HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR AUGUST 1999

Tuesday, August 31, 1999

We have confirmed via two different sources that 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, who ranks as the #7 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and was our choice for MVP at the NIKE All-American Camp this summer, has eliminated the University of Kentucky from his list.  This is huge, especially for Indiana University, which has to view Jeffries as their most important recruit since Alan Henderson.  So important that IU head coach Bob Knight, who is usually one of the least visible head coaches on the recruiting trail (he'd rather go hunting and fishing than recruiting), was seen three different times this summer - at the NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN, at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA, and at theNIKE Summer National Basketball Championship in San Diego, CA.  It's also makes Kentucky's recruitment of 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, that much more important, because they would like to bring in at least one extremely talented player with size in this recruiting class.  It also helps the other serious contenders on Jeffries list, like Arizona and Duke, because it's one less school they have to compete against.  As a matter of fact, few players will ever have a chance to tip the balance of power in college basketball more than Jeffries.  If he goes to Indiana, he puts them back among the elite teams in college basketball, while at Kentucky, Arizona, or Duke, he'd be one of the last pieces to their championship puzzle.  And on top of all that, you won't find a better kid anywhere.

It looks like 6'9 Jr Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who ranks #36 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will be ranked as the #1 junior in the state of Kentucky after all, because 6'10 Jr Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY, who ranks #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has transferred to Limestone (Washington College) TN, which is that emerging basketball factory in Tennessee. Remember, Washington College already has 6'9 Arturas Cizauskas; 6'5 Jerome Harper and 6'3 Jr Alexander Harper; both of who transferred from Columbia (Keenan) SC;  6'9 Andre Scott from Greenbelt (Roosevelt) MD; 6'6 Jr Glean Eddy from Brentwood (Academy) TN; and 6'0 Mo Niakate from Griffin (Sacred Heart) IL, who has already verbally committed to Southern Illinois.  Plus, they're supposed to get several players from Africa who aren't in school yet.  No wonder the Bobby Jacobs, the executive director of Slam Dunk to the Beach, which is recognized as the best holiday tournament in the nation, is trying to find a spot in his tournament for Washington College.  We also understand that Washington College will be in the Las Vegas Holiday Classic before Christmas, but as of now still have several openings on their schedule.

Two weeks ago George Mason was the leader for 6'3 Marvin Lewis from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who ranks #40 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-pointer shooters in the class.  But now the Patriots are out.  Instead, Georgia Tech appears to be the favorite over Wake Forest in what now appears to be a two-horse race. Also several weeks ago we reported that 6'8 Michael Hayes from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC had changed his mind about attending Millersburg (Military Academy) KY and was instead heading to Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  However, it looks like we were right the first time, because we've now confirmed that he's at Millersburg.  Speaking of being confirmed, despite reports to the contrary on other web sites within the last 24 hours, 6'4 Ronald Blackshear from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA is done for Temple, according our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin.

We talked with Tyrone Berry, the head coach of Team Kansas, and he gives us his rankings of the top five players in the state of Kansas.  At the top of the list is 6'5 Luke Dwyer from Topeka (West) KS, who is considering Texas Christian, Kansas State, Northwestern, Texas, and Southern Cal.  Next is 6'3 Prentice Potts from Shawnee Mission (North) KS, followed by 6'8 Matt Freije from Shawnee Mission (West) KS, 6'3 Brandon Carter from McPherson (H.S.) KS, and 6'4 Roland Coppage from Shawnee Mission (East) KS.  Freije is being recruited by Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa, Southwest Missouri State, Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Carter likes Wichita State, Indiana State, New Mexico State, Tulsa, Oral Roberts, Southern Cal, and Notre Dame.  Potts and Coppage are both being recruited primarily by schools in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Monday, August 30, 1999

One down and one to go for Michigan State.  We have confirmed that 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI did verbally commit to the Spartans earlier this afternoon and we are expecting to 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN to do the same thing tomorrow.  How good is Taylor?  If you said he's the best player in the nation, I wouldn't argue with you.  Remember, he was the #1 ranked player at the NIKE All-American Camp a year ago, he was ranked #4 at the NIKE Camp this July, and he clearly outplayed 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who is regarded as one of the best point guards in the class, at NIKE in one of the best head-to-head matchups of the summer.  So if anything, Taylor may underrated at #3 nationally.  Part of the problem may stem from the fact that has never been highly visible on the AAU or summer camp circuit.  Instead, of letting his game become jaded, like so many players of this era, Taylor has stayed home, where he has worked on his skills and played pickup ball with the current and former Michigan State players, including Magic Johnson.  Randolph may also be underrated at #14 nationally, but he's still not in great shape, after sitting out during the winter and spring with legal problems.  However, he's got all that behind him and he appears to have made a great choice, because he's heading to a program that will give him the support and guidance to be successful both on and off the court.  Randolph had the second longest wing span of anybody at the NIKE All-American Camp and he's a physical specimen with skills, athleticism, and mobility, which is a tough combination to find in this day and age.  But we want him to move into our top 10, and perhaps even the top five nationally, the old fashioned way - by earning it.

Miami-FL has landed 6'10 Reo Logan from Hillcrest (Country Club Hill) IL, but we're not sure how he'll do under a demanding head coach like Leonard Hamilton.  Logan has tremendous talent and potential and he's a nice kid. However, he unfortunately appears to lack the heart and desire to become a good player, much less a great player.   A year and a half ago at the Spiece Run-n-Slam in West Lafayette, IN we thought he was terrific and we said he could become the next Antoine Walker.   However, since that time he's been  soft and embarrassingly non-productive every time we've been in the gym, which explains why the value of his stock has dropped like a rock.  As a matter of fact, we're hard pressed to even rank him among our top 200 nationally.  It looks like Temple will get 6'4 Ronald Blackshear from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, but according to our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin nothing has happened yet, because they are still waiting on the paper work.  Penn State has gotten a steal in 6'2 Sharif Chambliss from Racine (St. Catharine's) WI, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation.  The Nittany Lions also have gotten an early commitment from 6'6 Jr Daren Pielsch from Beaver Falls (Black Hawk) PA.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that St. Peter's has landed 6'4 Melvin Robinson from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who originally signed with Loyola-Maryland, but didn't make it academically and, as a result, sat out last year as a Prop 48 casualty.  Fordham has gotten 6'8 Cori Spencer from Peekskill (H.S.) NY via Laurenburg (Institute) NY, but we question whether he's good enough.  Rhode Island is close to getting a commitment from 6'9 Jonathan Oliver, who was at Milford (Academy) CT last year, but is now taking classes someplace in New York City.

In case you were wondering whatever happened to former Southwestern Louisiana head coach Marty Fletcher, he's now at the University of Denver, which  joined the Division I ranks a year ago and is now a member of the Sun Belt Conference.  Fletcher and his staff also proved they can get it done in a hurry on the recruiting trail with a class last spring that included the leading rebounder in the Scenic West Conference in 6'6 Steve Simmons from Treasure Valley (JC) UT, 6'3 B.J. Pratt from San Antonio (Judson) TX, 6'9 Jamaal Ramey from Lawton (Eisenhower) TX, and 6'7 Kevin Overton from Seminole (JC) OK.  They also have the Colorado Player of the Year two years ago in 6'6 Tom Starkey, who is transferring home aftter one year at New Mexico. However, the best still is yet to come, as 6'9 Brett Starkey from Denver (Green Mountain) CO and the sharpshooting 6'1 Ryan Goral from Denver (Horizon) CO have already committed and they're pushing hard for 6'7 Jonathan Sanders from Westminister (Belleville Christian) CO, who impressed us enough out West in July to get ranked #64 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  If Denver gets Sanders, it would be the icing on the cake, but even if they don't, just to get listed, along with schools like Kansas State, Colorado State, Texas Tech, Rice, Notre Dame, and Southern Cal, for a top 100 player is pretty impressive for a school that's only entering its second year at the Division I level.

Sunday, August 29, 1999

Several months ago the University of Kentucky was being mentioned with all of the outstanding point guards - 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) NY - in the senior class.  But now Barrett is gone to Seton Hall and Taylor will make it official for Michigan State tomorrow.  North Carolina is still the favorite for Cook, Connecticut may now be the leader for Brown, and DePaul will be tough to beat for Sawyer.  So the only one left is Duhon and right now it appears to be too close between Kentucky and Duke.  Sources close to Duhon tell us that he still favors the Blue Devils and Duhon's mother has told head coach Mike Krzyzewski that her son will sign with Duke.  However, Duhon's mother also has told Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith that her son will go to Kentucky.  Which explains why both programs are so optimistic about their chances.  If Kentucky gets Duhon, they're in great shape, because the Wildcats will be loaded at every position when he's a freshman the year after next with Keith Bogans at the 2-guard spot, Tayshaun Prince at the 3-spot, Marvin Stone at the power forward spot, and Jules Camara at center.  Duke also will be in great shape, because Jason Williams, who was the best point guard in the nation in the prep ranks a year ago, will probably be around for two years before going to the NBA.  But let's say Duhon goes to Duke.  That would give the Blue Devils, the point guard they're sure to need when Williams does opt for the NBA.  It would also leave Kentucky with a great big hole to fill.  Remember, the Kentucky coaching staff passed on a number point guards a year ago, because they were in such great shape with all the top point guards in this class.  If they don't get Duhon, Kentucky's only other real option appears to be 6'2 Adam Boone from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN. While Boone is a great kid, an outstanding student, and a good player - he ranks #42 in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP -  he's not in that elite group.  He's also no better than several of the good point guards Kentucky passed on a year ago.  Other possibilities are going the junior college route or holding off another year, which would be fine, if Saul Smith exceeds expectations this season. The Kentucky coaching staff will make their in-home visits with Duhon on September 11th and Boone on September 12th.  Earlier they will make an in-home visit with 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC on September 9th.  Later they will make in-home visits with 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN on September 13th and 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS on September 14th.

Ohio State and Michigan have always been bitter rivals, but when it comes to the NCAA, they must know how each other feels.  The final blow for Ohio State came when FIBA, which is the governing body of international basketball, of which the NCAA, the NBA, and most other basketball organizations are members, determined that the contract for 7'3 Aleskandar Radojevic from Barton County (JC) KS with the club team from Yugoslava called Buducnoft was no longer valid.  An international arbitrator in England ruled on Wednesday that Radojevic was no longer bound by the contract, which was supposed to bind him through the 2001-2002 season, and that he now belongs to the Toronto Raptors.  As a result, the contract is null and void and based on past precedent, he should have been able to play for Ohio State, after a brief suspension due to the fact that Radojevic played in four games for the Buducnoft team, totalling 19 minutes.  In a day and age when the NCAA is losing all of its best players to the pros, here is a player who wanted to attend Ohio State and play at least one season of NCAA basketball so bad that he even offered to sit out up to one entire season.  However, without checking with FIBA to see if the contract was valid, the NCAA ruled Radojevic ineligible and, as a result, Ohio State got the shaft big-time, especially if this new precedent doesn't hold up in the future (there are rumors that the two Nigerians could be eligible to play at the University of Louisville). The University of Michigan's difficulties were repeated when articles were published late last week in several Michigan newspapers regarding a player - Louis Bullock, who continued to receive payments from former Michigan booster Ed Martin, even after everybody connected with program was warned to stay away from the Martin, due to pending investigations by the NCAA, FBI, and IRS regarding gambling and tax fraud.  The timing couldn't have been a worse, because it comes right when players are narrowing their lists as the falling signing period quickly approaches.  With in-state rival Michigan State controlling the state and with Ohio State having an established pipeline into Detroit, the competition for players was already intense.  But now Michigan, which also has to worry about Missouri making tremendous in-roads into the state, has to battle these legal problems as well.  Obviously, this can kill your recruiting and already the effects are evident, as it looks like Missouri and Ohio State are the leaders for both 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI and 6'6 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who only has three in-home visits with Missouri on September 9th, Michigan State on September 14th, and Ohio State on September 15th.  And it won't get any easier next year, because we already are projecting Michigan State as the leader for 6'4 Jr Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who ranks as the #2 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and Missouri and Michigan State as the co-favorites for 6'9 Jr Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, who has dropped to #11 in the class nationally after a very mediocre summer.

Saturday, August 28, 1999

He may be telling everybody publicly that he hasn't decided, but 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, just can't seem to keep his mouth shut about going to Michigan State.  This time we're getting it from our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg, who has a source who knows Randolph extremely well.  Randolph told the source that he would be announcing for Michigan State sometime next weeek.  If you will recall, early last week we jumped the gun when we reported that Randolph had committed to Michigan State, when we actually should have said that Randolph has made up his mind and a commitment will be forthcoming soon.  So will 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who ranks as the #3 senior in the class.  As a matter of fact, Taylor has a press conference scheduled for Monday, August 30th, and it can't be anybody but Michigan State, because he never scheduled any in-home or on-campus visits.  This makes perfect sense, because Taylor was always a Magic Johnson fan and he's grown up playing in pick-up games during the off-season against the Michigan State players.  As a result, we've been predicting that Taylor would become a Spartan since he was in junior high school.  As for Randolph, he doesn't have any other visits lined up either, so it's really a stretch to accuse of yellow journalism, which implies that we've sensationalized the story.   Of course, we don't have to, because being true to our name - the HOOP SCOOP - is good enough.

Our Philadelphia Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'10 Kevin Garrity from Trenton (The Hun School) NJ has committed to Monmouth.  This is important, because Garrity, who ranks in the top 300 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was recruited at a much higher level, as was evident by the fact that he originally verbally committed to Purdue several months ago.  The reason you probably don't remember Garrity's commitment is that he made the commitment and then changed his mind before anybody got wind of it and reported it.  So new Monmouth assistant coach Geoff Billet, who did a terrific recruiting job, has taken advantage of his strong connections in the state of New Jersey and gotten it done.  And this isn't the first time that Billet has proven himself as a recruiter.  Remember, Billet, who was the starting point guard for Rutgers, helped Scarlet Knights coaching staff get his younger brother - 6'1 Todd Billet from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ - at this time a year ago.

Friday, August 27, 1999

If you will recall 6'5 Ronald Blackshear from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA didn't get the necessary requirements to be eligible as a freshman and, as a result, he has to go someplace other than Clemson, because they can't take Prop 48 casualities in the ACC.  We know he was at Temple earlier this week and Rhode Island is also in the hunt, but right now we hear that Pittsburgh is the favorite.  Speaking of Rhode Island, they've hired Mike Wilson.  You know, he's the guy who signed 6'7 Terry Black from Indian Hills (JC) IA and 6'2 Wendell Greenleaf from Houston (North Shore) TX at Baylor last year, but didn't get retained when Dave Bliss got the head coaching job.  This is huge, because first year Rhode Island head coach Jerry Degregorio obviously doesn't feel threaten by assistants with a lot of experience.  If he did, he wouldn't have hired Wilson, who is recognized by those in the know as one of the best recruiters in the business.  And he certainly wouldn't have hired former Virginia head coach Jeff Jones, who is one of the best X's and O's guys in the business, last spring.

