TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Friday, April 29, 2005, & Saturday, April 30, 2005

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Jr David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH has made an early verbal commitment to Ohio State and this is absolute huge for a number of reasons.  First, Light is ranked #36 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means the Buckeyes now already have the #1 and #2 ranked players in the state in the fold.  If you will recall, a month ago the Ohio State also got an early verbal commitment from 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Lighty, who is ranked #36 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is pretty good in his own right, as has he does everything well, including shoot, handle, pass, have great court awareness, play hard, rebound well for his size, and have a high basketball IQ.  Third, the addition of Lighty moves Ohio State's recruiting class up to #1 on our list of the on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, ahead of Stanford, Oklahoma, Kansas State, and California, all of which already have early verbal commitments from two players in the junior class.  Fourth, getting Lighty a week before for 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'0 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, and possibly 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN are all supposed to be make official visits to Columbus, OH may give the Buckeyes the momentum that they need to keep up with Duke and North Carolina, which also are expected to clean up with a number of the top players in the junior class.  If you will call, the Blue Devils are the favorite for 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Benedict's) NJ,6'6 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ and they also are one of the teams to beat for 6'10 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN.  And the Tar Heels could conceivably have an even better recruiting class, as they are the leader for 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and one of the favorites for Wright, Young, and 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA.  And, when Cook verbally committed to the Buckeyes, we think that made Ohio State the team to beat for Oden and Conley.  Remember, they (Oden, Conley, and Cook) all play for the Spiece Indy Heat club team, are extremely close friends, and have expressed an interest in attending the same school together.  Speaking of the Spiece Indy Heat, this is one of the only top club teams in the nation that we have yet to see this spring.  However, that will change tonight when we get to the 2005 Spiece Run'N Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the Spiece Indy Heat and the D-1 Greyhounds have the potential to meet in the championship game on Sunday afternoon at 5:00 PM on Court #1, because they are in opposite brackets of in 2005 Spiece Run'N Slam.  And they're not the only teams in the Seniors-To-be Division that we're looking forward to seeing, as Pool 1 has the Minnesota Magic Elite, L.A. Rockfish, Spiece Indy Heat, and New Hampshire Players; Pool 2 has the D-1 Greyhounds, Nashville Stallions, DTA Wisconsin, and Grand Rapids Lightning; Pool 3 has Blessed IJN Gold, Arkansas Hawks, All Ohio Red, and St. Louis Gameface; Pool 4 has the Randolph Boys Club, Philly MJC, Seattle Rotary Select I, and SYF Players; Pool 5 has Spiece ECI Elite, Inner City Players, Cincy AAU Black, and Illinois Fire; Pool 6 has Cincy AAU Red, Blessed IJN Purple, Ferrari Youth Basketball, and Michigan Hurricanes; Pool 7 has the Toledo Stars, MVP Fastbreak, St. Louis Falcons, and SYF Brotherhood; Pool 8 has The Family, Wisconsin Swing Black, No Excuses, and Ohio Storm; Pool 9 has the KY Hoop Stars Elite Blue, Iowa Magic, Grand Rapids Storm, and Gateway Basketball Club; Pool 10 has the Spiece NW Indiana Alliance, Wisconsin Swing Red, Waterloo Wildhawks, and Mean Street; Pool 11 has the Wisconsin Force, Spiece Dayton Airmen, Illinois Patriots, and Salt Lake Metro; and Pool 12 has Blessed IJN Elite, All Ohio White, Illinois Wolves, and Camp Darryl 2006; Pool 13 has Indy Metros, Majestic Stables, Prime Time, and Cincinnati Royals; Pool 14 has King James Shooting Stars, Full Package Athletics, West Michigan Lakers, and Northwest Ohio Basketball; Pool 15 has the Cincy AAU White, Martin Brothers Select, Michigan Mustangs, and Team Ohio Wildcats; and Pool 16 has the Central Valley Hoops, Cincinnati Cowboys, Fort Wayne Select, and Indy Hoopsters.  And, if you want to see 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'5 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who are the #1 and #2-ranked sophomores in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, you can do so tonight at 8:30 PM on Court #2 in the Spiece Fieldhouse when the D-1 Greyhounds meet the Grand Rapids Lightning.  And, right after that at 10:00 PM, the Indy Spiece heat with Oden, Conley, Cook, 6'3 Jr Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 6'8 Jr Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH will play the New Hampshire Players on Court #1 in the Spiece Fieldhouse.  Then, tomorrow we'll see the rest of the games in pool play, which begins at 8:00 AM and runs through 3:30 PM, and the first two rounds of the playoffs, which will be at 5:00 PM, 6:30 PM, and 9:30 PM.  And things should really get interesting on Sunday with the Round of 16 at 8:00 AM, the quarterfinals at 11:00 AM, the semi-finals at 2:00 PM, and the Championship at 5:00 PM.  However, before we take off for Ft. Wayne, IN, we also need to mention that the University of Louisivlle head coach Rick Pitino has hired UNLV assistant coach Marvin Menzies and that Louisville administrative assistant coach Scott Davenport has taken the head coaching position at Bellarmine University, which is a Division II school in Louisville, KY.  And, in both cases, it looks like we were right on the money, because we've been mentioning Davenport's name for the Bellarmine job for several months and Menzies for the Louisville job for weeks.  As a matter of fact, we were at least a week ahead of everybody else on this story.  We also think both are great hires, because Davenport, who also used to be one of the top high school coach in state at Louisville (Ballard) KY back in the days of Allan Houston and Dejuan Wheat, is a terrfic X's and O's guy, and Menzies, who has more than his share of connections on the West Coast, was exactly what Pitino wanted for recruiting purposes.  And now that Menzies has left UNLV, the Runnin' Rebels will need somebody with plenty of West Coast connections of his own to keep the pipeline going.  How about Cal State-Fullerton assistant coach Jason Levy, who not only recruited most of the players on a team that finished 21-11 overall and 12-6 in the Big West Conference this past season, but also has a recruiting class that is currently ranked #2 in the league and includes 6'4 Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'7 Jarrel Lake from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Gary Nunez from Ventura (JC) CA, 6'10 Manuel Montano from Palomar (JC) CA, 6'9 Chris Minardo from Citrus (JC) CA, and 6'9 Brian Marks from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV?  Levy also is loyal, hardworking, smart, and has a great future.  As a matter of fact, the only negative thing that I can say about levy is that he doesn't subscribe to the Members Section.  Did you know there is usually a direct correlation between schools that subscribe and school that are getting it done?  However, in Levy's case, he has a good excuse, because Cal-State doesn't have much of a recruiting budget and he already knows who most the players are on the West Coast anyway.  We also suspect that Manhattan assistant coach Steve Masiello will move into Davenport's old spot and become the heir apparent to Kevin Willard, who is now the associate head coach Louisville and in only a matter of time will get a good mid-level head coaching job.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that 6'9 Theo Davis from Toronto, ON, who is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made it official for Iowa State.  Russell also makes it clear that this is really it for Davis, who originally committed to Texas last summer and has been rumored to be heading to prep school and/or may enter his name into the NBA Draft.  And this is huge for the Cyclones, because Davis has excellent skills, big time athleticism, and an incredible amount of untapped potential.  However, he still needs to play harder on a consistent basis.  Davis signing with Iowa State moves the Cyclones recruiting class into a tie at #23, along with Louisiana Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and it gives head coach Wayne Morgan a plethora of new inside players to work with next season.  Speaking of Iowa State's six-man recruiting class, the five inside players in the fold are Davis, 6'11 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Kellen Lee from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'10 Ross Marsden from Ames (H.S.) IA, and 6'8 Mike Evanovich from South Kent (Prep) CT and the one perimeter player they've landed is 6'3 Farnold Degand from Boston (John Bryant) MA.  In other words, it looks like the Cyclones have taken advantage of Morgan's strong Northeast contacts, as he continues to build Iowa State into one of the better teams in the Big-12 Conference.  We also have the scoop from our new Texas Editor Tim Miller about 5'9 8th Grader G.J. Vilarino, who is ranked #4 nationally in the Class of 2009 by the HOOP SCOOP, transferring from Phoenix, AZ back home to Texas, where he will play for the TG Express AAU program and attend McKinney (H.S.) TX next year.  Miller also tells us that 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX has entered his name into the NBA Draft.  And he plans to keep it there if he can find somebody in the NBA who will lead him to believe hat he will be a lottery pick.  In our opinion, Miles, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the potential to someday be terrific at the highest level, needs at least a couple of years of college before he should even think about making the jump.  Miller also thinks that Oklahoma may now be the leader for 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, who will be ranked among the top five juniors nationally when we update our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 next month and promises to be the best player that Wes Grandstaff has ever had in his Team Texas program, which annually is one of the best in the country.  And, if this happens, Oklahoma could be right up there, along with Duke, North Carolina, and Ohio State, if the recruiting classes that we mentioned above all materialize.  If you will recall, Oklahoma already has early verbal commitments from 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX and 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA and, as a result, has the #3-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006. 

Thursday, April 28, 2005

For the first time in weeks things are not coming in faster than we can keep up with them and, as a result, now is a good time to catch up on some of the commitments and signings that we haven't gotten to yet.  And right at the top of the list is 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, who has committed to the University of Missouri.  Thomas is not a great athlete, but he is surprisingly mobile and skilled and very effective around the basket, which explains why we have him ranked #141 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, what makes Thomas such a steal of the Tigers is the fact that he is the 9th best high school senior still available, behind 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'9 Theo Davis from Toronto, ON, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Brandon Wolfe from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'8 Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, and 6'7 Chris Wright from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH.  In other words, it looks like Quin Snyder and his staff aren't sitting around making excuses about not being able to recruit, as they also already have 6'8 Leo Criswell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'6 Matt Lawrence from Wildwood (Lafayette) MO, and 6'4 Keaton Grant from Kissimmee (Gateway) FL in a recruiting class that is tied at #44, along with Texas A&M, Miami-FL, and Providence, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Remember, one of the terms of Missouri's probation is that the coaching staff can't leave the campus this year for the purposes of recruiting.  And Thomas is exactly what the doctored order now that 6'8 Soph Linas Kleiza, who was Missouri's leading scorer with 16.1 ppg and rebounder with 7.6 rpg, has decided to enter his name into the NBA Draft.  If you will recall, Missouri should be loaded on the perimeter next year, as 6'3 Jr Jimmy McKinney, 6'5 Soph Thomas Gardner, 6'0 Frosh Jason Horton, 6'7 Frosh Marshall Brown, 6'8 Frosh Kalen Grimes, and 6'6 Frosh Glen Dandridge all will be back next year.  However, an additional inside player to go along with 6'9 Jr Kevin Young, Grimes, Criswell, and 6'11 Jr Jeffery Ferguson was a must, if the Tigers want to have a chance to surprise everybody in the Big-12 Conference next year.  We're talking about a team that was 16-17 overall and 7-9 in the league a year ago, but returns nine of its top 11 players, including five freshmen who next year will have a valuable year of experience under the belt.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Lamar Roberson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #35 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, has signed with the University of Houston.  Roberson needs to improve his 3-point shooting, but he's like a point/power forward, because he's an excellent passer and ball handler for his size and is a blue collar athlete who scores, rebounds, and blocks shots inside.  He also has been around the block a few times, as he started his high school career at Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, then transferred to Compton (Dominguez) CA, and played last season at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Roberson also verbally committed to the University of Louisville last spring, but several months later decided to re-open his recruitment after the Cardinals landed better players.  Roberson also was supposed to attend Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL and spent a brief time at Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL last fall.  Roberson joins 6'3 Oliver Lafayette from Brown Mackie (JC) KS, 6'9 Richard Young from Hillsboro (JC) FL, 6'4 Tristian Martin from Midland (JC) TX, 6'6 Jahmar Thorpe from Western Oklahoma (JC) OK, and 6'5 Corey Bloom from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, and 6'9 Emmanuel Adeife from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL in a recruiting class that is now ranked #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And Cougars head coach Tom Penders echoed these sentiments in the school's press release that was published on Tuesday, April 26th, when he said "this is a fantastic class of recruits.  This is the best overall class of recruits that I have ever signed in my career as a head coach. When I look back through the years, we may have signed one or two players who were as good as these players.  But, I have never had the overall depth this class has.  They should help us not only compete in Conference USA, but nationally as well."  Lafayette led Brown Mackie (JC) KS to the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division II National Championship a month ago and averaged 17.4 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 4.4 apg, and 4.4 spg while leading his team to a 35-1 record and earning First Team NJCAA All-American honors.  Thorpe averaged a double-double (18.1 ppg and 11.0 rpg ) this past season and was a First Team Junior College All-American.  Martin, who was ranked as one of the Top 25 junior college players in the nation by Future Stars, averaged 11.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.5 apg, and 1.4 spg and helped his team finish third in the NJCAA Tournament.  Young also was a Junior College All-American, as he re-wrote his school's all-time shot blocking record with 210 rejects.  Bloom, who is ranked #224 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, teamed with 6'0 Jr D.J. Augustine to lead New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA to back-to-back Class 5A State championships the last two years.  Adeife, who is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, is an athletic shot blocker whose best days are still ahead of him.  It also appears that Indiana University has landed 6'3 Earl Calloway from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who finished ranked 5th in 3-shooting (44.7%), 9th in steals (4.96 spg), 15th in field goal percentage (74.3%), 43rd in scoring (18.0 ppg), and 44th in assists (4.85 apg) in the junior college ranks this past season.  So in addition to being an excellent complement to a recruiting class that now is tied at #36, along with St. John's and Marshall, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes 6'10 Ben Allen from Australia, 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, and 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN, Calloway appears to be the replacement for 5'10 Shaun Davis from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who verbally committed to Indiana several months ago, but changed his mind when his junior college coach Gib Arnold recently became an assistant coach at USC.  Calloway also is good insurance, because Vaughn probably won't make it academically and, as a result, will probably have to go the prep school route next year.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Marcus Carson from Oakland (H.S.) CA and 6'4 Eli Davis from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ have both signed with Southern Utah; 6'1 Tyrone Bazy from Temple (JC) TX has signed with Northern Arizona; 6'2 Loren Leath from Los Angeles Valley (JC) CA has signed with Sacramento State; 5'10 Keoni Watson from Seward County (JC) KS has signed with Idaho; 6'0 Akbar Abdul-Ahad from Indian Hills (JC) IA has signed with Idaho State; 6'8 Darin Mahoney from Mt. Pleasant (Wasatch) UT, 6'8 Sol Jensen from Bountiful (Viewmont) UT, 6'5 Dan Henry from Snow (JC) UT, and Nedim Pejevic from Santa Ana (JC) CA have all signed with Weber State; 6'9 Fernando Malaman from Western Arizona (JC) AZ and 6'0 Shawn Broadus from Western Nebraska (JC) NE both signed with Brigham Young; and 6'7 Chris Spicer from Kankakee (JC) IL, 6'4 Durrall Peterson from Hutchinson (JC) KS, and 6'6 Chris Session from Grayson (JC) UT have all signed with Utah State.  And this is important, because, by our count, the Aggies now have nine players in the fold, as well as a recruiting class that is ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, Utah State landed 6'3 Michael Daniels from Grayson County (JC) TX, 6'4 Tyler Newbold from Payson (H.S.) UT, 6'0 Mikel Watson from Oceanside (El Camino) CA, and 6'11 Arvydas Vaitiekus from Marshalltown (JC) IA last fall and during the winter they added a commitment from 6'8 Nate Bendall from Salt Lake City (Skyline) UT.  It also looks like the University of Utah has found at least an adequate replacement for 7'0 Soph Andrew Bogut, who is entering his name into the NBA Draft.  We're talking about 6'10 Misha Radojevic from Belgrade, Serbia, who is a tough hardnosed competitor with good skills and an excellent understanding of the game.  And how about Arizona State getting 6'8 Bruno Claudino from Southern Idaho (JC) ID?  Remember, Claudino, who is originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, was injured early last season and, as a result, ended up being the forgotten man while playing behind 6'11 Abdoulayne Ndiayne and 6'11 Mohamed Kone at Southern Idaho (JC) ID this past season.  The addition of Claudino should give Arizona State three inside players and a 2-guard in this recruiting class who are capable of contributing right away.  If you will recall, last fall they signed 6'9 Jeff Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, and 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Winchendon (School) MA.  Currently we have Pendergraft and Henry ranked #62 and #100 nationally in the senior class and Seay #36 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players.  We also find it interesting that 6'9 Dermarshay Johnson from Diablo Valley (JC) CA picked the University of Nevada-Reno.  Johnson was the Bay Valley MVP for the Western Division this past season and he did average 19.3 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.1 spg, and 5.2 bpg, but we're still not sure what this means, because junior college basketball was really down in California this past year.  But even more important is the fact that Johnson has never had the burning desire to achieve greatness when we've seen him.  Instead, he's usually been a soft lacsidasical underachiever.  Still, this does move Nevada's recruiting class into a tie at #124, along with George Washington, St. Joseph's St. Bonaventure, Florida International, Towson, Boston College, and Temple, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And Johnson should fit right in, along with 6'10 Jeremy Mayfield from Irving (MacArthur) TX, who was one the two recruits that the Wolfpack landed last fall.  Mayfield, who would rather drift out onto the perimeter and shot 3-pointers than do anything inside, also very soft.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Shawn Broadus from Western Nebraska (JC) NE and 6'9 Fernando Malaman from Western Arizona (JC) AZ have both signed with Brigham Young and we expect to 6'3 Jackson Emery from Highland (Lone Peak) UT to follow in their footsteps shortly.  It also looks like Montana State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'8 Jr Travis Derochowski from Salem (Western Mennonite) OR and he should go nicely with the four players -  Jacques Wilson from Pocatello (Century) ID, 6'3 Derrick Edmond from Los Medanos (JC) CA, 6'7  Brandon Johnson from Yakima (Eisenhower) WA, 6'6 Chawn Johnson, from Lancaster (Antelope Valley) CA - that the Bobcats have in their current recruiting class.  It's not as good a recruiting class as the one two years ago when Louisiana Tech landed 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, but it could turn out to be a lot better if the nucleus remains intact.  We say this because the Bulldogs this spring have signed 6'4 Jerome Richardson from Frank Phillips (JC) TX, who is a First Team Junior College All-American; 6'7 Chad McKenzie from Los Angeles City (JC) CA, who was ranked #40 pre-season in the junior college ranks by the HOOP SCOOP and led his team to 29-4 record and the conference championship; and 6'7 Harry Disy from North Idaho (JC) ID, who was a First Team All-Scenic West Conference player.  Louisiana Tech also signed 6'3 Trey McDowell from San Jacinto (JC) TX, who averaged 20.4 ppg on a 31-3 team and was a Second Team Junior College All-American, 6'2 Drew Washington from Clear Brook (H.S.) TX and 6'7 Adrian Rogers from Katy (Mayde Creek) TX and, as a result, their recruiting class now checks in at #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also understand that 6'9 Brandon Stores from Cincinnati (Christian Center) OH has reneged on his verbal commitment to New Mexico State and has signed with South Florida, 6'6 Damion Marshall from Sheffield (Berkshire Academy) GA has signed with New Hampshire, 6'1 Jason Green from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has signed with Vermont, 6'2 Cornelius Vines from Syracuse (Henninger) NY has signed with Hartford, and 6'5 Robert Hines has signed with Hofstra.  This last one is especially noteworthy, because Hines is a tough hardnosed competitor who is a force to be reckoned with inside, but also has the ball skills to play out on the perimeter.  And Hines is an excellent player, as is evident by the fact that he was a First Team All-American in the junior college ranks.  Not only does the addition of Hines move the Pride's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Greg Washington from Central Islip (H.S.) NY, 6'0 Greg Johnson from Plymouth (Holderness School) NH, 6'8 Chris Gadley from Amherst (Central) NY, and 6'9 Arminus Urbutis from Montverde Academy) FL, into a tie at #54, along with Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but it also gives Hofstra the best recruiting class in the Colonial Athletic Association.  And they're almost done recruiting for next year, because Hofstra also already has early verbal commitments from 5'11 Jr Vic Morris from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'2 Jr Sal Patricio from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, and 6'8 Jr Dane Johnson from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY.  Last, but not least, are the two players - 6'2 Ricky McPhee from Lilburn (Parkview) GA and 5'11 Takayo Siddle from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA - who signed with Gardner-Webb.  McPhee, who was one of the best 3-point shooters in the Atlanta Metro area this past season, not only averaged 25.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.1 spg, and 2.4 apg, but also had one of his best games when he had 27 points against 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA.  Siddle, who is extremely quick and knows how to the runs show, averaged nearly eight points and three assists per game as the first guard off the bench for a team that finished with a 25-1 record and a #2-ranking among prep schools.  They join 6'1 Ed Moore from Tyler (JC) TX to give Gardner-Webb one of the top ranked recruiting classes in the Atlantic Sun Conference for the second year in a row. 

