top seniors nationally and reminds of Jamal Mashburn in many ways, in going to do.  The word on the street is that Palacios is going to make his decision tomorrow and that it's going to be Louisville.  We also have reason to believe that it's just a matter of time before 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #28 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also picks the Cardinals.  And, if that happens, then Louisville's recruiting class will move into the #1 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, despite the fact they figure to lose 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is expected to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next week.  Speaking of Telfair, did you know that he's missed the last several weeks of school, because he's been in Greece working out with Jamal Thomas, who plays professional in Greece?  We also understand that Telfair will have a press conference next week to not just announce that he's going pro, but also to inform the world that he has an endorsement deal from one of the three major tennis shoe companies for an estimated $10 to $12 million.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL has transferred to Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL and, as a result, we suspect he is getting ready to enter his named for the NBA Draft.   Ironically, we've also heard that when Telfair returns from Europe, he too will head to Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, where he will work on his game right up until draft day.  

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

It looks like Southern California head coach Henry Bibby has finally once and for all solved his point guard problem, because, in addition to having signed 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who still is questionable in terms of whether he will make it academically and, as a result, be eligible to play as a freshman next year, the Trojans also have 6'1 Dwayne Shackleford from Allegany (JC) MD in the fold.  We're talking about a First Team Junior College All-American Team, as well as the guy who scored 40 points against Lon Morris (JC) TX in the first round of the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.  And that's what Shackleford does best(score points), but he also has a great feel for the game and a knack for making those round him better due to the fact that his ability to score frees everybody else up.  Shackleford, who played high school basketball for the Washington (Anacostia) DC and the DC Players, is a tough inner city kid, so he's obviously ideally suited to step in and turn things around next year.   If you will recall, USC has lacked a true point guard and, as a result, has gone 26-32 the last two years.  Also remember that USC has a long jam at the wing spots with 6'2 Jr Derrick Craven, 6'2 Jr Errick Craven, 6'8 Jr Nick Curtis, 6'5 Frosh Rodrick Stewart, and 6'5 Frosh Lodrick Stewart, but, if Pruitt shows up, don't be surprised if Bibby finds a way to get both Shackleford and Pruitt more than their share of playing time, because they should be the two most talented players in the program.  The addition of Shackleford also moves USC's recruiting class into a tie at #2, along with Texas and Louisville, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, it probably won't stay there, unless 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA surprised everybody and doesn't enter his name into the NBA Draft later this spring.   There also are questions about whether 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA will make it academically, but, 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who signed with USC last fall, should bring some additional toughness and athleticism to the table inside.  It also looks like former Maryland assistant coach Jimmy Patsos is off to a fast start in terms of turning things around at Loyola-Maryland, because he's already landed two of the better players in the Washington, DC area this spring in 6'5 Fred Stanback from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA and 6'4 Brad Ferrell from Herndon (H.S.) VA and it appears that Andre Collins has decided to follow Patsos from the University of Maryland to Loyola-Maryland.  We also were glad to see that Maryland head coach Gary Williams decided to fill Patsos' spot with Catholic University head coach Mike Lonergan, who is one of the top up-and-coming guys in the business, as is evident by his 251-88 12-year head coaching record and the fact that his team won the 2001 Division III National Championship.   We also are interested to see if Catholic University assistant coach Steve Howes, who is second to none in terms of contacts in the Washington, DC area, as well as one of the bright young guys in the business, becomes the new head coach at Catholic University.  In our mind, it would be a no-brainer, but sometimes college presidents, athletic directors, and search committees work in mysterious ways.  We also are interested to see who John Thompson III hires to complete his staff at Georgetown.  He's already brought Princeton assistant coach Robert Burke with him and some of the other names that we continue to hear as potential candidates include Arkansas assistant coach Ronny Thompson, George Mason assistant coach Bill Courtney, Hartford assistant coach Chris Pompey, and George Washington assistant coach Kevin Broadus.  Actually we think the smart money is Broadus, who is second to none in terms of recruiting in the Washington, DC area.  Some of the names we're hearing to replace Michael Hunt at Towson include N.C. State assistant coach Larry Hunter, Iowa State assistant coach Fred Quartlebaum, Notre Dame assistant coach Sean Kearney, and Bowie State head coach Luke D'Alessio.   However, don't be surprised if they hire Towson assistant coach Lamont Franklin, who not only played high school basketball at Temple Hills (Crossland) MD and college basketball at UNC-Wilmington during the Jerry Wainright era, but also was an assistant coach at Howard and St. Mary's and was the associate head coach at Florida A&M with Mike Gilleispe prior to coming to Towson a year ago.  In other words, Franklin is a local guy on the rise with the right pedigree, he's already familar with the program, and he hasn't been there long enough to get the blame (Towson was 23-63 during the Michael Hunt era).  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jon Ezeokoli from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has signed with Bryant College and we think this is a match made in heaven, because Ezeokoli is a tenacious defender and an excellent slasher/athlete and, as a result, he should thrive in Max Good's uptempo style of play.  Speaking of Good, it appears that somebody didn't tell him that he's still not coaching at the Division I level, because this is the second mid-major player that he's stolen this spring.  If you will recall, two weeks ago Bryant College, which is quickly emerging into one of the top Division II programs in the nation, also landed 6'7 A.J. Mahare from Bennington (Mt. Anthony Union) VT was the Player-of-the-Year in Vermont.  We also have gotten a list of schools from Gary Charles, who is the head coach of the Long Island Panthers, for 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'5 Jr Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY.  Green likes N.C. State, Connecticut, Seton Hall, St. John's, Vanderbilt, and Georgetown and Pena is interested Florida, Connecticut, DePaul, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Georgia.  We also finally have gotten a list for 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, which includes Louisville, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, USC, and Kentucky, and we have confirmed that 5'11 Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI has signed with Evansville. 

Reggie Tisdale of Indiana Basketball News has the scoop on 6'11 Jr Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, who earlier today picked Notre Dame over Illinois, Kansas, Stanford, and Missouri.  And this is absolutely huge for a number of reasons.  First, Zeller is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and, as a result, has to be the best player that Mike Brey has signed during his nine years (the last four at Notre Dame) as a Division I head coach.  Second, Zeller will give the Notre Dame the inside presence that they will need to replace 6'8 Jr Dennis Latimore and 6'10 Soph Torin Francis, both of whom will graduate in two years.  Third, Zeller will give Notre Dame the ideal one-two punch inside year after next when Francis is a senior and he is a freshman.  Fourth, Zeller is a terrific student and a great kid, as well as great basketball player, which is important when you already have a first class program.  Fifth, getting Zeller is important, because he's an in-state kid and, except for 6'1 Chris Thomas, who graduated from Indianapolis (Pike) IN in 2001, most of the top players in the state over the years have either gone to Indiana or Purdue.  Zeller needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's got amazing coordination and mobility for somebody his size, plus he's got great skills, excellent shot blocking and rebounding ability, and terrific offensive moves inside.  In other words, it looks like Notre Dame has hit the jackpot, as their recruiting class for the Class of 2005, which also includes 6'7 Jr Zach Hillesland from Toledo (St. John's) OH, who is ranked #85 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, moves up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Tisdale also tells us that 6'5 Jr Josh Tabb from Ullin (Century) IL has verbally committed to Southern Illinois.  And this too is huge, because we're talking about a guy who is ranked #116 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as one of the top 10 juniors in the state of Illinois.  This also is a testament to the great foundation that Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and future Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who recently left Southern Illinois to serve as the interim head coach at Purdue during Gene Keady's last year on the job, have laid.  It also shows that new Salukis head coach Chris Lowery probably won't miss a beat in terms of recruiting.  Remember, Lowery played and was an assistant coach at Southern Illinois prior to moving onto the University of Illinois with Weber a year ago.  It also appears that 7'0 Russell Hicks from Niagara Falls (Westlane) ON, who is ranked #198 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Pepperdine and this too is a major coup, because we're talking about a mobile athletic 7-footer with the size and skills necessary to develop into the most dominant inside player in the West Coast Conference.  This moves Pepperdine's recruiting class into a tie at #70, along with Fordham and San Diego State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But, even more important, it moves the Waves' recruiting class into a close second behind Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference.  And, if we also included 5'8 Kingsley Constain from Champlain (Lennoxville) ON, who signed with Pepperdine during the Fall Signing Period and enrolled in school at the semester break last winter, the Waves' recruiting class would be ranked first in the league and would be tied at #53, along with Colorado, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  This also is the third player from Canada and the fourth player from outside the United States that Pepperdine has signed this year.  If you will recall, Pepperdine also landed 6'7 Mouhamet Faye from the Senegal and 6'5 Oliver Prince from Toronto (Jean-Vanier) ON last fall.  And this comes on the heels of a recruiting class a year ago that was ranked #63 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003 and included 6'7 Yahkouba Diawara from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'4 Wendell White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'9 Jarrad Henry from Kansas City (Bishop Miege) MO, and 5'10 Sean Davis from San Diego (Lincoln) CA.  No wonder a lot of people in the business now regard Pepperdine assistant coach Jim Neilsen as one of the best recruiters in college basketball at the mid-major level.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Cliff Clinkscale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL has picked DePaul over Miami-FL and Maryland and this is an important catch for the Blue Demons, because Clinkscale is the pure point guard that head coach Dave Leitao didn't have a year ago.  However, now it appears that Leitao will go to war next year with two outstanding point guards next year, because the Blue Demons also landed 5'11 Aking Elting from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who was the #5-ranked point guard in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season, last fall.  Sure, Clinkscale is only ranked #47 on our list of the top 5th Year Players, but he not only makes those around him better with his excellent passing ability and good decisions, but he's also an excellent defender, a terrific leader, and potentially the glue take every team needs to obtain a higher level (this past season they finished tied for first in Conference USA, along with Cincinnati, Memphis, Charlotte, and UAB with a 12-4 league record and a 22-10 overall record).  The addition of Clinkscale also moves DePaul's recruiting class into a tie at #21, along with Connecticut, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, which is ironic in itself, because it means that Leitao is now keeping up with his old boss (Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun) in terms of recruiting.  However, if 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, does not withdrawal his name from the NBA Draft, the Blue Demons' recruiting class will drop into a tie at #81, along with Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed via our NewYork City Editor Ron Naclerio that 6'6 Frosh Karron Clarke has been given his release to transfer from Miami-FL and that he likely will end up at DePaul.

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

It appears that some of our competitors reported over the weekend that 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY has verbally committed to the University of Louisville, but, at the best, they have jumped the gun and, at the worst, they are totally wrong.  In other words, it hasn't happened yet.  If you will recall, Friday evening we reported that we thought a verbal commitment could be forthcoming by Palacios to the Cardinals within the next several days and, as a result, we too are surprised that an official announcement has not been forthcoming.  However, unlike our competitors, we have reported right and, as a result, don't have egg on our face like they do.  Part of the problem appears to be that Palacios can't seem to make up his mind.  Did you know that we've also gotten reports about Palacios telling the coaching staff at Florida State a week ago that he was going to sign with the Seminoles, but then changed his mind 24 hours later.  And now it looks like he's having difficulty pulling the trigger on announcing for Louisville.  Still, any way you slice it, Palacios would be a huge catch for any one of the three finalists on his list.  If he picks Baylor, that would move the Bears' recruiting class, which also includes 6'11 Mamadou Diene from Senegal and Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, up to #17 on our list Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   It also would make Baylor one of the most improved teams in the Big-12 Conference next year, because Diene, Bruce, and Palacios all would step in and make an immediate impact.   If Palacios picks Florida State, that would move the Seminoles' recruiting class up, which also includes 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, and 6'9 Jerome Habel from Washington (Marriott Charter) DC.  It also would give Florida State one of the best front-lines in college basketball with Palacios, 6'11 Frosh Alexander Johnson, and 6'10 Jr Diego Romero, who red-shirted this past season, as well as make the Seminoles one of the best teams in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference next year, along with Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, and Virginia.  If Palacios picks Louisville, then Louisville's recruiting class would move up to #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, it probably won't stay there very long, because 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY is expected to enter his name into the NBA Draft sometime within the next month.  And when that happens, Louisville's class, which also includes 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, would drop to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But it also could move back up to #1, if the Cardinals got Palacios and 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who recently reneged on Xavier and now appears to be on the verge of signing with the Cardinals.  And, assuming that Louisville gets both Palacios and Odia, then they would be one of the teams to beat in college basketball next season.  And, if you don't believe it, let's take a closer look.  Odia would start at the point, Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia would start at the wing spots, Smith would compete for time at both the wing forward and the four power forward positions, and Palacios, Johnson, and Ellis Miles would all get plenty of minutes inside.  Also providing even more depth will be Brandon Jenkins at point, Wade, Nate Daniels and Larry O'Bannon on the perimeter, and Otis George inside (Farley is expected to red-shirt next year).  And this appears to be only the being, as the Cardinals also already have an early verbal commitment from 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, who is ranked #39 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they are believed to be one of the favorites for 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) CA, 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH, 6'10 Jr Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, 6'5 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 5'11 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'1 Jr Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, 6'6 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, and 6'9 Jr Carl Swanigan from Salt Lake City (Hunter) UT.   And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Louisville head coach Rick Pitino likes to take transfers and currently there are several big time transfers available that the Cardinals recruited when they were in high school.  So, if the NCAA gets rid of the five-eight rule, whereby, you can only sign five players one year and three the next with a maximum of eight over two years, then our guess is that the Cardinals will sign five more players in next year's recruiting class.  Remember, Otis George, Ellis Myles, Nate Daniels, and Larry O'Bannon will be seniors; Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, and Donta Smith will be juniors; Brandon Jenkins will be a sophomore; and Juan Diego Palacios, Churchill Odia, Brian Johnson, Lorenzo Wade, and Terrance Farley will be freshmen next year.  So with four seniors scheduled to graduate and Garcia likely to enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now, we look for Louisville to sign Clarence Holloway, take a transfer, and get a point guard, a wing player, and another inside player.  Louisville also is way out in front of everybody else on 6'5 Soph Marques Johnson from Ft.Wayne (Snider) IN, who is one of the top point guards in the sophomore class.  In other words, it appears that the Cardinals are in a position to become one of the elite programs in college basketball, along with Duke, Connecticut, and anybody who as the top of the mountain, for years to come. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'9 Shawn James from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 6'3 Jamal Dart from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA have both signed with Northeastern, 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has signed with Siena, 6'9 Shakiem Mitchell from Globe Tech (JC) NY has signed with Southern Miss, and 6'0 Roscoe Biggers from Globe Tech (JC) NY has signed with Baylor.  Biggers is the consolation prize at the point guard spot for Baylor, which recently lost 6'0 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, who verbally committed to the Bears in December, but reneged on his commitment the first day of the Spring Signing Period and, instead, signed with Cincinnati.  Biggers is a strong physical point guard who is excellent in transition and has a knack for getting to the hole and finding ways to score.   However, he's also always been very inconsistent and in the past we've questioned his basketball IQ.  Still, he's good enough to step in and make an immediate impact next year for the Bears, plus he moves Baylor's recruiting class, which also features 6'11 Mamadou Diene from Senegal and Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, into a tie at #39, along with Pittsburgh, Virginia, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  The verbal commitment by Mitchell is important because he not only promises to give the new regime needed size inside, but he also could be an entree for Southern Miss to both the Riverside Church club team program in particular and the New York Metropolitan area in general for future recruiting purposes.  The verbal commitment by Mitchell also moves the Golden Eagles recruiting class into a tie at #58, along with Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   We also are impressed by the recruiting class that Northeastern has assembled for several reasons.  First, 6'7 Mantas Griskenas from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'6 Steward Baldonado from Winchendon (School) MA, both of whom committed to the Huskies last fall, are good enough to step in and make an immediate impact for the Huskies.  Second, James is not ready to make an immediate impact, but has a tremendous upside, if his offensive skills ever come close to catching up with his ability to block shots, defend, and rebound, and Dart is a jack-of-all trades and promises to be a terrific role player.  Third, all four of their recruits (Baldonado, Griskenas, James, and Dart) spent last year in prep school, which means they've had an added year of maturity and excellent coaching.  Fourth Griskenas and Baldonado at Winchendon (School) MA and James and Dart at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA were teammates last year, which means they've had an added year to become familar with one another both on and off the court.  Fifth, the addition of James and Dart moves Northeastern's recruiting class up to #60 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and into second place right behind Hartford in the America East Conference.  We also think Mensah is a terrific catch for Siena, as well as an excellent complement to the other players in their recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'1 Jack McClinton from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 5'10 Artavius Fisher from Kingston (H.S.) NY and is tied at #72, along with Missouri-Kansas City, IUPUI, Tulane, Liberty, Brigham Young, and George Mason, and Georgetown, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Fred Peek from Northeastern Oklahoma (JC) OK has picked Kansas State over Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and New Mexico State and this is important because Peek is good enough and experienced enough to immediately become the favorite to win the starting 2-guard spot next year along side of 6'0 Frosh Dez Willingham.  We're talking about the runner-up Player-of-the-Year in his team's conference, as well as somebody who can score in a variety of ways, has three years of college eligibility remaining, and moves Kansas State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA and 6'4 Clent Stewart from Tulsa (Union) OK, into a tie at #81, along with Texas A&M and Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, the addition of Peek means that the Kansas State coaching staff has more than adequately replaced 6'3 Sr Tim Ellis and 6'2 Sr Frank Richards, both of whom will graduate this spring.  Greg Swaim, who publishes GregSwaim.com, tells us that it's finally official for 6'10 Aaron Pettway from Hutchinson (JC) KS, who was ranked as the #1 center in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, the #3 center in the junior college ranks by the Lindy College Basketball Yearbook, and as a Fifth Team Junior College All-American by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearkbook.  That's right!  Pettway is going to Oklahoma State.  And he may not be the only one, as it also appears that 6'3 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, who is ranked #54 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, may sign with the Cowboys this spring.  If you will recall, Curry was all set to go to North Carolina before getting arrested for buying drugs in a drug sting operation earlier this year.  However, everybody deserves a second chance and, if Curry also materializes in this recruiting class, which currently is tied at #13, along with Cincinnati and Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and also includes 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Stillwater, OK and 6'0 Jamal Brown from Dixie (JC) UT, then Oklahoma State's recruiting class would move up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And that would be the highest ranked recruiting class the Cowboys have had since 2000 when they had the #1-ranked recruiting class, according to the HOOP SCOOP, with 6'3 Maurice Baker from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'8 Ivan McFarlan from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'5 Melvin Sanders from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'6 Terrance Crawford from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGinnis) OK, 6'10 Jack Marlow from Tulsa (Union) OK, 6'4 Bernard Kidd from Dallas (Madison) TX, and 6'8 David Anderson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Ironically, McFarlan was a starter and Crawford was a reserve on this year's NCAA Final Four team.  However, Swann tells us that Brown plans to spend another year in junior college next season at Southern Idaho (JC) ID and, as a result, it might not be etched in stone that he'll end up at Oklahoma State, even though he signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Cowboys.  And the determining factor may depend upon whether Oklahoma State lands 5'11 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who told us over the weekend that Oklahoma State and Louisville are the leaders over SMU, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and Georgia Tech.