The first three in-home visits for 6'6 Terrance Crawford from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinness) OK are with area schools - Oklahoma State on September 9th, Tulsa on September 10th, and Oklahoma on September 12th.  Then he'll have Vanderbilt in the home on September 14th, Texas Christian in the home on September 16th, and Southern California in the home on September 23rd.  Notre Dame may also get an in-home visit, but as of yet, it hasn't been scheduled.  Virginia has in-home visits set up with 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY on September 9th, 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA on September 10th, 6'8 Terry Sanders from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA on September 13th, and 6'8 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY on a date yet to be determined.  With Florida's signing of 6'5 Orien Greene from Gainesville (H.S.) FL yesterday, they dropped out of the race for 6'8 Antonie Jones from Tallahassee (JC) FL, who is one of the top five junior college players in the nation.  As a result, it now looks like a two horse race between LSU and, you guessed it, Cincinnati.Our   Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that one of the University of Memphis' best players - Jimmy Hunter - has flunked out of school and will likely enroll at an NAIA school, because he only has one year of eligibility remaining.  Rothman also reports that Memphis has picked up a transfer - 6'4 Damond Williams - who averaged less than a point per game last year as a freshman at New Mexico State.

We've found another player - 6'6 Luke Whitehead from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - who ranks among our top 100 who has an in-home visit scheduled with the University of Louisville.  The Cardinals coaching staff will be at Oak Hill on September 14th.  They are also scheduled to visit his parents in San Francisco, CA shortly thereafter and this is important, because right now Louisville appears to be as strong as anybody on Whitehead's list.   Speaking of Oak Hill, this promises to be one of head coach Steve Smith's most talented squads ever, as Whitehead, 6'9 Abdou Diame, 6'1 Cliff Hawkins, 6'5 David Hawkins, 6'2 Chris Williams, 6'4 Jr Rashaad Carruth, and 6'10 Jr Sagana Diop, provide a tremendous nucleus.  And they'd better, because they open up with East St. Louis (H.S.) IL and then in early December play a TBA- possibly Lakewood (Artesia) CA - in the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis and Chicago (Whitney Young) IL  in Chicago, IL.  They also will play in the Iolani Classic in Hawaii before Christmas and the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC after Christmas.  They also have individual games with Compton (Dominguez) CA and Louisville (Ballard) KY.

Thursday, August 26, 1999

It doesn't get much better than what head coach Billy Donovan is doing that the University of Florida.   As a matter of fact, during the last two years, no school in the nation has recruited better than the University of Florida.  If you will recall,  two years ago the Gators recruiting class, which included 5'9 Ted Dupay from Cape Coral (Mariner) FL, 6'8 Mike Miller from Mitchell (H.S.) SD, 6'4 Ladarius Halton from New Smyrna Beach (H.S.) FL, 6'9 Udonis Haslem from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'9 Sylbrin Robinson, from Miami (Senior) FL was ranked #8  nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Even more important the nucleus of that group helped the Gators get to the final 16 of the NCAA last March.  And they should be a lot better this season, because they've added another terrific recruiting class (ranked #9 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP), which includes 6'7 Donnell Harvey, from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, who was the #1 ranked player in the nation last year by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'2 Brett Nelson from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'9 Matt Bonner from Concord (H.S.) NH; 6'3 Justin Hamilton from  Sarasota (Booker) FL, and 6'9 Sylbrin Robinson from Chatham (Hargrave  Military) VA.  If that weren't enough, Florida got a commitment last week from 6'10 Jr  Kwame Brown from  Brunswick (Academy) GA, who ranks as the #6 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and this morning 6'5 Orien Greene from Gainesville (H.S.) FL, who ranks #29 nationally and is the #1 ranked senior in Florida, picked the Gators.  Greene is versatile enough to play either guard spot.  He's got excellent size, athleticism, and the shooting range to be an excellent 2-guard.  He's also got good ballhandling and passing skills, plus he's actually better when he's got the ball in his hands, which means he can also play point guard.  But the real prize is Brown, who is potentially the best player Donovan has ever recruited.  They just don't make them that big and athletic too often. Right now his defensive game is a lot further along, but he does have some offensive skills and he can be a force around the basket.  As a result, the biggest question will be how long Donovan can keep him - probably only a year or two - at Florida.  With this in mind, don't be surprised if Florida makes a serious run at the national championship in several years.  Remember, Brown is only a junior in high school, which means he'll be a college freshman when Dupay, Miller, and Halton, and Haslem are seniors, when Harvey, Nelson, Bonner, and Hamilton are juniors, and when Greene is a sophomore.  That's 10 players in the program with pro potential!

It looks great!  Clemson with 6'5 Dwon Clifton from High Point (Westchester) NC, 6'8 Dion Dixon from Fayetteville (71st) NC, and 6'8 Chris Hobbs from Chapel Hill (East Chapel Hill) NC and N.C. State with 6'3 Scooter Sherrill from West Rowan (Mt. Ulla) NC, 6'8 Michael Bell from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, and 6'8 Marcus Melvin from Fayetteville (Douglas Byrd) NC, each have signed three North Carolina kids who should step in and contribute immediately in the always tough Atlantic Coast Conference.  While all of these players rank among the top 100 nationally or darn close to it, none of them are included among our top 50, which is what is called for if Clemson, N.C. State, and Florida State, which got 6'3 J.D. Bracy from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL recently as well, are going to close the gap between Duke and North Carolina.  Obviously nobody in college basketball has better talent year in and year out than the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels.  So that's four loses in the league before you start and now Virginia appears to be in a position to replace Maryland as the third outstanding team in the league for a long time to come after last year's top five ranked recruiting class, which included 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Majestic Mapp from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'6 Roger Mason from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, all of whom ranked in the 10-35 range nationally last year.  And Wake Forest will also likely always some place in mid-to-upper part of the league due to head coach Dave Odom's foreign connections and lengthy experience and success in the league.  So obviously the race is on!  Will it be the three bright young coaches - Larry Shyatt at Clemson, Herb Sendek at N.C. State, and Steve Robinson at Florida State - in the league and/or one of the two coaching legends Bobby Cremins, who is trying to rebuild things at Georgia Tech, and Gary Williams, whose program has slipped after having a lot of success at Maryland the last several years?  Which two or three of the above mentioned are going to emerge into the upper echelon of the league and which two or three are going to be looking for another job in a couple of years?  They'll all excellent coaches, as well as class people, but there isn't any margin for error.  A couple of players and a few breaks here and there could make all the difference in the world.  But it's that close!  The ACC is that competitive.  If you're going to finish fourth, fifth, or sixth in the league every year, which is the best all these recruits are going to get you, it will eventually catch up with you.

We've mentioned it several times before, but don't be surprised if Missouri head coach Quin Snyder gets 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who ranks #23 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And don't be surprised if it happens soon.  We also mentioned last week that Missouri is a lot stronger than most people realize with 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, who ranks #15 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and now Dinos Trigonis, the Editor & Publisher of Fullcourt Press, tells us that the Tigers are  making a strong push 6'8 Trevon Byrant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, who ranks #21 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, Missouri might be the leader, along with Kansas, for Bryant, who also has Connecticut, Utah, Kentucky, Oregon State, California, South Florida, Cincinnati, UCLA, and Louisville on his list.  Speaking of Louisville, we've finally found a top 100 player who they're making an official in-home visit with (Bryant).  UCLA is still on Bryant's list and they too have an in-home visit scheduled, but  apparently the Bruins have faded some recently.  Arizona, which is now out, was believed to be a serious contender for Bryant, but now it looks like they're putting all their eggs in the basket of 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN.

Wednesday, August 25, 1999

Do you know what Damon Bailey, Carlton Baker, Calbert Cheaney, Bryce Drew, Duany Duany, Kueth Duany, Jay Edwards, Marlon Fleming, Rick Fox, Kojak Fuller, Keith Gailles, Greg Graham, Tony Harris, Jerome Harmon, Alan Henderson, Jared Jeffries, Lyndon Jones, Daric Keys, Shawn Kemp, Charles Macon, Teyon McCoy, Eric Montross, Lee Nailon, Luke Recker, Glenn Robinson, Zach Randolph, Scott Shepherd, Cameron Stephens, Terry Stevens, Bonzi Wells, Sherron Wilkerson and Joey Wright all have in common besides reading like a Who's Who list of the top players in the state of Indiana over the last 20 years?  Well, Jim Kasberg, the Indiana Editor for the HOOP SCOOP and Associate Editor of Indiana Basketball News, predicted that each of these players would be ranked among the top two or three players in the state, as well as one of the leading candidates for Mr. Basketball.  Not only was Kasberg the first person to supply their names to the HOOP SCOOP for national ranking, but in most cases he personally discovered them, often when they were in 8th, 9th and 10th grade.  Everybody knows that the top two seniors in the state in the Class of 2000 are 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN and 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, followed by 6'9 Brett Buscher from Chesterton (H.S.) IN, 5'10 Brody Boyd from Dugger (Union) IN, and 6'4 Shane Power from Gary (Andrean) IN.  And most people now have 6'1 Jr Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN and 6'5 Jr Dennis Cootee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN ranked as the top two juniors in the state.  But right now nobody has 6'8 Soph Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN ranked as the #1 sophomore in the Indiana  Except Kasberg, who already has identified May as the next great player in the state of Indiana.  May is the son of former Indiana University All-American Scott May, but he's more comparable to Randolph, because he's just a phenomenal physical specimen.  He's young for his age and still growing.  We're talking about somebody who could potentially be the same size as the late 7'0 John Stewart from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who committed to Kentucky a year ago, but tragically died of heart attack in last year's state tournament, and with the skills and mobility of Randolph.  As a matter of fact, we're talking about the only player Kasberg has ever seen play up a year in class and dominate at times on Bob Pryor's Bloomington 16-Under AAU team.  However, Kasberg is already is bored talking about sophomores.  The best freshman in the state and a player who could dominate nationally if he gets his grades together is 6'5 Frosh DeAndre Peyton from Indianapolis, IN.  But the player Kasberg is the most excited about is still only in the first week of his 8th grade year.  His name is 6'4 Robert "Darth"Vaden and when Kasberg finishes his rankings of the top prep players in Indiana, you can read about Vaden in the Members Section of the HOOP SCOOP.  That should be ready in a couple of weeks.  However, we will tease you with this much, Vaden just might be the best 8th grader Kasberg has ever seen.

Did you know that 6'5 Alfred Bell from Santa Fe (JC) FL, who signed with the University of Georgia a year ago, is now at Georgetown College in Kentucky?  This is important, because Bell, who was a legitimate top 100 player nationally when he was a high school senior, is not only a great athlete and prolific scorer, but he appears to be the last piece to head coach Happy Osborne's puzzle for the 1999-2000 season.  If you will recall, Georgetown won the NAIA National Championship two years ago and was ranked #1 in NAIA most of last season.  Three starters return from that team, including last year's NAIA National Player-of-the-Year 6'8 Will Carlton,  who transferred back home after his freshman season at Utah.  As a result, Carlton, who is from Lawrenceburg (Anderson County) KY, and Bell, who is originally from Tifton (Tift County) GA, should provide the Tigers with one of the most lethal one-two punches in all of college basketball, as well as another NAIA National Championship.

We have re-checked with Reggie Tisdale, the Editor & Publisher of Indiana Basketball News, as well as a number of other sources regarding the status of 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN and we are 100% sure that he has decided to attend Michigan State.  However, a source close to the Michigan State program tells us that he hasn't told them anything yet.  Also, Randolph says he hasn't made up his mind.  As a result, it looks like we jumped the gun two days ago.  Instead of saying that Randolph has committed to Spartans, we should have said that Randolph has decided to attend Michigan State and that a commitment will be forthcoming in the near future.  Obviously we weren't totally accurate, but that's what happens sometimes when you have inside information.  The problem stemmed from a lack of communication, but when somebody calls and tells you it's done, you assume that it's done.  To get accused of something like yellow journalism, which is what some very naive person did several days ago on a message board, is totally ridiculous.  As a matter of fact, I take great pains to ensure accuracy.  And if you don't believe that, just wait and see what Randolph does early next week - probably a day or two after 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI commits to Michigan State, which is scheduled to happen on Monday.
 
We have confirmed that Manhattan has received a verbal commitment from 5'11 Shawn Mark from Brooklyn (Tilden) NY, who played well when we saw him this summer, but is still somewhat of an enigma in New York City, because he missed part of his senior season last year.  As a result, Mark, who is small, but has good ballhandling, passing, and penetrating skills and jet-like speed and quickness, will likely prove to be a major surprise this winter at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  With this addition, Manhattan will likely stop recruiting 6'1 Mike Sherrod from Brooklyn (Paul Roberson) NY, who also is considering schools, like Massachusetts, St. Bonaventure, and La Salle, because they no longer need a point guard.  With Mark and 6'5 David Holmes from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #33 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, already in the fold, new head coach Bobby Gonzalez has picked up right where he left off with his first recruiting class last spring, which ranked #70 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And he isn't done yet, because we think Manhattan will beat Holy Cross, Boston University, Duquesne, Delaware, and Siena for 6'5 Mark Curry from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, who would be another major steal.

Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook and Prep Stars provides us with yet another commitment for an Atlantic Coast Conference school.  This time it's Wake Forest, which has backed off 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA and has taken 7'0 Dshamal Schoetz from High Point (Wesleyan) NC.  Schoetz is solid, but he's not as good as Fingleton.  The feeling is that Wake Forest went ahead and took him, because North Carolina was making a push for Fingleton and the Demon Deacons figured one in the hand was worth two in the bush.  To recap the rest of the ACC commitments that have occured within the last 10 days, Florida State has landed 6'3 J.D. Bracy from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL and N.C. State has landed 6'3 Scooter Sherrill from West Rowan (Mt. Ulla) NC, 6'8 Michael Bell from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, and 6'8 Marcus Melvin from Fayetteville (Douglas Byrd) NC, who apparently is the the prize of the class, but who is very underrated, because he didn't go to any camps or play AAU ball this summer.  Clemson has commitments from 6'5 Dwon Clifton from High Point (Westchester) NC, 6'8 Dion Dixon from Fayetteville (71st) NC, and 6'8 Chris Hobbs from Chapel Hill (East Chapel Hill) NC.  Another one of the top players in the state - 6'6 Reggie Love from Charlotte (Providence) NC - has elected to commit to Duke, where he will likely play both football and basketball.  That's eight players from the state of North Carolina who have committed to ACC schools, which means only two of the top player in state - 6'9 Chris Wilcox, who has transferred to Raleigh (Enloe) NC, and 6'7 Michael Joiner from Fayetteville (71st) NC - are still available.  However, Wilcox, who is interested in N.C. State, Maryland, and UNC-Charlotte - will likely have to prep school next year.  So really all that is left is Joiner, who will likely decide from among Florida State, Tennessee, and Notre Dame.

UNC-Charlotte has gotten a commitment from 6'5 Kevin Johnson from Milford (Academy) CT.  Southern Illinois may have stolen another one in 6'8 Josh Warner from Washington (St. Francis Borgia) MO.  Baylor gets 6'8 Patrick Okafor from Lee (JC) TX.  St. Bonaventure has landed 6'7 Hamilton Rucker from League City (Clear Creek) TX.  Texas finally has a commitment from 6'9 Brian Boddicker from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  This is unconfirmed, but it looks like Marquette head coach Tom Crean has convinced 6'10 Scott Merritt from Wauwatosa (West) WI to stay home.  We have also gotten an unconfirmed report that Arizona State has gotten 6'4 Jonathan Howard from Phoenix (Brophy Prep) AZ, but as it stands now he plans to visit Notre Dame this weekend.  We're not sure he's good enough, but Iowa has gotten 6'6 Courtney Scott from Lansing (Waverly) MI.  Drexel has a commitment from 6'0 Brett Storm from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA. Providence has landed 6'10 Marcus Douthit from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Wright State appears to be on the verge of getting 6'7 Romain Guessaigba-Soto from Dayton (Christian) OH, who ranks #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  The latest list for 6'8 Tizzo Johnson from Millersburg (Military Academy) KY includes Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Tulsa, Texas Christian, and Louisville.  Temple is looking stronger and stronger for 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH.

