HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR DECEMBER 2001

Monday, December 31, 2001

"It had to be the most exciting finish of the entire holiday tournament season," says HOOP SCOOP Northeast Editor Dave Schultz, who covered Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE from start to finish.  We up the action with 10 seconds left in the game and Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH down by three.  6'0 Soph A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY goes to the foul line with a chance to ice the game.  Instead, he missed the front end of a one-and-one and 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH came down and hit a 3-pointer to tie the game.  James also was fouled on the play, so he went to the foul line and hit a free throw to put St. Vincent-St. Mary up by one.  Amityville didn't have any time outs left, so Price quickly brought the ball up the court and was fouled with only four second remaining.  This time he stepped to the foul line and hit them both to give Amityville a one point lead.  However, it wasn't over yet, as the ball went in to James, who split the defenders, raced up the court, and launched a shot from 25-feet.  "From where we were sitting it looked good," says Schultz.  "It was on line!  The angle was perfect.  For a split second we thought James had singlehandedly won the game."  Instead, the ball fell just short and, as a result, Amityville pulled off a stunning upset against one of the top five teams in the nation in the most recent USA Today poll.  James, who is widely regarded as the #1 high school player in the nation, didn't shoot well (only 12-28 field goals and 4-11 3-pointers).  However, he still was the dominant force for his team, as he not only almost turned a devastasting defeat into an incredible victory, but also scored 39 points, grabbed six rebounds, and dished out five assists.  Price did the most to effect the game at the end for Amityville (H.S.) NY, but it wouldn't have been close, if it hadn't been for the stellar play by 6'8 Jason Fraser, who finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds, 12-19 field goals, and four blocks.  The other big story during the final two days at Slam Dunk to the Beach involved the terrific performance turned in by 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Horton hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter, as his team coasted to 76-52 victory over Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA in the championship game of the main bracket tournament.  Horton finished with 36 points and took home MVP honors.   Another very performance in his final game in the tournament was turned in by 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA with 30 points and 14 rebounds.   Perhaps the most entertaining game of the entire tournament involved Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA with Duke-bound 6'4 J.J. Redick, who hit 12-23 field goals and scored 34 points, and Stroud (H.S.) OK with 6'8 Kevin Bookout, who had 36 points, 18 rebounds, and 15-17 field goals.  Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA beat Bronx (All Hallows) NY in the 3rd Place Game of the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket , but 6'3 Ricardo Soliver played much better than he did in the semi-finals when he went 1-10 from beyond the arc at Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) MD.  As a matter of fact, Soliver had five 3-pointers against Rainier Beach, but that still wasn't enough to get All Hallows over the hump.  The leading scorer for Rainier Beach was 6'4 Jr Roderick Stewart with 21 points.  Inglewood (H.S.) CA beat Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA in the 5th Place game, despite the fact that 6'10 DeAngelo Collins, who finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds, didn't hit many shots (3-15 field goals).  We're already mentioned that Horton was the MVP in the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket, but we need to tell you that Collins, Stewart, 6'6 Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 5'9 Nate Robinson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and 6'4 Jr Wendall White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA we the players who rounded out the all-tournament team.  In addition to these just mentioned players, James, Fraser, Francis, Bookout, 6'1 Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, 6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, and 6'6 Christopher Williams from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD were named to the all-tournament team for the entire tournament, which is in addition to the all-tournament team for the main bracket.   Schultz, who was assisted by our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, also provides us with his ranking of the top 40 players in the entire tournament based on performance:  1) James, 2) Fraser; 3) Horton, 4) Bookout, 5) Collins, 6) Redick, 7) Francis, 8) Quinn, 9) Walsh, 10) Robinson, 11) Hite, 12) Williams, 13) Melchionni, 14) 6'4 Jr Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 15) 6'4 Wade Dunston from Potomac (Bullis School) MD, 16) Stewart, 17) White, 18) 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 19) 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 20) Price, 21) 6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Samford) DE, 22) 6'5 Jr C.J. Anderson from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 23) 6'2 Darnell Hopkins from Towson (Catholic) MD, 24) 6'6 Jr Romeo Travis from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 25) 6'3 Josh Hausfeld from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH, 26) 6'1 Jr Ray Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 27) Soliver, 28) 6'4 Jr Rashad Nixon from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, 29) 6'10 Jr Darian Townes from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 30) 5'11 Jr Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 31) 6'4 Rasheed Al-Kaleem from Charlestown (H.S.) MA, 32) 6'2 Jr Robert McKiver from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 33) 6'8 Michael Haddix from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 34) 6'7 Jr Adam Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 35) 6'0 Jr Bashir Mason from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 36) 6'11 Jr Will Bowers from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 37) 6'3 Frank Phillips from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH, 38) 6'6 Soph Darrell Lodge from Charlestown (H.S.) MA, 39) 6'1 Frosh Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, and 40) 5'9 Jr Kashif Payne from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA.

Sunday, December 30, 2001

What a disappointment!  We're not talking about the fact that Memphis (White Station) TN beat Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY in the championship game of the Beach Ball Classic earlier today.  Instead, we're talking about how poorly 5'10 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY played in the game.  Not only did he go 5-17 from the field, but he also was 1-4 from beyond the arc and 0-5 from the foul line.  Telfair did have 11 points and three assists, but maybe he should have spent more time working on his jump shot, instead of giving the local media quotes about how he plans to go straight to the NBA after he graduates from high school.  In other words, Telfair did not play like one of the five players in the nation regardless of class (which he is).  Speaking of the top five players in the nation regardless of class, we've seen four of them within the last 48 hours - 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH night before last at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE, 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA last night at the National Academy Invitational last night in Houston, TX, and Telfair and 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC today in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC.   Instead, the player who stepped up and played extremely well for Lincoln was 6'6 Jr Elliah Clarke from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who finished with 28 points, 14  rebounds, and a perfect 12-12 free throws.  However, that wasn't enough as 6'1 Jr Travis Strong, 6'1 Justice Bolden, and 6'3 Curtis Gillard  combined for 5-10 3-pointers to help put the game away, as White Station coasted to a 83-60 victory in the title game of the Beach Ball Classic.   But, for White Station it was really a team effort, as their three best players were 6'5 Manuel Burton, 5'10 Melvin Wilkes, and 6'3 Jr Dane Bradshaw.  Burton scored 16 points, mostly around the basket (6-7 field goals), and got his share of boards (five rebounds).  Wilkes, who has jet-like speed and quickness, is an excellent penetrator and passer (seven assists) and good defender (four steals).  Sure, he only had seven points, but Wilkes is the guy who made this team go and, as a result, he would have been our choice for MVP honors.  Instead, that honor went to 6'3 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN, who finished with 12 points, five assists, and eight rebounds.  Bradshaw also was a crowd favorite, because he's so deceptive and so skilled, plus he's extremely smart and does all the little things that help win games.  Also named to the all-tournament team were Strong, Telfair, Clarke, who won the award for Hustle, 6'2 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Kevin Pittsnogle from Martinsburg (H.S.) WV, 6'4 Maurice Collins from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 5'9 Akeem Hemingham from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, 6'2 Jamar Nutter from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 5'10 C3 Brown from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'1 Chris Kenney from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ,  6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'5 Alex Spotts from Lexington (H.S.) SC, who got the Sportmanship Award, and 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Tournament despite the fact his team was prohibited by Texas State rules from playing today (Sunday). 

Shreveport (Evangel Christian) LA beat Florence (Wilson) SC, 59-54; Lincroft (Christian Brothers) SC beat Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC, 63-43; and Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC beat Latta (H.S.) SC, 78-61, earlier today in loser bracket games at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC.  However, the only interesting item to report from these three games was the second-half performance turned in by 6'1 Raymond Felton, who missed all but three minutes in the first half with a sprained ankle, as his team fell behind by as many as 29 points.   Felton hit only 2-17 field goals, but he still dominated the game in the second half and 6'0 Marrel Sutton and 5'9 Adrian Harrison both got hot at the same time, as Latta cut the lead to 12 points late in the game.   Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC got 26 points and 12 rebounds from 6'5 Marcus Rush, who is an undersized athlete whose forte is playing inside, and 6'0 Akeem Hemingway, who runs the show and thrives in transition, but the guy who had impressed all the scouts the most was 6'2 Soph Ramon Sessions.  Not only did Sessions score 18 points, grab 10 rebounds, and dish out seven assists, but Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook thinks he is one of the top sophomore point guards in the nation.  "Sessions is very athletic and, at 6'2, he's already got excellent size, rebounds well, and has good ball handling and passing skills," says Oettinger.  "He also is an excellent 3-point shooter, which makes him good all around player.  The sky is the limit if he continues to develop and work hard."  6'2 Jr Jamar Nutter scored 20 of his 22 points to set the tone early in the 3rd Place Game as West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ coasted to a 52-38 victory over Radcliff (North Hardin) KY.  The leading scorer for North Hardin was 6'4 Jarius Sykes with 11 points, but, just like his older brother (Joe Sykes), he's soft on the boards (only four rebounds versus Seton Hall Prep).   We also were surprised at how poorly 6'6 Jr Andre Woodson, who had only four points in 18 minutes, played.  However, we weren't surprised by the 4-15 field goals, including 1-8 3-pointers, by 5'10 Quentin Smith, who is the most overrated player in the state by the HOOP SCOOP (currently we have him ranked #4 in Kentucky's mediocre senior class. 