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Like everybody else, we've heard the rumor that 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA is planning on transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year.  And, if this happens, Macklin will give the legendary Steve Smith the best one-two-three punch that he's ever had.  Remember, Macklin is the shot blocker/scorer/rebounder/athlete that every coach dreams about, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA promises to be the next Carmelo Anthony, and 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA is arguably the best point guard in the junior class nationally.  In other words, we could be talking about three of the top 10 players nationally on the same high school team next season.  However, contrary to reports that say otherwise, it hasn't happened yet.  Apparently some of our competitors have taken the fact that Macklin visited Oak Hill earlier this month and jumped to the conclusion that this is a done deal.  But, as things stand now, Macklin is still considering transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  There also have been a lot of new transfer news during the last week, including 6'5 Frosh Justin Cerasoli, who is leaving Seton Hall; 6'8 Soph Patrick Ewing, who is leaving Indiana and is heading to Georgetown; 6'3 Frosh Marquis Cooke, who is leaving Virginia Tech; 6'1 Frosh Zam Frederick, who is leaving Georgia Tech; 6'5 Frosh Lorenzzo Wade, who is leaving Louisville and likely will end up at UNLV or New Mexico State; 6'9 Jr Aaron Johnson, who is leaving Penn State and appears to be the most interested in the University of Arizona; 6'2 Soph Lawrence McKenzie, who is leaving Oklahoma and is heading to Minnesota; 6'2 Frosh Manny Quezada, who is leaving Rutgers; 6'4 Soph Ricky Lucas, who is leaving George Washington; 5'11 Soph Roscoe Biggers, who is leaving Baylor; 6'7 Frosh Tim Pierce, who is leaving Arizona State, 6'7 Soph Wilfred Fameni, who is also leaving Arizona State; 6'3 Frosh Xavier Price, who is leaving Purdue and is heading to Western Illinois; 6'7 Frosh Adam Liddell, who is leaving Purdue; 6'8 Frosh Jerrell Houston, who is leaving Mississippi State; 6'9 Frosh Charles Rhodes, who also is leaving Mississippi State; and 6'10 Frosh Walter Sharpe and 5'11 Soph Gary Ervin both might be leaving Mississippi State.  And when you also remember that 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS has made it official and announced that he will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft, it's easy to conclude that Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury and his staff still have some last minute scrambling to do, despite the fact they still have a recruiting class that is tied at #11, along with LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, Mississippi State already has 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'5 Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, and 6'7 Bernard Rimmer from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME in their current recruiting class.  However, this won't be the first time that the Bulldogs have had to figure something out at the bitter end.  Remember, they had three players - 6'10 Travis Outlaw, 6'11 Jackie Butler, 6'8 Wojciech Barycz - from the same recruiting class decide to by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft, but still managed come up with 6'9 Lawrence Roberts, who, at the time was transferring from Baylor and ended up being one of the best players in the Southeastern Conference the last two years.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'3 James Douglas from Schoolcraft (JC) MI and 6'8 Ryan Childress from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH have both have been released from their National Letters-of-Intent from Wisconsin-Milwaukee and, as a result, will only have to sit out one year, instead of two, when they pick another school.  It also appears that Western Illinois head coach Derek Thomas, who has always been a great recruiter dating back to his days as an assistant coach at Saint Louis, Minnesota, Illinois, and UNLV, is continuing to stockpile players.  The latest three are 6'3 Frosh Xavier Price, who is transferring from Purdue, 6'3 Sam Hunter from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL and 6'6 Lorenzo Taylor from Alton (H.S.) IL.  Price doesn't count with Western Illinois' recruiting class (we do not include transfers when ranking recruiting classes), but both Hunter and Taylor do count and, as a result, we're talking about a recruiting class that is now tied at #34, along with SMU and Cincinnati, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, the Leathernecks also landed three excellent junior college players last fall in 6'7 Marlon Mahorn from Coffeyville (JC) KS, 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarro (JC) TX, and 6'10 Eve Samuel from Sheridian (JC) WY.  And all this comes on the heels of their recruiting class a year ago, which was ranked #29 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'7 Fred Oguns from Sheridan (JC) WY, 6'8 Eliz Cepeda from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 6'3 David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, 6'4 Troy Okelson from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'0 Nathan Koster from Illinois Central (JC) IL, 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, 6'8 N'Vonta Kentel from Pine Bluff (H.S.) AR, and 6'5 Allen McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV.  As a matter of fact, the only two schools at the mid-to-low Division I level (schools not in the ACC, SEC, Big East, Big-10 Big-12, Pacific-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, Western Athletic, and Atlantic-10) that have recruited better Western Illinois during the last two years are the College of Charleston and Middle Tennessee.  So it stands to reason that Western Illinois, which 11-17 overall and 7-9 in the Mid-Continent Conference this past season, should be one of the most improved teams in college basketball next season.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Mike Spadafora from Warminster (Archbishop Wood) PA has signed with Maryland-Baltimore County and 6'4 Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA has signed with George Washington.  Wilmore, who was ranked #17 in the area on Rubin's latest rankings, apparently has dramatically improved, because the Colonials had to beat out schools like, Georgetown, Wisconsin, and Northwestern for Wilmore's services.  Wilmore always has been an excellent 3-point shooter and a good defender, but he's a better slasher now and, as a result, should fit in perfectly with the Colonials' recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Robert Diggs from Gywnn Park (Brandywine) MD and 6'7 Montrell McDonald from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and is tied at #121, along with St. Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, Florida International, Towson, Boston College, and Temple, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Obviously the connection for getting Wilmore is George Washington assistant coach Roland Houston, who not only is Philadelphia-native, but also is one of the best recruiters in the area after having served as an assistant coach at La Salle for five years prior to moving into a similar position with the Colonials a year ago.  However, George Washington's best new player next year promises to be 6'8 Soph Regis Koundjia, who sat out last season after transferring from LSU to GW.  Not only are we talking about a ridiculous athlete, but also somebody who was good enough to be ranked #21 nationally in the Class of 2003 when LSU signed him when he was a senior at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  Spadafora not only is versatile enough to play the one, two, and the three, but he also was the MVP in the Philadelphia Catholic League this past season.  We also have confirmed that 5'10 Jordan Mincy from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN has signed with Kent State and 6'2 Jr Corey Lowe from Newtonville (Newton North) MA has made an early verbal committed to Providence.  And this could be a major steal for the Friars, because this scoring point guard is regarded by those in the know as the best prospect in the junior class in the Boston area.  Mincy may be small, but he combines excellent speed and quickness with great passing ability and the understanding of what it takes to run a team.  The early favorites for 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ are Arizona, Texas, and Kansas and the list for 6'3 Jr Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ includes Boston College, Arizona State, N.C. State, Indiana, and Miami-FL.  It also appears that 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN is still considering Indiana, Wake Forest, Michigan State, and Ohio State and 6'0 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN still has Ohio State, Wake Forest, Illinois, North Carolina, and Arkansas on his list.  In other words, if Oden and Conley decide to attend the same school, it's either going to be the Buckeyes or the Demon Deacons.  We also understand that 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is the 3rd highest ranked high school senior still available, has narrowed his list to North Carolina, Kentucky, and Maryland.  Yes, the Terrapins are a late entry and the connection appears to be Alan Stein, who is the new strength coach at the University of Maryland.  Stein also runs Elite Athlete Training Systems and previously spent a lot time working with the players at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  But, when it's all said and done, we'd be very surprised if Echefu doesn't pick the Tar Heels.  As a matter of fact, he's supposed to be visit Chapel Hill, NC this weekend.  And, assuming that Montrose Christian head coach Stu Vetter is able to push another one of his players to the ACC, then North Carolina's recruiting class would move up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, behind Louisville, Oklahoma State, Duke, Washington, Mississippi, and Marquette and ahead of Baylor, Memphis, and UNLV. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

We told you late last week that 6'8 Mario Boggan from Chipola (JC) FL might be the next in a long line of players to sign with Oklahoma State and now it looks like you can write it down, because this athletic blue collar power forward signed with Cowboys yesterday.  And this is huge, because the addition of Boggan, who was one of the top 5th Year players when he originally signed with the University of Florida three years ago, moves Oklahoma State's recruiting class into a tie at #1, along with Louisville, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this does not include 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who signed with Oklahoma State last fall, but recently entered his name into the NBA Draft.  So, if by some chance Green takes his name out of the draft and they also get 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, whose list currently includes Illinois, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Georgetown, it might be scary just how good this class might turn out to be.  Or, if 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who signed with Louisville last fall, enters his name into the NBA Draft before the May 14th deadline, the Cowboys could end up in sole possession of the #1-ranked recruiting class by default.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Dionte Christmas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who is ranked #34 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, has signed with Temple and 6'1 Tyrese Rice from Chesterfield (L.C. Bird) VA, who is ranked #261 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Boston College.  And, like so many players that the Eagles have signed in recent years, Rice, who is an excellent ball handler and a great 3-point shooter, not only appears to have fallen under the radar at the high school level, but he also has a tremendous upside and, as a result, may be good enough to immediately step in next year and challenge 6'0 Soph Steve Hailey for the starting point guard spot.  We also think Christmas is a great get for the Owls, because he's a big time athlete, streaky 3-point shooter, and he's played well enough this spring to be the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally.  Rubin also tells us that the six left on the list of 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA are Navy, Providence, Connecticut, Georgetown, George Washington, and Drexel and that the final three for 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ are Duke, Stanford, and Wake Forest.  Rubin and Kenny Gillion of BreakDownMagazine.com both tell us that 6'4 Maxwell Dubois from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL has signed with Penn State and this too appears to be exactly what the doctor ordered, because the Nittany Lions are trying to fill the void created by 6'0 Soph Marlon Smith, who was sidelined after 13 games last season with a heart problem.  Dubois is an excellent defender and is great at getting to the hole, which means he should be the perfect complement to 6'2 David Jackson from Gulf Coast (JC) FL,, who is a lights out 3-point shooter and signed with Penn State last week.  The Nittany Lions also appear to have improved inside with the addition of 6'11 Joonas Soutamo from Finland, 6'0 Milos Dogetic from Serbia-Montenegro, and 6'5 Jamelle Cornelly from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH  and, as a result, it should come as no surprise that the Penn State's recruiting class is now tied at #55, along with Wisconsin-Green Bay and San Diego State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   However, that doesn't even begin to tell what a great job the Nittany Lions, which were 7-23 overall and 1-15 in the league this past season, have done in terms of closing the gap between themselves and the rest of the teams in the league.  But the fact they had the third best recruiting class in the league, behind Purdue, which has the #22-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, and Wisconsin, which is tied at #47 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005,  does illustrate the fact that Penn State has made major strides with this recruiting class.  And the same can be said about Purdue, which landed 6'1 Tarrance Crump from Shelton State (JC) AL a week ago.  We're talking about somebody who averaged 16.0 ppg and 7.0 apg and was the recipient of the Bud Obee Most Outstanding Small Player Award at the National Junior College Tournament, where his team finished 8th in the tournament.  However, this too does not tell the complete story, as, in addition to a recruiting class that also includes 6'3 Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'4 Chris Lutz from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'0 Korey Spates from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH, and 6'4 Marcus Green from Franklin Park (Leyden) IL, the Boilermakers also have 6'8 Soph Marcus White, who transferred from Connecticut and sat out this past season, waiting in the wings.  And this too is important, because suddenly it looks like Purdue is stronger than they've been in years in the Chicago Area, as Crump, Minnoy, Lutz, Green, and White all are originally from the Windy City.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Brian Gilmore from Fork Union (Military) VA and 6'5 Jordan Nichols from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD have both signed with American University.  Nichols, who is best described as an overachieving undersized inside guy, promises to be an excellent role player for the Eagles.  So the fact that he provides an excellent link into one the perennial powerhouse teams in the tough DC Catholic League is just an added bonus.  Gilmore, who can play either facing the basket or with his back to the basket, promises to be the steal of American University's recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 Gary Garris from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, 5'9 Derrick Mercer from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 5'9 Garrison Carr from Issaquah (H.S.) WA, because he was hurt all last season and, as a result, flew under the radar screen.  It also appears that 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, who is ranked #125 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has reneged on Kansas.  If you will recall, we reported last week that Lewis had verbally committed to the Jayhawks, but now it looks like somebody has put the breaks on, at least until he can make an official visit later this spring to Lawrence, KS.  We also have received word from our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis that 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA has officially pulled the plug on going to UNLV and, instead, will go the prep school route.  And, if Louisville head coach Rick Pitino hires UNLV assistant coach Marvin Menzies, who is in Louisville, KY interviewing for the job today, then suddenly the Cardinals would become one of the leaders, along with USC and Oklahoma State, for Jefferson's services a year from now.  Remember, Menzies was the guy who signed Jefferson at UNLV last fall.  So it makes sense that he'd be involved the next time around.  It also appears that Louisville, Tennessee, Marquette, and Wisconsin are all high on the list of 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   But, believe it or not, we think the school that you have to beat right now is Wake Forest.  As a matter of fact, Smith was at Wake Forest on an official visit this past weekend.  This also could be a sign that the Demon Deacons have slipped in the race for 6'0 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #38 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and until recently appeared to be a near lock for Wake Forest.  However, that changed when 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH picked Ohio State.  If you will recall, Conley, Cook, and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN all are close friends, they play for the same AAU team, and they have let it be known that they are interested in attending the same school as a package.  So now it appears that the Buckeyes could be on the verge of big recruiting year.  

Saturday, April 23, 2005, Sunday, April 24, 2005, and Monday, April 25, 2005

Upsets were the order of the day in the playoffs at the the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, as the SYF Players knocked off the Houston Hoops, Blessed IJN knocked off the Southern California All-Stars, and the Georgia Hurricanes knocked off the Friends of Hoop in the Round of 16 and the SYF Players knocked off the D-1 Greyhounds in the semi-finals.  But the biggest surprise of all came in pool play on Saturday afternoon when the D-1 Greyhounds jumped out early and never looked back against the Houston Hoops.  Remember, the Houston Hoops, which also were the host team in the tournament, already had finished second in both the Las Vegas Easter Classic  and the Boo Williams Invitational and won the Las Vegas Spring Showcase this earlier spring.  However, 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'5 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who combined for 49 points against the Houston Hoops, once again showed why they are two of the top five players in the nation regardless of class, along with 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, and why LeBron James comparisons may be in order.   Mayo is not the incredible physical specimen that James was at the same stage, but Mayo does shoot it better and, as a result, unlike James, has no weaknesses in his game.  On the other hand, Walker is an incredible physical specimen and, just like James, needs to continue to work on his 3-point shot, if he wants to stay up there with Mayo, who already is a lights out 3-point shooter.  And this competitiveness and on-going rivalry to see which one can be the best, is one of the reasons why both Mayo and Walker are destined for greatness.  Not only do they have all the intangibles (heart, skills, athleticism, versatility, work ethic, etc.) that James had in high school, but they also have one another to compete against every day, which means they both still have huge upsides, despite the fact they both are at least a year older than the grade.  Also just like LeBron James and, unlike way too many players in this day and age, Mayo and Walker don't do a lot of trash talking.  Instead, they just go about their business and show you how good they are every time they step on the court.  And, in the process, just like LeBron James, they also seem to draw a big crowd wherever they go.  As a matter of fact, every time they played in the Houston Kingwood Classic, the place was packed.  So with all this in mind, it came as a total surprise when we found out that the SYF Players had knocked of the D-Greyhounds to set up the championship game between the Portland Elite Legends and the SYF Players.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the Portland Elite Legends coasted to 68-48 victory in the title game without a single point and only limited playing time from 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR.  Instead, it was their other great sophomore - 6'8 Soph Kyle Singler from South Medford (H.S.) OR - who stepped up with 21 points and had a lot of people wondering if he is better than 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who recently reneged on his verbal commitment to UCLA.  Singler appears to be just as good a 3-point shooter as King, plus he's an inch taller and more athletic than King.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that UCLA head coach Ben Howland and Arizona head coach Lute Olson both stayed until the bitter end just to watch Singler and Love play.  If you will recall, a week ago Love, whose list includes Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington, and Singler, whose list includes Oregon, Kansas, Duke, and Arizona, both told us that they are best friends and they expressed an interest in attending the same school.  Also staying to the bitter end was new Purdue head coach Matt Painter.  Not only are the Boilermakers one the top four, along with Iowa, Ohio State, and Northwestern, for 6'8 Jr Luke Harangody from Gary (Andrean) IN, but they have to be one of the favorites for 6'9 Jr Jamil Tucker from Gary (West Side) IN, 6'3 Tyrone Appleton from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 6'4 Soph E'Taun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, all of who are getting underrecruited to the point that SYF Players head coach Wayne Brumm couldn't even provide us with a list of who is interested.  Harangody is probably a little bit overrated by the HOOP SCOOP at #49 nationally in the junior class, but we love his tough hardnosed blue collar work ethic, deceptive mobility, and excellent skills.  Tucker is soft, but it's hard to argue with his ability to play away from the basket and ability to shoot the three.  Appleton, who is originally from Gary, IN and plans to return to prep school next year, not only is a point guard with both size and athleticism, but he is an excellent complement in the backcourt to Moore, who promises to be the next great player to come out of the Northwest Region in the state of Indiana.  The Georgia Hurricanes, which were led by 6'4 Jr Jodie Meeks from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Soph Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Jr A.J. Wilson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Devon McLendon from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'1 Jr Ed Tucker from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Soph Tony Neysmith from Mauldin (H.S.) SC, and 6'8 Horace Dixon from Mauldin (H.S.) SC, was the other team that made the Final Four in the Platinum Division.  And making this story even more interesting is the fact that this is the first year that this team has been in existence.  In other words, there is a new team to be reckoned with in the Peach Tree State.  Meeks needs to improve his 3-point shooting, but he has the talent, athleticism, versatility, and ability to get to the hole and, as a result, is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally.  Smith, who has been reclassified as  a sophomore, dominated on the boards and played the best we've seen him play since his freshman days when he led The Family to the 14-Under AAU National Championship.  Wilson, who also has been reclassified, doesn't handle it well enough to play point guard, but is versatile and athletic enough and rebounds well enough to make him dangerous both inside and outside.  McLendon will be a 5th Year Player at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC; Tucker, who originally is from Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI and was a Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, is expected to transfer to a high school in Georgia; and Neysmith, who is the son of Georgia Hurricanes head coach Horace Neysmith, is one of the better guards in the sophomore class.  They provide additional firepower on the perimeter, while Dixon, who is a raw athletic power forward heading to prep school at Fork Union (Military) VA, provided depth inside.  We also thought 6'5 Jr JaJuan Jones, who transferred from Sidney (H.S.) OH to Douglasville (Douglass County) GA last fall, really helped himself in this tournament.  We're talking about an athletic 2-guard who is explosive in transition, but also is an excellent passer and has a nice looking 3-point shot.  However, we were disappointed in 6'7 Jr Landon Milbourne from Alpaharetta (St. Francis) GA.  If you will recall, Milbourne is already verbally committed to the Maryland, but he's not tough enough to play inside and doesn't have the skills perimeter necessary to project as a wing forward in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  But Milbourne does have big time talent and athleticism, so we reserve the right to change our mind.  The Atlantic Celtics also deserve a mention not just because they had 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'8 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, and 6'6 Jr LaShun Watson from Greenville (H.S.) GA, but also because they were not intimidated (like the Houston Hoops were) when they faced the DI Greyhounds and, as a result, took Mayo, Walker, and Company to overtime before finally losing in pool play.  We also were impressed by 6'7 Frosh Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, who easily was the best player for Team Georgia.  Not only does Ashaolu handle, pass, and rebound well, but he's got big time athleticism and gets to the hole with the best of them.  Still outside shooting and age could be question marks for Ashaolu down the road.  One of the most interesting match-ups in the tournament occurred when Houston Swoosh and the Smryna Stars met in the semi-finals of the Gold Division (the elite teams in the 17-Under Division played in the Platinum Division) and 6'9 Soph DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX went head-to-head against 6'9 Jr Jordan Hill from Kennesaw (Kennesaw Mountain) GA.  We're talking about two long lanky athletic shot blockers who ran the court, were surprisingly active around the basket, and project as legitimate sleepers for the top 100 nationally in their respective classes.  One of the best point guards that we saw all weekend was 5'10 Jr Jerome Randall from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL.  We're not sure how well he shoots it and he's really small, but Randall is a tremendous competitor with jet-like speed and quickness, excellent ball handling and passing skills, a great crossover, and a knack for knowing when to speed things up or slow them down.  In other words, he'd be a steal at the mid-major level.  But we didn't like 6'10 Jr Brian Carlwell from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who was Randall's teammate on the Ferrari Youth Basketball Team.  As a matter of fact, we'd heard how much Carlwell had improved, but he was soft, lackasidasical, and not very productive (he only had four points) we saw him.   The same also can be said when about 7'0 Jr Kyle Luckett from Ft. Wayne (Southside) IN, but his team did knock off the Southern California All-Stars in Round of 16 and the word is that he did play better as the tournament went along.  While most everybody else was watching the two semi-final games in the Platinum Division, I was watching the MBA Hoops and the the Louisiana Stars in the semi-finals of the Silver Division.  And it was well worth it, because 6'9 Renardo Grant from Jackson (Peoples) MS, who is ranked #25 on our list of the top 8th Graders nationally, but will be ranked much higher next time we update our list of the top players in the Class of 2009, has grown three inches and is amazingly skilled and athletic for somebody his age, and 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, who is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally, is extremely active and athletic both in transition and around the basket.  We also were intrigued by 6'9 Soph Matthew Simpkins from Oakland (Mc Clymonds) CA, who is surprisingly mobile and quick afoot for somebody so big and so young.  However, from there it was really status quo, as not a lot changed in terms of the top players in the junior class nationally and everything was too spread out to see very much of the younger age groups. 