Our International Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Bruce Fraser has left the coaching staff at the University of Missouri and will be replaced by Igor Kokoskov, who is currently an assistant coach for the Belgrade Partizan team in Yugoslavia.  This is important, because Kokoskov is the first coach ever from directly abroad to be hired by a Division I school.  Although he had no official duties, he spent last season as an observer at Duke University, which is where he got to know current Missouri head coach Quin Snyder.  And don't be surprised if this becomes a new trend in Division I.  Not only does Kokoskov have a lot of contacts in Eastern Europe, but, like many European players, he also knows the game and is an excellent teacher of something that is very lacking today in college basketball - fundamentals and skills.  Obviously, this is the main reason why Snyder hired Kokoskov, who will fill the part-time position. However, he isn't in Columbia, MO just yet.  The word is that he plans to finish the season in Yugoslavia and, as a result, won't there until early September.

Tuesday, August 24, 1999

Since reporting yesterday that 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN was a done deal for Michigan State, we've been taking a lot of heat, because Randolph has been telling people that it's not over yet.  However, although we have yet to officially confirm this as fact, we stand by our source, Reggie Tisdale, the Editor & Publisher of Indiana Basketball News, who not only knows where all the bodies are buried in the state of Indiana, but also usually knows what going to happen in the state well in advance.  It's kind of like when Ron Briscoe called Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports irresponsible for reporting last week that 6'0 Chevis Brimmer from Baton Rouge (Bishop Hannan) LA was going to the University of Colorado.  However, Gibbons turned out to be right, because later in the week Brimmer did announce for Colorado.  As a result, it looks like Gibbons knew well in advance about Brimmer and Briscoe missed one right in his own backyard.  In Tisdale's case, we said, "it comes as no surprise that Tisdale called this morning to tell us that it's a done deal.  That's right!  Randolph, who made an unofficial visit to East Lansing, MI a week ago, has verbally committed to the Spartans."  Once again, we stand by our source, Tisdale, who will look like a genius and will get full credit, if and when, he's proved right or the blame, if by some chance, he's wrong.  That's why a good journalist credits his sources and anybody who questions us on this is only showing their ignornance.  As it stands now, we think Randolph has made up his mind, but wants to hold off for several more days so he and 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI can get their ducks in a row and both make an announcement together for Michigan State.  However, we've made that very difficult, because the cat is already out of the bag and several of the other credible internet sites, like Prep Stars and Recruiting USA, are also reporting that it's over.  Also very interesting is the fact that Randolph probably won't make it academically, but he'll still likely end up at Michigan State as Prop 48 casualty.

Reggie Tisdale of Indiana Basketball News is now reporting that 6'8 Gary McQuay is transferring from Purdue to Florida Atlantic, despite the fact that McQuay only has one year of eligibility remaining.  This is huge for former Chicago Bull Sidney Green, who is now the head coach at this school in the Trans American Conference.  As a matter of fact, if Green handles him right, he may have another Stacy Augmon, but he has to be able to slash and run, which is why he wasn't successful in Purdue's half court setting.  Also it comes as no surprise that Chris Jeffries is transferring from Arkansas back home to Fresno State and this could prove to be important down the road, because Jeffries played on the Fresno-EBO team with 6'5 Deshawn Stevenson from Fresno (Union) CA, who ranks among our top five nationally and is close friends with Jeffries.  However, right now the word on the street is that UCLA is a lot stronger with Stevenson than most people realize, despite the fact that Bruins head coach Steve Lavin didn't follow Stevenson's every move in July, like he did a year ago with 6'9 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, who picked Duke over UCLA last spring.  Speaking of Boozer, sources tell us that he's out with a broken foot and that he'll miss the first three games of the season.

Clemson and N.C. State have gotten commitments from two of the best players in the state of North Carolina.  As expected, 6'3 Scooter Sherrill from West Rowan (Mt. Ulla) NC, who ranks #71 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has committed to N.C. State, and 6'5 Dwon Clifton from High Point (Westchester) NC, who ranks #94 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has committed to Clemson.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY and 6'8 Zach Williams from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY both will make official visits to Ohio State, but as of yet, dates haven't been set up.  Johnson also tells us there are two very surprising coaching chances in the state of Texas.  Don Haskins, the head coach at Texas-El Paso for the last 37 years and coach of the 1966 NCAA Champions, has unexpectedly retired.  The timing is extremely important, because it's almost too late to hire another coach, which means his long time assistant coach G. Ray Johnson will probably get the job.  Johnson also tells us that Greg Swaim of Midwest Basketball is reporting that UT-Pan American head coach Delray Brooks and his staff, which includes George Morgan, Patrick Harrington, and Jason Patterson, have been fired.  This comes as a major surprise, because we thought UT-Pan American was about to turn the corner.  If you will recall, they recruited extremely well in the spring and they played a good teams close last winter.

Monday, August 23, 1999

For the last year we've been telling you that 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was a near lock Michigan State.  So it comes as no surprise that Reggie Tisdale, the Editor & Publisher of Indiana Basketball News, called this morning to tell us that it's a done deal.  That's right!  Randolph, who made an unofficial visit to East Lansing, MI a week ago, has verbally committed to the Spartans.  This is huge, because few players possess Randolph's size, athleticism, and skills, but also very important he's also a great kid.  Obviously this is why Michigan State and a lot of other schools didn't back off, even after he had some serious legal problems in early this year.  Randolph was arrested for selling guns, but it was more a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time around the wrong people and using poor judgment.  After sitting out half of the high school season and serving time in a detention center on two different occasions, which prevented him from being in playing shape this summer, hopefully he's learned a tough lesson, but valuable lesson.  This is also very important, because when Randolph was in East Lansing a week ago, he stayed at the home of 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who ranks as the #3 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is believed to be a near lock for the Spartans.  Obviously this would be a major coup for Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, because the only thing that is harder to do than get to the top is stay there.  And coming on the heels of last March's NCAA Final Four appearance is a freshman class, which includes two terrific players in 6'5 Jason Richardson and 6'7 Aloyius Anagonye, both of whom ranked among the top 40 nationally when they were in high school a year ago, plus Randolph and probably Taylor.  As a result, not only is Michigan State one of the premier programs in college basketball right now, but it looks like they will stay there for a while.

Highlighting the Sonny Hill Future Stars Tournament at Temple University, August 18th-22nd, were five of the top 50 sophomores in the nation in 6'2 Soph Marshall Strickland from Winchendeon (School) MA, 6'8 Soph Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'1 Soph Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'2 Soph J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'11 Soph Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  Two of these sophomores, Strickland and Francis, along with 6'9 Mobido Diarra from Fitcburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'5 Rahiem Lamb from Boston (English) MA, and 6'2 Jr Jermaine Watson from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA led B.A.B.C to the championship over the Sonny Hill Seniors, 57-51.  The key to the game was the great guard play by Strickland and Watson, but 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who ranks as the consensus #1 player in the nation, kept the local team close with 23 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks.  Speaking of Griffin, he was ejected in the quarterfinals for fighting, which comes as major surprise considering Griffin's mild mannered temperament.  Also playing well for Sonny Hill was 6'0 Shaun McKie from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, who had 15 points and four assists.   Watson was named the tournament MVP and Strickland the attitute/sportsmanship award.  Also named to the all tournament team were Griffin, McNamara, Lamb, Diarra, 6'3 Darryl Jones from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 6'2 Mike Ames from Pottstown (Puis X) PA, 6'4 Carlos Hawkins from Wilmington (Howard) DE, 5'8 Andre Collins from Cristfield (H.S.) MD, 6'8 Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 5'6 Jr Louie Ford from Cambridge (Rindge and Latin) MA, 6'5 Tremaine Robinson from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'4 Siree Morris from Newark (University) NJ, 6'2 Jr Kudjo Sagadzi from Newark (East Side) NJ, 6'7 Jr Elton Brown from Warwick (H.S.) VA, and 6'4 Jr John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin also talked with a number of the players at the Sonny Hill Future Stars Tournament at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.  Massachusetts, Georgetown, Hofstra, UNC-Greensboro, St. Bonaventure, Rutgers, and La Salle are involved with 5'7 Marques Green from Norristown (H.S.) PA.   DaJuan Wagner's buddy and high school teammate 6'7 Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ has Michigan, La Salle, Temple, Virginia, Massachusetts, Georgia Tech, Providence, Miami-FL, Louisville and Kentucky all on his list.  St. Joseph's leads La Salle, Drexel, Delaware, St. Bonaventure, Siena, and Pittsburgh for 6'8 Sean Knitter from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA.  The list for 6'3 Torrian Jones from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA includes Xavier, Massachusetts, Seton Hall, Maryland, Penn State, and Rutgers.  James Madison, La Salle, Kansas State, Rutgers, and Massachusetts are all in the hunt  with 6'4 Carlos Hawkins from Wilmington (Howard) DE.  Fairleigh Dickinson, Northeastern, Towson State, and Youngstown State are all recruiting 6'5 Khari McQueen from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.

It will be interesting to see if the trend continues.  Two years ago University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith scheduled his first in-home visit with Tayshaun Prince and soon after Prince committed to Kentucky.  Last year the player Smith went to see first was  Marvin Stone and soon after he also committed to Kentucky.  This year Smith will go to see 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, who ranks #17 nationally among seniors by the HOOP SCOOP.  Right now Kentucky appears to be the strong leader, but the word is that Howell, who also take official visits to Duke on September 12th, Connecticut on September 14, and South Carolina on September 20th, will wait until spring before making up his mind.  Apparently Howell wants to see how his older brother, Ivan Howell, does as a freshman at South Carolina this year.  If Howell does indeed wait until spring, we think it favors the Gamecocks considerably.  If Howell is going to leave, he'll likely do it in the fall.  If he waits, he'll have to deal with the pressure to stay home all winter.  But that's  assuming that University of South Carolina head coach Eddie Fogler turns things around.  Remember, last season was a disaster and he's already lost the top player from the state - 6'5 Jerome Harper from Columbia (Keenan) SC via Limestone (Washington College) TN to Cincinnati.  If Fogler loses Howell and has another bad season, he'd better start thinking about getting out of town ahead of the posse.  So, obviously, Howell is the guy Fogler has to get.

Sunday, August 22, 1999

Yesterday Steve Bell, the editor & publisher of The Bank, confirmed that the University of Missouri is the leader for the two of the top three seniors in Michigan - 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI and 6'6 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI.  Well, Missouri also appears to be a lot stronger than most people realize with 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL.  We still think DePaul will be tough to beat and his father wants him to stay home and go to DePaul.  However, we're also hearing that Sawyer's mother really likes Missouri.  Speaking of players from Illinois, look for 6'6 Roger Powell from Joliet (Township) IL, who was ranked #38 at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP, to commit to the University of Illinois within the next week or two.  This is interesting, because the Fighting Illini only have one scholarship available, but somehow we think they'll find another one, if 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL decides he wants to play college basketball for head coach Lon Kruger.  But as it stands now, Miles is totally open, although a source close to the kid tells us that North Carolina is the school he's the most excited about right now.  We still hear that Ohio State is the leader for 6'8 T.J. Cummings from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, although the University of California is a lot stronger than most people realize.  DePaul also is very much in the hunt for Cummings, but we think the Blue Demons are the strong favorite over Michigan and Louisville for 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL.

Fresno State, LSU, South Florida, Temple, and Murray State are all involved with 6'9 Ronnie Griffin from Tallahassee (JC) FL.  Kentucky and Louisville both appear to be out with 6'9 Jr  Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who currently ranks #36 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Apparently Bender turned off the Kentucky coaching staff with a recent conversation and Louisville lost all hope when former assistant coach Jerry Eaves left for the Charlotte Hornets.  Instead, the top schools on Bender's list are Florida, Michigan, and Missouri, but the word we're getting now is that he's talking about going to prep school for a year after graduating from high school and then going straight to the NBA.  Matthew Denison of Matt's Stats tells us that 6'1 Jason Carter from Gary (Mann) IN,  who was ranked #92 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and #3 in Indiana by Jim Kasberg in our final rankings of the Class of '99, has been granted another year of eligibility by the Indiana State High School Athletic Association.  Carter had a legitimate hardship case upon which to appeal, because he'd been homeless for several years, but for our purposes, he's a 5th year player, because he'll be in his 9th semester of high school this fall.  Right now Wyoming appears to have the inside track, but we look for that list to grow considerably now that he has another year to work on his academics.

We still think that New Mexico is the team to beat for 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, but we understand that Temple has made a very strong push and he also likes Michigan and Auburn.  Kansas has reportedly offered 6'11 Jared Reiner from Tripp (Tripp-Delmont) SD, but the word we're getting is that Iowa will be very tough to beat.  Brigham Young and Arizona State are the leaders for 6'10 Derek Dawes from Salt Lake City (Cottonwood) UT, who doesn't currently rank anong our top 100 nationally, but should according to several people who saw him the last several weeks on the Pro Trust trip to Europe. Samford, Lehigh, and Georgetown-KY are showing interest in 6'5 Blake Downing from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, but after a strong summer and with his strong academics (he's a 4.0 student), we'd be surprised if a number Ohio Valley Conference schools don't try and ge involved.

In an article in the Louisville Courier-Journal written by Ashley McGeachy, it was reported today that 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi from Nigeria via Toronto, ON is ineligible to play at the University of Louisville, because he "did not achieve a qualifying scoring on the Scholastic Assessment Test and will go to California on Thursday to work for a month with Tryfon Castritis, a 31-year-old tutor who has helped other high-profiles basketball players qualify."  McGeachy also quotes Slavko Duric, who is a Canadian businessman, saying  that 6'10 Muhamed Lasege, who is the other Nigerian who signed with Louisville this spring, "should be declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse this week and then enroll at Louisville." Then she goes on to say "both played briefly for a professional team in Russia, but the only payment they received was for room and board, which is permissible under NCAA rules."  However, this is not correct.  According to the Summary of NCAA Regulations Related to Agents and other Amateurism Provisions, which can be found on the internet at http://www.ncaa.org/agents/ncaa_summary.html#lll under Amateur Status/Equipment & Apparel Items/Negotiations, "an individual loses amateur status and, thus, shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition in a particular sport if the individual:  1) Uses his or her athletics skills (directly or indirectly) for pay in any form in that sport; (2) Accepts a promise of pay even if such pay is to be received following completion of intercollegiate athletics participation; 3) Signs a contract or commitment of any kind to play professional athletics, regardless of its legal enforceability or consideration received; (4) Receives, directly or indirectly, a salary, reimbursement of expenses or any other form of financial assistance from a professional sports organization based upon athletics skill or participation, except as permitted by NCAA rules and regulations; 5) Competes on any professional athletics team and knows that the team is a professional athletics team, even if no pay or remuneration for expenses was received."  Unfortunately for the University of Louisville, four of the five rules, which are list above in red, make the matter very cut and dry.  As a result, it is our contention that it doesn't matter what the NCAA Clearinghouse decides.  The Ndubuisi, Lasege, and 6'11 Uche Okafor, who signed with Miami-FL, all played professionally in Russia.  Until now that was the only question, but McGeachy herself makes it pretty clear that they played for a short time.  Until she did that, there was at least some room for argument.  But not anymore.