Jay Wright and the Villanova coaching staff, which landed the #2-ranked recruiting class in the nation by signing 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NY, have proven they own the New York City Metropolitan area in terms of recruiting this fall.  However, Bobby Gonazlez, who has already guided Manhattan to wins over St. John's, Hofstra, Fordham, and Iona this season, has quickly become the most popular basketball coach in the city.  As a matter, the only team in the city he hasn't beaten is the New York Knicks and they won't play him.  Not only is the testimant to what you can do if you have personality and charisma, work hard, and recruit smart, but it also is one more illustration of how much you can learn at the Five-Star Basketball Camp.   Remember, the only previous head coaching experience Gonzalez has had prior to when he took over at Manhattan two-and-a-half years ago was at Five-Star, which is widely regarded by people in the business as the "cradle of coaches."  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA, who is ranked as the #4 junior in the area by Rubin, has made a verbal commitment to Penn State.  This significant, because it shows the Nittany Lions can get the top players early in their own backyard and, if he continues to grow and gets bigger and stronger, he could have the same type of effect the Crispin brothers had on the program a year ago when they advanced to the final eight of the NCAA.  It also appears that Rice has gotten a verbal commitment 6'5 Alex Spotts from Lexington (H.S.) SC and the word from our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff is that 5'9 Jr Dez Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX took his game to another level yesterday when he scored 39 points against Dallas (Lincoln) TX in the Coca Cola Classic in Dallas, TX.   However, that still wasn't good enough for him to take home MVP honors, despite the fact his team lost in overtime by five points to one of the top 10 teams in the nation in the latest USA Today poll.  Instead, 6'10 Chris Bosh, who is ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the best player when we saw him at the KMOX Shootout earlier this month in St. Louis, MO, was named the tournament MVP.  We also have gotten word from Rubin that Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX beat Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA last night in the championship game in the main bracket at Slam Dunk to the Beach and we will have rankings of the top players in order late, as well as highlights, including how 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH plays in tonights finale, late tonight or tomorrow from our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz.  

We are already in Mrytle Beach, SC for the final day of the Beach Ball Classic, but first there are some things we need to add about the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX last night where Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA beat Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in the championship game, 77-61.  First, we want to compliment tournament director Hal Pastner for running an incredible event in only its inaugural season.  Second, we want to provide you with statistics for the top players in the championship game.  Oak Hill was led by 6'7 Carmelo Anthony with 24 points and six rebounds.  Also stepping up for Oak Hill were 6'1 Justin Gray, who finished with 13 points and nine assists, 6'2 Chadd Moore, who had 18 points and four assists, and 6'9 Sani Ibrahim, who had 12 points and eight rebounds.  The only player who played well for Westchester was 6'4 Hassan Adams, who finished with 30 points.  And that brings us to the third thing we want to talk about - the tournament scoring leaders.  Adams was tied as the 4th leading scorer in the National Division of the Tournament, along with 5'9 Johnny Mathies from Louisville (Male) KY, with with 59 points in three games.  The top three scorers were 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK with 64 points, Anthony with 63 points, and 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX with 60 points.  Also ranked among the top 10 in scoring in the National Division were 5'9 Keydren Clark from New York (Rice) NY 51 points, 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK with 48 points,  6'4 Rekalin Sims with 46 points, 6'5 Manuel Soler from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 44 points,and Gray and 6'1 Steve Burtt from New York (Rice) NY with 40 points apiece.  No all tournament team was named, but, if there had been, there is no doubt that our choice for tournament MVP would have been Carmelo Anthony.  The leading scorers in the Texas Division were 6'3 Kendrick Davis from Houston (Clements) TX with 101 points, 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX with 79 points, 5'11 Karon Bradley from Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX with 68 points, 6'6 Tim Mayes from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX with 60 points, 6'0 Jonathan Burnett from Texas City (H.S.) TX with 53 points, 5'9 Brandon Weasby from Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX with 52 points, 6'7 Jr Cariter Martin from Houston (Aldine Nimitz) TX with 50 points, 6'6 Kenneth Henderson from Spring (Westfield) TX with 48 points, 6'1 Will Johnson from Houston (Eisenhower) TX with 47 points, and 6'7 Lucien Graham from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX with 45 points.

Saturday, December 29, 2001

The 3rd Place Game in the Texas Division of the Academy National Invitational was like a war, as the top two private schools (and basketball factories) - Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and Houston (Westbury Christian) TX - in the Houston area squared off.  And it went right down to the wire, as 6'8 Marlon Pompey tipped in what was the game winning shot with nine seconds remaining to give Heritage Christian the victory, 71-69.  Pompey is a big time athlete who is strong on the boards, but he was only the fourth best player on his team behind 6'6 Tim Mayes, 6'4 Lamar Hurd, and 6'5 Cedrick Hensley, plus 6'10 Jr Elijah Miller has a major upside.   Mayes, who led his team with 21 points and nine rebounds, signed early with UNC-Wilmington, but he could go a lot higher now based on his incredible athleticism, excellent skills, and good outside shooting (6-8 3-pointers).  Complementing Mayes both inside and outside was Hensley, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.   We're talking about a world-class athlete, an excellent rebounder for his size, and a highlight film waiting to happen when he gets into transition.  But Hensley still needs to improve his 3-point shooting and finish all of those incredible dunks.  We knew Hurd was a jet quick point guard who could distribute the ball and make his teammtes better, but the value of his stock should go through the roof, because he has grown three inches, increased his vertical, and put on weight since we saw him last spring.  So it should come as no surprise that schools like Northwestern, Houston, and Baylor are showing interest.  It also should come as no surprise that Hurd will get some top 100 consideration after his 10-point/six-rebound/11-assist performance today.  Miller is as skinny as a rail and he needs to develop more consistency, but that should come when he gets bigger and stronger.  Once that happens he should be more effective scoring inside and on the boards (he had seven points and seven rebounds in today's).   However, the big story in the 3rd Place Game in the Texas Division was the terrific performance turned in by 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi.  Not only did this incredibly active big man finish with 29 points, nine rebounds, and six blocked shots, but he made a strong case for a top five ranking nationally in the junior class, as well as the #1 ranking in the junior class in the state ahead of 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX.  Sure, Perkins is more skilled and a lot bigger and stronger, but Ebi wants it a lot more than Perkins does.  Ebi also is a lot quicker and more explosive than Perkins, who has lost a lot of his athleticism since we first saw him and ranked him as the #2 player in the class two years ago.  New York (Rice) NY led 41-30 at half-time and coasted from there to a 77-51 victory over Midwest City (H.S.) OK in the 3rd Place game of the National Tournament.  However, the best player for either team was 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who finished with 27 points and seven assists.  Another very impressive stat was the 18 rebounds that 6'10 Sheldon Williams pulled down for Midwest City (H.S.) OK, but his 5-13 field goals, 11 points, and four turnovers tell the rest of the story.   In other words, Williams appears to have slipped out of our top five nationally since last summer, while the value of his teammate (Alexander) continues to go through the roof.  Remember, Alexander also played great, while Williams got his lunch handed to him by 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX earlier this month at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis, MO.  As always seems to be the case when we see him play, 5'8 Keydren Clark was terrific for Rice today.  He scored 18 points, dished out three assists, and created all kinds of havoc defensively, along with 6'0 Jason Wingate, 6'1 Kenneth Eusey, and 6'2 Soph Russell Robinson, who combined 34 points.  We also liked 6'6 Soph Arturo Dubois, who is a physical specimen inside, and 7'4 Shagari Alleyne, despite the fact he had only two points and three rebounds (he continues to struggle in an uptempo setting).  Instead, what impressed us about Alleyne were his improved mobility, coordination, and agility.  Thanks to the efforts of 5'11 Karon Bradley and 5'9 Brandon Weasby, who combined for 38 points and hit 8-15 3-pointers, Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX held on to win 50-44 against Spring (Westfield) TX in the championship of the Texas bracket.  However, the player we like the most in the game was Kenneth Henderson, who is an absolute steal for UT-Arlington.  We're talking about a 6'6 athletic power player who can step out on the perimeter and shoot the three, as well as dominate inside, which was evident by the fact that he had 19 rebounds and two blocked shots.  6'1 Justin Gray from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA traded baskets early to make it 6-4 in favor of Oak Hill in the championship game of the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX.  And that was a close as it ever got.  Oak Hill led 19-12 at the end of the first quarter.   They were not only up 39-28 at the half, but Gray and 6'7 Carmelo Anthony already had combined for 25 points and Oak Hill was beating Westchester on the boards 15-4.  Adams, who had 14 points at the half, was the only player for Westchester who was getting anything done.  And from there it got worse, as the lead grew to 56-34 midway through the third quarter.  In addition to Anthony and Gray, 6'2 Chadd Moore was playing under control, 6'3 Eric Wilkins was hitting shots, despite the fact he has been slowed by a sprained ankle, and 6'10 Sani Ibrahim was making a living off easy baskets inside.  In other words, it was good old fashioned as kicking and Anthony, who stepped up and showed why he is the #1-ranked senior in America by the HOOP SCOOP, put the final exclamation point on it with a breakaway dunk with a minute left in the game.  At that point Oak Hill emptied the bench and they walked away with an impressive 77-61 victory, as well as the #1 ranking by everybody, except maybe Eddie Oliver.

