HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR AUGUST 2006

Thursday, August 31, 2006

We have confirmed that 6'10 Phil Jones from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who not only was ranked #13 in our Final Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, but also was the highest ranked player from the Class of 2006 who was still available at this late date, has verbally committed to the University of Charlotte.  And this is huge for the 49ers, because we're talking about an athletic 6'10 shot blocking center who averaged 19.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg, and 5.4 bpg this past season and is ready to step and contribute immediately.  Jones also was being recruited by schools like Kentucky, St. John's, Indiana, and Connecticut, which illustrates even further what a major coup this really is, as Jones is ideally suited to step and in complement 6'9 Sr. E.J. Drayton, 6'9 Sr Courtney Williams, and 6'7 Sr Antwon Coleman on what promises to be one of the best front lines in the league.  Jones also is the perfect replacement for 6'6 An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, who recently decided to go the prep school route, in a recruiting class that also includes 6'1 Carlos Williams from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 6'5 Charles Dewhurst from Charlotte (Latin) NC, 6'9 Sean Phaler from Fullerton (JC) CA, 6'7 David Booker from Moss Point (H.S.) TX, and 6'4 Ian Anderson from Portland (Wilson) OR.  In other words, Jones really could be the final piece to the puzzle, as the 49ers suddenly appear to be a great sleeper for our pre-season 25-ranked college teams, as well as one of the teams to beat in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  And the credit for this one has to go to Chris Cheeks, who recently moved from Georgia State to Charlotte, where he now teams with Rob Moxley and Bobby Kummer to give 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz one of the best coaching staffs at any level in college basketball.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Nick Winbush from Shaker Heights (H.S.) OH, who is ranked #258 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has become Miami-OH's third recruit.  If you will recall, the Red Hawks already have verbal commitments from 6'0 Kenny Hayes from Cincinnati State (JC) OH and 6'7 Dwight McCombs from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL.  But, with the addition of Winbush, they now have the player who improved the value of his stock the most in the state this spring and summer, as well as an athletic wing forward who is an excellent 3-point shooter.  We also have confirmed that Florida Atlantic has stolen a pair of players in 6'7 Rod Green from Redlands (JC) OK and 6'2 Corderro Mwoji from Redlands (JC) OK.  Mwoji will provide valuable leadership at point guard, plus he's a terrific defender.  Green is a 6'7, 235-pound forward who can step out and hit the mid-range shot, as well as score and rebound around the basket.  And they both should be excellent complements to all of the players - 5'10 Tavarus Harris from Palm Beach (JC) FL, 6'3 Sean Alarcon from Indian River (JC) FL, 6'8 Jeff Parmer from Palm Beach (JC) FL, 6'5 Xavier Perkins from Boca Raton (St. Andrews) FL, 6'9 Seydou Kone from Broward County (JC) FL, 6'2 Sanchez Hughley from Longwood (Lyman) FL, and 5'11 Avery Holley from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL - that Florida Atlantic landed in this past year's recruiting class, which finished ranked #48 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.  It also looks like 6'2 Ceola Clark from Gurnee (Warren) IL has verbally committed to Western Illinois.  And this is important, because the Leathernecks continue to recruit like crazy, especially in their own backyard and from the junior college ranks.  If you will recall, Western Illinois already has a verbal commitment from 6'2 Larry Dumas from Chicago Heights (Bloom Township) IL, who is ranked #259 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; a year ago they signed 6'4 Mo Smith from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 5'10 James Washington from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'8 Louis Johnson from Kankakee (JC) IL, and 6'6  Jerrykc Owens-Murray from Eastern Arizona (JC) AZ; two years ago they signed 6'7 Marlon Mahorn from Coffeyville (JC) KS, 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarro (JC) TX, 6'10 Eve Samuel from Sheridan (JC) WY, 6'3 Sam Hunter from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, and 6'6 Lorenzo Taylor from Alton (H.S.) IL; and three years ago they signed 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 Kester from Illinois Central (JC) IL, 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, 6'8 ) Navanta Kentel from Pine Bluff (H.S.) AR, and  6'5 Allen McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV.  In other words, during the last three years Leathernecks head coach Derek Thomas and his staff have landed a total of 19 players, six of which are either from the state of Illinois or from the Saint Louis area, 10 of which are from the junior college ranks, and only three of which don't fall into one of the just mentioned categories.  As for Clark, he's an excellent catch, because he's is an good  athlete, excellent defender, and streaky 3-point shooter who is ranked #366 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our attention the rest of the day will be on the media session and the practices that will be held at Basketball City in New York City later this afternoon for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic that is powered by Rise Magazine.  The actual game will be played tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at Rucker Park, which is the most famous outdoor playground in the world, and the official rosters are nothing short of spectacular.  The Goat Squad will include 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (HS.) OR, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'3 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'9 Jr Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and the Skip to My Lou will include 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson form Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'10 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'3 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, and 6'11 Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN.  In other words, this is the best collection of talent that will be assembled anywhere in the nation this year, because the post-season All-American Games (i.e. The McDonald's All-American Game, Roundball Classic,....) only include graduating seniors and the big shoe company camps (NIKE, adidas, and Reebok) each get their share of the top players in the nation in early July.  We also find it interesting that the coaches for the game will be Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets; Ben Gordon of the Chicago Bulls; Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, who is the head coach at Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY; and our own Ron Naclerio, who also is the head coach at Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  However, even more important, Naclerio was both the high school coach and mentor for Rafer "Skip to My Lou" Alston and, as a result, it's our guess that Naclerio will be one of the coaches for the Skip to My Lou Team.  So naturally we will be interested to see what his comments are about each of the players in the game and you can read about what he has to say early next week right here in the Members Section or you can call.  Or you can get his insight on our weekly radio show, which will be broadcast from 10:00 PM-12:00 PM on Sunday night and will be available by clicking onto HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.  We also will be interested to get a first hand report from 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH about what he's really going to do with regards to his high school plans.  The latest report by the USA Today on Tuesday was that he plans to show up and actually start attending classes at Huntington High School in Huntington, WV today.  However, if he's here in New York City for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic, that's impossible.  Editor's Note:  Why am I not surprised that 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH are no shows for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic?  And 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ wasn't there either for today's practice and media session.  Instead, 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 5'6 Soph Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY have been added to play in the game.  Also very noteworthy is the fact that the starting time for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic at Rucker Park has been changed to 5:00 PM tomorrow in an attempt to beat the rain that is expected to arrive in New York City tomorrow night.  We also got an updated list of schools from 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, who said that he's already visited UCLA and plans to visit Duke, Kansas, and Arizona before making a final decision during the Fall Signing Period in November. 

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

It rained almost non-stop all week at Five-Star Basketball Camp's Honesdale session, but it still turned out to be a great week, because the kids were great both on and off the court, as they gave a tremendous effort, conducted themselves in a first class manner, and adapted to all of the changes in the schedule, and the all-star games were second to none.   And they almost always are, because the players who are chosen to play in the games still have that blue collar work ethic and unselfishness that made them successful all week.  And a great example is 6'8 Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who played better in the Orange-White All-Star Game than at any time that we've seen him play during the last year.  Obviously playing with good players who would get him the ball did wonders for Walters' confidence.  However, Walters, who had eight points in the all-star game, also is the perfect illustration of what paying your dues at the Five-Star Camp can do for a player.  As a matter of fact, Walters took home the prestigious Mr. Stations Award, which means he was voted by the coaches who worked the stations as the best player in the NBA at stations all week.  In other words, Walters might have been the guy who got the most out the camp.  And all of this important especially important to know if you are a college coach (i.e. Rutgers head coach Fred Hill) who needs to sign a big man or two in this year's recruiting class.  But not all players who attend Five-Star rep the benefits of the teaching and the mind set that they attempt to instill into a player right away.  And it's our guess that a perfect example of what we're talking about will be 5'7 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who did not play well enough to make the Orange-White All-Star Game.  And neither did some other pretty darn good underclassmen, including 6'1 Jr Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'4 Jr Melquan Bolding from White Plains (Arcbhishop Stepanic) NY, 6'7 Jr Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr James Southerland from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 5'11 Jr Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'0 Jr Chris De la rosa from Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  However, seniority counts and sometimes it's better to wait your turn, as the only four underclassmen named to play in the NBA All-Star Game were 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'6 Jr Mookie Jones from Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Jr Kim English from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, 6'0 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA, plus 6'6 Jr Olu Ashaolu from Humble (Christian Life) TX, who scored eight points real fast in the 4th Quarter, was named as an alternate.  And Ebanks, English, Spivey, and Ashaolu all either have been reclassified and/or are old when compared to the other players in their class, which means they have an age advantage.  Another one of the most interesting stories of the camp involved 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who arrived at the camp directly from the adidas Superstar Camp in Berlin, Germany with nothing more than the clothes on his back.  Yes, the airline lost his luggage, but Smith still was one of the most efficient players in camp and he capped it all off with a 25-point performance in the all-star game, which included 10 points in the 4th Quarter and six points in the final two minutes when the game was on the line.  So it came as no surprise that Smith edged out 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who finished with 20 points and appears to have recovered from injuries that slowed him down this summer, for Orange-White All-Star Game MVP honors.  Instead, just like we thought they would, Fisher was named MVP in the camp playoffs and 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Week.  Calathes also was named the Best Playmaker, which is huge due to the fact that he beat out some pretty fast company, including 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY and 5'8 Malik Booth from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, for this award.  So, while Brett Nelson comparisons may be in order, we think Calathes will turn out to be better than Nelson when it's all said and done, because he has more of a point guard's mentality, he's taller, and is just as prolific a scorer.  We also found it interesting that that 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT was named the Most Promising Prospect, which is the award that goes to the best underclassmen in the camp.  While we want to take nothing away from Ebanks, who drew some comparisons to Rudy Gay and 6'9 Donte Green, our choice for the Most Promising Prospect would have been 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  Instead, Strickland, was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Week in the Developmental League, which is the league for all of the great young players in camp.  And when one also remembers that 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ was one of the top two or three players in camp for the entire week and your find out that 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ scored 24 points in the Orange-White All-Star Game and 6'6 Soph Paris Bennett from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ scored 12 points in the Developmental All-Star Game, it's obvious why Kevin Boyle, who has the head coach at Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, was very happy.  And so is Maurice Hicks, who is the head coach at New York (Rice) NY, because 6'4 Soph Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY scored 19 points and was named the MVP in the Developmental League All-Star Game and 5'9 Soph Lamont Jones from New York (Rice) NY scored 17 points and was named the Best Playmaker for the Week in the Developmental League.  We also have give special mention to 6'6 Frosh Trevor Clemmings from Paramus (Catholic) NJ, who not only played up a year in the Developmental League, but scored 10 points in the all-star game and was named the Best Rebounder for the Week, thanks to his size, strength, aggressiveness, and athleticism inside.  The leading scorer in the Developmental League All-Star Game was 6'4 Soph Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY with 20 points and, although he didn't win any awards and was not one of the leading scorers in the all-star game (he only had 13 points), 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX also deserves plenty of accolades, as he too was one of the best players in the Developmental League.  And, of course, there is 6'4 Soph Oscar Griffin from Aston (American Christian) PA, who not only scored eight points in the Developmental League All-Star Game, but was moved up to the NBA, where he helped the Mavs to a second place finish in the playoffs.  The Best Defender was 6'7 Soph Myron Respress from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, the Mr. Stations Award winner was 6'2 Soph Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, the Playoffs MVP was 6'0 Soph John Calarco from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY, and Most Improved Player during the course of the week in the Developmental League was 6'6 Frosh Devon Collier from Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  The All-Star Game MVP and the guy who hit the game winning with 3-point shot with only two seconds left to give his team a one-point victory in the all-star game of the NCAA Division was 6'1 Jr Rob Gagliardi from Toronto (Sinclair Secondary) ON.  And Gagliardi didn't just win this award based on his last second heroics, as he finished with 19 points, six assists, and two steals in the all-star game and was one of the best players in the league all week.  Also dominating in the NCAA Division were 6'3 Jr David Singletary from Pottstown (The Hill School) PA, who was named both the Best Playmaker and the Most Outstanding Player for the Week, and 5'10 Jr Khaliq Gross from Troy (La Salle) NY, who won the Mr. Stations Award and was named the MVP in the camp playoffs.  The Best Defender was 5'9 Jr Shasha Brown from Princeton (The Peddie School) NJ, the Best Rebounder was 5'10 Soph Corey Wright from Pawtucket (St. Raphael Academy) RI, the Most Improved in the NCAA was 5'9 Carlos Malave from Bellport (H.S.) NY.  The other award winners in the NBA were 6'0 Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who got the Sportsmanship Award; 6'2 Akeem Bennett from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who was the Best Defender, as well as one of Howard Garfinkel's favorite players in camp; 6'7 Kyle Doerr from Rapid City (St. Thomas More) SD, who was the Most Improved Player from start to finish of camp; 6'6 Elton Frasier from Syracuse (Corcoran) NY, who not only was the Best 6th Man in Camp, but also played an important role in helping his team win the NBA Playoff Championship; 6'8 Tyrell Lynch from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC and 6'1 Tyler Laser from Hillsdale (H.S.) MI, who shared the Station 13 Award; and 6'7 Ken Faried from Newark (Tech) NJ, who was named the Best Rebounder in the NBA.  Faried also was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge out of the camp, as well as one of the leaders in camp in taking the charge and doing the little things inside that helped go all of the way to the championship. However, Faried also was one of the few players who got carried away in the all-star game, as he took three or four 3-point shots, instead of focusing on all of the things that he does best, which is what got him there in the first place.  We also think it's important to mention that some of the other unheralded players and sleepers that we mentioned yesterday, including 6'3 Nick Hendra from New York (Xavier) NY, 6'4 Jr Kim English from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, 6'0 Justin Archie from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Akeem Bennett from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'0 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA, beat out some pretty good players to make the roster of the Orange-White All-Star Game.  We especially liked Hendra's toughness, 3-point shooting, and deceptive ability to get to the basket.  English is a fluid multi-dimensional athlete who is excellent at driving to the basket, but needs to continue to work on his outside shooting.  Archie is a super quick combo guard who has a knack for making things happen.  Bennett not only locks up his man defensively, but he's a great competitor and thrives in an up tempo setting.  Spivey is a physical specimen, fierce competitor, great passer, and improving outside shooter.  We also want to mention the great chemistry that exists between Tony Bergeron and Leigh Klein, who have taken over the day-to-day operations of the camp and did a great job recruiting for this year's camp, and Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein, who ran the camp for the first 40 years and hopefully will be able to continue to provide their insight and expertise for years to come.  

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

When I arrived at Five-Star Basketball Camp's Honesdale session yesterday afternoon, it was obvious that this year's camp doesn't have as much star power as it did a year ago.  However, the NBA, which is the top league at the camp, is absolutely loaded, as the list of top players in camp includes 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'2 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 5'11 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Jr Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 5'11 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'4 Jr Melquan Bolding from White Plains (Arcbhishop Stepanic) NY, 6'8 Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, 6'9 Papa Dia from South Kent (Prep) CT, 5'8 Malik Boothe from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'7 Jr James Southerland from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'6 Jr Olu Ashaolu from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'6 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'11 Hamidu Rahman from Aston (American Chrisitan) PA, 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'4 Antonie Watson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Alphonso Dawson from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Dino Gregory from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, 6'5 Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, 5'11 Jr Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'0 Jr Chris De la rosa from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'6 Adam Allen from Milton (H.S.) FL, 5'11 Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Jr Mookie Jones from Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'6 Idris Hillard from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, 6'6 Marcus Relphorde from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'5 Jr Curtis Loving from New York (Wadleigh) NY, 6'0 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Tyrell Lynch from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'5 Jr Patrick Jackson from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'2 Chris Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Jr Jarrett Mann from Middletown (H.S.) DE, 6'5 Jr Jamal Wilson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 7'3 Ring Ayeul from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and 5'10 Jr Troy Franklin from Baltimore (Mt. Carmel) MD.  And there also were some players, like 6'2 Akeem Bennett from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'1 Justin Archie from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'8 Tony Taylor from White Plains (Archbishop Stepanic) NY, 6'6 Jr Kim Einglish from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, 6'0 Jr Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY, 6'4 Michael Tuitt from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'4 Nick Hendra from New York (Xavier) NY, 6'6 Elton Frasier from Syracuse (Corcoran) NY, 6'7 Jr Kenneth Fareed from Newark (Tech) NJ, and 5'11 Ahmad Hassan from Leonia (H.S.) NJ, that we previously didn't know about who impressed us enough last night and/or today to mention as guys who are sleepers and/or the most unheralded players in camp.  In other words, this year's NBA Division has as depth as we can ever remember in the 24 years that I've been covering the Five-Star Basketball Camp.  And the Developmental League, which is the league that includes all of the great young players in the camp, also was pretty darn good as the list of top players includes 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'6 Frosh Trevor Clemmings from Paramus (Catholic) NJ, 6'4 Soph Oscar Griffin from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'4 Soph Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Soph Durant Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Soph Paris Bennett from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'9 Soph Lamont Jones from New York (Rice) NY, 6'3 Soph Keith Spellman from Brooklyn (Thomas Jefferson) NY, 6'2 Soph Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Frosh Deron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'8 Frosh Myron Respress from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Frosh Joe Sharkey from Chestnut Hill (Brimmer and May) MA, 6'4 Soph Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Soph Kevin Parrom from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'3 Soph Brandon Triche from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'4 Soph James Stukes from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Soph Alwayne Bigby from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON, 6'0 Frosh Shane Southwall from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, and 5'7 Frosh Devon McMillan from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  We'll provide you with all of the highlights from the all-star game that will be held tomorrow morning, as well as the award winners from all three divisions (NBA, NCAA, and Developmental League) of the camp, tomorrow exclusively in the Members Section.  And it's our guess that 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL will be named the Most Outstanding Player for the Week and 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ will be named the MVP of the Playoffs.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that those two players led their respective teams to the championship game, where Fisher's team won easily (84-66).  Fisher, who finished with 10 points and 2-3 3-pointers in the title game, also had plenty of help from 6'7 Jr Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'0 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA.  Calathes, who finished with seven points, four rebounds, five assists, and 3-7 field goals, and 6'6 Adam Allen from Milton (H.S.) FL, who finished with only two points and was only 1-6 from the field and 0-4 from beyond the arc, did not shoot like they did earlier in the week.  And really was the big difference in the game. 