Friday, April 22, 2005

Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com tells us that it's now official for 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who today signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent with Oklahoma State.  And this is huge for several reasons.  First, Brown will give the Cowboys not one, but two point guards in this recruiting class who are capable of setting in and running the show next year.  Remember, Brown was ranked #15 on our pre-season list of the top junior college players, and 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who signed with the Cowboys last fall, was named to play in the prestigious McDonald's All-American Game.   Second, Brown should also provide an excellent complement to all the other players - 6'8 Torre Johnson from Garden City (JC) KS, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX, and 6'11 Kenneth Cooper from Monroe (Richwood) LA - that Oklahoma State head coach Eddie Sutton has in this recruiting class.  Third, the addition of Brown moves Oklahoma State's recruiting class, which also includes up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And that's even without 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who no longer counts with Oklahoma State's recruiting class, because he recently entered his name into the NBA Draft.  However, if Green does not sign with an agent and takes his name out of the draft, then Oklahoma State's recruiting class would move into a tie at #1, along with Louisville, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Or, if the Cowboys get 6'7 Mario Boggan from Chipola (JC) FL, who is making an official visit to Oklahoma State this weekend, then the result would be the same.  And, if they add both Green and Boggan to this year's recruiting class, then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that blows away all the other top ranked recruiting classes (one of which belonged to Oklahoma State in 2000) in recent years.   But even if the Cowboys don't get Boggan and Green does not return, it's still conceivable that at the end of the day Oklahoma State could end up with the #1-ranked recruiting class.  However, for that to happen Louisville-signee 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Duke-signee 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, Mississippi State-signee 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS and Washington-signee 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA will all have to enter into the NBA Draft this spring, 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA will have to renege on UNLV and go the prep school route, and 6'10 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL will have to not show up at Mississippi and, instead, go the junior college route.  And, if all this does fall just right, Marquette, which earlier this week landed 6'8 Jamil Lott from North Dakota School of Science (JC) ND and now also has signed 6'8 Dwight Burke from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, could move all the way up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   However, for now we have the Golden Eagles' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'2 Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 6'1 Dominic James from Richmond (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Matt Mortensen from Provo (Timpview) UT, ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  As for Burke, who originally signed with East Carolina last fall, but has been released from his National Letter-of-Intent this spring, his high school coach Danny Hurley recently told us that Burke dramatically improved during the season.  So it looks like Marquette head coach Tom Crean may have stolen another one.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 5'10 Sharaud Curry from Marietta (Wheeler) GA has signed with Providence and, as a result, the Friars' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'4 Weyinimi Efejuku from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'6 Geoff McDermott from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY, moves into a tie at #38, along with South Florida, Texas A&M, and Miami-FL, on our list of Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, Providence head coach Tim Welsh should have a great nucleus of young players that also includes 6'5 Soph Dwight Brewington, 6'4 Soph Gerald Brown, 6'10 Soph Randall Hanke, 6'7 Frosh DeSean White, 6'9 Soph Herbert Hill, 6'7 Frosh Jeff Parmer, 6'3 Frosh Rob McKiver, and 6'6 Frosh Charlie Burch.  In other words, it looks like Providence Steve DeMeo, who is the Friars' chief recruiter, has once again done a great job of rebuilding the program.  However, the Friars may have to survive another year of growing pains before they once again jump into the upper echelon of the league year after next.  Naclerio also tells us that the same person who tipped him off about Sean May, Raymond Felton, and Marvin Williams all entering the NBA Draft also told him that Duke's Sheldon Williams will follow in their footsteps next week.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who verbally committed to UTEP last fall and UNLV earlier this spring, but both times later reneged, now has an official visit scheduled to North Carolina for early next week.  And this isn't as big of surprise as you might be think, because Thomas is one of the best inside players in the high school and/or prep school ranks who is still available.  Rubin also tells us that 6'2 David Jackson from Gulf Coast (JC) FL has signed with Penn State and that 6'8 Chris Seaborne from New Mexico JC) NM has signed with Maryland-Baltimore County.  The verbal commitment by Jackson is especially significant, because he not only is a terrific outside shooter, but he also will likely step in and fill the void created by 6'0 Soph Marlon Smith, who was sidelined after 13 games last season with a heart problem. 

The Houston Kingwood Classic, which once again promises to be the premier event of the entire spring, as well as one of the best events of the year, will tip-off tonight in Houston, TX and it will be live for Division I college coaches tomorrow and Sunday.  The field will include over 700 teams teams in the 17-Under, 16-Under, 15-Under, 14-Under, 13-Under, 12-Under, 11-Under, 10-Under, and 9-Under Divisions and it will be the largest single weekend tournament ever put on in this country, as the 17-Under Division alone will include 252 teams and the 16-Under and 15-Under Divisions will include another 200 teams.  The headquarters will be at Westfield High School, which is located at  16713 Ella Blvd. in Houston, TX and college coaches can get a head start on covering the tournament today by checking in and getting their packet tonight between 5:00 PM and Midnight.  There also will be seven gyms within walking distance of one another and, just like last year, Hal Pastner, who is the master at organizing and running big events, will have all the good 17-Under Teams playing in these gyms.  Let's take a closer look at some of the top match-ups.  Tonight we will start out with Team Breakdown versus the New Mexico Force All-Stars in Gym #1 and Baltimore Select and Team Houston in Gym #2 at 6:30 PM at Westfield High School and then we're going to sneak away and watch some younger players.  Then, on Saturday morning we plan to watch the Compton Magic versus Team Georgia Elite (Linzy) in Gym #2 at 8:00 AM at Westfield High School, the Portland Legends versus the Southern California All-Stars in Gym #1 and the Friends of Hoops (Seattle) versus Miami Tropics in Gym #2 at 9:10 AM at Westfield High School, the Houston Hoops versus the Atlanta Celtics Black in Gym #1 and Nor Cal Elite versus Blessed IJN Elite (Indiana) in Gym #2 at #10:20 AM at Westfield High School, Texas Blue Chip versus Howard Pulley in Gym #2 at 11:30 AM at Westfield High School, New York Elite versus Georgia Hurricanes in Gym #1 at 12:40 PM at Westfield 9th Grade, DI Greyhounds versus the Houston Hoops in Gym #1 at 1:50 PM at Westfield High School, New Heights versus the Portland Legends in Gym #2 at 3:00 PM, and the Jackson Panthers versus Bingo All-Stars in Gym #1 and the Dallas Mustangs versus the South Carolina Ravens in Gym #2 at 4:10 PM at Bammel Middle School.  Then, the first round of the playoffs will begin in the Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Divisions with games at 5:20 PM, 6:25 PM, 7:30 PM, and 8:35 PM, followed by the round of 32 at 9:40 PM and 10:45 PM on Saturday night and the round of 16 at 8:00 AM, quarterfinals at 10:20 AM, semi-finals at 12:40 PM, and the Championship at 3:15 PM.  The tournament also is loaded with outstanding talent, as some of the top players to watch include 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'5 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Soph Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 7'1 Jr Kyle Luckett from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN, 6'5 Soph Lace-Darius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'0 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'0 Soph Jerrad Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'8 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'7 Jr Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'5 Soph Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit County Day) MI, 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, 5'11 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5'7 Soph Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 5'10 Jr Tory Jackson from Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI, 6'6 Frosh Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'7 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 6'1 Jr Willie Walker from Bolington (H.S.) IL, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, 6'5 Soph Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'11 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'4 Soph Etwan Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'9 Jr Jamal Tucker from Gary (West Side) IN, 6'8 Jr Luke Harangody from Gary (Andrean) IN, 6'4 Jr Carlos Morais from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'6 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 5'10 Soph Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 7'0 Jr Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, 6'5 Jr Devan Bawinkle from Winnebago (H.S.) IL, 7'2 Jr Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, and 6'5 Soph Tony Neysmith from Mauldin (H.S.) SC.  And that's just in the 17-Under Division.  The complete breakdown of teams in the 17-Under Division is as follows:  Pool A has the Southern California All-Stars Red, New Heights NYC, and Portland Legends; Pool B has the Houston Hoops, D-I Greyhounds, and the Atlanta Celtics Black; Pool C has the Georgia Stars, Arizona Magic, and Ferrari Youth Basketball; Pool D has the Miami Tropics, Friends of Hoop Seattle, and Philadelphia Ballhawks; Pool E has Team Georgia, Compton Magic, and King James Shooting Stars; Pool F has Nor Cal Elite, Blessed IJN Elite, and Reebok Delaware Sharpshooters; Pool G has the Michigan Hurricanes, Mean Streets, and Utah-Pump-N-Run; Pool H has the Illinois Wolves, Gateway Basketball Club, and South Florida Heat; Pool I has NOGA African All Stars, Cavs (California), and Chicago Jaguars; Pool J has the Howard Pulley Panthers, Texas Blue Chips I, and Tennessee Travelers; Pool K has the South Carolina Ravens, Dallas Mustangs Blue, and SYF Players; Pool L has the New Mexico Force All-Stars, Team Breakdown, and Indiana Elite; Pool M has the Georgia Hurricanes, New York Elite, and Team D1 Ambassadors; Pool N has the St. Louis Eagles, Bingo All-Stars (New York), and Jackson Panthers; Pool O has the South Carolina Celtics, Arizona Stars, and Texas Top Prospects; Pool P has the KC Keys (Missouri), Southeast Elite Reebok, and God Squad Athletics (California); Pool Q has the Portland Panthers, Belmont Shore, and Houston Elite; Pool R has the New Orleans Jazz, Branch West Team Reebok (California), and New York Ravens; Pool S has the Midstate Ballerz Elite (Tennessee), Birmingham Raptors, and H-Squad; Pool T has the Westside All-Stars, Team Indiana, and Kentucky Hoopsters; Pool U has Baltimore Select, New Orleans Panthers Select, and Team Houston; Pool V has Rise & Shine (Mississippi), Louisiana Stars, and Dallas Mustangs White; Pool W has the Illinois Blue Devils, West Atlanta Tar Heels (Georgia), and Rising Stars of America (California); Pool X has the Smyrna Stars (Georgia), Texas Terps, and Sacramento Classics, Pool Y has 1 Tough School (California), RDV Stars (Florida) and Houston H.O.P.S.; Pool Z has Full Package Athletics (Illinois), Acadicana Hoops (Louisiana), and Islanders Basketball Foundation (Texas); Pool AA has the Georgia Warriors, Houstonians, and I-can All-Stars Silvers (California); Pool BB has the Louisiana Future Rising Stars, RBC West (California), and Southeast Texas All-Stars Elite; Pool CC has Victoria Australia, Etowah Stars (Georgia), and Bay Area Hoosiers Red (California); Pool DD has Victoria Prep (Canada), 805 Basketball and El Paso Suns; Pool EE has the Syracuse Rochester RAP, ATL Explosion (Georgia), and Team New Jersey Elite Blue; Pool FF has Blessed IJN Gold, Arizona Cagers Black, and Oklahoma Heat; Pool GG has Branch West Red, San Antonio Heat, and West Virginia Wildcats; Pool HH has Houston Swoosh Blue, Whatcom Hoops (Washington), and Southern Cal Razorbacks (California); Pool II has ARC BTI North (California), Chi-Town Mixers (Illinois), and Southwest Rebels (Arizona); Pool JJ has Team Hoop Zone (Texas), Topp Sports (South Carolina), and First Class (Illinois); Pool KK has Worldwide Renegades (Georgia), Texas Force, MPSLO (California); Pool LL has Austin Hoop Zone (Texas), SYF Brotherhood (Indiana), MBA Hoops Black (Mississippi); Pool MM has the Waukegan Traveling Stars/North Illinois Surge, Atlanta Celtics Gold, and Houston '05; Pool NN has the Emerald City Pioneers, Arlington Colts, and Northside Mavericks; Pool OO has And 1 True Players (Washington), El Paso Wildcats, and San Antonio King; Pool PP has ARC BTI South (California), Aneesa's Sports (New York), and Houston Swoosh Orange; Pool QQ has Kansas City Rocktown, Inland Reebok, and Smyrna Stars II (Georgia); Pool RR has Tampa Fastbreak (Florida), PHPS Select (California), and Blessed IJN Purple (Indiana); Pool SS has ATX Boys Blue (Texas), Old Gold Basketball (Illinois), and Next Level Santa Monica; Pool TT has the Next Level BC All Stars (BC, Canada), Kingwood Mustangs, and Inner Strength (Georgia); Pool UU has the Dallas Lakers, Buffalo Playaz (New York), and Gastonia Mountaineers (Georgia); Pool VV has the Grand Bahamas All Stars (Bahamas), Southern Cal All Stars Black (California), and Friends of Hoop Seattle 2; Pool WW has the SchneiderAllStarscom (Arizona), Team Fort Worth, and Branch West Purple (California); Pool XX has the High Desert Lakers (California), Team Angels Gold (Arkansas), and Houston Storm; Pool YY has the Northwest Arkansas Raptors, Team New Jersey Elite Orange, and Kansas City Premiere Unsigned Seniors (Missouri); Pool ZZ has High Five America (California), Reach Legends (Michigan), and Arizona (CTB); Pool AAA has the Austin Pastner All Stars (Texas), Killen Future Stars (Texas), and Lakers (Wisconisn); Pool BBB has the Arizona Cagers Rage, North Channel Cyclones (Texas), and Team Heat (North Carolina); Pool CCC has the Illinois Patriots, First Team (Louisiana), Houston Heat 16s (Texas); Pool DDD has the Louisiana Dream Team, Houston Hoopsters, Impact Basketball 16s (California); Pool EEE has the San Antonio RoHawks (Texas), Las Vegas Dynasty (Nevada), and Southside All Stars (Texas); Pool FFF has the San Diego Cougars/Young Gunz (California), Georgia Ballers, and Texas Top Prospects Black; Pool GGG has Texas Wolverines, Team Georgia Elite (Outlaw), and ARC BTI West (California); Pool HHH has the Bobby Jackson Bball Town Pharaohs 16 (CA), DK Ballers (Louisiana), and Houston Gold; Pool III has Minnesota Swoosh, Louisiana LT Rockets, and Centex Ro'Dawgs (Texas); Pool JJJ has the Houston Hoops Action Black (Texas), Centex Shooters (Texas), and Bay Area Hoosiers White (California); Pool LLL has the Bomb Squad of Louisiana, Florida Force, and FTW Wolfpack/Unsigned Seniors (Texas); Pool MMM has Master's Touch (U.S. Virgin Islands), Marietta Devils (Georgia), and Kerrville Bullets (Texas); Pool NNN has Portland ICP, Nashville Stallions (Tennessee), and Texas Blue Chips 2; Pool OOO has the Houston Hoops Action, West Coast Ballers (California), and Midstate Ballerz Select (Tennessee); Pool PPP has the Kansas City Premiere 2006 (Missouri), Westside Wizards (Texas), and Minnesota Select; Pool QQQ has Houston No Limit I, Illinois Bobcats, and Madison County Ballers (Mississippi); Pool RRR has the I-Can All Stars (California), MBA Hoops Orange (Mississippi), and Houston Flight; Pool SSS has the Bobby Jackson Basketball Town Pharaohs (California), Louisiana Leaders, and Thunder Basketball (Texas); Pool TTT has the Texas Ambassadors II, Nebraska High 5, and San Antonio Celtics; Pool UUU has Connecticut Young Gunz, Team Larry Johnson Orange (Texas), and ATX White (Texas); Pool VVV has the Houston Superstars, KC 76ers (Missouri), and San Antonio Hawkeyes; Pool WWW has the H Town Players, LA Stars (California), and TG Basketball (Texas); Pool XXX has Atlanta All Stars (Georgia), Connecticut Flame Unlimited, and Silver Lakers (Texas); Pool YYY has Houston Play Makers (Texas), Augusta Skillz (Georgia), and Pro Skills B (Texas); Pool ZZZ has the Wichita Wolfpac (Kansas), Scaddling Court Ballhawks (Ontario, Canada), and Pro Skills A (Texas); Pool BBBB has the South Texas Stallions, Utah Heat, and Platinum Starzz (Texas); Pool CCCC has Team Phoenix, Metrocrest Hawks (Texas), and San Antonio RoHawks Seniors (Texas); Pool DDDD has the Lighthouse, Houston Southwest Bulldogs (Texas), and Dallas Mustangs; Pool EEEE has the Oklahoma Explosion Elite, West Side Hoops (Washington), and Team Angels 2007 (Arkansas); Pool FFFF has Emerald City Elite (Washington), Midwest Storm (Missouri), and Houston Lynx Blue (Texas); and Pool GGGG has the Arkansas Lakers, Texas Top Prospects Red, and Agassi Stars (Nevada).  For even more information about the Houston Kingwood Classic and all of the events that Pastner runs, click onto VisionSports.com. 