Last night Los Angeles (Westchester) CA beat New York (Rice) NY, 76-71, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA survived to beat Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 60-58, to set up the much anticipated game between the nation's #1 and #2 ranked teams at 8:30 PM tonight in the championship game of the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX.   Having already seen Oak Hill play three times earlier this year and after watching Westchester twice the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, we have to make Westchester a slight favorite to win tonight's match-up, which very well may decide who will win the national championship in high school basketball this season.  Westchester doesn't have a star player, they play with incredible intensity, have been battle tested against all of the top teams in the nation during the last year, and have the weapons to beat you in a variety of ways.  Oak Hill, on the other hand, has to get a great effort from 6'7 Carmelo Anthony, who is ranked #1 in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Chadd Moore has to not only play under control, but handle Westchester's quickness and constant pressure and make sure 6'2 Justin Gray gets the ball so he can continue to shoot the lights out from beyond the arc.  Earlier today 6'3 Kendrick Davis from Houston (Clements) TX picked up where left off in his first two games of the tournament when he had 28 and 45-point games to score 28 points against Texas City (H.S.) TX in the 7th Place Game of the Texas High School Division Bracket.  Not only does this athletic 2-guard who can create off the dribble put up prolific numbers (6-9 3-pointers), but he was the leading scorer in the Texas Bracket of the tournament averaging 33.7 ppg, as well as one of the biggest sleepers in the tournament.   Ron Bricsoe of the Southeast Regional Scouting Service tell us that Davis made an official visit to The Citadel in October, but now Seton Hall, TCU, Oklahoma, and Baylor are involved.  Also playing well in the 7th Place Game was one of the top sophomores in the nation - 6'6 Soph Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, who scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds.  Elizabeth (St Patrick) NJ suffered tough losses in the first two rounds of the National Division, but they redeemed themselves with a 71-58 victory in the 7th Place game against Louisville (Male) KY earlier today.  6'11 Jr Grant Billmeier still gets all the hype, but he only scored seven points and six rebounds.  Instead, Siena-bound 6'9 Paul Williams and 6'3 Jr Assad Shakir combined for 17 rebounds, as they dominated the boards, and 6'5 Manuel Soler (19 points), 5'9 Jr Jason Patterson (17 points), Shakir (12 points) did most of the scoring.  6'7 LaVar Carter, who hit 7-7 field goals en route to a 16-point/six-rebound performance, and 5'10 Johnny Mathies, who finished with 14 points and three assists, both played fairly well for Male, but 6'3 Jr Michael Bush, who finished with only seven points, 3-11 3-pointers, and two rebounds, was a major disappointment.  The big story in the Houston (Aldine Nimitz) TX-Houston (Eisenhower) TX game was the great performance that was turned by 6'7 Jr Cariter Martin from Houston (Aldine Nimitz) TX, who is one of the top juniors in Texas, as well as a legitimate top 100 junior nationally.  He's an excellent outside shooter, a big time athlete, and a good rebounder for his size, plus he has surprisingly good ball handling and passing skills for his size.  Martin was complemented by 5'10 Kendrick Morris, who impressesd us with his speed and quickness (three steals) and ball handling and passing skills (four assists).  We also have to mention 6'3 Soph Derrick Robert, who had four points and five assists for Nimitz, because he is one of the top young guards in Texas.  So it came as no surprise when Aldine Nimitz coasted to a 62-46 victory in the 5th Place Championship of the Texas Bracket.  It also came as no surprise that Beaumont (Ozen) TX beat Concord (DeLaSalle) CA, 56-51, in an ugly game to take the 5th Place Championship of the National Division.  The big difference was 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, who finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks.  Speaking of Perkins, he was currently is the leading scorer in the National Division of the Tournament with 20.0 ppg.  The leading scoring for DeLaSalle was 6'0 Jr Matt Schroeder, who impressed us with his nose fall the ball, hustle, court savvy, outside shooting (6-14 3-pointers) en route to 20 points, but their best prospect is 6'4 Rekalin Sims, who used his quickness and athleticism inside to get 15 rebounds and 11 rebounds. 

Friday, December 28, 2001

Memphis (East) TN was pathetic yesterday, as they only hit 16-60 field goals and got beat, 55-40, by Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, but they were even worse today in the first consolation game of the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket against Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA.  Not only were they down 12-2 at the end of the first quarter and 31-12 at half-time, but half of their 12 points in the second quarter came off put-backs.  In other words, Memphis East had a very difficult time scoring points from out on the perimeter.  And Redondo Union wasn't that much better (they won 54-43), despite the fact they featured two of the better players from California in 6'7 Adam Zahn, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, and 6'4 Jr Wendell White, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.  White, who easily was the best player in the game, uses his body, athleticism, and ability to score around the basket, which means he is really an undersized 4-man.  However, he also is an excellent passer and an adequate outside shooter and, as a result, some scouts are trying to be creative and  project him as a wing forward.  But have to strongly disagree!  We're also not sure whether White should be ranked among our top 100 nationally, plus we have to question whether the junior class in California is really that good if White is ranked #5 in the state by Trigonis.   Zahn, on the other hand, is ranked just about right (Trigonis has Zahn ranked #17 in the senior class).  Zahn is aggressive inside, but he doesn't have the quickness and the skills to play out on the perimeter anymore (he used to be a lot quicker and more athletic).  We finally got to watch a close game, as Inglewood (H.S.) CA beat Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 53-50, in the second consolation game in the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket.  The best player in both the game and in the entire tournament thus far was 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, but he still hasn't done anything spectacular to impress all the NBA scouts in attendance.   In other words, 20 points, 18 rebounds, and six blocks is nothing more than a day at the office, if you are a top five player in the senior class nationally.  Also stepping up for Inglewood was 6'1 Jr Rayshawn Reed, but he still has a tendancy to force shots (1-5 field goals) and play out of control.  The leading scorer for Archbishop Carroll were 6'3 Jr Robert McKiver and 6'4 Frosh Christian Jackson with 14 apiece.  Jackson also had eight rebounds, but he didn't shoot well from the outside (4-12 field goals).  We also have to mention 6'10 Jr Darian Townes, because scored 10 points and wasn't intimindated, as he blocked several of Collins' shots .  However, he still needs to play harder and get meaner and tougher, if he wants to make it at Georgetown.  Great players rise to the occasion at crunch time.  Well, there were two great players in the Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX-Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, one on each team.  Once again Rainier Beach didn't get anything from 5'9 Nate Robinson before half-time, but late in the third quarter he took over the game, as he scored 21 of his 23 points when Rainier Beach was making a comeback.  And he found all kinds of ways to score, as he hit some very difficult threes (he was 4-8 from beyond the arc) and used his explosive speed and quickness to go to the hole.  Robinson has a tendency to be wild and out of control, but he also was perhaps the most exciting player in the tournament both last night and tonight in the second half.  Michigan-bound 6'3 Daniel Horton shot poorly (only 7-16 field goals and 1-7 3-pointers) and had five turnovers, but he also had 20 points, five rebounds, and three assists, plus he took a big charge and did all the little things that helped his team win, 59-52.  As a result, we think his #9 ranking nationally in the senior class is more than justified.  Cedar Hill also got strong inside play from 6'3 Cedric Brooks, 6'4, Jr Kelvin Williams, and 6'5 Evan Patterson, who combined for 32 points and 28 rebounds, and great guard play from 6'0 Alex Terry, who never seems to score a lot of points, but impressed us with his explosiveness in transition, defense, and knack for doing all the little things that help win games.  In other words, he's one of the best kept secrets in the tournament.  The main attraction of the entire tournament was the game between Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH with 6'7 LeBron James and company and Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  James hit the first basket of the game and St. Vincent-St. Mary went on a 7-0, but then St. Benedict's, which was outhustling St. Vincent-St. Mary for every loose ball, went on a 16-1 run.  And at half-time St. Vincent-St. Mary was still down, 32-26.  However, the momentum changed when 6'8 Soph Stanley Branch went to the bench with his third foul and 6'6 Eric Hazzard missed an easy lay-up for St. Benedict's mid-way through the third quarter.  By the beginning of the 4th quarter, St. Vincent-St.Mary had taken the lead, 45-43, and at that point they went on a 5-0 run. From their the cream simply rose to the top as St. Vincent-St. Mary coasted to a 66-58 victory and James, who finished with 18 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, showed why he is easily the best player in the nation regardless of class, as he used his incredible speed and quickness to dominate the game and helped his team win without even putting up big numbers.  He also left  a lasting impression on the crowd with a number of incredible passes and spectacular dunks.   6'6 Jr Romeo Travis was the leading scorer for St. Vincent-St. Mary with 19 points.  St. Benedict's was led by 6'4 Jr Art Bowers, who finished with 21 points, 9-16 field goals, and two steals, and Branch with 13 points and nine rebounds.  We were especially impresed by Bowers ability to drive to a spot and pull up and hit the mid-range jumper.  Branch used his explosive quickness, great hands, and nose for the ball to do most of the dirty work inside.  We also have to mention St. Benedict's head coach Danny Hurley, who is a chip off the old block (his father Bob Hurley, Sr, is widely regarded as the best high school coach in America), because he did a great job on the bench of controlling the game early and he had his team ready to play under the most difficult of circumstances (the place was packed and they were facing one of the top five high school teams in the nation).  In the final game of the evening Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA jumped out to a 17-5 lead against Bronx (All Hallows) NY, but All Hallows closed the gap to 25-23 by half-time.  This was especially amazing, because the outside shot (6-26 field goals and 0-8 3-pointers) wasn't going down for All Hallows.  Instead, their 11-16 foul shooting was keeping All Hallows in the game, plus 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann, who has great hands and good moves around the basket, was doing a lot of damage inside (eight points and six rebounds).  Germantown Academy opened it back up to 40-31 at the end of three quarters and the big reason for their success was the mid-range shooting provided by 6'8 Lee Melchionni, who finished with the second highest scoring performance of the entire day with 27 points.  That's pretty good for a guy who will be a walk-on Duke next year, but maybe that's also why we have Melchionni ranked #94 nationally in the senior class.  Germantown Academy remained control the game until the 3:13 mark when 6'6 Matt Walsh got a technical for arguing a five second call.  Not only did that change the momentum, but it opened the door for All Hallows to cut the lead to 51-48 with only 1:24 left and 53-52 with only 28 seconds left.  And the guy who saved the day for All Hallows was 6'0 Soph Ronald Ramon, who hit a pair of threes and scored a dozen points in the final quarter.   However, that wasn't enough, as Germantown Academy hung on to win what is head coach Jim Fenerty's 300th career win.  6'3 Ricardo Soliver, who played out of his mind in Florida last week in the City of Palms Classic, appears to have come back down to earth, as he finished with only 12 points and was 0-10 from beyond the arc.  In other words, he looked more like an Atlantic-10 and Colonial Athletic Association player than a Big East player tonight.   Instead, the leading scorers for All Hallows were Wachsmann with 16 points and Ramon with 15 points.  Walsh complemented Melchionni with 22 points for Germantown Academy.  So with tonight's stunning upset, tomorrow night's Slam Dunk to the Beach championship game will feature Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA versus Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX at 8:00 PM and it will be Bronx (All Hallows) NY versus Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA at 3:30 PM in the third place game.  The other game of major significance left to be played will feature Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH versus Amityville (H.S.) NY in the championship game of the Power Series on Sunday, December 30th, at 6:00 PM. That's James versus 6'8 Jason Fraser!!!!