Saturday, April 24, 2004, Sunday, April 25, 2004, & Monday, April 26, 2004

A year ago the dominant club team on the spring and summer AAU circuit was the Atlanta Celtics with 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA.  However, now it appears that the tide has switched to their in-state rival, as the Georgia Stars with 6'2 Jr Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 Jr Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, who is ranked #28 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, have won what are arguably the two premier events of the spring.  If you will recall, the Georgia Stars won the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament two weeks ago and now, after their 65-62 win in the championship game against the Spiece Indy Heat, they are the champions of the Houston Kingwood Classic, which concluded yesterday in Houston, TX.   And while Williams and Mercer were their team's best two players, the big reason why the Georgia Stars came up big in the championship game was the outside shooting of 6'3 Jr Bill Humphrey from Dacula (H.S.) GA, who hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 points.  We're talking about such a big sleeper that our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis didn't even have Humphrey ranked among the top 52 juniors in the state when he last updated his rankings on February 15th.  And while Humphrey was lighting it up from out on the perimeter, the Georgia Stars also featured a very balanced attack as Williams had 10 points, Mercer had 10 points, 6'9 Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA had nine points, and 6'8 Jr Daniel Emerson from Norcross (H.S.) GA had nine points in the championship game.  We also thought Emerson, who is ranked #15 in the junior class in Georgia by the HOOP SCOOP, really helped himself, as he was tough on the boards, scored around the basket, and is your good old-fashioned blue collar player who doesn't take any prisoners inside.  And making the story even more interesting is that fact the Spiece Indy Heat, which featured 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is the consensus #1-ranked sophomore in the nation, 6'10 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'1 Soph Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, and 6'9 Soph Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, jumped out to a big lead early in the championship game, but never put the game away.  The fact that Oden only scored one of his 14 points in the second half also didn't help the Indy Spiece Heat's cause.  Instead, the leading scorer of the Spiece Indy Heat was Cook with 19 points, including 3 3-pointers, while Conley only chipped in with only seven points and McRoberts and Cook had six points apiece.  But the biggest story of the tournament has to be the emergence of 6'11 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, who is currently is ranked #56 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, into one of the premier players in the nation.  Not only has Blatche grown at least an inch since we saw him last summer, but he also surprised us with how much he's improved during the last eight months.  Blatche has an incredible wing span, tremendous athleticism, explosive quickness, unbelieveable timing, excellent shot blocking ability, great passing skills, a nose for the ball on the boards, and very good post moves.  In other words, we're talking about a legitimate top 10 senior nationally, as well as this year's version of 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, who came out of relative obsurity at this time a year ago to emerge into the #4-ranked senior in the nation in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2003 last spring.  We're also talking about somebody who is probably ready to enter his name into the NBA Draft ahead of most of the highly touted high school players who are presently contemplating doing exactly that within the next several weeks.  Instead, it appears that Blatche will go the prep school route to South Kent (Prep) CT next year and right now his list of schools includes Syracuse, North Carolina, Connecticut, West Virginia, Penn State, Rutgers, Providence, Maryland, and Georgetown, although the first two appear to be way out in front.  But when it's all said and done, our guess is that Blatche will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now.  Yes, he's that good!  And the same might also be said about 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who finished a close second behind Blatche based on his performance in this tournament.  As a matter of fact, Brumbaugh scored 40 points in one game over the weekend and, based on his incredible athleticism, tremendous natural talent, and ability to dominate a game both inside and outside, a case can be made for Brumbaugh, who currently is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to be ranked as the best player nationally in the Class of 2005.  Brumbaugh also the subject of an intense recruiting war that is being waged by Florida State, Florida, Auburn, and Arkansas, but, in the end, we think the fact that the Seminoles landed 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr.Phillips) FL last fall might just be the deciding factor.  The Houston Kingwood Classic's 17-Under Division also featured 11 more of our top 20 juniors nationally in Louis Williams, 6'10 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'7 Jr Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Tyler Hansborough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN, 6'6 Jr Calvin Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, and 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY; five of our top 10 sophomores nationally in Oden, 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Soph Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'4 Soph Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, and 6'8 Soph Damien James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX; but the only two who really knocked our socks off were Hansborough, whose top four now include Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina, and Scheyer, whose two early favorites appear to be Duke and Illinois.  Also from the state of Illinois and shooting the lights out was 6'3 Jr Bobby Fraser from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, who has Stanford, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Marquette, Wisconsin, and Georgetown on his list and now emerges as the second best junior in the state behind Julian Wright.  Also really elevating the value of their stock and really impressing us with their outside shooting were guys like 6'0 Jr Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL, 6'6 Soph Isiah Dahlman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Jr Bill Humphrey from Dacula (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Jr Alex Ruoff from Brooksville (Central) FL, 6'5 Jr Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, and 6'5 Jr Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN.  And, as long as we're talking about players from Tennessee, did you know that Memphis YOMCA advanced all the way to the final four of the Gold Division of the 17-Under Division, along with the Georgia Stars, Spiece Indy Heat, and DC Assault?  Not only does Memphis YOMCA feature four incredible sophomores in 6'8 Soph Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'8 Soph Pierre Niles from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'9 Soph Wayne Chism from Jackson (Southside) TN, and 6'2 Soph Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, all of whom are big time recruits, but they are strong, physical, athletic, and better than most college teams inside right now with Young, Niles, Chism, and 6'8 Jr Desmond Yates from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN.  Young appeared to wear out as the week wore on, but when we first saw him, he put on one of the best performances we saw in the entire tournament, as he used his explosiveness, moves, and world-class athleticism to beat his man to the hole, skills to hit the mid-range pull-up jumper, and shooting range to connect on several long 3-pointers.   In other words, we're talking about a multi-dimensional athlete who is emerging into one of the top 10 players in the sophomore class nationally.  Chism is another big time with great hands, a good body, excellent rebounding skills, and an aggressive nature inside.  Niles is a force inside, thanks to his big body, broad shoulders, surprising mobility, deceptive athleticism, and aggressive nature.  Kemp is a multi-dimensional athlete who thrives in transition, shoots the three, and rebounds well for his size.  Yates is a potent offensive force with a nice turnaround jumper, a soft touch out to 15-feet, and the quickness, size, and athleticism that makes him tough to stop around the basket.  One of the biggest disappointments in the tournament was Jordan Wilkes, but he may have had an excuse, because he hasn't played with Belmont Shore all spring and he's coming off an injury.  Instead, the two players who impressed us the most for Belmont Shore were 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is one of the top players we're seen this spring and was largely responsible for Belmont Shore's success the last two weekends in Las Vegas, NV, and 6'11 Jr Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA.  Sure, Hoerner needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's got great skills, blocks shots, plays hard, and finds ways to score inside.  So we're definitely talking about one of the fastest rising players in the junior class nationally, as well as a legitimate top 100 junior nationally.  Another player who really helped himself at the Kingwood Classic is 5'10 Jr Lavance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is best described as strong physical point guard who makes good decisions, gets to the hole, and makes his team go.  Ohio State is the early favorite for Fields, but, after leading the Gauches to the elite eight in this tournament, along with the Illinois Wolves, Spiece Indy Heat, Mean Street, Memphis YOMCA, DC Assault, Team Texas, and the Georgia Stars, you can bet that his list will get longer before it gets shorter.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the states of Illinois and Texas both had three teams apiece in the final 16 of the tournament.  And, to a lot of people's suprise, the Illinois Warriors and Dallas Mustangs weren't among them.  However, Mean Streets with 6'2 Jr Brandon Ewing from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'3 Jr Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 6'5 Soph Jamel McLean from Harvey (Thornton) IL, and 6'6 Soph Joevan Carter from Harvey (Thornton) IL and the Illinois Wolves with Bobby Fraser, 6'1 Jr Bryan Mullins from Downers Grove (South) IL, 6'3 Jr Sean Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, and 6'8 Jr Mike Davis from Chicago (Gordon Tech) IL both made the final eight and the Illinois Fire with 6'2 Jr Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, 6'1 Jr Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, 6'2 Jr Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, and 6'8 Jr DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL was among the final 16.  Thomas, who is being recruited by schools like Purdue, Illinois, UTEP, Georgia, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Iowa, Bradley, Michigan, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech, needs to lose weight and get into better shape, but is suprisingly mobile for his size, has great hands, a soft touch, and is very skilled around the basket.  Minnoy's list, which includes Toledo, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa State, Minnesota, Baylor, Northwestern, and Valparaiso, is almost as interesting as his game.  At first we thought Minnoy was an undersized power forward, due to his terrific upper body and ability to scored inside and rebound for his size, but then he stepped out and started hitting 3-point shots and handling it on the perimeter, which leads us to believe that he is capable of playing the two or the three in college.  Freeman, who has Purdue, Notre Dame, Louisville, Wake Forest, DePaul, Baylor, Marquette, and Boston College on his list, and Pargo, who likes North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Kansas, DePaul, Illinois, Purdue, Gonzaga, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Marquette, and Pittsburgh, are interchangeable at both guard spots and, as a result, formed one of the best backcourts in the tournament.  We mention this because we have Freeman ranked #161 and Pargo #274 nationally in the junior class and, in both cases, this is way too low.  Ewing is an excellent athlete and a good 3-point shooter, but he's too small to be project as a prototypical big time 2-guard and doesn't have a point guard's mentality.  So he needs to be careful to pick the right college program, if he wants to play at the big time college level.  McNeal is more of slasher than a shooter, but we really like his athleticism and the way he gets to the hole.  McLean needs to get bigger and stronger and either grow and/or develop more of a perimeter game, but time is on his side because he's just a sophomore.  And the same can be said about Catron, who is built like a tank and is a force inside, thanks to his surprising mobility, timing, and excellent rebounding skills.  We also were surprised just how good 6'3 Jr Jamar Smith from Peoria (Richwoods) IL was on the Illinois Warriors.   Smith, who already has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Illinois and is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally, has great body control, terrific moves to the basket, good passing skills, and is an excellent 3-point shooter.  And, as we've already mentioned, Jonathan Scheyer was one of our favorite players in the tournament and, in addition to being a great 3-point shooter, he has tremendous skills, surprising athleticism, and a great feel for the game, which means Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois-Bulls-eye Report were right on the money in December when they told us that Scheyer was a top 10 sophomore nationally.  The Illinois Warriors, which finished second at the Boo Williams Tournament, also featured 6'8 Julian Wright, 6'0 Jr Angel Santiago from Chicago (Von Steuben) IL, 6'2 Jr Phillip Perry from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, and 6'5 Jr Josh Tabb from Ullin (Century) IL, but they ran into several major roadblocks when they got knocked off by Belmont Shore and the Houston Hoops in pool play and by the South Carolina Ravens in the first round of the playoffs.  We also were surprised by the fact that DC Assault knocked off the Houston Hoops in the round of 16 and the New York Gauchos in the round of eight, but DC Assault did have a lotof size, athleticism, and talent with guys like 6'8 Jeff Green from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'7 Jr Dounte Cunningham from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'7 Jr Madai Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 6'9 Jr Arinze Onuaku from Alexandria (Episcopal) VA.  We also were impressed with Texas Blue Chip, which was a late entry into the tournament, but made it to the round of 16 with players like 6'8 Soph Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Raymond Hicks from Longview (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Harvey Hale from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM, 6'4 Dominique Kirk from Dallas (Adams) TX, 6'9 Soph Tearon Hill from Carrolltown (Turner) TX, and 6'8 Jr Jinski Grigsby from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, and Team Texas, which was the same group that he saw last week at the Las Vegas Spring Showcase, plus 6'11 Jr Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who gave them a shot blocking presence inside to complement 6'8 Jr Kevin Rogers from Dallas (Skyline) TX and 6'8 Soph Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX.  We also really liked 6'10 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX, who just gets better and better every time we see him and, as a result, is an absolute steal for Boston College, and 5'10 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is one of the top point guards in the junior class and is considering Oklahoma State, Louisville, SMU, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and Georgia Tech.  Other players that we liked included 6'7 Wynton Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, who combined big time athleticism with excellent outside shooting; 6'0 Cliff Clickscale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL, who always does a good job running the show and making those around him better; 6'6 Soph Khelcey Barrs from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA, who is a big time athlete from same high school that produced Dorell Wright; 6'4 Soph Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, who is emerging as the top sophomore in the state of Florida.  And, if you don't believe it, just ask schools like Florida, Florida State, Marquette, and UCLA, all of which already have made Rivers a recruiting priority.  We also were very impressed with 6'4 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'10 Frosh Keenan Ellis from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN when we saw the D1 Greyhounds destroy the Houston Hoops in the opening game of the tournament on Friday afternoon.  Not only did Mayo score 31 points and not miss a single shot, but he also impressed us with ball handling, passing, and leadersship, which leads us to believe that he has to be the #1 player in the class until somebody takes it away from him.  Remember, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA hasn't grown and has lost most of his athleticism and quickness and 6'7 Frosh Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX has been out for over a month now with a leg injury.  Walker also shoots the three, rebounds well for his size, and has phenomenal athleticism, which means he must be moved into the spot currently filled by 6'5 Frosh Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX in our rankings of the top five freshmen in the nation.  Ellis needs strength and he may need to mature off the court, but he reminds us of a young Chris Bosh, because he's extremely long, very athletic, very fluid, and has a really soft touch.  Getting back to Singletary, who appears to be suffering from having played inside all season for his high school team, he been only the third best player on the Houston Hoops 15-Under team all spring.  Instead, it's 5'9 Frosh Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX who runs the show and 6'9 Frosh Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX who takes care of business inside.   However, we suspect all that will change once Johnson returns and Singletary gets more comfortable playing all the time out on the perimeter.  We also really enjoyed watching Team Next, which featured 5'4 8th Grader Erving Walker from Brooklyn (PS 308) NY, 6'3 7th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (IS 96) NY, 6'2 8th Grader from Ashton Gibbs from Scotch Plains (Terrill) NJ, 6'3 8th Grader Lenny McNeil from Bronx (Crossroads) NY,and 6'6 8th Grader Vincent Rogers from New York, NY, and Indiana Elite, which featured 6'3 8th Grader Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Stonybrook) IN, 6'2 8th Grader Jared Holmes from Indianapolis (Lincoln) IN, 5'7 8th Grader Larry Stone from Indianapolis (Howe) IN, and 6'3 8th Grader Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Northview) IN, in the semi-finals of the 14-Under Division.  Walker, who is the best 8th Grader in the nation, as well as the Stephon Marbury/Sebastian Telfair/Kenny Anderson, if he continues to grow, combines tremendous speed and quickness with great ball handling and passing skills, tremendous poise and court savvy, and an unbelievable understanding of the game.  Stephenson, who is ranked among the top five on our list of the Top 7th Graders Nationally, is a multi-dimensional athlete and unstoppable with his incredible moves to the basket.  Gibbs, who hit the game winning shot after receiving a pass from Walker, has a soft touch and is an excellent outside shooter.  Rogers and McNeil are both very active inside, as the garner most of the rebounds and score around the basket.  Offutt is currently ranked #38 nationally among 8th Graders by the HOOP SCOOP, but that's probably about 30 spots to low, as he reminds us at the same stage of former Indiana University All-American Alan Henderson with his silky smooth demeanor and moves to the basket.  However, Offutt, who scored 22 points and demonstrated the ability to play the one, two, or the three, has better handling skills and is better on the perimeter than Henderson ever was.   Holmes is a great defender, excellent rebounder, and has a knack for doing all the little things that help you win.  But at some point he'll have to grow in order not fall into the tweener trap.  Stone has jet-like speed and quickness, nice moves, good anticipation, and does a nice job of running the show.  Passley has the versatiliy to play both inside and outside, but right now he's best on the perimeter, because he doesn't have the toughness to mix it up against bigger and stronger players. 

Friday, April 23, 2004

Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson has the scoop on 6'9 Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, who is supposed to make a verbal commitment later today to Mississippi State.  Obviously this is huge for the Bulldogs, because we're talking about one of the best big guys still available.  Sharpe, who is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete who can score inside and outside, block shots, and rebound with the best of them.  However, he doesn't play with the intensity necessary to step in and allow Mississippi State not to miss a beat, if 6'9 Jr Lawrence Roberts doesn't take his name of the NBA Draft by the June 17th deadlline.  But Sharpe does Mississippi State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'9 Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN, and 5'9 Jamall Edmondson from Meridian (JC) MS, up to #42 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if the Bulldogs also get 5'11 Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, who verbally committed to Mississippi State last fall, but recently re-opened his recruitment, then their recruiting class would move up to #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  That's the good news!  The bad news is that this is only good enough to get Mississippi State's recruiting class ranked #5 in the league behind Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, and Alabama.  Johnson also tells us that former Auburn assistant coach Tracy Didly has taken an assistant coaching position at Mississippi and Jacksonville State assistant coach Michael White also appears to be in line to join Rod Barnes' staff.  And this makes perfect sense, because White, who is one of the bright young guys in the business, played point guard at Ole Miss for both Rob Evans and Barnes.  We also find it interesting that another former Auburn assistant coach (Charlton Young) will be joining John Shulman's new staff at Chattanooga.  Look for the announcement to be forthcoming on Monday and for Young to be named the associate head coach.  We also are still wondering who the big winner is now that Joe Scott has left Air Force and returned to Princeton.  Sure, Scott is a former player and assistant coach at Princeton and he's going home, but in terms of career upward mobility, it probably would have been easier to move to a higher level, if he stayed at Air Force.  Remember, three of Air Forces's top five players (Nick Welch, Tim Keller, Antonie Hood) will be back next year and new Falcons head coach Chris Mooney also deserves a tremendous amount of credit for rejuvenating a program that prior to the start of this past season was picked to finish 8th in the Mountain West Conference, hadn't had a winning record in the 16 years, and hadn't been in the NCAA Tournament since 1962.   So we think the parallel to former Dan Monson, who really was the architect of the Gonzaga program, but also left Gonzaga to become the head coach at Minnesota after their Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1999, is extremely interesting.  In other words, just like with Monson and current Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who has turned down bigger and better jobs in recent years, Mooney maybe the one who reaps the rewards and turns Air Force into the Gonzaga of the Rocky Mountains.   We also have confirmed that IUPUI has added 6'9 Michael Vaverk from Joliet (JC) IL and 6'5 Maushae Byles from Kennedy-King (JC) IL to a recruiting class that already includes 6'3 George Hill from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN and 6'4 Craig Swoope from Carmel (H.S.) IN and, as a result, their recruiting class is now tied at #70, along with Missouri-Kansas City, Tulane, Liberty, Georgetown, Brigham Young, and George Mason, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Hill led the state in scoring and finished #4 in the ballotting for Mr. Basketball.  Swoope has excellent athleticism and is a terrific outside shooter (48% from beyoind the arc).  Vavrek, who averaged 20 ppg and 12 rpg and has a solid face up game, is originally from Slovakia and has great fundamentals and scoring ability.  He also has surprising athleticism and was a First Team Division III Junior College All-American.  Byles is best describes as a scorer, plus he has a great upside.  And, if we counted transfers (6'0 Brandon Cameron is transferring to IUPUI from Penn State) when ranking recruiting classs, then IUPU's recruiting class would move into a tie at #53, along with Hartford.  And that's important, because that would give IUPUI the best recruiting class in the league ahead of Western Illinois and Missouri-Kansas City.  We also believe that the University of Louisville could be on the verge of having the #1-ranked recruiting class in college basketball.  Currently we have the Cardinals' class tied at #2, along with Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but we would not be surprised if Louisville gets 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY and 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD within the next several days.  We know that Louisville head coach Rick Pitino went to see Palacios yesterday and sources close to Palacios tell us that the Cardinals appear to be the leader for Palacios' services over Florida State and Baylor.  We also know that Odia was at Louisville on an official visit on Wednesday and that he remained in town yesterday, today, and tomorrow to play in the Derby Classic All-Star Game, which will be played tomorrow night at Freedom Hall.  And you can bet Louisville fans will turn out by the thousands in an attempt to persuade to Odia to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with the Cardinals.  In other words, we're guessing that if they're going to do it, they're both going to do it soon.   And, if that happens, Louisville not only will have the #1-ranked recruiting class, but they also will have landed the next Jamal Mashburn and found the ideal replacement for 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who signed with Louisville last fall, but is expected to declare for the NBA Draft in June.  Making the story even more interesting is that Odia was the best player on the entire continent of Africa in his age group and he helped the Nigerian Junior National Team to a second place finish in Africa and a 7th Place Finish in the Junior World Games in Greece last summer.  We're also talking about a 6'6 point guard with a great feel for the game, big time athleticism, and the ability to shot the lights out.  