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Just like a year ago when they landed 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who was ranked #17 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, and 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who was ranked #19 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, it looks like the University of Kentucky has once again hit the jackpot during the Spring Signing Period, as the Wildcats now have a verbal commitment from 6'8 Rekalin Sims from Salt Lake (JC) UT, who was the #1-ranked junior college player in the nation prior to the start of the season by the HOOP SCOOP.  And Sims appears to be exactly what the doctored ordered, because he should be able to play step in and play either forward spot for the Wildcats.  Sims, who averaged almost a double-double this past season with 19.4 ppg and 9.6 rpg, is a terrific rebounder and scorer, but he does need to improve his 3-point shooting, as is evident by the fact that he hit 46-155 (.297%) of his 3-point attempts this past season.  The addition of Sims moves Kentucky's recruiting class, which also already includes 7'1 Jared Carter from Georgetown (Scott County) KY and 6'5 Adam Williams from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, into a tie at #66, along with South Carolina, Arizona State, Gonzaga, and Western Illinois, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Sims also should be the perfect complement to all the great guards, like 6'1 Jr Patrick Sparks, 6'2 Frosh Rajon Rondo, 6'3 Frosh Ramel Bradley, and 6'3 Frosh Joe Crawford, and good big men, like 7'0 Frosh Randolph Morris, 7'3 Soph Shagari Alleyne, 7'1 Soph Lukasz Obrzut, and 7'1 Jared Carter from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, that the Wildcats will have in the program next year.  And they should have plenty of depth with 6'7 Soph Sheray Thomas, 6'7 Soph Bobby Perry, 5'9 Jr Brandon Stockton, and 6'2 Jr Ravi Moss, who is one of the most valuable walk-on players in the nation.  However, Kentucky does not have a lot of scholarships available for the Class of 2006 and that's when they have a chance to land players like 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, and 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH.  So suddenly the question becomes do you take 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who also is considering schools like Arizona, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Michigan and is one of the best unsigned seniors still available, this spring, or do you save the scholarship so you can sign three players, instead of just two, next year?  It also looks like Oklahoma State has gotten 6'8 Torre Johnson from Garden City (JC) KS and we don't think 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID will be too far behind.  Remember, Brown originally signed with the Cowboys a year ago, when he was at Dixie (JC) UT, but then had to go back to junior college for another year in order to ensure that he makes it academically.  The addition of Johnson moves Oklahoma State's recruiting class into a tie at #11, along with LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, the Cowboys also signed 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, and 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX during the Fall Signing Period, plus they got a verbal commitment from 6'11 Kenneth Cooper from Monroe (Richwood) LA during the winter.  However, Green no longer counts towards Oklahoma State's recruiting class, because he's decided to enter his name into the NBA Draft and appears to have hired an agent.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Ball State has landed 6'3 Jalon Perryman from Detroit (Rogers) MI, who is ranked #131 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the second highest ranked 2-guard still available, and Bowling Green has signed 6'4 Darryl Clements from Detroit (Rogers) MI, who is ranked as the 4th best senior 2-guard in the state by Michigan Prep Spotlight.  Johnson also notes that Perryman and Clements both played a pivotal role in the three straight Class D State Championships that Detroit (Rogers) MI and that their high school coach Steve Hall is one of the candidates for the University of Michigan coaching position that was vacated when Charles Ramsey got the head coaching job at Eastern Michigan earlier this spring.  We also have confirmed that Bowling Green has landed 6'7 Dusan Radivojevic from Serbia and Montenegro. We're talking about somebody who is an excellent outside shooter that averaged 35 ppg for his Serbian club team and, as a result, should be an excellent complement to Bowling Green's recruiting class, which also includes Clements, 6'3 Martin Samarco from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 6'6 Lionel Sullivan from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, 6'7 Erick Marschall from New London (H.S.) OH, 6'8 Jeremy Holland from Austin (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Nick Wilson from Trenton (Central) NJ and is now tied at #35, along with Utah State on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Johnson also tells us that it looks like 6'9 Jeremey Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX has reneged on the verbal commitment that he gave Texas Tech last week and has signed with Southern Cal, where he will join 5'10 Shaun Davis from Southern Idaho (JC) ID.  If you will recall, Davis verbally committed to Indiana University several months ago, but appears to have reneged and, instead, will follow his junior college coach Gib Arnold to USC.  And don't be surprised if USC's recruiting class moves up to #20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, because the Trojans also appear to be the leader for 6'11 Abdoulayne Ndiayne from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who is ranked #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and currently is the top junior college player still available. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Soph Nate Miles from Toledo (Libbey) OH, who is ranked #80 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, made an early verbal commitment to Xavier over the weekend.  And this comes as no surprise to Johnson, because, although schools like Cincinnati, Ohio State, Valparaiso, Xavier, and Connecticut had all been showing interest, nobody except the Musketeers had offered this long, lean, Tayshaun Prince-like athlete who can shoot the lights out.  And Miles isn't the only young highly ranked player that Johnson talked to a-week-and-a-half ago at the All-Ohio NIKE Cup Tournament in Columbus, OH.  The leaders for 7'0 Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, who is ranked #68 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Michigan State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Illinois.  Michigan and Florida are believed to be the favorites for 5'11 Jr Torey Jackson from Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI, who is ranked #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Syracuse, Miami-FL, Kansas, and Illinois also must be mentioned.  Michigan State, Michigan, Duke, North Carolina, and Syracuse are already in the hunt for 6'5 Soph Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, and among those showing the most interest in 6'5 Soph Darquovis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, who is ranked #34 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Illinois, UCLA, Kansas, and Connecticut.  The race for 6'8 Frosh Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, who is ranked #12 nationally in the freshmen class by the HOOP SCOOP, already includes Xavier, Cincinnati, and Ohio State.  The early favorites for 6'6 Frosh Rayshawn Goines from Cleveland (Rhodes) OH, who is ranked #123 nationally in the freshmen class by the HOOP SCOOP, include Duke, North Carolina, Ohio State, Illinois, and N.C. State and among those showing the most interest in 5'11 Frosh Anthony McBride from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, who is ranked #190 nationally in the freshmen class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Cincinnati, Xavier, Ohio State, N.C. State, Florida State, Syracuse, and Connecticut.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Jamil Lott from North Dakota School of Science (JC) ND has signed with Marquette.  And that's very significant, because we're talking about a Second Team Junior College All-American and they beat schools like Ohio State, Minnesota, Arizona, George Mason, Georgia, and USC for his services.  This addition of Lott also moves Marquette's recruiting class up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But even more important is the fact that Lott should provide the perfect complement to all the excellent guards - 6'4 Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'2 Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 6'1 Dominic James from Richmond (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 Matt Mortensen from Provo (Timpview) UT - that Marquette head coach Tom Crean and his staff already have in the fold.  And all this comes on the heels of landing three good inside players a year ago in 7'0 Soph Mike Kinsella, 6'10 Frosh Ousmane Barro, and 6'8 Frosh Ryan Amoroso.  And, if that weren't enough, we also wouldn't be surprised if the Golden Eagles get another quality inside player in 6'9 Jr Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN, who is ranked #78 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Marquette is not nearly as big a lock for Webster, who also has Boston College, Kansas, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan State on his list, as Michigan State appears to be a near lock for 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlam from Braham (H.S.) MN, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, we have reason to believe that Dahlam will pick the Spartans over Georgia Tech, Iowa, Boston College, Illinois, and Minnesota sooner than later.  In other words, we think a verbal commitment could be forthcoming almost immediately.  It also appears that 6'8 Tyrone Beal from Allegany (JC) MD has signed with East Carolina and that's a great first catch for new Pirates head coach Ricky Stokes.  Remember, Beal was ranked #50 on our Pre-Season List of the Top 60 Junior College Players and, as a result, he should be able to walk right in and replace 6'10 Sr Moussa Badiane, who was the only inside quality inside player that East Carolina had this past season.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'11 Andrew Brown from Littleton (Heritage) CO has signed with Lafayette and it appears that Lehigh has a major steal in 6'6 Greg Page from Montreal (Danier) QU.  As a matter of fact, Page, who is a multi-dimensional athlete, might be the best player that the Mountain Hawks have signed in the three years that Lehigh head coach Billy Taylor and his staff have been on the job.  Page joins 7'0 John Gourley from Subiaco (Academy) AR, 6'8 Phillip Anderson from La Canada (H.S.) CA, and 6'1 Matt Szalachowski from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ in a recruiting class that is now tied at #110, along with Buffalo, Evansville, Wyoming, Yale, Akron, Rhode Island, Southern Cal, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But even more impressive is the fact that Lehigh's recruiting class is ranked second in the Patriot League behind Lafayette, which in addition to Brown also already has 6'7 Brian Young from Cherry Hill (East) NJ, 6'7 Dave Smith from Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ, 6'10 Tom Leszczynski from South Huntington (St. Anthony's) NY, 6'8 Blake Nielsen from Oak Park (Fenwick) IL, and 5'11 Derek Heckendorn from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ all in the fold.  We also are watching to see if Oklahoma State gets 6'8 Torre Johnson from Garden City (JC) KS and 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID and if Cincinnati gets 6'7 Mario Boggan from Chipola (JC) FL and 6'8 Ivan Johnson from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA.  And, if the Cowboys get both Johnson and Brown, who are two of the top junior college players in the nation, then their recruiting class will move up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, despite the fact they recently lost 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who recently announced that he will enter his name into the NBA Draft.  And, if the Bearcats get Boggan and Johnson, then their recruiting class will move up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   Remember, Cincinnati already has 6'7 Cedric McGowan from Kilgore (JC) TX, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 5'10 Deven Downey from Chester (H.S.) SC, 6'10 Abdul Herrera from Miami (South Miami) FL, and 6'7 DeAndre Coleman from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA all in the fold and, as a result, they could potentially enter the Big East Conference next year with the third best recruiting class in the league, behind Louisville and Marquette and ahead of Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and St. John's.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

A week ago yesterday, Steve King, who is the father of 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, called UCLA head coach Ben Howland and left a message telling him that his son was going to re-open his recruitment.  Then, the next day King's father and Howland talked on the phone and they left things open until they could sit down face-to-face and hash things out (NCAA rules prohibited Division I coaches and their parents from making personal contact last week and, as a result, they had to wait until yesterday for a face-to-face meeting).  We're not sure whether that meeting ever occurred, but we did talk to Mr. King on Saturday night prior to watching his son play and, at the time, it was more a case that he wanted to know how his son would fit in when he got to UCLA and who would be competing for the same playing time than Taylor not wanting to go to UCLA.  So it appears to be more a case of Kings wanting to way all of their options and not really being sure what they really wanted to do than anything being wrong with the initial decision the younger King made prior to when he began his freshman year of his high school over a year-and-a-half ago.  So we decided to wait until today to report the news that King was reneging on UCLA, because we didn't want to have to print a retraction in case Howland said all  the right things and King changed his mind.  However, we do know that King's high school coach Gary McKnight has been telling interested schools today that his star player is back on the board.  So, according to King's father and as of Saturday night, the list of schools that will be on his son's list includes UCLA, Syracuse, Washington, Villanova, Arizona, Gonzaga, Louisville, Kansas, and Connecticut.  And you can bet that it will get longer before it gets shorter.  Remember, we're talking about one of the top 10 sophomores in the nation and, as a result, we suspect one of two things will happen.  Either the Bruins will eliminate themselves from contention and put all their efforts into landing 6'8 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, who now appears to be one of the top dozen players nationally in the junior class, or they will play King and Budinger off against one another by telling them both that whichever one commits first to the Bruins will be assured of getting the suddenly available scholarship at the wing forward spot (UCLA now has three scholarship available for the next two recruiting class and our guess is they will sign a wing forward, another inside player, and the best available player).  And, if UCLA doesn't do this, you can bet the Arizona head coach Lute Olson, who is the best there ever was at playing one player off against the other, will.  If you will recall, Ricky Anderson had to walk-on and pay his first year at Arizona, because he didn't verbally commit to Arizona on his official visit and Michael Wright, who also picked Wildcats, beat him to the punch.  It also appears that Kansas has a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, who is ranked #125 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, our best sources in Louisiana tells us that Lewis is a lot better than that, as we're talking about a big time athlete who flat out filled it up to the tune of 27.0 ppg this past season.  And, we'll get a chance to see soon enough for our self, because Lewis will be playing on the New Orleans Jazz, along with 6'5 Soph Lace-Darius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, who also is expected to make his national debut, this weekend in the Houston Kingwood Classic.  Our new Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia Editor Dennis Marshall has the scoop on our old Washington, DC Area Editor Steve Turner, who now is the head coach at Washington (Gonzaga) DC with regards to where 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who happens to be Turner's own player, is going to college.  And, believe it or not, Johnson, who also is an outstanding student, has selected La Salle over schools like Pennsylvania and George Mason.  Obviously this is a tremendous coup for the Explorers, because, despite the fact he's really an undersized power forward, Johnson is ranked #94 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And we suspect this will be a harbinger of things to come for the Explorers, because La Salle head coach John Giannini is one of the bright up-and-coming head coaches in the business.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Cleveland State has landed 6'5 Tristian Crawford from Steelton (Steelton-Highspire) PA and Towson has gotten 6'1 Tim Crossin from Kingston (Bishop O'Reilly) PA.  Cleveland State signing Crawford is big, because he's ranked #11 in the senior class in Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by Rubin and #244 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Crawford is still more of a slasher than a shooter, but he really improved his outside shooting this past season, is a great on-the-ball defender, and is a tough hardnosed kid.  However, it looks like Crossin, who was ranked #93 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area on Rubin's last report and is best described as a leader, gym rat, and good 3-point shooter, projects as a good role player for the Tigers.  Instead, the two players in this recruiting class - 6'9 Dennard Abraham from South Plains (JC) TX and 6'7 Sean Rabion from New Hampton (Prep) NH - who should go a long way toward turning this program were both signed last fall.  Still, the addition of Crossin moves Towson's recruiting class into a tie at #116, along with Penn State, St. Joseph's, St. Bonaventure, and Florida International, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   It also looks like the College of Charleston just continues to clean with this recruiting class.  If you will recall, a week ago we told you that with the addition of 6'2 Javon Parris from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY their recruiting class, which already included 6'7 David Lawrence from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, 6'3 Jeff Brown from Miami (Hernando) FL, 6'11 Ben Brown form Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'3 Ryan Scott from Reston (South Lakes) VA, was ranked #29 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   Well, now the College of Charleston has also added 6'5 Renaldo Dickerson from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, who was a First Team All-State Junior College Player in Florida and, as a result, their recruiting class is now ranked #26 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, the Cougars' once again have the second highest ranked recruiting class of anybody in college basketball outside of one of the top 10 Division I conferences (ACC, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, SEC, Pacific-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, Western Athletic, and Atlantic-10).  Dickerson also should give the Cougars the perfect complement to Lawrence, who is one of the best junior college players, because he can flat out score.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that the University of Tennessee does not plan to release 6'6 Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN from his National Letter-of-Intent and, as a result, even if he goes the prep school route next year, he will have to sit out two years.  If they release him, Smith would only have to sit out one year, unless he's denied admission into school for academic reasons or wins an appeal to the Southeastern Conference, which governs the National Letter-of-Intent.  Whitehead also tells us that it looks like Middle Tennessee State assistant coach Donnie Tyndall has done it again, because the Blue Raiders have landed 6'9 Theryn Hudson from Lavergne (H.S.) TN.  We're talking about the #19-ranked player in the senior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, but what makes this so impressive is who they beat to get Hudson.  Remember, last week we told you that Hudson's final two were South Carolina and Middle Tennessee State.  And, it looks like Hudson, who has a huge upside, but is far from being a finished product, made the right decision, if he wants to be able to step in and play right away.  And Hudson isn't the only player that the Blue Raiders have landed since during the Spring Signing Period, as they also have added 6'0 Emanuel Howard from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL, 6'4 Marques Dawson from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL, and 6'5 Adam Vogelsberg from Cloud County (JC) KS to a class that already included 6'9 Uriah Hethington from Cairo (H.S.) GA, 6'2 Kevin Kanaskie from State College (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Donaris Hair from Picayune (H.S.) MS; and 6'3 Darren Avery from Corinth (H.S.) MS.  And when one finds out that both Howard, who is an athletic scoring combo guard, and Vogelsberg, who was one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior college ranks this past season, were both Second Team Junior College All-Americans, it should comes as no surprise that his eight-man recruiting class is now ranked #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005. 

Saturday, April 16, 2005, Sunday, April 17, 2005, & Monday, April 18, 2005

When the Houston Hoops and the Southern Cal All-Stars squared off in the championship game of the Las Vegas Spring Showcase, it was like de'jevu.  If you will recall, the Southern Cal All-Stars beat the Houston Hoops in the championship game of the Las Vegas Easter Classic in the same gym in the same city three weeks ago.  And in that game, which was one 69-66 by the Southern Cal All-Stars, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX spent the final minutes of the game on the sidelines with a cramp.  And both Wise and the Houston Hoops also suffered the same fate at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament a week ago against the Boo Williams Summer League Team when Wise was lost late in the game due another cramp and the Houston Hoops lost 81-65 in the championship game.  However, a third time appeared to have been a charm for the Houston Hoops, which lost Wise yet again due to a cramp late in the game, but still managed to prevail in the final minute.  And they got a little help from the officials, as 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA was a called for a controversial charging foul with his team down three and less than 30 seconds in the game.  In our opinion, the call was correct, but the basket should have been good, which would have made it a one-point game with the Houston Hoops shooting two free throws and the possibility that Southern Cal could have come down and hit another 3-pointer, tied the game, and sent it into overtime.  Instead, Southern California was down by three and 5'10 Brandon Brown from Houston (Aldine) TX, who was the player who took the charge, hit one of two free throws to put the Houston Hoops up by four point, which iced the game.  And, just like three weeks ago, the player who impressed us the most was 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, who was ranked #84 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP when we last updated our rankings for the Class of 2006 last fall, but now is arguably the best junior on the West Coast ahead of 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'4 Jr Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'6 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'2 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA.  Budinger, who is extremely athletic, very skilled, and a lights out 3-point shooter, also has to mentioned as one of the top dozen players in the junior class nationally by 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Branden Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth, and 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA.  Budinger's list of schools includes UCLA, Arizona Stanford, Kansas, and North Carolina, but the word is that he will likely stay on the West Coast and, as a result, it should have come as no surprise that Arizona head coach Lute Olson was in the house to see both Budinger and Wise, who has already verbally committed to the Wildcats.  Budinger with 19 points and 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 16 points were the leading scorers for the Southern Cal All-Stars and 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX with 18 points and 5'10 Soph Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX with 16 points were the leading scorers for the Houston Hoops in the championship game.  We also were impressed with 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR and 6'8 Soph Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford (H.S.) OR, who combined for 39 points in the semi-finals against the Houston Hoops and impressed us with their ability to complement one another both inside and outside.  Love is the force inside, but he also has the ability to step outside and beat you with his jump shot.  Singler is an excellent 3-point shooter and extremely gifted out on the perimeter, but he also is tougher than he looks and rebounds well for his size.  And making story even more intriguing is the fact that Love, who mentioned Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington, and Singler, who mentioned Oregon, Kansas, Duke, and Arizona, both told us that they are best friends and have a definite interest in attending the same school.  Also advancing all the way into the final four was the New Mexico Force All Stars, which featured 6'6 Jr Kasey Cunningham from Albuquerque (Cibola) NM, 6'3 Mikey Dominguez from Santa Fe (Capital) NM, 6'8 Jr Emmanuel Bidias from Albuquerque (Menual) NM, 6'1 Jr David Kanyinda from Albuquerque (Sandia) NM, and 6'5 Soph Clifton Tucker from El Paso (Chapin) TX.  Cunningham, who is getting interest from schools like New Mexico, Georgetown, Arizona, and Kansas, is an excellent rebounder and tough around the basket, but he projects as a wing forward, because he has the skills, athleticism, and 3-point shooting necessary to play out on the perimeter.   Dominguez will likely go the junior college route, because nobody's recruiting him.  However, this guy has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom and the speed and quickness and the ball handling skills necessary to play point guard.  In other words, we're talking about a legitimate sleeper who is academically qualified for the mid-major level.  All he needs to do is get stronger.  Bidias combines strength, athleticism, and toughness to get it done inside.  Kanyinda is a combo guard with speed and quickness and an excellent jump shot.  Tucker is more of a slasher than a shooter, but, when it's all said and done, will project as the second best player on the team due to his natural talent and athleticisim.  We also got our first opportunity to see most of the players at Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA on the Georgia Elite Team.  Their best player was 6'4 Jr Carlos Morais from Angola.  Not only does Morais have excellent athleticism, but he also has good skills, can shoot the 3-pointer, and should be able to step in and make a major impact next year at Kansas State.  And his teammate - 6'7 Jr Ousmane Cisse from Ivory Coast - promises to be a good role player for the Wildcats.  But, at 6'7, his skills and ability to do anything away from the basket are very limited.  We also liked 6'5 Jr Solomon Tat from Nigeria, who is ranked #53 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  But, as is the case with most of Linzy Davis' players (Davis is the Georgia Editor for the HOOP SCOOP and the head coach of both Georgia Elite and the Community Christian), Tat is ranked 50-100 spots too high.  Tat is a strong physical excellent athlete, but he also doesn't have a true position, because he doesn't shoot it or handle it well enough to play out on the perimeter at just 6'5 at the big time college level.  6'8 Jr Petras Balocka from Lithuania, who already has four years of experience playing on the Lithuanian Junior National Teams, is a force to be reckoned with inside, but doesn't have the size, speed, and quickness necessary to be more than just a good role player at the high Division I level.  We also liked the ability of 6'9 Soph Chris Barnes to rebound, block shots, and not take any prisoners inside; the talent and athleticism of 6'5 Jr Wesley Telfair from Suwanee (Collins Hill) GA; and the ability of 6'3 Jr John Hoffer from Atlanta (North Atlanta Christian) GA to shoot the three and makes things happen on the perimeter.  Georgia Elite jumped out to a 15-7 lead early and led by as many as dozen mid-way through the first half before the Houston Hoops finally took control of the game in the quarterfinals.  But it probably would have been a different story, if they also had had their best player - 6'7 Frosh Olu Ashaolu from Canada, who is ranked #5 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Instead, Ashaolu played this weekend for Ro Russell's Canadian team.  However, if they have Ashaolu this summer, Georgia Elite not only should be assured a spot in the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC, but they also should be one of the better teams in what always is NIKE's strongest the tournament.  We also have to mention the Miami Tropics with 6'1 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 7'0 Jr Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'8 Soph A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'7 Jr Franck Duongo from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'11 Jr Luis Colon from Montverde (Academy) FL, and the South Florida Heat with 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) FL, 6'7 Jr Zachery Peacock from Miami (Norland) FL, 6'2 Jr Corey Claitt from West Palm Beach (Palm Beach Lakes) FL, and 6'4 Jr Xavier Perkins from Boca Roton (St. Andrews) FL, and 5'11 Jr Avery Holly from Pompono Beach (Ely) FL.  And, of course, there was Branch West Team Reebok with 6'0 Jr Steve Gruber from Milwaukee (Whitefish Bay) WI, 6'3 Soph Anthony Green from Beliot (Memorial) WI, 6'6 Jr Andy Polka from Oshkosh (West) WI, 6'9 Jr Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA, and 6'6 Leon Young from Lakewood (H.S.) CA.  But our favorite player on this team was 6'8 Keith Wilkerson from Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA.  We're talking about a 6'8 lights out 3-point shooter who is agile, mobile, and quick enough to play out on the perimeter at the wing forward spot at the mid-major college level.  Pacific and UC-Santa Barbara are showing the most interest in Wilkerson right now, but you can bet that somebody like Pepperdine, Gonzaga, or San Diego State will jump into the mix when they find out that we're talking about a guy with a 3.6 gpa and 1100 SAT.  Another player with great grades who will turn out to be a major steal is 6'9 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA.  Harrison was the only new player on that already loaded Southern Cal All-Stars team, which already featured 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, 6'7 Jr Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'9 Jr Taj Gibson from Merced (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'5 Frosh Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Soph Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, and 6'8 Jr Matt Shaw from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, but he might turn out to be as good as any of them.  Right now we'd rank Harrison in the 75-100 range nationally in the junior class because he is very skilled, mobile, and active around the basket.  But what makes Harrison so intriguing for schools like UCLA, California, Utah, Stanford, and Boston College are his tremendous upside and academics.  As a matter of fact, Harrison's father told us that his son has a 3.7 gpa, an extremely high SAT score, and this was only his first national tournament.  The Arizona Magic featured 6'3 Jr Chris Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ and 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ,  but they didn't have enough to go with them, as they got knocked off by the Arizona Cagers in the second round of the tournament.  Also taking their licks with an opening round loss to the Arizona Cagers was Belmont Shore, which had one of the best young groups in the tournament with 6'2 Soph Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'9 Soph Clint Amberry from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'1 Frosh Josh Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'6 Soph Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, and 6'3 Frosh Jrue Holiday from North Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA.  And, of course, there was the H-S Squad with 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 5'11 Tray Clark from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'4 Soph Quinton Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Jr A.J. Tolbert from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'4 Jeremy Hazell from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA. 