It was status quo during the first four games at today at Slam Dunk to the Beach, as there were no major surprises in terms of individual performances by the top players.  In the 8:00 AM game 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA scored 14 points and had nine rebounds   in his team's one point loss to Hockessin (Sanford) DE, but his assist-to-turnover ratio continues to be less than acceptable for the ACC.  Against Sanford he had five assists and nine turnovers, which gives him 10 assists and 20 turnovers in three games in the tournament.  Also in the first game of the day 6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE was excellent statistically with 18 points, nine rebounds, and 7-9 field goals and he showed some flashes, but for the most part he went through the motions.  6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY continued to struggle with his outside shooting (he hit only 6-20 field goals in two days ago), as he hit only 6-16 from the from the field in the second game of the day against Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH.  Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH got 50 point and 29 rebounds from 6'3 Josh Hausfeld, 6'3 Frank Phillips, and 6'8 Jr Monty St. Clair, as they pulled off their second straight upset in the tournament by beating Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NYT, 62-51.  6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA scored 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but he didn't get the ball enough to be the deciding factor against Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, which pulled off a 54-48 upset against Marion (Tabor Academy) MA.   Francis also wasn't any better than Archbishop Spaulding's 6'11 Will Bowers, who impressed us with his ability to score inside, run the court, and nice shooting touch.   Bowers, who is a legitimate top 150 junior nationally, also has an incredible wing span and lots of potential.  However, he needs to get bigger and stronger.  6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH also picked up where he left of two days ago with his explosive athleticism, toughness on the boards, ability to get the basket, and much improved 3-point shooting.  Hite finished with 28 points and eight rebounds agains Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, so it should come as no surprise when he moves into our top 50 nationally in the senior class niext time we update our rankings.  Hite once again was complemented by 6'5 Jr C.J. Anderson, who is active on the boards and in transition, and 6'6 DeForrest Riley, who continues to be inconsistent (two days ago he had 13 points, five assists, and two steals, but today he had a quiet 11 points, two assists, and one rebound).  However, that wasn't enough to overcome 6'6 Christopher Williams, who led Oxon Hill to a 65-64 victory over Winton Woods and has emerged as one of the fastest rising players in the tournament.  What he like about Williams, who finishd with 26 points and six rebounds, was his combination of toughness, athleticism, smarts,  strength, and ability to score both inside and outside (4-6 3-pointers).  Upsetting the status quo in the fifth game on the third day at Slam Dunk to the Beach was 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA.  If you will recall, Redick finished with 29 points, six assists, and 6-9 3-pointers en route to the top performance of the entire day yesterday.  But today Redick never got on track against Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, as he seven points and 2-10 field goals.  Instead, the best player in the game was either 5'11 Jr Mitch Beauford, who had four 3-pointers and 16 points, or 5'11 Jr Japhet McNeil, who had 16 points and six assists.

Thursday, December 27, 2001

It happened almost as quickly as lightning strikes.  We're talking about how 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY hit a 3-pointer on his first touch to make it 3-0.  It was 11-0 when Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA called its first time-out and when it got 20-7 late in the first quarter you knew it was already over.  This set the tone in the opening round of the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket of the tournament, as All Hallows coasted to a 77-57 victory over Redondo Union.  In other words, All Hallows second place finish in the City of Palms Classic last week in Ft. Myers, FL was no fluke.  They also are the only team in the field that is good enough to advance into the final four of the field in a normal year.  Yes, the other seven teams in the top bracket are that down and All Hallows is that good.  We're talking about a team that gets incredible guard play from Soliver, 6'0 Marvin McCullough, 6'1 Bobby Santiago, 6'0 Soph Ronald Ramon, who combined for 52 of their 77 points.  They run, press, and defend like most New York teams, but they also are extremely well coached, as his evident by the plays they run offensively and the way they beat you from outside.  Against Redondo Beach, they hit 6-10 3-pointers, but Soliver didn't go nuts offensively like he did on three different occasions at the City of Palms Classic (22 points in the first half of their first game, 48 points in the second game, and 17 points in the first half of the championship game).  However, Soliver was 3-6 from 3-point land, as he had 13 points and six steals.  Instead, Santiago (7-8 field goals) and Ramon (2-3 3-pointers) had the hot hands.  Speaking of Ramon, he too picked up where he left off in Florida.  Ramon not only is a good ball handler, an excellent penetrator, and a deadly 3-point shooter.  Finishing in double digits for Redondo Union were 6'4 Jr Wendall White (14 points), 6'8 Adam Zahn (10 Points), and 6'2 Keith Ellison (13 points), but Ellison's seven turnovers, White's 2-7 3-pointers, and Zahn's lack of speed and quickness (just like his older brother, Zahn has lost his speed and quickness, as he has gotten bigger and stronger) provide a better description of the ugliness of the game.   And the next two games weren't any better.  Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA jumped out to a 24-8 lead against Memphis (East) TN and coasted to a 55-40 win.  Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX had a 27-15 first quarter and a 46-point half-time advantage against Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC en route to a 78-69 victory.  It comes as no surprise that 6'6 Matt Walsh was the best player for Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, but the more toned down version is good enough to get the nod over 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) PA (this was the subject of an intense dabate earlier today between our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin and our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz).  Walsh, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, was complemented by 6'8 Lee Melchionni with 11 points and four steals and a vastly improved, more agile, and more aggressive 6'11 Ted Skuchas, who had 10 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.  Nobody scored in double-digits for Memphis East, but 6'8 Soph Jerrell Houston, who finished with six points and six rebounds, must be mentioned because he is ranked among the top sophomores in the nation.  6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX showed why he is ranked among the top 10 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, as he scored 28 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out four assists, had two steals, and hit 5-10 3-pointers.  However, Horton also had plenty of help from 6'4 Kelvin Williams, 6'3 Cedric Brooks, 6'5 Evan Patterson, and 6'0 Alex Terry, who, along with Horton, basicially ran Archbishop Carroll out of the gym.  6'3 Jr Robert McKiver and 6'3 Jr Alfred Walsh both had 19 points for Archbishop Carroll, but the player who intrigued us the most was 6'4 Frosh Christian Jackson, who had 11 points and five rebounds.  Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA beat Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 60-57, in the only close game in the first round of the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket, thanks primarily to the efforts of  5'9 Nate Robinson, who recently committed to Southern Cal to play football.  Robinson has tremendous speed and quickness and he thrives in transition, but it was his clutch shooting that made him one of the top players of the day, as he finished with 26 points and singlehandedly kept Rainier Beach in the game down the stretch.  Robinson was complemented by 6'4 Jr Roderick Stewart, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, but the other twin - 6'4 Jr Loderick Stewart - apparently left his game in Seattle, as he came up with goose eggs in the first half and missed a dunk and several key three throws and only scored six points in the second half.  Also playing well once again was 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds, and four blocks.  Collins, who also was 10-15 from the field, reinforced our belief that he is one of the top five seniors nationally, as he blocked shots, scored inside, and dominated the boards.    However, he still tried to do too much out on the perimeter. 