Thursday, April 22, 2004

It might be the best AAU-like high school basketball tournament of all time.  We're talking about the Houston Kingwood Classic, which is scheduled to tip-off tomorrow night with a 15-Under Game between the Houston Hoops with 6'5 Frosh Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'7 Frosh Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX, and 5'10 Frosh Jai Lucas and the DI Greyhounds with 6'3 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH at 5:20 PM at Westfield High School.  In other words, Houston Kingwood Classic Tournament Director Hal Pastner has the two best 15-Under teams in the nation going head-to-head right off the bat.   And it gets even better from there, as the 17-Under, 16-Under, 15-Under, 14-Under, 13-Under, 12-Under, 11-Under, 10-Under, and 9-Under Divisions are all loaded.  We plan to focus almost exclusively on the 17-Under Division, which includes 186 teams, and the 63 Pools are as follows:  Pool A has the Georgia Stars, Playaz Basketball Club (New Jersey), and Southern California All-Stars Red; Pool B has the Illinois Warriors, Houston Hoops, and Belmont Shore; Pool C has the Spiece Indy Heat, Boo Williams Summer League, and New Jersey Panthers; Pool D has Team Texas, Illinois Wolves, and Tallahassee Wildcats; Pool E has Atlanta Celtics Black, Miami Tropics, and New York Gauchos; Pool F has Syracuse Rochester (Rap), Illinois Fire, and Keystone Gators; Pool G has the Howard Pulley Panthers, Houston Gold, and Jackson Panthers; Pool H has The Family, Kansas City Premiere, and Agassi Stars; Pool I has the Albany City Rocks, Houston Lynx Blue, and GGC Stars of Oregon; Pool J the Tennessee Travelers, AAC Stars, and Atlanta All Stars; Pook K has the St. Louis Eagles, Florida Rays, and ABC Hoops; Pool L has Metro Hawks, Lighthouse All Stars, and Portland Panthers; Pool M has NIKE Team Florida, FIRM, and New Jersey Cyclones; Pool N Has All Ohio Red, Central Florida PAL Fastbreak USA, and Bay Area Hoosiers II; Pool O has Arizona Magic Blue, Louisiana Future Stars Rising, and Dallas Knights; Pool P has the Means Streets, Compton Magic, and Ft. Worth Wolfpack; Pool Q has the Wisconsin Playground Warriors, Houston Elite, and 1 Tough Basketball School Black; Pool R has Memphis YOMCA, Utah Bruins, and Southwest Rebels; Pool S has Portland Elite Legends, Houstonians, Team Orlando; Pool T has Georgia Elite, And 1 ARC All Stars South, and Galveston Hornets; Pool U has Alaska/New Mexico Pump N Run, Smyrna Stars, DTA Wisconsin; Pool V has Southern Nevada All Stars, South Florida Heat, and Team Cedar Hill; Pool W has Pittsburgh Jots, BAM-Bball Assn. of Murfreesboro, and Los Angeles Rockfish; Pool X has the Dallas Mustangs Blue; East Coast Scholar Athletes, and Katy Warriors; Pool Y has Houston Select, Georgia Warriors, and Bball/Inner City Hoops; Pool Z has H Squad, Queen City, and Friends of Hoop; Pool AA has Gold Coast (Florida), Salt Lake Metro, and Guld Coast Dream Team; Pool BB has New England Playaz, West Valley Basketball Club Elite, and Dallas Lakers; Pool CC has 1 Tough School of Basketball White, HCYA Warriors, and New Jersey Wildcats Elite Trailblazers, Pool DD has Kentucky Hoopsters Blue, And 1 ARC All Stars North, and Houston Bulldogs; Pool EE has Blessed IJN, Reebok New Mexico Force All Stars, and SE Texas All Stars Elite; Pool FF has Utah Vipers, South Texas Stallions, Team Richmond; Pool GG has Louisiana Select, Florida Force, and Branch West Team Reebok; Pool HH has Team Illinois, GC Ballers, and North Texas Rice Owls; Pool II has South Carolina Ravens, Silas Texans, and Los Angeles Stars; Pool JJ has Fox Valley Skillz, Spiece Select 2005, and Crosby Cougars; Pool KK has Michigan Hurricanes I, Arizona Rage, and Klein Kats; Pool LL has Kansas City Keys, Arizona Stars Team Bibby, and Louisiana Warriors; Pool KK has Michigan Hurricanes, Arizona Rage, and Klein Kats, Pool LL has Kansas City Keys, Arizona Stars Team Bibby, and Louisiana Warriors; Pool MM has Aneesa Sports, Team BreakdownMagazine.com, and Dallas Mustangs White; Pool NN has Bay Area Hoosiers I, Indiana Elite, and Kentucky Hoopsters Red; Pool OO has Nor Cal Elite, Worldwide Renegades, and Old Gold Basketball, Pool PP has the New York Panthers, Inland I, and South Texas Roadrunners; Pool QQ has New Heights-NYC, Midwest Storm, and Texas Terps; Pool RR has the San Antonio Flames, Southeast Elite (Alabama), I-Can All Stars; Pool SS has Coast to Coast to Basketbball, Tennessee Dream, and Academic First (California); Pool TT has DC Assault, Illinois Rockers, and Texas Wolverines; Pool UU has Belmont Shore Black, Nashville Stallions, and Madison Spartans; Pool VV has Jacksonville Lee Bulls, Branch West Red, Team Fort Worth; Pool WW has the Portland Panthers Red, Louisiana Roadballers, and Long Island Roadrunners; Pool XX has Atlanta Celtics Gold, Osceola/Kissimmee Wildcats, and Bay Area Ballers; Pool YY has Midstate Ballerz Elite (Tennessee), Waco Basketball, Texas Top Prospects; Pool ZZ has Birmingham Raptors, Team Tennessee, TA Eagles; Pool AAA has California Elite, Houston Hoops Action, and Arizona Magic White; Pool BBB has Magnolia Stars, Grand Rapids Lightning, Minnesota Magic; Pool CCC has Team Hoop Zone (Texas), Michigan Hurricanes II, and Team Florida Blue; Pool DDD has Next level Basketball (California), TUAC (Texas), and Houston Knights; Pool EEE has Platinum Starzz, Louisiana LT Rockets, and CTB All Stars (Arizona), Pool FFF has RBS (Illinois), Augusta Skills (Georgia), and Southside All Stars; Pool GGG has Waukegan Traveling Stars (Illinois), Houston Hoops Stars, and ATX; Pool HHH has Austin Dawgs Select, Houston Swoosh, and Gateway Basketball Club; Pool III has Colorado Chaos, Showtime (Texas), and Kingwood Mustangs; Pool JJJ has Houston Westside All Stars, Indiana Elite 16's, and Capital City Ballers; Pool LLL has Rhode Island Hawks, Louisiana Stars, and Westfield High School (Texas).  There will be four sets of games at 6:30 PM, 7:40 PM, 8:50 PM, and 10:00 PM on Friday night and pool play will continue on Saturday between 8:00 AM and 5:20 PM.  Then, things will get really interesting as the playoffs will run from 5:50 PM to 11:40 PM  Saturday and 8:00 AM to 4:10 PM on Sunday (the championship game will be at 3:00 PM on Sunday afternoon). For more information about the Houston Kingwood Classic or any of the other events that are run by Hal Pastner, who has to be regarded as the premier high school basketball event operator in the nation, click on VisionSports.com.  Also make sure you check back here early next week so we can provide you with all the highlights and a plethora of recruiting information that we are sure to gather at the tournament.

Are sitting down?  Are you ready for this?  Believe it or not, with the recent additions of 6'7 Alan Daniels from Arkansas-Ft. Smith (JC) AR and 6'7 Larry Handy from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, Lamar's recruiting class moves up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And the big reason for the huge jump is the addition of Daniels, who not only was named to the First Team All-Conference and All-Region, but also scored 26 points against Redlands (JC) OK when his team got beat in the regional semi-finals to the eventual National Junior College Runner-up.  We also talking about a guy who averaged 15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg, and shot 38% from beyond the arc last season and potentially could be the best player in the Southland Conference next season.  Handy was ranked #78 in the state in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP when we published our updated Texas Report last week, but, after his 31-point/eight-rebound performance for the Houston All-Star Team in the Gamble Awards Game, the value of his stock has skyrocketed.  And that comes on the heels of a season where this 6'7, 240 lbs. center, averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, and shot 65% from the field.  We also had to give 6'2 Jeremy Long from Eastern Arizona (JC) AZ, who signed with Lamar last fall, some additional points because he led the the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference in scoring with 19.1 ppg and was a Second Team Junior College All-American.  When you also add 6'9 Thomas Fairley from Redland (JC) OK, 6'4 Chuck Foster from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX, and 6'6 Durrand Murray from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, all of whom signed with Lamar last fall and has excellent seasons, into the equation, it's not so difficult to figure out why Lamar's recruiting class suddenly is off the chart.  And they aren't done yet, if the NCAA rescinds the five-eight rule, whereby, you can only sign five players one year and three the next with a maximum of eight over two years.  So, if that does happen next week, Lamar may sign point guard and another inside player.  However, all this should not comes as a major surprise, because Lamar assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, who is #7-ranked assistant coach overall and the #1-ranked assistant coach at the lower Division I level by the HOOP SCOOP, is one of the best in the business.  But, even more important, he's building the program for himself.   Remember, Lamar head coach Billy Tubbs' days are numbered and the chosen successor when Tubbs decides to finally hang it up, is Roccaforte.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'2 Chris Lofton from Maysfield (Mason County) KY, who is ranked #319 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with the University of Tennessee and we think this is an excellent catch for the Volunteers, if their intent was to sign a good role player who can shoot the lights out.  And in the short term that's exactly what we expect Lofton to be, because Tennessee already has a number of experienced guards in the program, like 6'5 Jr Scooter McFadgon, 6'2 Soph C.J. Watson, 6'5 Soph Stanley Asumnu, 6'3 Soph John Winchester, and 6'3 Frosh Dane Bradshaw.  However, in the long run, if Volunteers head coach Buzz Peterson wants to maintain the level that the program potentially could achieve during the next several years, he'll probably have to recruit somebody with more foot speed and quickness than Lofton possesses.  We also have confirmed that Hartford has landed 6'3 Brian Glowiak from New Britain (H.S.) CT, which is big for Hawks head coach Larry Harrison, whose program is about to turn the corner after back-to-back 17-13 and 12-17 season.  As a matter of fact, everybody, except 6'4 Sr Jerell Parker and 6'0 Sr Ryan Stys, will be back next year and they have a recruiting class, which also includes 6'11 Tony Lalor from Westechester (JC) NY, 6'4 David Ruffin from Connors State (JC) OK, 6'6 Demarcquez Rembardant from Collin County (JC) TX, and 6'6 Fred Kounkargo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, that is tied at #52, along with Baylor and Syracuse, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And that's important, not just because this is the highest ranked recruiting class in the league, but also because it will provide Harrison and his staff with the size, depth, athleticism, and skilled players necessary to win 20-plus games next year.  Glowiak is a tremendous outside shooter.  Lalor will provide the presence they're looking for inside, because he's a good shot blocker, defender, and rebounder.  Ruffin and Koundargo are big time athletes and Rembardant is another shooter.  It also looks like Southern University has cleaned with a recruiting class that includes 6'6 Alvin Mott from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, 6'2 Chris Alexander from Redlands (JC) OK, 6'7 Joe Holmes from Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK, and 6'7 Rashad Adams from Lee (JC) TX and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie for tops in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, along with Alabama A&M.  Mott, who   averaged 13 ppg and seven rebounds, led the Georgia Junior College Athletic Assocation in 3-point shooting.  Alexander was the floor general on the team that lost to Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA in the National Junior College Championship in Hutchinson, KS.  Holmes is a terrific athlete who can play inside and outside.  Adams projects as a utility player, but he averaged close to a double-double a year ago.  We also have confirmed that Wright State has added two more recruits to their recruiting class in 6'7 Parrysh Monroe from Massanutten (Military) VA and 6'1 Jaron Taylor from Catonsville (JC) MD.  Caton was the second best point guard in the Maryland Junior College League, but the real steal is Monroe, who apparently was one of the best players to emerge in the open Division at the Boo Williams Tournament in Hampton, VA two weeks ago.  These two additions move Wright State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'6 Brandon Ivery from Columbus (Walnut Ridge) OH, 6'2 Lorenzo Shine from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Loramine (H.S.) OH, into a tie at #37, along with the College of Charleston, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

It looks like 7'1 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA finally made it official a couple of days ago for Indiana University.  However, this is one we don't get too excited about, because, as a general rule, we don't like finesse 7-footers.  So it should come as no surprise that we've got him ranked #243 nationally in the senior class and that we respectfully disagree with Indiana head coach Mike Davis, who sees Rothbart as the next Kirk Haston.  If you will recall, Haston, who made a living with his strong inside/outside game, turned out to be Davis' best player on his first team at Indiana.  Obviously only time will tell who is correct, but the addition of Rothbart moves Indiana's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, and 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, back up to #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Remember, we recently dropped the Hoosiers' recruiting class, which was tied at #1, along with Texas and Louisville, on March 31st when 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA played in his third post-season all-star game.  Speaking of Smith and his announcement yesterday that he plans to enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring, he states the obvious very well.  "After discussions with my family and coaches, I believe that entering the NBA draft is the best decision for me and my family," Smith said Tuesday in a statement.  And as things stand now, Smith, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, and 6'11 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA plan to enter the NBA Draft, although Wright and Chiriaev may withdraw prior to the draft, if they don't sign with an agent.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Calvin Brock from Chicago (Simeon) IL has signed with Illinois and this is important for several reasons.  First, it helps establish the fact that Fighting Illini head coach Bruce Weber can get the top players out of Chicago, IL in general and Chicago (Simeon) IL, which is annually one of the city's top Public League programs, in particular.  Second, Brock is good enough to provide even more valuable depth and athleticism on the perimeter to a group that already includes 6'0 Soph Dee Brown, 6'3 Soph Deron Williams, 6'3 Jr Luther Head, 6'6 Roger Powell, and 6'3 Frosh Richard McBride.  Johnson also tells us that Iowa has re-signed 6'8 Doug Thomas from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, who was the #3-ranked power forward in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and the #5-ranked power forward in the junior college ranks by the Lindy Basketball Yearbook.  Thomas also is the guy who led his team to the National Junior College Championship in Hutchinson, KS with eight points and 13 rebounds in the championship game and should be the ideal replacement inside for 6'7 Jr Glen Worley and 6'11 Jared Reiner, both of whom will graduate this spring.   Thomas also provides the perfect complement to 6'9 Alex Thompson from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'6 J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN, 7'0 Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, and 6'3 Carlton Reed from Waterloo (East) IA in a recruiting class that is now ranked #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and includes a little big of everything, except a point guard.  Add that to the fact that Iowa also will return three of its four leading scorers the next two years in 6'4 Soph Pierre Pierce (16.1 ppg), 6'3 Soph Jeff Hoerner (13.0 ppg), and 6'7 Soph Greg Brunner (10.9 ppg) and it appears that Hawkeyes head coach Steve Alford is perfectly position to be one of the better teams in the Big-10 for at least the next several years.  We also have confirmed that Iowa State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Ross Marsden from Ames (H.S.) IA and St. John's has landed 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ, who was ranked #149 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the 18th highest ranked high school player in the Class of 2004 still available behind 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'2 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 5'11 Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'10 Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'3 Demetrius Green from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'7 Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Browne) AZ, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Washington) VA, 6'3 Jamarcus Ellis from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'6 George Brozos from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'6 DuBois Williams from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ, and 5'11 Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI.   Ironically, Odia, Galindo, White, and Giles are back on the board, because they have reneged on Xavier, UTEP, Mississippi State, and Miami-FL, respectively, and Curry is back on the board, because North Carolina released him after being rested for possession of illegal drugs.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Matt Bentley from Medford (Lenape) NJ has signed with Lafayette, 6'0 Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA has signed with George Washington, and 6'1 Darnell Harris from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD has signed with La Salle.  We also have confirmed that South Alabama has landed 6'6 Brandon Gordon from Pensacola (JC) FL and that Virginia has received an early verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Laurynas Mikalauskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA. 

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis has the latest scoop on 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who was ranked as the #1 shooting guard in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and it appears that he has decided to attend Southern Mississippi.  And this is interesting for a number of reasons.  First, Carruth not only is one of the best 3-point shooters that we've seen in recent years, but he also was ranked #19 nationally in our final rankings of the Class of 2001 when he was a senior at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Second, Carruth has a history of substance abuse and, as a result, he has something in common besides basketball with new Southern Miss head coach Larry Eustachy, who is a recovering alcoholic.  And our guess is that this may have been one of the primary factors in Carruth's decision.   Third, Carruth also has a history of being a malcontent and, as a result, Eustachy, who is a tough hardnosed disciplinarian, should be exactly what the doctor ordered for Carruth, if he ever wants to live up to his incredible talent and potential.  Fourth, the addition of Carruth moves Southern Mississippi's recruiting class, which already includes 6'4 Henry Salter from Gulfport (H.S.) MS, into a tie at #73, along with Tennessee and Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And they don't appear to be done yet, as our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that  the Golden Eagles also appear to be going after a number of junior college players and they are among the final three for 5'11 Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, who is ranked #66 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and appears to have reneged on Mississippi State.  The Bulldogs are still at right at the top of White's list, but, if he doesn't qualify academically, that would open the door for Southern Miss or Jackson State to walk in and pull off a major recruiting coup.  And, if Southern Mississippi gets White, that would move their recruiting class into at tie at #35, along with Pittsburgh and N.C. State on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, it would give Eustachy two of the best incoming guards in college basketball next season, as well as a great nucleus around which to build the program.   Johnson also tells us that 6'0 Stanford Speech from Jackson (Jim Hill) MS, who is ranked #16 in the senior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Mississippi Valley State; 6'3 Jr Jarvis Hill from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who is the #2-ranked junior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Alabama, and N.C. State right at the top of his list; and that former Auburn assistant coach Tracy Dildy could be in line to move into an assistant coaching position at Ole Miss.  We also were glad to see that Princeton head coach John Thompson III, who is widely regarded as one of the top up-and-coming young head coaches in the business, has finally been named the head coach Georgetown.  We also have to wonder once again whether Air Force head coach Joe Scott, who was the HOOP SCOOP's tri-National Coach-of-the-Year, would be interested in returning to Princeton as the head coach.  If not, the smart money should be on Princeton assistant coach Robert Burke, who has been Thompson's right hand man the last four years.  There also not only is a precedent at Princeton for hiring from within, but they have been extremely successful doing so, as Northwestern head coach Billy Carmody was moved up when the legendary Pete Carril retired the 1995-96 season and Thompson was moved up when Carmody left to become the head coach of the Wildcats four years ago.  We also find it ironic that Miami-FL assistant coach Curtis Townsend, who is the #4-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, was not retained by Hurricanes new head coach Frank Haith.  Instead, it looks like Townsend may be the favorite to replace new St. John's head coach Norm Roberts at Kansas.  As a matter of fact, if Townsend gets hired at Kansas, the Jayhawks would immediately be able to take advantage of his strong West Coast ties, as well as become the favorite for 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who signed with Miami-FL last fall, but since has been released from his National Letter-of-Intent, and 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #38 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also understand that Connecticut assistant coach Clive Vaughn is out of the running for the UT-Chattanooga job, which means it's probably a two-horse race between Morehead State Kyle Macy and Chattanooga assistant coach John Shulman to see who will replace Jeff Lebo, who recently left Chattanooga to take the Auburn job.  Our choice would be Macy, because he's a heck of a coach and he's done an outstanding job building Morehead State into one of the best teams in the Ohio Valley Conference in recent years.   And, if this happens, it would not surprise us if Middle Tennessee State assistant coach Donnie Tyndall was strongly considered for the Morehead State job.  Not only is Tyndall an alumnus of the school and a former player at Morehead State, but he also is ranked as the #5 assistant coach at the mid-to-low Division I level by the HOOP SCOOP and is clearly one of the best recruiters in the nation at any level.  As a matter of fact, two years ago Tyndall was largely responsible for landing the #15-ranked recruiting class, which included 6'8 Brian Freeny from Gilbert (Mesquite) AZ, 6'2 Delvin Spruel from Baton Rouge (JC) LA, 6'2 Dwayne Williams from Kennedy-King (JC) IL, 6'8 Dave Radlovic from London (A.B. Lucas) ON, 6'8 Jack May from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 5'10 Ronnie Smith from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 John Tinnon from Southeastern (JC) IA, 6'6 Keith Christmas from Gary (West Side) IN, and 6'9 Yanifs Ducreay from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, when he was an assistant coach at Idaho.  Then, a year ago in his first year on the job at Middle Tennessee, Tyndall was instrumental in landing the #24-ranked recruiting class, which included 6'8 Alex Weeks from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, 6'2 Montrell Crittendon from Newbern (Dyer County) TN, 6'8 Kenyatta Swader from Smyrna (H.S.) TN, and 5'11 Bryan Smithson from Kennesaw (North Cobb) GA, 6'4 Ben Britt from Chattanooga (Red Bank) TN, 6'5 Michael Cuffe from Neosho (JC) KS, and 6'6 Gaylon Dorsey from Western Oklahoma (JC) OK.  However, the recruiting class that Middle Tennessee State has landed this spring is even better than the last two that Tyndall helped procure.   Not only does this recruiting class, which is currently tied at #14, along with Alabama, on our list of the top Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, have quantity, but it also has quality, as 6'9 Tim Blue from Indian River (JC) FL, 6'3 Jonathan Loe from Northwest Mississippi (JC) MS, 6'0 Francis Cuyler from Cowley County (JC) KS, and 6'6 Marcus Morrison from Garden City (JC) KS are all good enough to be ranked among top junior college players in the nation.   Taking an even closer look, we find that Blue, who is lefty athletic 6'9 power forward who reminds those who have seen him of a poor man's Derrick Coleman, might have been the best junior college player in the state this past season.   Obviously Middle Tennessee State wouldn't get Blue, if he had grades, but they will prop him next year, unless he pulls a major surprise and makes it academically.  Loe, who played in 18 games a year ago and averaged 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds at Mississippi, was the #2-ranked shooting guard in the junior college ranks by the Lindy Basketball Yearbook.  Cuyler was a First Team All-League performer in the tough Jayhawk Conference and Morrison, who also was ranked #86 nationally in the Class of 2002 by the HOOP SCOOP when he was at St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, was named to the Second Team in the Jayhawk Conference. 