Friday, April 15, 2005

It looks like 6'2 Soph Lawrence McKenzie has already decided to transfer from the University of Oklahoma to someplace like closer to home, like the University of Minnesota, and, although a final decision has yet to be made, 5'7 Soph Andrew Lavender is also thinking about leaving the Sooners.  If you will recall, Ohio State didn't recruit Lavender the first time around, but if he does decide to transfer, this could present the Buckeyes coaching staff with an interesting dilemma.  Do you take Lavender, who averaged 9.7 ppg and 3.6 apg and started 28 of 32 games this past season for the Sooners?  Or do you wait on 6'0 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #38 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has expressed an interest in attending the same school, along with his club team teammate - 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, who already has made an early verbal commitment to the Buckeyes?  And complicating things even more is the fact that getting Conley could also prove to be the key to getting 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, assuming that an age limit prevents him him from entering the NBA Draft a year from now.  We also are hearing that 6'6 Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN, who signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Tennessee last fall, and 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who signed a National Letter-of-Intent with UNLV last fall, both may be going the prep school route.  And Mississippi State point guard Gary Ervin was quoted earlier in the week saying that he plans to transfer.  However, more recently Ervin has claimed to have been misquoted.  Instead, he's now saying that he's only thinking about transferring.  Also among those looking elsewhere are Utah's 6'5 Frosh Justin Hawkins, Louisville's 6'5 Frosh Lorenzo Wade, LSU's 6'9 Soph Ross Neltner, Ohio State's 6'7 Frosh Jamal Jackson-Wilson, Oklahoma State's 7'2 Jr Frans Steyn, California's 6'8 Soph Dominic McGuire and it appears that 6'2 David Sills from Bunker Hill (JC) MA has reneged on the verbal commitment that he made to the University of Houston a month ago and is now heading to South Florida.  Remember, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio told us that this is the guy who played at New York (Frederick Douglass) NY as a freshman and sophomore in high school, but was not academically eligible during the rest of his high school career.  Instead, Sills was one of those playground legends who had the nickname "The Enigma" when he played in the Rucker League and is as strong, as physical, and as tough as they come.  Sills originally signed with Northeastern, but failed to make it academically and, as a result, went the junior college route where he was named to First Team All-Conference as a freshman at Odessa (JC) TX two years ago.  He also played briefly a year ago at Southern Idaho (JC) ID and now is finishing up at Bunker Hill (JC) MA.  We're talking about a left-handed combo guard with big time athleticism and the ability to beat you both inside and outside.  But even that doesn't begin to illustrate just how good Sills could be.  As a matter of fact, Naclerio thinks Sills would be one of the top junior college players in the nation, if he wasn't sitting out this year focusing exclusively on academics.  "But taking him is also a gamble," says Naclerio.  "Sills could get kicked off the team after the first week of practice or he could end being one of the players in the league.  He didn't get the nickname enigma for nothing."  Obviously this is a case, whereby, South Florida assistant coach Julius Allen was able to take advantage of his strong New York City ties and, as a result, the Bulls' recruiting class moves into a tie at #36, along with Texas A&M and Miami-FL, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, while that sounds great, it's still not good enough to keep up with all the top teams in the tough Big East Conference next year, as Louisville is ranked #1, Pittsburgh is ranked #13, Connecticut is ranked #17, Marquette is ranked #19, Syracuse is tied at #22, Notre Dame is ranked #25, St. John's is tied at #30, and Cincinnati is tied at #32 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  So it looks like Allen needs to pull a couple of more like Sills out of his hat and assistant coach Greg Gary, who also is an excellent recruiter, needs to take advantage of his strong in-state contacts in order for the Bulls to keep up with the Joneses.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Ed Turner from Central Florida (JC) FL has signed with Louisiana-Lafayette and St. Bonaventure has landed 6'5 A.J. Hawkins from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'10 Ivan Kovacevic from Olney Central (JC) IL.  If you will recall, Turner, who is an absolute steal for the Rajin' Cajuns, originally is from Buffalo (Turner-Carroll) NY and signed with University of Pittsburgh the first time around.  The addition of Turner moves Louisiana-Lafayette's recruiting class, which also includes 6'1 Booker Woodfox from Lewisville (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Valentino Hart from Cowley (JC) KS, and 6'0 Ryan Francis from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, up to #92 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   But, even more important, Louisiana-Lafayette's recruiting class is ranked second in the league, behind Arkansas-Little Rock, which means that they already are well on their way towards replacing all of the experienced players, like 6'4 Sr Orien Greene, 6'6 Sr Brian Hamilton, 6'11 Sr Chris Cameron, 6'4 Jr Dwayne Mitchell, and 6'6 Jr Tiras Wade, who have led the Ragin Cajuns into the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years.  The addition of Hawkins, who ranked #48 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and is a big time athlete with the ability to handle and finish with the best of them, and Kovacevic, who, at 6'10, 240 lbs., is just a good old-fashioned banger/rebounder/physical specimen inside, moves St. Bonaventure's recruiting class into a tie at #115, along with Penn State, St. Joseph's, and Florida Internationally, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But that only tells half of the story.  The rest of the story involves the fact that the Bonnies have 6'0 Soph Tyler Relph, who transferred a year ago from West Virginia, and 6'10 Paul Willams, who transferred a year ago from Siena, both waiting in the wings.  This not only means that St. Bonaventure head coach Anthony Solomon will be able to go to war in the Atlantic-10 Conference next year with Relph, Hawkins, and 6'5 Jr Ahmad Smith, who was an all-conference performer this past season, in the backcourt, but they will also have the ability to line up 6'11, 6'10, and 6'10 across the front line when 6'11 David Fox from Mercyhurst North East (JC) PA, who signed with Bonnies last fall, Kovacevic, and Williams are in the game together at the same time. 

Thursday, April 14, 2005

In case you were wondering whatever happened to 6'6 Frosh Churchill Odia, who recently decided to transfer from Xavier, it looks like he has decided to enroll at the University of Oregon.  At least that's what our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is telling us.  And, assuming that this true, this would be a major coupe of the Ducks.  Remember, Oregon already has three of the better players in the league in 6'0 Soph Aaron Brooks, 6'6 Frosh Malik Hairston, and 6'5 Frosh Bryce Taylor.  So, if they all stick aroundand you also add Odia to his group year after next, it stands to reason that the Ducks should be one of the best team in college basketball at the one, two, and three spots when the 2006-2007 season begins.  Johnson also tells us that Texas Tech has finally sealed the deal with 6'9 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, who is ranked #283 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is one of the most improved players in the class nationally and, as a result, will be ranked among in the 41-70 range nationally next time we update our rankings.  Not only is Barr a physical specimen, but his skill level, confidence, mobility, and coordination are finally catching up with his body and huge feet.  He also is a lot more aggressive than he used to be and was surprisingly mobile and athletic when we saw him last December at the Academy National Tournament in Houston, TX.  So, with Bob Knight's coaching and, if Barr continues to improve at his current pace, the sky's the limit.  And, if that weren't enough good news for Red Raiders fans, Barr also promises to be the perfect complement to 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, who is an undersized power forward with big time athleticism and killer mentality around the basket; 6'5 Terry Martin from Monroe (Ridgewood) LA, who is an athletic wing player with top 100 talent and potential; and all of the other good players in this recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Justin Wilkerson from Greenville (H.S.) TX, 6'9 John Plefka from Sante Fa (JC) FL, 6'7 Michael Prince from Plano (West) TX, 6'7 Dazzmond Thornton from Denver (East) CO, and 6'7 Jeremy Buttel from Colleyville (Heritage) TX.  And, of course, two of Texas Tech's three leading scorers this past season were freshmen.  So with 6'1 Frosh Jarrius Jackson and 6'5 Frosh Martin Zeno providing the experience in the backcourt and three freshmen (Barr, Lowhorn, and Martin) all capable of stepping in next year and challenging for starting spots, it appears that Knight and his staff already have the strong foundation that they need to continue to build upon this past season's Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  The addition of Barr also moves Texas Tech's recruiting class back up to #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   However, even more important, with all this good young talent in the program, we'd be surprised if Knight started thinking about retirement after he breaks Dean Smith's record for the most wins by a men's coach in college basketball history.  As things stand right now, Knight has 854 wins, which means he needs to win 26 more games to break Smith's record of 879 wins.  And, assuming that Knight continues on his current average, which is 21.9 wins per season for 39 seasons, he will break Smith's record in the fourth game of 2006-2007 when Jackson and Zeno will be juniors and Barr, Lowhorn, and Martin will be sophomores.  And, if they all stick around that long, Knight also will have a chance to become one of only six coaches, along with John Wooden (12), Dean Smith (11), Mike Krzyzewski (10), Denny Crum (6), and Adolph Rupp (6), in the history of the game to make six or more NCAA Final Four appearances and one of only three coaches, along with John Wooden (10) and Adolph Rupp (4), to have won more than three National Championships.  Right now Knight is tied with Roy Williams, Lute Olson, Rick Pitino, and Guy Lewis, all of whom have five NCAA Final Four appearances, and Mike Krzyzewski, who also has won three National Championships.  Johnson also tells us that 6'10 Jr Albert Jackson from Madisonville (Hopkins County) KY has made an early verbal commitment to Georgia, 6'3 Martin Samarco from Schoolcraft (JC) MI has signed with Bowling Green, 6'2 Craig Winder from Cecil (JC) MD has signed with Texas, and 6'9 Brian Morris from Portland (Jefferson) OR has signed with SMU.  At 6'9, 260 lbs., Morris is a physical specimen and a good rebounder in the low post, which makes him the perfect complement to 7'0 Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who signed with Mustangs last fall and is a long lanky shot blocking athlete with a huge upside.  And SMU head coach Jimmy Tubbs, who is beginning his second year at the helm of the Mustangs, also has a jet quick point guard in the fold in 5'11 Dez Willingham from Mountain View (JC) TX, who should complement 6'0 Jr Bryan Hopkins in the backcourt next year.  And, when you also include 6'7 Ryan Dermody from Loveland (H.S.) CO, who signed with the SMU during the Fall Signing Period, and 6'2 Matt Williams from Addison (Trinity Catholic Academy) TX, who also signed with the Mustangs yesterday, it's easy to see why SMU easily has the best recruiting class in the Western Athletic Conference.  SMU also is tied at #30, along with Cincinnati, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005. Windor is a combo guard who not only was a First Team All-American in the Division II Junior College ranks, but also was the MVP in the Maryland Junior College Tournament.  He picked Texas over Arizona State, Penn State, Wyoming, and Texas A&M.  Samarco was a Second Team All-American in the junior college ranks and is a lights out 3-point shooter, which makes him an absolute steal for the Falcons.  Jackson has emerged as the best junior in the state, but that may not last long, because the word on the street is that he may transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Jackson picked the Bulldogs over schools like Xavier, Michigan, Illinois, and Western Kentucky and the deciding factor appears to be that Jackson felt comfortable with Georgia head coach Dennis Felton dating back to Felton's days at Western Kentucky.  It also looks like new Massachusetts head coach Travis Ford already has shown that he can recruit in New York City by landing 6'0 Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #255 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this is also important for several other reasons.  First, Lowe is talented enough and enough of a pure point guard to be able to step in next year and run the show for the Minutemen.  Second, Lowe provides a great link to one of the best high school programs in the nation, which features 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell and 6'0 Soph Mike Coburn, both of whom we suspect also will become prime recruiting targets of the Minutemen.  The verbal commitment by Lowe also puts Massachusetts back onto our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, Massachusetts dropped off the list altogether when 6'2 Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT recently reneged on his verbal commitment (Austrie did not sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with the Minutemen in the fall in case the previous regime did not survive) and, instead, cast his lot with the University of Connecticut.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA is no longer committed to UNLV.  But it looks the Runnin' Rebels dropped him, instead of Thomas changing his mind about the decision that he made less than two weeks ago.  This means that UNLV now has two scholarships available for next year and that Arizona, Wake Forest, and Marquette are back in the hunt for what we believe is one of the best inside players still available.  This also moves UNLV's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Wendall White from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, 6'3 Jason Petrimoulx from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA, 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'7 Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, and 6'8 Jerome Jackson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, down from #2 into a tie at #4, along with Washington, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, it could drop even further, if Jefferson, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, does something stupid, like enter his name into the NBA Draft, or does something smart, like go the prep school route, if he's not going to make it academically.  Right now we're hearing that Jefferson probably is not going to make academically and that a stop at South Kent (Prep) CT is likely in his future.  We also understand that Arizona has offered 6'2 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA and immediately the Wildcats move right to the top of his list, along with Oklahoma State, USC, Connecticut, Texas, and New Mexico State.  However, just like Jefferson, this incredible athletic high-flying two guard who can shoot the light out will likely go the prep school route first.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD will make an official visit to the University of Kentucky after he plays in the Derby Classic All-Star Game in Louisville, KY this weekend and that 6'2 Javon Parris from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY has picked the College of Charleston.  We're talking about a "pesky defender with good quickness and some bounce" who should be an excellent complement to 6'7 David Lawrence from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, 6'3 Jeff Brown from Miami (Hernando) FL, 6'11 Ben Brown form Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'3 Ryan Scott from Reston (South Lakes) VA, all of whom already count in the College of Charleston's recruiting class, which is ranked #29 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   And this comes on the heels of the College of Charleston's recruiting class a year ago, which was ranked #49 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'8 Josh Jackson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'10 Ben Brown from Richmond (Steward School) VA, and 6'8 Jermaine Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA.  So, obviously with two great back-to-back recruiting classes like this, we think there not only is a good possibility that the College of Charleston will be one of the best mid-major teams in college basketball, but also that they could go undefeated in the Southern Conference next year, just like Davidson did this past season with a 16-0 record.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'4 Tyler Troupe from Gallatin (H.S.) TN has signed with Chattanooga and that 6'9 Theryn Hudson from Lavergne (H.S.) TN is supposed to pick either South Carolina or Middle Tennessee State tomorrow.  Troupe, who is ranked #18 in the state's senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete, but more of a slasher than a shooter, and Hudson, who is ranked #19 in the state's senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is not very skilled and needs to get a lot stronger, but he does have a huge upside. Whitehead also tells us that former Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson has taken the Coastal Carolina job and that the Volunteers have hired UAB assistant coach Scott Edgar to complete a staff that also includes Tony Jones and Jason Shay, both of whom came with new Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl from Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  And, we think this is a great move, because Edgar not only has Division I head coaching experience at Murray State and Duquesne, but he also has recruited more than his fair share of the better players out Memphis, TN over the years.  And that's important at the University of Tennessee!  And last, but not least, it appears that the president of the school is calling the shots at Virginia, because the Cavaliers now appear to be going to hire DePaul head coach Dave Leitao.  And, if the trend continues, whereby, assistant coaches move into head coaching positions, the Blue Demons will probably hire DePaul assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer.  Remember, 17 of the 26 Division I head coaching jobs that have been filled so far this year have been done so by assistant coaches from the top 10 conferences in college basketball.  And only two of the guys (Dave Dickerson to Tulane and Orlando Early to Louisiana-Monroe) that got head coaching jobs are ranked higher than Oppenheimer on our list of the Top 100 Assistant Coaches .  And none of them are any more qualified, as Oppenheimer not only is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, but he was born to be a big time head coach.  As a matter of fact, we remember him being like a coach on the floor dating all the way back to his days as an overachieving point guard in high school playing for the Los Angeles Rockfish AAU program.

Sometimes it takes a while for a good young team to grow up and learn how to win in the big game.  And a great illustration of this may prove to be the Houston Hoops 17-Under Team, which features 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'8 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 5'10 Soph Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'6 Soph Mike Singletary from Houston (Singletary) TX, 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Darris Santee from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, and 6'9 Soph Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX, and 5'9 Jr Brandon Brown from Houston (Aldine) TX.  If you will recall, this team lost to the Southern Cal All-Stars in the championship game three weeks ago in the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV and they also lost to the Boo Williams Summer League Team in the championship game last weekend in the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA.  Now that same team is getting ready to compete in the 2005 Las Vegas Spring Showcase in Las Vegas, NV, which will be held April 15th-17th, and the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, which will be held April 22nd-24th.  And, if the Houston Hoops win either tournament and/or both tournaments, then Hal Pastner, who runs the Houston Hoops club team program and is the tournament director for both the 2005 Las Vegas Spring Showcase and the Houston Kingwood Classic, will be a very happy man.  Speaking of the 2005 Las Vegas Spring Showcase, which tips off tomorrow night and will be the place to be this weekend when college coaches can get their first look at recruitable players this spring in a tournament setting, it looks like Pastner is once again on top of his game.  Not only does the field include divisions for the 17-Under, 16-Under, 15-Under, 14-Under, 13-Under, 12-Under, 11-Under, 12-Under, 10-Under, and 9-Under age groups, but unsigned seniors are allowed to play in the 17-Under Division if they have not signed a Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA, or JUCO scholarship.  If they have signed and they think they will not qualify because of grades, they still cannot play in this tournament.  And the field appears to be absolutely loaded, as Pool A will have the Southern Cal All-Stars Red, Arizona Magic, and Georgia Elite; Pool B will have the Houston Hoops, South Florida Heat, and California Elite; Pool C will have the Miami Tropics, Chi-Town Mixers (Illinois), and Branch West Team Reebok; Pool D will have the Arizona Stars, the Cavs (Sylrnar, CA), and Victoria, Australia; Pool E will have the ARC BTI South (California), New Mexico Force All-Stars, and Friends of Hoop-Seattle: Pool F will have 1Tough School (California), SchneiderAllStars.com, and Southern Nevada Unsigned Seniors; Pool G will have Belmont Shore, Next Level B All-Stars, Rising Stars JG Gold (Illinois); Pool H will have the Portland Elite Legends, H-Squad, and Texas Ambassadors; Pool I will have the San Diego All-Stars Gold, Team Phoenix, and Inland Reebok; Pool J will have the Arizona Cagers Rage, Dimond High School (Alaska), and FOA (Utah); Pool K will have Arizona CTB Orange, Athletes for Life (California), and Olympus Titans (Utah); Pool L will have the Southern Cal All-Stars Black, Dog Catchers (Nevada), and Utah Dynasty; Pool M will have the AAC Stars, Branch West Orange (California), and You Future, Inc. (Virginia); Pool N will have the Moreno Valley Rebels, Salt Lake Metro Gold, and Rising Stars JG Blue (Illinois); Pool O will have ARC BTI North (California), Arizona Saints, and California Aces; Pool P will have Salt Lake Metro Black, ARC BTI West (California), and Las Vegas Toros; Pool Q will have the Colorado Chaos, Arizona CTB Purple, AV Coyotes (California); Pool R will have Emerald City Elite (Washington), Grizzlies (Nevada), and High Desert Lakes (California); Pool S will have the Colorado Focus, Ballers for Christ (California), and Las Vegas Dynasty; Pool T will have Branch West Red (California), Nevada Elite, and San Diego All Stars Blue; Pool U will have Next Level Santa Monica (California), Las Vegas Lightning, and SchneiderAllStars.com Silver; Pool V will have the I Can All-Stars (California), Boise Flight (Idaho), and L.A. Elite (California); Pool W will have the Las Vegas Rage, Los Angeles Paladins Blue, and New Mexico Force Black; Pool X will have Total Package Basketball (Washington), Los Angeles Paladins Gold, and West High School (Nevada); Pool Y will have Belmont Shore Blue, Scholar Athletes (California), and PHPS Red (California); Pool Z will have Oregon Rebels, Belmont Shore North I, and Team Inland; Pool AA will have Carl's Jr. Superstars (California), Yuma Blaze (Arizona), and Belmont Shore North 2; Pool BB will have the Tucson Heat, Branch West Purple (California), and RBC West; Pool CC will have the Hacienda Heights Thoroughbreds, West Coast Ballers (California), and Cooper Hills Grizzlies; Pool DD will have the New Mexico Huskies, Hooptown California, and Rising Stars of America (California); Pool EE will have Step Up Sports, MPSLO (California), and Impact Basketball 16', and Pool FF will have Total Impact Prospects (California), Infinity Basketball (California), and Peninsula Wildcats (California).  And Pastner also is still trying to figure out a way to work the New York Gauchos into the schedule, which reportedly may be a late entry.  Originally the tournament headquarters were supposed to be at Durango High School, but Pastner has changed that to UNLV's McDermott Center on Harmon, East of Paradise.  Tournament passes will be on sale starting at 5:00 PM on Friday, April 15th, at the headquarters and Pastner has one the most expense coaches packets found anywhere.  However, it's also the best, because it features accurate rosters, addresses, and phone numbers.  As a matter of fact, a number of college coaches have told us that this is one of their most important recruiting tools and that they continue to use all year long.  Another thing that makes this a great event is the tremendous organization that goes into with running this tournament that includes over 200 teams in nine different age groups.  And Pastner also notes that he's got all of the best gyms, including UNLV's McDermott Center, Durango High School, Green Valley High School, Spring Valley High School, Western High School, Bonanza High School, Chapparal High School, and the Doolittle Community Center, in Las Vegas, NV locked up, which means we won't have to drive to what seems like Canada or East of the Mississippi River to see games.  But what really makes Pastner's events terrific are all the great match-ups.  Remember, he is the only one in the tournament business who puts all of the top teams in super pools and then ensures them all a path into the playoffs.  So, with this in mind, some of the match-ups in pool play that you won't want to miss on Saturday include the Southern California All-Stars Red versus the Arizona Magic at 9:10 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's South Gym, Miami Tropics versus Branch West Team Reebok at 11:30 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's South Gym, Arizona Magic versus Georgia Elite at 12:40 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's North Gym, Houston Hoops versus California Elite at 1:50 M at UNLV's McDermott Center's South Gym, Southern California All-Stars Red versus Georgia Elite at 4:10 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's South Gym, Belmont Shore versus the Rising Stars Gold (Illinois) at 4:10 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's North Gym, and  Houston Hoops versus South Florida Elite at 5:20 AM at UNLV's McDermott Center's South Gym.  In other words, it looks like Pastner has made it really easy on us, as nearly all of the good match-ups in pool play will be held in the same location.  Then, just like clock work, the first round of the playoffs will begin at 6:30 PM and 7:40 PM on Saturday night, followed by the second round of games at 8:50 PM and 10:00 PM.  And things should get even more interesting on Sunday morning as the round of 16 begins at 9:10 AM, followed by the quarterfinals at 11:30 AM, semi-finals at 1:50 PM, and the championship at 3:00 PM.  For even more information about the 2005 Las Vegas Spring Showcase, as well as the Houston Kingwood Classic, which, once again, promises to be the best event of the entire spring, click onto VisionSports.com. 