Saturday, August 26, 2006, Sunday, August 27, 2006, & Monday, August 28, 2006

Well, it looks like we knew what we were talking about last week when we hinted that a verbal commitment by 6'8 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL to the University of Florida might occur sooner than later.  If you will recall, we mentioned the fact that Parsons would make an unofficial to Gainesville, FL over the weekend and, with the Gators' current scholarship situation,,he would be smart to make a verbal commitment prior to when he, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) FL, and 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV will all be in town for official visits during the weekend of September 9th.  In other words, with four juniors, one sophomore, and four freshmen in the program and four recruits - 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'4 Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL, and 6'6 Adam Allen from Milton (H.S.) FL - already in the fold, the Gators are going to run out of scholarships at some point, even if several of the players - 6'11 Jr Joakim Noah, 6'8 Jr Corey Brewer, and6'8 Jr Al Horford - who led them to a national championship five months ago decide to forego their final year of college eligibility and enter their name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Prior to the beginning of the summer, we had Parsons ranked #127 nationally in the Class of 2007, but he played well enough and shot the ball well enough to be a legitimate top 100 senior nationally when we update our rankings of the top players in the class next month.  Speaking of Parsons ability to shoot the basketball, he is one of the best pure shooters in the nation and we love the way he competes.  But he isn't big and strong enough physically to get it done in the Southeastern Conference, which makes him a wing forward all the way.  And, at the defensive end, Parsons doesn't have great speed and quickness, which makes him a defensive liability at the big time college level.  But Parsons does promise to be a great role player for the Gators, he's an in-state kid, and he's already developed a great chemistry playing with 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL on both his high school team and on the NIKE Team Florida club team.  So we think this is an excellent catch, as the addition of Parsons moves Florida's recruiting class up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And the best may still be yet to come, if they get Hickson and/or Patterson.  The addition of either player would move their recruiting class up to #2, behind Syracuse and ahead of Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And, if they really hit the jackpot and get them both, then we'd be talking about the best recruiting class in the nation.  Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood, who also was the first person to provide us with the scoop about Parsons picking the Gators, also tells us that Virginia Commonwealth has a verbal commitment from 6'6 Lance Kearse from Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL.  Not only is Kearse a big time athlete who is just oozing with athleticism and potential, but he's also just beginning to scratch the surface as to how good he can become.  As a matter of fact, we liken Kearse to a deer that is just learning how to run, which explains why he is currently ranked #246 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but also why we would be surprised if ends up making money playing the game someday.  It also looks like 6'9 George Goode from Raytown (South) MO has verbally committed to the University of Louisville.  We're talking about an athletic power forward who plays with a lot of energy and has a lot of potential.  Goode also can step out and hit a 15-jump shot and he played well enough this summer to be ranked #30 overall and #7 at the power forward position at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Goode also is still very raw in terms of skills and, as a result, we think where we've currently got him ranked nationally in the senior class at #125 is very fair.  So, needless to say, I was somewhat surprised when I found out that Scout.com has Goode ranked #73 and Rivals.com has Goode ranked #97 nationally in the senior class.  But, then again, Dave Telep, who does the rankings for Scout.com, puts more emphasis on athleticism and potential than we do and, with Rivals, based on their most recent rankings, it's kind of like the blind leading the blind.  Moral to the story, we thought Goode was one of the players who could really blossom in this class, but, then we find out that a lot people think he's ready for prime time right now.  We also understand that Rutgers has landed 6'5 Earl Pettis from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, which means the Scarlet Knights now have two excellent guards in the fold.  And we think Pettis and 6'2 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ, who has been verbally committed to Rutgers for almost a year now, will complement one another extremely well, because they are both excellent athletes and prolific scorers.   The addition of Pettis also means that the Rutgers coaching staff now can now turn its attention towards landing at least two and perhaps as many as three inside players in this year's recruiting class, which already is tied at #22, along with Washington, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   And yet another verbal commitment that occurred today was 6'8 Justin Johnson from Cheyenne (East) WY picking Wake Forest.  Yes, that's the same guy that we had ranked #229 nationally in the Class of 2007 prior to the start of the summer, but ended up being ranked #10 at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and, as a result, is now a legitimate top 30 senior nationally.   Not only does this make Johnson one of the leading candidates for our Sleeper of the Summer Award, but he also may be the start of what promises to be an outstanding recruiting class.  And, if you don't believe it, just check out the fact that Wake Forest also appears to be the favorite now over schools like Georgetown, N.C. State, and Pittsburgh for 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC.  As a matter of fact, Wright just returned from his official visit to Winston-Salem, NC right before he left to attend Five-Star Basketball Camp's loaded Honesdale session and the word we get is that Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser not only has made Wright is personal recruit, but he also has done a great job on selling him on the idea that he will be the next Chris Paul, if he signed with the Demon Deacons.  We also have confirmed via Kenneth Chisholm that 6'5 O.J. Mayo has shown up for the first day of classes today at Huntington (H.S.) WV.  And, Chisholm should know, because not only is the coach of the Boo Williams 16-Under team, but also played a key role in getting 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV and 6'7 Chris Early from Huntington (H.S.) WV to play with the Boo Williams Summer League program.  So suddenly now that Mayo, Patterson, and Early are all on the same team, it stands to reason that this will be the team that everybody is going to want to see play this winter and Chisholm is already way ahead of the curve, because he's one of the people involved in putting together a tripleheader to be played in February in Huntington, WV, which will feature Huntington (H.S.) WV versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Chisholm also tells us that the final six for Patterson are Duke, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Wake Forest, and Virginia, but he offers no insight into who the favorite might be.  Editor's Note:  It is probably the biggest mistake that I have made journalistically as editor and publisher of the HOOP SCOOP in the 23-plus year's we've been in business.  I'm talking about the fact that we wrote earlier today that "we had confirmed via Kenneth Chisholm that 6'5 O.J. Mayo has shown up for the first day of classes today at Huntington (H.S.) WV."  The first tip-off that this was not correct came when our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson called to tell me that Joe Nickel, who is the director of athletics at Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, had been quoted in an internet article that was published around 11:00 AM this morning by the Cincinnati Enquirer saying that 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH not only had both shown up for school this morning, but that he had seen both players and they were currently in class.  At that point I called Chisholm to reconfirm what I thought he'd told me.  That's when I realized that Chisholm had not talked to anybody who had actually seen Mayo at Huntington (H.S.) WV this morning.  Instead, as it turns out, Chisholm was just reconfirming what he'd told me in an earlier conversation about what he'd been told last night and what was already in the USA Today this morning - that Mayo was planning on showing up today for classes at Huntington (H.S.) WV.  But it didn't happen and, as a result, it appears that have I committed one of the cardinal sins of journalism, which is reporting something that somebody thought was going to happen as something that had already happened.  Now this may not sound like that big a deal to you, but short of libel and plagiarism, there isn't anything you can do as a journalist that is worse than get the premise of an important  story wrong.  As a matter of fact, on numerous occasions I have made it a point to make sure that we didn't jump the gun and report something as fact before it actually happened.  I also have gone so far as to threaten to fire somebody on more than one occasion for doing exactly what I did in this case.  So, even if Mayo shows up at Huntington (H.S.) WV tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year, we're still wrong, because we said that it was confirmed that he had shown up today.  Obviously I am taking full responsibility for this error and in the future will make an even greater effort to check the facts and make sure my sources understand the significance of what they are telling me before I go with the story.   As for Chisholm, I appreciate the fact that he was willing to go on record with what he knew at the time and attempt to provide our readers with additional insight and information that was pertinent to an important breaking story.

Friday, August 25, 2006

It looks like 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney, who was supposed to be transferring from Piney Woods (H.S.) MS to Lakewood (Artesia) CA, will be staying on the West Coast this fall.  However, instead of enrolling at Lakewood (Artesia) CA, Sidney now is bound for Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  And he's not the only one who plans to be one of the next in a long line of great players at this traditional basketball powerhouse, as we also understand that 6'2 Jr Oscar Bellfield is transferring from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA to Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'7 Frosh Dwayne Polee has enrolled at Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Obviously this is a major coup, because Sidney is the #1-ranked sophomore in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, Bellfield is one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior class nationally, and Polee is one of the top freshman in the nation.  It also looks like any rumors about 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY transferring to Barrington (St. Andrews) RI or any other prep school in Rhode Island are untrue.  At least that's what both Mike Hart, who is the head coach at Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, and Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, who is the head coach at Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY are both telling us.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Kyle Fitzgerald from Little Silver (Red Bank Regional) NJ has verbally committed to Harvard, 6'5 Tamir Johnson from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA has verbally committed to Central Connecticut State, and 6'3 Bradley Wanamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA has verbally committed to the University of Pittsburgh.  And Rubin is especially excited about Wannamaker picking the Panthers, because he's an excellent athlete who is terrific at getting to the basket and is a tremendous competitor/winner.  Wanamaker does need to keep improving his mid-range game and extend his shooting range, but Rubin reminds us that Wanamaker had a terrific summer and mentioned two or three times that Wanamaker is a legitimate top 100 senior nationally (currently we have Wanamaker, who picked Pittsburgh over Temple, Virginia Tech, Dayton, and George Washington, ranked #110 nationally in the Class of 2007).  Fitzgerald is a major steal for Harvard, because we're talking about a face-up power forward who is ranked #397 nationally in the senior class, and Johnson joins his high school teammate - 5'9 Jermaine Washington from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA - who verbally committed to the Blue Devils last spring.  We also have confirmed via our Washington, DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia Editor Dennis Marshall that 6'4 Issiah Tate from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has picked George Mason.  Tate didn't play a lot for the Stags last season, but he has come on like gangbusters this spring and summer, as is evident by the fact he was selected as an all-star in the Kenner Summer League this summer.  Tate also is an excellent 3-pointer shooter and 90% free throw shooter, which makes him ideally suited to be the next in a long line of unheralded players who have decided for Patriots head coach Jim Larranaga and exceeded all expectations.  In other words, Larranaga and his staff haven't lost their touch when it comes to finding the sleeper who has fallen under the radar screen and later making everybody wonder why he fell under the radar screen.  This time around George Mason had to beat schools, like Delaware, Marshall, VCU, Old Dominion, Penn State, Richmond, and Fordham, all of whom are also pretty sharp when it comes to finding players who fit this criteria.  We also understand that 6'2 Antwuan Boyd from Anderson (H.S.) IN, who was a good role player this past summer for the SYF Players, has verbally committed to Middle Tennessee State.  We're not sure what position Boyd plays at the college level, but it really doesn't matter, because we're talking about an excellent rebounder who is quick enough and athletic enough to defend on the perimeter.  The addition of Boyd also is important, because he could be the link that also helps the Blue Raiders get 6'2 Gregory Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, who was the unsung hero, as well as the perfect complement to 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, and 6'10 Gary McGee from Anderson (H.S.) IN, on the SYF Players team.  And in both cases, the connection is new Middle Tennessee State Artie Pepelea, who not only played high school basketball at Anderson (H.S.) IN, but also rewrote the school's assist and 3-point shooting records during the 1989 season.  We also found it interesting that 6'1 8th Grader Davontay Grace from Brooklyn, NY, who is one of the top two players in his class, along with 6'7 8th Grader LaQuinton Ross from Jackson, MS, was named both the MVP in the All-Star Game and the Most Outstanding Player for the Week at Five-Star's Basketball Camp for middle school age players last week in Wayne, PA.  And Grace wasn't the only player from Team Next's 8th Grade team that took some major hardware, as 5'9 8th Grader Tavon Sledge from Spring Valley, NY, who has grown five inches during the last year, was named the Best Playmaker, and 6'0 8th Grader Najee Whitehead, who transferred from Lithonia, GA to Mt. Vernon, NY earlier this year, was named the Best Rebounder.  Speaking of the Five-Star Basketball Camp, I'll be heading East on Monday morning to cover their loaded Honesdale session.   So stay tuned! 

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY scored 28 points in the championship game and was named the MVP at the Entertainers Basketball Classic America at Rucker Park, which is a single-game elimination tournament that matches the best teams from Seattle, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, New York, and Washington and features primarily college and NBA Players.  In other words, anybody who question whether Stephenson is the best high school player in New York City regardless of class and position simply hasn't been paying attention.  The only problem is that beginning this fall, Stephenson may not play this coming season in New York City, as it's rumored that he may be transferring to a prep school in Rhode Island.  After exhaustive research this week, Naclerio has still not been able to nail this down any further than what was reported over weekend on nycbasketball.com, but it's our guess that if there is something to this rumor that the school is probably Barrington (St. Andrews) RI.  Remember, we're talking about one of perennial high school powers in New England and St. Andrews head coach Mike Hart is one of the premier high school coaches in the nation.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Hart switched over from Reebok to adidas this year and, as a result, had the opportunity to not only see how good Stephenson is first hand at the adidas Superstar Camp in Suwanee, GA, but also develop all of the right contacts to get this done.  As for Stephenson, he led the New York City to to 106-102 win the title game against Seattle and was matched up against Jamal Crawford of the New York Knicks and Brandon Roy, who was the #6 in the NBA Draft two months ago prior to being traded to the Portland Trailblazers.  So it stands to reason that we think 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA may have some serious competition with regards to who the best player is in the Class of 2009, which, by the way, promises to be the next great class in high school basketball.  However, for the third consecutive week Rivals.com has really missed the boat, as this time around they have 6'9 Jr DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL ranked #1 over Sidney, Stephenson, 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, and 6'6 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK.  Now don't get the wrong idea.  We really like Cousins, who was ranked #6 nationally in the sophomore class when we published our updated rankings of the top players in each class on August 10th and was one of the top ranked big men at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  But the five just mentioned players not only have superstar written all over them, but they also have already done it the old-fashioned way on numerous occasions.  In other words, they've earned it repeatedly while playing against the top high school players in the nation!  We also have to start wondering if these Rivals guys have something against the Southern Cal All-Stars, which had the three players - 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA - on their team this summer who are the consensus #1-ranked player in the nation in their respective class.  At least Rivals was close on Sidney, as he is ranked #2, behind 6'9 Jr DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL and ahead of 3) 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 4) 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 5) 6'7 Soph Jordan Hamilton from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 6) 6'7 Soph Karron Johnson from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 7) 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 8) 6'8 Soph Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 9) 6'6 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 10) 6'7 Soph Noel Johnson from Lovejoy (H.S.) GA, 11) 6'3 Soph Leslie McDonald from Memphis (Briarcrest) TN, 12) 6'2 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, 13) 6'3 Soph Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 14) 6'7 Soph Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 15) 6'7 Soph Alex Oriakhi from Winchendon (School) MA.  We also think it's important to point out that, while we don't agree with the order, Rivals at least has most of the names right at the top of their list this time around, as a result, they probably deserve a C- or D+", instead of a "F" for failure or "I" for incomplete.  Moral to the story, they appear to be getting better at stating the obvious, but, then again, maybe they should stick to football.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell also points out that 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan, who is ranked #9 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, did not make the top 25 on the Rivals list.  Speaking of Cadougan and 6'6 Jr Olu Ashaolu, Russell also tells us that they both are transferring from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA to Humble (Christian Life) TX, where they will team up this fall with 6'10 DeAndre Jordan, who is transferring from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX to Humble (Christian Life) TX.  No, Russell, who is the one that originally placed Cadougan and Ashaolu at Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, didn't have a falling out with Linzy Davis, who was their high school coach last season.  Instead, Davis, who also serves as one of our Georgia Editors, appears to be heading to another school and Cadougan and Ashaolu felt more comfortable joining Jordan, who they developed a close relationship with at the Reebok ABCD Camp, at Humble (Christian Life) TX than they did following Davis to a new school.  As for Davis and his new school, stay tuned as more details become available. 

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

It looks like you need a scorecard to keep track of all the transfers that our Florida Editor Rick Staudt has been telling me about in the Sunshine State.  Previously we thought 6'0 Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL would be heading to prep school at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, but now it looks like he is returning to Miami (Senior) FL, which was his original school when he was a freshman and a sophomore in high school.  And Rios is not the only player who is leaving Hollywood (Chaminade) FL, as 6'5 Max Groebe is transferring to Miami (Dr. Krop) FL and 6'10 Jr Eloy Vargas is transferring to Ft. Lauderdale (American Heritage) FL.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Gary Clark is transferring from Sarasota (Booker) FL to Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'5 Jamal Owens is transferring from Miramar (H.S.) FL to Miami (Carol City) FL, 6'7 Orane Chin is transferring from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL to Miramar (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Gabriel Charlie is transferring from Jacksonville (First Coast) FL to Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'4 Jermol Paul is transferring from Ocoee (H.S.) FL back to Palm Beach Gardens (Dwyer) FL, 6'2 Justin Martin is transferring from Clearwater (Central) FL to Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Watkins Williams is transferring from Oldsmar (Christian) FL to Brandon (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Jr Ameer Brown is transferring from Tallahassee (John Paul II) FL to Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and will reclassify as a sophomore, and 5'8 Soph Leo Deloney is transferring from Tallahassee (Rickards) FL to Hanava (East Gadsden) FL.  It also looks like 6'10 Freddy Asprilla will finally become eligible at Miami (Calusa Prep) FL after sitting out last year upon arriving from Columbia and 6'7 Soph Torlyn Fitzpatrick is now at Tampa (Prep) FL after transferring from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL last January.  And, of course there is 6'3 Soph Kenny Boynton, who is still at Pompono Beach (Ely) FL after transferring from Coconut Creek (North Broward Prep) FL after getting quality playing time on the varsity as an 8th Grader season before last.  In other words, an overwhelming number of the top players in the state have already transferred at least once.  We also find it interesting that 6'8 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL is supposed to make an unofficial visit to the University of Florida this weekend and that Parsons, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) FL, and 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV are all supposed to be in Gainesville, FL on official visits the weekend of September 9th, which is when the Gators will have their NCAA Championship ring ceremony.  A quick look at the Gators' current roster shows that they have two seniors in 6'8 Sr Chris Richard and 6'2 Sr Lee Humphrey; four juniors in 6'11 Jr Joakim Noah, 6'8 Jr Corey Brewer, 6'8 Jr Al Horford, and 6'0 Jr Taurean Green; one sophomore in 6'0 Soph Walter Hodge; four freshmen in 6'10 Frosh Marreese Speights from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Dan Werner from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ and 6'4 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN.  They also already have four players - 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'4 Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL, and 6'6 Adam Allen from Milton (H.S.) FL - in a recruiting class that is ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And this is important, because unless somebody goes pro next spring, somebody else transfers, or somebody doesn't show up, the Gators are out of scholarships.  Moral to the story, if you are Chandler Parsons and you want to go to the University of Florida, it might be a good idea to make the verbal commitment on the unofficial visit this weekend.  Remember, the Gators would like to sign two more inside players in this year's recruiting class and, if Hickson and Patterson both get caught up in the hype and/or decide the want to go to Florida together, Parsons will be the odd man out.  However, before you start to feel to sorry for Parsons, our Middle School Editor Editor Patrick Stanwood reminds us that his list also includes Tennessee, LSU, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Indiana, and South Florida.  Stanwood also tells us that Florida may be the early favorite over schools like North Carolina, Georgia, Florida State Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Texas, Illinois, Miami-FL, Clemson, and Cincinnati for 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and he informs that me that he is less than a week away from giving his list of the top freshmen nationally, which will be the foundation of for our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2010, which we plan to publish right after Labor Day Weekend. 