Saturday, April 17, 2004, Sunday, April 18, 2004, Monday, April 19, 2004, & Tuesday, April 20, 2004

The Houston Hoops beat Team Texas, 87-83, in the 17-Under Division and Texas Texas beat the Houston Hoops, 67-62, in the 15-Under Division of the Las Vegas Spring Showcase in Las Vegas, NV.  But, unless you're from Texas or you care about bragging rights and/or all the politics that often engulfs the basketball people in that state when attempting to rank players, watching these two games was almost anticlimactic when compared to all the other interesting things that occured in the tournament.  And right at the top of the list is that fact that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski showed up on Saturday morning to watch 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, North Carolina head coach Roy Williams was there all day Sunday to watch 6'6 Jr Calvin "C.J." Miles, and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was back in Las Vegas, NV for the second straight weekend at a Hal Pastner event to watch players like Boykin, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, and 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Miles, whose list includes North Carolina, Connecticut, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Georgia Tech, and Illinois, more than lived up to all the hype, as he impressed us with his incredible athleticism, terrific perimeter skills, and ability to take over the game.  Remember, this is a guy who burst onto the scene during the high school season last winter and, as a result, this was my first opportunity to see Miles, who is more than deserving of his #1-ranking in the junior class in the state and #16-ranking nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, Miles not only should be a lock to make the McDonald's All-American Team, but he also further enhances the credibility of our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff, who, believe it or not, was question by some for ranking Miles as the best player in his class in the state.  Boykin just picked up where he left off last week when he led Belmont Shore to the championship of the Las Vegas Easter Classic.  Not only was Boykin the driving force behind his team's semi-finals finish with 34 points, but he continues to impress us with his hustle, intensity level, rebounding, knack for finding ways to score around the basket, and incredible attitude.  In other words, this guy is flat out a winner!  As a matter of fact, the only thing we don't like about Boykins' game is his willingness to step out and shoot the occasion 3-point shot.  Apparently there are those around Boykin who are telling him that he's got to be a wing forward down the road in order to have a chance to play in the NBA.  And, while that is true, Boykin probably will never have footspeed, lateral quickness, and athleticism necessary to ever have to worry about playing the NBA.  However, we do think he could have a great career after college playing in Europe as an undersize power forward, plus he'll be successful in life, because he's also a smart kid and a good student.  So obviously Boykin should concentrate on being a four, which is the position he's being recruited at by Krzyzewski, Pitino, Georgia Tech assistant coach Willie Reese, Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, UNLV head coach Lon Kruger, Oregon State head coach Jay John, and Oregon assistant coach Scott Duncan, all of whom were there to see him this weekend.   However, the best player at the Las Vegas Spring Showcase was Amir Johnson, who currently is ranked #77 nationally in the junior class, but appears to have improved his intensity level dramatically since we last saw him last summer.  Our guess us that this probably has something to do with the fact that he transferred last fall from Verbum Dei to Westchester, where he sat out this past season.  Remember, Westchester head coach Ed Azzam, who is one of the top high school coaches in the nation, always gets his players to play hard in their uptempo running and passing style of game and, as a result, it appears that Johnson benefitted by participating everyday in practice, even though he didn't participate in any games.  Johnson still has to improve his offensive repertoire, but he has incredible athleticism, coordination, timing, shot blocking and rebounding ability and he runs the court like a deer.  So we may be talking about the #1 junior in Southern California, which is saying a lot, because 6'10 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who we saw in the Pump "N" Run Spring Tournament on Friday night, has a chance to achieve greatness, if he gets bigger and stronger and continues to improve at his present pace.  Another major surprise at the Las Vegas Spring Showcase was 6'1 Jr David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX, who was the key behind the Houston Hoops run to the championship.  Not only did Devezin run the show, make his teammates better, and play excellent defense, but he also made big plays when he penetrated and either dished or went to the hole.   The other big key behind the Houston Hoops success were all the interchangeable athletes in the 6'4 to 6'7 range that they used to wear opponents out inside.  We're talking about 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, who is one of our favorite players in the class, because he has a great attitude and just lets his game do the talking, 6'7 Jr Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, who is a force inside with his toughness, athleticism, and power around the basket, 6'6 Jr Ashton Hall from Houston (Kountze) TX, and 6'4 Jr JerMichael Finley from Diboll (H.S.) TX.  And, of course, there was 5'11 Jr Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, who hit outside shots and helped with the ball handling in the backcourt and 6'9 Jr Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, who is a space-eater inside, but has also has a lot of potential down the road once he gets into better shape.  So obviously this was a different team than the one that we saw a week ago, despite the fact that 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, who is ranked #97 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, decided not to make the trip this time around.  Onobun with 22 points, Bennett with 17 points, and Finley 14 points were the leading scorers the Houston Hoops in the championship game, while Devenzin with 25 points and Bennett with 20 points both came up big in the Houston Hoops 77-73 semi-finals win against the Southern California All-Stars.  We also were very impressed by the Texas Elite, which featured 6'4 Jr Terrell Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'8 Soph Byran Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, and 6'3 Jr Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX.  Currently we have Johnson ranked #20 in the state and #138 nationally, but he probably is better than that, because he's extremely athletic, has a great nose for the ball, creates havoc on defense, is an excellent 3-point shooter, and always seems to be in the right place at the right time to make the play or come up with the big steal.  So it comes as no surprise that schools like Kansas, Colorado State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, and Arkansas are already in showing a lot of interest in Austin Johnson.  Rogers, who is ranked #84 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Davis, who is ranked #98 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, both have the potential to move a lot higher, if they continue to develop and get meaner and tougher inside.  And obviously a lot of schools agree, because Rogers list includes North Carolina, Connecticut, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Georgia Tech, and Illinois and Davis' early list includes Kansas, Arizona, Indiana, LSU, and N.C. State.  Harris, who is an athletic wing foward with a streaky 3-point shot, likes Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, and Nebraska.   Miles with 24 points in the championship game and 21 points in the semi-finals and Austin Johnson with 16 points in the championship and 23 points in the semi-finals were the leading scorers for Team Texas.  Speaking of Team Texas' thrilling 82-82 overtime win against Belmont Shore in the semi-finals, Dinos Trigonis' team came within a half-court shot by 6'2 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA that rimbed out at the buzzer of playing for the championship at a Hal Pastner event for the second straight weekend in Las Vegas, NV.  Henry, who is another one of our favorite players, needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's similar to Austin Johnson in that he's an intangibles guy who is athletic, shoots the lights out, and is underrated (currently the HOOP SCOOP has Henry ranked #314 nationally, but after watching him play the last two weeks, there is no doubt that he's knocking on the door of our top 100).  We've already talked about Boykin, Henry, and 6'4 Matt Thomas from Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA, who was one of the key players a week ago for Belmont Shore.  But the unsung hero for Belmont Shore this week was 6'11 Jr Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA.  Not only did Hoerner step up with 27 points in the semi-finals game, but, despite his lack of size physically, he played an important role for Belmont Shore with his ability to score inside, shot blocking, and rebounding and, as a result, now has to be considered one of the fastest rising players in Southern California.  Another big story at the Las Vegas Spring Showcase was the plethora of great young players that made a name for themselves.  And right at the top of the list was 6'9 Soph James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who not only is one of the most aggressive young white big guys we're ever seen, but also was a big reason why California Elite, which also featured 6'9 Soph Matt Shaw from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'5 Soph Jerren Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 5'11 Jr Mike Gerrity from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Soph Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 5'8 Soph Donovan White from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 5'10 Soph Austen Autry from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, advanced all the way into the elite eight of the tournament.  And how about the Arizona Magic White, which featured 6'3 Soph Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'2 Frosh Jerrad Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, and 6'9 Soph Nkem Ojouboh from Scottdale (Christian) AZ, which lost to Belmore Shore in the Final 16?  We also got our first look at 6'8 Frosh Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who more than justified his #8 national ranking in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP with his high skill level, surpring mobility, and ability to score both inside and outside.  We also have to mention the Southern California All-Stars, which not only redeemed themselves after their surpring early exit from the Las Vegas Easter Classic a week ago, but were the fourth team in the final four, along with the Houston Hoops, Team Texas, and Belmont Shore.  And the big key to the Southern California All-Stars success and failure is the play of 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'5 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  When they're on, they can beat anybody.  And when they're off, they can get beat by anybody.  In the semi-finals Johnson had 23 points, Harvey had 16 points, and 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominquez) CA, who is one of the biggest sleepers still left in the senior class nationally, had 10 points.  We also were impressed by four players - 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, 6'3 Jr Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'2 Ramone Wellington from Vallejo (Bethel) CA - on the H Squad; three players - 6'8 Horace Dixon from Mauldin (H.S.) SC, 6'6 Soph Roland Griffin from Greenville (H.S.) SC, and 6'3 Ronald White from Pickens (Prince Avenue Elite) SC - from South Carolina Elite; two players - 6'6 Jr Charlie Coley from West Palm Beach (J.I. Leonard) FL, 6'7 Jr Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL - from South Florida Heat; two players - 6'5 Jr Marcus Malone from Compton (Dominguez) CA and 6'5 Jr James Hughes from Corono (Centennial) CA - from the I-Can All-Stars, and two players - 6'0 Jr Daren Jordan from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, and 6'5 Jr Harvey Thomas from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) AZ - from the Arizona Magic Blue.  However, we were not impressed by 6'8 Jr Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, who is ranked #50 nationally in the junior class.  But one game obviously doesn't make or break a player's career and, as a result, his list currently includes Arizona State, Stanford, UCLA, Illinois, Kansas, Texas, Notre Dame, Kentucky, and Louisville.  And, of course there is 6'11 Trey Duty from Merced (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who we don't quite know what to do with.  Duty is list as a junior, but we hear he's already in his 4th or 5th year of high school.  Duty is a big time athlete who runs the court, plays hard, and has a soft touch around the basket, but lacks the skills and frequently gets beat at the defensive end because he's usually out of position.  In other words, if Duty is only 17-years-old, we like his potential.  But, if he's a 19 or 20-year old junior, he may not be worth worrying about.  We also were very impressed with all the good young players, like 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'11 Soph Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'11 Soph Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'7 Frosh DarShawn McClellan from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'5 Soph Derrick Jaspers from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, and 6'5 Soph Quincy Pondexter from 6'11 Soph Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA - on EBO/EA Sports, which we saw at the in the Pump "N" Run Spring Tournament.  Willis already is ranked #57 nationally in the freshman class, but the way he beat people off the dribble, shoot the three, gets to the hole, and finds the open man, makes him a lot better than that.  The key with the Lopez twins is potential, but they both run the court, play hard, and are surpringly agile and coordinated for being so big and so young.   McClellan has limited range, but he's a force around the basket.  Jaspers combines athleticism with the ability to shoot the three and  Pondexter is an excellent athlete, although he's more of a slasher than a shooter.  We also really liked 6'5 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA and 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA on the Seattle Rotary Select Team, which advanced to the Final four in the Pump "N" Run Spring Tournament; and 6'10 Jr Ricky Sanchez from Puerto Rico and 6'8 Victor Davila from Puerto Rico on the Puerto Rico Pump N Run Team; Wilkes, 6'11 Soph Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'2 Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA on the Pump N Run Team; 6'6 Soph Blake Wallace from Anaheim (Servite) CA, 6'5 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'1 Soph Terrance Joyner from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA; 6'6 Soph Seth Tarver from Portland Jesuit) OR, 6'6 Soph Seth Tarver from Portland Jesuit) OR; 6'8 Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, and 6'7 Jr Brad Hodge from Hillsboro (H.S.) OR on the Portland Panthers Red; 6'6 Chris Berry from Compton (Centennial) CA on the Compton Magic; 6'0 Soph Andre Burrows from Perris (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Austin Day from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA on the Pump N Run Sophomores: and 6'4 Jr Kyle Duncan from Indianapolis (Ben Davis) IN and 6'6 Jr Derek Drews from Elkhart (Central) IN.  However, that's it, as we were not able to give the Pump "N" Run Spring Tournament it's just due, because it was too spread out and difficult to cover.  Believe it or not, even the semi-finals games were located in different gyms.   We did hear that 6'0 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA and 6'1 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK were two of the best players in the tournament, but we're getting that second hand.  Editor's Note:  Due to unexpected travel problems I have combined the last four days and, as is always the case, subscribers to the web site will not be charged for the missed days. 

Friday, April 16, 2004

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that Ohio State has signed 6'3 Je'Kel Foster from Chipola (JC) FL and Wagner has signed 6'6 Jason Rudakas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  Rudakas is not a great player, but he is perfect for what Wagner head coach Mike Deane needs to round out what is already an excellent recruiting class.  If you will recall, the Seakhawks landed 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'6 James Ulrich from Camden (Catholic) NJ, 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, and 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ last fall and, with the addition of Rudakas, who is a tough hardnosed skilled blue collar guy, their recruiting class moves up to #62 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, is the fact that Wagner's class is the best in the league, which should be a harbinger of things to come in the Northeast Conference.  Foster was the #6-ranked shooting guard by the Sporting New Pre-Season Yearbook, the #9-ranked shooting guard by the Lindy's Basketball Yearbook, and a Fourth Team All-American by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook.  He also was named as the junior college player-of-the-year in Florida and a was a First Team Junior College All-American.  But even that doesn't tell you how important a catch Foster is for the Buckeyes, because he provides something the Buckeyes didn't have last season.  We're talking about toughness and, as a result, it would not surprise us if he stepped in and beat somebody out immediately next fall.  Foster also is a strong physical guard, which is necessary in the Big-10, and is an excellent outside shooter.  In other words, Foster would be the perfect complement to 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 in the senior class and still is believed to have the Buckeyes right at the top of his list, along with UCLA and Michigan, if Hairston also picks the Buckeyes sometime this spring.  And, if that happens, Ohio State's recruiting class, which currently is ranked #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and also includes 6'2 Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'9 Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH, and 6'6 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA, would move up to #5 on our list Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also are waiting to see what happens with 7'0 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA, who was supposed to pick UCLA or Indiana yesterday, but apparently now has put that decison on hold.  Could it be that UCLA has something to do with this and is still waiting to see what Hairston wants to do before they offer Rothbart?  At least that would be the smart move, because the ABruins can't take them both, unless the NCAA rescinds the five-eight rule, whereby, you can only sign five players one year and three the next with a maximum of eight over two years.  Our guess is this rule will get amended, but since this is a rule that was originally instituted by the school presidents, who don't like to wrong, we'd be surprised if they do away with it all together.  We also are not surprised that Towson head coach Michael Hunt got out while the getting was good.  Sure, Hunt had a 23-63 three-year record at Towson, including an 8-21 mark last season, but he also is one of the best recruiters in the business and now he's got the head coaching experience necessary to move up the ladder even faster once they get it done at Miami-FL.  In other words, this looks like a win-win for everybody, except maybe Towson, which is a tough job.   Another win-win might be if the San Francisco hires Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Jessie Evans, who interviewed for the job several days ago.  Remember, Evans recruited like crazy to Louisiana-Lafayette, so just imagine what he'd be able to do at San Francisco.  And, if this happens, it surely would open the door for somebody like LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who is ranked #9 on our list of the top assistant coaches and is one of the best recruiters in college basketball, to get the Louisiana-Lafayette job.  Making that story even more interesting is what might happen with 6'6 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, who is the #2-ranked junior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Mitchell is believed to be a near lock for LSU, because Pierre is Mitchell's Godfather.   However, if Pierre gets the Louisina-Lafayette job, he'll have to go head-to-head against some pretty fast company for Mitchell's services, like Kentucky, UCLA, or Louisville, all of whom are actively recruiting Mitchell.  Plus, there also is the possibility that Mitchell, like so many of the top-ranked high school players in this day-and-age, will attempt to by-pass college altogether and go straight to the NBA out of high school.

Later today we will be attending the Las Vegas Spring Showcase and the Pump N' Run Easter Tournament, both of which will be held today, tomorrow, and Sunday at different sites around Las Vegas, NV.   The headquarters for the Pump N' Run Easter Tournament will be Basic High School, 400 Palo Verde Drive, Henderson, NV and the other two sites will be at Valley High School and Desert Pines High School.  The first set of games will tip-off at 4:30 PM this afternoon with Branch West Team Reebok versus Jam On It Nevada, High 5 America SD #1 versus AAC Stars, Puerto Rico versus Skywalkers, AlaskaNew Mexico Pump N Run versus Las Vegas Rebels, Miami Pump N Run versus IEBP Sophomore Ballers, and KC Pump N Run versus IEBP Seniors; followed by Pump N Run #2 versus CTB All-Stars, WVBC Elite versus Walt Hazard All Stars, EBO/EA Sports versus Frisco's Finest, Nevada Basketball Academy versus Pump N Run West, Pump N Run Stars versus Southern Idaho Hawks, and Seattle Rotary Select versus Branch West Red at 5:45 PM, Colorado Pump N Run versus Branch West Purple, Chico Tarheels versus Compton Magic, IEBP Juniors versus Memphis Pump N Run #1, KC Pump N Run 17's versus No Limits Victorville, Oakland Soldiers I versus High 5 America Arizona #2, and Bay Area Ballers I versus Colorado Select White at 7:00 PM; Pump N Run versus Agassi Stars, Arizona Rage versus Branch West Orange, Oklahoma Pump N Run versus Oakland Rebels I, Portland Panthers Red versus WVBC All Stars, GGC Stars versus CABC, and Dallas Pump N Run versus EBO #2 at 8:15 PM; Inland I versus Colorado Select Blue, Villa Park Spartans versus Mean Streets, Pump N Run Sophomores versus Indiana Elite, Utah Pump N Run versus Sports Express/Inner City, SSA versus High 5 America Arizona #1, and WVBC Hoopsters versus IEBP Sophomore Players at 9:30 PM.  Then, first round action will resume on Saturday morning with FOH Ohio versus Southwest Rebels, Bay Area Ballers II versus Branch West White, 1 Tough School versus Memphis Pump N Run #2, IEBP Freshmen versus Oakland Soldiers II, Pump N Run Valley All Stars versus Houston Select I, and High 5 American SD #2 versus Las Vegas Select at 9:00 AM.  The winners and losers of the first round games will advance in different brackets with games going on continuously until 11:00 PM on Saturday and they will resume at 9:00 AM on Sunday and continue until the tournament champion and the consolation champion are crowned (those games are scheduled to start at 4:00 PM on Sunday).  For more information about this and all of the events run by David and Dana Pump, click on http://www.doublepump.com.   In contrast to the Pump N'Run Tournament, Hal Pastner, who is the tournament director for the Las Vegas Spring Showcase, has the fields for the 17-Under, 16-Under, 15-Under, and 14-Under Divisions divided up into pools.  In the 17-Under Division Pool A has Belmont Shore, Southern Nevada All-Stars, and San Diego Runnin' Rebels (CA); Pool B has the Houston Hoops, Four Corners AAU (NM), and Moreno Valley Rebels; Pool C has Southern Cal All-Stars Red, Emerald City Royals (WA), and Poly Nation (NV); Pool D has Portland Elite Legends, Anaheim Aces (CA), and Cool Lion (CA); Pool E has Team Texas Elite, Arizona Slam, and Moapa Valley Blue Devils (NV); Pool F has California Elite, Colorado X-Press, and Rockfish Dolpins (CA); Pool G has H Squad (CA), AAC Stars 05 (NV), and Bay Area Hoosiers 2 (CA); Pool H has Arkansas Wings, Corona Fires (CA), and Powerhouse (CA); Pool I has South Florida Heat, LVNV Rage, and North County Bball Academy (CA); Pool J has Triple Threat I (CA), MP-SLO (CA), and Arizona Rage; Pool K has South Carolina Elite, Academics First (CA), and Rockfish Marlins (CA); Pool L has Bay Area Hoosiers I (CA), Arizona Jam, and Belmont Shore Black; Pool M has ABC Hoops (CA), Arizona Magic Blue, and Step Up Ballers (CA); Pool N has Coast to Coast Bball Club (FL), Bball/Inner City Hoops (CA), and Rockfish Orcas (CA); Pool O has Portland Panthers White (OR), Future Hoop Champions, and San Diego Cougars; Pool P has 1 Tough School (CA), YES Basketball, and Rockfish Barracudas (CA); Pool Q has RBS Allstars (IL), Bay Area Blaze (CA), Skywalkers Basketball (CA); Pool R has Emerald City Green (WA), Northern Arizona Hoop Juniors, and No Limits (CA); Pool S has Pangos (NY), Outlaws (NV, and I-Can All-Stars; Pool T has Los Angeles Stars, San Diego Magic, and Colorado Chaos; Pool U has Salt Lake Metro (UT), Mad Moves (NV), and 1 Tough School 2 (CA); Pool V has Inland Basketball (CA), Emerald City Pioneers Black (WA), and Total Impact (CA); Pool W has 4D Stars Gold (CA), Tucson Heat, and High Desert Lakers (CA); and Pool X has Triple Threat 2 (CA), Sierra Vista Ballers (CA), and Arizona Magic White.  The first set of games in the Las Vegas Spring Showcase will tip-off at 6:30 PM and run through 11:30 PM tonight at Durango High School and Doolittle Recreation Center.  Then, pool play will resume at 8:00 AM and run until 8:00 PM on Saturday at Durango High School, Doolittle Recreation Center, and Bonanza High School.   At the point the first round of the playoffs will begin at 8:50 PM, followed by another set of first round games at 10:00 PM on Saturday night.  The second round will kick-off bright and early at 8:00 AM on Sunday morning and will go on continuously until a champion is crowned with the championship game scheduled to start at 5:20 PM at Durango High School in Gym #1.  For more information about the Las Vegas Spring Showcase or any of the other events that Pastner runs, including the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 23rd-25th, click on VisionSports.com.