Saturday, August 21, 1999

Steve Bell, the editor & publisher of The Bank, which is the premier scouting service in the state of Michigan, tells us that it would be a major upset if 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who ranks as the #3 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, goes anywhere but Michigan State.  The reason we even bring this up at all is that several Kentucky fans have been telling us that they have a realistic chance of getting Taylor, if they don't get 6'1Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who is expected to pick either Kentucky or Duke this fall.  That stems from Taylor's father, who continues to tell people that his son is a lot more open than most people realize.  While Taylor's father is class act and a terrific person, we don't believe him.  Obviously, if everybody thinks his son is open, they'll continue to recruit him.  As a result, we think Taylor will take some visits and pay lip service to possibly going elsewhere.  However, in the end, it's going to be very tough to leave.  Remember, he's always been a Michigan State fan, as well as a Magic Johnson fan.  Bell also tells us that two of the better players from Michigan in the Class of '99 are heading to prep school, as 6'0 Jimmy Twyman from Detroit (Central) MI is heading to Winchendon (School) MA and 5'11 Kevin Lee from Lansing (Everett) MI is heading to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MI.  Bell tells us that Missouri may now be the leader for both 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI and 6'6 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI.  Remember, we reported that both were there for an unofficial visit 10 days ago.  Also high on Johnson's list are Ohio State and Michigan, while Michigan State, Michigan, and Notre Dame appear to be the favorites for Paulding.   Bell also confirms that Michigan State and Michigan aren't involved with 6'5 Desmon Farmer from Flint (Northwestern) MI and, as a result, he might be one of the more underrecruited players at his level in the nation, as Southern Cal and Marquette appear to be the favorites.  Also ranked among our top 100 nationally from the state of Michigan is 6'0 James Theus from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, but Bell tells us he's totally open.  Also worth noting is the great 8th grader 5'7 Drew Kneitzel from Grand Rapids, MI, who is best player to potentially come out of Grand Rapids, MI since Michigan State's Matt Steigenga in the late '80s. The word is that Kneitzel was the best 8th grader recently at the Prep Phenom Camp, which means he has to be ranked as one of the best players in his class nationally.  Another great 8th grader in the state of Michigan is Randell Simon from Lansing, MI, who took home MVP honors at the adidas ABCD Junior Midwest Camp.

A lot of Bruins fans think that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will hire Cameron Dollar, who was the head coach at Southern California College, the next time he has an opening on his coaching staff, but it looks like new St. Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar has been him to the punch.  Remember, Romar, who has hired Dollar to replace Derek Thomas, was on the same staff with Lavin when Jim Harrick was at UCLA.  This is interesting, because now Dollar has a number of options:  1) going to UCLA with Lavin, 2) staying with Romar, especially if he wins big at St. Louis and moves onto one of the elite coaching job in the nation, 3) go back to the University of Georgia with Harrick, who also has a very close relationship with Dollar, eventually as the full time assistant.  And this would make the most sense, because Dollar is from Atlanta and his father, Don Dollar, is one of the legendary high school coaches in the history of Georgia basketball.

Friday, August 20, 1999

If you were wondering what ever happened to some of the top high school players in the state during the last several years, odds are they're at St. Catharine (JC) KY, which will be absolutely loaded this year.   Our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley confirms that 5'9 Dominick Taylor from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY via Allegany (JC) MD; 6'9 Joe Sykes from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY; 6'2 Alonzo Evans from Louisville (Western) KY; and 6'3 Clinton Sims from Paris (H.S.) KY via Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and Boston College; and 6'4 Aaron Knight from Louisville (Ballard) KY via Morehead State and the University of Louisville, are all enrolled in school and will all be playing for St. Catharine head coach Ryan Swanson this season.  If that weren't enough,  Swanson also has last year's leading scorer and leading shot blocker both back in 6'2 Donte Smith and 6'8 Derek Huff .  Like Sykes, Smith is originally from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY.  So obviously that gave them a nice in when St. Catharine recruited Sykes.  Also, if you will recall, a year ago Louisville landed Tobiah Hopper from St. Catharine (JC) KY, so maybe Sykes is the player to be named later in that deal.  And sending Sykes to St. Catharine should only enhance their chances of getting Smith.  Remember, Louisville isn't mentioned with very many of the top high school players in the nation, so it looks like they will have to go the junior college route.  Huff also has a connection to Louisville.  If you will recall, former Louisville assistant coach Jerry Eaves really liked Huff's potential when he was a senior at Fern Creek (H.S.) KY and the word is that he's developed into a pretty good player, as well as an outstanding shot blocker.

We continue to hear that George Mason is the leader over Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Villanova, and Vanderbilt for 6'4 Marvin Lewis from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who ranks #40 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Sources tell us that Lewis, who is a better student than he is a 3-point shooter (in the classroom he's never gotten a B in his life, but he does miss once in a while, even though he is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class), was at George Mason for an unofficial visit earlier this week and that he's not afraid of saying no to schools in the ACC, SEC, and Big East.  As a matter fact, George Mason may have a chance to go further in the NCAA year after next than any of the big time schools on his list, because the Patriots have nearly everybody back from a team that won the conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament last March.  Plus the Patriots also have landed two terrific players in 6'10 Jesse Young from Petersborough (H.S.) ON, who was named to play for the Canadian national team next year in the Olympics and has a NBA future, and 6'5 Raoul Heinen from The Netherlands, who put up prolific numbers this summer in Europe..

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin was at the Sonny Hill Future Stars Tournament last night, where the three players who impressed him the most were 6'8 Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MD, 5'8 Andre Collins from Crisfield (H.S.) MD, and 6'3 Carlos Hawkins from Wilmington (Howard) DE.  Right now it looks like Villanova is the leader over Syracuse, Connecticut, Providence, and Massachusetts for Hazelton, who ranks #38 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Collins had 39 points and five assists last night, but Rubin wants to see him again, before he starts touting him as a top 100 senior nationally.  And that's a major statement for Rubin, who never seems to rank small quick athletic point guards as high as they should be.  Hawkins, who is our top rated rising senior in Delaware this year, likes James Madison, La Salle, Kansas State, Rutgers, and Massachusetts.

Last weekend the Long Island Panthers beat the Bronx Gauchos to take home the title at the Playaz Ball Tournament at Paterson Catholic High School in Paterson, NJ and 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St Thomas More) CT was named the MVP, after scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the championship game.  Also playing well for the Panthers were 6'7 Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Jr Mark Kornecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, and 6'3 Kevin Bell from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD.  That's right!  Newport Prep head coach Chris Chaney strikes again, as he gets Bell, who is following in the footsteps of 6'10 Rodney White, who played for the Long Island Panthers a year ago and last fall surprised everybody when he enrolled at Newport Prep.  Speaking of Bell, who is the ultimate role player, because he doesn't do anything great, but does everything well, he is getting the most interest from schools like Duquesne, La Salle, Pittsburgh, and American University.  However, he still wants to go to Villanova.  If you will recall, Bell publicly committed to Villanova last spring, but the Wildcats didn't take him, because they weren't sure he's good enough and he wasn't going to make it academically.

The HOOP SCOOP has learned that there is a new program about emerge on the scene on Fresno, CA.  We're talking about Fresno (Central) CA and it looks like Fresno-EBO head coach Darren Matsubara has stashed one player there already - 6'8 Andreas Bloch from Wurmlingan, Germany, who averaged 14 ppg while playing for the German Junior National Team.  Bloch is big and strong and has a good jump shot, which is why those who have seen him think he could develop into a high major player.  When asked about his recruiting, he wanted to know if there any difference between a college and a university?  Not only has he never even heard of any schools (he wouldn't know the difference between Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and Duke), but he has no clue what's about to happen to him over the next couple of years.  It's also still uncertain whether Bloch, who is now 17 years old, will be classified as a junior or a senior this season.  We also have heard about several other foreign players who are expected to show up Central High in Fresno, CA.  But right now we're sworn to secrecy, because the folks in Fresno are afraid that Lakewood (Artesia) CA head coach Wayne Merino will find out about these players and, as a result, get them to mysteriously enroll at Artesia.  Remember, Merino already has some great foreign players - 6'9 Jr Apolinar Fernandez, Jack Martinez, and 6'7 Sam Nadeau - in the program.

Thursday, August 19, 1999

Our International Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'0 Mike Nelke from Florissant (McCluer) MO has picked Valparaiso over Western Kentucky, Utah, and Notre Dame.  This is a great addition for the Crusaders, because, although Nelke is a step slow, he's a terrific ball handler and passer, plus he has a lot of court savvy.  However, international recruiting is where the Valparaiso staff, which includes head coach Homer Drew and assistants Scott Drew and Steve Flint, leaves most of the competition far behind  And nobody logged more frequently flyer miles this summer than Scott Drew, who was on four continents - North America, South America, Europe, and Africa - during the month of July.  The player he was tracking was 6'8 Joaquin Gomes from Angola and it appears that he already has his man.  As a matter of fact, Gomes signed with Valparaiso before the summer camp season even began and Drew was just doing a little babysitting.  It's easy to see why, especially when one finds out how good Gomes is - he's currently ranked as the top 18-under prospect in Africa by the Court Vision Scouting Service, which is published by Rob Meurs and Jean Pierre-Ciesielski.  He also was the third leading shot blocker in the tournament with 2.0 bpg, as he led the team from Angola to the championship in the Qualifying Tournament for the entire continent of Africa, as they beat the Nigerian team in the title game.  And the Crusaders won't have to wait long to get Gomes into uniform.  Word is he'll be eligible in late December.

Valparaiso also is the now the favorite for 6'6 Shane Power from Gary (Andrean) IN, but schools like Purdue, Southern California, and Iowa State are also still in the hunt.  It's still early for 6'2 Jr Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, who ranks #20 nationally in the junior class, but sources tell us that he was at Duquesne on an unofficial visit today.  Gary Charles, the head coach of the Long Island Panthers, tells us that Massachusetts, St. Bonaventure, La Salle, and Hofstra are the leaders for 6'2 Mike Sherrod from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY and that the final four for 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT are Seton Hall, St. John's, Fordham, and Maryland.  Word on the street is that Connecticut is a lot stronger for 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, who plans to make an unofficial visit to Storrs, CT, than a lot of people realize.  Clemson, Notre Dame, Providence, Hofstra, and Texas are among those involved with 6'1 Joel Suarez from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY.  A year ago Fordham signed 6'10 Sasha Mijalovic from Massillon (Washington) OH, but has failed to qualify academically and, as a result, it now looks like he'll end up at Robert Morris.  Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that he has confirmed that Clemson has picked up a pair of excellent inside players in 6'8 Dion Dixon from Fayetteville (Seventy-First) NC and 6'8 Chris Hobbs from Chapel Hill (East Chapel Hill) NC.  Speaking of Hobbs, he had reconstructive knee surgury today and, as a result, he will miss the entire high school season this winter.  Jira also tells us not to be surprised if 6'2 Scooter Sherrill from Mt. Ulla ((West Rowan) NC commits to N.C. State while on his visit this weekend.

Earlier this week Northwestern head coach Kevin O'Neill got his man when 6'3 Jitim Young from Chicago (Gordon (Tech) IL committed to the Wildcats.  Although Young doesn't rank among our top 100 nationally, he's pretty darn close, especially after taking home all-star game MVP honors at Five Star Pitt III and Pitt IV in late July.  That leaves Northwestern with two available scholarships, although they only plan to sign only one more player in this recruiting class.  So based on past history, O'Neill will take the player who commits first from a group that includes 6'8 T.J. Cummings from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 7'0 Jon Godfread from Grand Forks (Red River) SD, , 6'8 Matt Freije from Shawnee Mission (West) KS, 6'9 Mike Wilkinson from Mazomanie (Wisconsin Heights) WI, and 6'7 Aerick Sanders from Gardena (Serra) CA.  However, if O'Neill could get Cummings and Wilkinson, both of whom rank among our top 100 nationally, he might have to consider changing his mind about only signing one more player in this class.

Wednesday, August 18, 1999

Last fall we thought 6'4 Ronald Blackshear was an absolute steal for Clemson, but the extra year of prep school at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA apparently didn't pay off as planned.  The problem is that he hasn't qualified academically and that throws his situation totally up in the air, because ACC schools can't take partial qualifiers.  The obvious move might be going the junior college route, but our sources tell us that there is a very good chance that he'll be the next Prop 48 casuality who enrolls and sits out a year Temple.  And it's the perfect fit for everybody involved.  Perfect for the school, because they can get players in academically that most schools can't touch.  Perfect for the player, because Temple head coach John Chaney is a tremendous role model for tough inner city kids and he has a track record that is second to none for getting his players become successful both on and off the court.  And perfect for Chaney, because Blackshear is one of the best 3-point shooters we've seen in a long time and lack of outside shooting always seems to be Temple's achillies heel.  This isn't etched in stone yet, but assuming that this does happen, don't be surprise if Chaney coaches at least several more years, especially since almost everybody is back from the Owls final eight NCAA appearance in March.

No college team in the nation has recruited better than the University of Florida during the two previous recruiting seasons, so we're not expecting the Gators to have a big recruiting year.  However, they already have a great head start on next season.  That's right!  The word on the street is that 6'11 Jr Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Academy) GA, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will verbally commit to the University of Florida tomorrow.  Any time you land a top 10 player nationally it is huge.  However, it's even bigger than usual, because the senior class doesn't have a single center who is 6'10 or bigger who is ready to walk in and contribute at the high Division I level next year as a freshman.  Billy the Kid strikes again!

We mentioned several days ago that the University of Virginia only has one scholarship available and that one of their top priorities is 6'9 Terry Sanders from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  However, we didn't tell you that only other players they're recruiting are 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #20 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, who ranks #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'11 Jared Reiner from Tripp (Tripp-Delmont) SD, who ranks #65 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'8 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, who isn't ranked among our top 100 nationally, but who has the potential and talent to move way up, if he ever develops consistency and learns to play hard.  Also don't be surprise if Virginia has another scholarship become available between now and next spring.  However, if that happens, don't look for more than one of the above mentioned guys to end up in a Cavaliers uniform.  Instead, we hear that head coach Pete Gillen would like to bring a good transfer, like Keith Friel, who transferred from Notre Dame a year ago.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that 6'6 Gerald Riley from Milledgeville (Baldwin) GA has committed to Georgetown.  Although Riley has been ranked as high as top 30 nationally by some publications, we think he's more like most of the other players who signed with the Hoyas a year ago.  Riley has a lot of potential and is very athletic.  However, he doesn't rank among our top 100 nationally, despite the fact we saw him score 45 points in a game in San Diego, CA this summer, because that's the exception, not the rule.  More often than not, he plays soft and doesn't get enough done.  He also physically needs to get bigger and stronger, especially if he wants to play any inside at the next level, and needs to develop better perimeter skills, including a consistent 3-point shot.  Right now most of what he does is slash to the basket.