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Today is the first day that high school seniors, prep school players, and junior college players can sign a bind National Letter-of-Intent for the Spring Signing Period, but the only big story involves 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, who is ranked #75 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, it comes as no surprise that our new Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia editor Dennis Marshall tells Reynolds has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma.  Not only were the Sooners the heavy favorite over Michigan and most of the schools in the ACC, but a source close to the Boo Williams Summer League Team told us over the weekend that Reynolds actually came close to making an official announcement for Oklahoma several weeks ago.  Reynolds does have some questions, like will he develop the mentality necessary to play point guard or will he grow several more inches, which will allow him to match-up better against bigger 2-guards?  But few players in the junior class nationally are capable of lighting up a scoreboard the way this guy can.  In other words, we're talking about a prolific scorer and a great outside shooter who can get his shot against anybody.  We also think Reynolds made a great choice, because Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson has a history of being very successful with undersized guards (i.e. Hollis Price and Andrew Lavender).  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that just a week ago the Sooners also received an early verbal commitment from 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So, with the addition of Reynolds, Oklahoma now has the #2-ranked recruiting class, behind Stanford and ahead of Kansas State, Ohio State, California, Baylor, UCLA, Hofstra, Northern Iowa, and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  We also have to confirmed that 6'1 Maurice Blakey from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL has committed to Evansville and 6'0 Emanuel Howard from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL has committed to Middle Tennessee State.  Blakey, who is a great defender and an excellent outside shooter and Howard, who is a tenacious point guard who makes things happen in transition, also are both winners, as is evident by the fact that their team went 28-5 and won the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Championship this past season.  And their coach, Everick Sullivan, who used to be player at the University of Louisville and now is one of the up-and-coming guys in the business, was named the Coach-of-the-Year in the conference and was the co-Coach-of-the-Year in the junior college ranks in Illinois this year.  So it should come as no surprise that he appears to be one of the leading candidates for the Vincennes (JC) IN job.  Speaking of coaching rumors, it still appears to be too close to call between DePaul head coach Dave Leitao and South Carolina head coach Dave Odom for the Virginia job.  Apparently the athletic director, who was an assistant, along with Odom, for the Cavaliers during the Terry Holland days, wants Odom and the president of the university, who was at Connecticut when Leitao was an assistant coach for the Huskies, wants Leitao.  But, as things stand now, Virginia interim head coach Walt Fuller is running the show and what we've just told you is what he's telling the recruits.  We also are hearing Manhattan head coach Bob Gonzalez being mentioned for DePaul, if it turns out to be Leitao, and Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall being mentioned for South Carolina, if it turns out to be Odom.  We also find it ironic that Brigham Young head coach Steve Cleveland has gotten the Fresno State job.  This is a natural fit when one remembers that Cleveland is originally from Fresno, CA, where he first was a high school and then was the head coach at Fresno City (JC) CA back in the days of Rafor Alston.  However, this also is a lateral move and they hired somebody who is coming off a 9-21 season.  As a matter of fact, if Cleveland hadn't have gotten the Fresno State job, there were rumors that he was going to be moved into an administrative position and BYU assistant coach Dave Rose might have been moved into the head coaching position anyway.  In other words, it looks like he beat the posse'.  We also think it is interesting that Alabama assistant coach Orlando Early has gotten the Louisiana-Monroe job, Kansas State assistant coach Mike Miller has gotten the Eastern Illinois job, George Washington assistant coach Steve Pikiell has gotten the Stony Brook job, and West Virginia assistant coach Jeff Neubauer has taken over at Eastern Kentucky.  This brings the number of Division I head coach jobs that have been filled this year to 24 and 17 of these jobs have been filled by assistant coaches from one of the top 10 Division I conferences.  The other seven coaching opens have been filled by four Division head coaches, a former NBA head coach, a director of basketball operations, and an assistant athletic director.   And, with the exception of Virginia and UNC-Greensboro, the remaining nine Division I head coaching jobs that are still vacant is like a who's who of the have not's in college basketball, as the list includes Centenary, Florida Atlantic, Howard, Jacksonville, Savannah State, VMI, and Youngstown State.  As a matter of fact, only five of the 33 Division I head coaching jobs that have opened this year were by schools that high Division I level.  We're talking about Purdue, Southern California, Tennessee, Tulane, and Virginia.  There also have been six head coaching opening at the mid-to-high major level, 11 head coaching openings at the mid-major level, and 11 head coaching openings at the low major level, which really illustrates why the coaching rumor-mill this spring has been about as uninteresting as we can ever remember.  And adding the lack of suspense is the fact that the coaching change at Purdue was pre-ordained  a year ago when Matt Painter left Southern Illinois to be groomed by Gene Keady for the job and the fact that new USC head coach Tim Floyd was given the USC job several months ago.  We also are glad to see that Floyd has decided to retain interim USC head coach Jim Saia.  Apparently Floyd felt like Saia, who previously was the top assistant coach at UCLA during the Steve Lavin era, had all of the necessary contacts to recruit in the Los Angeles area.  And apparently Louisville head coach Rick Pitino feels the same way about UNLV assistant coach Marvin Menzies, who not only is one of the best recruiters on the West Coast, but also is primarily responsible for the great recruiting class that Runnin' Rebels currently have in the fold.  If you will recall, UNLV's recruiting class, which includes 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Wendall White from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, 6'3 Jason Petrimoulx from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA, 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'7 Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, and 6'8 Jerome Jackson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, is ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this fits with what Pitino has said publicly about wanting to hire somebody with West Coast ties to replace Reggie Theus, who recently got the heading coaching job at New Mexico State.  Pitino also has made it clear that he plans to hire somebody who can recruit in the East, if a second spot on his staff opens.  And, while Cardinals assistant coach Kevin Willard recently turned down the Eastern Kentucky job and, instead, was named the associate head coach at Louisville, it does look like Scott Davenport, who is an administrative assistant for the Cardinals, will get the Bellarmine job.  So we're guessing that Pitino will attempt to hire Manhattan assistant coach Steve Masiello, who played for him at the University of Kentucky, in Davenport's old spot and groom him to replace Willard when he does move on to become a Division I head coach in a year or two.  As a matter of fact, Masiello was seen in Louisville earlier this week. 

It looks like one of the big winners during the Spring Signing Period is going to be Dartmouth, which has added four more players - 6'4 Reggie Schickel from Camden (Military) NC, 6'7 Adam Powers from Lyons Township (H.S.) IL, 6'7 Dominic Baker from Homewood (Homewood-Flossmore) IL, and 6'8 Dan Biber from Lorain (Admiral King) OH - to its recruiting class.  And, when you add these four players to the four players - 6'1 Devon Mosley from Mesquite (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Alex Barnett from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'1 Marlon Sanders from Cleveland Heights (H.S.) OH, and 6'8 Jarrett Mathis from Sheffield (Berkshire) MA - that they landed last fall, suddenly this not only becomes the best recruiting class in the Ivy League, but it also is ranked #32 our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Obviously the strength of this class lies in the fact that it has eight players, but they're also all good enough to step in next year and contribute right away.  Mosley is a strong physical athlete who can shoot, defend, and is ranked #230 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Barnett is a very talented athletic wing foward who shoots, slashes, and dunks.  Sanders is a penetrating point guard who also plays excellent defense.  Mathis is a long lanky athletic power forward/center who blocks shots, rebounds, and comes from a great basketball family (his older brother, J.C. Mathis, was a senior at Michigan this past season and his father, John Mathis, is the head coach at John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, NY).  Schickel is a big guard with maturity and toughness.  Powers is undersized, but he's deceptively athletic and very skilled in the low post.  Baker is an athletic four-man with skills and the experience that comes with starting on a nationally ranked high school team.  Biber has skills, size, and 3-point range, which allows him to play the wing forward spot and create match-up problems at 6'8.  We also have confirmed that IUPUI has landed 6'8 James Thompkins from Lake Land (JC) IL, who was listed by Rick Ball as a HM+ on his latest report.  Thompkins, who originally is from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN, where he teamed with current IUPUI starters George Hill and Brandon Cole, also averaged 26.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg and was ranked second nationally in the junior college ranks in scoring.  As a matter of fact, IUPUI will likely start five local kids next year in Cole, Hill, Thompkins, 5'11 Soph David Barlow from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, and 6'6 Angelo Smith from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who sat out this past season after transferring from Xavier.  And, after Cole has graduated a year from now, IUPUI may once again start five players from Indianapolis, IN, because the Jaguars also have added Austin Montgomery, who is transferring from Bowling Green.  And, if that weren't enough, they also have Gary, IN native Brandon Cameron, who sat out this past season after transferring from Penn State, waiting in the wings and 6'8 Andy Hampton from Shelbyville (H.S.) IN already in the fold in this year's recruiting class.   Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 Theo White from Tyler (JC) TX has signed with San Diego.  If you will recall, this is the same guy who committed to Southern Cal last fall, but later changed his mind due to the coaching change.  And Hampton wasn't the only one, as 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Garden City (JC) OK and 6'9 Samba Gueye from the Senegal also have opted out of going to USC and 6'8 Michael Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA appears to be exploring his options.  And, if Freeman does go elsewhere, that would leave 6'3 Sead Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL as the only remaining player in Southern Cal's recruiting class, which was tied at #21, along with Auburn, in our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes from the Fall Signing Period.  It also appears that 5'11 Shaun Davis from Southern Idaho (JC) ID will renege on the verbal commitment that he made several months ago to Indiana and follow his junior college coach Gib Arnold to USC.  We also understand that 6'8 Rekalin Sims from Salt Lake (JC) UT was in Lexington, KY last week making an official visit to the University of Kentucky.  And, if the Wildcats get Sims, who was our #1-ranked junior college player when we published our pre-season junior college rankings, he would be the ideal replacement for 6'6 Sr Chuck Hayes.  Sims also would be exactly what the doctor ordered, as Kentucky's #1 recruiting priority is a power forward who is capable of beating out 6'8 Soph Sheray Thomas.  Remember, Thomas has been an excellent role player the last two years, but it's questionable whether he's good enough to be a key piece to the puzzle next year if Kentucky wants to win the NCAA Championship.  However, with 7'0 Frosh Randolph Morris at center; Sims at power forward; 6'1 Jr Patrick Sparks, 6'2 Frosh Rajon Rondo, 6'3 Frosh Ramel Bradley, and 6'3 Frosh Joe Crawford all getting 30 minutes a game at the one, two, and three spotsl and a bench that includes Thomas, 7'3 Soph Shagari Alleyne, 7'1 Soph Lukasz Obrzut, 6'7 Soph Bobby Perry, and 6'2 Jr Ravi Moss; you really have to like the Wildcats' chances next year.  And, if they also get 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #71 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the third highest ranked high school senior still available, then Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith will have even more options available.  In other words, we think Echefu will also be able to beat out Thomas at the power forward spot and Sims is versatile enough to also play the wing forward spot.  However, getting Echefu might be easier said than done, because his list also includes schools like Arizona, Duke, Florida State, North Carolina, and Michigan and his legendary high school coach, Stu Vetter, has a long history of pushing his players towards the ACC.  We also have already talked about the potentially great recruiting class, which could include 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'10 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'6 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, that might be on the horizon for Duke.  However, the recruiting class that North Carolina may put together might even better.  As a matter of fact, we know that Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams didn't waste any time after winning the NCAA Championship, as he made in-home visits to 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN on Wednesday and Friday last week.  We also believe that North Carolina is the team to beat for Durant and 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, who in our opinion are the two best players in the junior class nationally, and 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is arguably the best point guard in the junior class, thanks to his jet-like speed and quickness, excellent outside shooting, and tremendous decision-making.  And, of course, there is 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has already publicly stated that he'd like to be the guy who replaces Raymond Felton as the point guard at North Carolina.  But, if Augustine really wants to go to North Carolina, he's better not wait too long, because we'd be surprised if the Tar Heels sign two point guards in next year's recruiting class.  Remember, they already have 6'3 Frosh Quentin Thomas in the program and 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL will also likely get more time at the point guard spot than at the 2-guard spot since 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, both of whom also are a part of their current recruiting class, also will be vying for plenty of playing time at the wing spots in the future.  Are starting to get the idea that if they put an age limit into the NBA Players Collective Bargaining Agreement, which is expected to be renegotiated this summer, that North Carolina may have so much talent in the future that they may lock back on this year as a down year?  Moral to the story, if Felton joins 6'4 Jr Rashad McCants, who already has let it be known that he intends to enter his name into the NBA Draft, Frasor, Ginyard, and Green could all conceivable start as freshmen next year, but then get beat out by Lawson, Ellington, and Durant when they are sophomores.  And, if you don't believe it, the obviously you don't know how good this class is as, there are at least 11 players who have the talent and potential to be better than anybody in the current senior class nationally.  We're talking about 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, and 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA and they are ranked in order based on where we think they stand today.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

The Spring Signing Period begins tomorrow, so it comes as no surprise that there already have been some major verbal commitments this week.  And right at the top of the list is 6'9 B.J. Walker from Garden City (JC) KS, who was one of the best junior college players still available. We're talking about a 6'9 power forward who can is an excellent scorer and rebounder around the basket, but also can step out and beat you with his outside shot on the perimeter.  Walker, who picked the Cornhuskers over schools like Iowa State, Texas A&M, Miami-FL, South Florida, Auburn, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee, also has excellent hands, great skills, and a very high basketball IQ.  And he already has Division I experience dating back to when he averaged 10.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg as a freshman at the University of Buffalo during the 2002-2003 season.  This year this "bruising, physical, low post player" averaged 16.2 ppg and 8.7 rpg and was named First Team Jayhawk All-Conference and First Team All Region VI.  The addition of Walker also should put the Cornhuskers in a position to be one of the two most improved teams, along with Baylor, in the Big-12 Conference next year.  If you will recall, they already have 6'6 Will Harris from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'0 Marcus Walker from Kansas City (O'Hara) MO, 6'3 Jamel White from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Chris Balham from Shawnee Mission (West) KS, and 6'7 Kyle Marks from West Palm Beach (Dwyer) FL already in the fold and, as a result, their recruiting class is now ranked #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And when one also remembers that Nebraska's leading scorer (Joe McCray, who averaged 15.5 ppg) and leading rebounder (Aleks Maric, who averaged 8.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg) both were freshmen this past season, it's easy to see why the future is so bright for the Cornhuskers.  In other words, Nebraska head coach Barry Collier should have most of the pieces in place next year, as Maric, Walker, and Harris should provide a terrific front line, McCray also is one of the better players in the league at the 2-guard spot, and Walker has the talent and athleticism necessary to walk in and immediately replace 6'0 Sr Marcus Neal at the point guard spot.  And the year after they should be even better, because by that time Walker will be a senior, Maric and McCray will be juniors, and all of the excellent recruits in this recruiting class will be sophomores.  However, the Cornhuskers should not wait that long to give Nebraska assistant coach Scott Spinelli, who is largely responsible for getting all this done in just two years on the coaching staff and obviously is one of the best recruiters in the business, a big fat raise.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #46 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Mississippi State.  And, this comes as a major surprise, because our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead has told us all along that he thought Gordon would still end up at Tennessee.  However, it appears that the new regime did not have the time they needed to make up for the ground that was obviously lost when Buzz Peterson and his staff got fired almost a month ago.  Instead, it looks like new Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl are concentrating on getting a head start on recruiting in the junior class and one of the first players they will have on campus for an unofficial visit this spring will be 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and can play either the one or the two.  Remember, Pearl previously was the head coach at Milwaukee-Wisconsin and he's extremely close friends with Smith's father.  Did you know that their sons have played together on the same AAU team for years?  Getting back to Gordon picking the Bulldogs, this moves Mississippi State's recruiting class, which already includes 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'5 Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'5 Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, and 6'7 Bernard Rimmer from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, up to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But that may not last long, because Ellis is expected to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  And, if that happens, the Bulldogs' recruiting class would drop into a tie at #9, along with LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, Ellis is one of seven high school players who we think will by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft this spring.  The others are 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NY, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, and 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  We also have confirmed that the University of Florida has landed 6'0 Walter Hodge from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, who is ranked #239 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We're not sure if Hodge will ever develop into a pure point guard, but this is an interesting catch because he's got the speed and quickness to fit into Florida's uptempo style of play and he should fit in perfectly with the other two wing players - 6'3 Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL and 6'4 David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL - that the Gators have landed in this recruiting class.  Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'6 Geoff McDermott from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY has verbally committed to Providence and this too is interesting for a number of reasons.  First, McDermott, who was not ranked among the top 625 players in the senior class nationally last fall by the HOOP SCOOP, had an outstanding senior season and, as a result, appears to be one of the fastest rising players in the nation.  Second, McDermott was being recruited by schools like Duke and Boston College, which means he was on the list of the best players still available.  Third, McDermott is like a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none, which means he's ideally suited to step in and help the Friars immediately next year.  We're talking about somebody who led his high school to a 26-2 record, a spot in the Class AA state finals, and averaged 19.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg, and 7.0 apg.  He also was the one primarily responsible for his team knocking off nationally ranked Mt. Vernon, which is their biggest rival, not once, but twice this season.  Fourth, like so many of the players that Friars assistant coach Steve DeMeo has landed at Providence in recent years, McDermott also has a huge upside.  Fifth, this moves Providence's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI and 6'4 Weyinimi Efejuku from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, into a tie at #55, along with Tennessee, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have received word from our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis that 6'7 DeAndre Coleman from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA has verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati.  And this appears to be exactly what the doctor order for the Bearcats, because Coleman is a big time athlete who can shoot the three, handle the ball, and put up prolific numbers.  The addition of Coleman moves the Cincinnati's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Cedric McGowan from Kilgore (JC) TX, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Chatham (Hargrave Militray) VA, 5'10 Deven Downey from Chester (H.S.) SC, and 6'10 Abdul Herrera from Miami (South Miami) FL, up to #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, the best still appears to be yet to come for the Bearcats, because it looks like they are on the verge of getting a big time transfer.  And we'll provide you with all of the details as they become available.  It also appears that 6'3 Jr Lathan Wallace from Portland (Jefferson) OR has verbally committed to Oregon State, which they already are getting a head start on landing an other excellent recruiting class a year from now.  If you will recall, Oregon State, already has 6'3 Wesley Washington from Yavapai (JC) AZ, 6'9 Calvin Hampton from Hampton (Prep) NH, and 6'3 Josh Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR in this recruiting class and they also appear to be one of the favorites for 6'2 Jr P'Allen Stinnett from Las Vegas (Palos Verdes) NV, 6'5 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'0 Jr Marcus Lawrence from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, all of whom have expressed a desire to attend the same school as a package.  It also looks like Manhattan has landed a sleeper in 6'3 Christian Jackson from Suitland (H.S.) MD.  We're talking about a strong athletic 2-guard who is more of a slasher than a shooter, but who is capable of putting up big numbers.  The addition of Jackson moves Manhattan's recruiting class into a tie at #100, along with Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, and Xavier, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Wright State has landed 6'1 Robert Eldridge from Richmond (New Creations) IN, 6'3 Tyrone Scott from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 6'7 Scott Wilson from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, and 6'7 Walt Chancellor from Wabash Valley (JC) IL and, as a result, their recruiting class, which already included 6'11 James Craft from Mercersburg (Academy) PA, is now tied at #68 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Donnie Wilkie, who is the tournament director for the City of Palms Classic, appears to have the scoop on our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton with regards to 6'7 Soph Marshall Moses, who is ranked #19 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and just happens to play for Clifton's AAU team, transferring from Aiken (H.S.) SC to Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC, where he will team up with 6'6 Eric Wallace, who is ranked #13 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And Wilkie knows this because Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC is one of the 11 teams that are currently slated to be in his tournament this winter, along with Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, Brentwood (Academy) TN, LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, Miami (Senior) FL, Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, and Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL.