Thursday, April 15, 2004

It looks like Iowa State head coach Wayne Morgan has been able to take advantage of some of his old West Coast ties, because 6'5 Anthony Davis from L.A. City (JC) CA, who was ranked as a Second Team Junior College All-American by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and was listed as the #8 wing forward by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, has signed with the Cyclones.  Not only will the addition of Davis give the Cyclones another important piece to the puzzle to along with 6'2 Frosh Curtis Stinson, 5'11 Frosh Will Blalock, 6'2 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'6 Rahshon Clarke from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME at the one, two, and the three spots, but it also moves Iowa State's recruiting class into a tie at #26, along with Mississippi State and Nebraska, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  So all the Cyclones need now is another inside guy who is capable of stepping in right away.   And the perfect guy to fill that role is would be 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, who verbally committed to the Cyclones in March, but currently does not count with their recruiting class, because he entered his name into the NBA Draft on the same day that he committed to Iowa State.  However, if Chiriaev does decide to take his name out of the NBA Draft and enrolls at Iowa State, that would move their recruiting class up to up to #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   And that comes on the heels of last year's class, which finished ranked #15 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for 2003.  If you will recall, that class included Stinson, Blaylock, 6'9 Damion Staples from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'9 Reggie George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'9 Damion Staple from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, and 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA, although Holt never enrolled in school.  Instead, he returned to junior college for another year and this time around signed with Virginia Tech.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Kenny Harris from L.A. City (JC) CA has signed with Hofstra and this is an excellent catch for the Pride, because we're talking about an active big guy who runs the floor, has pretty good skills, and likes to compete.   So really all they have to do is get him bigger and strong next year and the following year he should be ideally suited to take one of the two inside spots that will be vacated when 6'7 Jr Wendell Gibson and 6'8 Jr Kenny Adeleke both graduate a year from now.  And, just like 6'7 Adrian Uter from Broward (JC) FL, who signed with Hofstra last fall, Harris is originally from New York City, which means he's a tough hardnosed city kid.  When you also had 6'2 Jorge Lebron from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep Academy) FL, it's easy to see why this recruiting class has moved into a tie at #77, along with St. John's, Hawaii, Boston College, Mississippi, and New Mexico State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also is easy to see why we think next year will a break-out year for head coach Tom Pecora, who has gone 34-56 during his first three years as the head coach at Hofstra.   Remember, this past season his team showed considerable improvement and next year they will have a great blend of youth and experience with Adeleke, Gibson, 6'2 Frosh Carlos Rivera, and 6'2 Frosh Loren Stokes returning, plus an excellent recruiting class that adds valuable depth.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Luther Boyd from Iowa Western (JC) IA has verbally committed to Illinois-Chicago and 6'7 Chris Temple from Iowa Western (JC) IA has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City.  Boyd has a big body, a soft touch, and is excellent around the basket.  Temple can rebound, defend, and beat you with his athleticism, but what makes this story really intriguing is that fact that Temple is following in the footsteps of his brother - 6'1 Brandon Temple, who was Chris' teammate a year ago at West Plains (JC) MO.   It also looks like 6'2 Kris Collins from Iowa Western (JC) IA will pick from among Baylor, USC, Utah State, and Texas A&M and 6'3 Wade Dunston from Iowa Western (JC) IA has it down to Coastal Carolina and Kent State, although Boston College has made a late inquiry.  We also hear that 6'10 Frosh David Padgett is transferring from Kansas and the smart money is on UCLA for several reasons.  First, Padgett is from the West Coast, which means he'd be picking a school close to home. Second, UCLA needs all the help they can find inside and Padgett, who is a skilled blue collar inside player, is ideally suited to fill their needs.  Third, Padgett's father, Pete Padgett and UCLA head coach Ben Howland were both assistant coaches at UC-Santa Barbara during different eras, but do have a preexisting relationship.  We also are anxiously waiting to see what happens with 7'0 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA, who is supposed to pick UCLA or Indiana later today.  Remember, UCLA already has given out four scholarships in this recruiting class to 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'9 Lorenzo Mata from Southgate (H.S.) CA and, unless they change the five-eight rule, whereby, a school can only sign five players one year and three the next with a maximun of eight over two years, the Bruins would not be able to take 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In contrast, Rothbart is ranked #243 nationally in the senior class and, even if he's eventually good enough, he's going to need a red-shirt year to get bigger and stronger.  As for Padgett, if he picks the Bruins, it's our guess that they can finesse the five-eight rule by counting him with next year's recruiting class.  Other schools that Padgett probably will be interested are Arizona, Stanford, and North Carolina.  We also have learned that George Mason has landed 6'0 Jordan Carter from Indianapolis (Brebeuf) IN, which means that Patriots head coach Jim Larranaga has landed four players - Carter, 6'8 Will Thomas from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, 6'5 John Vaughn from Laurel (H.S.) MD, and 6'4 Folarin Campbell from Silver Springs (Springbrook) MD - who ranked in the 100-300 range nationally and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #63, along with Fordham, San Diego State, Tulane, Liberty, Georgetown, Brigham Young, and Hartford, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   But, even more important, the addition of Carter gives George Mason the best recruiting class in the league, which is saying a lot.  Remember, George Mason returns seven of its top 10 players from a team that finished 23-10 last year and lost by only one point to Virginia Commonwealth in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Championship Game.  In other words, this could be Larranaga's best team ever!   Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also tells us that Duquesne has landed 6'7 Keith Gayden from Kennedy-King (JC) IL and 6'7 Thomas Sander from Cincinnati (Elder) OH has made it official for Davidson.

Donnie Wilkie, who is the tournament director for the City of Palms Classic, tells us that next year's tournament, which will be held December 17th-22nd in Ft Myers, FL may be the best ever, as the HOOP SCOOP's #1-ranked junior 6'6 Jr Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, #2-ranked junior 6'6 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, #3-ranked junior 6'2 Jr Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, #7-ranked junior 6'8 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, #12-ranked junior 6'8 Jr Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, #28-ranked junior 6'4 Jr Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, #61-ranked junior in 6'3 Jr Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, #61-ranked junior in 6'4 Jr David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, #74-ranked junior in 6'7 Jr Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, #79-ranked junior in 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, #11-ranked sophomore in 5'10 Soph Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, #15-ranked sophomore in 6'5 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, #15-ranked sophomore in 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, #39-ranked sophomore in 6'5 Soph An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, #84-ranked sophomore in 7'1 Soph Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, #1-ranked freshmen in 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, #24-ranked freshman in 6'4 Frosh Kevin Branch from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, and the #16-ranked 8th Grader in 6'7 8th Grader Martez Walker from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA all are expected to be in attendance.   And the 16-team field that Wilkie has lined-up also is second to none, as the teams include Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Seattle (Prep) WA, Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, Athens (H.S.) AL, Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, Jacksonville (Arlikngton Country Day) FL, Jacksonville (Raines) FL, Deland (H.S.) FL, Cape Coral (H.S.) FL, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, and Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL.  We also finally have confirmed the rosters for the Derby Classic, which will be held on Saturday, April 24th.  One team will feature 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Calloway) MS, 5'11 Charles White from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'8 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY, and 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV.  The other team will feature 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'7 Dayshawn Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, 6'1 Sundiati Gaines from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY.   That's nine players on one team and 10 on the other, which means there are still three spots yet to be nailed down.  However, as things stand 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 7'0 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA appear to be possibilities.  However, to make it worthwhile for Rothbart, who is ranked #243 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to be in the game, he needs to pick Indiana over UCLA, which is something that his supposed to happen later today.  Mitch Malone, who runs the Texas Blue Chip club team, which is sponsored by adidas, has to be extremely happy after his team won the 2004 Reebok Pearland Classic last weekend in Pearland, TX.  Malone tells us that he knew that his team, which features 6'6 Raymond Hicks from Longview (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Soph Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Dominique Kirk from Dallas (Bryan Adams) TX, 6'4 Jr Harvey Hale form Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM, 5'9 Eric Nunzio from San Antonio (Taft) TX, and 6'9 Soph Tearon Hill from Carrollton (Turner) TX, would be good, but even he is surprised that they are this good this soon.  And making the story even more interesting is that fact that Texas Blue Chip beat the Dallas Mustangs by 20 points (55-35) in the championship game, as Hicks, who took home tournament MVP honors, finished with 10 points and seven rebounds; James had 12 points, four rebounds, and one blocked shot; and Hale had 16 points.  The Mustangs were led by 6'8 Jr Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX and 6'0 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX with 13 points.  We already knew that Kirk, who was listed as the top unsigned senior in the state in our Texas Report several days ago, was somebody that Texas A&M, Baylor, and SMU would try and steal, but we had no idea that Hicks, who was ranked #28 in the senior class in the state in that report, was this good.  However, Malone tells us that Texas A&M, Baylor, and Tulsa have now made this 6'7 manchild a recruiting priority and you bet a lot of other schools will attempt to jump into the mix now that the word is out.  Malone also tells us that James made a strong case for being ranked as the #1 sophomore in the state, Nunzio shot the lights out and impressed everybody with his ability to handle pressure and run the point, and Hill controlled the boards and blocked shots inside.  Malone also has provided us with the scoop on some good junior college players, like 6'5 Pat Fields from Panola (JC) TX, 5'10 Mickey Mitchell from Hill (JC) TX, 5'11 Jessie Kimbrough from McLellan (JC) TX, 6'9 Ike Ofoegbu from Hill (JC) TX, and 6'3 Chris Ross from Panola (JC) TX, who are still available.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

The second Wednesday in November is always the first day of the Fall Signing Period and the second Wednesday in April, which is today, is almost always the first day of the Spring Signing Period and already there has been one major surprise.  We're talking about 6'0 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, who verbally committed several months ago to Baylor, but now has reneged on the Bears and, instead, signed with Cincinnati.  And this is very important for a number of reason.  First, Muhammed was the #1-ranked point guard in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and, as a result, should be able to step in next year and solve the Bearcats' point guard problems, as well as allow 6'3 Nick Williams, who will be back for his senior year, to move to his natural position at the wing guard spot.  Second, the addition of Muhammed moves Cincinnati's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC and 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, into a tie at #13, along with Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Third, it once again establishes that Cincinnati assistant coach Andy Kennedy is one of the best recruiters and top up-and-coming guys in the business.  Fourth, it means that Baylor's recruiting class, which also includes 6'11 Mamadou Diene from Senegal and 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, drops from #16 into a tie at #47, along with Syracuse, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Fifth, it shows that other Division I programs are still successfully using the problems of the previous regime against Bears head coach Scott Drew and his staff.  Remember, last fall 6'8 Chris Roquermore, who is now attending Bainville (H.S.) MT, and 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX both made early verbal commitments to the Baylor, but later reneged on the Bears.  However, don't shed any tears for Baylor, because they are still one of the favorites for 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, the Baylor coaching staff has more than their fair of junior college and international contacts, and Baylor assistants Mark Morefield, Matt Driscoll, and Jerome Tang make up one of the best young coaching staffs in the business.  In other words, Baylor still could emerge into one of the better teams in the always tough Big-12 Conference sooner than later.  Speaking of Morefield, he was not one of the finalists for the Loyola-Illinois job, despite the fact that he fit the profile perfectly of what they were looking for.  Instead, Loyola-Illinois tried to hire Morehead State head coach Kyle Macy several days ago.  But when Macy decided not to take it yesterday, they settled on Jim Whitesell, who is a Division II head coach at Lewis University.  And Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report thinks this is an excellent hire, because Lewis University is located in Romeoville, IL and, as a result, Whitesell does have the right contacts to recruit in both the Chicago area and in the state of Illinois.  Plus, it also appears that Whitesell is an excellent coach.  Getting back to recruiting, we also have confirmed that 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, who is ranked #95 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with LSU.  The only surprise here is that it took as long for the Tigers to get this one done.   Did you know that Thomas' high school coach is Ethan Martin, who is argubly the best point guard in LSU school history?  The addition of Thomas moves LSU's recruiting class up to #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But, even more important, gThomas should be one of the final pieces to the puzzle, as LSU head coach John Brady will have a  tremendous stockpile of great young talent a year from now.  Remember, a year ago the Tigers landed 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'8 Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'7 Darrell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA and, to go along with Thomas, in this class are 6'8 Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'7 Spencer Ford from Dixie (JC) UT, and 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA.  So the only question now is when LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who is the godfather to 6'6 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, is going to pull the trigger and get the #2-ranked junior by the HOOP SCOOP to verbally commit to the Tigers?  We told you three weeks ago that 6'3 Marcus Stout from Detroit (Renaissance) MI was close to making a verbal commitment to Fordham.  But now you can write it down, because Stout signed with the Rams today.  This not only moves Fordham's recruiting class into a tie at #62, along with Vanderbilt and San Diego State, but it also give head coach Dereck Whittenburg a little of everything in this class, as Stout and 6'3 Kevin Anderson should provide immediate help in the backcourt and 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN and 6'8 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY are both good enough to step right into both forward spots.  We also have confirmed via Jason Smith, who is the head coach at Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, that 6'0 Cedrick Middleton, who was his leading scorer (17.9 ppg) last year, has picked Akron over schools like Fresno State, James Madison, Wright State, and Maine.  We also wouldn't be surprised if 6'1 Deion James from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who was Brewster Academy's second leading scorer (17.5 ppg), pulled the trigger for Wofford, Eastern Kentucky, UNC-Greensboro, or Lafayette in the near future.  Smith also appears to have a great head start on the future, because 6'4 Harvey Perry from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'6 Jeff Adrien from Brookline (H.S.) MA, 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH, and 6'7 Jr Chris Lutz from Manchester (Trinity) NH all are already planning on attending Brewster Academy next year.  

Murray State has landed 6'9 Reggie Jackson from Lamar (JC) CO, which means that Racers head coach Mick Cronin will have not one, but two, new big guys to go to war with next year.  Remember, 6'10 Pearson Griffin from Murray State (JC) OK, who signed with the Racers a year ago, sat out this season as a red-shirt.  And, if that weren't enough, Cronin also had 6'4 Trey Pearson, who started as a freshman at Mississippi during the 2002-2003 season, and 6'3 Keith Jenifer, who was a part-time starter at Virginia during the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons, waiting in the wings last season and the Racers' current recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Issian Redding from South Plains (JC) TX, 6'5 Shane Dansby from Harpeth (Kingsport Springs) TN, 6'7 Mike McCoy from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, and 6'7 Charles Johnson from South Plains (JC) TX, is ranked #37 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And that comes on the heels of last year's class, which was ranked #32 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes from 2003.  In other words, it appears that Cronin, who, according the HOOP SCOOP's Talent Ratings, already had the team with the most talent at the mid-to-low major level in college basketball this past season when his team went 28-6, is doing everything right, as he attempts to build Murray State into the Gonzaga of the East.  And a big reason behind his success is the fact that he hired a great young staff, which includes one of the top assistant coaches in the nation in Ryan Wolf, who previously was the head coach at Barton County (JC) KS.  As a matter of fact, Wolf, thanks to his strong junior college contacts, is the primary reason why Murray State landed Jackson.  We also wouldn't be surprised if Murray State eventually lands 6'2 Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY, who is ranked #319 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Right now Lofton is holding out for an offer from a school at the high Division I level, like Tennessee, which is where he is supposed to visit this weekend.  However, if nobody at the high DI level offers, it's had to image that Arkansas State or Valparaiso could beat Cronin for a player right in his backyard who he has recruited for years.  Rememeber, Lofton had a scholarship offer on the table when he was a junior from the University of Louisville when Cronin was Rick Pitino's right hand man.  Most people already know that 6'8 Frosh Trevor Ariza has announced that he is transferring from UCLA and that he has entered his named into the NBA Draft.  But they don't know that Ariza has not signed with an agent (it has been erroneously reported that he has) and that two of the leaders for his services, if he does indeed decide to go to college, are Louisville and Florida.  Remember, the Gators were the heavy favorite for Ariza the first time around until UCLA made a strong push at the end.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it appears that Vanderbilt has hit the jackpot, because the Commodores have landed 6'9 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD and 6'10 Alan Metcalfe from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA.  Neither player ranks among our top 100 seniors nationally, but they both the have natural talent and potential to be ranked a lot higher than top 100 down the road.  So don't be surprised if Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings stays put for at least another the next four years.  Remember, the Commodores also have 6'6 Shane Foster from Kenner (Bonnabel) LA, who is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and two other players in the fold in 5'11 Alex Gorden from Pensacola (H.S.) FL and 6'6 DeMarre Carroll from Birmingham (John Carroll) AL, who are capable developing into excellent players.  So it's easy to see why Vanderbilt's recruiting class is ranked #32 our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, we think this class is capable of not just duplicating, but being even better than this past season's group, which advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and finished 27-10 on the season.  Johnson also tells us that Nevada has landed 6'3 Lyndale Burleson from Seattle (Franklin) WA, who is ranked #175 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and that 6'9 Julius Ashby from Marshalltown (JC) IA, who verbally committed to Indiana two weeks ago, but changed his mind the very next day and announced for Colorado, has honored his second verbal commitment by signing with the Buffaloes earlier today.  It also appears that Oklahoma State has slipped into the lead over school like Gonzaga, Kansas, Washington, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, and USC for 6''7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, who is ranked #76 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, just as quickly, it appears that 6'3 Jr Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, who is ranked #177 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is suddenly back on the board.  If you will recall, last week Williams made an early verbal commitment to Oklahoma State. 

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Yesterday and today are extremely important days for assistant coaches who are hoping to move up the coaching ladder.  If you will recall, yesterday Texas assistant coach Frank Haith got the head coaching job at the University of Texas and today Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts got the heading coaching job at St. John's.  It's important, because if they are successful, it will pave the way for more young up-and-coming guys to quickly move up the ladder.  It's also important, because, if they are not successful, it will make it that much more difficult for assistant coaches to get head coaching jobs at the mid-to-high Division I level.   And we offer Roberts the same advise that we provided Haith with yesterday on our web site.  Hire Bryant College head coach Max Good.  Not only does Good have head coaching experience at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and UNLV, but he has an incredible knack for getting his players to play hard and getting the most out of his talent.  And Good has a tremendous amount of respect from those who have played for him and coached with him.  As a matter of fact, people close to former UNLV head coach Bill Bayno tell us that Bayno says Good taught him more about coaching basketball in one year at UNLV than he learned when he was an assistant working for Larry Brown, P.J. Carlesimo, and John Calipari, all three of whom are great head coaches.  Roberts also had better look long and hard at New York (Rice) NY head coach Maurice Hicks, Bayside (Cardozo) NY head coach Ron Naclerio, and Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare, who was the head coach at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY for many years before moving onto the college level, because he can't afford to get black balled from recruiting in his own backyard.  Remember, he's walking into a to hornet's nest and his 24-84 previous head coaching record at Queens College might be an indication that he still has some learning to do while on the job.   On the other hand, Roberts, who is ranked #3 on our list of the top assistant coaches, is an excellent recruiter, a smart guy, and potentially an excellent head coach, so hiring the right staff could be the big difference between success and failure.  We also are getting reports that Morehead State head coach Kyle Macy, who accepted the head coaching job at Loyola-Illinois, last night, has gotten cold feet today and, as a result, won't be taking the job.  So suddenly it's back to the drawing board for the administration whose stated goal was to hire somebody with strong Illinois and International ties for the purpose of recruiting.  But then the turned around and hired a guy with no Illinois ties, although Macy is an excellent basketball coach. and would probably do an excellent job, if he had taken the job at Loyola-Illinois.   In other words, the situation at Loyola-Illinois appears to be one more classic example of just how clueless athletic directors and search committees really are when it comes time to hire a coach.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the five finalist for the Marist job are Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill,  St. Joseph's assistant coach Matt Brady, Northwestern assistant coach Paul Lee, Rutgers assistant coach Garland Mance, and Seton Hall assistant coach Brian Nash.   Our choice would be Hill, but we're biased, because we've got him ranked as the #1 assistant coach in the nation.  Rubin also tells us that East Carolina has landed 6'6 Jonathan Hart from Roselle (Catholic) NJ, who has a lot of potential, but never has developed as expected, despite getting individual instruction from Sandy Poynin off-and-on for the last several years.   Rubin also has a list of schools, which includes Stanford, Villanova, Notre Dame, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina, for 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who is ranked #40 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and he thinks a verbal commitment could be forthcoming within the next month.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report tells us that 6'6 Anthony Newell form Chicago (Simeon) IL has made a verbal commitment to Ball State and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 J'Shon Stamper from Independence (JC) KS has verbally committed to Minnesota, 6'4 Terrell Everett from Southwest Missouri-West Plains (JC) MO has verbally committed to Oklahoma, and 6'1 Troy Mathis from Laurinburg (Charter) NC has verbally committed to Charlotte.  For Mathis that's the second verbal commitment that he's made in the last week.   If you will recall, yesterday we reported that Mathis had verbally committed to Southern Cal, but apparently by the time we reported it (it actually happend a week ago), he changed his mind and picked another school.  However, this is still a good catch for the Tigers, because Mathis can play either guard spot and can shoot the lights.  The verbal commitment by Mathis also moves Clemson's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC; 6'9 James Mayes from Garner (H.S.) NC, and 6'3 Cliff Hammonds from Cairo (H.S.) GA, up to #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And that's important, because that means Clemson has the third highest ranked recruiting class to-date in the Atlantic Coast Conference behind North Carolina and Florida State.  The verbal commitment by Stamper also is significant for several reasons.   First, Stamper was ranked #7 among small forwards in the junior college ranks by the Sporting New Pre-Season Yearbook.  Second, the commitment by Stamper moves Minnesota's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Vincent Grier from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'9 Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Miles Webb from Brooklyn Park (Park-Center) MN, and 6'0 Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, up to #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Third, the addition of Stamper should fill a need at the wing forward spot.  However, the recent commitments by Grier and Stamper still nay not be enough to off-set the loss of 6'8 Frosh Kris Humphries, who has announced that he plans to entire the NBA Draft this spring.   So, if major improvement is not seen next season, it is the editorial position of the HOOP SCOOP that Golden Gophers head coach Dan Monson not only should be fired, but athletic director Joel Maturi should be given his walking papers as well.  Remember, no guts, no glory!