Things heated up early on day #2 at Slam Dunk to the Beach, as 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK went head-to-head in the second game of the day.  Statistically Bookout came out on top, as he hit 8-11 field goals, scored 18 points, and grabbed 13 rebounds, but Francis, who hit 7-9 field goals, 18 points, and eight rebounds, had the better performance.  Francis also had a much better supporting cast and that was the big difference in the game (Tabor Academy beat Stroud by 21 points), as 6'1 Soph Khaliq Gant (6-9 3-pointers) and 6'2 James Parker (4-8 3-pointers) both shot the lights out from beyond the arc.  As a matter of fact, Gant duplicated the show he put on in Ft. Myers, FL when he nailed six 3-pointers in the City of Palms Classic right before Christmas.  Even more intriguing is the fact that Gant has a great feel for the game, silky smooth athleticism, excellent handling and passing skills, and the potential to grow four or five more inches.   The third game of the day also featured an important match-up between 6'1 Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, who finished with 29 points, five assists, and two steals, and 6'1 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, who scored 31 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.  However, once again the statistics don't tell the full story, because Quinn was clearly the better player.   As a matter of fact, Quinn had a field day while being guarded by Gilchrist.   In contrast, Gilchrist scored all his points against 6'0 Jr Tyler Mobley.   He also helped his team to a surprising 66-59 upset against Virginia Beach (Salem) VA.  The big differences were the outside shooting (Coffman hit 5-9 3-pointers) and the assist-to-turnover ratio (Gilchrist had six turnovers).  Still Gilchrist, who is ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, played a lot better than he did yesterday, as he hit 11-18 field goals and got more than his share of rebounds (10 boards).  On the other hand, Quinn, who is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP,  is deceptive, as he beats his man off the dribble, shoots it extremely well, and makes his teammates better.  In other words, Notre Dame has a steal.  The next game between Charlestown (H.S.) MA and Hockessin (Sanford) DE provided us with our first chance to see 6'4 Rasheed Al-Kaleem, but he didn't live up to his sight unseen ranking of #93 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  He does have a shooter's mentality, but only 3-10 3-pointers isn't good enough to get ranked among our top 100.  Al-Kaleem, who finished with only 11 points, needs to get bigger and stronger, plus he needs to work on his ball handling skills.   However, he does have big time athleticism and lots of potential.  Instead, our two favorite players for Charlestown were 6'2 Alray Taylor and 6'6 Soph Darry Lodge.  Taylor had 18 points and 10 rebounds, plus he plays as physical and hard as anybody we've seen in the tournament.  However, undersized power players don't get recruited very high at the Division I level and this guy is a tweener all the way.  Lodge had 17 points and four rebounds, but the key here is his upside.  Not only do we expect Lodge to get bigger and stronger, but he's extremely active, excellent on the boards, and has great springs in his legs.  After ragging on 6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE last night, he rose to the occasion today with 20 points and 15 rebounds.  He also shot the ball extremely well (8-11 field goals) and he played a lot harder.  However, his position at the next level is still a question.  Also a lot more active today was 6'9 Soph Joe Dyson, who finished with 10 points and nine rebounds, as Hockessin (Sanford) DE made it close against Charlestown (H.S.) MA losing, 68-67.  We thought the fifth game of the day would be close, but it wasn't as Potomac (Bullis School) MD won easily (77-57) against Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA.  The guy who stepped up big for Bullis was 6'4 Wade Dunston, who finished with 28 points and 10 rebounds.   Dunston needs to improve his outside shooting, but he's very athletic and gets to the basket extremely well.  As a result, we think he should be a prime target for schools in the Colonial Athletic Association and the Atlantic-10.  But the player who has an enormous upside and big time athleticism is 6'9 Soph Jerome Johnson.   He only had six points and four rebounds against Archbishop Carroll, but he plays hard, passes well, and has good low post skills.  However, he hasn't put the complete package together yet.  Nobody stood out for Archbishop Carroll, but 5'9 Jr Kashif Payne was their best player, despite the fact he only hit 3-16 field goals and has seven turnovers.  Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD beat Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 62-60, in the final game of the day before the start of the Slam Dunk to the Beach bracket opening round action, but the best player in the game was 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, who finished with 29 points, six assists, and impressed us with his high skill level, ball handling, outside shooting, and knowledge of the game.  Redick also edged out Quinn for the best performance of the day ahead of Quinn and he might just be the best player in Duke's great recruiting class.  The two best players for Oxon Hill were 6'6 Christopher Williams and 6'4 Jr Rashad Nixon.  Williams, who hit four 3-pointers, is the shooter and the Nixon, who had 19 points and six  rebounds, is the slasher.  Williams isn't ranked among our top 100, but he is one of the top unsigned seniors in the East due to his combination of strength, athleticism, and outside shooting.  Nixon is just a junior, but he's tough on the boards, plays hard, and makes a living in transition.   

Wednesday, December 26, 2001

We've always been a lot higher than most of our competitors on 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, who is ranked #24 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and he reinforced our belief that he's one of the top big men in the nation earlier today at Slam Dunk to the Beach with a 39-point/19-rebound/four-block effort against Troy (H.S.) OH.  However, that only tells part of the story, as Bookout hit 17-22 field goals and impressed us with his combination of strength, power, finesse, and mobility.  He's not super quick and athletic, but he has great footwork, good hands, and a knack finishing everything.  He's a tremendous competitor, as is evident by his success on the hardwood, in track and field, and in baseball.  Currently Bookout is the second highest ranked unsigned senior in the class nationally behind 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, but he tells us he has narrowed his list to two schools and currently Oklahoma leads Oklahoma State.  Other noteworthy performances  today were turned in by 5'9 Jr Kashif Payne from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnnati (Winton Woods) OH, 6'5 Jr C.J. Anderson from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 6'4 Wade Dunston from Potomac (Bullis) MD, 6'9 Soph Jerome Johnson from Potomac (Bullis) MD, 6'9 Jr Byron Joynes from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'2 Darnell Hopkins from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'0 Derrick Morris from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'0 Frosh Michael Hall from Troy (H.S.) OH, 6'1 Frosh Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'6 Christopher Williams from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'0 Soph A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 5'11 Jr Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 6'6 Paul Johnson from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 6'9 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, 5'11 Earl Miller from Sanford (Hockessin) DE,and  6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA.  Payne, who is ranked #8 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area by Allen Rubin, is a talented little point guard who thrives in an uptempo setting, as he creates havoc defensively, shoots the three, and finds ways to score in transition.  However, his lack of size will likely scare off most big time schools a year from now, despite the fact he makes good decisions, gets everybody involved, and has improved his outside shooting.   Hite had the best dunk of the day, but that wasn't the only time he displayed his incredible natural talent and big time athleticism.  We already think Hite is a steal for Miami-FL, but the value of his stock should go even higher (we currently have him ranked #74 nationally) if he continues to improve his outside shooting (he was 2-4 from beyond the arc versus Towson Catholic).  Anderson gets mentioned because he's a jack-of-all trades, as well as a trampoline inside.  However, Anderson has yet to show any perimeter skills, but what do you expect from a guy with 15 rebounds, and five blocks?  Dunston put up impressive numbers - 24 points and nine rebounds, but it was Johnson who drew the rave reviews.  We're talking about a 6'9 sophomore with a nice soft touch in the low post who had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.   The debate continues regarding whether Joynes is a top 100 junior, because he's too big and bulky, but his numbers (12 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks) were impressive.   Hopkins didn't shoot the ball particularly well, but he still chipped in with 20 points and eight rebounds.  Morris made a living setting up Bookout inside (seven assists), but he also hit 3-4 3-pointers and, as a result, has a low major future.   Hall is only a freshman, but he's already the best player on his team, as is evident by the fact that he was both the leading scorer with 19 points and the best passer with three assists.  Farmer, who is the #3 ranked freshman in the Philly area by Rubin, was also the leading scorer on his team with 18 points.  He also complements Princeton-bound 5'10 Scott Greenman, who finished with 10 points, six assists, and eight turnovers, in the backcourt at Richland (St. Augustine) NJ and a year from now will be the heir apparent to Greenman, as he runs the show and has a great basketball IQ.  Williams had 11 points and six rebounds versus Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, but what we liked best were his athleticism and ability to overpower the opposition en route to the basket.  Fraser only had two points in the first half and only 13 points for the game versus Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, but his 22 rebounds and five blocks were enough to get him ranked as the second best player of the day behind Bookout after the first eight games of the tournament.  Price had 15 points, but this sophomore plays with poise, savvy, and maturity, as he played more under control than the seniors did.  Sumpter had 18 points and showed signs of developing a shooter's mentality, but it would have been nice if he had shot a better percentage (only 6-20 from the field and only 1-4 from beyond the arc).  Instead, he got more done inside on the boards (10 rebounds) and limited Fraser to only 12 shots.  Virginia Beach (Salem) VA on the game, 49-48, but McNeil did everything except sell tickets, including miss the front end of a one-and-one that would have iced the game with 23.4 seconds remaining.  McNeil, who led his team in scoring (18 points), rebounding (seven boards), passing (five assists), and defense (five steals), has explosive speed and quickness, which he used to penetrate and dish.   He's also a savvy floor general, a good ball handler, and an excellent passer.   McNeil also clearly got the better of Gilchrist, who has too much flash and not enough substance to his game.   In other words, this scoring point guard scored 17 points, but he hit only 7-20 field goals, had five turnovers, and only one assist.   So we stand by where he currently have Gilchrist ranked at #57 nationally, which is lower than most people have him ranked, and, as a result, we think he is Maryland's third best recruit behind 6'4 Chris McCray from Seat Pleasant (Fairmont Heights) MD and 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, both of whom deserve strong consideration for the McDonald's All-American Game.   Sheridan was another major disappointment, but every once in a while he'll get inspired and make a dunk or block a shot (he seems to live off a great player for the rest of the quarter).  He did have 19 points, but only three rebounds and his lack of effort and lack of position (Sheridan needs to develop perimeter skills and/or get bigger, stronger, meaner, and tougher inside) are major causes of concern.  Instead, Miller, who finished with 16 points and four assists, was the best player for Sanford.  Collins, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds, started off strong, as he took care of business inside and hit both of his outside shots (2-2 3-pointers) and had 13 points in the first quarter.  However, as the game progressed he kept firing 3-pointers, got in foul trouble, and played erratically.  I guess he was trying to impress the NBA scouts, but perimeter players with Collins' skill level outside are a dime a dozen (i.e Tyson Chandler).  Instead, he needs to stay inside where he is a dominant force.  Still, Collins turned in one of the top three performances of the entire day, along with Bookout and Fraser.    