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

I recently got in the mail Rick Bolus' latest edition of the High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service and the first thing I noticed was his list of the top players from the 27th Annual High Potential/Blue-Chip Camps, which were held on June 25th-29th and July 23rd-27th at Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY.  And right at the top of the list is 6'8 Jeffrey Brooks from Louisville (Doss) KY, who this summer emerged as the top senior in the state and, as a result, is now getting some high major looks.  Also ranked among the top dozen players at the two sessions of this summer's High Potential Blue-Chip Camp were 6'2 Reggie Shipp from Aurora (West) IL, 5'10 Soph Jonathan Thomas from Dallas (Bishop Dunne) TX, 5'7 Rashano McRae from Davie (Western) FL, 6'9 Nicholas Luttell from Franklin (Independence) TN, 6'8 Chris Duncan from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, 6'5 Jr Darnell Moore from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 6'4 Donte Walker from Lake Charles (St. Louis Catholic) LA, 6'4 Jonathan VanHoose from Russell (H.S.) KY, 6'11 Joe Latas from Bedford (St. Peter Chanel) OH, 6'6 Andre Miller from Cecilia (Central Hardin) KY, and 6'5 Vince Barnes from Memphis (FACS) TN, according to Bolus, they are all of mid-major or higher caliber.  The top sleeper was 6'5 Jr Dalone Epton from Las Vegas (Chaparral) NV and the second 12-ranked players at the two camps were 6'4 Jordan Scholl from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Soph Ethan Faulkner from Sandy Hook (Elliott County) KY, 6'4 Marcus O'Key from Kinder (H.S.) LA, 6'7 Nicholas Duncheon from Montgomery (Barr Reeve) IN, 6'2 Glenn Dalcourt from Franklin (Simpson) KY, 6'9 Brandon Harris from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'5 Robert Troutman from Mt. Washington (Bullitt East) KY, 6'7 Isaiah Kirk from Antioch (Lighthouse Christian) TN, 6'7 Jr Jordan Stephens from Mt. Sterling (Montgomery County) KY, 6'0 Kendall Burrage from East Moline (United Township) IL, 6'4 Derrick Johnson from Manassas (Stonewall Jackson) VA, and 6'3 Zayd Abukar from Louisville (St. Francis) KY.  We also can't wait to get Bolus' next report, which will be mailed out in the middle of September and will cover the top players in the state of Kentucky.  And the first player we're going to check out is 6'5 Jr Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, who is currently ranked #10 in the junior class nationally by Rivals.com.  But Hopson was not ranked among the top 60 prospects in the state for players in the Class of 2007 and beyond, which was published by Bolus early in June, and neither our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley nor myself had ever heard of Hopson until he showed up on the Rivals list a week ago.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that there has not been any of buzz this summer about Hopson in our circles.  However, upon further investigation we find that Hopson played well in a tournament in Nashville, TN in late March, at the Real Deal on the Hill in Fayetteville, AR in April, and at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Championships in Chapel Hill, NC in late May.  But he did so while playing against 16-Under competition on the Mid-State Ballerz.  So obviously the perfect person to ask about Hopson is our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead, who tells us that Hobson is a big time athlete with the length and slashing ability necessary to project as a high a major player.  As a matter fact, Whitehead likes Hopson so well that he thinks he's got the talent and potential necessary to be ranked among our top 20 juniors nationally.  We also have checked with a number of other people and have gotten a variety of feedback ranging from I like him, I don't like him, and he's definitely a Division I player.  In other words, Hopson is one of the biggest enigmas to come down the pike in a long time and it will be fascinating to see how this one turns out.  We also are hoping to get an updated Kentucky Report from Kihnley sometime within the next month or two and to tide us over he's provided us with a list of his top 10-ranked seniors in the state, which includes 1) 6'7 Jeffrey Brooks from Louisville (Doss) KY, 2) 6'2 Ty Proffit from London (South Laurel) KY, 3) 6'5 Stefphon Pettigrew from Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY, 4) 6'4 Antquawn Beckham from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5) 6'3 Matt Walls from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6) 6'9 Thomas Coleman from Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY, 7) 6'4 Matt Fraliex from Princeton (Caldwell County) KY, 8) 6'7 Eugene Wade from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, 9) 6'6 Kerry Benson from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, and 10) 6'1 Duran Jefferson from Covington (Holmes) KY, and the top 10-ranked juniors in the state, which includes 1) 6'6 Jr Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 2) 6'3 Jr Bud Mackey from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 3) 6'2 Jr Tyler Brown from Owensboro (Apollo) KY, 4) 5'11 Jr Adam Decker from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 5) 6'1 Jr Shelvin Mack from Lexington (Bryan Station) KY, 6) 6'5 Jr Taylor Stewart from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 7) 6'5 Jr Nathan Novosel from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 8) 6'5 Jr Aaron Morris from Richmond (Madison Central) KY, 9) 6'6 Jr Jordan Lee from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, and 10) 6'3 Jr Landon Slone from Paintsville (H.S.) KY.  We also think it's worth pointing out that Hopson is not on the list, because he's too new on our radar screen to provide you with an accurate assessment.  However, if Hopson is anywhere close to the billing, then suddenly high school basketball in the Bluegrass State will start to look pretty good again.  And the best is still yet to come, because 6’5 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY is a legitimate top 10 freshman nationally and, yes, we have already seen him play. 

Saturday, August 19, 2006, Sunday, August 20, 2006, & Monday, August 21, 2006

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH has enrolled in school at South Point (H.S.) OH, but before we etch this one into stone there are a lot of things you need to know and remember.  First, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Mayo's mother, who lives in South Point, OH, which is only a few miles from the West Virginia state line, has also been recently quoted as saying that her son started his high school career at North College Hill and, if she has anything to say about it, he's going to finish his high school career at North College Hill.  Second, if Mayo does transfer to South Point High School, it is not likely that his close friend and teammate - 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH - will follow.  If you will recall, according to a ruling that was handed down in early July by the Ohio High School Athletic Association, Walker is ineligible to play this coming season at any school in the state that belongs to their association due to the fact he will be entering his 9th Semester of high school this fall.  And this is important, because Mayo and Walker have been together dating back to when Walker was a freshman and Mayo was an 8th Grader at Ashland (Rose Hill) KY.  So we think it's a lot more likely that Mayo and Walker will both end up at Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, which is where two of their teammates - 6'8 Alex Tyus and 5'9 Josh Miller - on the D-I Greyhounds both attend high school.  The key is that Harmony Christian is a prep school and, as a result, not bound by Ohio High School Athletic Association rules.  Also Miller, who is originally from Charleston, WV, is one of Mayo's best friends.  As a matter of fact, they are so close that Mayo let it be known that he wouldn't play in the Senior All-Star Game at the Reebok ABCD Camp a month ago, unless Miller also was named to play in the game, along with Mayo and Walker.  Or Walker could transfer to Harmony Christian and Mayo could remain at North College Hill, where he has already let it be known that he like to attempt to win a third consecutive state championship.  Apparently one of Mayo's goals is to get one up on LeBron James, who won state championships when he was a freshman, sophomore, and senior, but failed to win three state titles in a row.  Third, it's kind of hard to know what to believe when it comes to Mayo, who on three different occasions within the last month-and-a-half was supposed to have been the verge of verbally committing to USC.  However, in each case it never happened.  Fourth, we still continue to rumors about Mayo and/or Walker going overseas to play or that they may end up playing for a traveling team or some kind of basketball academy to be opened by shoe company legend Sonny Vaccaro.  We also have confirmed via Rick Issacs, who is the coach of the H-Squad for which 6'5 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC played this summer, that Hazel has verbally committed to Seton Hall.  Yes, that's the same guy who signed with Oral Roberts a year ago, but didn't make academically and, as a result, is going back to prep school for another year.  And we think this is a good catch of the Pirates, because Hazel has the athleticism and outside shooting necessary to be a good role player in the Big East Conference.  Hazel also should provide an excellent complement to 6'6 Michael Glover from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, who is a tough hardnosed athletic undersize inside guy that verbally committed to Seton Hall in late June, but first must go the prep school route.  In other words, it looks like new Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez continues to recruit like crazy, as he landed three excellent guards last spring in 5'11 Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'4 Kashif Pratt from New York (Rice) NY and added a quality transfer in 6'8 Soph Joey Cameron.  Issacs also tells us that 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC verbally committed to the University of Nebraska right after former UTEP head coach Doc Sadler got the head coaching job several weeks ago.  Henry needs to improve his understanding of the game, but he's an incredible athlete and a phenomenal 3-point shooter, which makes him major steal for somebody this late in the Class of 2006.  We also have confirmed via our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that 6'4 Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA has verbally committed to the University of Virginia.  And we hope he has it right this time around.  Remember, this is the same guy who verbally committed to the University of Maryland last winter, but re-opened his recruitment after Maryland assistant coach Rob Moxley left to the Terripans this spring to return to his old job at the University of Charlotte.  Jones is ranked #56 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, even more important, he has the athleticism, outside shooting, and mid-range game necessary to make an immediate impact for the Cavaliers.  He also becomes the third player ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally and the second player from the Philadelphia area to have verbally committed to Virginia in this year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, they also have 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'1 Sam Zeglinski from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA in the fold.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it looks like Clemson has landed a major sleeper.  He's talking about 6'2 Demontez Stitt from Matthews (Butler) NC, who has made tremendous strides this spring and summer and, as a result, was starting to draw interest from schools like Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Charlotte, Georgia, Penn State, and Winthrop.  Stitt is an explosive athlete who will be ranked in the 100-200 nationally when we update our ranking of the top seniors nationally later this fall.  And, if he improves his outside shot, the sky may be end up being the limit of this point guard who averaged 21.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 5.0 apg for his high school team this past season.  And, even if Stitt doesn't ever become a great 3-point shooter, he is perfectly suited to complement Clemson's other two recruits - 6'2 Terrence Oglesby from Cleveland (Bradley-Central) TN, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, and 6'9 Laron Dendy from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is a big time athlete that is ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Johnson also tells us that 6'7 Dwight McCombs from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL has verbally committed to Miami-OH and 6'4 Chase Simon from Detroit (Community) MI has made it official for Central Michigan.  And Simon is a great first catch for new Chippewas head coach Ernie Zeigler.  Not only is Simon is ranked #235 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he was starting to draw interest from schools in the Big-10 and Big East Conferences. 

Friday, August 18, 2006

The New England Elite 75 Showcase took place two days ago in Foxboro, MA and our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that this one day event turned out to be a terrific day of basketball that combined the best players the region had to offer with one of the best groups of coaches at any summer event in the nation.  The morning session was completely dedicated to position based skill development and testing, while the afternoon session consisted of two sets of games and a all-star game.  The wing players were led by former Wright State head coach Paul Biancardi, Bridgton Academy head coach Whit LeSure, and Charlestown (H.S.) MA head coach Steve Cassidy; the bigs were instructed by Winchendon head coach Mike Byrnes, West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT head coach John Mirabello, and Manchester (East Catholic) CT head coach Luke Reilly; the point guards were schooled by South Kent head coach Raphael Chillious, former University of Wisconsin assistant Shawn Hood, and Brewster Academy head coach Jason Smith; and Notre Dame Prep head coach Bill Barton and Middlesex (H.S.) MA head coach Jamie Gallagher put players through a variety of drills to test their skills and athleticism.  There were many things to be taken away from this showcase.  First, coming into the event 6'5 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrew's) RI, who is committed to Boston College, was widely considered to be the best player in the region.  And he did nothing to disprove that after dominating play for the entire day.  Sanders continued to show the ability to beat defenders from behind the 3-point line or by getting in the lane off the dribble.  While Sanders was without a doubt the best player in attendance, there were other high major prospects, including 6'8 Soph Alex Oriakhi from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'6 Soph Jamal Coombs from Winchendon (School) MA, both of whom came into the event with lots of buzz after committing to UConn less than a week ago.  And they both showed flashes of greatness, if not consistency.  Oriakhi is already a physically huge man with a high major body and his ability to block and change shots will remind people in Storrs, CT instantly of Emeka Okafo.  Offensively, he scores at will with a picture perfect jump hook that is almost impossible to block because of his understanding of how to use his body to seal off defenders.  Coombs offers versatility more than anything else.  He is a great rebounder from a perimeter spot, a good 3 point shooter, very unselfish, and a solid defender.  With his athleticism and length, we were surprised that he didn't attack more off the dribble, but that could certainly be something that we will see more of as the years go on.  Also very impressive was 6'8 Soph Erik Murphy from Southboro (St. Mark's) MA.  His body still has a lot of developing to do, but he is extremely fundamental and skilled, has a great jump hook with the right, a solid baby hook with the left, excellent quickness and footwork in the lane, and incredible accuracy inside 15 feet.  Three rising freshmen also stood out in 5'11 Frosh Nadir Tharpe from Worcester (St. Peter-Marian) MA, 6'5 Frosh Josh Turner from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, and 6'4 Frosh Ron Giplaye from Cushing (Academy) MA.  Our New England editor Adam Finkelstein says Tharpe sees the floor and passes the ball better then any player he has ever seen at that age.  "He sees the game two passes ahead, is great in draw and kick action, and is extremely fast from baseline to baseline," says Finkelstein.  "He was the smallest of the 75 kids who attended that day and he still needs to work on his jump shot, but the fact that he made the top 20 all-star game should give you an idea of his potential."  Turner impressed by utilizing outstanding perimeter footwork and a solid handle to get himself into the lane for most of the afternoon games.  His ability to read his defender in a one-on-one situation from the perimeter was especially impressive.  His inexperience only showed as he struggled to finish inside against the bigger and stronger upperclassmen.  Giplaye looked like a man among boys when standing next to kids his own age.  He is exceptionally strong and athletic, goes strong to the hole, finishes well with either hand, and solid is defensively on the post and perimeter.  Other rising freshmen that were able to hold their own against the tough competition included 6'2 Frosh Joe Sharkey from Chestnut Hill (Brimmer and May) MA, 5'10 Frosh Rodney Beldo from Massachusetts (high school undecided), and 6'5 Frosh Corey Andrews from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT.  There were also a handful of unsigned upperclassmen who, in Finkelstein's mind, were impressive enough to be mid-major level recruits or higher.  6'3 Eric Webster from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA may have been the most exciting player of the day.  Webster was constantly getting to the rim off the dribble and utilizing his incredible athleticism to finish above the rim.  He was extremely smooth with the ball and demonstrated the rare ability to play fast with the ball without rushing.  In fact, on one possession he caught a deep outlet pass at half-court, took two big dribbles, and dunked the ball so hard directly over the transition defender that he broke the rim.  6'1 Jr Chris Prescott from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT not only had a great day, but he was the best point guard in the building.  Prescott has had a solid perimeter stroke for a long time, so seeing him knock down shots wasn't surprising.  What was impressive was the improvement in his first step that allowed him to get into the lane at will, especially in transition, and the way in which he took control of his team and ran the show.  6'8 Matt Hill, who will be attending Tilton (Academy) NH in the fall and committed to UMass on Tuesday, picked up where he left off in July utilizing his size, athleticism and skills in the post to be a big mismatch problem.  6'7 Damian Saunders from Waterbury CT, who will most likely attend Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA next month, dazzled the crowd with a number of high flying plays and his ability to handle the ball in the open floor.  6'2 Corey Bingham from Lynn (Tech) MA showed his mid-range, as he was consistently beating his man and pulling up to beat defenders.  Trevon Wilcher from Lee (Academy) ME brought his high flying act to the show scoring on tip-ins and dunks around the rim and even showing that he has added to his repertoire with some Sikma-like moves.  6'7 Jr Allan Chaney from New London (HS) CT demonstrated his improved perimeter skills to go along with his good size and interior game.  6'5 Soph Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT was at his best when finishing in transition with his athleticism and length.  Other players who put in good performances included 7'0 John Hegarty from Winchendon (School) MA, who recently dropped 20 pounds.   And it showed as the big man scored inside at will with dunks and reverse lay-ups throughout both of his games.  6'3 Sedale Jones from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA caught everyone's attention with his deadly 3-point stroke that is complemented by a very quick release.   6'5 Mike Moore from New Haven (Hillhouse) CT saved his best for last by demonstrating his highly effective mid-range game during the all-star game.  Finally, here is a list of three kids who are definitely Division I players that you probably have never heard of.  6'9 Orion Outerbridge from New Hampton (School) NH didn't play AAU this summer, but this very long and raw mid-major prospect was impressive rebounding out of his area, running the floor, and playing strong with the ball around the rim.  6'2 Tyrone Conley from Burlington (H.S.) VT was also impressive playing extremely tough defense and utilizing great elevation on his shot to get it off and make it from behind the arc and in the mid-range.  6'0 Sam LeClerc from Exeter (Academy) ME also looked like a definite Division I prospect with an extremely solid all around game.  Put simply, he is the floor general and complete player that all coaches look for.  Players selected for the All-Star Game included Matt Hill, Alex Oriakhi, Jamal Coombs, Eric Webster, Orion Outerbridge, Erik Murphy, Chris Prescott, Tevin Baskin, Rakim Sanders, Sam Leclerc, 6'3 David Gibbs from West Simsbury (Masters) CT, 6'7 Jordan Williams from Torrington (H.S.) CT, 6'6 T.J. Robinson from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral) CT, 6'3 Carl Mangum from Providence (Central) RI, 6'7 Gabe Fumudoh from Brighton (HS) MA, and 6'1 John Mariano from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT.  Be sure to check back in at www.newenglandbasketballservices.com for all the latest news and events in New England.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Well, it looks like all of the to-do about 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ reneging on the University of Arizona was fore not, as he reaffirmed his commitment to the Wildcats last night.  And this is huge, because we're talking about a prolific scoring combo guard who is ranked among our top five seniors nationally and is arguably as good a player as there has ever been in the state of Arizona.  And, as an added bonus, Bayless is just as good a kid as he is a basketball player.  The addition of Bayless also means that the Wildcats now have a recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 7'1 Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Zane Johnson from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ, and 6'3 Laval Lucas-Perry from Flint (Powers) MI, that is ranked #2, behind Syracuse and ahead of Michigan State, Florida, Ohio State, Purdue, and Texass A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And making the story even more interesting is the stockpile of perimeter players, including 6'7 Soph Marcus Williams, 6'7 Frosh Chase Budinger, and 6'4 Jr Jawaan McClellan, that Arizona head coach Lute Olson currently has in the program.  And this is important, because when somebody decides to go prematurely to the NBA in a year or two, there already will be several players waiting in line to take their place.  Remember, Bayless is about a good as it gets, Horne is ranked #24 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Lucas-Perry is one of the biggest sleepers in the country.  We also have confirmed that Wagner has signed 6'8 Christian Nielsen from Copenhagen, Denmark, who promises to be the best player that Seahawks head coach Mike Deane has landed since his days at Marquette in the late 90's.  We're talking about a 6'8, 215-pound wing forward with a great mid-range game.  Nielsen also has the versatility and ball handling skills necessary to play some 2-guard at the college level, if a coach is willing to play a zone defense and hide his lack of speed and quickness at the defensive end.  In other words, Nielsen is a more of a three/two than a three/four, which makes him ideally suited to step in and complement 6'2 T.J. Czeski from Amsterdam (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Michael Duty from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, and 6'6 Mike Orock from Hoboken (H.S.) NJ, who are the other three players that Wagner signed in the Class of 2006, and 6'8 Clayfell Harris from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and 6'7 Cliff Spiller from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ, both of whom are already in the fold from the Class of 2007.  We also have confirmed via Ritchie Davis, who is the coach and executive director the Fox Valley Skillz club team, that 6'10 Keaton Nankivil from Madison (Memorial) WI has verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin.  Not only is Nankivil the best player in the state in the senior class, but he is one of the most skilled big men in the nation, which makes him ideally suited to step in and be the heir apparent to 6'11 Jr Brian Butch and 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma when they7 graduate year after next.  Nankivil also joins 6'6 Tim Jarmusz from Oshkosh (West) WI, who verbally committed to the Badgers in early July, to give Wisconsin two in-state players in the fold and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #38, along with Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   It also looks like USC has landed the point guard that they were in search of in 6'1 Biko Paris from Cypress (Community Christian) TX, who is ranked #150 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this makes perfect sense, because Paris, who was displaced by Hurricane Katrina a year ago, is originally from River Ridge (John Curtis) LA and Louisiana always has been and probably always will be a fertile recruiting ground for Southern Cal head coach Tim Floyd.  Paris not only has the ability to run a team, but he's also a big time athlete, prolific scorer, excellent student, and he's got a huge upside.  In other words, it looks like the Trojans may have a major steal on their hands, as Paris appears to be one of the more underrated players in the nation right now.  We also have confirmed that Butler has landed 6'8 Matt Howard from Connersville (H.S.) IN, who is ranked #195 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'0 Zach Hahn from New Castle (H.S.) IN, who is ranked #496 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and that 6'3 John Ashworth from Indianapolis (Franklin Central) IN, who is a strong athletic white kid that can play multiple positions, recently made a verbal commitment to Indiana State.  And, when one also remembers that 6'8 JaJuan Johnson from Indianapolis (Franklin Central) IN is verbally committed to Purdue, the number of players from the Spiece Central Stars going the Division I route now stands at four.  They also still have five players from this team who have yet to make their college decision.  We're talking about 6'0 Ben Botts from Muncie (Central) IN, who is an athletic white kid with the ability to both run the show and shoot the three; 6'5 Nate Blank from Terre Haute (North) IN, who can knock down the three or beat you up physically inside; 6'6 Joe Hughes from Indianapolis (Cathedreal) IN, who does all the little things that don't show up in the box score and, as a result, is the ultimate role player; 6'6 Kyle Miller from Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN, who has the ball handling and passing skills and basketball IQ necessary to play point guard at 6'6; and 6'4 Ryan Sterling from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN, who is a lights out 3-point shooter.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Earlier this weekend Rivals.com published their rankings of the top juniors nationally and about the only good thing we can say about it is at least they're consistent.  If you will recall, a week ago we talked about how bad their rankings of the top seniors are and how they totally missed the boat on where they have some of the top players in the class, including 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD.  They're also totally out to lunch this time around, as their ranking of the top 30 players in the class is as follows:  1) 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 2) 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 3) 7'0 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 4) 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Ashton (American Christian) PA, 5) 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6) 6'8 Jr Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7) 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'8 Jr Ed Davis from Mechanicsburg (Hoover) VA, 9) 6'8 Jr Al-Farouq Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 10) 6'5 Jr Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 11) 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 12) 6'8 Jr Chris Braswell from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 13) 6'8 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 14) 6'7 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 15) 6'8 Jr Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 16) 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 17) 6'7 Jr Jamychael Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 18) 6'11 Jr Tony Woods from Rome (H.S.) GA, 19) 6'9 Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 20) 6'6 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 21) 6'10 Jr Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR, 22) 6'3 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 23) 6'6 Jr Terrelle Pryor from Jeanette (H.S.) PA, 24) 6'1 Jr Anthony Crater from Flint (Southwestern) MI, 25) 6'6 Jr Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 26) 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Beaumont (Kelly) TX, 27) 6'9 Jr Phillip Juric from Chattanooga (East Ridge) TX, 28) 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 29) 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 30) 6'11 Jr Kenny Frease from Massillon (Perry) OH.  While we really like 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA (we've had him ranked higher longer than almost anybody), we really do find it hard to believe that he's ranked higher than either 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA or 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Ashton (American Christian) PA, both of whom are truly special players.  And we feel the same way about 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, who we have ranked #16 in the class.  If you will recall, we were way ahead of all of our competition on this one as well dating back a-year-and-a-half ago to when we first saw him playing for Dinos Trigonis on his Belmont Shore club team.  And our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who has Mullens ranked no higher than as the #4 player in the class in the state, behind 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, and 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, has to be having a good laugh.  We also find it hard to believe that 6'8 Jr Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ is still ranked in anybody's top 10 after the mediocre spring and summer that he had.  Samuels is also closer to 6'8 than 6'9 and it's starting to look like what you see is what you're going to get.  In other words, he also doesn't have the speed, quickness, and athleticism necessary to be a dominant force inside at the high school level, much start worrying about what his upside and potential might turn out to be.  And Samuels certainly is not a perimeter player.  But, then again, Samuels, did have one great game 13 months ago at the NIKE All-American Camp and should benefit from playing for one of the best high school coaches in the nation.  We also find it incredible that Rivals.com has 6'3 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX and 26) 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Beaumont (Kelly) TX both ranked in the 20-30 range.  Are they anti Texas players?   And can you believe that they have 6'5 Jr Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY ranked #10 in the class?  I guess that's based on what he did in the 17-Under AAU Nationals, but nobody we've talked with around here is buying the fact that Hopson is a top 10 junior nationally.  Instead, our vote for the #1 junior in the state goes to 6'7 Jr Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, but he belongs in the 30-40 range nationally.   We also think they are a little bit too low on 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, somewhat too low on 6'8 Jr Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA and 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, way too low on 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV way too low, and too high on 6'9 Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 6'6 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 6'10 Jr Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR, and 23) 6'6 Jr Terrelle Pryor from Jeanette (H.S.) PA.  However, we do have to give them a little bit of credit for where they have ranked 6'7 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  Currently we don't have Ebanks ranked among the top 20 juniors nationally (see list from Thursday, August 10th, in this section), but when we publish our updated rankings of the top juniors nationally next week, which will include in the range of 500 players, Ebanks will be closer to #10 than #20.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 5'8 Malik Boothe from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who is ranked #108 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to St. John's.  And this is huge for Red Storm head coach Norm Roberts and his staff for a number of reasons.  First, Boothe is a tough hardnosed New York City point guard who should be able to step in immediately a year from now and provide the perfect complement to all of the good perimeter players that St. John's landed in last year's recruiting class.  Obviously we're talking about 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'3 Derwin Kitchen from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, and 6'4 Avery Patterson from Iowa Western (JC) IA, who made up the nucleus of a recruiting class that was ranked #6 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.  So all they need now are several more quality inside players and they already have a good head start, as they also have reaffirmed their commitment from 6'8 Justin Burrell from Bronx (Our Savior Lutheran) NY, who signed with St. John's last spring, but is first going the prep school route.  Second, getting Boothe shows that the St. John's coaching staff can get their fair share of the top players in New York City, which is important, because the Red Storm's backyard is one of the best recruiting bases in the nation.  Third, Boothe has the speed and quickness and the point guard mentality necessary to run team, which makes him like a coach of the floor.  Fourth, getting Boothe to go along with Burrell means that St. John's has a great head start on the future, as their recruiting class is now tied at #35, along with Memphis and Virginia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And this is important, because a year ago St. John's did not sign a single player during the Fall Signing Period.  In other words, this winter the St. John's coaching staff should be able to spend a lot more time laying the groundwork for the future with all of the good young players in and around New York City, instead of scrambling around trying to shore up their needs for the Class of 2007 next spring.  Our California Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, who is ranked #61 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Arizona State.  And this comes as no surprise to us, because McMillan was one of Arizona State's top recruiting priorities dating back to April right after Herb Sendek and his staff got the job.  As a matter of fact, every time we saw McMillan playing in April and in July, somebody from Arizona State at his game.  McMillan makes good enough decisions to play point guard and shoots it well enough to play the 2-guard spot, plus he's has a great basketball bloodline, as his father is Portland Trailblazers coach Nate McMillan.  So it stands to reason that the younger McMillan should provide the perfect complement to 6'4 James Harden from  Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who also recently made it official for the Sun Devils, as Arizona State's recruiting class moves into a tie at #13, along with UCLA and Indiana, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, the addition of McMillan moves Arizona State's recruiting class into a tie at #2, along with UCLA, in the league, right behind Arizona and ahead of California, Washington, and USC, all of whom have top 25-ranked recruiting classes on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Speaking of USC, I'm glad we stayed away from the rumors about 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH verbally committing to the Trojans last week.  However, if Mayo and 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is another one of USC's top recruiting priorities, both made it official for USC right now, it would move their recruiting class, which already includes 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA and 6'4 Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  But, even more important, getting Mayo would firmly establish the fact that USC can get involved with anybody in the nation, plus it would reinforce the fact that Trojans head coach Tim Floyd has one of the hardest working staffs in college basketball today.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Jamarcus Ellis from Chipola (JC) FL has verbally committed to Indiana.  Yes, that's the same guy who signed with Texas A&M the first time around.  If you will recall, Ellis was ranked #102 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 when he was a high school senior at Chicago (Westinghouse) IL and more recently he averaged 13.5 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 2.9 spg, and 2.5 bpg a year ago at Chipola (JC) FL.  And this time around, he's the big reason why Chipola is expected to be the #1-ranked junior college team in the nation.  The addition of Ellis also gives the Indiana coaching staff two players in the fold, as they also got a verbal commitment last week from 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IN.  So obviously the fact that Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson is banned from calling recruits or making off-campus visits until next May due to excessive phone calls to recruits dating back to his days at Oklahoma between 2000 and 2004 is not preventing the Hoosiers from landing top notch players.  Or to look at it another way, if Indiana is doing this well recruiting right now, just think how tough it's going to be to recruit against Indiana when Sampson is able to call recruits again and go back on the road.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Derek Selvig from Glendive (Dawson County) MT has verbally committed to Montana and 6'8 Trevor Mbakwe from Mendota Heights (Henry Sibley) MN has verbally committed to Marquette.  Currently we have Mbakwe ranked #89 nationally in the senior class, but the big reason why Golden Eagles head coach Tom Crean has to be so thrilled with this catch is Mbakwe's upside and potential.  We've talking about a big time athlete and physical specimen who has come leaps and bounds during the last several years, but still is only just beginning scratch the surface of how good he can become.  Mbakwe joins 6'1 Scott Christophersen from Melrose (Melrose-Mindor) WI, who verbally committed to Marquette well over a year ago and 6'4 Jr Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, who picked Marquette a week ago.   And Selvig is a great catch for Montana, because they are getting the player who was ranked as the #17 center by the HOOP SCOOP at the Reebok ABCD Camp to stay at home. 