Believe it or not, I've been attempting to publish a Texas Report since before I left for the NCAA Final Four two weeks ago tomorrow.  However, there are two big reasons why getting this report has been next to impossible.  First, everytime I've had a spare moment from travel, being in the gym, attending a function, and just keeping up with the business of the day, I've gotten hit with breaking recruiting information or coaching rumors that had to be published in a timely manner.  Second, Texas has to be the most political state in the nation and, as a result, nobody seems to be able to agree upon anything.  So when you combine that with the fact that our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff is based on Dallas, TX and doesn't know every player in Houston and around the rest of the state, like he does in his own backyard, it has taken a lot of time (over a month now) to sort though all the politics and help him come up with a list that now has to be considered the bible when it comes to player ranking in the state of Texas.  Our list, which can be found by clicking on Grandstaff Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Texas, includes Grandstaff's ranking in order of the top 90 seniors, 75 juniors, 64 sophomores, 40 freshmen, 34 8th Graders, 18 7th Graders, 16 6th Graders, 20 5th Graders, and 11 4th Graders and, at the end of the day, Grandstaff had veto power over myself and the many other people who contributed to this report, because his name is at the top of the page.  Not only does this give Grandstaff a higher degree of accountability, but it also provides us with a great starting point for the future, because it's almost impossible to find names of players below the high school level.   In other words, everybody knows that 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville)TX, 6'1 Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Marshall Brown from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX, and 6'7 Dion Dowell from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX are ranked among the top 50 seniors in the nation; 6'7 Jr C.J. Brown from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 5'10 Jr A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, 6'0 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'8 Jr Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, and 6'6 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX are ranked among the top 50 juniors in the nation; 6'9 Soph Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Soph Damion James from Nacagdoches (H.S.) TX, 5'9 Soph Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'9 Soph Darius Santee from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'3 Soph Jermaine Beal from De Soto (H.S.) TX, and 6'5 Soph Dale Van Wright from Houston (Bellaire) TX are ranked among the top 50 sophomores in the nation; and 6'7 Frosh Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'5 Frosh Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'6 Frosh Jeremy McCarty from Houston (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'8 Frosh Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'6 Frosh Clint Houston from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, 5'10 Frosh Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, and 6'8 Frosh Albert Turley from Pearland (H.S.)TX are ranked among the top 50 freshmen in the nation.  However, where else are you going to find out that 6'2 Jacovan Brown from Port Arthur, TX, 6'1 Willie Warren from Cedar Hill, TX, 6'6 Greg Batieste from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'5 A.J. Hawkins from Westlake, TX, 6'6 Greg Willis from Houston, TX, and 6'5 Corbin Ray from The Woodlands (McMeins) TX are ranked among the top 30 8th Graders in the nation; 5'8 Kendrick Robinson from San Antonio (Jones) TX, 5'6 G.J. Vilarino from McKinney (H.S.) TX, and 5'6 Tommy Griffin from Houston, TX are ranked among the top 20 7th Graders in the nation; 5'5 Duran Hollis from Ft. Worth, TX, 5'7 K.C. Ross-Miller from Lewisville, TX, and 5'8 Ray McCallum from Houston, TX are ranked among the top 10 6th Graders in the nation; 4'11 Deion Houston from Grand Prairie, TX, 5'1 Keon Anderson from Ft. Worth, TX, 5'10 Marcus Hutchinson from De Soto, TX, and 4'11 Charles Bennett from Houston, TX are ranked among the top 30 5th Graders in the nation; and 5'3 Jaron Reese from Houston, TX, 4'9 Rick Roberts from Arlington, TX, and 5'3 Lyndon Rose from Houston, TX are ranked among the top dozen 4th Graders in the nation?

Monday, April 12, 2004

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'1 Troy Mathis from Laurinburg (Charter) NC has verbally committed to USC and Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 Sherman Diaz from Burlington (Life Center) NJ has verbally committed to La Salle, 6'7 Travis Parker from Southwest Missouri-West Plains (JC) MO has verbally committed to Penn State, and 6'1 Tywain McKee from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA and 6'3 DeShone Kirkendall from Dayton (Stebbins) OH have both verbally committed to Temple.  McKee, who currently is listed #22 on Rubin's list of the top juniors in the area, apparently has made up enough ground academically to graduate this year and, as a result, will count towards Temple's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, this year.  And this is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Owls, because Tyndale is good enough to step in and replace David Hawkins in the starting line-up next year and McKee and Kirkendall should provide needed outside shooting.  Parker, who is a strong physical power foward with good post moves and a nice mid-range shot, is expected to also challenge for a starting spot next year at Penn State.  However, even more important, Parker is expected to provide the Nittany Lions with an excellent complement to the three good perimeter players that Penn State signed in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, Penn State already has three good perimeter players in 6'2 Danny Morrissey from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'1 Mike Walker from Camp Hill (Trinity) PA, and 6'5 Geary Claxton from New Haven (Career) CT and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie, along with New Orleans, Western Illinois, and Murray State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Diaz is an underrated athlete who gets to the hole and beats you with his outside shot, but he's also important for several other reasons.  First, he keeps the pipeline to Life Center intact.  Remember, a year ago the Explorers also landed 6'10 Roman Narmbaye-Mbainas from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  Second, getting gives La Salle an even stronger nucleus of good local players.  If you will recall, the Explorers landed 5'8 Rich Cunningham from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA last fall.  Third, Diaz should provide La Salle head coach Billy Hahn with one of the final pieces to the puzzle and, as a result, the Explorers promise to be one of the most improved teams in the league next year, as nine freshmen and sophomores all are expected to return.  Mathis is ranked #209 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, even more important, he should provide some insurance in case 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA doesn't show up, because he can play either guard spot.  The addition of Mathis also moves USC's recruiting class up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But the Trojans' class is not expected to finish nearly that high, because 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA appears to be a near lock to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft and Pruitt and 6'5 Nick Young from Resada (Cleveland) CA both may not qualify academically and, as a result, may have go the prep school route.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 A.J. Mahare from Bennington (Mt. Anthony Union) VT has verbally committed to Bryant College and once again it looks like Max Good has a major steal on his hands.  Not only was Mahare the Player-of-the-Year in Vermont, but he's got huge hands, excellent athleticism, and great hops.  And how about Marshall getting 6'8 Collins Okafur form Clearwater (Countryside) FL, who might be one of the biggest sleepers in the nation?   Okafur, who came to the United States with 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, has great hands, block shots, runs the floor, rebounds, is physical inside, and has a huge upside.  He's also pretty good right now, as is evident by the fact that he played on the Nigerian Junior National, along with Odia.   We also suspect that Marshall may have gotten this one done just in the nick of time, because Thundering Herd assistant coach Bob MacKinnon, who deserves a lot of the credit for landing Okafur, has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the Dartmouth job, along with Pennsylvania assistant coach Dave Duke.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'1 Tanqueray Beavers from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #338 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Memphis and this is easy explained because the Tigers need insurance.  Remember, there is still the possibility that 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who signed with Tigers last fall, could by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft, Clyde Wade is still sitting out due to legal issues, and 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (East) TN, who also signed with the Tigers has yet to make it academically.  Johnson also has an updated list of schools for 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #22 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   If you will recall, Devendorf made an early commitment to Michigan State last fall, but more recently decided to open up his recruitment and now has Florida, Syracuse, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Louisville, and Michigan State on his list.   Johnson also thinks Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State are the favorites for 6'5 Jr Jabari Currie from Detroit (Pershing) MI, who is ranked #135 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is expected to explode this spring and summer.  We also have the latest on 6'11 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Boateng has already taken unofficial visits to Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina, he was at Michigan on an official visit last month, and he's supposed to visit UCLA next weekend.  And when you also add Kansas, N.C. State, Villanova, and Wake Forest into the mix, suddenly Boateng has a very interesting list.  The early list for 5'9 Frosh Jay Dee Luster from San Diego (Hoover) CA, who is ranked #12 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, ncludes Louisville, Arizona, UCLA, Kentucky, and Georgia Tech.  But, unless Luster grows, he might be best advised to stay home and attend San Diego or San Diego State.  UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, and Stanford are showing the most early interest in 6'6 Soph Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, but volleyball also is a future option.  As a matter of fact, Budinger is the best volleyball player in the nation at his age and was the youngest player by three years on the USA Junior Olympic Volleyball Team. 

It is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to run events, camps, tournaments, or club team programs for several very important reasons.  First, maintaining this independence allows me (Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP) to have the flexibility to always go to the best events.  Second, it is impossible for those who run events and/or club teams to always be totally objective.  Third, I am a journalist and not a recruiter and/or event operator by trade and, as a result, I continue to do what I do best, even though I may have missed out on some opportunities to put a few extra dollars in my pocket.  However, this does not mean that our area editors, correspondents, and contributors are not free to do these things on their own and, in the process, use the HOOP SCOOP's name.  And right now the perfect example is Allen Rubin, who is second to none in terms of not only covering his area, but any area.  So it comes as no surprise that the HOOP SCOOP Instructional and Rating Shootouts, which are run by Rubin, will be invaluable to both the players in attendance and the HOOP SCOOP in terms of rankings and player development.  The first shootout will be Saturday and Sunday, April 24th-25th, at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ.  The second shootout will be at Haverford College in Haverford, PA, May 1st-2nd, followed by the Harrisburg Area Shootout at Steelton-Highspire High School in Steelton, PA, May 8th-9th; the shootout at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA, May 15th-16th; the shootout at Lycoming College in Williamsport, PA, May 22nd-23rd; the Scranton Area Shootout in Hoop City in Dunmoore, PA, June 12th-13th; the shootout at Mt. Pleasant High School in Wilmington, DE, June 18th-19th; and the Bucks-Mont Shootout at Hatboro-Horsham High School in Horsham, PA, June 27th-28th. In most cases the schedule will be as follows:  9:00 AM - Daily Registration, 10:00 AM - on Court Skill Instruction, 12 noon - Lunch Break/Classroom, 12:30 PM - Games/Evaluation, 4:00 PM - Camp Dismissal.  Obviously the players who attend the shootout will get exposure, but the true purpose of the shootout is "rating and instructional," as is evident by the fact that Rubin and his staff, which includes the HOOP SCOOP's very own Ron Naclerio, who is best known as Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston's high school coach and through is association with the Rucker League and IS8; Gary Lapergola, who is the Director of RPI's most popular program "The Point Guard School" and the founder of Shooting Stars Basketball Service; et al.; will teach the players skills and provide instruction that will benefit them long after the weekend is over.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.  For more information call 1-877-774-5267 or go to their web site at www.RPICAMPS.com.   Shootout enrollment is limited to the first 40 players per grade level from 7th-11th.  Last the HOOP SCOOP Instructional and Rating Shootout had players like 6'8 Jr Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'5 Jr Dave Burton from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'5 Soph Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'11 Soph Brian Zoubeck from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'3 8th Grader Anthony King from Aston (Village Charter) PA, all of whom are ranked among the top players in the area in their respective classes, in attendance.  This year we suspect they all will be back, plus we expect many of the other top players in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area to be in attendance.  Rubin also was the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA over the weekend, where the Georgia Stars emerged victorious from a final four, which also included Illinois Warriors, Howard Pulley, and Boo Williams, and he has some interesting recruiting information to pass along.  Florida State is the favorite for 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Florida, Georgia, and Auburn are also on his list.  The early leaders for 6'9 Soph Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (PutnamCity) OK, who is ranked #13 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Maryland, and Kansas.  Illinois, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Connecticut are all in the hunt for 6'4 Jr Jamont Gordon from Nashville (Glen Cliff) TN, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but it looks like he first will make a stop next year at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The early list for 6'3 Soph Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who is ranked #23 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, includes Wisconsin, Marquette, Arizona, Iowa, and Stanford.   Louisville, Georgia Tech, Texas, Syracuse, and Maryland are among those already in the hunt for 6'8 Soph Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who is ranked #23 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The terrific point guard from Puerto Rico - 6'0 Soph Josue Soto, who is expected to attend Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL next year - already likes North Carolina, Duke, Arizona, and Miami-FL.  The list for 6'7 Jr Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI includes Marquette, Wisconsin, Milwaukee-Wisconsin, Connecticut, Saint Louis, Illinois, and Purdue.  Florida, Florida State, Arkansas, Miami-FL, Kansas, Kentucky, and N.C. State are all in the hunt for 7'2 Soph Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL.  The leaders for 6'7 Jr Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. John) OH are Xavier, Michigan, Kentucky, Connecticut, Cincinnati, Dayton, and Ohio State.  Showing the most interest in 6'5 Jr Jamelle Cornelly from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH are Xavier, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Kentucky, Florida, and Marquette.   Among the early favorites for 6'0 Soph Dequan Twilley from Shelbyville (H.S.) TN are Missisippi State, Tennessee, Stanford, Arizona, and Applachian State.  Florida, Arkansas, Florida State, and Hofstra make up an interesting list for 6'0 Jr Walter Hodge from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL.  Iowa State and Wisconsin have already offered 6'10 Jr Ross Marsden from Ames (H.S.) IA.  Syracuse, Boston College, Rice, Notre Dame, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Yale, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, and Brown have all shown interest in 6'6 Jr Joe Bova from Albany (Christian Brothers) NY.

Everybody in the business who was at the Las Vegas Easter Classic over the weekend was totally shocked when they heard that University of Texas assistant coach Frank Haith had gotten the Miami-FL job.  That doesn't mean that Haith, who was largely responsible for landing the great recruiting class, which is currently tied at #1 in the nation, along with Louisville, and includes 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX, that the Longhorns currently have in the fold, is not one of the top up-and-coming guys in the business.   But it does mean that Haith, who also is a first-class person, extremely bright, hard-working, and a very astute judge of talent, it walking into an extremely difficult situation.  As a matter of fact, going from being the top assistant coach at Texas into a head coaching job in the Atlantic Coast Conference is similar in many way to all of the top high school players who are thinking about making the jump from high school to straight into the NBA.  Or to put it another way, Haith is attempting to do something that few coaches have ever done (make the jump from being an assistant coach at a big time school to being the head coach at a school at the highest college level).  And the only coaches that we can remember who successfully did this were Roy Williams, who was Dean Smith's right hand man at North Carolina prior to taking over at Kansas in 1989, and Denny Crum, who was John Wooden's top assistant and, at the time, expected successor, when he moved from UCLA to Louisville in the spring of 1971.  In other words, Haith has to be nothing short of exceptional, because there is no margin for error, as he attempts to develop a head coaching philosophy while being totally under a microscope in what is the toughest conference in college basketball.  Obviously one way for Haith to ensure that he is successful would to hire great assistants and our recommendation would be for him to retain Curtis Townsend, who is ranked #4 on our list of the top assistant coaches and probably is the key to getting 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA to stay and landing 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA; hire Northeastern assistant coach Frank Martin, who used to be the head coach at Miami (Senior) FL and is extremely well connected in the Miami area; and Bryant College head coach Max Good, who is second to none as a coach and would be the perfect guy to help Haith grow into the job.  Actually we'd be surprised if Haith listened to us, but, if he did, he'd have one of the best coaching staff's in the nation, plus he'd go along way toward ensuring his own success.  Apparently Haith, who is 38-years-old and been an assistant coach at Wake Forest, Texas A&M, Penn State, UNC-Wilmington and Elon, had three important advantages that helped him get the job.  First, he's familar with the league dating back to four years he spent at Wake Forest working for Dave Odom.   Second, he's a terrific recruiter.  Third, he was willing to work cheap (we've heard that his contract is in the $300,000 a year range).  Remember, St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis, Virginia Commonwealth head coach Jeff Capel, and UAB head coach Mike Anderson all earlier took themselves out of the running for the job, because the Hurricanes weren't willing to pay them what they are worth.  Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez and Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts also interviewed for the job.  Speaking of Gonzalez, our recommendation to him is to make plans to stay at Manhattan for the long term.  In other words, unless a school wants to seek him out, just like they always do with Rick Pitino, he should just focus upon turning Manhattan into the Gonzaga of the East, as well as continuing to being a thorn in the side of St. John's and all the Red Storm fans who were too stupid to figure out that he was the perfect candidate for the job.  As for St. John's, we hear that one of two things will happen this week.  Either former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty will get the job or they will totally open the search up and start from scratch.  We also were glad to see that Southern Illinois head coach Matt Painter will move to Purdue, where he will be the associate head coach and successor a year from now to Boilermakers head coach Gene Keady.  And, if we were to count Painter as moving into the Purdue head coaching job this year, instead of next year, we would have three head coaches (the other two are Billy Gillispie moving from UTEP to Texas A&M and Ray Giacoletti moving from Eastern Washington to Utah) who actually have moved up the ladder.  Thus, explains why there has been such little job movement this year.  Moral to the story, the best way to get the dominos to start falling on the coaching carousel is for head coaches at the lower Division I level to move into higher level jobs.  Instead, this year the trend has been for assistant coaches and recycled former Division I head coaches to get most of the jobs.  It also makes sense that Illinois assistant coach Chris Lowery has been named as the new head coach at Southern Illinois, because he both played and was an assistant coach for the Salukis during the Bruce Weber era.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report also tells us that former Bradley assistant coach Jim Molinari has been hired at UNLV by Lon Kruger and the finalists for the Loyola-Illinois job appear to be former DePaul assistant coach Joey Meyer, Vanderbilt assistant coach Tom Richardson, and Northwestern assistant coach Craig Robinson.  Our guess is that it will be Richardson.   We also wonder if Air Force head coach Joe Scott would be willing to return to Princeton, where he previously was an assistant coach, if John Thompson III gets the head coaching job at Georgetown?  To our knowledge, Thompson III is the only person to have interviewed for the Georgetown job and, if he gets it, don't be surprised if he hires his brother, Ronny Thompson, who moved from Georgetown to take a similar position at Arkansas a year ago.  And, if that happened, it also wouldn't surprise us if 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA tried to follow Ronny Thompson back to Georgetown.  Remember, Townes made an early verbal commitment to Georgetown back when he was a junior in high school at Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, but he didn't make it academically a year ago and, as a result, went the prep school route and then signed with Arkansas last fall. 