Monday, December 24, 2001, and Tuesday, December 25, 2001

One of the busiest times of the year for high school basketball is the time between Christmas and New Year's and as soon as I finish writing this, I will be hitting the road to go to one of the premier tournaments in the nation - Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE.  The first game will tip-off tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM with Newark (Hodgson Tech) DE versus Wilmington (Brandywine) DE, followed by Lewes (Cape Henelopen) DE versus Wilmington (St. Elizabeth's) DE at 9:30 AM, Potomac (The Bullis School) MD versus Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD at 11:00 AM, Towson (Catholic) MD versus Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH at 12:30  PM, Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA versus Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH at 2:00 PM, Troy (H.S.) OH versus Stroud (H.S.) OK at 3:30 PM, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ versus Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD at 5:00 PM, Amityville (H.S.) NY versus Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY at 6:30 PM, Virginia Beach (Salem) VA versus Middle Village (Christ the King) NY at 8:00 PM, and Inglewood (H.S.) CA versus Hockessin (Sanford) DE at 9:30 PM.  Then, on Thursday, December 27th, it will be the Newark (Hodgson Tech) DE-Wilmington (Brandywine) DE loser versus the Lewes (Cape Henelopen) DE-Wilmington (St. Elizabeth's) DE loser at 8:00 AM, followed Marion (Tabor Academy) MA versus Stroud (H.S.) OK at 9:30 AM, Virginia Beach (Salem) VA versus Dublin (Coffman) OH at 11:00 AM, Charlestown (H.S.) MA versus Wilmington (Sanford) DE at 12:30 PM, Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA versus Potomac (Bullis) MD at 2:00 PM, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD versus Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA at 3:30 PM, Bronx (All Hallows) NY versus Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA at 5:00 PM, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA versus Memphis (East) TN at 6:30 PM, Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC versus Cedar Hill (H..S.) PA at 8:00 PM, and Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA versus Inglewood (H.S.) CA at 9:30 PM.   And on Friday, December 28th, it will be the Virginia Beach (Salem) VA-Dublin (Coffman) OH) loser versus the Charlestown (H.S.) MA-Wilmington (Sanford) DE loser at 8:00 AM, followed by Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY versus Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH at 9:30 AM, Marion (Tabor Academy) MA versus Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD at 11:00 AM, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD versus Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH at 12:30 PM, Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA versus Middle Village (Christ the King) NY at 2:00 PM, the Bronx (All Hallows) NY-Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA loser versus the Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA-Memphis (East) TN loser at 3:30 PM, the Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC- Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX loser versus the Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA Inglewood (H.S.) CA loser at 5:00 PM, the Bronx (All Hallows) NY-Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA winner versus the Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA-Memphis (East) TN winner at 6:30 PM, Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH versus Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ at 8:00 PM, and the Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC- Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX winner versus the Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA-Inglewood (H.S.) CA winner at 9:30 PM.   The St. Vincent-St. Mary versus St. Benedict's match-up promises to be one of the highlights of the tournament, because 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH is the #1-ranked player in the nation regardless of class and St. Benedict's is one of the best team's in the East under first year head coach Danny Hurley.  Tomorrow's line-up at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC includes West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ versus Cleveland (St. Joseph's) OH at 3:30 PM, Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ versus Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC at 5:15 PM, Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC versus Martinsville (H.S.) WV at 7:00 PM, and Memphis (White Station) TN versus Lexington (H.S.) SC at 8:45 PM.  Then, on Thursday, December 27th, it will be Georgetown (Scott County) KY versus Shreveport (Evangel Academy) LA at 3:30 PM, The Colony (H.S.) TX versus Florence (Wilson) SC at 5:15 PM, Radcliff (North Hardin) KY versus Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA at 7:00 PM, and Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Latta (H.S.) SC at 8:45 PM.   That last game should be more than worth the price of admission, because 5'10 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC are the two best point guards in American regardless of class.  The schedule for Proviso West Holiday Tournament in Hillside, IL tips off tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM with Oak Park (Fenwick) IL versus Evanston (Township) IL, followed by Westchester (St. Joseph) IL versus Schaumburg (H.S.) IL at 10:30 AM, Chicago (Farragut) IL versus LaGrange (Lyons Township) IL at 12:15 PM, Homewood (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL versus Winnetaka (New Trier) IL at 1:45 PM, Hillside (Proviso West) IL versus Chicago (Manley) IL at 3:30 PM, Chicago (Whitney Young) IL versus Elgin (Larkin) IL at 5:00 PM, Maywood (Proviso East) IL versus Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL at 6:45, and Dalton (Thornridge) IL verus Hillscrest (Country Club Hills) IL at 8:15 PM.  The Fifth Third Bank Kentucky Holiday Classic also starts tomorrow morning in Lexington, KY at 9:00 AM with Lexington (Henry Clay) KY versus Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, followed by Pineville (Bell County) KY versus Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY at 10:30 PM, Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY versus Paris (Bourbon County) KY at Noon, Louisville (Seneca) KY versus Paducah (St. Mary's) KY at 1:30 PM, Maysville (Mason County) KY versus Independence (Simon Kenton) KY at 5:00 PM, Miami (Westminster) FL, versus Danville (Boyle County) KY at 6:30 PM, Lexington (Catholic) KY versus Harrodsburg (Mercer County) KY at 8:00 PM, and Glasgow (H.S.) KY versus Russell (H.S.) KY at 9:30 PM.  The Glaxo-Smith-Kline Holiday Invitational at N.C. State University in Raleigh, NC will start on Thursday, December 27th with Kinston (H.S.) NC versus Barrington (St. Andrews) RI at 4:00 PM, Raleigh (Broughton) NC versus Asheville (T.C. Roberson) NC at 5:40 PM, Wake Forest (Wake Forest-Rolesville) NC versus Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA at 7:20 PM, and Raleigh (Millbrook) NC versus Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  The winners and losers will continue to advance while four other teams - Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA versus Raleigh (Bonner Academy) VA at 12:40 PM and Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD versus Birmingham (Parkway Christian) AL at 5:40 PM - will play the first of two games in their own four game tournament beginning on Friday, December 28th.  The NIKE sponsored Academy National Tournament in Houston, TX only has one game tomorrow, as Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ meets Midwest City (H.S.) OK at 7:00 PM.  Then, it's a full day on the Thursday, December 27th, as it will be Houston (Westbury Christian) TX versus Texas City (H.S.) TX at 11:30 AM, Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX versus Houston (Aldine Nimitz) TX at 1:00 PM, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA versus Louisville (Male) Ky at 2:30 PM, Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX versus Sugar Land (Clements) TX at 4:00 PM, Houston (Eisenhower) TX versus Houston (Westfield) TX at 5:30 PM, Beaumont (Ozen) TX versus New York (Rice) NY at 7:00 PM, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Concord (DeLaSalle) CA at 8:30 PM.   Assuming that both teams win their first two games in the National Division of Academy National Tournament, it should be Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, which is currently ranked #1 in the nation by the USA Today, versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, which is currently ranked #2 in the nation by the USA Today, on Saturday, December 29th, for the championship.  Not only do we expect this to be the biggest game of the year, but it probably will decide who the national champion is in high school basketball this season.  