Every assumes that UCLA's two foreign big men - 6'11 Dan Gadzuric and 6'10 Jerome Moiso - both will declare hardship for the NBA draft after next season.  However, we're not sure anybody knows that Gadzuric has already actually told the Bruins coaching staff that he definitely won't be back.  Thus, explains why UCLA wants to bring in 6'8 Ominiyi Makun, who is known as the fourth Nigerian.  However, unlike the other three Nigerians - 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi and 6'11 Muhammed Lesage, both of whom signed with Louisville, and 7'0 Uche Okafor, who signed with Miami-FL, Makun does have a chance to play Division I basketball, because he was never in Russia.  This is extremely important, because we have sources who can confirm that each of the other three -Ndubuisi, Lesage, and Okafor - were listed on the rosters of a professional team or teams in Russia. This alone does not mean that they have given up their amateur status.  However, if they had any expenses picked up for travel, meals, lodging, etc. by a professional team, then they are not eligible according to NCAA rules.  As a result, it wouldn't matter if they returned any salaries and/or compensation that they received.  The recent precedent was established when the NCAA ruled 7'3 Aleksander Radojevic from Barton County (JC) KS ineligible to play college basketball at Ohio State in May.  Previously, exceptions had been made, but the word we get is that Radojevic may sue the NCAA, and he'd probably win, if the three Nigerians ever play college basketball.  As a result, we stand by what we've been telling you for months - we'd be shocked if they're ever eligible.  However, it may all become a mute point, unless something happens soon, because classes begin on monday, August 23rd, at the University of Louisville.  Which means they would have to be in Louisville and enrolled in school by the end of the month, even if they were admitted into school late.  Speaking of the University of Louisville, we have talked with nearly all of the top players (or their high school or AAU coach) who rank among the top 100 nationally and the only players who have Louisville on their list are 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'6 Luke Whitehead from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'4 Demetrius Smith from Hogansville (Calloway) GA.  As a matter of fact, we can't confirm that the Cardinals coaching staff has an in-home visit scheduled with anybody who ranks among our top 100 nationally.  So don't be surprised if they continue their trend from the last several years, whereby, they don't sign anybody during the fall signing period and then go hard after a number of junior college players during the winter.  And maybe this explains why the hired former Midland (JC) TX head coach Pat Rafferty in the first place.

Tuesday, August 17, 1999

Ohio State will have 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Cross) MA, 6'8 T.J. Cummings from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, and 6'4 Romain Guessagba-Sota from Dayton (Christian) OH on campus for official visits on September 10th-12th.  They will also bring in 6'9 Scott Merritt from Wauwatosa (West) WI, 6'6 Julius Johnson from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH, and 6'10 Derrick Dawes from Salt Lake City (Cottonwood) UT officially on October 1st-3rd.  Others who may officially visit Ohio State this fall, but don't have visits lined up as of yet, are 6'6 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'10 Mike Southall from West Salem (H.S.) WI, and 7'0 Valimir Radinovic from Oakville (T.A. Blakelock) ON.  One player who won't be visiting Ohio State is 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, who ranks #7 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Jeffries wanted to make an unofficial visit to Ohio State, but the Buckeyes coaching staff told him they weren't interested, if he wasn't going to make an official visit. Instead, Jeffries will visit Kentucky, Arizona, Southern Cal, Duke, and Florida State officially and he will make unofficial visits to Indiana, Notre Dame, and Iowa, all of which are in driving distance.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that N.C.State has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'8 Marcus Melvin from Fayetteville (Douglas Byrd) NC, who just misses being ranked among our top 100 nationally.  Johnson also tells us that 6'8 DeAndre Hulett from College of the Sequoias (JC) CA, who withdrew his name from the NBA draft in June, will be turning professional after all.  He has signed to play with the Las Vegas team in the International Basketball League.  Dave Schultz of the HOOP SCOOP tells us that we won't get to see 6'2 DaJuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ when we're at Five-Star's Honesdale II in two weeks.  Wagner, who is the best player in the nation right now regardless of class, is out six to eight weeks with a broke foot.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the top five schools for 6'4 Jay Joseph from Lansdale (North Penn) PA, who currently ranks #9 in the senior class in Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey by Rubin, are Xavier, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, La Salle, and UNC-Greensboro. Rubin also confirms that Seton Hall is in real good shape with 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, but a source very close to the Seton Hall program would be very surprised if anything happens later this week.  Right now they're involved with McMillan, 6'8 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, 6'8 Herve Lamizana from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Jamaal Tate from Linden (H.S.) NJ, and 6'2 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, but they only have one scholarship left.  Dunbar is their first choice, but he is talking about waiting until spring.  So if McMillan or one of the other players decides to commit, Seton Hall may be in a position to put him on hold, which would be similar to what we suspect happened when it was reported that 6'0 Derrick Snowden from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD had committed to Seton Hall in mid-July.

Monday, August 16, 1999

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'11 Jameer Nelson from Chester (H.S.) PA, who ranks #110 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has a press conference scheduled for 7:00 PM EST tonight and that he will pick St. Joseph's over Temple and Massachusetts.  We also are hearing that the commitment by 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL isn't as firm as everybody thinks.  Remember, Austin wasn't at the press conference two weeks to personally make the commitment.  Instead, his AAU coach committed to Alabama for him.  The word is that Austin was pushed into making the commitment and, as a result, he is still considering other schools. However, until he publicly reneges, we will continue to count him with Alabama's recruiting class.  Matt Borrell of the Recruiting Beat provides us with a shock by reporting that South Carolina isn't among the top five schools on the list for 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Howell says he's interested in the Gamecocks, but they aren't that high on his list, because he thinks they took his older brother, Ivan Howell, just so they would get him.  However, we don't agree, especially after watching Howell at Slam Dunk to the Beach last winter.  Howell played well enough to get named to the six man all-tournament team and, as a result, was ranked #56 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in our final rankings.  Right now his top five schools are  Kentucky, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Connecticut, and Duke, but don't count the Gamecocks out just yet.  As a matter of fact, we think they'll be very tough to beat in the end.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that Seton Hall may be close to getting a commitment from 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  This is particularly interesting, because the Pirates only have one scholarship remaining and we thought they were waiting to see what 6'3 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, who ranks #70 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP,  is going to do.  Right now Dunbar is talking about waiting until spring, because he wants to show everybody that he's fully recovered from his automobile accident that has sidelined him since the beginning of May.  Maybe the Seton Hall coaching staff figures they'll take McMillan now, if they can get him, and continue to recruit Dunbar in case a scholarship opens up sometime between now and next spring.  Making things even more interesting is the fact that Seton Hall has agreed to take Ryan Peterson, who was a starter last year at Buffalo, as a walk-on.  Peterson is better than Buffalo's level, but his father is unrealistic when he tells people that 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, who ranks #9 nationally in by the HOOP SCOOP, will be his son's backup next year.  We predict that Barrett will not only start, but will get at least 25 minutes per game.  And the rest of the minutes will go to Ty Shine, who will only be a sophomore this year, except when the game is over.  In otherwords, Peterson should have stayed where he was if wanted to start or even get a scholarship.  However, this is important to point out, because not many teams are this good three deep at any position.

We told you yesterday not to worry about who's recruiting 6'4 Tito Maddox from New Hope (Solebury Prep) PA, because, based on past history, he'll just change his mind anyway.  Well, he's already changed his mind.  Instead of going to prep school, he's decided to go to junior college at Compton (JC) CA.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio is finally confirming that 6'7 Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY has committed to St. John's. However, Naclerio also tells us that the chances of King playing for the Red Storm during the 2000-2001 season are slim and none, because academically he has too much to make up in only one year.  Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook and Prep Stars not only  confirms that 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC plans to enroll at  Fork Union (Military Academy) VA and re-sign with North Carolina in November, but he also tells us that 6'5 Tony Bobbit from Daytona Beach (Mainland) FL and 6'5 Carlos Dixon from China Grove (South Rowan) NC are going the prep school route at Fork Union.  Bobbit, who was ranked #80 nationally in our final rankings of the Class of '99, appears to have patched things up with the coaching staff at Florida State (he was at their camp during the summer) and, as a result, will likely re-sign with the Seminoles this fall.  Dixon originally signed with UNC-Greensboro, but he's better than that, so don't be surprised if he goes higher.

Sunday, August 15, 1999

Five of the top 10 high school seniors - 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA to Seton Hall, 6'4 Jerome Harper from Limestone (Washington College) TN to Cincinnati, 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL to Alabama, 5'9 Andre Barrrett from New York (Rice) NY to Seton Hall, and 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL to Alabama - plus the top two prep school players - 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME to Connecticut and 6'9 Jason Parker from Fork Union (Military) VA to North Carolina - are already gone.  So who's left?  Right now the best available player is 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA and it appears to be a two horse race between Duke and Kentucky.   Duhon told us several weeks ago that Duke was the favorite and we've heard that Duhon's mother and the mother of Jason Williams, who signed with Duke last fall, spent a day together this summer in New Jersey, while Duhon was at the adidas ABCD Camp.  However, the Blue Devils already have two freshmen guards - Williams and Michael Dunleavy - who are expected to step in and start immediately this season .  Obviously they will try and sell Duhon on the fact that their will be plenty of playing time available at both spots, but several college coaches who are in the know have told us they'd be surprised if Duhon signs with Duke.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Duhon's AAU coach and high school coach both are pushing Kentucky. Also there are several other things that appear to be in the Wildcats favor.  Remember that Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith is very impressive in the home (remember Keith Bogans was so impressed by Smith a year ago that he canceled all the rest of his on-home visits and official on-campus visits and committed to Kentucky).  Duhon is scheduled to visit Lexington, KY on October 15-17, which means he'll be in town for their Midnight Madness.  Kentucky is loaded at every position except point guard and, while the Wildcats are involved with all the top point guards in the senior class, Duhon is their top priority.  With all this in mind, we don't doubt that Duke is the current leader.  But when it is all said and done, we think Duhon will go to Kentucky.  As long as we're making predictions, remember we've been telling anybody who would listen since he was in 8th grade that 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who ranks as our #3 senior nationally, was a lock for Michigan State.  And we're not about to change our mind now, especially after the Spartans' NCAA Final Four appearance in March. And if Taylor does indeed pick Michigan State, just think about how the tide has turned in favor of head coach Tom Izzo.  Remember, when Izzo first got the head coaching job five years ago, every good player in the state was going to Michigan.  But now it seems like Michigan State owns the state.  As a matter of fact, how many programs can lose a player the caliber of Mateen Cleaves, who might just be the best point guard in college basketball, but actually get better at his position the very next year.  However, if they get Taylor, that's what will happen.  That's how good Taylor is!   Others who are ranked among our top 10 nationally and still available are 6'5 Deshawn Stevenson from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, and 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL.  Stevenson appears to be wide open, but Fresno State is a lot stronger than anybody realizes and already there is lot  pressure to stay home.  However, let's not call this a prediction just yet.  It's more like a hunch.  We still think the in-state pressure will be tough for Jeffries to say no to, but Kentucky, Arizona, and Duke are all a lot stronger than most people realize. Right now there are at least a dozen schools on Miles' list, but the University of Illinois only has one scholarship available and they're tough to beat for in-state kids.  Again let's not call this a prediction - it's more like an educated guess.  Also still available are 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'8 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, and 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC.  Forget about all the talk that St. John's is fading on Brown.  This is one they can't let get away!  Cook is a near lock for North Carolina.  A lot of schools are recruiting Rice, who is also an outstanding student and a terrific kid, but Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury isn't recognized as one of the best recruiting head coaches in the nation for nothing.  And he hasn't lost many he's really wanted, especially in his own backyard.  It would be major upset if Randolph doesn't go to Michigan State and  Sawyer appears to be even more of a lock for DePaul.  Howell will likely follow his brother - Ivan Howell, who signed with the Gamecocks last spring, to South Carolina.  However, Kentucky has made Howell a prime recruiting target.  Remember, Kentucky assistant coach George Felton was once the head coach at South Carolina and one of his assistants was Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith.  As a result, they have more than enough contacts in South Carolina to at least make it interesting.

The best available prep school player is 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH and we still think he's a near lock for New Mexico.  Next are 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'4 Tito Maddox from New Hope (Solebury Prep) PA, 6'1 Eddie Starks from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 6'8 Terry Sanders from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Missouri appears to be the leader for Weaver, although he may end up in junior college first - he still has a long way to go academically.  It doesn't matter who leads with Maddox, because he'll probably change his mind several times between now and then.  Remember, he signed with Arizona State early, Fresno State late, and then opted to open up his recruiting again via going the prep school route.  Starks likes the Big East, but we'd be surprised if he returns to the Northeast (remember he left New York City in search of a better environment).  Miami-FL head coach Leonard Hamilton was seen at a lot of his games this summer, so the Hurricanes seem like a perfect fit.  Virginia appears to be the leader for Sanders, but he'd better not wait too long.  Remember, the Cavaliers only have one scholarship available and they are leading on a number of talented power forwards.  McMillan is another priority for St. John's, but Fordham is coming on strong and Florida, Villanova, Virginia, New Mexico, and Ohio State are also in the hunt.

Did you know that 6'7 Eric King from Lincoln (H.S.) NY committed to St. John's several weeks ago and everybody in the business missed it?  That's what Patrick Jira of Recruiting Beat tells us and considering his track record lately - first on 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME going to Connecticut, first on 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA to Seton Hall, and first on 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY - we have to assume that he's right on the money.  We've also picked up some other interesting items from various sources in the last few days, like Travis Reed finally deciding to go to Long Beach State.  Remember, he decided to transfer from UCLA to Long Beach State last spring.  Then he changed his mind and announced he was instead going to the University of Oklahoma.  Now it's Long Beach State again and we're glad, because The Beach is a much better choice.  If he'd gone to Oklahoma, he would have run into the same problem he had at UCLA - too many better players!  Reed should be terrific for Long Beach head coach Wayne Morgan, who is expected to turn the program around in a big way this year.   Like 6'0 Raynardo Curry from Memphis (East) TN getting out of his letter-of-intent to Georgetown.  Apparently he grew homesick in Washington, DC and decided to sign with Western Kentucky, which has a scholarship available because Mike Wells was declared academically ineligible.  Evidently he will be eligible right away, because he didn't sign a national letter-of-intent with the Hoyas, because he announced his decision after the signing period was over.  Instead, he signed papers for financial aid.  Like 6'8 Kei Madison from New Hampton (Prep) NH not qualifying academically to get into Indiana University and, as a result, having to go the junior college route.  Instead, he will enroll at Iowa Western (JC) IA, where he will play the next two seasons and then likely sign with Indiana for the third time in four years.   Like Eastern Kentucky adding another player - 6'6 Darcel Williams from Erie (JC) NY - to their 1998-99 recruiting class.  Williams was ranked #209 nationally in the spring by Phil Henzel, but he might be better than that.  The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that Williams was a third-team junior college All-American and the Region 3 Player of the Year, while averaging 21.2 ppg and 11.4 rpg.