Saturday, April 10, 2004, & Sunday, April 11, 2004

A lot of people question whether 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is arguably the most widely debated player in the junior class nationally, has the lift, athleticism, and mobility necessary to make it as undersized power forward at the high Division I level.  Remember, scouts on the West Coast like Tracy Pierson and Greg Hicks do not think Boykin is a high major player and it appears that the UCLA coaching staff has decided to take a wait-and-see approach to Boykin, as they pursue taller and more athletic players, like 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, who is supposed to visit Westwood on April 18th, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'10 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  In contrast, schools like Louisville, Georgia Tech, Washington, Kansas, UNLV, Oregon State, Oregon, California, and Illinois seem to think that Boykin can be an important piece to their puzzle.  As a matter of fact, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, UNLV head coach Lon Kruger, Georgia Tech assistant coach Willie Reese, and Oregon State assistant coach Brian Loyd were all seen watching Boykin this weekend at the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV.  And they had to have liked what they saw as Boykin, who was the leading scorer with 25 points against the Utah Vipers in the Championship Game, got better and better each time they watched him play.  However, even more important, Boykin provided the inside presence, dominance on the boards, and an intensity level that appears to be contagious among his teammates.  And while Boykin was taking care of business inside, Belmont Shore head coach Dinos Trigonis also got a lot of production on the perimeter from 6'2 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Matt Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, and 6'4 Jr Ed White from North Hollywood (Harvard Westlake) CA, who combined for 28 points in the championship game.  Henry and Thomas both are extremely athletic, Henry and White both can shoot the lights out, and Thomas and White are both vastly improved.  And a big reason behind White's improvement has to do with an increased level of confidence.  If you will recall, White was forced to play point guard during the high school season and in the short run really struggled.  However, now he's become a much better player, which means that some big time schools, like California and Stanford, are starting to show interest, although our guess is that White will end up at Yale, Princeton, or Pennsylvania due to his strong academics and the fact that he attends one of the top academic high schools in the Los Angeles area.  Thomas still needs to become more consistent, but he's got good enough ball handling and passing skills, court awareness, and an understanding of the game to develop into a point guard down the road.  In other words, we're talking about a big time athlete with a lot of intangibles and, as a result, schools like San Diego State, Idaho, Colorado State, St. Mary's, and Oklahoma are showing a lot of   interest.  Henry needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he has the athleticism, outside shooting, and intensity level necessary to make him one of the better juniors in Southern California.  So it should come as no surprise that San Diego State, Pepperdine, San Diego, Colorado State, California, Oregon, and Oregon State are all in the hunt for Henry.  But Belmont Shore's 75-72 win in the championship was not easy, as the pesky well-coached Utah Vipers featured a very balanced scoring attack as five players - 6'8 Jr Shaun Green from Salt Lake City (Olympus) UT (12 points), 6'2 Jr James Shoff from American Fork (H.S.) UT (15 points), 6'0 Jr Brennan Davis from American Fork (H.S.) UT (13 points), 6'2 Jr Evan Astle from Orem (Mountain View) UT (14 points), and 6'4 Jr Clayton Searle from American Fork (H.S.) UT (12 points) - scored in double-digits.  Green also deserves special mention, because he was one of the best 3-point shooters in the tournament.  But while Belmont Shore was coasting into the championship game, all of the other talent-laden teams, like the Southern California All-Stars, Houston Hoops, and Blessed IJN, in the tournament were upset in the playoffs.  And Belmont Shore did the job themselves on the Blessed IJN team with a stunning double-digit victory in the first round of the playoffs.  However, the three best players - 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH, 6'9 Soph Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, and 6'5 Soph Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN - on the Blessed IJN team still must be mentioned as three of the most talked about players in the entire tournament.  Semrau, who previously was ranked #273 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and #31 in the state on our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson's most recent list, also was the biggest sleeper to emerge in the tournament.  We're talking about an athletic 6'9 power forward with a very high skill level, excellent post moves, great hands, long arms, surprising coordination, a soft touch, and the ability to beat you both inside and outside.  But telling you that doesn't even begin to do this guy justice, because Semrau has superstar written all over him.   In other words, if he grows two inches, which is what we expect, and Semrau gets bigger and stronger, he'll go straight to "The League."  However, the only two schools to have shown any interest in Semrau prior to the start of this tournament are Cleveland State and Butler.  But that should change quickly, because the word is suddenly out about this probable future McDonald's All-American and sleeper for our top 10 to 15 nationally in what already is a loaded class.   And Johnson is just as good, because he's back to his old self.  If you will recall, we loved Johnson when we first saw him in this tournament a year ago when he run the point and made his teammates better.  However, as the spring and summer wore on, Johnson developed more of a scorer's mentality and, as a result, forced too many shots and saw the value of his stock drop.  We already knew about Millard, but we didn't realize that he could shoot it and play out on the perimeter as well as he can.  Ironically, Millard, who currently is ranked #42 nationally in the Class of 2005 and is similar to former Kentucky All-American Scott Padgett, has the University of Louisville right at the top of his list.  Millard also has Kansas, Missouri, N.C. State, Syracuse, and Providence on his list, but it wouldn't surprise us if Millard and Johnson, whose early favorites include Louisville, Notre Dame, Arizona, Michigan, and Wake Forest, both picked Louisville sooner than later.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the center - 6'9 Carl Swanigan from Salt Lake City (Hunter) UT - on the Blessed IJN team would probably verbally commit to Louisville right now, if a scholarship offer was forthcoming.  But we'd be surprised if that happened, unless Swanigan becomes more dedicated both on and off the court.  In other words, Swanigan needs to gets his academics in order, get into better shape, and dedicate himself to playing hard all the time.  Another player who really helped himself at the Las Vegas Easter Classic this weekend was 6'5 Frosh Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, who previously was ranked #131 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And that might be #130 spots too low, as the only two players in the class who are clearly better than this guy are 6'7 Frosh Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) CA and 6'3 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Hackett is not a great athlete, but his skill level, understanding of the game, and ability to put points on the board are way ahead of his age.  And, if you want further evidence, Hackett had several 20-plus point games and shot the lights out, as he carried his team into the quarterfinals of the 17-Under Division of the tournament.  This also means that 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA is no longer the #1-ranked freshman in California.  And, if King continues on his present path, he might not be ranked in the top 10.  Sure, King is a great 3-point shooter, but he's lost his speed and quickness and hasn't grown any since we first saw him a year ago.   Also not playing well in the Southern California All-Stars' shocking 20-point loss against High Five Arizona Red were 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'4 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA.   But that still shouldn't effect their recruiting, as Syracuse, Louisville, Connecticut, and Kansas are the leaders for Johnson and Kentucky, Arizona, and Oregon State are right at the top of Harvey's list.  The Houston Hoops also were a disappointment for several reasons.  First, we never were sure who the leader of the team was 6'1 Jr David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX or 5'9 Soph Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX.  Second, they had a lot of good players like Devezin, Wise, 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobon from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'6 Jr Ashton Hall from Kountze (H.S.)TX, and 6'7 Jr Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, but they didn't have super players like Carlos Hurt, Kendrick Perkins, Ndudi Ebi, Tac Minor, Jawann McClellan or Daniel Gibson.  Third, they looked fatigued and they never seemed to have that burning desire that is usually indicative of Houston Hoops teams.  Another one of the best teams in the tournament was the H Squad and this is really ironic, because Belmont Shore and the H Squad had been merged together and played as one team during the last several years.  And, after watching both teams play in this tournament, we actually thought the H Squad, which featured 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, 6'3 Jr Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Ramone Wellington from Vallejo (Bethel) CA, and 6'1 Frosh Jordan Block from Claremont (H.S.) CA, was the better team.  However, their 8:00 AM quarterfinals game against the Utah Vipers was too much to overcome.  Terrance Williams still doesn't have clue how to play the game, but his natural talent, physical attributes, and ability to shoot the three make him a legitimate top 30 player in the class.  Right now Terrance Williams' list of schools includes Arizona, Wake Forest, Duke, Washington, Gonzaga, Oregon, Washington State, Miami-FL, and North Carolina, but the smart money is on UTEP, because that's where Miami-FL assistant coach Curtis Townsend will end up, if new Miami-FL head coach Frank Haith doesn't retain Townsend on his staff.   Remember, Townsend has landed everybody who was anybody from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA (i.e. the Stewart twins a year ago when he was at USC and Chester Giles last fall at Miami-FL) in recent years, plus he's close friends with H Squad head coach Rick Isaacs, who already has successfully recruited Terrance Williams for his own team.  Danny Williams, who is a world-class athlete, excellent outsided 3-point shooter, and still only 15-years-old, which means he's got an incredible upside, gave Oklahoma State an early verbal commitment last week.  Drager, who is ranked #76 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, needs to get bigger and stronger, but he'll probably still move up in our rankings, because we're talking about an athletic white kid with an excellent feel for the game and the ability to shoot the lights out.  Currently the list for Darger includes Gonzaga, Kansas, Washington, Utah, Arizona State, and USC.  Austin still needs to get meaner and tougher, but he has bulked up, which means he'll probably remain about where he is ranked at #130 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Wellington isn't as good Isaacs thinks he is, but he's still worth monitoring, because it looks like he won't make it academically and, as a result, will go the prep school route, instead of to St. Mary's, where he signed last fall.  The best real big man in the tournament was 6'10 Jr Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT.  Sure, Bell lacks quickness and athleticism, but he more than makes up for it with his skills, incredible passing, and ability to score around the basket.  So it should come as no surpris that he's getting recruited by schools, like Louisville, Arizona, Kansas, Connecticut, Utah, North Carolina, and Oklahoma State.  One the most underrated players in the tournament is 6'4 Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA.  Not only does he combine athleticism with the ability to shoot the three, but he's also still available, which means he could a major steal for the right Mountain West, Western Athletic, or West Coast Conference school.  Some of other players in the tournament who deserve special mention are 6'4 Jr Tyler Newbold from Payson (H.S.) UT, 6'4 Jr Kashif Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'4 Harvey Perry from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'2 Ryan Holmes from Goodyear (Millennium) AZ, 6'7 Travis Gabbidon from Scottdale (Desert Vista) AZ, 6'5 Frosh Meca Eweka from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'5 Jr Chris Chase from Saettle (Shorecrest) WA, 6'1 Jr Gary Ward from Tacoma (Mt. Tahoma)WA, 6'3 Soph Eric Hipalita from Phoenix (Mountain Pointe) AZ, 6'1 Soph Lawrence Westbrook from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 6'2 Kevin Schneider from Phoenix (Brophy) AZ, 6'2 Soph David Schneider from Phoenix (Brophy) AZ, and 6'7 Davan Evans from Las Vegas (Chapparal) NV.

Friday, April 9, 2004

Yesterday we reported that 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD had not signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent last fall with Xavier and, as a result, was free to re-open his recruitment.  However, earlier today a source close to the Xavier basketball program informed us that Odia did sign a National Letter-of-Intent with the Musketeers.  But upon further research by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson it appears we're not the only one who thought Odia did not sign during the Fall Signing Period.  As a matter of fact, Dustin Dow addressed this issue in the Cincinnati Enquirer on Wednesday, November 12th, with the following:  "Today is the first day of the fall signing period, but only two of Xavier's three 2004 recruits are expected to sign national letters of intent this week.  Churchill Odia of Montrose Christian (Md.) School likely will wait until the late signing period in April, said his high school coach, Stu Vetter.  The other two, Moeller's Josh Duncan and Hargrave Military (Va.) Academy's Stanley Burrell will sign today.  'It's a smart move for the player to wait until April,' said Vetter, who advises most of his players not to sign in the fall.  'If I'm a good player, why should I sign early not knowing what the circumstances will be in April.  A player signs a great deal based on who's coaching the team.  I don't tell players they can't sign early, I just advise them not to.'  Vetter said Odia's oral commitment is solid, and Vetter fully expects Odia to sign with Xavier in April.  Vetter said Odia, who hoopscooponline.com ranks as the 25th-best prospect nationally, is protecting himself if XU's coaching situation changes.  'If players and parents were completely informed, they wouldn't sign a letter of intent,' Vetter said.  An article by Jeff White in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on November 23rd that talks about Virginia's recruiting pretty much says the same thing.  "Two of Virginia's three recruits for 2004-05 - 5-11 point guard Sean Singletary and 6-7 swingman Adrian Joseph - recently signed their letters of intent.  The third, 6'11, 210-pound center Tunji Soroye, signed a non-binding grant-in-aid and returned it to U.Va. this week.  That was the word Friday from David Adkins, an assistant coach at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md., where Soroye is a senior...Montrose's coaches will not allow other colleges to talk to Soroye, Adkins said, but should U.Va. make a coaching change after this season, the native of Nigeria would be free to re-open the recruiting process.   'If Coach Gillen is there next year, he's coming to Virginia,' Adkins said.   Another Montrose senior, Churchill Odia, has committed to Xavier but didn't sign a binding letter of intent during the NCAA's early period, either.  Montrose coach Stu Vetter advises his players not to sign early."  Also the official web site for Xavier Basketball in an article written on November 24, 2003 says "Men's Basketball Welcomes Two Prep All-American To the Program" and it quotes Xavier head coach Thad Matta at length about Duncan and Burrell.  However, there is no mention of Odia in the article.  Obviously this is important, because NCAA rules prohibit the head coach to talk about a recruit or for the program to release information unitl the player has signed a National Letter-of-Intent.  We also have searched the internet and there are no quotes to be found from Matta about Odia.  Even more recently on Tuesday, March 30th, in another article in the Cincinnati Enquirer Dowd said "Odia has not yet signed a letter of intent, but has given a solid verbal commitment to attend Xavier next season."  So clearly the inquiry sign is up until we can follow up on this further or until Odia does sign a National Letter-of-Intent with Xavier or another school this spring (perhaps as soon as next Wednesday, which is the start of the spring signing period).  We have confirmed via our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman that the University of Memphis has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Waki Williams from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, who was a Third Team Junior College All-American by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and the #7-ranked wing forward by the Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook.  This moves Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'8 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, up to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, behind Texas, Louisville, and Arkansas.  And the Tigers' class could end up being ranked #1, if 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL doesn't enter his name into the NBA Draft and 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who signed with Louisville last fall, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, who signed with Texas last fall, and 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who signed with Arkansas last fall, all enter the NBA Draft this spring.

Thursday, April 8, 2004

It came as no surprise earlier today when Chattanooga head coach Jeff Lebo was named as the new head coach at Auburn for a number of reasons.  First, we knew that Lebo had emerged as one of the leading candidates for the job.  Second, Lebo is a heck of a coach.  Third, Lebo has the squeaky clean image that Auburn needs right now.  Remember, there is an ongoing NCAA investigation into the Auburn program.  Fourth, UAB head coach Mike Anderson had taken his name of the running for Auburn and now has emerged as one of the leading candidates for the Miami-FL job.  However, just as important for the balance of power in college basketball is the fact that 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #28 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, did not sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with Xavier during the Fall Signing Period.  Instead, it appears that Odia signed financial aid papers and, as a result, is free to re-opening his recruitment.   That doesn't mean that the Musketeers are off his list.  But it does mean that Odia is back on the board and, as a result, Xavier's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Josh Duncan from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH and Stan Burrell from Indianapolis (Ben Davis) IN, and was tied at #49, along with Utah, Charlotte, and Gonzaga, on our list of the on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, drops into a tie at #148, along with West Virginia, East Carolina, Auburn, South Carolina, Drexel, UAB, Southeast Missouri State, Stanford, IUPUI, Southern Illinois, Texas Christian, Holy Cross, and Old Dominion, on our list of the on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Obviously anybody who needs to sign a guard or the best available player during the Spring Signing Period is going to jump into the mix, but obvious schools that are going to be on Odia's list are Louisville and North Carolina.  As a matter of fact, we predicted that North Carolina would make a strong push for Odia, but then he surprised everybody and verbally committed to the Musketeers last fall.  Remember, players who play for the legendary Stu Vetter normally sign late and the Tar Heels had a numbers problem last fall.  However, with the arrest of 6'2 James OnCurry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, the Tar Heels are suddenly in need of another guard and Odia, who was the starting point guard last summer on the Nigerian Junior National Team, is tailor-made to step in and provide the ideal complement to Raymond Felton in the back-court.  Odia also is good enough to replace Felton, if he elects to declare of the NBA Draft this spring.  Odia also would be the ideal replacement for 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who signed with the Cardinals last fall, but now appears to be a lock to enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  And this makes even more sense when one remembers that Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor has strong international ties dating back to his days as a player overseas.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX,  who is ranked #51 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Arizona.  In other words, the pipeline that Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner has established from the Houston Hoops club team program to Arizona is a strong as ever.  If you will recall, the Wildcats also landed 6'10 Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX in last year's recruiting class, but lost him when he entered his name into the NBA Draft last spring; now have 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in the fold; and already have an early verbal commitment from 5'9 Soph Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, who is ranked #16 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also understand that 6'10 Moulaye Niang, who is transferring from Kansas, will pick either San Diego State or Texas Christian.  And this makes perfect sense, because Niang decided between San Diego State and Kansas, where TCU head coach Neil Dougherty was the top assistant coach and the guy who recruited Niangat the time, the first time around.  If Niang picks the Aztecs, then San Diego State head coach Steve Fisher will have landed a trio of twin towers, which is huge in a-day-and-age where quality size is hard to find.  Remember, the San Diego State already has 6'11 Mohammed Camara from Riverside (JC) CA and 6'10 Jabbar Young from San Bernardino (JC) CA both in the fold.  And, if Niang picks Texas Christian, then Dougherty would have the shot blocking athletic big man that he needs to go with the plethora of good guards and wing players that he and his staff have landed since taking over the Horned Frogs program two years ago.  We also talked with several players earlier today at the Las Vegas Easter Classic, including 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'4 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominquez) CA and we found out the lastest on their recruiting.  Boykin says Georgia Tech and Louisville are the leaders, but also mentioned Kansas, Washington, Oregon State, Oregon, California, and Illinois.  The leader for Johnson appears to be Syracuse, but Louisville, Connecticut, and Kansas are also prominently mentioned.  Harvey still favors Kentucky over Oregon State and Arizona, even though the Wildcats will add four new backcourt players next year in 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and Patrick Sparks, who sat out this past season after transferring from Western Kentucky.  It also appears that 6'6 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who is ranked #55 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has been released from the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with UTEP, but we're unclear about his eligibiliy status.  Remember, under normal circumstances, if a school releases a player, he only has to sit out one year.  However, in this case it sounds like he may eligible to play right way.  The early favorites for Galindo are Pittsburgh, Kansas, Rutgers, and Florida, but don't be surprised if Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez makes a strong push, if he gets the Miami-FL job. 

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

The coaching carousel has been moving surprisingly slow this spring as is evident by the fact that by our count, only 23 jobs (St. John's, Miami-FL, Georgetown, Auburn, Texas A&M, Utah, UNLV, Houston, SMU, James Madison, UTEP, Southern Miss, San Francisco, Florida International, Loyola-Illinois, Loyola-Maryland, Maryland-Baltimore County, Maryland-Eastern Shore, Eastern Washington, Marist, Akron, Dartmouth, and Navy) have opened this year.  And UNLV has been filled by former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger, Houston has been filled by former George Washington head coach Tom Penders, Southern Miss has been filled by former Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy, Texas A&M has been filled by UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie, Utah has been filled by Eastern Washington head coach Ray Giacoletti, Akron has already been filled by Akron assistant coach Keith Dambrot, James Madison has been filled by Georgia Tech assistant coach Dean Keener, Loyola-Maryland has been filled by Maryland assistant coach Jimmy Patsos, Eastern Washington has been filled by Washington State assistant coach Mike Burns, UTEP has been filled by UTEP assistant coach Doc Sadler, SMU has been filled by Oklahoma assistant coach Jimmy Tubbs, Florida International has been filled by UTEP assistant coach Sergio Rouco, Maryland-Baltimore County has been filled by Maryland-Baltimore County assistant coach Randy Monroe, Navy has been filled by Villanova Basketball Operations Director Billy Lange, and Maryland-Eastern Shore has been filled by Lawrence Lessett, who previously was an assistant coach at Loyola Marymount University, Cal-State Northridge, De Anza College, Georgia Southwestern College, Georgia College, Santa Barbara City College, and Western New Mexico University and most recently worked as a scout for the Magic Johnson International Basketball Association, where he scouted college and minor-league basketball players for an agent. That's 10 guys who are assistant coaches or basketball operations guys who are moving into Division I head coaching positions, three guys who were previously Division I head coaches who have been recycled, and two active head coaches who have moved up the ladder.  So, as things stand now, St. John's, Miami-FL, Auburn, Georgetown, San Francisco, Loyola-Illinois, Marist, and Dartmouth are still currently open.  But we think it's probably only going to be a matter of time before Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez gets Miami-FL.  However, Murray State head coach Mick Cronin, Virginia Commonwealth head coach Jeff Capel, Miami-FL assistant coach Stan Jones, Texas assistant coach Frank Haith, and Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts are among the other candidates being mentioned for the job.  We understand that UAB head coach Mike Anderson was a done deal for Auburn, but they have been unable to settle on the number of years on his contract and, as a result, it appears that Chattanooga head coach Jeff Lebo suddenly has emerged as one of the leading candidates.  We also continue to hear Indiana head coach Mike Davis' name mentioned for Auburn, but our guess is that they don't want to hire a former Alabama assistant coach.  Remember, former Auburn All-American Charles Barkley has been pushing hard for Davis to get the job, but so far to no avail.  The list for San Francisco includes Metro State head coach Mike Dunlap, Iowa State assistant coach Damon Archibald, and Arizona assistant coach Rodney Tention, but, after Connecticut's win in the NCAA Title Game night before last, Huskies assistant coach Clive Vaughn is going to be tough to beat.  The list of candidates for Marist includes Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare, Providence assistant coach Steve DeMeo, former Duke All-American Bobby Hurley, St. Joseph's assistant coach Matt Brady, Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill, Seton Hall assistant coach Brian Nash, Iowa State assistant coach Fred Quartelbaum, Northwestern assistant coach Paul Lee, former Manhattan Fran Fraschilla, Angelo State head coach Joe Esposito, and University of New Haven head coach Jay Young.   Everybody thinks former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty will get the St. John's job, but our sources tell us it's not a done deal.  As a matter of fact, it's a total mess!  There is no question that Doherty is a great coach and an excellent recruiter, but, just like Gonzalez, there appears to be a strong contingent of St. John's fans who are adamantly against Doherty getting the job.  But one of the biggest contributors to the St. John's program is a huge backer of Doherty and he not only is pushing for him to get the job, but he's also threatening to make the well run dry, if his guy doesn't get the job soon.  So the smart move might be to hire somebody that everybody can live with like former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins, former St. John's All-American Chris Mullin, or Providence head coach Tim Welsh.  Remember, last week we raised the possibility that Welsh might sneak in the back door and get the job  And, even more recently we've confirmed that Welsh has been contacted about the St. John's job.  We also now that DePaul head coach Dave Leitao and Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts are being mentioned as potential candidates, but we suspect that's window-dressing.  The list for Loyola-Illinois includes Baylor assistant coach Mark Morefield, former DePaul head coach Joey Meyer, Vanderbilt assistant coach Tom Richardson, Northwestern assistant coach Craig Robinson, Southern California, Mark Coomes, Florida A&M assistant coach Mike Gillispie, and former Bradley head coach Jim Molinari.    We continue to hear names like Princeton head coach John Thompson III, Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker, Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, and Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor being mentioned for the Georgetown job, but it still appears to be Duke assistant coach Johnny Dawkins' job to turn down.  Nobody seems to have a clue who is going to get the Dartmouth job, but we still think that Pennsylvania assistant coach Dave Duke is ideally suited to get the job.  We also suspect the Southern Illinois job will open soon, because Matt Painter appears to be in line to become the associate head coach at Purdue next year, where he will be the heir apparent to Boilermakers head coach Gene Keady, who has one year left on his contract and, as a result, will retire after next season. And assuming this happens, that should open the door for Illinois assistant coach Jay Price to get the Southern Illinois job.