We started hearing rumors about Marvin Stone transferring from the University of Kentucky last week right after the Duke game (he played only five minutes in that game).  But now we think there may be something to it.  As a matter of fact, a source in the know tells us that Stone was not at practice today and expects an official announcement about his transferring to be forthcoming in the immediate future.  If you will recall, Stone was ranked #5 in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP three years ago, but has been a major disappointment at Kentucky.  But even if this accurate, we don't look for the Wildcats to sign another player in this recruiting class.  Remember, they currently have 14 players in the program - two seniors in J.P Blevins and Tayshaun Prince, four juniors in Stone, Keith Bogans, Jules Camara, and Marquis Estill, Marvin Stone, four sophomores in Cliff Hawkins, Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch, and Jason Parker, four freshmen in Rashad Carruth, Chuck Hayes, Adam Chiles, and Josh Carrier - and three recruits in 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU.  But even if Stone transfers, the Wildcats would be in the same situation they are in right now in terms of scholarships (currently Estill is paying his own way so the Wildcats will be within the 13-player scholarship limit, which is mandated by the NCAA).  We also know that Bogans has aspirations about declaring hardship for the NBA Draft next spring, but, the way he has been playing so far this season, Roderick Rhodes comparisons may be in better order.  In other words, Bogans would be best served if he followed in Prince's footsteps and returned to Kentucky for his senior season.  And as long as we're talking about the Wildcats, after their two most recent performances against Duke and Indiana, it looks like their fans have finally forgetten about their opening season loss to Western Kentucky.  They also appear to be right on schedule, as their game against Louisville and their Southeastern Conference schedule are quickly approaching.   Remember, we picked Duke #1 and Kentucky #2 prior to the start of the season and we still think that's where they will finish, most likely in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday, April 1st. 

Sunday, December 23, 2001

It came as no surprise when Los Angeles (Westchester) CA jumped out to a 11-0 lead last night in the championship game of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL against Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  After all, Westchester is the #1-ranked high school team in America, as well as the defending champions at the City of Palms Classic, which is widely regarded as the premier pre-Christmas high school event in the nation.  Soon it was 18-4 and that's when 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY went to work.  Soliver simply picked up where he left off two days earlier when he scored 48 points in the quarterfinals against Raleigh (Broughton) NC, as he made tough shot after tough shot.   Soliver not only scored eight of All Hallows first 10 points and 10 of their first 14 points, but he also had four 3-pointers and he personally was keeping All Hallows in the game, as they closed the gap to 18-10 late in the first quarter.  By half-time Soliver had 17 points, but, by they time, Westchester was clearly in control of the game.  In the second half, Soliver cooled off, as he finished with 19 points for the game, but 6'0 Soph Ronald Ramon, who finished with nine points, and 6'0 Marvin McCullough, who finished with seven points, picked up the slack, as All Hallows made one final   run, as they cut the lead to three late in the third quarter.  That's when Westchester turned the heat back up and coasted to a 68-54 victory, as they were crowned the champion at the City of Palms Classic for the second consecutive year.   Getting back to Soliver, we think he is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation and he will get a chance to prove that he is not just a one tournament phenom, because All Hallows also will be at Slam Dunk to the Beach next week in Lewes, DE.  We don't think Soliver as good as Villanova-bound 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but based on the way he dominated the City of Palms Classic (he was the leading scorer in the tournament, plus he was ranked among the leaders in rebounding, steals, and assists), we like him better than 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, who also signed with Villanova and is ranked #49 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, who signed with Louisville is ranked #63 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, we're talking about a national top 50 senior, as well as a guy with a great nose ball for the ball, incredible speed and quickness, and an extremely quick release on his shot.  As a matter of fact, he was so spectacular that he should have easily been named the Tournament MVP, despite the fact he played on the losing team in the championship game.   However, I'm sure Donnie Wilkie and the tournament selection committee didn't want to snub Westchester out of that honor two years in row.   Remember, a year ago 6'4 Chris McCrae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY was named Tournament MVP.  But it still came as somewhat of a surprise when 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA took home tournament MVP honors.  Sure, Ariza was Westchester's best player, as well as one of the leading rebounders in the tournament, but the two guys who stepped up the most for Westchester in the championship game were 6'4 Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 15 points and 6'3 Brandon Heath with 17 points.   The other big story on the final evening at the City of Palms Classic came in the third place game. We're talking about the shoot-out between 6'1 Soph Khaliq Gant from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL.  Right after a junior college coach from Florida told me that he'd never seen Anderson live up to his national reputation, Anderson locked up our vote for the McDonald's All-American Team, as he nailed seven straight 3-pointers (one right after the other) from the 20-25-foot range, as he brought his team back from a 30-16 half-time deficit.  Gant, who hit 6-8 3-pointers of his own, spread his great outside shooting over the course of the entire game, but you have to love this youngster's potential, especially once he gets bigger and stronger and grows four or five more inches.   However, the big reason why Tabor Academy beat Kathleen, 64-59, and emerged with the third place trophy was 6'10 Torin Francis, who put up similar numbers to 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC earlier in the day.   If you will recall, Randolph scored 32 points and 22 rebounds against Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL in a consolation game, but the contrast between the two games couldn't have been any more dramatic.  Randolph was getting it done against slow 6-2 white kids, while the Kathleen- Tabor Academy game was like a war.  And Francis wasn't taking prisoners, as he scored 31 points, grabbed 20 rebounds, blocked six shots, and hit 12-16 field goals.  Once-upon-a-time, we also critized Francis for not playing hard and lacking intensity, so hopefully down the road Randolph, who has incredible skills and explosiveness inside, will get bigger and stronger and tougher inside.  However, right now he would have had a hard time if he had been matched up against Francis in this game, just like he did last summer when he went head-to-head at the NIKE All-American Camp against 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL and at the adidas Big-Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV against 6'10 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI.  Also putting on a tremendous 3-point shooting display was 6'1 Carlos Rivera from Miami (Christian) FL, who hit 6-8 3-pointers in the 5th Place Game against St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, 72-56, en route to a 23-point performance that earned him consideration for the all-tournament team.   Instead, that honor went to his teammate 5'11 Jose Barea, who scored 22 points, dished out six assists, and continued to impress us with his toughness, savvy, and skills at the point guard spot.  We combining for 19 points for Miami Christian were 6'4 Jr Jesus Verdejo and 6'8 Jr Ivan Lopez, but the guy who deserves special mention is 6'5 Frosh Sammie Hernandez, who had 11 rebounds.  And that was the big key to the game, as Hernandez and Lopez, who had eight rebounds of his own, controlled the boards.  The leading scorer for Calhoun County was 6'2 Charles Ben with 12 points, but three sophomores on the team - 6'5 Soph Phillip Merling, 6'3 Soph Delton McFadden, 6'1 Jr Zam Frederick - are what make this team so intriguing for the next several years.   Speaking of Frederick, he missed all eight of shots in the first half and ended up only hit 3-12 field goals for the game.  But that didn't prevent him from being named to the all-tournament team.  And Fredrick wasn't the only questionable call on the all-tournament team.   What I want to know is how a team that finished in the consolation bracket have two players on the 13-man all tournament team?  But somehow 6'8 Jr Leon Powe and 5'11 Armando Suuratt, both from Oakland (Tech) CA, managed to make the team.  Also named to the all-tournament team were Ariza, Francis, Anderson, Randolph, Barea, Adams, 6'2 Jr Michael Umeh from Missouri City (Hightower) MO, 6'4 Marcus Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA. 