Saturday, August 14, 1999

Before the summer camp season began, we were working on our final rankings for the top players nationally in the Class of '99, but we ran out of time at the beginning of July with the rankings about 95% done.  So we spent all day yesterday adding the finishing touches and they can be accessed by clicking on National Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of '99.  Also sometime in the future we plan to include our rankings for each class dating back to 1984 for future reference.  However, those lists won't be as comprehensive, as our rankings of the top players in the Class of '99, which includes our list of top 1000 players in the class, plus an alphabetical list state-by-state list of players not included in our top 1000.  This list is 54 pages.   Also worth noting is the fact that 5th year players are not included in this list.  This is important, because 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME never was ranked as a high school senior.  He was a junior in '98, but was listed as a 5th year player this past season, because we found out that he was in his 9th and 10th semesters of high school.  He was a freshman in '95 and '96, a sophomore in '97, a junior in '98, and a 5th year player this past season.  However, if Johnson had been included with last year's class, he would have been ranked #2 behind 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA and ahead of 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  And the big reason we wouldn't rank him #1 is because Harvey earned it.  However, we think both Johnson and Bogans have more long range potential.

Friday, August 13, 1999

G.J. King, the editor and publisher of the Recruiter Online, tells us that things have changed with 6'11 Jr Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, who ranks as the #3 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Previously llinois was the strong favorite over Cincinnati and Connecticut.  But now North Carolina is the frontrunner, followed by Duke, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, and Kansas.  However, before anybody gets too excited, remember that Curry is only a junior and he already knows how the game is played.  As a result, he'll probably add and substract schools a number of times between now and when he's actually a senior going through the recruiting process.  King also tells us that he thinks that the best sophomore in the state of Illinois is 6'6 Soph Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, who will join four excellent juniors - 6'7 Jr Najeeb Echols, 6'4 Jr Ronald Howard, 5'10 Jr Chris Hill, and 6'7 Jr Joshua Williams - to form what promises to be the next great team in the state of Illinois during the next two seasons.  Only time will tells whether this bunch can be as good as the Whitney Young team of several years ago that featured Quentin Richardson, Dennis Gates, and Cordell Henry? But they already got off to a good start this summer.  Did you know that Whitney Young won both the Morris and Proviso West Shootouts in July?

Thursday, August 12, 1999

We talked to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA Steve Smith tonight and he tells us that the schools that are recruiting 6'9 Abdou Diame the hardest all have a former player from Oak Hill and/or somebody from the Senegel on their roster.  We're talking about Virginia, Auburn, Maryland, Connecticut, and Tennessee.  Kentucky also still has to be mentioned in that elite group, because Diame and Jules Camara, who will be a sophomore next season for the Wildcats, are best friends.  UCLA, N.C. State, and Syracuse are also mentioned, but as of yet they haven't shown the same type of serious interest, so we believe they're not serious contenders.  Kentucky, Southern Cal, St. John's, Duke, Kansas, California, Stanford, Arizona, Louisville, Florida, and Miami-FL are all showing interest in 6'6 Luke Whitehead, but right now Smith isn't sure who the serious contenders are.  Smith's other two players who rank among our top 100 nationally - 6'1 Cliff Hawkins to New Mexico and 6'5 David Holmes to Manhattan - are both committed.  However, 6'1 Chris Williams, who is a legitimate top 150 player nationally, is still available.  Right now Duquesne, James Madison, and Marshall are the leaders, but his list will probably get longer before it gets shorter.  Two months ago we told you that 6'9 Sagana Diop, who is Smith's third player from Senegel at Oak Hill in the last four years, would be at the adidas ABCD Camp.  However, he didn't get a visa in time, so he ended up playing in several tournaments in Europe this summer.  Those who have seen him tell us that he is a legit 6'9, 220 lbs., and that, as soon as he develops some offensive skills, he will be a big time player .  But at the other end, he's already a force, as he blocks shots, intimidates, and rebounds.

Our Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson has a commitment via his international sources that appears to be a major scoop.  We're talking about 6'5 Hector Romero, who has decided to follow in the footsteps of Diego Guevera , who is also from Venezuela, to UNC-Charlotte.  Romero, who might be the best wing player in Venezuela, is best described as a great athlete with big time leaping ability and outstanding quickness.  Johnson tells us that Romero will attend prep school in the United States this year, but as of now we haven't heard where the 49ers plan to stash him.  How about Limestone (Washington College) TN?  If I recall right, that's where Guevera attended prep school.

Last week we provided you with our rankings of the top prep school and 5th year players, top seniors, and top juniors.  Since that time, we've updated some of the recruiting and all the commitments by players who rank among our top 100 nationally.  We've also added 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC via Fork Union (Military) VA to our prep school list and subtracted 5'9 Jerome Holman from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who now appears to be going the junior college route.  We've also added our rankings of the top 25 sophomores, top 10 freshmen, and top five 8th graders and there are some surprises.  Now that everybody has followed our lead and has 6'3 Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL ranked #1 in the Class of 2002, we're making a change.  Not only was 6'1 Soph Chad Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL terrific at both the NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, where he was ranked #14 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP, and  NIKE Summer Basketball Championship in San Diego, CA, but he has tremendous quickness, poise, savvy, natural talent, and skills for somebody so young.  As a result, we may be talking about the best player potentially to ever come out of Alabama, if he continues to develop at his present pace.  We also have 6'1 Soph Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI and 6'1 Soph Marshall Strickland from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA ranked ahead of Lawrence.  Roberson was one of the best players for the Michigan Mustangs all summer and Strickland was ranked #10 overall at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and was the best player on Leo Papile's BABC team. Rounding out the top five sophomores is yet another guard - 6'2 Soph Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, who didn't get to show what he can do this summer while playing for the Illinois Fire, due to the presence of 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL.  However, Dockery was terrific last winter when we saw him on several different occasions.  Emerging as our #1 freshman is 6'4 Frosh Roosevelt Lee from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, which is also controversial, because most people will probably rank 6'9 Frosh Major Wingate from Florence (Wilson) SC #1 in the class.  And 5'7 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Ann Sullivan) NY, who has been frequently compared to Stephon Marbury at the same stage, remains as our #1 ranked player in the Class of 2004.  To get the complete list and all the changes, click on post summer rankings.

Wednesday, August 11, 1999

There isn't a great deal of talent in Missouri, so the coaching staff at the University of Missouri has always had to look elsewhere for players.  As a result, the state of Michigan was always a fertile recruiting ground for assistant coach Rich Daly, who had so many contacts and did such a good job recruiting in the state that he was nicknamed "Dr. Detroit."  Well, the Norm Stewart era is over and Daly is gone, but some things never change.  One of the first things that new head coach Quin Snyder did when he got the job last spring was to hire Tony Harvey, who at the time an assistant coach Eastern Michigan.  Not only does Harvey have more than his share of contacts in the state, but his wife related to 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, who potentially could be the best player to come out of Michigan since Chris Webber.  So it comes as no surprise that Missouri is already a near lock for Webber.  It also came as no surprise today when Ohio Editor Chris Johnson told us that Mark White, who is the head coach at Detroit (Renaissance) MI, his taken his best player, 6'5 Rickey Paulding, and 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, who currently ranks as the #2 senior in the state, to Columbia, MO for an unofficial visit to the University of Missouri.  Johnson tells us they made the trip yesterday and they are on campus today.

Our Ohio Edtior Chris Johnson was at several of the Team Pro Trust practices in Columbus, OH over the weekend and he tells us that the most impressive player there was 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, who currently ranks #18 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  I'm not sure that we're ready to move Brown ahead of 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who is also on the team.  Remember, Duhon was so impressive at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV that we now have him ranked #2 nationally in the senior class.  However, Brown will likely move into our top 10 nationally, if we get the same story from Bret Bearup, who is now in Europe with Team Pro Trust on their annual trip.  Brown told Johnson that he probably won't sign until spring, because he's still wide open and not far along enough in the recruiting process to narrow it down.  But we know that DePaul, Michigan, Louisville, Kansas, and Georgetown are showing a lot of interest.  We also know that Brown, along 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, is one of the DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy's primary recruiting targets.  As a result, don't be surprised if both Brown and Sawyer commit to DePaul this fall.  Remember, since getting the job a year and a half ago, Kennedy and his assistants, Larry Harrison and Tracy Dildy, have owned Chicago.  As a matter of fact, they've gotten everybody they've gone from the Windy City after except Leon Smith, who signed with Fresno State, but then opted to go hardship into the NBA draft.

Two down and only one to go! That's the picture in St. John's quest to land one of the three great senior point guards - 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, and 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY - from New York City.  The Red Storm lost out on Barrett last week when he announced for Seton Hall.  And they appear to have lost out with Cook as well.  St. John's may be able to make a last ditch effort, but we've confirmed from numerous sources that Cook's high school coach Bob Oliva is pushing him to the Tar Heels.  As a result, the other schools on Cook's list - Connecticut, Miami-FL, Florida State, and Kentucky - can probably forget it as well.  Which means that Brown is the only point guard left that St. John's is seriously involved with who can come in and immediately replace Erick Barkley, who everybody expects to declare for the NBA draft after next season. "A month ago I thought Brown was a done deal for St. John's," says Ron Naclerio, the New York City Editor of the HOOP SCOOP.  "But now I'm not so sure.  Syracuse might actually be the co-favorite and Texas, Connecticut, Ohio State, and Massachusetts are all making a push." And if this happens, it would be a major blow to head coach Mike Jarvis.  Remember, the only question mark people had about Jarvis when he took the job a year and a half ago was his ability to recruit in New York City.  However, if Brown does go to St. John's, he would be one of the major pieces in what might turn out to be a great recruiting class.  Already in the fold are 6'11 Mohammed Diakite from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and 6'5 Willie Shaw from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY.  Plus they're involved with a number of the top players nationally, including 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'5 Deshawn Stevenson from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 6'6 Luke Whitehead from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 6'8 Jamar Smith from Pine Hill (Overbrook Regional) NJ, 6'8 Zach Williams from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 5'11 Anthoney Anderson from Lynn (English) MA, 6'8 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, and 6'5 Andre Sweet from New York (Rice) NY.

Tuesday, August 10, 1999

Several of our competitors are reporting that 6'6 Courtney Scott from Lansing (Waverly) MI has committed to the University of Iowa.  However, as of last night, Scott's father was telling people that his son is still available.  Right now the leaders appear to be Massachusetts, Iowa, and Valparaiso.  One we are sure of this time is 6'0 Derrick Snowden from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who committed to Villanova yesterday.  Remember, in mid-July, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio told us that Snowden had committed to Seton Hall, but it didn't happen and we later had to retract it. Well, the same source who burned us on Snowden told Naclerio on Saturday night that 6'5 Willie Shaw from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, who ranks #73 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, had committed to St. John's.  What makes this interesting is that this time he was right on the money, which makes us wonder about the Snowden commitment.  Obviously, if you think you're going to get 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, it would make sense to try and hold off Snowden, especially if getting Barrett will help you get 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.  If that's what happened, the gamble obviously paid off, because Seton Hall now has the #1 and the #9 ranked players in the senior class.  However, Snowden, who is #72 ranked by the HOOP SCOOP, is better than just a good consolation prize for Villanova.  Snowden has great quickness, lots of athleticism, and excellent ball handling and passing skills, which should prove valuable in head coach Steve Lappas' system.  Plus, Snowden still has a lot of room to develop, as does Shaw, who is the second player to commit to the Red Storm.  Remember, St. John's also has a verbal commitment from 6'11 Mohammed Diakite from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.

Tulsa and Fordham are the leaders for 6'8 Michael Hayes from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, but right now we're more concerned with where he's going to prep school.  Originally he was supposed to go to Millersburg (Military Academy) KY, along with some of his AAU teammates, including 6'8 Tizzo Johnson from Havelock (H.S.) NC and 6'2 Dominique Townes from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC.  But now we're hearing that he's heading to Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  Speaking of players going the prep school route, it looks like we should add 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC to our prep school list.  The word we're getting now is that Parker will enroll at Fork Union (Military) VA and if that happens, there is little doubt that North Carolina will get him back.  However, if Parker were to some chance end up at another prep school or not go the prep school route, then North Carolina's chances would be seriously diminished.  Also going the prep school route is 6'3 A.W. Hamilton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, who will be enrolling at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA this fall.

Monday, August 9, 1999

I can't help but recall something John Carroll, who at the time was an assistant coach at Seton Hall under P.J. Carlesimo, told me when they were in the process of building the Pirates into a NCAA Final Four team back in the late '80s.  "If you can recruit here, you can recruit anywhere," said Carroll.  Carroll never signed a McDonald's All-American at Seton Hall, but he did sign more than his share of good junior college players and top 100 high school players.  A small catholic school in South Orange, NJ without the campus, academics, facilities, or tradition just wasn't going to beat the elite schools in the nation, like North Carolina, Duke, and Kentucky, for the top players.  That's why what Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker and his staff have done is so amazing. Not once, not twice, but three times in the last month the Pirates have signed one of the top players in the nation. They were supposed to get the first one - 6'5 Marcus Toney-El from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, who committed to Seton Hall in early July, while as the adidas ABCD Camp.  After all, Toney-El, who ranks #27 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was right in their own backyard and Rutgers and Seton Hall are supposed to be right there with the best player in North Jersey.  However, when was the last time Seton Hall went into New York City and beat schools like St. John's, UCLA, Syracuse, Kentucky, and North Carolina for a kid with excellent grades and a top 10 national ranking?  But that's what happened when 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY picked Seton Hall last Friday.  But the big prize is 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, because he ranks as the consensus #1 player in the nation.  And he did indeed announce for Seton Hall this morning.  Forget about giving Amaker and his staff a big raise.  They should double or triple their salaries.  Even though we have known that Seton Hall had a good chance to pull this off for the last three weeks, there is still a great deal of shock value to the story.  Forget about where their recruiting class ranks.  Suddenly Seton Hall, which has gone from being a middle of the pack school in the Big East to being a potential final four contender in a year or two, has upset the status quo in college basketball.  It doesn't get any better than this and they are doing it with great kids.  Barrett is the valedictorian of his class, a great kid, and a crowd favorite, because point guards his size aren't supposed to be able to do all the things he does.  Griffin is like a throwback to another era.  On the court he beats you with finesse, quickness, and skills. Off the court, he is quiet and unassuming and he doesn't turn people off by trying to be too cool for his good with things like tatoos, earrings, and bullshit about how good he is, unlike so many players of today. And Seton Hall isn't done yet, because 6'4 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ is also good friends with Toney-El, who drove down to be at Griffin's press conference today.  Apparently Toney-El and Griffin got to be good friends this summer via of Barrett, who has been close to Toney-El for at least four or five years.  And maybe that was the key, as Toney-El and the friendships the players had developed turned out to be the determining factor in their decisons to attend college together.  Which is good for the kids, good for Seton Hall fans, and good for college basketball.

Sunday, August 8, 1999

Last week Alabama got commitments from 67 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL and 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL, Seton Hall got 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, Connecticut got 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) CT, New Mexico got 6'1 Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, St. Louis got 6'6 Chris Sloan from St. Charles (H.S.) MO, and California got 6'8 Julius Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  That's seven players who rank among our top 100 nationally who are no longer available.  If that weren't enough, two others who get top 100 consideration 6'4 Stan King from Denver (East) CO and 6'6 Blair Wilson from Westminister (H.S.) CO made commitments to Colorado and Colorado State, respectively.  If this pace continues, the big question is who will be left to commit during the fall and spring signing periods?  But perhaps an even more important question, at least in the short term, is who will be next?  How about 6'7 James Thomas from Milford (Academy) CT, who has come on like gangbuster this summer while playing for the Albany City Rocks?  We have confirmed from several sources that he has picked the University of Texas.  And if that weren't enough, both Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat and Allen Rubin of the HOOP SCOOP have both confirmed that 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who ranks as the #1 player in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, will be picking Seton Hall at his scheduled 10:00 AM press conference tomorrow morning.