Tuesday, April 6, 2004

Since we've had some time to reflect and analyze what happened in four of the major post season high school all-star games, now might be a good time to provide you with an update of who we think will enter the NBA Draft this spring, who is still on the fence, and who likely will enroll in college this fall.  As things stand now, the only player who has publicly said that he plans to enter his name into the NBA Draft is 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON.  However, 6'10 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA is rumored to already have an agent and 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA and 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA both have already played in three all-stars and, as a result, have already forfeited their college eligibility.  We also believe that 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY will enter his name into the NBA Draft regardless of the fact he didn't put up big numbers in the McDonald's All-American Game and the NIKE Hoop Summit.  We'd also be surprised if 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, who was as good as anybody in the EA Sports Roundball Classic and started off with a bang in the McDonald's All-American Game, and 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who was one of the best players in the NIKE Hoop Summit, don't enter the draft.  So that's seven players that we think are a "lock or a near lock" in terms of going straight to "The League."  Previously nobody thought 6'5 Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ would go, but, after finising with 16 points, five steals, and four assists and being named MVP for the East Squad in the EA Sports Roundball Classic, scoring 25 points in the McDonald's American Game, and scoring 17 points in the NIKE Hoop Summit, the likelihood of Smith entering his name into the draft has done a 180-turn.  We also still believe that 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL will enter his name into the draft, despite a mediocre performance in the McDonald's All-American Game, where he finished with only one point.  There also is 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, who needs to continue to get bigger and stronger, but hit 6-10 shots in the first half and finished with 17 points in the EA Sports Roundball Classic and is the closest thing we've seen to Tracy McGrady since Tracy McGrady.  Recently 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA and 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX both have stated that they plan to go to college, but we're not going to etch that in stone until the deadline for the NBA Draft passes or Morris signs a binding National Letter-of-Intent with either Kentucky or Georgia Tech.  Remember, every player from the Atlanta Celtics program (i.e. Dion Glover, Jumaine Jones, Jamison Brewer, and Donnell Harvey) who has had a chance to enter the NBA Draft has done so as fast as possible and, as a result, it would not be a major surprise if the current three players in that program (Howard, Smith, and Morris) all follow in their footsteps.   And, of course, there is 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who scored 30 points in the EA Sports Roundball Classic and whose dream has been to by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft, if the opportunity presents itself. So that's five more that we still think are on the fence.  There also is 6'9 Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, 6'8 Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt form Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, all of whom will likely enroll in college this fall, but still possibly could enter the NBA Draft this spring.  And watching to see what happens with those last three is particularly interesting, because Hairston is still trying to decide among Ohio State, UCLA, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Kansas; Palacios is considering Florida State, Louisville, Baylor, and Indiana; and Pruitt signed with USC last fall, but could go the prep school route, if he doesn't qualify academically. 

Monday, April 5, 2004

History may be repeating itself, as for the second consecutive year the best player in college basketball has a chance to make a case for being drafted as the #1 player in the NBA Draft over the #1-ranked high school player in the nation with a great performance in the NCAA Final Four.  A year ago it was Carmelo Anthony, who scored 20 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished out seven assists, as he led Syracuse the 2003 NCAA Championship.  As a matter of fact, Anthony, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Tournament, also turned in such an outstanding performance in both Final Four games that we were starting to wonder whether he should have been the #1 pick over 6'6 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH and 6'10 Darko Milicic from Serbia in the NBA Draft last June.  And we're still not sure which one (James or Anthony) will turn out to be the better player when it is all said and done, as we're potentially talking about two of the all-time great players in the history of the game.  This year 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who was as good as anybody in all three of the post season all-star games that he's played in, has shown why we think he's one of the three best high school players in the last 10 years, along with Kevin Garnett and LeBron James.  However, that doesn't necessary mean we think he's a lock to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft in two months, especially if Connecticut's Emeka Okafor picks up where he left off down the stretch when the Huskies came back to knock off Duke in Saturday's second NCAA Semi-Finals Game.   If you will recall, after Okafor picked up two fouls early in the game and sat the rest of the first half, he scored all his 18-points in the second half, including five points in the final 1:17.  Okafor also had seven rebounds, two blocks, and was the intimidating presence inside that the Huskies needed when they made the 12-0 run to erase Duke's eight-point lead in the last three minutes.  And we think Okafor also will be the big key to the game in tonight's National Championship Game, especially if he can stay out of foul trouble early and provide Connecticut the intimidating presence they need inside.  Combine that with the fact that Connecticut has a lot better talent than Georgia Tech and we're not sure this game will be as close as most people think it will be.  In other words, we expect the Huskies to win by double-digits tonight and, if this happens, it will put Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun, who also guided the Huskies to the 1999 NCAA Championship, in some pretty fast company.   Remember, in the history of the game, John Wooden has won 10 NCAA Championships, Adolph Rupp has won four NCAA Championships, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight have each won three NCAA Championships, and Denny Crum, Dean Smith, Henry Iba, Ed Jucker, Branch McCracken, and Phil Woolpert have each won two NCAA Championships.  Calhoun, who is now 3-0 in the NCAA Final Four, also is only one of three active head coaches who has not lost a game in the NCAA Final Four.  The other two are Kentucky's Tubby Smith, who is 2-0 in the NCAA Final Four, and Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, who is 1-0 in the NCAA Final Four.  But regardless of what happens in tonight's NCAA Championship Game, the 2004-2005 starts tomorrow and by Thursday I will be Las Vegas, NV to cover the Las Vegas Easter Classic.  And I plan to remain on the West Coast for another week in order to also cover both Las Vegas Spring Showcase and the adidas Pump 'N Easter Tournament in Las Vegas, NVon April 16th-18th.   Then it will be off to Houston, TX for the Kingwood Classic on April 23rd-25th and Ft. Wayne, IN for the Spiece Run'N Slam Classic on April 30th-May 2nd.  Later this spring we also plan to cover the IS8 Spring League Playoffs at IS8 Junior High School in Jamaica, NY on May 20th-23rd, the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC on May 28th-30th, the Pangos All-American Camp in Cypress, CA on June 4th-6th, the Rumble in the Bronx in the Bronx, NY on June 11th-13th, Five-Star's Hampden-Syndey, VA session on June 14th, and the NBA Players Assocation Camp in Richmond, VA on June 18th-22nd.  And, of course we plan to cover all the top events in July, which means an extremely busy spring and summer is just around the corner. 

Saturday, April 3, 2004, & Sunday, April 4, 2004

We were looking forward to seeing all the good foreign players in the 2004 NIKE Hoop Summit, but it was 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'5 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ who stole the show, as the USA Basketball Men's Junior National Select Team beat the 2004 World Select Team, 99-79, earlier today in San Antonio, TX.   Josh Smith, who is ranked #2 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, finished with 27 points, 12-18 field goals, 3-6 field goals and six rebounds.  However, even more important, he more than made up for his mediocre performances in the EA Sports Roundball Classic and adidas-EA Sports Superstar Game, and McDonald's All-American Game and, as a result, his value has to rise in the eyes of all the pro scouts and NBA General Managers who were in attendance today.  J.R. Smith, who is fresh off an impressive 25-point performance in the McDonald's All-American Game, also helped his draft status with an impressive 17-point performance.  And when you take away Smith's 3-11 3-point shooting, he was perfect from the field inside arch, as he hit 4-4 field goals and, once again, impressed everybody with his incredible athletic and ability to get to the basket.  Also playing well for thye USA Team were 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who finished with 13 points, 5-11 field goals, and six rebounds; 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who finished with 14 points, three rebounds, 6-11 field goals, and 2-5 3-pointers, and 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who finished with six points, seven assists, and three steals.  But Telfair also hit a miserable 1-10 field goals, which has to be a disppointment after scoring only two points in the McDonald's All-American Game.  Still, ready or not, it looks pretty much like a done deal that Telfair, Smith, and 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA will enter their names into the NBA Draft later this spring.  Speaking of Smith and his college status, I was particularly amused when I read an Associated Press article that was written right after the McDonald's Game that quoted Smith saying that he still was considering going to college.   I'm not sure who is more naive!  Smith for providing the quotes or the sportswriter for writing the story.  Remember, the NCAA has a two game all-star game limit for high school players who want to retain their college eligibility and, as a result, Smith and Howard are no longer eligible to play at the Division I level, because they have both already played in three games.  And they also plan to play in a 4th All-Star later this month (the Jordan Capital Classic).  We also were interested in the fact that Howard didn't play in the NIKE Hoop Summit.  The official party line was that he didn't show due to the fact he had a medical emergency in his family and, as a result, wouldn't be able to travel to San Antonio, TX until Saturday.   However, we have to wonder if somebody convinced him not to play in the game in order not to hurt his draft status.  Remember, Howard started slow in the adidas EA Sports Roundball Classic, but was as good as anybody in the 4th Quarter, as he finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. He also had 19 points, 14 rebounds, and was a perfect 9-9 from the field in the adidas-EA Sports Superstar Game, where he took home game MVP honors, and had 19 points and was the best player in the McDonald's All-American Game.  In other words, Howard really doesn't have anything more to prove.  Getting back to the NIKE Hoop Summit, the leading scorer for the World Select Team was 6'11 Luka Bogdanovic from Serbia with 20 points.   Bogdanovic especially impressed with his soft touch (3-5 from beyond the arc), but he also is long and lanky, very fluid, and surprisingly mobile.  We also were very impressed once again with 6'6 Churchill Odia, who played some at both guard spots, hit 2-4 3-pointers, and showed why he is such a steal for Xavier.  Also chipping in with 10 points and five rebounds was 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is the subject of what has to be the most intense recruiting efforts in the nation right now, as Florida State, Baylor, Louisville, and Indiana are all trying to get this one done sooner than later.  We also liked 6'11 Michael Schroeder from Germany, who scored nine points, grabbed nine rebounds, and did all of his damage inside; 6'6 Roko Leni Ukic from Croatia, who finished with nine points, five rebounds, and impressed us with ability to beat his man off the dribble and crafty ball handling and passing skills; and 7'1 Jian Lian Yi from China, who had seven points, seven rebounds, and has the finesse, coordination, and athleticism that most 7-foot big men only dream about.  In other words, if you liked Yao Ming when he was young, you ought to love this guy!  However, just like Ming, Yi's best days are ahead of him.  Here he looked like he was a deer just learning to run, but that's easily explained when one remembers that he's only 16 or 17-years old and playing against men.  We reported on Friday that we thought Indiana head coach Mike Davis would get the Auburn job, because we thought former Tigers All-American Charles Barkley had the clout necessary to get it done.  However, it appears that Barkley doesn't have as much influence as we thought and, as a result, it pretty much appears to be a done deal for UAB head coach Mike Anderson, who guided his team to what was perhaps the most stunning upset of the entire tournament two weeks ago when his Blazers knocked off Kentucky.  We also continue to hear that Duke University assistant coach Johnny Dawkins is the leading candidate for the Georgetown job, but the word on the street is that he won't take it, because he thinks he can be the heir apparent to Mike Krzyzewski, if he stays put at Duke.  Instead, the names we continue to hear for the Georgetown job are Princeton head coach John Thompson III, Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker, Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey, Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor, and even former Seton Hall head coach P.J. Carlesimo.  We also believe it's only a matter of time before Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez gets Miami-FL and former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty gets St. John's, although Sam Albano of www.redmen.com thinks this one isn't done yet.  And, if Albano's right, that would open the door for a compromise choice like Providence head coach Tim Welsh, former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins, or former St. John's All-American Chris Mullin to get the St. John's job.  However, if Albano were making the hire, he'd already have Memphis head coach John Calipari signed, sealed, and delivered.  And, if you don't believe it, just listen to our weekly radio show, which is archived at HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.  

Friday, April 2, 2004

The word on the street is that former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty and Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez are the two leading candidates for the St. John's job and that Gonzalez and Murray State head coach Mick Cronin are the leading candidates for the Miami-FL job.  And our guess is that Gonzalez will get the Miami-FL job, which would be great news for the Hurricanes, because Gonzalez not only promises to be the next Rick Pitino, but he should be able to recruit like crazy to Miami, FL.  Don't believe it?  Well, what you think if I told you that once Gonzalez is hired, the Hurricanes instantly will become one of the leaders for 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is tied at #10 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and currently has Louisville, Baylor, Indiana, and Florida State on his list, and already is a near lock for 6'3 Garfield John from Monroe (JC) NY, who is the lefty 3-point shooter that the legendary Howard Garfinkel says is "the biggest steal since the Brinks Heist?"  Obviously this would be great news for the Hurricanes, but it could spell disaster for St. John's, because, instead of coaching the Red Storm, Gonzalez will be coming back to New York City to recruit all of the top players.  And, if St. John's hires Doherty, they're doing something they could have done three months ago.  Remember, on February13th we wrote the following:   "Instead, we still think former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty is the guy St. John's will hire.  Not only does Doherty have the necessary backing from big money people on Wall Street, but he's proven to be an excellent recruiter and a good coach.  If you will recall, his last team at North Carolina won 19 games and beat teams like Kansas and Stanford prior to when Sean May was lost for the season and Connecticut, Duke, and Maryland down the stretch.  Instead, Doherty's problems stemmed from not getting along with his players.  However, at St. John's, which apparently wants a no-nonsense type head coach, Doherty might be exactly what they are looking for.  But the real reason why we think he will get the St. John's job is Doherty's financial backers will be able to not only sweeten the pie, but also exercise a lot of clout in the decision making process."  While we had no hard information when we predicted this almost two months ago, it still looks like we are pretty good at reading the tea leaves.  And while hiring Doherty isn't a bad hire, it still isn't the homerun that St. John's President Father Harrington predicted he make several months ago.  Instead, hiring Doherty is more like an intentional walk.   In other words, you've got to respect Doherty's ability to hit it out of the ballpark, but it's not like pitching to Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, or Sammy Sosa.  Moral to the story, the jury is still out as to whether Doherty will be able to walk-in and pull the players, the fan base, and the media together and make everybody in New York City forget Lou Carnesecca.  And, if St. John's hires Doherty, that also could be bad news for Iowa State head coach Wayne Morgan, because Cyclones assistant coach Fred Quartlebaum, who was at North Carolina with Doherty and is originally from New York, will probably rejoin Doherty at St. John's, Cyclones assistant coach Damon Archibald has suddenly emerged as the leading candidate for the San Francisco job, and Cyclones Director of Basketball Operations Darryl Sharp appears to be in line for an assistant coaching at Utah.  Which means Morgan may have to hire almost an entire new staff.  We also believe that Indiana University head coach Mike Davis will end up at Auburn for several reasons.  First, he'd like to return to the Deep South.  Second, former Auburn All-American Charles Barkley is pushing him hard for the job.  Third, Barkley recently told Auburn that he is going to donate another million dollars to the university and, as a result, should have a lot influence upon the decision making process.  And, if Davis does get the Auburn job, then it will be interesting to see what happens with 6'9 Julius Ashby from Marshalltown (JC) IA, who made a verbal commitment to Indiana earlier this week, but, then, the next day reneged on the Hoosiers and committed to Colorado.  And making the story even more interesting is that fact that a source in the know tells us that the Ashby's commitment to Colorado is good for now, but probably won't hold up in the end.   Instead, the smart money says that Ashby will end up wherever Davis is at the end of the day.  The same also probably will be true with 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, if he can get out of his National Letter-of-Intent with Indiana.  Remember, White signed with the Hoosiers because of his relationship with Davis and Indiana University assistant coach Thad Fitzpatrick, who previously was the head coach at Hillcrest High School and was part of the package.   We also hear that George Mason assistant coach Bill Courtney could be line to replace new Loyola-Maryland head coach Jimmy Patsos, but it's our guess that Courtney, who is one of the bright young guys in the business, will become the next head coach Maryland-Eastern Shore. 

Thursday, April 1, 2004

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Kelvin Pena from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 6'11 Frosh Abdoulaye Ndiaye from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, and 6'11 Mohamed Kone from Southern Idaho (JC) ID were the top three freshmen at the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS, but only one of these three players is expected to be recruitable at the Division I level a year from now.  Sure, new Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie, who signed Pena's teammate - 6'6 Ivan Almonte from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA - earlier this year at UTEP, would like to go back to the well and add to what already is a pretty good recruiting class.   Remember, the Aggies already have 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S) TX, 6'6 Miguel Ayala from Fullerton (JC) CA, 6'2 Kenneth White from Dallas (Molina) TX, all of whom were signed by the previous regime, in the fold.  Ndiaye not only re-signed with San Diego last fall, but he will have three years to play, because the NCAA Clearinghouse has ruled him eligible.  However, going the junior college route was probably still the best thing for Ndiaye, because he's got the time he needed to develop and, as a result, not only is one of the most improved players in the nation, but could be one of the best incoming players in college basketball next season.  And don't be surprised if San Diego also beats out schools like Baylor, Kansas, USC, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, and Arizona State for Kone, because it appears that Ndiaye and Kone have developed a close relationship and, as a result, may decide to attend the same college.  And attempting to put the finishing touches on this package is San Diego assistant coach Steve Flint, who has been recruiting Kone dating back to the days prior to when Ndiaye arrived in this country from the Senegal.  In other words, the strong international connections that Flint have made are paying off.  If you will recall, prior to moving onto San Diego, Flint was an assistant coach at Valparaiso, which was second to none when it came to recruiting good foreign players.  Speaking of former assistant coaches at Valparaiso, we think Baylor assistant coach Mark Morefield would be the ideal fit for Loyola-Chicago.  Not only is he one of the bright young up-and-coming assistant coaches in the business, but Morefield also has the strong international contacts and the contacts in the Chicago area necessary to turn this into another Valparaiso.  Did you know that when Morefield was at Valparaiso, the Crusaders made a living getting top level players, like Kenneth Harris, Jimmy Miles, Ron Howard, and 5'11 Jarryd Lloyd from Skokie (Niles West) IL, out of the Chicago and Northern Indiana.  However, Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report tells us that right now it still appears to be wide open, as Morefield, former DePaul head coach Joey Meyer, Vanderbilt assistant coach Tom Richardson, Northwestern assistant coach Craig Robinson, Southern California, Mark Coomes, Florida A&M assistant coach Mike Gillispie, and former Bradley head coach Jim Molinari are all in the running to become the next head coach of the Ramblers.  We also understand that Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare should be added to our list of candidates for the Marist job.  And this might even be a better fit for DeCesare than the Manhattan job, if Jaspers head coach Bobby Gonzalez moves up the coaching ladder this spring.  Remember, DeCesare coached and developed a tremendous amount of talent when he was the head coach at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  As a matter of fact, DeCesare is similar to Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner in that he's already coached better talent at the high school and/or club team level than he'll have in his first job at the college level.   If you will recall, Pastner guided the Houston Hoops, which featured Emeka Okafor, Lawrence Roberts, Marcus Spears, Carlos Hurt, and Terrance Ford, to the championship of the NIKE Tournament of Champions in Portland, OR four years ago, and DeCesare had more talent during his last several years at St. Raymond's High School and with the New York Ravens with players like with players like Julius Hodge, Allan Ray, Francisco Garcia, Curtis Sumpter, Curtis Stinson, Peter Mulligan, Louie McCroskey, Daon Merritt, Brian Lainge, and Gavin Grant than most NCAA Final Four teams.  DeCesare, who also was an assistant principal at St. Raymond's, also has the academic and administrative background, to turn Marist into one of the better programs in the Metro Atlantic Conference, but it appears the trend this spring has been to recycle coaches who are out of the business, as Lon Kruger is the new head coach at UNLV, Tom Penders already has gotten the Houston job, Larry Eustachy already has gotten the Southern Mississippi job, former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin might get the Purdue job, former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty might get the St. John's job, Fran Fraschilla might get the Manhattan job, and former St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis might get any one of a number of jobs.  One guy who does appear to be safe is Virginia head coach Pete Gillen.  We also have confirmed that Maryland assistant coach Jimmy Patsos has gotten the Loyola-Maryland job, Washington State assistant coach Mike Burns has landed the Eastern Washington job, and Georgia Tech assistant coach Dean Keener will be announced as the new head coach at James Madison.  We also have confirmed that Steve Turner, who is the Washington, DC Area Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, as well as an assistant coach at Washington (Gonzaga) DC, has been named as the new head coach at Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez appears to be the favorite for the Miami-FL job, but Texas assistant coach Frank Haith, Florida State assistant coach Stan Jones, Murray State head coach Mick Cronin, and Virginia Commonwealth head coach Jeff Capel also are on the list.  Getting back to the Marist job, another emerging candidate is former Duke All-American Bobby Hurley.  However, how can they hire somebody with no head coaching experience at any level, even if his father Bob Hurley Sr, who is the legendary head coach at Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, and his brother Danny Hurley, who is the head coach at Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, are two of the best high school coaches in the business?  The latest rumor we've heard about the St. John's job is they've made informal inquiries to several mid-major head coaches with New York ties about becoming the associate head coach at St. John's, if the Red Storm hired St. John's head coach Chris Mullin.  We've also heard that so far the Red Storm has received no interest from any of those potential candidates, because they're already making double and triple what St. John's is likely to offer.  Instead, we think if the Red Storm really wants to go in this direction, they should hire somebody like Bryant College head coach Max Good, who used to be the head coach at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institue) ME and was the interim head coach at UNLV after Bill Bayno got fired three-and-a-half years agol, or former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt, who is at his best when he's building or fixing a program.  We also continue to wonder what St. John's is waiting for?  Could it be that St. John's has everything on hold, because they can't make a strong pitch for Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt until the NCAA Final Four is over this weekend?  Yes, I know, Hewitt has already taken his name out of the running for the St. John's job.  But how many times has that happened in the past and within the next week the same person was hired for the job?