Saturday, August, 12, 2006, Sunday, August 13, 2006, & Monday, August, 14, 2006

What a difference a year can make!  And the perfect example at this year's adidas Junior Phenom Girls Camp was 5'7 8th Grader Keani Albanez from Santa Barbara, CA.  We're talking about a girl who was ranked no higher than #35 in her age group at this camp and was not even considered for the all-star game a a year ago.  Her father also tells us that at the time Albanez was so devastated that she didn't even touch a basketball for the a month.  But apparently Albanez has all of the ingredients necessary to become a great player, as she not only was named the co-MVP in the all-star game, but she was the best player in her age group this time around.  And it wasn't even close!  Albanez is multi-dimensional enough to play four different positions, as she rebounds, scores inside, shoots the three, handles, passes, and makes everybody around her better.  As a matter of fact, she's also almost too unselfish for her own good, as it wasn't the number of points (we had here with six) that she scored in the all-star game, but her ability to run the offense and all of her assists that gained her game MVP honors.  So now that Albanez has climbed the mountain and clearly is one of the best players in the nation in her age group, the only question now is she willing to do what it takes to stay at the top?  Well, 5'8 7th Grader Devon Brookshire from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, who was one of the top two players in her age group at this camp a year, can clearly answer this question with a resounding yes.  Not only did she not leave any doubt about who the best player is, but she also dominated the boards in the all-star game and was the best player from start to finish in her age group.  Brookshire also has a multi-dimensional game, as she impressed us with her ability to bring the ball up the court against pressure, her ability to score both inside and outside, and her leadership qualities.  She also is such a great team player that she easily overcame the fact that she had a selfish guard on her team who liked to shoot all of the time and did a great job of complementing 5'10 7th Grader Tiera Burks from Charlotte, NC, as they provided one of the best one-two inside punches in the entire camp.  The best player in the oldest division was clearly 5'8 9th Grader Chloe Wells from Riverside, CA, but she had to play in another event over the weekend and, as a result, only played in the games on Friday.  So we did not include her in our final rankings, which left the door open for 5'7 9th Grader Chelsea Gray from Manteca, CA, who scored 15 points and hit several 3-pointers in the all-star game, to garner the #1-ranking in her age group.  Not only is Gray big time athlete, but she's got the versatility necessary to play either the point guard spot, thanks to he good ball handling and passing skills, or the 2-guard spot, where she was one of the best 3-point shooters in camp.  Gray edged out 5'7 9th Grader Brooke Hampton from Colts Neck, NJ, who really impressed us with her ball handling and passing skills, court savvy, and competitiveness, and 6'4 9th Grader Sheronne Valis from Odenton, MD, who was easily the best shot blocker in camp, as well as the co-MVP, along with Gray, in the all-star game.  We also were impressed with the outside shooting of 5'10 9th Grader Nicole Krusen from Rockville, MD, who hit three trifectas in the all-star game, and 5'9 9th Grader Talor Hixon from Long Beach, CA and 5'9 9th Grader Brittany Shine from Sacramento, CA, who were our #1-ranked power forward and wing forward, respectively, and all of the good point guards, like 5'7 9th Grader Savannah Erskine from Culver City, CA, 5'9 9th Grader Briana Salvatore from California, 5'2 9th Grader Thea Lemberger from Santa Monica, CA, and 5'4 9th Grader Michea Bryant from Cheltenham, MD, who helped make this the best of the three all-star games and did a great job of making their teammates better all week.  And in the younger age groups some of the players who impressed us the most were 5'8 8th Grader Ka'lia Johnson from Chester, VA, 5'9 8th Grader Cherisse Burris from Grandview, MO, 5'7 8th Grader Jamesia Price from Blue Springs, MO, 5'6 8th Grader Keiahnna Engel from Anchorage, AK, 5'9 7th Grader Tiffany Mitchell from Charlotte, NC, 5'10 7th Grader Antoinette Bannister from Jacksonville, FL, 5'3 7th Grader Taylor Jenkins from Germantown, MD, 5'4 6th Grader Simone Westbrook from Chandler, AZ, 5'7 6th Grader Chloe Pavlech from Loveland, OH, and 4'9 5th Grader Andree Velasco from Yorba Linda, CA.  Johnson, who was engaged in one of the best match-up of the week when she guarded 5'7 8th Grader Keani Albanez from Santa Barbara, CA in the all-star game, is a multi-dimensional athlete who played inside on defense and brought the ball up on offense.  Burris is another multi-dimensional athlete who impressed us with her ability to pass and get to the basket in the all-star game.  Engel is strong in transition and has deceptive athleticism, which she used to garner MVP honors for her team in all-star game.  Price didn't score any points in the all-star game, but she was still one our favorite players in camp because she used he her quickness and athleticism to make her teammates better and get more than her share of loose ball and rebounds.  Mitchell played point guard in the all-star game, where she took home co-MVP honors, along with 5'8 6th Grader Calah Scott from Washington.  However, we list as a 2-guard in camp, because, in addition to having excellent ball handling and passing skills, she also has the athleticism and outside shooting necessary to dominate at the wing guard spot.  Besides, that the position that Mitchell played on her camp team all weekend.  Bannister was the Charles Barkley of the camp, as she was a beast inside, but also had the versatility, surprising mobility, and skills necessary to be very effective out on the perimeter.  Jenkins is a fluid athlete who blocked more than her share of shots and had a knack of being in the right place at the right time to get the rebound.  Westbrook got strong consideration for all-star MVP honors, due to her ability to score and willingness to make her teammates better.  Pavlech did a great job defensively 5'8 7th Grader Devon Brookshire from Rancho Palos Verdes, CA in the all-star game and impressed us with her moves to the basket all weekend.  Velasco played up two years in class and was one of the smallest players in camp.  However, that didn't stop her from being the best point guard in her age group and impressing everybody with her ability to both score in bunches and make her teammates better.  It's also important to point out that picking the all-star teams was a joint effort between myself and the coaches of each team in each age group and, as a result, there has to be a lot of give and take with regards to who is in the all-star games.  I also think it's interesting that picking the players for the Class of 2012 All-Star Game was the easiest in the three-year history of the adidas Junior Phenom Camp.  But that doesn't mean that I agree with all of the picks, as I thought 5'8 7th Grader Briel Knowlton from Germantown, MD should have been a lock for the all-star game and 5'6 7th Grader Jordan Whitesides from Dallas, NC, and 5'10 7th Grader Sophie Reichell from Mill Creek, WA also should have been in the game.  Also falling into this category in the Class of 2011 age group were 5'10 8th Grader Maya Adetula from Mansfield, TX, 5'1 8th Grader Lauren Chase from Bowie, MD, 5'11 8th Grader Lainey Childrey from Cary, NC, 5'3 8th Grader Calli Berna from Fayetteville, AR, and 5'8 8th Kia Sandoval from Flagstaff, AZ.  In other words, one of out of four players in our final rankings from this class didn't make the all-star game, which really illustrates just how close the competition was in this age group and how difficult it was to narrow the list down to 20 players, plus five alternates for the all-star game.  There also were five players ranked among our top 20 in the Class of 2010 age group who didn't make the all-star game, but this was a little bit easier, as 5'10 9th Grader Andrea Bertrard from Midlothian, VA, who is ranked #8 in this age group in camp by the HOOP SCOOP, had to catch a flight prior to the start of the all-star game and, as a result, was left off the team, and 5'10 9th Grader Gillian Rooney from Dunstable, MA, 5'9 9th Grader Ulyssas Richmond from Temple Hills, MD, 5'10 9th Grader Lilly Fedar from Santa Monica, CA, and 5'9 9th Grader Caroline Roberts from Collierville, TN are all ranked in the 15-20 range.  To find out exactly where these players, as well as all of the players in camp are ranked, click onto Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players from the adidas Junior Phenom Girls Camp.  We also want to mention the six players from each age group who were named by the coaches to the All-Defensive Team.  In the Class of 2010 age group the list includes 5'2 9th Grader Kya DeGarmo from Albuquerque, NM, 5'1 9th Grader Brenna Alba from Helotes, TX, 5'7 9th Grader Jasmine Johnson from Glenn Dale, MD, 5'2 9th Grader Whitney Southerland from Arizona, 5'4 9th Grader Kelsey Wolfe from Germantown, MD, and 5'3 9th Grader Andrea Thompson from Riverside, CA.  In the Class of 2011 age group the list includes 5'1 8th Grader Lauren Chase from Bowie, MD, 5'8 8th Grader Brady Sanders from Burleson, TX, 5'4 8th Grader Ileana Johnson from Bellemont, AZ, 5'1 8th Grader Anjali Montcrieffe from New York, 5'11 8th Grader Lainey Childrey from Cary, NC, and 5'3 8th Grader Calli Berna from Fayetteville, AR.   In the Class of 2012 age group the list includes 5'1 7th Grader Danielle Williams from Phoenix, AZ, 5'0 7th Grader Larkin Hatcher from Little Rock, AR, 5'8 7th Grader Briel Knowlton from Germantown, MD, 5'0 7th Grader Sasha Orr from Kensington, MD, 5'0 7th Grader Chanelle Valentine from St. Louis, MO, and 5'2 7th Grader Jade Bowie from Riverside, CA.