Saturday, August 7, 1999

Remember all the talk about 6'9 Jr Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY possibly becoming the first player ever to skip his senior year of high school and go straight to the NBA.  We pointed out that this was totally ridiculous, but, at the time, we forget to tell you that Bender isn't even the best player in his class in the state of Kentucky.  That honor goes to 6'10 Jr Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY, who already is drawing interest from schools like Louisville, Kentucky, Michigan, Western Kentucky, and Tennessee.  However, he may not remain in the state of Kentucky very much longer.  We hear that he's looking to transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Limestone (Washington College) TN, or Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  However, at least one of these schools doesn't know how good Key is.  We know for a fact that, despite numerous phone calls to the head coach from the mother, the schools, which  opted to take somebody else and, as a result, don't have any financial aid left for him.  How good is Key? He's a legitimate top 25 junior nationally, because he's big, strong, aggressive, and fairly athletic.  Another player from the state of Kentucky who is not get the recognition that he deserves is 6'5 Jr Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY, who, just like his father, former Western Kentucky and Kentucky Colonels star Darryl Carrier, is a great outside shooter.  He's also still growing and can play either guard spot.  As a result, schools like Louisville, Western Kentucky, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Seton Hall, Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Duke, and UCLA are all showing early interest.

We continue to work on our rankings of the top players by class.  Not only have we made some minor adjustments to our prep school list, which we published yesterday, but we have also completed our list of the top 60 juniors.  And in doing so we have found several very interesting trends.  First, the state of California is absolutely loaded, as seven players - 7'1 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'9 Jr Apolinar Fernandez from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Jr Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'8 Jr Jack Martinez from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'11 Jr Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Jr Derrick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, and 6'2 Jr Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA - are ranked among the top 22 players nationally in the Class of 2001.  That's almost one-third of the class coming from a single state, which is almost unheard of.  Second, while the senior class is almost void of any quality size, the junior class has a number of outstanding good big men, including Chandler, Sampson, 6'11 Jr Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 6'11Jr  Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Academy) GA, 6'9 Jr  Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (Catholic) AL, and 6'10 Jr David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) GA.  Third, just like the current senior class, the Class of 2001 is also very deep at the point guard spot, as 16 of the top 60 players - 6'2 Jr Dujuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Jr Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 5'10 Jr Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'3 Jr Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, 6'0 Jr Jonathan Hargette from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'2 Jr Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'1 Jr Tony Tate from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'11 Jr Ted Mumford from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'2 Jr Salim Stoudamire from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 5'10 Jr Rodney Billups from Denver (George Washington) CO, 5'9 Jr Cornelius Mitchell from Augusta (Josey) GA, 5'11 Jr Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'2 Jr Jermaine Watson from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, 6'1 Jr Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT, 6'0 Brandon Cheatham from Beaver Falls (Blackhawk) PA, and 6'1 Jr Billy Edelin from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD - in the class can play the point guard position.  If our ranking of the top 60 juniors weren't enough, we also have provided an early look at recruiting for about most of the top players, including nine of the top 10 and 16 of the top 20, in the junior class.  To get all this information, click on post summer rankings. Then scrowl down past the prep school players and the seniors until you get to juniors.

Friday, August 6, 1999

Bret Bearup is getting ready to take make his annual trip to Europe with a team that includes some of the top high school players in the nation. Needless to say, South Carolina head coach Eddie Fogler was not invited to coach the team.  Instead, that honor goes to Terry Stotts, who is currently an assistant coach in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.  The team includes two players who will enter college this fall - Missouri signee 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH and Mississippi State signee 6'3 Derrick Zimmerman from Monroe (Gossman) LA.  The team also features eight high school seniors - 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, 6'8 Glen Worley from Iowa City (West) IA, 6'11 Jared Reiner from Tripp (Tripp-Delmont) SD, and 6'10 Derek Dawes from Salt Lake City (Cottonwood) UT.  Also included is one junior - 6'9 Jr Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI.  Our guess is that Duhon, Barrett, Robinson, Whaley and Brown will be the starters and Sawyer, Zimmerman, Kroenke, Worley, and the two big guys (Reiner and Dawes) will give this team tremendous depth and versatility.  They will be arriving in Columbus, OH today to practice tonight, tomorrow, Sunday, and Monday morning at Bobby Kortsen's new facility, The Hoop, which features six NBA regulation size courts, where Milwaukee Bucks head coach George Karl will put them through five workouts and install the offense.  Then, on Monday they will fly to France, where they will tour in France, the Netherlands, and Belgium for 10 days.  With Barrett and Worley already committed to Seton Hall and Iowa and Robinson and Sawyer likely to end up New Mexico and DePaul, it doesn't leave Bearup, who is frequently accused of using this as a recruiting tool for certain schools, with a lot of options.  The player Bearup will take a lot of heat on no matter what happens is Duhon.  If he goes to Kentucky, the Duke people will cry foul and blame their loss on Bearup.  And the Kentucky people will do the same thing, if Duhon goes to Duke.  So to save Bearup a lot of grief and inaccuarate finger pointing, maybe we should figure out who he is working for right now.  The team is called Team Pro Trust and  Bearup's company, which represents professional athletes, is called Pro Trust.  So when Bearup has a lot of these guys as clients in three or four years, don't be surprised.  And they'll be the lucky ones when you consider Bearup's track record of  making money for his clients versus how much money most NBA players have when they retire.  Did you know that the majority of all NBA players are broke when their career is over?

Chris Grier, the head coach of the Michigan Mustangs, gives us an updated list for 6'5 Desmon Farmer from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who currently ranks #48 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Southern Cal might be the leader, but Marquette, Eastern Michigan, Detroit, and New Mexico, if they don't get 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH.  That's right!  Neither Michigan nor Michigan State are on his list.  Another one of Grier's better players - 6'6 Eugene Seals from Saginaw (H.S.) MI - also isn't being recruited by the big two in the state of Michigan.  Instead, Seals has schools like Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Miami-OH, Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan, and Missouri on his list.

The commitments continue to come in at a very fast pace.  Did you know that within the last 24 hours 6'1Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #61 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, committed to New Mexico?  No surprise there!  It also shouldn't have been a surprise when 6'8 Julius Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT picked the University of California-Berkeley.  After all, Sensley, who ranks #87 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but has two more years of high school left because he plans to attend prep school for two the next two years, is just following in the footsteps of a number of his former teammates on the  Los Angeles Rockfish club team.  But it was still a surprise, because Mark Mayemura, who writes for Recruiting USA and helps coach the Los Angeles Rockfish, told us two days ago that Sensley was totally wide open.  Way to steer us off the sent, Mark!  Another top 100 player who has made a verbal commitment is 6'6 Chris Sloan from St. Charles (H.S.) MO, who has elected to stay home attend St. Louis.  Also Baylor has a commitment from 6'8 Patrick Okafor from Lee (JC) TX.  But the biggest commitment may not come until sometime next week.  That's right!  Both the word on the street and some of the comments made by 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY last night at his press conference indicate that 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who currently ranks as the #1 senior in the class by the HOOP SCOOP, may be making a decision very soon.  And if he does, we think it will be Seton Hall!  Our apologizes to Mayemura.  Apparently they were also taken completely by surprise by the commitment by Sensley, who committed to the University of California yesterday.  "We were the last to know, says David Benezra, Editor & Publisher of Recruiting USA.  "Just because he's a Rockfish, doesn't mean we were involved in his recruiting.  We thought he was wide open two days ago when Mark talked to you."  In any case, this is a good get for Cal, because Sensley can play either forward spot and is very young for his class (still only 16-years old), which is one of the reasons why he plans to stay in prep school two years, instead of graduating with his class next spring.

Thursday, August 5, 1999

Since first posting yesterday that 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY had a press conference scheduled for today, the HOOP SCOOP has confirmed through a number of sources, including our Philadelphia Editor Allen Rubin, that Barrett has decided upon Seton Hall.  This is absolutely huge for the Pirates, because they already have a commitment from 6'5 Marcus Toney-El from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, they are expected to get 6'3 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, and they appear to be the leader for 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.  Let's say that head coach Tommy Amaker pulls all this off.  Griffin is the #1 senior in the nation, Barrett ranks #9, Toney-El ranks #27, and Dunbar ranks #70 in the rankings we published yesterday in the Members Section.  This alone wouldn't be enough to ensure the Pirates of the best recruiting class in the nation, but it would ensure that they're in the top five or 10.  A top five player nationally is worth 10 points, so Griffin gets 10 points.  Next is Barrett, who gets nine points, because he's a top 10 player nationally.  Toney-El, who ranks among our top 40 nationally, gets eight points, and Dunbar, who ranks among the top 70 nationally, gets six points.  10+9+8+6=33 points, which a year ago would have placed Seton Hall #6 nationally in recruiting the final rankings ahead of Michigan. When was the last time a school like Seton Hall went head-to-head against schools like North Carolina, Kentucky, and UCLA and beat them for the very elite players in the class?  But that's exactly what's happening and it's a great story.  The HOOP SCOOP has now confirmed via Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary Decesare, who was at Barrett's press conference earlier tonight, that Barrett has indeed picked Seton Hall.  Obviously this is huge, because Barrett ranks #9 nationally among seniors and is the #1 ranked player in New York City by the HOOP SCOOP, just ahead of both 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY and 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  It's also huge, because Brown is an excellent student, a great kid, and a very likeable person, which always makes him the crowd favorite.  As a result, the Seton Hall program now has something  else to sell besides head coach Tommy Amaker.  Barrett may be small, but he's like a coach on the floor, as makes great decisions, plays aggressive defense, has excellent handling and passing skills, and shoots it extremely well for a New York City point guard.  But perhaps even more important, Barrett knows what it takes to win, as he  led Rice High School to back-to-back New York State Championships and he carried Decesare's young New York Ravens Club Team this spring and summer.

Another great story is George Mason, which in only two seasons under head coach Jim Larranaga, has gone from last to first in the Colonial Athletic Association.  Not only do four starters return from a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament last March, but the Patriots also have landed two terrific players in 6'10 Jesse Young from Petersborough (H.S.) ON, who will probably play for the Canadian national team next year in the Olympics, and 6'5 Raoul Heinen from The Netherlands, who committed in June, although he will not enroll in school until next years, which means he will count toward their current recruiting class.   But that's not all.  We have now confirmed that George Mason is one of the leaders, along with Villanova, Princeton, Georgia Tech, Clemson, and Wake Forest, for 6'4 Marvin Lewis from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who currently ranks #40 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is widely regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the class.  And we understand they're also involved with several other excellent 2-guards, including 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Sharif Chambliss from Racine (St. Catharines) WI, and 6'3 Dominic Jones from Richmond (Manchester) VA.  We don't have an updated list for Jenifer, who ranks #92 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but when our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin talked with him at the adidas ABCD Camp, Jenifer listed Villanova, New Mexico, Miami-FL, Florida State, and Maryland.  Chambliss currently has Marquette, Penn State, George Mason, Indiana, and SMU on his list.  Jones likes Pittsburgh, Dayton, George Mason, Virginia Tech, James Madison, and Virginia Commonwealth, which recently landed Jones' talented AAU teammate 6'4 Antonio Hargrove from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.

Some people may be wondering why players, like 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'5 Tito Maddox from New Hope (Solesbury Prep) PA, 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'1 Eddie Starks from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, and 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, all of whom would be ranked among our top nationally if we included them with the Class of 2000, aren't ranked among our top 100 seniors.  Well, they all will be starting their 9th semester of high school this fall and it is our editorial policy to rank 5th year players separately.  It's early to publish a list like this, because some players may opt to go the junior college route at the last minute, while others may get recruited away to another prep school.  But as things stand now, our ranking of the top 30 prep school and 5th year players should be right on the money.  It can be found by clicking on  post summer rankings.

Wednesday, August 4, 1999

A year ago we noticed a new trend - that more players were committing earlier than ever before.  Well, this trend appears to be continuing, as 6'5 Jerome Harper from Limestone (Washington College) TN to Cincinnati, 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL to Alabama, 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL to Alabama, 6'8 Alton Ford from Houston (Milby) TX to Houston, 6'8 Michael Sweetney from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD to Georgetown, 6'5 Marcus Toney-El from East Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'5 David Holmes from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Manhattan,  6'8 Glen Worley from Iowa City (West) IA to Iowa, 6'6 Matt Lottich from Winnetka (New Trier) IL to Stanford, 6'1 Jake Sullivan from Oakdale (Tartan) MN to Iowa State, and 6'5 Maurice Young from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD to Virginia, and 6'0 Brett Buscher from Chesteron (H.S.) IN to Purdue, 6'11 Mohammed Diakite from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to St. John's,  and 6'4 Antonio Hargrove from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC to Virginia Commonwealth all are no longer on the recruiting board. That's 14 of the top 70 ( over 20%) seniors that are already gone.  If that weren't enough, Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat is reporting and we have confirmed that 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME has picked the University of Connecticut today. We knew that the defending national champions were in their strong, but this still comes as a surprise, because we thought Butler's close relationship with Max Good, who was previously his high school coach at Maine Central Institute and is now an assistant coach at UNLV, would be very tough to beat.  Especially this early!  How big is this?  Well, Butler is a 5th year player, so he doesn't count with our ranking of seniors.  However, if he did, he might be the #1 player in the nation.  Remember, he was the #2 ranked player at the NIKE Camp and nobody was more consistent from start to finish all summer.  As a result, he is the highest ranked player to-date to pick a school.  Speaking of player rankings, our rankings of the top 100 seniors, along with whatever recruiting information we have available, can be viewed by clicking on  post summer rankings.

Yesterday we had 6'6 Bernard Robinson from Washington (Dunbar) DC listed at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  This is not only incorrect, but can't happen, because Robinson is a 5th year player and Steve Smith, the head coach at Oak Hill, doesn't take 5th year players.  Instead, Robinson was supposed to go to Winchendon (School) MA, but more recently changed his mind and decided to go to Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Now it looks like he's changed his mind again, as Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat is telling us that Robinson now has decided to go to New Hampton (Prep) NH, because he wants to go someplace where he can be the star.  Truth be told, Robinson shouldn't worry about it, because he'd be ranked among our top 20 seniors, if he counted in this class.  And appears that Robinson is just as flaky about making his college decision.  If you will recall, he had decided upon New Mexico last week, but since has publicly reneged.  This is beginning to remind me of Schea Cotton with whom you needed a scorecard just to figure out whether he was coming or going most of the time.  Or Lloyd Daniels, who still probably holds the record for most high schools enrolled at, but never attended.  Or Lamar Odom, who stayed only a little while every time he transferred.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who currently ranks as the #1 senior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, has narrowed his list to five and the list is exactly what you'd expect - Temple Massachusetts, Seton Hall, Connecticut, and North Carolina.  Rubin also tells us that La Salle has picked up a late commitment from 6'4 Dwayne Jones from Mississauga (Westwood School) ON.  We're not sure how good Jones is, but we was at the adidas ABCD Camp during the summer of '98.  As a result, he will count with last year's recruiting class and will eligible this coming season.