Saturday, April 9, 2005, Sunday, April 10, 2005, & Monday, April 11, 2005

The Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA did not start out with a bang, because there was a big disparity between the top teams in the tournament and the bottom teams in the tournament.  However, all that changed once the playoffs started.  As a matter of fact, we're hard pressed to remember a better set of four games than we saw Saturday night in the quarterfinals when the Boo Williams Summer League team beat the The Family 75-72; DC Blue Devils beat Team Texas, 92-77; the Houston Hoops beat the Illinois Warriors, 87-80; and the Metro Hawks beat the New York Gauchos, 86-79.  And, some of the performances and match-ups were nothing short of spectacular.  We start with the 38 points that 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA had against Team Texas.  Not only has Durant dramatically improved his perimeter game and ball handling skills since we saw last saw him in December, but he also shot the lights out with seven 3-pointers and he was so good that Carmelo Anthony comparisons are in order.  And, if Durant plays like this all time, we also will have to give him strong consideration for National Player-of-the-Year honors, along with 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Durant was also named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, despite the fact his team got beat in the semi-finals against an absolutely loaded Boo Williams team.  Currently Durant is rumored to leaning towards Louisville, but he also mentioned Texas, Kentucky, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina, plus he confirmed that he's young for his class and plans attend college after he graduates from high school a year from now.  And 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who had 31 points for the game and 21 points in the second half, was just as impressive, as he used his explosive speed and quickness to blow by defenders and incredible ball handling and passing skills, court savvy, and understanding of the game to make those around him better.  And stepping up for Team Texas in the same game was 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, who not only scored 21 of his 31 points in the second half, but matched Durant 3-pointer for 3-pointer several times down the stretch, as he attempted to get his team back in the game.  Arthur also impressed us with unbelievable hands, explosive quickness, great passing skills, terrific feel for the game, aggressiveness on the boards, and ability to score seemingly at will both inside and outside.  In other words, just like Durant, at 6'9 there isn't anything Arthur can't do and, as a result, he too has to be ranked among the top five juniors nationally, along with Durant, Ellington, Oden, and 6'9 Jr Branden Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN.  There also were the incredible performances by 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX and 5'9 Jr Brandon Brown from Houston (Aldine) TX when the Houston Hoops knocked off the Illinois Warriors.  Wise finished with 32 points and seven 3-pointers and Brown finished with 28 points and six 3-pointers, but, even more impressive, is the fact that the Houston Hoops as a team hit 15-22 field goals.  Wise, who verbally committed to Arizona when he was a freshman in high school two years ago, also put to rest any doubts about his being one of the premier point guards nationally in his class, along with Lawson, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, and 6'2 Jr Sharron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, as he made great decisions, played excellent defense, and was the catalyst for his team.  Brown is an undersized 2-guard, but with all the other excellent players, like 6'8 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 5'10 Soph Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'6 Soph Mike Singletary from Houston (Singletary) TX, 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Darris Santee from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, and 6'9 Soph Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX, on the Houston Hoops, he is often the forgotten guy.  And, when Brown is left open, he hits the 3-point shot all day long.  Getting back to Collins, he too was terrific, as he scored 25 points, drained five 3-pointers against the Houston Hoops, and showed why those who have seen him recently in Illinois rank him right up there, along with 6'6 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, as one of the top two juniors in the state.  Collins, who is a star in three different sports (basketball, football, and baseball), also is an incredible athlete, tremendous competitor, and good ball handler and passer who makes things happen in an uptempo setting.  But, unfortunately Collins didn't have Scheyer, who was missing in action for the Illinois Warriors, waiting on the wings when he penetrated and dished in this tournament.  Instead, the second leading scorer in their game against Houston Hoops with 13 points was 6'7 Jr Manual Cass from Carbondale (H.S.) IL, who did most of his damage inside and gets better and better every time we see him.  The match-up between the Metro Hawks (formerly Riverside Church) and the New York Gauchos was your typical heated fast-paced battle between two of the big rivals from New York City, as 6'8 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, who finished with 20 points, and 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who had 17 points, went to war inside and 6'0 Soph Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who had 16 points for the Metro Hawks, and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY and 6'3 Jr Terrill McKenzie from Paramus (Catholic) NJ, who combined for 37 points for the Gauchos, made things interesting out on the perimeter.  We also were impressed with 6'3 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 5'9 Jr Tajuan Porter from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, and 6'4 Jr Leon Freeman from Belleville (H.S.) MI, who combined for 57 points for the Family against The Boo Williams Summer League team.  But they needed 6'7 Jr Deshawn Sims from Detroit (Pershing) MI, who was one of the best players in the tournament based on his performances in the previous two games, to have a better game than he did, if they were going to beat a team that featured 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 6'0 Soph Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'3 Jr Stefan Welsh from Newport News (Woodside) VA, 6'8 Jr William Crews from Hampton (Bethel) VA, 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Woodbridge (Potomac) VA, 6'5 Jr L.D. Williams from Montverde (Academy) FL, and 6'8 Jr Lewis Witcher from Rocky Mount (Franklin County) VA.  In this game Reynolds was the guy who came up big with 26 points, but they have so many weapons and they can beat you in so many different ways that it was very difficult selecting anybody from this team on the seven-man all-tournament team, which included Reynolds, Macklin, Durant, Lawson, Arthur, Wise, and 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, who, we haven't mentioned yet, but impressed us with his incredible post moves, surprising mobility, and aggressiveness on the boards, as he totally dominated inside.  We also haven't even mentioned guys great players like 6'9 Jr Branden Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'9 Jr Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 6'5 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'4 Jr Jermaine Beal from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Jr Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas) MN, 6'7 Jr Landon Milbourne from Roswell (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmund (Santa Fe) OK, 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'8 Jr Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 5'8 Soph Isiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 5'10 Soph Jay Dee Luster from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'5 Jr Jerren Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'5 Jr Ryan Anderson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'4 Jr Ernest Williams from Federal Way (H.S.) WA, 6'1 Jr James Florence from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'8 Jr Avery Jukes from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'5 Soph Kevin Branch from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'4 Soph E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'9 Jr Jamil Tucker from Gary (West Side) IN, 6'8 Jr Luke Harangody from Gary (Andrean) IN, 6'0 Soph Taylor Battle from Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY, 6'8 Jr Ekpe Udoh from Edmund (Santa Fe) OK, 6'4 Jr James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH, 6'9 Jr Josh Chichester from West Chester (Lakota West) OH, 6'7 Soph Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington) LA, 6'7 Jr Cory Johnson from Duluth (East) MN, 6'5 Jr Elijah Whitehad from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Kasif Pratt from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Jr Anthony Gurley from Newton (North) MA, and 6'9 Jr DaJuan Summer from Baltimore (McDonough) MD.  Are you starting get the idea that this event was absolutely loaded?  Getting back to the playoffs, the two semi-finals games in the Gold Division were anticlimactic when compared to the four great quarterfinals games the night before.  And, in both cases, depth proved to be a factor, as the Houston Hoops beat the Metro Hawks, 76-68, and the Boo Williams Summer League team beat the DC Blue Devils, 66-56.  And, once again the scoring was very balanced for Boo Williams, as 6'8 Jr Lewis Witcher from Rocky Mount (Franklin County) VA, who was playing in his first major event and is a major sleeper nationally, had 13 points; 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA had 11 points; 6'0 Soph Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC and 6'3 Jr Stefan Welsh from Newport News (Woodside) VA both had 10 points apiece; and 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA had six points.  The leading scorers for the DC Blue Devils were 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 15 points, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 10 points and 6'4 Jr Robert Shannon from Oxon Hill (Potomac) MD with 10 points.  In the other semi-finals game, the Houston Hoops were led by 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX with 15 points and nine rebounds and 6'8 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX with 15 points and the Metro Hawks were led by 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'0 Soph Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who combined for 35 points.  The Houston Hoops also made things interesting for a while in the championship game, as 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half.  However, for the second straight week 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX was lost due to an injury down the stretch and the Boo Williams team with 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portmouth (Norcom) VA, who scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, 6'3 Jr Stefan Welsh from Newport News (Woodside) VA, who scored 20 points and did a good job defensively, and 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, who finished with 16 points, coasted to a 81-65 victory to win this tournament for the first time since the days of Jeff Capel and Ronald Curry. 

Friday, April 8, 2005

Maryland's' two primary recruiters (Dave Dickerson to Tulane and  Mike Lonergan to Vermont) both have gotten head coaching jobs this spring, but that hasn't stopped the Terrapins from landing 6'7 David Neal from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, who is ranked #387 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Neal is best described as a skilled combo forward and, as a result, should be a good role player, as well as an excellent complement to 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #6 on our list of the top 5th Year Players and is the only other player in Maryland's current recruiting class.  However, even more important, the addition of Neal gives the Terrapins a pipeline into the Bishop O'Connell program, which should be one of the premier programs in the Washington, DC area as long as Joey Wootten, who is a chip off the old block (his father is the legendary Morgan Wootten), is the head coach at this perennial power in the strong DC Catholic League.  It also looks like our former Washington, DC Area Editor Steve Turner may have not one, but two players heading to the Ivy League.  But, as things stand now, neither the race for 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who has been accepted to the University of Pennsylvania, nor the race 6'7 Kenyon Churchwell from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who has been accepted into school by Harvard, has been declared official.  We also were shocked when we found out yesterday that 6'5 Kelenna Azubuike not only has declared for the NBA Draft, but also has hired an agent, which means he has foregone the rest of his college eligibility and, as a result, can not return to the University of Kentucky for his senior year.  Sure, Azubuike was Kentucky's leading scorer this past season (14.7 ppg), but, as things stand now, he's being project no higher than as a mid-to-late second round pick.  And, he's not the only one who announced that he's entering the NBA Draft within the last 24 hours.  However, after scoring 24 points and hitting six 3-pointers in the McDonald's All-American Game, it comes as no surprise that 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX has become the first high school player to officially announce that he's entering his name into this year's NBA Draft.  But, unlike Azubuike, Green has not hired an agent.  So Green still has the option of going to Oklahoma State, which is where he signed last fall, if he finds out that he's not going to be a lottery pick.  In other words, Green has until June 21st to test the waters and pull his name out.  We also believe that 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NY, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, and 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA will by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft this spring, which means there should be a minimum of seven high school and/or prep school players who will apply for early entry into the NBA Draft by May 14th.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Bucknell has a verbal commitment from 6'11 Josh Linticum from Lynchburg (Virginia Episcopal) VA and it looks like former La Salle head coach Billy Hahn is the leading candidate to move into Fred Hill's assistant coaching spot at Villanova.  And, assuming that this happens, this would be the equivalent of Billy Donovan hiring former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt at Florida a year ago.  If you will recall, Hahn not only has head coaching experience, but he also was one of the most astute evaluators of talent and best recruiters in the business when he helped Gary Williams build his two NCAA Final Four teams at Maryland.  Another great name for the Villanova job is Richmond assistant Gary DeCesare, who not only has great New York City ties, but also almost got hired by Jay Wright at Villanova when he originally got the job three years ago.  It also looks like Seton Hall head coach Louie Orr plans to moves George Jackson, who previously was the Director of Basketball Operations, into the assistant coaching position that Brian Nash held prior to taking the head coaching job recently at St. Francis-NY.  And how about new Eastern Michigan head coach Charles Ramsey hiring Dusty May, who was the video coordinator during the winter and the chief recruiter at Indiana University when they had assistant coaching positions open during the spring and summer each of the last two years?  If you will recall, May, who is ranked #1 on our list of the top 30 People Who Are In An Administrative Position, like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator in our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game, was the architect behind the great recruiting class, which featured 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 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, 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 7'1 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA, that the Hoosiers had prior to when Smith and Rothbart both decided to by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft a year ago. 

Thursday, April 7, 2005

I have good news and I have bad news.  The good news is that we have not raised the price of our web site in four years.  The bad news is that due to rising costs we will be raising the price for a subscription to the web site a week from today on Thursday, April 14th.  The price of a subscription to the Members Section will go from $39 to $45 per month, $115 to $125 for three months, $230 to $250 for six months, and $460 to $499 per year.  So if you want to beat the price increase, I encourage you to either click onto subscribe or call us 1-(502) 500-4667.  The other big news of the day involves 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Not only has James decided to switch his club team affiliation from Texas Blue Chip to the Houston Hoops, but he's also decided to make an early verbal commitment to the University of Oklahoma.  We're talking about a multi-dimensional athlete who is capable of playing just about any position on the court and is the second highest ranked player to have made an early verbal commitment in the junior class nationally.  As a matter of fact, the commitment by James moves the Sooners' recruiting class into a tie at #3, along with Ohio State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And we're looking forward to seeing James play for the Houston Hoops this weekend at the Boo Williams Invitational Basketball Tournament in Hampton, VA.  Speaking of this NIKE sponsored event, the 17-Under Division appears to be absolutely loaded as Pool A will have Team Texas, Albany City Rocks, Team, Florida, and All-Ohio; Pool B will have the Howard Pulley Panthers, BABC, SYF Players, and Houston Hoops; Pool C will have Memphis, Metro Hawks, Charlotte Royals, and Northern Calif. Elite; Pool D will have BWSL, New Jersey All-Stars, Alabama Laser, and Murfreesboro Stars; Pool E will have The Family, Georgia Stars, Friends of Hoop, and St. Louis Eagles; Pool F will have the New York Gauchos, California Elite, South Carolina Ravens, and Ferrari Youth Players; Pool G will have the Illinois Warriors, Athletes First, Louisiana Select, and Tennessee Travelers; and Pool H will have the Portland Legends, Cecil Kirk, Wisconsin Playground Warriors, and DC Blue Devils.  Pool play will begin tomorrow night with games at 6:00 PM, 7:30 PM, 9:00 PM, and 10:30 PM, followed by a full day of action beginning at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 9th. The playoffs in the 17-Under Division will begin with quarterfinals games at 8:00 PM and 9:30 PM on Saturday night, followed by the semi-finals at 9:30 AM and the championship at 12:30 PM in the Gold, Silver, and Bronz Divisions.  The 16-Under Division and the 15-Under Division also are worth keeping an eye on, because this is where we'll get a sneak preview of all the good young players that are in NIKE club team programs.  The 16-Under Division in Pool A will have the New York Gauchos, York Stars, D.C. Blue Devils, and Team Georgia; Pool B will have New Orleans, Tennessee Mavericks, BWSL-Virginia Beach Heat, and North Carolina Gators; Pool C will have Team Texas, South Carolina Elite, Virginia Prep All-Stars, and North Carolina Breakers; Pool D will have BWSL-Chatman, Tennessee Travelers, Georgia Warriors, and 94 X 50; Pool E will have The Family, Bay Area Hoosiers, Abyssinian Church, and the Rage; Pool F will have Metro Hawks, Jackson Tigers, Mt. Royal, and Georgia Hurricanes; Pool G will have Georgia Stars, Reach Higher Kings, Albany City Rocks, and South Carolina Ravens; and Pool H will have Utah Swoosh, Cecil Kirk, Columbus Georgia Blazers, and Richmond Metros.  The 16-Under Division will follow a similar format, except the semi-finals will begin at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 9th, and the Championship will be at 11:00 AM.  The 15-Under Division in Pool A will have Metro Hawks, T.D. Sports, and Hoop Booth; Pool B will have the New York Gauchos, Georgia Stars Black, and Fairfax County Stars; Pool C will have Mean Streets I, Columbia Georgia Blazers, and Mt. Royal; Pool D will have the Jackson Tigers, Tennessee Travelers, and Reach Higher Kings; Pool E will have the The Family, South Carolina Elite, and Virginia Beach Elite; Pool F will have the South Carolina Ravens, Peninsula Hawks, and Columbia Titans; Pool G will have Cecil Kirk, Mean Streets II, and Team Georgia; and Georgia Stars-Blue, Albany City Rocks, and BWSL-Peninsula Blue.   The 15-Under Division will also follow a similar format in pool play, but the first round of the playoffs will begin with at 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM on Saturday, April 9th, followed by second round games at 8:00 PM and 9:30 PM on Saturday night, quarterfinals games at 8:00 AM on Sunday morning, semi-finals games at 11:00 AM, and the championship at 2:00 PM on Sunday afternoon.  And we'll have all the highlights exclusively in the Members Section on Sunday night or Monday.  We also have an updated list of all of the NIKE events that will take place this spring and summer and they include the Hoop Summit in Memphis, TN on April 9th, the Jordan Classic in New York, NY on April 16th, the Memorial Day Classic in New Orleans, LA on May 28th-30th; Douai Tournament in Douai, France on June 5th-13th; the Hoop Jamboree is St. Louis, MO on June 15th-18th; All-Asia Camp in Beijing, China on June 15th-19th; Skills Academy in Portland, OR on June 18th-21st; Basketball Without Borders-Americas in Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 30th-July 3rd; NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN on July 5th-9th; Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC on July 12th-15th; and Basketball Without Borders-Europe in Treviso, Italy on July 28th-31st.  For more information about the Boo Williams Invitational Basketball Tournament or any of these NIKE sponsored events, click onto their web site at www.hoopsfuture.com.

Wednesday, April 6, 2005

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill has resigned and it appears that he is heading to Rutgers, where he will take over for Garland Mance and assume the role associate head coach.  And this is huge for several reasons.  First, Hill is one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he was ranked as the #1 assistant by the HOOP SCOOP a year ago and was ranked #3 on our list this time around.  Second, Hill is one of the best recruiters in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he helped land the recruiting class at Seton Hall that was ranked #6 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2000 and included 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Marcus Toney-El from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, and 6'7 Damion Frey from Huntington (Walt Whitman) NY and the recruiting class at Villanova that was ranked #7 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2002 and included 6'8 Jason Frasor from Amityville (H.S.) NY,  6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NY.  Third, Hill has tremendous connections in both the New York City and North Jersey areas, which means that the Scarlet Knights should be second to none when it comes to recruiting in their backyard, as Hill and Rutgers assistant coach Jim Carr should provide what is potentially one of the best one-two punches in the New York City area.  Rubin also tells us that Villanova is expected to get an early verbal commitment from 6'8 Jr Kraidon Woods from Swiftwater (Pocono Mountain East) PA, who has a 2:00 PM press conference scheduled for tomorrow to announce his college decision.  Woods is ranked #15 by in the area Rubin, but this doesn't even begin to tell what a great catch he might turn out to be for the Wildcats.  We're talking about a long lanky athletic shot blocking face-up four-man who reminds Rubin of a poor man's Hakim Warrick.  And, just like Warrick at the same stage, Woods has a huge upside and, as a result, this appears to be a great start to what needs to be a big recruiting class, as Wildcats head coach Jay Wright continues his quest for players to replace Frasor, Ray, Sumpter, and Foye a year from now.  Rubin also tells us that Providence, George Washington, and Northwestern are the final three for 6'3 Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA and Florida State, St. Joseph's, Illinois, and Wake Forest are early favorites for 6'1 Jr Darrin Govens from Chester (H.S.) PA.  However, this list promises to get a lot longer before it gets shorter, because Govens is still wide open.  And, if that weren't enough for one day, Rubin also tells us that 6'8 Blake Nielsen from Oak Park (Fenwick) IL has verbally committed to Lafayette, which means that the Leopards are now tied with Navy with the best recruiting class in the league.  If you will recall, Lafayette also has commitments from 6'7 Brian Young from Cherry Hill (East) NJ, 6'7 Dave Smith from Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ, and 6'10 Tom Leszczynski from South Huntington (St. Anthony's) NY.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'2 Collin Robinson from Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA has verbally committed to Southern Cal and 6'8 Jessie Byrd from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA has verbally committed to San Francisco.  The commitment by Byrd, who is ranked #30 in the state by our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, appears to be an excellent catch for the Dons.  Not only are we talking about an athletic banger inside, but also somebody with a major upside.  So Byrd should fit in nicely, along with 6'6 Danny Cavic from Santa Ana (JC) CA, 6'0 Drew Schiller form Burlingame (H.S.) CA, 6'9 James Morgan from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and 6'10 Omar Samham from Danville (San Ramon Valley) CA, all of whom already are apart of San Francisco's recruiting class, as Don's head coach Jessie Evans continues to lay a strong foundation.  However, we're wondering if we're missing something with regards to why USC took Robinson.  Not only is he not ranked among the top 300 seniors in the state by Trigonis, but the only schools that were showing any intersest were UC-Irvine and UC-Northridge.  However, the Trojans still may hit the jackpot with this year's recruiting class, because it looks they are on the verge of hiring Southern Idaho (JC) ID head coach Gib Arnold and landing 6'11 Abdoulayne Ndiayne from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who is ranked #5 in the junior college ranks by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, assuming that Ndiayne does pick the Trojans, that would move their recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Sean Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, 6'8 Michael Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA, and 6'9 Rousean Cromwell from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, back up to #30 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, Southern Cal's recruiting class was tied at #21, along with Auburn, in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes from the Fall Signing Period.  However, when the regime changed when Henry Bibby got the ax in early December, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Garden City (JC) OK, 6'9 Samba Gueye from the Senegal, and 6'7 Theo White from Tyler (JC) TX all decided to look elsewhere.  So now USC's recruiting class is tied at #103, along with Buffalo, Dartmouth, Middle Tennessee State, Wyoming, Yale, Akron, and Rhode Island, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   The addition of Arnold also will be valuable, because he brings head coaching experience, as well as his junior college ties from Southern Idaho (JC) ID and West Coast ties dating back to his days as an assistant coach at Pepperdine.  We also are intrigued by the fact that 6'7 Frosh Alex Galindo is transferring from Kansas.  Remember, this is the guy who originally committed to UTEP, but reneged on the Miners when Billy Gillispie took the Texas A&M head coaching job a year ago.  Our guess is that Galindo will follow Sergio Rouco, who was the guy who recruited Rouco to UTEP, to Florida International or end up at Rutgers or Pittsburgh, which were the other two finalists for Galindo when he picked the Jayhawks last spring.  We also have confirmed that Wagner College has landed 6'9 Matt Kittrell from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, who is ranked #505 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this appears to be a perfect fit for the Seahawks, because Wagner head coach Mike Deane has made a living with guys who can post you up inside and also step and shoot the three.  Kittrell, who also was considering schools like William & Mary, Siena, and Stony Brook, needs to become a little more explosive, but he does have has good hands, runs the court, defends, blocks shots, and isn't afraid to mix it up inside.  The addition of Kittrell moves Wagner's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Doug Elwell from Staten Island (Monsignor Farrell) NY and 6'4 Lew Radford from Newport News (Heritage Christian) VA, into a tie at #135, along with Northern Iowa, Evansville, Monmouth, Miami-OH, Bethune-Cookman, Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, Louisiana Tech, Duquesne, Tulsa, Creighton, and Lehigh, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, this comes on the heels of Wagner's recruiting class from a year ago, which was ranked #70 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, 6'6 Jason Rudakas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'6 James Ulrich from Camden (Catholic) NJ, and 6'2 Joe Mundweiler from Olathe (East) KS.  If you will recall, Wagner lost 12 of its first 13 games this past season, but thanks to the depth and important roles that his group provided, the Seahawks won 11 of their last 13 games and just missed winning the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship.  And, when you also factor 6'7 Soph Durell Vinson, 6'6 Soph Matt Vitale, and 6'5 Soph Jeff Webb into the equation, suddenly Deane and his staff can be very selective about what they do with the one remaining scholarship that they have available for a player in the junior class.  Right now they are targeting point guards, but, if, by some chance another scholarship should open up, they also would be able to go after the best available player. 