Friday, August 11, 2006

While I'm back in San Diego, CA this weekend to cover the adidas Junior Phenom Girls Camp, I'm also already planning my next trip, which will be to Honedale, PA, where I will attend what should be the Five-Star Basketball Camp's best session of the summer, and New York City, where I will attend the Boost Mobile Elite Hoops Classic at the famed Rucker Park at 155th & Frederick Douglass Blvd.  The Five-Star Basketball Camp will be held from August 26th-30th and right now it looks like it's on track to be just as good as it was a year ago when it featured many of the top players from the East and was one of the top events of the entire summer.  The Orange-White All-Star Game for the NBA Division will be held either Tuesday night, August 29th, or Wednesday morning, August 30th, and, as a result, I'm planning on getting there on Monday, August 28th in time for the the start of the playoffs, which is when things usually really get interesting at Five-Star.  Then, it will be off to New York City, where there will be a practice and a media session on Thursday afternoon, August 31st, at Basketball City for the Boost Mobile Elite Hoops Classic.  There also will be a shoot around the morning of the game at Rucker Park and the actual game, which is unique because it will feature 24 of the top players in the nation regardless of grade and shoe affiliation, will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 1st.  The list of confirmed players, as of August 2nd, who are supposed to be participating includes 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, 6'11 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA,  6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St Patrick) NJ, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'9 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'9 Jr Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.   And, the list of players who are on deck, which we assume means they will be invited if somebody on the above list is unable to play, includes 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7'0 Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, and 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irvinton (Wilkinson County) GA.  In other words, the only very elite players in the nation who are missing from the list above are 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  However, in the case of Gordon, he can't play in the game due to a Indiana High School Association rule that makes a student athlete ineligible for the entire season if he misses school to play in an all-star game.  Or to look at it another way, the only seniors who are ranked among our top 20 players nationally in the rankings that we published yesterday that are not mentioned above are Gordon, who was ranked #3; 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, who was ranked #10; 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK, who was ranked #14, 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, who was ranked #16; 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who was ranked #18;  6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, who was ranked #19; and 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, who was ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, who is also the head coach at Bayside (Cardozo) NY and is a Rucker Park legend, has been named to coach one of the teams.  During the July recruiting period our New England editor Adam Finkelstein checked in to tell us that in New England a pair of underclassmen - 6'8 Soph Alex Oriakhi from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'6 Soph Jamal Coombs from Winchendon (H.S.) MA - were stealing the headlines away from many upperclassmen by leading BABC to the 15-Under AAU National Championship and the 16-Under Super Showcase Title.  Well, Finkelstein was obviously right on the money as both players committed to the University of Connecticut during an unofficial visit earlier today.  These commitments are just another example of the national trend where kids are committing much earlier in their high school careers, as both of these players have three years left before even arriving in Storrs for summer school.  However, you have to give Jim Calhoun, Tom Moore, Andre LeFleur and the rest of the UConn staff credit for securing Oriakhi (who is unquestionably one of the best young talents to come out of New England in a few years) and Coombs (who possesses a very unique combination of size and skill).  Additionally, both have already committed to playing in the New England Elite 75 Showcase, which will be held next Wednesday, August 16th in Foxboro, Mass.  Oriakhi and Coombs will be joined by players including 6'5 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who is already committed to Boston College, 6'8 Soph Erik Murphy from Southboro (St. Mark's) MA, 6'1 Jr Chris Prescott from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, 6'4 Jr David Gibbs from Simsbury (Masters School) CT, 6'7 Trevon Wilcher from Lee (Academy)( ME,  6'10 Jr Andrew Van Nest from Northfield (Northfield Mount Hermon) MA, 6'8 Jr Andrew McCarthy from Cambridge (Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols) MA, 6'6 T.J. Robinson from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral-CT), 6'8 Matt Hill from Tilton (Academy) NH, 6'2 Tyrone Conley from Burlington (H.S.) VA, 6'7 Soph Dartaye Ruffin from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'5 Soph Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'2 Jr R.J. Evans from Norwich (Free Academy) CT), 6'4 Remington Cofield from Roxbury (Latin) MA), 6'3 Jr Jamal Turner from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, 6'5 Frosh from Josh Turner from Hamden (Sacred Heart) CT, and 6'2 Frosh Joe Sharkey from Chestnut Hill (Brimmer and May) MA.  Additionally, the event will feature a first class coaching staff including former Wright State Head Coach Paul Biancardi, former University of Nebraska Assistant Coach Shawn Hood, South Kent School Head Coach Raphael Chillious, Winchendon Head Coach Mike Byrnes, Notre Dame Prep Head Coach Bill Barton, Brewster Academy Head Coach Jason Smith, Bridgton Academy Head Coach White Lesure, Northwest Catholic Head Coach John Mirabello, East Catholic Head Coach Luke Reilly, and Charlestown Head Coach Steve Cassidy.  The event is being organized by our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein, J.R. Hargreaves of Connecticut Basketball Club, and Jeff Goodman from Fox Sports.  As always, the HOOP SCOOP will provide you with complete coverage of what is turning out to be one of the best new events of the summer.  For more information you can visit www.newenglandbasketballservices.com.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Now that we've had some time to put things into perspective after the busy Summer Evaluation Period in July, we're ready to provide you with a sneak preview of our post summer top ranked players nationally in each class.  We start with our List of the Top 5th Year Players, which by definition means a player is now entering at least his 9th semester of high school.  And yes, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH is right at the top of the list, followed by 2) 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 3) 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 4) 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 5) 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6) 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 7) 6'7 Darrington Hobson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 8) 6'5 Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 9) 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 10) 6'8 Kodi Augustus from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  It should come as no surprise that 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR has edged out 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH as the #1-ranked player on our List of the Top Seniors and that 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who check in at #3, #4, and #5, respectively, round out the top five.  However, it may come as a surprise that 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL are ranked no higher than #6, #7, and #8.  But who do we bump out to get any of these three guys into our top five?  In other words, the senior class nationally may lack depth, but it's terrific at the top.  Rounding out our list of the 10 are 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH at #9 and 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC at #10.  The rest of the list includes 11) 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 12) 6'11 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 13) 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 14) 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK, 15) 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 16) 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 17) 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 18) 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 19) 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 20) 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 21) 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 22) 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 23) 7'1 Solomon Alabi from Montverde (Academy) PA, 24) 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 25) 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 26) 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 27) 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 28) 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) TX, 29) 6'5 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Exelsior Christian) LA, 30) 6'5 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA, 31) 6'4 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Redford Covenant Christian) MI, 32) 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 33) 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 34) 6'9 Nayal Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 35) 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, 36) 6'2 Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 37) 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 38) 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 39) 6'3 Rio Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL, and 40) 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA.  Our List of the Top Juniors includes 1) 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 3) 6'9 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 4) 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 5) 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 6) Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'8 Jr Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 8) 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Beaumont (Kelly) TX, 9) 6'4 Jr Willie Walker from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 10) 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 11) 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from  Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI, 12) 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 13) 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 14) 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 15) 6'2 Jr Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 16) 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 17) 6'8 Jr Chris Braswell from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 18) 7'0 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 19) 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 20) 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA. The next great class promises to be the sophomore class and it's easy to see why when you see the List of the Top Sophomores, which is headed by 1) 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 2) 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 3) 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick's) NJ, 4) 6'3 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompono Beach (Ely) FL, 5) 6'6 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6) 6'10 Soph DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL, 7) 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 8) 6'7 Soph Karon Johnson from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 9) 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 10) 6'9 Soph Stephen VanTreese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 11) 6'7 Soph Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 12) 6'5 Soph Jerry Brown from San Francisco (Sacred Heart) CA, 13) 5'9 Soph G.J. Vilarino from McKinney (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'6 Soph Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 15) 6'8 Soph Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, 16) 6'7 Soph Alex Oriakhi from North Andover (Brook School) MA, 17) 6'4 Soph Roberto Nelson from  Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 18) 6'10 Soph Danarius Robinson from Columbia (Spring Valley) SC, 19)  6'9 Soph Gregory Echenique from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and  20) 6'2 Soph Durant Scott from New York (Rice) NY.  A lot of things have changed in the freshman class now that the 14-Under AAU Nationals are history and our List of the Top Freshmen is now includes 1) 6'3 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 2) 6'6 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 3) 6'6 Frosh DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne, IN, 4) 5’8 Frosh Daryl Trayham from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 5) 5’11 Frosh K.C Ross-Miller from Irving (God’s Academy) TX, 6) 6'1 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 7) 5’11 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 8) 6'6 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 9) 6’5 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 10) 5'11 Frosh Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 11) 6'6 Frosh Jarrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 12) 6’5 Frosh Kony Ealy from Portageville (H.S) MO, 13) 6’9 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (Eastlake) CA, 14) 6’5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 15) 6’2 Frosh Trae Ziegler from Mount Pleasant, MI.  Our List of the Top 8th Graders includes 1) 6'7 8th Grader LaQuinton Ross from Jackson, MS, 2) 6'2 8th Grader Davontay Grace from Brooklyn, NY, 3) 8th Grader Matt Carlino from Tempe, AZ, 4) 6'7 8th Grader LaBryan Nash from Dallas, TX, 5) 6'1 8th Grader Michael Gilchrist from Somerdale, NJ, 6) 6'6 8th Grader Chandler Thomas from Indianapolis, IN, 7) 6'5 8th Grader Damion Cain from Chino Hills, CA, 8) 5'8 8th Grader George Marshall from Chicago, IL, 9) 5'5 8th Grader Tavon Sledge from Spring Valley, NY, 10) 6'0 8th Grader Anthony Wroten from Renton, WA, 11) 5'7 8th Grader Shaquille Stokes from New York, NY, 12) 6'0 8th Grader Jamal Branch from Kansas City, MO, 13) 6'2 8th Grader Vaughn Gray from Paterson, NJ, 14) 6'1 8th Grader Trevor Lacey from Huntsville, AL, and 15) 5'8 8th Grader Austin McBroom from Lancaster, CA.  Our List of the Top 7th Graders includes 5'10 7th Grader J-Mychal Reese from Bryan, TX, 2) 6'4 7th Grader Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL, 3) 5'11 7th Grader Myles Davis from Plainfield, NJ, 4) 6'0 7th Grader Reginald Dillard from Greensboro, NC, 5) 6'3 7th Grader Winston McLeod from Brooklyn, NY, 6) 5'8 7th Grader Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston, TX, 7) 511 7th Grader Kyle Anderson from Fairlawn, NJ, 8) 6'1 7th Grader D'Vannte's Smith from Indianapolis, IN, 9) 6'3 7th Grader Kristopher Jenkins from Norway, SC, and 10) 5'11 7th Grader Bryan Velasco from Yorba Linda, CA.  Our List of the Top 6th Graders includes 1) 5'8 6th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, 2) 5'9 6th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 3) 5'3 6th Grader Dalante Hoover from San Diego, CA, 4) 6'1 6th Grader Dre Kalo from Orlando, FL, 5) 4'10 6th Grader Travis Flagg from Queens, NY, 6) 5'5 6th Grader Shelton Mitchell from Vancouver, WA, 7) 5'5 6th Grader Shelton Mitchell from Vancouver, WA, 8) 6'0 6th Grader Rashon Prince from Carson, CA, 9) 4'11 6th Grader Wes Mitter from Los Alamitos, CA, and 10) 5'1 6th Grader Tre Campbell from Woodbridge, VA.  Obviously we reserve the right to make changes to the above rankings when we update our list for each class, but, if we were going to publish these rankings today, we wouldn't make any changes.  We also find it interesting that two of our competitors have published updated lists of the top seniors nationally earlier this week and a quick look at the top 20 players from each list is very interesting.  Let's start with the list published by Dave Telep on Scout.com, which is as follows:  1) 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 3) 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 4) 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 5) 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 7) 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 8) 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 9) 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 10) 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, 11) 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 12) 6'11 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 13) 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 14) 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 15) 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 16) 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 17) 32) 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 18) 6'5 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Exelsior Christian) LA, 19) 6'4 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Redford Covenant Christian) MI, and 20) 6'9 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK.  While I don't argue with the exact order of Telep's rankings, I have to admit that I'm very impressed with his insight and getting almost of the names in the right range.  So he probably deserves an A- or a B+ for a job well done.  In sharp contrast is the list of the top 20 players published by Rivals.com, which reads likes this:  1) 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 3) 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 4) 4) 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 5) 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 7) 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 8) 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 9) 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 10)  9) 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 11) 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 12) 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, 13) 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 14) 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 15) 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 16) 6'11 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 17) 6'9 Craig Brackins from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 18) 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 19) 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, and 20) 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  Now, if you really want to be a jerk, maybe you would find a way not rank 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR in the top three at maybe fourth or fifth.  But to rank Love #7 and 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, who had one of the best individual performances in the history of camps during the week at the NIKE All-American Camp, #13 in almost criminal.  It also shows that whoever did these rankings has no clue.  As a matter of fact, it's so bad that it doesn't even deserve the grade of "F."  Instead,  an "I" for incomplete is probably more appropriate, as they still do have a lot time to come to their senses and get it right.  Yes, it really is that bad!  But, then again, it is easy to see why it's so easy for us to beat most of our competition. 

Wednesday, August 9, 2006

 Since last Thursday I've done my best to ignore all the verbal commitments that have been rolling in due to the fact that my entire focus has been on covering the 14-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL and the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA.  However, since we were able to post our final rankings from the adidas Junior Phenom Camp day before yesterday and 14-Under AAU Nationals late last night, now is the perfect time to catch up on all of the verbal commitments that have occurred during the last four or five days.  And right at the top of the list is 6'10 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who picked Florida State over the weekend.  Vaughn does need to get meaner and tougher inside, but we're talking about a skilled big man who can step out and shoot the three and do some things on the perimeter.  So it should come as no surprise that he's ranked #34 in our ranking of the top seniors nationally and he should be the perfect complement to 7'1 Solomon Alabi from Montverde (Academy) FL, who also is expected also pick the Seminoles after he returns from Nigeria, where he played for the Nigerian National Team this summer, and 6'9 Ryan Reid from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, who was apart of last year's recruiting class after going the prep school route for a year.   It also looks like 6'9 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL has picked Indiana University and this is big for several reasons.  First, McGee is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's a pretty good player right now.  Second, McGee has big time athleticism, is a natural scorer, and he has a huge upside, which means the sky's the limit in terms of where he could be three or four years from now.  Third, getting a player like McGee out of the Chicago Public League should give the Hoosiers just one more positive thing to sell to 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is one of Indiana's top recruiting priorities.  And, if Indiana really hits the jackpot and gets both McGee and Rose, then that only increases the likelihood that 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is Rose's close friend and AAU teammate, will renege on Illinois and, instead, go to Indiana.  We also have confirmed that Arizona State had landed 6'4 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  Currently we have Harden ranked #38 nationally in the senior class, but, after leading his Pump N' Run Elite team to the championship of the adidas Super 64 and a win against the Houston Hoops, which was the winner of the Main Event in Las Vegas, NV, that is way too low.  As a matter of fact, we think Harden is the most important player that new Sun Devils head coach Herb Sendek has landed since he signed Julius Hodge in the fall of 2000 at N.C. State.  We also think that Harden, who is one of the most prolific scoring and most skilled wing players in the senior class nationally, is so good that he'll get our vote for the McDonald's All-American Game next spring.  In other words, we're talking about a legitimate top 20 player in the nation, which makes him ideally suited for Sendek to build his program around.  One that got away from Sun Devils is 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who late last week picked California over Arizona State and Pepperdine.  And, just like Harden, Viney is one of the best 3-point shooter nationally in the senior class and, as a result, appears to be ideally suited to step in and complement all of the good players that the Golden Bears have already landed in both last year's and this year's recruiting classes.  If you will recall, California also already has 6'7 Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA and 6'8 Harper Kamp from Mesa (Mountain View) AZ in the fold for this year and their recruiting class was tied at #38, along with Kentucky, in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 when they landed 6'9 Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Patrick Christopher from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 5'10 Jerome Randall from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, and 6'9 Ryan Anderson from El Dorado (Oak Ridge) CA.  We also understand that 6'3 Bryquis Perine from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who is a rangy left handed shooting guard that is ranked #247 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Wisconsin-Green Bay.  And this a great catch for Tod Kowalczyk and his staff, because Perine is an in-state kid with a good mid-range game and they beat some pretty fast company for his services, as schools like Marquette, Iowa State, Georgetown, Bradley, Creighton, and Florida State were also on his list.  We also understand that Marquette has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'4 Jr Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'6 Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ has picked Boston College, 6'3 Larry Davis from Alief (Hastings) TX has picked Cincinnati, and 6'7 Jeremy Thompson from Kings Mountain (Hope Christian) NC has picked Virginia Tech.  Williams established himself as one of the better wing guard prospects in the Class of 2008 last December at Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX and, as a result, this athletic 2-guard is a great early catch for the Golden Eagles.  Raji is not a great athlete, needs to improve his outside shot, and is little big undersized to play in the Big East, but, like so many players that Boston College has landed in recent years, he's a good basketball player and has a good understanding of the game, which should make him a value piece to their puzzle.  Davis established his national reputation at the adidas Superstar Camp in Atlanta, GA, where he finished ranked #7 at the 2-guard position and just missed being ranked among our top 30 players in camp.  Thompson originally is from Marshville (Forest Hills) NC, but his big claim to fame is that he finished ranked #21 overall and #4 at the power forward position at the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA in late June.  It also looks like 6'8 Justin Knox from Tuscaloosa (Central High East) AL has picked Alabama, 6'7 Lamont Mack from Angelina (JC) TX has picked Loyola-Illinois, and 6'5 Robert Jones from San Francisco (Riordan) CA has picked San Diego and Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 James Inge from Camden (Woodrow Wilson) NJ is a late addition for Colorado, 6'1 Frank McKnight from Springfield (H.S.) PA has verbally committed to Maryland-Baltimore County, and 6'8 Jared Cunningham from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR has verbally committed to George Washington.  And, if that weren't enough, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Dante Jackson from Greenfield (McClain) OH is expected to pick Xavier over Dayton tomorrow. 

Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Things never go exactly the way you expect them to go and this was especially the case, as S.Carter knocked off Team TG adidas, which was one win away from winning its fourth straight championship in this age group, 76-59, in the title game of this year's 14-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL.  And to get there S.Carter also beat California Supreme, which was led by 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA, who not only failed to live up to the hype as the #1-ranked in the freshmen class nationally, but wasn't even the best player in the game, much less on his team.  Instead, the best player in the game and, in our mind, the obvious choice for MVP in the tournament was 6'5 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, who not only is a killer inside, but also was the perfect complement to all of the great guards - 5'10 Frosh Harold McBride from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 5'10 Frosh Chris Hampton from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 5'9 8th Grader Corey Edwards from Queens, NY, and 5'6 Frosh Devon McMillan from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY - on S.Carter, which also knocked off the Orlando Team in the quarterfinals.  And in that game we saw 6'5 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and 6'3 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who we think are clearly the two best players in the nation in the class of 2010.  And right now we have to give Knight the edge, because he's an incredible athlete and tremendous competitor who always seems to rise to the occasion to put up ridiculous numbers.  Knight does need to work on his ball handling skills, but he's equally lethal from long range and getting to the basket and, unlike a lot of the players in his class in this day-and-age, he's not a grade exception.  He's also a great kid and has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom at one of the top academic high schools in the state.  But it's tough to pick against Pinkston, especially after he sent 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego ( Eastlake) CA packing with only four points in the semi-finals and clearly got the best of all of the tough inside inside guys, like 6'5 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 6'5 Frosh Randy Collins from La Porte (H.S.) TX, and 6'6 Frosh Evan Washington from De Soto (H.S.) TX, who combined for a grand total of only 21 points and countless missed shots, on Team TG adidas in the championship game.  Pinkston finished with 17 points against California Supreme in the semi-finals and 12 points against Team TG adidas in the championship game.  However, even more important was his presence inside, as he grabbed double-digit rebounds and ruled the paint area in every game.  And, if that weren't enough, Pinkston, who already has a list of schools that includes North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, and Louisville, is also one of the nicest kids you're ever going to meet off the court.  As for Tyler, he has the size, skills, and athleticism necessary to be a superstar, but didn't show that he has the heart, work ethic, toughness, and burning desire necessary to achieve greatness.  In other words, we may be talking about the next Tyson Chandler, Kwame Brown, or Eddie Curry, instead of the next Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, or Dirk Nowitski.  Instead, the best player on the California Supreme team, as well as one of the best players in the entire tournament was 5'11 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Mater (Mater Dei) CA.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Franklin played superbly with an injury that has temporarily left him with only about 50% of the feeling in his left arm.  We also have to give the four guards on S. Carter the credit that they deserve, because they provided the speed, quickness, and outside shooting necessary for their team to come back from a 28-16 deficit early against California Supreme in the semi-finals and a 10-2 deficit in the championship.  However, picking one over the other was extremely difficult, as McMillan and Hampton were the two leading scorers for S.Carter in the championship game with 17 and 16 points, respectively; Hall impressed us with his outside shooting in the semi-finals; and Edwards never scored a lot of points (only six in the championship and two in the semis), but was always the guy who made this team go.  And the unsung hero for S.Carter was 6’2 Frosh Kyheim Hall from New York, NY, who complemented Pinkston inside with 16 points in both the championship game and the semi-finals.  Another guy who didn't score a lot of points, but was so important to his team that we rank him #3 overall in the tournament was 5’8 Frosh Daryl Trayham from Washington (Archbishop Bishop Carroll) DC.  Not only is Trayham the ultimate coach on the floor, a great ball handler and passer, and a tremendous floor general, but he was the key reason why Virginia Pride was able to advance all the way to the final four.  Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood also really looks good right now on 6’5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, who emerged as the #1 center in camp over 6’9 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA.  If you will recall, this is the guy who came out of the woodwork at the 3rd Annual Buckeye Prep Report Camp in Columbus, OH during the middle of July and now he is one of the fastest rising players in the class nationally.  As for Team TG adidas, our Texas Editor Tim Miller, who is also the head coach of the former three time defending AAU champions in this age group, he seemed to take it all in stride.  "All good things come to an end," said Miller.  "A loss is never good, but my players will get hungry again.  We didn't have as much firepower as we had a year ago when we had 5'10 Frosh Ray McCallum, who moved to Bloomington, IN this spring, and 6'6 Frosh Julian Washburn from Duncanville, TX.  But I'm not making any excuses.  We didn't hit our shots and S.Carter did what they had to do to win the game."  We also have to give our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood full credit for being in the gym 8-12 hours a day everyday for the last week.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton and myself were also at the 14-Under AAU Nationals and contributed to our list below, but quite honestly Stanwood did an overwhelming amount of the work when it came to compiling the list, which in the final analysis stands at 189 names ranked according to position.  And, if he and Clifton had had their way, we would have ranked 6’9 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (Eastlake) CA higher than #9 in the tournament, as apparently he did have some good games earlier in the tournament.  As a matter of fact, Clifton still thinks Tyler is the best player in the class, despite the fact he had only six points in the quarterfinals and four points in the semi-finals.  However, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to let players earn.  So in the case of Tyler, forget about all of the potential crap.  If he wants to be the #1 player in the nation, according to the HOOP SCOOP, he'll have to do it the old-fashioned way and earn.  Our combined ranking of the top 30 players in the tournament are as follows:  1) 6’2 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 2) 6’5 Frosh Jayvughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 3) 5’8 Frosh Daryl Trayham from Washington (Archbishop Bishop Carroll) DC, 4) 5’11 Frosh K.C Ross-Miller from Irving (God’s Academy) TX, 5) 5’11 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6) 6’5 Frosh Kony Ealy from Portageville (H.S) MO, 7) 6’5 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 8) 6’5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 9) 6’9 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (Eastlake) CA, 10) 6’1 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia (Neumann Goretti) PA, 11) 6’3 Frosh Alexander Derby from Iowa City (West Derby) IA, 12) 5’10 Frosh Chris Hampton from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 13) 6’5 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 14) 6’4 Frosh Tyler Lamb from San Bernadino (Colony) CA, 15) 6’7 Frosh Steven Baird from San Antonio (Home School) TX, 16) 6’4 Frosh Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD, 17) 6’2 Frosh Julian Johnson from St. Louis (Whitfield) MO, 18) 6’4 Frosh Flavien Davis from Milwaukee, WI, 19) 6'7 Frosh Adam Jones from West Orange (H.S.) FL, 20) 5'9 8th Grader Corey Edwards from New York, NY, 21) 6'6 Frosh Joshua Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 22) 6’8 Frosh Malcom Gilbert from Philadelphia, PA, 23) 6’1 Frosh Langston Galloway from Baton Rouge, LA, 24) 5’9 Frosh Aaron Bright from  Issaquah (H.S) WA, 25) 6’2 Frosh Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 26) 6’2 Frosh Shane Southwell from Bronx (All Hollows) NY, 27) 6'6 Frosh Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 28) 6'6 Frosh Kendall Knight from Cincinnati, OH, 29) 5'9 Frosh Joe Jackson from Memphis (Central) TN, and 30) 6'1 Frosh Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA.  Our ranking of the top point guards in the tournament includes 1) 5’8 Frosh Daryl Trayham from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 2) 5’11 Frosh K.C Ross-Miller from Irving (God’s Academy) TX, 3) 5’11 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 4) 6’1 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia (Neumann Goretti) PA, 5) 6'3 Frosh Alexander Derby from Iowa City (West Derby) IA, 5'9 8th Grader Corey Edwards from New York, NY, 7) 5'9 Frosh Aaron Bright from Issaquah (H.S.) WA, 8) 5'9 Frosh Joe Jackson from Memphis (Central) TN, 8) 5'9 Frosh Joe Jackson from Memphis (Central) TN, 9) 5'9 Frosh Will Spradling from Overland Park (Shawnee Mission South) KS, 10) 6’2 Frosh Trae Ziegler from Mount Pleasant, MI, 11) 5’9 Frosh Rodney Beldo from Mansfield, MA, 12) 5’9 Frosh Masceo Harmon from Memphis (Central) TN, 13) 5’5 Frosh Trevor Releford from Roeland Park (Bishop Miege) KS, 14) 6’1 Frosh Oliver Wells from Cedar Hill (H.S) TX, 15) 5’8 Frosh Philip Taylor from Atlanta (Wheeler) GA, 16) 5’8 Frosh Devon McMillan from New York, NY, 17) 5'9 Soph Harold Criss from St. Louis (McCluer) MO, 19) 5’8 Frosh Barry Cobb from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 20) 5’11 Frosh DeKoven Bryan from Stone Mountain (Reean) GA, 21) 5’7 Frosh Justin Burrell from Washington (St. John’s) DC, 22) 5’9 Frosh Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 23) 5'9 Frosh Allen Farmer from Memphis, TN, 24) 6’3 Frosh Chad Jackson from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 25) 5'8 Dondre Whitmore from Trenton (Catholic) NJ, 26) 5'9 8th Grader Donivine Stewart from Peoria, IL 27) 5'10 Frosh Cody Smith from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 28) 5’9 Frosh Juwan Staten from Dayton (Colonel White) OH, 29) 6’0 Frosh Cody Doolin from Austin (Westlake) TX, 30) 5'10 Frosh Christian Pulliam from Greensboro (Day School) NC, 30) 5'10 Frosh Christian Pulliam from Greensboro (Day School) NC, 31) 5'8 Frosh Nathan Ayers from Baltimore (City College)) MD, 32) 5'8 Frosh Erikk Davis from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC, 33) 5'9 Frosh Lavadius Williams from Jackson, MS, 34) 5'8 Frosh Nathan Ayers from Baltimore (City College) MD, 35) 5'8 Frosh Erikk Davis from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC, 36) 5'9 Frosh Lavadius Williams from Jackson, MS, 37) 5'10 Frosh Harold McBride from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 38) 5'8 Frosh Karl Madison from St. Louis, MO, 39) 5'3 8th Grader Stevie Taylor from Gahanna (H.S.) OH, 40) 5'8 8th Grader Nick Syrie from Lafayette, LA, 41) 5'4 Frosh Brandon Jefferson from Lewisville, TX, 42) 5'8 8th Grader Nick Syrie from Lafayette, LA, 43) 6'2 Frosh Christian Green from Tampa (Catholic) FL, 44) 5'9 Frosh Dennis Cid from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 45) 5'6 Frosh Steve Strook from Madison, WI, 46) 5'9 Frosh Michael Messer from St. Louis, MO, 47) 5'9 Frosh Woody Redding from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, 48) 5'7 Frosh Joe Bailon from Orlando (Olympia) FL, 49) 5’7 Frosh Kyle Gardner from Arlington, TX, 50) 5’9 Frosh Steve Whittingham from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 51) 5’4 Frosh Kareem Storey from Baltimore, MD, 52) 6’2 Frosh DeShaun Wiggins from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 53) 5’9 Frosh Michael Heyward from North Charleston, SC, 54) 5’10 Frosh Vinard Birch from Eagan, MN, 55) 5’5 Frosh Troy Huff from Brookfield Academy, WI, 56) 6’0 Frosh Richard Clark from St. Petersburg, FL, and 57) 5’8 Frosh Christopher Blunt from Jacksonville, FL.  Our ranking of the top 2-guards in the tournament includes 1) 6’2 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 2) 5’10 Frosh Chris Hampton from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 3) 6’2 Frosh Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, 4) 6’1 Frosh Langston Galloway from Baton Rouge, LA, 5) 6’2 Frosh Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6) 6’2 Frosh Shane Southwell from Bronx (All Hollows) NY, 7) 6’1 Frosh Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 8) 5’11 Frosh Jamison Sterns from Allen, TX, 9) 5’11 Frosh Blake Stanton from Encino (Crespi) CA, 10) 6’0 Frosh Rodney Rivens from Lee’s Summitt (West) MO, 11) 6’0 Frosh Stanley Watts from Alexandria, VA, 12) 5’10 Soph Philip Green from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 13) 6’2 Frosh Tim Peete from Memphis (Central) TN, 14) 6’3 Frosh Michael Poole from Manhattan (Rice) NY, 15) 6’2 Frosh Ricardo Johnson from Louisville, KY, 16) 6’1 Frosh James Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 17) 5’11 Frosh Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia, PA, 18) 6’2 Frosh Tony Wroten from Seattle (Washington M.S) WA, 19) 6'0 Frosh Eric Moody from Richmond (Evangelist Christian) VA, 20) 6’2 Frosh Kody Ingle from Iowa City, IA 21) 6’0 Frosh Zachary Transhita from Milwaukee, WI, 22) 6'2 Frosh Aaron Gowans from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 23) 5’11 Frosh Kevin Gray from Columbus, OH, 24) 6’2 Frosh Trey Golden from Stone Mountain, GA, 25) 6’2 Frosh Bakari Turner from Plano (West) TX, 26) 6’2 Frosh Kearis Pinkney from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, 27) 6’0 Frosh Damien Steadman from Sanford (Southern Lee County) NC, 28) 5’8 Frosh Rico Richardson from Topeka (Highland Park) KS, 29) 6’1 Frosh Kameon Cerroni from Sussex (Hamilton) WI, 30) 6’3 Frosh Brook Turson from Mansfield, OH, 31) 6’0 Frosh Taylor Cameron from Madison, WI, 32) 6'1 Frosh Frantz Massenat from Trenton (Catholic) NJ, 33) 6’2  Frosh Josh Harper from San Fransisco, CA, 34) 6’3 Frosh Dustin Peterson from Minnetonka, MN, 35) 5’11 Frosh Marquis Sloan from Charleston (Wando) SC, 36) 5’11 Frosh Jonathan Evans from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 37) 5’10 Frosh Tyree Johnson from Philadelphia (Bonner) PA, 38) 6’3 Frosh Byron Dickerson from Atlanta, GA, 39) 6'3 Frosh Jay Canty from High Point (Central) NC, 40) 6’1 Frosh Joe Sharkey from Newton (Brimmer and May) MA, 41) 6’1 Frosh McPherson Moore from St. Louis, MO, and 42) 6'2 Frosh Jonathan Frye from High Point (Central) NC.  Our ranking of the top wing forwards in the tournament includes 1) 6'4 Frosh Tyler Lamb from San Bernardino (Colony) CA, 2) 6’4 Frosh Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD, 3) 6’2 Frosh Julian Johnson from St. Louis (Whitfield) MO, 4) 6’4 Frosh Flavien Davis from Milwaukee, WI, 5) 6’2 Frosh Demarcus Harrison from Greenwood (H.S) SC, 6) 6’5 Frosh Daniel Stewart from Philadelphia, PA, 7) 6’7 Frosh Dwayne Pulley from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 8) 6’5 Frosh Jerrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 9) 6’2 Frosh Kyheim Hall from New York, NY, 10) 6’4 Frosh D’Audrio Patton from Ruston (H.S) LA, 11) 6’2 Frosh Mohammed Lee from Bronx (All Hollows) NY, 12) 6’3 Frosh Jelan Kendrick from College Park, GA, 13) 6’2 Soph Antonio Gonzalez from Seattle, WA, 14) 6'4 Frosh Keith Jordan-Downing from Charlotte, NC, 15) 6’5 Frosh Jeremy Richmond from Deerfield, IL, 16) 6’3 Frosh Jeremy Chapelle from Dallas, TX, 17) 6’4 Frosh Tony Sandquist from Runnells, IA, 18) 6’4 Frosh Ralston Turner from Los Angeles, CA, 19) 6'3 Frosh Greg Gainey from Columbus, OH, 20) 6’3 Frosh Charles Washington from Chapel Hill (H.S.) NC, 21) 6’3 Frosh Brandon Fulton Philadelphia (Bonner) PA, 22) 6’3 Frosh George Matthews from Phoenix (St. Marys) AZ, 23) 6’2 Frosh Jordan Hicks from Cincinnati, OH, 24) 6’4 Frosh Preston Purifoy from Conway (H.S) AR, 25) 6’2 Frosh Mardracus Wade from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 26) 6’4 Frosh Mikael Luter from Milwaukee (Marquette) WI, 27) 6’5 Frosh John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S) TX, 28) 6’2 Frosh Daniel Kuhl from Winter Springs (H.S) FL, 29) 6’5 Frosh Jordan Manuel from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 30) 6’2 8th Grader Trevor Lacey from Decatur (Hunter Middle School) AL, 31) 6’4 Frosh Derek Babb from Darien, IL, 32) 6’2 Frosh Justin McLay from Kansas City, MO, 33) 6’0 Frosh Jerrell Byrd from Lynn, MA, and 34) 6’3 Frosh Quddus Bello from Jamestown (Ragsdale) NC.  Our ranking of the top power forwards in the tournament includes 1) 6’5 Frosh Jayvaughn  Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Laughlin) NY,2) 6’5 Frosh Kony Ealy from Portageville (H.S) MO,3) 6’5 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 4) 6’5 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland (Rose Hill Christian) KY, 5) 6’7 Frosh Steven Baird from San Antonio (Home School) TX, 6) 6’6 Frosh Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 7) 6’5 Frosh Kendall Knight from Cincinnati, OH, 8) 6’3 Frosh Justin McCay from Kansas City, MO, 9) 6’4 Frosh Erik Swoopes from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 10) 6’4 Frosh Allen Starzl from Kearney (H.S) MO, 11) 6’4 Frosh Josh Sewell from Louisville (Trinity) KY, 12) 6’5 Frosh Randy Collins from Laporte (H.S) TX, 13) 6’4 Frosh Ronald Brown from Memphis, TN, 14) 6’5 Frosh Rasi Jenkins from Philadelphia (Roman Cathlic) PA, 15) 6’4 Frosh Ben Dunlow from Cleveland, OH, 16) 6’4 Frosh Burle Watkins from Decatur (Austin) AL, 17) 6’5 Frosh Manny Diaz from Charlotte, NC, 18) 6’6 Frosh Marquis Gentry from Temple Hill, MD, 19) 6’4 Frosh Jaylon Fortner from Jackson, MS, 20) 6’5 Frosh Antoine Cathey from Memphis, TN, 21) 6’4 Frosh Giovantae Hazalett from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, 22) 6’5 Frosh Daniel Turner from Richmond, VA, 23) 6’4 Frosh James Bell from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, , 24) 6’5 Frosh Nick Kasper from Dana Hills (H.S) CA, 25) 6’5 Frosh Okaro White from Clearwater (H.S) FL, 26) 6’5 Frosh Stephon Smith from Jackson, MS, 27) 6’4 Frosh Ralph Hill from Westerville (North) OH, and 28) 6’4 Frosh Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix, AR.  Our ranking of the top centers in the tournament includes 1) 6’5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6’9 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA, 3) 6’7 Frosh Adam Jones from West Orange (H.S) FL, 4) 6’6 Frosh Joshua Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 5) 6’8 Frosh Malcom Gilbert from Philadelphia, PA, 6) 6’6 Frosh Brian Holsinger from Ebinsburgh, PA, 7) 6’10 Frosh Evan Anderson from Maple (Stanley-Boyd) WI, 8) 6’6 Frosh Evan Washington from Desoto (H.S) TX, 9) 6’7 Frosh Tevin Jones from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 10) 6'7 Frosh Darnel Turner from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 11) 6’8 Frosh Perry Jones from Dallas, TX, 12) 6’6 Frosh Milton Geddes from Jacksonville, FL, 13) 6’6 Frosh Robert Crisp from Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill) NC, 14) 6’6 Frosh Roland Brown from Queens (Christ the King) NY, 15) 6’6 Frosh Daniel Broughton from Rising Chapel (Pine Bluff) AR, 16) 6’4 Frosh Chaz Green from Palm Harbor (University) CA, 17) 6’4 8th Grader Damien Caine from Los Angeles, CA, 18) 6’7 Frosh Dwayne Pulley from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 19) 6’5 Frosh Jerrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 20) 6’2 Frosh Kyheim Hall from New York, NY, 21) 6’4 Frosh D’Audrio Patton from Ruston (H.S) LA, 22) 6’2 Frosh Mohammed Lee from Bronx (All Hollows) NY, 23) 6’3 Frosh Jelan Kendrick from College Park, GA, 24) 6’2 Soph Antonio Gonzalez from Seattle, WA, 25) 6’5 Frosh Jeremy Richmond from Deerfield, IL, 26) 6’3 Frosh Jeremy Chapelle from Dallas, TX, and 27) 6’4 Frosh Tony Sandquist from Runnells, IA, and 28) 6’4 Frosh Ralston Turner from Los Angeles, CA.