Jim Harrick, Jr, who is out at Rhode Island, is currently looking for a coaching job. We don't have an information on where he might end up, but we can tell you who his replacement will likely be.  That's right!  Former Baylor assistant coach Mike Wilson, who is widely recognized as one of the best recruiters in the nation, appears to be in line for the job.  And look for an announcement sometime early next week.  Another excellent assistant who is currently on the move is Derek Thomas, who is leaving St. Louis to take a similar position at the University of Minnesota.  If you will recall, St. Louis is one of the leaders for 6'2 Adam Boone from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN, who also is considering Minnesota, Duke, Kentucky, Florida State, Notre Dame, Texas, and Stanford.  If the NCAA sanctions aren't too bad, will this be enough to get Boone to stay home? And will Minnesota become a late entry into the sweepstakes for 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (Lincoln) IL, who has always had St. Louis high on his list? Only time will tell.

It looks like the first of the dominoes is about to fall. Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and he will pick from among Seton Hall, Syracuse, St. John's, Kentucky, and UCLA.  Assuming that Barrett picks Seton Hall, which is what we all expect, everything would fall as expected.  However, if Barrett picks Kentucky, would the Wildcats still try and sign 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who is currently their #1 point guard target?  They might, but they probably wouldn't be successful. If Barrett goes to St. John's, that could also change things with 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, who currently is believed to be leaning towards the Red Storm.  And if Barrett goes to UCLA, that would be one less school that's still involved with Duhon, Brown, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, and 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, all of whom are considering the Bruins.

Tuesday, August 3, 1999

Frank Burlison, a sportswriter for the Orange-County Register, is reporting that Colorado State has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'4 Stan King from Denver (East) CO and 6'5 John Rakiecki from Fruita (Monument) CO.  We've never even heard of Radiecki, but we saw King a lot this summer.  He's a borderline top 100 players, because he's got a great body, excellent athleticism, lots of versatility, and he's terrific in transition.  However, his ability to shoot the basketball is a great big question mark, which must be answered, if he wants to be ranked any higher.  Matt Borrello of the Recruiting Beat is reporting that 6'5 Rahim Lamb from Boston (English) MA has committed to Massachusetts.  Lamb is a good start, but UMass head coach James "Bruiser" Flint must get better, like 6'7 Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA and/or 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA,  if he wants to keep his job.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Keith Burton from Orange (H.S.) NJ won't be going the prep school route after all. Instead, Burton has signed with the College of Southern Idaho. Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that 6'6 Bernard Robinson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA is reneging on his commitment to New Mexico.  Apparently Robinson wants to be wined and dined a little before making it official.  So he's now has a visit scheduled at Michigan on September 3rd-4th and he's also added Temple, Connecticut, N.C. State, and Georgetown back onto his list.  However, in the end, we think the Troy Weaver-DC Assault connection will be too tough to overcome.  Remember, Weaver, who is now an assistant coach at New Mexico, previously started the DC Assault program and still has very strong ties to all the right people in the DC area.

None of the three big kids - 6'9 Brian Boddicker from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Jason Klotz from Houston (Klein Forest) TX, and 6'10 Nolan Butterfras from Houston (Cypress Creek) TX - were very impressive in July, but all three a getting heavily recruited by schools in the state.  Right now Texas appears to be the runaway leader for Boddicker.  The Longhorns also are the leader over Texas A&M and Houston for Klotz.  Texas A&M is out in front for Butterfras, but Houston, Washington State, Wyoming, Iowa, and Purdue are also on his list.

It comes as no surprise that 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL announced for the University of Alabama at his scheduled press conference this afternoon, but what about 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL, who was not at today's press conference.  Austin's AAU coach committed for him, but it would be nice to hear it from the horse's mouth, especially since there were some questions about whether he was ready to commit in the first place.  Also Austin has learning disabilities, so there are even more questions that have to be answered.  However, until we hear otherwise, we are counting Austin with Alabama's recruiting class, which is off to a very fast start.  When was the last time anybody has landed two top 10 players in early August?  And this coming on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which was ranked #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.

Monday, August 2, 1999

I'm surprised that nobody has tried to make an issue out of our ranking of the top five best coached AAU and/or club teams, which we published on Friday.  If you will recall, that list included the Houston Hoops, which had just won the tournament in San Diego, CA, Bloomington Red, BABC (Boston Amateur Basketball Club), Howard Pulley (MN), and Cincinnati AAU.  Do you know what all but Cincinnati AAU happen to have in common?  They are sponsored by NIKE.  While we stand by our list, we try to be above politics in the shoe company battles.  So we're going to go one step further and provide you with the list of the top 10 AAU and club team programs in the nation and this time it looks like we're politically correct.  Five are NIKE schools - New York Riverside Church, Illinois Warriors, BABC, Bloomington Red, and Houston Hoops.  The other five are adidas schools - New Orleans Jazz, DC Assault, Atlanta Celtics, Tim Thomas Playazz, and Michigan Mustangs.  These lists are not in any particular order, but we do find it interesting who was left out.  The Southern California All-Stars have tremendous talent, but don't belong in this group - at least until they start winning some of the major tournaments.  There are others like the Pittsburgh Jots, Houston Jaguars, Houston Super Stars, Friends of Hoops, Spiece, Alabama Lasers, Alabama Ice, Long Island Panthers, Connecticut Select, Georgia Stars, Georgia Elite, Illinois Fire, Cleveland Basketball Club, Tennessee Travelers, The Familey (MI), CMH 76ers, Brooklyn USA, Albany Rocks, All Ohio Red, New York Ravens, Bronx Gauchos, Los Angeles Rockfish, Belmont Shore, and Fresno-EBO who are knocking on the door, but either these programs are down and/or rebuilding or aren't ready to join that elite group just yet.

We are getting reports that 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL and 6'9 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL both have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and that they are planning to make it official for the University of Alabama, which is pushing hard to get it over with before school starts later this month.  Apparently the Crimson Tide coaching staff feels like Auburn will be able to get back into the picture during the fall and, as a result, they are doing everything they can to speed up the process.  And at the same time, the Auburn staff is trying to do everything they can to get Wallace and Austin to delay making their decisions.  Auburn also is a lot stronger with 6'9 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN than most people realize.  We still think Michigan State is the leader, but Connecticut, Syracuse, and Auburn are also in Randolph's top four.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Blair Wilson from Westminister (H.S.) CO, who has been ranked on some top 100 lists nationally, has verbally committed to the University of Colorado.  Johnson also tells us that the final six for 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA are Ohio State, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Boston College, and Holy Cross.

Thanks to the efforts of 6'2 Frank Richards from Rockford (Jefferson) IL, who is a legitimate top 200 player nationally, and 5'11 Ameer Watts from Rockford (Life) IL, Prym-Tim won the Open Division of the Bobby Kortsen's Summer Shootout in Columbus, OH. However, the big story was the loaded Albany (Westover) GA team, which beat Mansfield (Senior) OH, to win the championship of the "A" Division.  Remember, we told you several days ago that our Ohio Editor Editor Chris Johnson was confirming that both 5'11 Jr Jonathan Hargett and 7'0 Jr William Campbell.  Well, they both were playing for the Westover team in Columbus and the best player in the tournament was either Hargett or 6'5 Jr Greg Tinch, also from Albany (Westover) GA.  As a result, Westover should be one of the top high school teams in the nation during each of the next two years.  Are you listening Donnie Wilkie, Bobby Jacobs, and all you other holiday tournament directors?  Others Johnson thought deserved special mention at Bobby Kortsen's Summer Shootout were 6'3 Rick Minard from Mansfield (Senior) OH, 6'8 Rod Flower from Huntsville (Butler) AL, and 6'3 Frosh Arthur Bowers from Wilmington (Howard) DC.  Minard, who now ranks #10 in the senior class in Ohio, appears to be leaning towards Eastern Kentucky, but Drake, Toledo, Morehead State, and Ohio University are also on his list.  Flowers is another sleeper of Huntsville, AL, which per capita might be producing more basketball talent than any other city in the nation during the last several years.  Bowers is a super 9th grader who promises to be the next great player from Delaware.

Sunday, August 1, 1999

Based on population per capita no state in the nation is currently producing better players and club teams than the state of Alabama.  The latest example came last night when the Birmingham Bombers destroyed Team Kansas in the championship game at the Grand Finale in Las Vegas, NV.  The big name for the Bombers is 6'5 Emmitt Thomas from Birmingham (John Carroll) AL, who is being recruited by schools like Xavier, Indiana, Tulane, UAB, and Auburn.  But their best player last night was 6'6 Caleb Kennedy from Birmingham (John Carroll) AL, who had 19 points in the championship game.  Like some many other good power forwards in the Class of 2000, Kennedy is undersized, but he's got a soft touch around the basket.  He also is very aggressive and explosive inside, which is why he is go effect rebounding and blocking shots.  His coach tells us that Kennedy is a great kid and a legitimate sleeper.  And based on what we saw yesterday, we'd have to agree.  As a result, we'll rank him among our top 200 when we finalize our rankings later this month.  We also really liked 6'0 Chris Campbell from North Birmingham (Gardendale) AL, 6'6 Jr  Marvin Moore from Birmingham (Wenonah) AL, and 6'7 Jr Anthony Vasser from Birmingham (Woodlawn) AL.  Vasser has a skinny frame, but he's an excellent shot blocker and good rebounder.  Moore, who is also just a junior has great hands and is extremely quick inside.  Campbell, who is excellent in an uptempo setting, plays great defense, has lots of court savvy, and provides excellent leadership.  As a result, he has a knack for making plays.  Also deserving a mention is 5'8 Ronnie Banks from Birmingham (Phillips) AL.  He doesn't start and he's small, but he broke the back of All-Ohio in the semi-finals with eight straight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, when Jerry Watson's team was trying to get back in the game.  The best player of Team Kansas was 6'6 Terrance Crawford from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGinnes) OK, but we're not going to rank him among our top 50 nationally because we still question his outside shooting consistency.  However, we love his passing and explosiveness in transition. The word we get is that Crawford wants to go to Kansas, but the Jayhawks don't appear to be interested.  Instead, USC, Tulsa, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Virginia, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Texas, Texas Christian, and Baylor are all in the hunt.  Also deserving a mention from the Team Kansas are 6'5 Gabriel Martin from Junction (H.S.) KS and 5'10 Javin Tindell from Wichita (South) KS.  Martin, who is quick inside and good on the boards, is being recruited by Tulsa, Indiana State, Southwest Missouri State, New Mexico State, and Independence (JC) KS.  We didn't get schools on Tindell, but he too will be an excellent mid-major player, because he's quickness off the dribble, explosive to the hole, and a deep long range shooter.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin was at Eastern Invitational at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, NJ on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday and he tells us that 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA ended the month of July the same way he began it - playing on the same team with 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY in the top 20 all-star game.  Barrett didn't play as well as he did at the adidas ABCD Camp, where he had 24 assists in the first two games, but he did get the ball inside on numerous occasions to Griffin, who had 25 points, nine rebounds, and was named MVP in the all-star game.  Rubin didn't talk with either Griffin or Barrett, but he continues to hear rumors about a possible package deal, most likely to Seton Hall.  Also impressing Rubin were 6'3 Torrian Jones from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA, 6'5 Jamal Tate from Linden (H.J.) NJ, 6'6 Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, 6'10 Marcus Douthit from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'8 Jamar Smith from Pineville (Overbrook Regional) NJ, 6'1 Julius Page from Buffalo (Turner-Carroll) NY, 6'8 Harve Lamizana from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Mike Sherrod from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, and 6'5 Joan Francois from Lake Worth (H.S.) FL, who might have been the biggest sleeper in the camp.  The top junior and one of the top three players in camp overall, according to Rubin, was 6'7 Jr James White from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD.  Nobody goes to the hole better than White, but he also consistantly hit the 3-pointer.  Right behind White was another outstanding junior 6'5 Jr John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.  Other juniors who have to be mentioned are 6'1 Jr Dan Oglesby from Hamden (Hamden Hall) CT, 6'7 Jr Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (Neumann) PA, 6'2 Jr Dominique Jackson from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 6'9 Jr Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'6 Jr Danny Hindes from Allentown (Central Catholic) PA, 6'10 Jr Mark Konecay from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, and 6'6 Jr Tamal Forchion from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who was named the MVP in the underclassmen all-star game.  The best sophomores in camp were 6'4 Soph Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'5 Soph Zach Martin from Medford (Shawnee) NJ, and 6'9 Soph Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor) MA.  Rubin was especially impressed by the outstanding group of freshman, which were headed by 6'9 Frosh Lorenzo Thompson from Chicago (Crane) IL.  Thompson can dominate inside, but he also has the ability to make the mid-range shot, which makes him an excellent combo forward prospect.  Other freshmen mentioned by Rubin include 6'4 Frosh Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'9 Frosh Grant Billmeier from Pennington (School) NJ, 5'9 Frosh T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, and 6'9 Frosh Jermaine Ball from Rochcester (Franklin) NY.  None of these guys would be ranked among the top players in camp, but some of the players who helped themselves the most during this week at Eastern Invitational were 6'9 Robbie Thompson from Hallertown (Saveon Valley) PA, 6'8 William Collier from Alexandria (Episcopal) VA, 6'6 Jimmy Bishop from Ft. Lauderdale (Westminster) F, 6'0 Ryan Stys from Manchester (Central) NH, 6'3 Jerome Harvey from Albany (Colonie) NY, 6'8 Sean Knitter from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'0 Brent Storm from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, and 6'7 Jarvis Bradley from Rowlett (H.S.) TX.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson was at Five-Star's Pitt IV all-star game last night and he reports that for the second straight week 6'1 Jitim Young from Chicago (Gordon Tech) IL was the MVP in the Orange-White All-Star Game with 24 points, eight rebounds, and five steals, and seven assists.  Young also hit the game winning shot with a driving layup to give the Orange All-Stars a 120-119 victory over the White All-Stars.  Young was matched up against 6'2 Tony Stockman from Medina (H.S.) OH iin the all-star game in what proved to be a tremendous back court dual.  Stockman hit four straight 3-pointers in first quarter to give the White All-Stars a 31-8 lead, which they maintained until Young scored the game winning bucket.  Stockman ended up with 18 points, seven assists, three steals, and two rebounds.  Stockman was Top Foul Shooter in camp and was named the Top Playmaker. Young was named Top Defender in camp.  The leading scorer for the week was 6'6 Jr Daren Tielsch from Beaver Falls (Blackhawk) PA and the Best Rebounder Award went to 6'10 Chavis Thompson from Florence (Wilson) SC, who has finally awoken and is realizing his potential.  The Most Outstanding Player for the week was 6'6 Luke Whitehead from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, although he didn't do much in the all-star game.  The battle for the Most Promising Prospect was extremely close as 6'2 Jr Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD edged out Tielsch and 6'5 Jr Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell Marion) OH.  Other players who impressed Johnson were 6'2 Jason Parker from Tulsa (Memorial) OK, 6'6 Marcus Toney-El from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'7 Erik Daniels from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH, and 6'10 Adam Chubb, who will be attending prep school at Mercersburg (Academy) PA.  Although Chubb will be in his 5th year of high school this fall, he is an excellent student with an 1180 SAT, which explains why schools like Pennsylvania, Boston University, William & Mary, Siena, and Central Michigan are among those on his list schools.  However, look for larger fish to enter the picture.  Daniels, who along with Stockman, has bolted into the top five players in Ohio, has Temple, Miami-OH, Bowling Green, and Toledo as his top four schools on his list. Jackson, who Johnson lists as the #2 junior in Ohio, lists Xavier, Ohio State, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, and Cleveland State.

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