Tuesday, April 5, 2005

Darryl Schofield, who is the coach at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, called our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin earlier today and told him that 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA has not verbally committed to UNLV.  But we stand by what we reported yesterday.  As a matter of fact, Thomas is quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal yesterday saying that he's going to UNLV.  "I'm real excited about trying to get them back on the map," Thomas said Sunday from Philadelphia.  "I feel like I can trust Coach Kruger to make me a better player.  I really liked the coaches and the guys."  Thomas also adds, "I think I can help in a lot of areas, but mostly rebounding and scoring.  I think I can come in and help the team right away."  However, this wouldn't be the first time that Thomas has made a verbal commitment and it later fell through.  If you will recall, Thomas and his teammate at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA (Stefan Jackson) both verbally committed to UTEP last fall, but soon after Thomas' name was back on the board, because the Miners didn't have a scholarship available for him in this recruiting class.  We also have received a report via Kenny Gillion of BreakDownMagazine.com about 6'5 Trevor Ferguson from Oldsmar (Christian) FL verbally committing to the University of Pittsburgh.  And this appears to be an excellent catch, because Ferguson broke his wrist and, as a result, was not seen on the circuit last summer.  In other words, Ferguson, who also has been recruited by schools like Florida State, Richmond, UAB, George Washington, James Madison, New Orleans, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and San Francisco, could turn out to be a major sleeper and it appears that Panthers assistant coach Joe Lombardi deserves most of the credit for landing this versatile 2-guard who averaged 23 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 7.8 apg for one of the Class A powers in the state.  The addition of Ferguson also is significant, because Pittsburgh's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, 6'8 Doyle Hudson from Roane (JC) TN, and 5'11 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, is now ranked #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, it appears that Jamie Dixon and his staff have gone a long way towards rebuilding the strong foundation that they will need to be successful in the future in the tough Big East Conference.  And we say that despite the fact that 6'7 Sr Chevon Troutman, 6'10 Sr Mark McCarroll, and 6'4 Sr Yuri Demetris will graduate this spring and 6'10 Soph Chris Taft and 6'2 Jr Carl Krauser both are rumored to have already signed with an agent and, as a result, have to enter the NBA Draft.  Remember, Pittsburgh signed three excellent perimeter players a year ago in 6'1 Frosh Ronald Ramon, 6'2 Keith Benjamin, and 6'6 Jr John DeGroat and all five of their current recruits appear to be good enough to make an immediate impact next year.  Speaking of players who will enter their name into the NBA Draft this spring, the list already includes Taft, Krauer, Utah's 7'0 Andrew Bogut, North Carolina's 6'4 Jr Rashad McCants, 6'8 Jr Arizona State's 6'8 Jr Ike Diogu, Connecticut's 6'9 Soph Charlie Villanueva, Louisville's 6'7 Jr Francisco Garcia, Arizona's 6'4 Jr Hassan Adams, Texas A&M's 6'7 Jr Antoine Wright, Alabama's 6'6 Jr Kennedy Winston, and Seton Hall's 6'5 Jr J.R. Morris.  And this is valuable information to know when one starts thinking about who will be the top teams in college basketball next year.  As things stand now, the best team should be Connecticut.  But that's assuming that 6'0 Frosh A.J. Price is fully recovered and that Villaneuva is only player who leaves early for the NBA Draft.  As a matter of fact, a great point guard was the only thing that this past year's team was missing and next year Connecticut should have the size, experience, and depth necessary to win the NCAA Championship, as 6'5 Jr Rashad Anderson, 6'5 Jr Denham Brown, 6'10 Jr Hilton Armstrong, 6'8 Jr Ed Nelson, 6'6 Jr Ryan Thompson, 6'10 Soph Josh Boone, 6'2 Soph Marcus Williams, 6'9 Frosh Rudy Gay are also expected to be back and this year's recruiting class, which currently is tied at #16, along with Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, includes 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, and 6'2 Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT.  We also really like Villanova, which returns just about everybody from a team that got knocked off by North Carolina on a controversial walking call in the regional semi-finals.  We're talking about 6'9 Jr Jason Frasor, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter, 6'2 Jr Allan Ray, 6'3 Jr Randy Foye, 6'0 Soph Michael Nardi, 6'8 Soph Will Sheridan, and 6'0 Frosh Kyle Lowry.   Plus, Villanova will have even more valuable depth from a recruiting class that includes 6'5 Dwayne Anderson from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 Dante Cunningham from Oxon Hill (Potomac) MD, 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Frank Tchuisi from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 7'0 Robbie Jackson from Aberdeen (H.S.) MD.   Next comes Kentucky, even if 6'5 Jr Kelenna Azubuike doesn't come back (Azubuike is rumored to be going to enter his name into the NBA Draft).  Nobody in college basketball will have better guards than 6'1 Frosh Rajon Rondo, 6'1 Jr Patrick Sparks, 6'3 Frosh Joe Crawford, and 6'3 Frosh Ramel Bradley and the Wildcats also will have plenty of bodies inside with 6'11 Frosh Randolph Morris, 7'3 Soph Shagari Alleyne, 6'7 Soph Sheray Thomas, and 7'1 Soph Lukasz Obrzut.  And, of course, there is the Washington.  Did you know that the Huskies are expected to return 5'9 Jr Nate Robinson, 6'6 Jr Brandon Roy, 6'6 Jr Bobby Jones, 6'8 Jr Mike Jensen, and 6'2 Jr Will Conroy?  Did you also know that the Huskies are expected to welcome a recruiting class, which features the two best incoming freshmen in college basketball next year in 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA and 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, that is ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005?  And rounding out our top five is Indiana, which started two juniors in 6'3 Jr Bracey Wright and 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland and three freshmen in , 6'9 Frosh D.J. White, 6'5 Frosh Robert Vaden, and 6'2 Frosh A.J. Ratliff on a team that won 10 games in the Big-10 Conference this past season.  Sure, Wright may enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring, but 6'7 Frosh James Hardy and 6'4 Soph Roderick Wilmont should once again add valuable depth; 6'7 Jr Marco Killingsworth and 6'5 Jr Lewis Monroe both will be eligible after sitting out after transferring from Auburn last spring; and 6'10 Ben Allen from Australia, 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 5'10 Shaun Davis from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, and 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN provide the Hoosiers with another strong recruiting class.  As a matter of fact, Allen is the second best foreign player who signed with a Division I school in this recruiting class, Killingsworth is the rugged rebounder they need inside, Shaw provides additional outside shooting, and Davis and Vaughn will provide more quickness and strength in the backcourt.  Duke and North Carolina both have too many question marks in terms of who may or may not go pro and, as a result, are not ranked in our top five.  However, the Blue Devils do have the #3-ranked recruiting class, which includes 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, and 6'4 Martiynas Pocius from Plymouth (Holderness) NH, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, and the Tar Heels have the #9-ranked recruiting class, which include 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY.  So it should be just a matter of time before Duke and North Carolina are right back at the top of the list.  The same also can be said about Louisville, which has 6'9 Soph David Padgett and 6'9 Frosh Brian Johnson both sitting out and our #1-ranked recruiting class with 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Byran Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  You also have to like Oklahoma, which will return all five starters from - 6'8 Jr Taj Gray, 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout, 6'5 Jr Terrell Everett, 5'7 Soph Andrew Lavender, and 6'2 Soph Lawrence McKenzie - and adds one of the top junior college in the nation in 6'4 Michael Neal from Lon Morris (JC) TX.  And, our course, there is Texas, which had the HOOP SCOOP's #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation a year ago with 6'2 Frosh Daniel Gibson, 6'8 Frosh Mike Williams, 6'10 Frosh LaMarcus Aldridge, 6'6 Frosh Dion Dowell, and 6'9 Frosh Connor Atchley and returns its top three players in Gibson, 6'8 Jr Brad Buckman, and 6'5 Soph P.J. Tucker.  And, if that weren't enough, the Longhorns also will add a pair of terrific recruits in 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, and 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX.

Saturday, April 2, 2005, Sunday, April 3, 2005, & Monday, April 4, 2005

I read in today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch that CBS' Billy Packer has covered 31 straight NCAA Final Fours and, while that's an incredible streak in it's own right, I think it's kind of neat that I've got him beat, as this will be my 33 straight NCAA Final Four.  And making my story even more amazing is the fact that I attended my first NCAA Final Four right here in St. Louis, MO when I was just a 13-year-old kid.  All the details aren't that important, but the fact that I've seen the NCAA Final Four evolve into what it has become today and the fact that I have never missed a game in 32 years gives me an incredible historical perspective dating all the way back to when Bill Walton scored 44 points and hit a record setting 21-22 field goals when UCLA beat Memphis State in the 1973 title game, which marked the Bruins' 7th straight NCAA Championship and ninth championship in 10 years.  And just as impressive is my track record of attending superstar oriented camps since their inception in 1983 (the Athletes for Better Education Camp, which began in Princeton, NJ, evolved into the NIKE All-American Camp and, when Sonny Vaccaro later moved to adidas and Reebok, those shoe companies also started similar type camps).  In other words, I'm sure that there are few a people who have been to a comparable number of NCAA Final Fours and there are a handful of people in my business (i.e Van Coleman, Brick Oettinger, Tom Konchalski, and Bob Gibbons) who have been to most of the superstar oriented camps.  But I'd be surprised if there is a single person in the world who has been to as many as NCAA Final Fours and superstar oriented camps combined as I have.  I bring all this up for several reasons.  First, it's always good to re-establish your credibility from time to time.  Second, today marks both an end and a beginning.  Obviously, with tonight's NCAA Championship Game between North Carolina and Illinois, there is only one game left to be played in a long season that included over 10,000 basketball games at the Division I level alone.  But maybe not so obvious is the fact that next year really starts tomorrow.  Remember, the Spring Signing Period, which will begin on Wednesday, April 13th, already is upon us and numerous events, like the Boo Williams Tournament in Hampton, VA, April 8th-10th; Las Vegas Spring Showcase in Las Vegas, NV, April l5th-17th; Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 22nd-24th; The Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne, IN, April 29th-May 1st; the Louisville Legends Classic in Louisville, KY and 2005 Kentucky HoopStars Classic in Louisville, KY, both May 20th-22nd; Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC, May 27th-29th; Rumble in the Bronx in the Bronx, NY, June 10th-12th; and the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA, June 20th-26th; all of which we plan to attend prior to the start of the Summer Evaluation Period, are just around the corner.  We also will continue to keep track of all the coaching changes and right now the big question is who will get the Virginia job?  Originally names like Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, Texas head coach Rick Barnes, and Golden State Warriors head coach head coach Mike Montgomery were being tossed around, but the word on the street is that none of them are interested in the job.  And the same may be the case with Boston College head coach Al Skinner, DePaul head coach Dave Leitao and Memphis head coach John Calipari, which are the names we've heard the most over the weekend.  However, when it's all said and done, the smart money appears to be on South Carolina head coach Dave Odom, who not only was an assistant coach at Virginia for seven years and is still extremely popular in Charlotteville, VA, but also is hot again after his team beat St. Joseph's in the championship game of the N.I.T. last week.  We also have confirmed that Arizona assistant coach Rodney Tention has gotten the Loyola-Marymount job and already we're hearing that his job will likely be filled by Miles Simon or Reggie Geary, both of whom previously played at Arizona, in the NBA, and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  And this would make perfect sense, because Lute Olson will need somebody from the West Coast on his staff to complement Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner, who is responsible for the Wildcats' strong pipeline into Houston, TX.  We also understand that Wisconsin assistant coach Rob Jeter and Metro State Mike Dunlap have both interview for the Wisconsin-Milwaukee job, Charlotte assistant coach Rob Moxley is in line for the one of the openings at Maryland, and Eastern Kentucky is still Louisville assistant coach Kevin Willard's job to turn down.  It also appears that UNLV has landed 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who is ranked #22 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and is the 3rd highest ranked 5th Year Player still available, behind 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  And we think this is an excellent catch, because Thomas combines strength, size, and athleticism to do all the blue collar work inside, which makes him an excellent complement to all of the other excellent players that the Runnin' Rebels have in this year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, UNLV also already has landed 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Wendell White from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, 6'3 Jason Petrimoulx from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA, 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'7 Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, and 6'8 Jerome Jackson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  And when one finds out that Jefferson is a legitimate top 30 senior nationally; White and Petrimoulx were two of the top junior college players in the nation; Essengue is a wide-body/banger inside; Adams is an incredibly athletic and prolific scoring combo guard who would be ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally, if he wasn't a 5th year player; Darger is an athletic white kid with excellent 3-point shooting range; and Jackson has a huge upside, if he ever learns to play hard; it's easy to see why we now have UNLV's recruiting class ranked #2, behind Louisville and ahead of Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that when 6'6 Frosh Churchill Odia recently decided to transfer, it opened up another scholarship at Xavier and, as a result, it comes as no surprise that Musketeers have moved quickly to secure a verbal commitment from 6'2 Johnny Wolf from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, who was one of the most improved players in the state this year.  Johnson also believes that Bowling Green assistant coach LaMonta Stone is the leading candidate to replace new Eastern Michigan head coach Charles Ramsey at the University of Michigan, but notes that Dayton assistant coach Mike Jackson, Detroit (Rogers) MI head coach Steve Hall, and Detroit (Renaissance) MI head coach Mark White are also under consideration. 

Friday, April 1, 2005

Five more Division I head coaching jobs have been filled within the last several days, as UNC-Greensboro head coach Fran McCaffery has moved onto to Siena, Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson has gotten Tulane, Michigan assistant coach Charles Ramsey has gotten Eastern Michigan, Arkansas assistant coach Rob Flaska has gotten Centenary, and Seton Hall assistant coach Brian Nash has gotten St. Francis-NY.  Not only does this mean that 15 of the 32 head coaching jobs that have opened this year have already been filled, but there also has been a great deal of upward mobility in terms of assistant coaches getting head coaching jobs.  As a matter of fact, nine of the 15 jobs that have been filled have gone to assistant coaches at the high Division level, as, in addition to Dickerson, Ramsey, Flaska, and Nash, Louisville assistant coach Reggie Theus has gotten New Mexico State, South Carolina assistant coach Ricky Stokes has gotten East Carolina, Michigan State assistant coach Doug Wojcik has gotten Tulsa, Maryland assistant coach Mike Lonergan has gotten Vermont, California assistant coach George Nessman has gotten San Jose State, and Purdue assistant coach Matt Painter has taken over for Gene Keady.  But, unlike in past years when a lot of the talk has been about coaching rumors, most of the focus this year appears to be on the teams in the NCAA Final Four, which appears totally to be up for grabs.  The status quo people all seem think Illinois and North Carolina will win easily, but, we think the smart money actually is Louisville and Michigan State.  Remember, Louisville is better inside than Illinois and, if neither team shoots well, which is often case in domed stadiums, rebounding, second chance opportunities, defense, and staying out of foul trouble could prove to be big factors in the game.  And that favors the Cardinals.  So does the fact that Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has been to four NCAA Final Four's and Illinois head coach Bruce Weber has only been to the NCAA Final Four as a spectator.  However, if outside shooting and great guard play determines the outcome of the first game, this may favor the Fighting Illini, because, no matter how much you like Taquan Dean, Francisco Garcia, and Larry O'Bannon, you have to like Illini's guard trio of Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head  even better.   In other words, this game really is too close to call in a one-game winner-take all chess-match.  North Carolina has the best top six players in college basketball with Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams, Jackie Manuel, and Jawad Willams, but Michigan State has by-far-and-away the most depth of any team in the NCAA Final Four and a rough tough physical game, which you know it will be, does not favor the Tar Heels.  So don't be surprised if Louisville gets revenge on the team that knocked off their arch rival (Kentucky) earlier this week in double-overtime and spoiled the all-Kentucky match-up in the championship game.  Speaking of Kentucky, the other big story that everybody is talking about is the fact that 7'1 Jared Carter from Georgetown (Scott County) KY verbally committed to Wildcats earlier today.  Carter is ranked #275 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he does have good hands, long arms, excellent skills, and the potential to get a lot bigger and stronger, which is why we think he's an intriguing recruit for the Wildcats.  Carter, who picked the Wildcats over schools like North Carolina, Cincinnati, and Illinois, also is a good recruit, because he doesn't have the credentials to scare off any of the great juniors that Kentucky is recruiting, like 6'10 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'8 Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'9 Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'8 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also confirmed that Lehigh has landed 6'8 Phil Anderson from La Canada (H.S.) CA and 6'1 Matt Szalchowski from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ.  Anderson is an excellent shot blocker, rebounder, and scorer who can play both inside and outside and Szalchowski is an excellent 3-point shooter, so it looks like Mountain Hawks head coach Billy Taylor and his staff have found the perfect complement to 7'0 John Gourley from Subiaco (Academy) AR, who is ranked #287 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the only player they signed during the Fall Signing Period.  Two names to write down for the future are 7'1 Jr Kyle Luckett from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN and 6'5 Soph Lace-Darius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA.  Luckett isn't there yet, but those who have seen him tell us that he could end up being one of the best players in the junior class nationally and that comparisons to 7'0 Jr Greg Odom from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN may be in order.  Normally we'd dismiss this as just a lot of over hype, but Luckett appears to be following in the same footsteps of 6'2 Sylvester Mays from Redlands (JC) OK.  If you will recall, Mays was a player who totally had fallen through the cracks until late in his senior year, due to academic problems and other off the court issues, but ended up being ranked #19 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003 two years ago and is now the best point in the junior ranks.  And, just like Mays two year ago, Luckett plays for the Blessed IJN team that is based on out of Ft. Wayne, IN.  We haven't seen Dunn yet either, but the same person who first told us how good Randy Livingston was in the early 90's tells us that Dunn promises to not only be the next great player to come out of Louisiana, but also is just as good as 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is ranked as the #1 sophomore in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, just like Mayo, Dunn is an incredible athlete who can do it all.  So stay tuned, as we can't wait to see if both of these players live up to the hype this spring and summer.  We'll also be watching to see if Duke has another great recruiting class.  Remember, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has gotten a huge recruiting advantage thanks to all of the commercials that have aired with him endorsing products during the NCAA Tournament and, as a result, it wouldn't surprise us if the Blue Devils get commitments from 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'10 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'6 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ.  Not only would it be a supreme coup for Duke to land five likely McDonald's All-American's in the same recruiting class, but this would come right on the heels of their current recruiting class, which is ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, who was the MVP in this year's McDonald's All-American Game earlier this week, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, and 6'4 Martiynas Pocius from Plymouth (Holderness) NH.  Moral to the story, the Blue Devils aren't in this year's NCAA Final Four, but this probably won't be a trend.