Sunday, August 6, 2006, & Monday, August 7, 2006

The adidas Junior Phenom Camp did not have the star power in the 8th Grade Division that it had the previous two years and identifying the players has never been harder due to a major problem with the uniforms.  But this still arguably was the best camp that Joe Keller, who is the President and CEO, Dave Taylor, who is the Camp Director, and Aubrey McCreary, who is the Assistant Camp Director, have run yet due to the incredible amount of intensity that the players played with all weekend and the tremendous amount of depth that was on hand at this year's camp.  And, if you don't believe it, just look at our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, which includes our ranking of the top players at each position in each age group at the camp.  We're talking about a total of 85 8th Graders, 90 7th Graders and 85 6th Graders, which means that included 260 of the estimated 350 players at the camp were included in our rankings, which is unprecedented in our 24 years of ranking players at superstar oriented camps.  This year's camp also had it's share of great stories including the big all-star game match-up between 5'9 6th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis (H.S.) FL and 5'8 6th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX.  Griggs is a big time athlete with the versatility necessary to play both inside and outside, as was evident by the fact that he finished with 26 points, made some incredible moves to the basket and finished with four 3-pointers.  Hill, who had nine points, including a long range 3-pointer of his own, is a better rebounder and shot blocker and he impressed everybody with his ability to get the rebound and go coast-to-coast.  Not only are Griggs and Hill arguably two of the three best players, along with 5'3 6th Grader Dalante Hoover from San Diego, CA, who also was at this camp, but was injured and did not play in the all-star game, in the nation, but they are are two of the three best players, 5'11 7th Grader J-Mychael Reese from Bryan, TX, to have ever played in this age group at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp.  Yes, they are both are that skilled and athletic and, when one remembers that they are only in the 6th Grade, their upside and potential is nothing short of spectacular.  Speaking of 5'11 7th Grader J-Mychael Reese from Bryan, TX, he played in the 7th Grade Division, but clearly was the best player in the camp regardless of class.  Reese is an incredible athlete and a tremendous natural talent, but he also has great ball handling skills, is an excellent rebounder for his size, has an extremely high basketball IQ, and makes everybody around him better with his great passing ability, defense, and willingness to sacrifice his game for the good of the team, which clearly was the best in camp.  As a matter of fact, with Reese, 5'11 7th Grader Kyle Anderson from Fairlawn, NJ, who is another multi-dimensional athlete that is versatile enough to play almost any position, 6'3 7th Grader Kristopher Jenkins from Norway, SC, who is a shot blocking/rebounding athlete that controls the paint area, and an excellent group of role players, the DePaul team, which was coached by Paul Gripper, was beating other teams so bad that they had to stop keeping score.  And, while this obviously made it an enjoyable weekend for Gripper, he also had to have been disappointed by the fact that his son, 5'11 8th Grader Joey Gripper from Philadelphia, PA, did not make the 8th Grade All-Star Game.  Not only did I think Gripper was the best player on his team, ahead of 5'8 8th Grader Shai Fields from Pearland, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Tyrone Staggers from Chicago, IL, 5'5 8th Grader Evan Manning from Lawrence, KS, but he made his teammates better and was the 4th best point guard in this age group in camp, according to our rankings.  However, the rankings are based on how a player plays when I watch his team play and a perfect illustration of what I'm talking about my be 5'3 7th Grader Tyler Lewis from Statesville, NC.  When I saw Lewis he played so poorly that I ranked him no higher #14 at the #2-guard position in our 7th Grade rankings.  But his father tells me that Lewis hit six 3-pointers and scored 34 points in the game after I watched him play, which means that he may have had one of the top individual performances of the entire summer at any age level.  Do you know how hard it is to score 34 points while only playing in half of the game with a running clock at a camp?  And this would not be the first time that Tyler has shot the lights out at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, as he also had several games a year ago where he put up prolific numbers.  So assuming that Lewis' father is correct, this has to be one of the big stories of the camp.  However, in the meeting with the coaches to select the all-star team for the 7th Grade the coach of the team for which Lewis played thought his four best players were 6'2 7th Grader Michael Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA, 5'6 7th Grader Jordan Foster from Chicago, IL, 5'6 7th Grader Montana Mayfield from Philadelphia, PA, and 5'10 7th Grader Darnell Dailey from Fairfield, CA.  And this is important, because picking the all-star games is really a team effort, whereby the coaches and myself get together after the first set of games on the final day of camp and pick the teams.  Not only do they not get all of the players that they think should be in the all-star game into the game, but, in the end, my rankings never correspond 100% with who actually played in the all-star game.  And the 7th Grade age group is a classic example, as six of the 28 players who were considered for the 7th Grade Game were not ranked at the time by me among the top four players on their respective teams.  Also in the case of 5'3 7th Grader Isiah Taylor from Hayward, CA, he not only was named to all-star team, but he was one of the best players in the game, as he finished with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and impressed us with his speed and quickness and ability to get to the basket.  In other words, this is a great check on me, because it's impossible to see or know what every player did in every game during the weekend.  We also think it's important to point out just how good the guard play was in the 6th Grade Division, as 21 of the top 40-ranked players in our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp for this age group played either the point guard or the two-guard spots.  And right the top of our list is 4'11 6th Grader Wes Mitter from Los Alamitos, CA, who not only is a great ball handler and passer, but also seems to always make the right decision, anticipates extremely well and plays excellent defense, and has the leadership skills necessary to run a team and make everybody around him better.  Also deserving of special mention are 5'1 6th Grader T.J. (Timerck) Williams from Austin, TX, 4'11 6th Grader Imara Ready from North Little Rock, AR, 5'3 6th Grader from Victorville, CA, 5'1 6th Grader Travis Jorgenson from Harrisburg, MO, 5'0 6th Grader Cameron Epps from Allen, TX, 5'0 6th Grader Clinton Siples from Newport News, VA, 5'1 6th Grader Nigel Johnson from Ashburg, VA, and 4'9 6th Grader Jordan Wilson from Lake View Terrance, CA.  Not only were all of these guys ranked among our top 25 players overall in this age group, but they were a big reason why this was the best age group in camp this year.  In sharp contrast, the point guard position was mediocre at best in the 7th Grade Division, was a evident by the fact that most of the point guards in the all-star game were converted wing players.  Instead, the center position, as 6'0 7th Grader Reginald Dillard from Greensboro, NC, 6'3 7th Grader Kristopher Jenkins from Norway, SC, 6'2 7th Grader Luke Hatch from Thousand Oaks, CA, 6'1 7th Grader Clint McCullough from Stilwell, KS, and 6'2 7th Grader Michael Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA, all finished ranked among the top 20 players in our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in this age group.  And Dillard, who finished with 10 points and was a beast inside with his strength, athleticism, and aggressive demeanor, was the all-star game MVP, as well as our #2-ranked player in this age group, behind 5'11 7th Grader J-Mychael Reese from Bryan, TX.   The center position also was the best position in the 8th Grade Division, plus it had a lot more depth, as 6'4 8th Grader Michael Gilchrist from Philadelphia, PA, 6'5 8th Grader Tyler Poole from Hickory, NC, 6'4 8th Grader Algie Key from Decatur, GA, 6'7 8th Grader Zach Peters from Plano, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Christopher Perry from Las Vegas, NV, 6'2 8th Grader Malik Garner from Philadelphia, PA, 6'1 8th Grader Tommy Garrett from Blackhawk, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Trevar Mayon from Houston, TX, 6'1 8th Grader Austin Minnicks from Richmond, VA, 6'3 8th Grader Tyrone Staggers from Chicago, IL, and 6'6 8th Grader Justin Royals from Roswell, GA all were ranked among our top 40 players in this age group.  Gilchrist, who scored 12 points and, along 6'2 8th Grader Juanya Green from Philadelphia, PA, made all of the big plays down the stretch to help his team win a closely contested all-star game, also was named the MVP in the all-star game.  We also have to mention the fact that a lot of players were listed at the position they played in camp and not necessarily the position that they play on their high school or AAU team.  And, of course there are some players, like 6'4 8th Christopher Perry from Las Vegas, NV, who, at 6'4, is really 2-guard, that we really didn't know what to do with.  However, Perry was his team's best inside player, as he used his long arms, quickness, and athleticism to block shots, rebound, and score around the basket.  So we ranked him as a center.  Remember, our rankings are supposed to be a reflection of the camp and not necessary what a play might be down the road.  Another interesting story involving the 8th Grade age group is the fact that there were a number of players, including 6'3 8th Grader Tyrone Staggers from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grader Vaughn Gray from Patterson, NJ, 6'2 8th Grader Samuel Hairston from Greenboro, NC, and 5'7 8th Grader Myles Mack from Paterson, NJ, who came out of the work work and/or really made names for themselves in this division.  We also have give Hairston a special mention, because I personally thought he was one of the best players in camp in the 8th Grade Division, but the coach on the team for which he played thought 5'8 8th Grader George Marshall from Chicago, IL and 5'10 8th Grader Traevon Jackson from someplace in Ohio were the two players on his team who should be in the all-star game.  However, in the end we vetoed him.  The same thing also happened with 5'8 7th Grader Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston, TX.  And, in both cases, I'm glad we did, because Hairston finished with six points and was more than solid in the 8th Grade All-Star Game and Sulaimon finished with 16 points and hit four 3-pointers, as he was our second choice for all-star game MVP honors in the 7th Grade Game. 

Saturday, August 5, 2006

Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood and our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton have checked in and they tell us that the one of top stories of the day from yesterday at the 14-Under AA Nationals in Orlando, FL unfortunately includes the fact that 6'7 Frosh Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC went down with an injury in the opening minutes of the 3rd Quarter and had to be transported to the emergency room via ambulance.  The injury is a broken fibula, but the silver lining is his D-One Sports team came back to beat D.T.A-DWade All Stars.  Coach Tony Edwards of D-One Sports secured the victory over D.T.A with four-and-a-half players as 6’2 Frosh Jarred Blakeny from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, who had not played in the tournament due to a knee injury, checked in, but didn't do much except inbound the ball.  D-One Sports was lead by 6’2  Frosh James Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, who finished the game with 22 points, and 5’11 Frosh Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman Raleigh (Enloe) NC, who ran the show and chipped in 17 points and 10 assists.  6’7 Frosh Tevin Jones from Raleigh (Enloe) NC anchored the team in the middle with eight points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.  D-One Sports won the game, but finished seven points short of winning the pool and one only point short of taking second place and advancing to the national tournament bracket.  In the night cap 6’1 Frosh Tony Chenault of Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA redeemed himself with a pair of 3-pointers and a block earlier in the game, as he set the tone for the Philly RBK All-Stars to coast to a 77-48 win against the Arkansas Wings.  Chenault, who 19 points and nine assists, also got plenty of help from 6’2 Frosh Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who was called upon to defend the post against players three and four inches taller and consistently came up with rebounds and put backs that surprised all those in attendance, 5’11 Frosh Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia (Archbishop Carroll) PA who knocked down three 3 pointers in the first quarter and finished with 15 points; 5’10 Frosh Tyree Johnson from Philadelphia (Bonner) PA, who finished with 10 points; and 6’3 Frosh Brandon Fulton from Philadelphia ( Bonner) PA who finished with 11 points.  In an earlier game that pitted S. Carter Elite against the United Celtics, we witnessed polar opposite performances from two of our top 10  ranked players.  On one end there was a strong showing by 6’4 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, who led his team with an 18 point performance. However, in sharp contrast 6’4 Frosh Jerrel Eddie from Charlotte (Cannon School) NC was only able to muster two points and did very little to give his team a legitimate chance to win the game.  S. Carter Elite was helped also by 5’9 8th Grader Corey Edwards from Queens, NY and 5’8 Frosh Phillip Taylor from Atlanta (Wheeler) GA, who kept constant pressure on the United Celtics guards by repeatedly penetrating deep into the paint and either scoring or dishing to open teammates.  A special mentioned also goes to Seattle Rotary Select, whose big four of 5’11 Frosh Aaron Bright  from Issaquah (H.S) WA, 6'2 8th Grader Tony Wroten from Seattle (Washington Middle School) WA, 6'6 Frosh Josh Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, and 6'4 Soph Antonio Gonzalez from Seattle (Kennedy) WA were responsible for knocking off Team TG Adidas in the NIKE President's Day Invitational in Portland, OR earlier this year.   Bright, who is a quick guard that can beat you off the dribble, yet still can nail a clutch 3-pointers, finished with 12 points.  Wroten, who finished with 15 points, showed why he’s equally comfortable at both guard spots and is probably no worse than #4 nationally in the class of  2011.  Smith finished with 11 points and double digit rebounds and Gonzalez was active and showed an ability to get by his defender when needed.  As for the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, so far we've only seen about half of the players in camp and list of players who have impressed us the most includes 5'8 8th Grader George Marshall from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grader Samuel Hairston from Greensboro, NC, 6'2 8th Grader Juanya Green from Philadelphia, PA, 6'6 8th Grader Julian Royals from Roswell, GA, 5'11 8th Grader Joey Gripper from Philadelphia, PA, 6'1 8th Grader Marcus Jones from Pennsauken, NJ, 5'8 8th Grader Shai Fields from Pearland, TX, 5'11 8th Grader Donnell Alexander from Grandview, MO, 6'6 8th Grader Zach Peters from Plano, TX, 5'11 7th Grader J-Mychael Reese from Bryan, TX, 5'11 7th Grader Kyle Anderson from Fair Lawn, NJ, 5'10 7th Grader Diante Baldwin from Greensboro, NC, 6'2 7th Grader Luke Hatch from Thousand Oaks, CA, 5'6 7th Grader Jordan Foster from Oak Park, IL, 5'0 7th Grader Dejon Boyd from Woodbridge, VA, 6'3 7th Grader Kristopher Jenkins from Norway, SC, 6'2 7th Grader Michael Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA, 5'10 7th Grader Darnell Dailey from Fairfield, CA, 5'3 6th Grader Dalonte Hoover from San Diego, CA, 5'9 6th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 5'3 6th Grader Silas Gaines from Victorville, CA, 5'1 6th Grader T.J. "Timerck" Williams from Austin, TX, 5'9 6th Grader Reggie Cameron from Hackensack, NJ, 5'0 6th Grader Cameron Epps from Allen, TX, 5'4 6th Grader Christopher Sandifer from Los Angeles, CA, 5'5 6th Grader Shelton Mitchell from Vancouver, WA, 5'0 6th Grader Clinton Siples from Newport News, VA, and 5'8 6th Grader Karl Townes from Piscataway, NJ.

Friday, August 4, 2006

Michael Woodbury is the director of the 11-Under AAU National Tournament and he provides us with his comments, observations, and ranking of the top players in this year's tournament.  And right at the top of the list is 6'4 6th Grader Dre Klayton from Team Orlando, who has superior size and skills.  We're talking about a powerhouse inside, as he sees the floor very well, can hit the 15-foot jumper, and has an above average handle for a big man.  Klayton also is a good shot blocker with decent hops and is solid in every aspect at the defensive end.  His only weakness is that he's not challenged at this level.  Second on the list is 6'1 6th Grader Ramone Snowden from the Virginia Beach Heat.  He is a playmaker with heart of a lion and the will of a champion and plays well with his back to the basket or face up...solid handle for a big man...superior around the basket...mans the boards well...see the floor like a guard...great man-to-man defender.  Only weaknesses are that he is out of control on occasion and is slow to help on "D."  Third is 5'8 6th Grader Andrew Harrison from the Houston Defenders, who is an an enormous guard with an average handle and superior passing skills.  Harrison also is a great rebounder and uses his ability to slash to score or set up baskets for his teammates...solid defender who has quick hands and keen shot blocking ability.  He does need to improve his mental toughness, learn to be a factor without the ball and tighten up his handle.  Fourth is 5'8 6th Grader Aaron Harrison from the Houston Defenders, who, like his brother, is an enormous guard with an average handle.  However, he's not as good a rebounder, but a better clutch shooter with great range.   He also has long arms, which allows him to pick the pocket and block the shots of smaller guards.  His weaknesses are movement without the ball and mental toughness.  He also needs to get his head up when dribbling.  Fifth is 5'7 6th Grader Nigel Williams from the Oregon Portland Hoop Kings. He is a long lanky scorer with an average handle...superior finisher...great defensive anticipation...knack for the ball...ability to score off the dribble or spotting up...superior basketball IQ.  Only weaknesses are strength, loose handle, and mental toughness.  Sixth is 5'2 6th Grader Zavier Turner from the Indy Ravens.  His strengths are prolific range (NBA and beyond), above average handling skills, and strong floor presence.  Also is a solid man-to-man defender.  Weaknesses are movement without the ball, gets lost on defense, and forces things on occasion.  Seventh is 6'1 6th Grader Raschon Prince from Team California A.R.C..  He's solid back to or facing the basket, above average handle for big man, shoots well form mid-range, and has great shot blocking ability.  However, he is weak due to physical stature (long and lanky) and must learn to play against bigger players.  Eighth is 5'5 6th Grader Lionel Greene from Baltimore Select.  He is a top passer that makes teammates better...solid rebounder...average ball skills and shooting ability...nice mid-range jumper.  Also must learn to look for his own shot, tighten up his handle, and gain weight.  Ninth is 5'0 6th Grader Tre Campbell from DC Assault.  Not only is he a dynamo, but he is explosive and has the ability to beat you with his pass or shot...floor general with superior toughness... great on the ball defender...high basketball IQ.  The only thing he lacks is size and he does have a tendency to be out of control.  Tenth is 5'7 6th Grader Brett Bailey from Salt Lake Metro.  We're talking about a clutch shooter with an Adam Morrison-like scoring ability.  He's also mentally tough, has a deceptive handle, and is a nice passer.  His weaknesses are lack of foot speed and he needs to know when to take over a game, must be more of a force on the boards, and more aggressive defensively.  Eleventh is 5'10 6th Grader Auston Gaines from the Cincinnati Knights.  He's a man-child/physically superior and has the ability to score in traffic...great rebounder...strong overall defender...needs to improve fundamentals.  Twelfth is 5'11 6th Grader Julius Randle from the Texas Titans, who is best known for his athleticism and mad hops.  He's also solid off the dribble for a big man and is a great rebounder.  He does need to get stronger and develop a better basketball IQ.  Thirteenth is 5'1 6th Grader Kevin Hunt from North Carolina/Greensboro Warriors.  Not only is he a combo guard with knowledge of a point and scoring of a two, but he also has the ability to pass/score off the dribble, make his teammates better, has a solid mid-range jumper, and is a lockdown defender.  His only weakness are lack of size and he must learn to be a vocal leader.  Fourteenth is 5'2 6th Grader Will Ferguson from DC Assault, who is a playmaker, superior passer, and has above average ball skills and decent range.  He does need to get bigger and work on his movement without the ball and help side defense.  Fifteenth is 5'9 6th Grader Derrick Griffin from the Houston Defenders.  He's a beast with superior strength and toughness...rebounding machine...solid man-to-man defense.  His weaknesses are finishing around the basket and must develop a mid-range game and better handle.  Sixteenth is 5'11 6th Grader Jabari Parker from Illinois Central Elite (Ice), who has a solid inside game, is superior off the dribble for a big man, and finishes well and rebounds well.  He does need to get stronger and have a better floor presence.  Seventeenth is 4'5 6th Grader Reggie Oliver from Team Orlando 2013 and he is a combo guard who shoots well off the dribble, goes to the basket strong, runs the floor well, has a decent handle, and is an average defender.  He must learn to make his teammates better and improve his quickness at both ends of the floor.  Eighteenth is 5'1 6th Grader Daquan Cook from Baltimore Select, who is floor leader with good vision, quick hands and feet, and is solid all-around offensively.  His only weaknesses are lack of size and strength.

Thursday, August 3, 2006

I'm trying to cover the 14-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL, but my phone keeps ringing and the story of the day appears to be the number of verbal commitments that just keep rolling in.  And right at the top of the list is 6'6 Jon Reed from Rolling Hills Estates (Palos Verdes Peninsula) CA, who is ranked #179 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is heading to Pepperdine.  Obviously this is an important catch, because we're talking about one of the best 3-pointer shooters and one of the fastest rising players on the West Coast.  And this comes right on the heels of the verbal commitment by 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, who picked the Waves over the weekend, and 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, who is first going to prep school, but picked the Waves in June.  And they aren't done yet, as Pepperdine also appears to be one of the finalists, along with California and Arizona, for 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who not only is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, but also is ideally suited for new head coach Vance Walberg's system.  So, if they pull this off, Pepperdine will have landed four players who should be able to step in and make an immediate impact next year, as well as a recruiting class that is ranked #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   Our California Editor Alan Utter also tells us that 6'10 Jr Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR, who is ranked #44 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Gonzaga.  Poling does need to get bigger and stronger physically and is somewhat of a project right now, but he's already got good skills, will likely grow some more, and has a huge upside.  So who better to play for than Gonzaga head coach Mark Few, who is one of the best there is at developing players and is an X's and O's genius?  Poling also is should be the perfect complement to the three players - 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'11 Robert Sacre from North Vancouver (H.S.) BC, and 6'4 Steve Gray from Port Hadlock (Bainbridge) WA, all of whom are good enough to step in and make an immediate impact next year, but also have major upsides.  We also have confirmed via our Texas Editor Tim Miller that Texas A&M has landed 6'0 B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX.  And this too is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Holmes is one of the best point guards in the senior class, as is evident by the fact that he is currently ranked #37 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Holmes has the jet-like speed and quickness, which is important if Aggies head coach Billy Gillispie plans to speed things up and run with the powerhouse teams in the league.  Third, Holmes should be the perfect complement to 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to Texas A&M earlier this week.  Fourth, the addition of Holmes moves the Aggies' recruiting class into a tie #3, along with Florida and Purdue, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  We also have confirmed that Wagner has landed 6'8 Clayfell Harris, who is originally from England via of Houston (Cooper) TX, but is now heading to North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME.  We talking about somebody with big time athleticism and a great body at 6'8, 250 lbs. and, as a result, he could develop into one of the best players in the league, if and when his skill level catches up.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'5 D.J. Boney from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE, who is ranked #306 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Delaware.  Obviously it's important to keep the top in-state players at home, but this also is a good catch, because Boney has a great bloodline, as his father is Dexter Boney, who played at both UNLV and in the NBA.  It also looks like 6'0 Kenny Hayes from Cincinnati State (JC) OH has verbally committed to Miami-OH.  And he should be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Redhawks, because Hayes, who is originally from Dayton (Northmont) OH, is a terrific shooter, as is evident by the fact that he shot 49% from the field, 46% from 3-point land, and 82% from the free throw line last season at St. Catharine (JC) KY, where he was his team's second leading scorer.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Julian Gamble from Durham (Southern Durham) NC has verbally committed to Miami-FL.  Prior to the start of the summer, we had Gamble ranked #283 nationally in the Class of 2007, but he really helped himself while playing along side of 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA for the World Wide Renegades.  Gamble is a little bit undersized, but he's best inside where he finishes strong and gets more than his share of boards.  He also will be an excellent complement to 6'0 Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL and 6'10 Freddy Asprilla from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL.  As for the 14-Under AAU Nationals, the big story of the day is that the debate as to whether 6'7 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland, KY is a top 10 player nationally in his class is finally over.  Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood thinks Euton is like a young Larry Bird and definitely is good enough to be in that very elite group.  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller, who also is the head coach of Team TG Adidas, does not think Euton belongs among the top 10 nationally in the Class of 2010 and, instead thinks Euton is a less athletic, but better shooting version of 6'6 Frosh Stephen Baird from San Antonio (Feast) TX.  Well, I think Stanwood is right on the money, although I liken Euton more to former University of Kentucky All-American Dan Issel.  However, for Euton to be another Dan Issel, he has to get a lot meaner and tougher inside and become a lot more aggressive in the paint.  But, having said that, Euton does know what he is, which a four who can step up and, as a result, he had 22 points, double-digits rebounds, and three 3-pointers against Team Belly earlier today.  Some other players who impressed us today were 6'6 Frosh Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'6 Frosh Kony Ealy from Portageville (H.S.) MO, 6'3 Frosh Robert Shaffer from Memphis, TN, 6'5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'9 Frosh Brian Holsinger from Ebinsburg, PA, 6'4 Frosh Greg Gainey from Dayton, OH, 5'10 Frosh Cody Smith from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'0 Soph Harold Criss from St. Louis (McClure North) MO, 5'10 Frosh Jarial Hawhtorne from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'10 Frosh Evan Anderson from Maple (H.S.) WI, 6'2 Frosh Julian Johnson from St. Louis (Whitfield) MO, 6'4 8th Grader DaAudrice Patten from Memphis, TN, 6'8 Frosh Malcolm Gilbert from Wilmington (St. Elizabeth) DE, 6'2 Frosh Roscoe Smith from Baltimore, MD, 6'2 Frosh Ricardo Johnson from Covington (Holmes) KY, 5'11 Frosh Emanuel Chapman from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'0 Frosh James Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'4 Frosh Kendall Knight from Cincinnati, OH, 6'3 Frosh George Matthews from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'3 Frosh Joe Young from St. Petersburg, FL, and 5'10 Frosh Javonte Maynor from Jacksonville, FL.  Unfortunately we didn't get to see the California Supreme and 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA due to the fact that the other team forfeited the game.  Instead, the team that intrigued me the most was the St. Louis Eagles, which featured a bunch of interchangeable parts, including 6'6 Frosh Kony Ealy from Portageville (H.S.) MO, 6'0 Soph Harold Criss from St. Louis (McClure North) MO, 6'1 Frosh Eric Clark from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'0 Frosh 6'0 Wendall Crowder from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 5'9 Frosh Joseph Perry from Springfield Lanphier) IL, and 6'2 Frosh William Triggs from Edwardsville (H.S.) IL.  However, the most talented team that we saw all day was the Westchester Wildcats, which featured 6'3 Frosh Trae Ziegler from Los Angeles, CA, 6'7 Frosh Dwaine Pulley from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA, 6'4 8th Grader Damien Cain fromNorth Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'4 Frosh Erik Swoopes North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 5'11 Frosh David Shephard-Dykes from Oxnard, CA.  And they didn't even play all that well.  But, then again, that was the order of the day, as there were a lot bad match-ups.  It should be a lot better when I get back on Monday for the quarterfinals and semi-finals and championship on Tuesday.  However, for the next three days I'll be in San Diego, CA covering the adidas Junior Phenom Camp.  So stay tuned!

Wednesday, August 2, 2006

After seeing Team TG Adidas jump out to a 19-3 lead early and then coast to a 70-27 victory against the Team Florida Hawks in their opening game of the 14-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL, we think it's safe to say that they are the favorite to win their 4th straight AAU National Championship in this age group.  They also have the size, athleticism, and talent necessary to be the Southern Cal All-Stars of this age group, as they simply ran their opponent right out of the gym.  And they have a lot more depth than the Southern Cal All-Stars, as 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Dallas (God's Academy) TX, 6'5 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 6'6 Frosh Stephen Baird from San Antonio (Feast) TX, 6'5 Frosh Randy Collins from La Porte (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Frosh Oliver Wells from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Frosh Evan Washington from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 5'5 Frosh Brandon Jefferson from Lewisville (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Frosh Jeremy Chappelle from Jacksonville (H.S.) TX, 5'6 Frosh Darrion Nelson from Dallas (God's Academy) TX, and 6'5 Frosh John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S.) TX are all interchangeable pieces to the puzzle.  And today the surprise hero was Jefferson, who made things happen defensively, hit four 3-pointers, and had 14 points in the first half, as he and Ross-Miller combined for 25 of their team's 45 first-half points.  We also were impressed with the incredible intensity level at which Baird plays and the physical presence that Jeffcoat and Collins bring to the table.  Another one of the best teams that we saw all day was the New York Gauchos, which feature one of the best backcourts in the tournament with 6'2 Frosh Doran Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'2 Frosh Shane Southwell from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'3 Frosh Michael Poole from New York (Rice) NY, and 6'5 Frosh Rasi Jenkins from New York, NY.  Lamb is one of the most skilled players in the class nationally.  Southwell is a point guard with nice size, good ball handling and passing skills, and plenty of athleticism and savvy.  Poole is a multi-dimensional athlete who does a little bit of everything, including use his athleticism to thrive in transition.  Jenkins is a high energy inside guy with a great nose for the ball, which he uses to rebound, block shots, and create havoc defensively inside.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Jenkins and Poole were not ranked on our list of the Top 300 Players in the Class of 2010 when we last updated this list on January 24, 2006.  I haven't seen California Supreme yet in this tournament, but our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood and North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton both have and they think we're right on the money with our ranking of 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA as the best player in the class.  As a matter of fact, Stanwood thinks Tyler is the best big man he's seen at 14-Under Nationals since 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR.  "Not only does Tyler have a great combination of size, skills, and athleticism, but he made some moves today that most players this age only dream about making," says Stanwood.  Several other players that I didn't get to see today, but Clifton and Stanwood were very impressed with were 6'6 Frosh Jerrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School NC, 6'4 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 5'7 8th Grader Marquis Rankin from Charlotte, NC.  Perhaps the best individual performance that I've seen all day was turned by 5'11 Frosh Ben Burst from Arlington Heights (Hershey) IL, who scored 27 points and hit 7-8 3-pointers for the Rising Stars against Team Virginia.  However, before we start making Jonathan Scheyer comparisons, it's important to point out that Burst doesn't have as good ball handling and passing skills and doesn't have the same understanding of the game that Scheyer did at such a young age.  Still, Burst might be the best 3-point shooter in the tournament and when he's on, it's really fun to watch.  And Burst wasn't the only player that we liked on this team worth mentioning, as 6'5 Frosh Chance Carter from Wilmette (Loyola Academy) IL impressed us with his rebounding and passing and knack for doing the little things that helped his team win.  I also was impressed with the 25-point effort by 6'1 Frosh Jamison Sterns from Dallas, TX, although he might be the only player that we've seen all summer with worse shot selection than 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  And, of course, we were impressed with the ball handling and passing skills, decision making, and court savvy displayed by 6'2 Frosh Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA.  However, we didn't get a chance to see Golden's jump shot, although several people close to the Atlanta Celtics program tell me that he can also shoot the lights out.  In other words, Golden already appears to be well on his way toward becoming the next great point guard to come out of the Atlanta Celtics program.  Sevreal other players that I've seen today who impressed me enough to be mentioned are 6'3 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'6 Frosh Adam Jones from Orlando (West Orange) FL, 6'5 Frosh Ronald Brown from Memphis, TN, and 6'2 Frosh Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia, PA.  And perhaps the biggest disappointment of the day was the mediocre 8-point performance turned in by 6'0 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA against Fasttrack Future.  But, then again, the level of expectation for Chenault is a lot higher, as he's been ranked #1 or #2 nationally in the Class of 2010 by the HOOP SCOOP for the last year. 

Tuesday, August 1, 2006

6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH told me at the conclusion of the Reebok Big Time Tournament that he and the D-I Greyhounds planned to redeem themselves in the 17-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL  And they did exactly that today in the championship game against the Boo Williams Summer League Team, which jumped out earlier to a 16-9 lead, but then lost their momentum, as 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH hit several field goals from mid-range and exploded to the basket for several lay-ups for the D-I Greyhounds.  And really was this was the turning point in the game, as the D-I Greyhounds went on a 21-5 run and ended up outscoring the Boo Williams Summer League Team 64-33 the rest of the game.  The final score was 73-49 and the two best players in the game were clearly Mayo, who had 22 points, including four big 3-pointers that helped put the game away in the second half, and Walker, who had 28 points and was just as good as he was when we saw him early in the summer at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  Another big key to the success of the D-I Greyhounds in this tournament obviously was better chemistry and the fact that 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH and 6'9 Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH re-joined the team for this tournament.  And Pogue even played hard in the championship game, as he finished with eight points and numerous rebounds.  Lauderdale also chipped in with six points and Mayo, Walker, Pogue, and Lauderdale accounted for all but nine of their team's 73 points in the title game.  The leading scorer for the Boo Williams Summer League Team was 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, but eight of those points came early and he missed some key shots and made some big turnovers when the game was slipping away.  The only other player for Boo Williams to score in double-digits was 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who finished with 14 points.  Obviously getting to see the championship game of the 17-Under AAU National Tournament earlier today was great, but I'm really in town to watch the 14-Under AAU Nationals, which begins tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM.  And the favorite is Team TG Adidas, which not only is the three-time defending AAU National Champions in this age division, but also features an all-star cast that includes 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Grand Prairie, TX, 6'5 Frosh Jackson Jeffcoat from Dallas, TX, 6'5 Frosh Randy Collins from LaPorte, TX, 6'1 Frosh Oliver Wells from Cedar Hill, TX, 6'6 Frosh Evan Washington from DeSoto (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Frosh Jeremy Chappelle from Jacksonville, TX, and 6'6 Frosh John Bohannon from Lancaster, TX.  So it should come as no surprise that we already have Team TG Adidas on our schedule of must see games tomorrow, as they will face the Team Florida Hawks at 4:00 PM on Court #4 at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  Another must see team is California Supreme, which features 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Tyler from San Diego, CA, who is now ranked #1 in the freshman class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'1 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana, CA, 6'4 Frosh Tyler Lamb from San Bernardino, CA, 6'0 Frosh Blake Stanton from San Fernando Valley, CA, 6'3 Frosh Clifford Sims from Compton, CA, 6'5 Soph Wesley White from Los Angeles, CA, and 6'4 Frosh Nick Kasper from Dana Hill, CA.  However, I will have to wait until Thursday at 2:30 PM when they play against the Renegades Black on Court #5 at Disney's Wide World of Sports to see this team play.  I also am anxious to get my  first look at the Kentucky Patroits, which features 6'7 Frosh Dakota Euton from Ashland, KY, who already is one track to become the next great player from the state of Kentucky, 6'3 Frosh Chad Jackson from Ashland, KY, and 5'9 Frosh Juwan Staten from Dayton, OH, at 8:30 AM tomorrow morning against Gardner Road on Court #1 at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  And, of course, there will be the big match-up at 5:30 PM on Thursday between the Philly RBK All Stars, which features 6'1 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia, PA, who is currently the #2-ranked freshman nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'3 Frosh Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia, PA, 5'10 Frosh Tyree Johnson from Philadelphia, PA, 5'7 Frosh Woody Redding from Philadelphia, PA, 5'11 Frosh Rakeem Brookins from Philadelphia, PA, and 6'4 Frosh Malik West from Philadelphia, PA, versus the YOMCA Memphis Tigers with 6'4 Frosh Ronald Brown from Memphis, TN, 5'9 Frosh Alan Farmer from Cordova, TN, 6'2 Frosh Tim Peete from Memphis, TN, 5'9 Frosh Masceo Harmon from Memphis, TN, and 6'0 Frosh Johnny Donovan from Memphis, TN on Court #9 at the Champions Parks & Recreation Center.  The Orlando Dream Team with 6'2 Frosh Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 6'6 Frosh Adam Jones from Ocoee, FL, and 6'2 Frosh Kearis Pinkney from Gotha, FL is another team that we have to see and I will do so tomorrow night at 7:00 PM against the Massachusetts Thundercats on Court #2 at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  I also will catch the the LBA Seawolves with 5'11 Frosh Jamison Sterns from Dallas, TX, 6'6 Frosh Julian Washburn from Duncanville, TX, 6'3 Frosh Bakarie Turner from Dallas, TX, and 6'7 Frosh Perry Jones from Dallas, TX versus My Athletic Desire BB Club at 2:30 PM tomorrow on Court #2 at Disney's Wide World of Sports and the St. Louis Eagles with 6'5 Frosh Koney Ealey from St. Louis, MO and 6'0 Soph Harold Criss from St. Louis, MO on Thursday against Acadiana Hoops with 5'9 8th Grader Nicholas Syrie from Lafayette, LA on Court #6 at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  I also will see the Unique All-Stars with 5'10 Frosh Steve Whittingham from Bronx, NY and 6'2 Frosh Deshawn Wiggins from Bronx, NY on Thursday at 11:30 AM against the Barton Heights Ballers on Court #10 at the Champions Parks & Recreation Center.  Unfortunately I won't get to see the big match-up between S. Carter with 6'5 Frosh Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn, NY and 5'6 Frosh Corey Edwards from Queens, NY and the United Celtics with 6'6 Frosh Jerrell Eddie from Concord, NC, 6'4 Frosh Keith Jordan Downing from Charlotte, NC, and 6'2 Frosh Isaiah Goldwire from Charlotte, NC on Friday at 10:00 AM on Court #2 at Disney's Wide World of Sports, because I will be en route to the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA.  However, Tim Miller, who in addition to being the head coach of Team TG Adidas, also is the Texas Editor of the HOOP SCOOP, and Brian Clifton, who is our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor, will be at the 14-Under Nationals the entire week, and our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood will be here most of the time.  And this year I'm coming back for the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and championship, which will be held on Monday, August 7th, and Tuesday, August 8th.  Other teams in the 14-Under Nationals that Stanwood tells us that we need to try and watch are Youth Interlock Society with 6'6 Frosh Daniel Stewart from Chester, PA, 6'7 Frosh Malcolm Jackson from Haverford, PA, 5'9 Frosh Desmond Irvin from Chester, PA, and 5'11 Frosh Tyreek Durant from Ashton, PA; All Ohio Red with 6'7 Frosh Brian Holsinger from Ebensburg, PA, 5'11 Frosh Cody Smith from Elida, OH, and 6'4 Frosh Greg Gainey from Dayton, OH; Arizona Stars with 6'3 Frosh George Matthews from Phoenix, AZ, and 5'10 Frosh Marcel McClain from Phoenix, AZ; Westchester Wildcats with 6'3 Frosh Trae Ziegler from Los Angeles, CA, 6'7 Frosh Dwaine Pulley from Los Angeles, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Damien Cain from Ontario, CA, 6'0 Frosh Diante Burton from Los Angeles, CA, 6'4 Frosh Erik Swoopes from Los Angeles, CA, and 6'2 8th Grader Kenny Green from Los Angeles, CA; Seattle Style Black with 6'6 Frosh Joshua Smith from Kent, WA, 6'3 8th Grader Tony Wroten from Renton, WA, and 5'9 Frosh Aaron Bright from Seattle, WA; DTA Dwade All-Stars with 6'4 Frosh Mikael Luter from Milwaukee, WI, 6'0 Frosh Creon Reed from Milwaukee, WI, 5'7 Frosh Marcus Kirk from Milwaukee, WI, and 6'0 Frosh Jeremy Gordon from Milwaukee, WI; Atlantic Celtics with 6'1 Frosh Trae Golden from Powder Springs, GA, 6'3 Frosh Dontavious Journey from Atlanta, GA, and 6'2 Frosh Byron Dickerson from Stone Mountain, GA; Columbus Jaguars with 6'5 Frosh Jared Sullinger from Columbus, OH, 5'5 8th Grader Stevie Taylor from Gahanna, OH, and 5'10 Frosh Kevin Gray from Columbus, OH; D-One Sports with 6'6 Frosh Melvin Tabb from Raleigh, NC, 5'10 Frosh Emanuel Chapman from Raleigh, NC, 6'7 Frosh Tevin Jones from Raleigh, NC, and 6'1 Frosh James Terrell from Burlington, NC; Virginia Pride with 5'7 Frosh Darryl Trayham from Upper Marlboro, MD; YOMCA Team Memphis with 6'0 Frosh Joseph Jackson from Memphis, TN and 5'11 Frosh Julian Burton from Memphis, TN; North Carolina Gators with 5'11 Frosh Damien Steadman from Sanford, NC and 5'10 Frosh Christian Pulliam from Greensboro, NC; Michigan Mustangs with 6'6 Frosh DeMondre Chapman from Flushing, MI; Fox Valley Skillz with 6'10 Frosh Evan Anderson from Stanley, WI; Team Texas Netburners with 6'4 Frosh Jarius Terrell from De Soto, TX; St. Louis Metro Jets with 6'2 Frosh Julian Johnson from St. Louis, MO; and New York Gauchos with 6'2 Frosh Doron Lamb from New York, NY.