Saturday, December 22, 2001

Statisicially one of the biggest surprises heading into the final day of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL was the fact that 6'5 Anthony Paez from Ft. Myers (Lehigh) FL was the leading rebounder in the tournament with 12.0 rpg.  However, he dropped into a tie for 5th behind 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA with 11.7 rpg, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC with 11.0 rpg, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, with 10.3 rpg, and 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann with 9.7 rpg and tied with 6'8 Trevor Ariza with 9.3 rpg, after grabbing only four rebounds in the first game this morning against Oakland (Tech) CA.   However, Paez, who is a power forward on defense and a wing guard on offense, still impressed with his ability to score inside (8-14 field goals) and his ball handling and passing skills.  As a result, he projects a mid-range player, but he could go higher, if he improves his outside shooting.  But Lehigh couldn't stop Oakland Tech's 6'3 Kevin Smith, who hit 10-11 field goals, scored 23 points, and impressed us with his athleticism and ability to get to the hole.  Smith was complemented by 6'8 Jr Leon Powe, who once again put up impressive numbers (26 points and 10 rebounds), but didn't play very hard.  Powe would rather shoot 3-pointers on the perimeter, instead of take care of business inside, which leads us to believe that our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis is playing politics when he tells us that Powe's upside is limited because he is an undersized low post  player (Trigonis talked us out of ranking Powe among our top five juniors nationally).  As a matter of fact, Powe, who has hit 36-65 field goals, is ranked among the top 10 players in the tournament in field goal percentage (54.4%) and a number of his shots came from out on the perimeter.  He also is 5th in scoring in the tournament behind 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY with 30.3 ppg, Randolph with 27.5 ppg, 6'2 Jr Michael Umeh from Missouri City (Hightower) MO with 24.7 ppg, and 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA with 24.0 ppg and he didn't even break a sweat.  Yes, Powe is that talented and he's only just started to scratch the surface.  So thanks to the efforts of Smith and Powe, Oakland (Tech) CA coasted to 70-54 win over Ft. Myers (Leigh) FL.  In the second consolation game 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA got his average (24.0 ppg) in the tournament, as he led Salem to an easy 72-48 win over Ft. Myers (Cypress Lake) FL.  The best player for Cypress Lakes was 6'3 Larry McClinton with 23 points and six rebounds.  Raleigh (Broughton) NC beat Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL finally found a team in the tournament they can compete with, as they made things interesting against Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 78-54, in the third consolation game of the day, thanks to the efforts of 6'10 Shavlik Randolph, who once again put up impressive numbers (32 points and 22 rebounds).  However, Randolph didn't shoot any better than 9-23 from the field and didn't do anything to convince us that he isn't fragile when you put a body on him.  He is extremely skilled and he's played a lot harder in this tournament, but he could have problems at a higher level.  Thus, explains why we have him ranked no higher than #20 in the senior class nationally (most of our competitors have him in the top five or 10 in the country).  We finally got to see 6'10 Jr Chris Taft in the 4th consolation game of the day against New Orleans (Abramson) LA and what a disappointment.  Taft did have 14 points, but only three rebounds and three turnovers do more to tell the story of the level of mediocrity that he managed to achieve.  He not only looked slow and out of shape, but his timing was off and he didn't even come close to resembling the player we saw last summer.  Speaking of Taft, he told us that St. John's, Pittsburgh, Duke, North Carolina, and Louisville were the main schools on his list, but we also know that Syracuse is in the hunt.  Instead, the player who carried Xaverian was 6'2 Shaun Wynn, who finished with 19 points and six rebounds.  However, Abramson outscored Xaverian 32-18 in the 4th Quarter to win, 69-60, thanks to the efforts of 6'8 Jr Warren Scott, 6'4 Johnny Lewis, and 6'6 Drouzan Quillen, who combined for 50 of Abramson's 69 points.  St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL beat Missouri City (Hightower) TX, 77-64, in the Consolation Championship, but the best player in the game once again was Michael Umeh with 22 points and six rebounds. 

Now that all the consolation games are over and only the 5th Place Championship, 3rd Place Championship, and Championship games remain to be played, we can start focusing on the real business at hand.  Unless something unforeseen happens our choice for tournament MVP is 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  We also would name three players - 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza, 6'4 Hassan Adams, and 6'8 Brandon Bowman - from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to the 13-man all-tournament team, along with 6'4 Rashad Anderson from Lakewood (Kathleen) FL, 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Jr Michael Umeh from Missouri City (Hightower) MO, 6'4 Marcus Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, 5'11 Joe Barea from Miami (Christian) FL, 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, and 6'1 Soph Zam Fredrick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC.  We also have listed below our ranking of the top 20 players in the tournament based on performance and Soliver, Barea, Morrison, Everage, Paez, and Smith are  are unsigned seniors who are getting underrecruited at the mid-to-high major level.  Anderson, Francis, Randolph, Adams, Bowman, Gilchrist, Heath, and Surrait are already signed, sealed, and delivered and Ariza, Powe, Umeh, Frederick, Scott, and Lopez provide the tournament with a vast array of top echelon underclassmen.  Most people won't agree with Scott being so high, but he is ranked among the top 10 in the tournament in both scoring and rebounding and merit has to mean something.  We also have Barea extremely high.  Not only did we watch him score 31 points yesterday, but he is ranked #2 in the tournament in assists averaging 3.3 apg and is tied for the lead in steals with Soliver and 6'2 Shaun Wynn with 4.0 spg.  As a result, Barea is ranked ahead of Umeh, Adams, Morrison, and Bowman based on performance in the City of Palms Classic, but we think all the just mentioned players are all better prospects than Barea. 

Top 20 Players at City of Palms Classic Based on Tournament Performance
(Subject to change based on the result of the 5th Place, 3rd Place, and Championship Games)
1.    Ricardo Soliver, 6'3, Sr, PG, Bronx (All Hallows) NY
2.    Rashad Anderson, 6'4, Sr, 2G, Lakewood (Kathleen) FL - Connecticut
3.    Trevor Ariza, 6'8, Jr, PF, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA
4.    Torin Francis, 6'10, 5th, C, Marion (Tabor Academy) MA - Notre Dame
5.    Leon Powe, 6'8, Jr, PF, Oakland (Tech) CA
6.    Shavlik Randolph, 6'10, Sr, C, Raleigh (Broughton) NC -Duke
7.    Jose Barea, 5'11, Sr, PG, Miami (Christian) FL
8.    Michael Umeh, 6'2, Jr, PG, Missouri City (Hightower) TX
9.    Hassan Adams, 6'4, Sr, 2G, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - Arizona
10.  Marcus Morrison, 6'4, Sr, 2G, St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL
11.  Brandon Bowman, 6'8, Sr, WF, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - Georgetown
12.  Johnny Gilchrist, 6'2, Sr, PG, Virginia Beach (Salem) VA - Maryland
13.  Zam Frederick, 6'1, Soph, 2G, St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC
14.  Warren Scott, 6'8, Jr, C, New Orleans (Abramson) LA
15.  Keith Everage, 6'6, Sr, PF, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA
16.  Ivan Lopez, 6'8, Jr, C, Miami (Christian) FL
17.  Anthony Paez, 6'5, Sr, 2G, Ft. Myers (Lehigh) FL
18.  Brandon Heath, 6'3, Sr, 2G, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - San Diego State
19.  Kevin Smith, 6'3, Sr, 2G, Oakland (Tech) CA
20.  Armado Surrait, 5'11, Sr, PG, Oakland (Tech) CA - Fresno State

Friday, December 21, 2001

Marion (Tabor Academy) MA controlled the tempo of the game, but turned the ball over too many times to pull off what would have been a major upset against a quicker, more athletic, and better shooting Bronx (All Hallows) NY team.  Another big key to the game was the fact that 6'3 Ricardo Soliver, who finished with only 17 points (6-12 field goals and 2-7 3-pointers), didn't go ballistic like he did the night before against Raleigh (Broughton) NC.   Instead, the top gun for All Hallows was 6'0 Soph Ronald Ramon, who showed why he is regarded as one of the top players in New York City's loaded sophomore class, as he hit 6-7 field goals, including 3-3 from beyond the arc, and scored 15 points.  Also holding his own inside against 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA was 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann, who finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.  As a matter of fact, Tabor Academy's inability to take advantage of Francis' size in the low post was one of the deciding factors in the game.   We say that, but Francis still had 22 points, including 7-10 field goals, seven rebounds, and was a big reason why Tabor Academy kept the game close (All Hallows won 54-53, but Francis hit a 3-pointer to cut it to one in the finals seconds).  We also have to give Tabor Academy's young players - 6'2 Soph Khaliq Gant and 6'6 Soph Charles Burch a lot of credit, as they stepped up to combine for 19 points.  6'2 James Parker also chipped in with nine point and four rebounds, but he lacked the speed and quickness necessary to be effective against Soliver, Ramon, 6'1 Bobby Santiago, and 6'0 Marvin McCullough.   In the other semi-finals game Los Angeles (Westchester) CA showed why they are the #1-ranked team in the nation, as they jumped out to 7-0 lead against Lakeland (Kathleen) FL and never looked back, as it was 20-7 last in the first quarter, 45-29 late in the second quarter, 52-31 at half-time, 82-64 at the conclusion of the game.  Westchester not only can light up a scoreboard in a hurry, but they go from defense to offense as quickly as any high school team, as we've ever seem.  They also are better than the team we saw win five games in this tournament a year ago and the possess the same intensity and ability to terrorize their opponent defensively.  6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'8 Brandon Bowman, 6'6 Keith Everage, and 6'6 Scott Cutley do the dirty work inside and 6'4 Hassan Adams, 6'3 Ashanti Cook, 5'10 Jr Jonathan Smith, Brandon Heath, and 6'3 Frosh Marcus Johnson out quick their opponents on the perimeter.   However, we also have to give 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL credit, because was still the best player on the court, as he hit 8-14 field goals, scored 20 points and had seven rebounds, as Kathleen kept it respectable, 82-64.  

The schedule for the final day at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL is as follows:  Oakland (Tech) CA versus Ft. Myers (Lehigh) CA at 8:30 AM, Virginia Beach (Salem) VA versus Ft. Myers (Cypress Creek) FL at 10:15 AM, Raleigh (Broughton) NC versus Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL at 12:15 PM, and New Orleans (Abramson) LA versus Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY at 2:00 PM, Missouri City (Hightower) MO versus St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL at 3:35 PM in the Consolation Championship, Miami (Christian) FL versus St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC at 5:45 PM in the 5th Place Championship, Lakeland (Kathleen) versus Marion (Tabor Academy) MA at 7:30 PM in the 3rd Place Championship, and Los Angeles (Westchester) CA versus Bronx (All Hallows) NY at 9:15 PM in the Championship Game.  Earlier today in the second consolation round game 6'2 Jr Michael Umeh led Missouri City (Hightower) MO to 69-67 victory over New Orleans (Abramson) LA.  And he was sensational in the process as he scored 31 points, grabbed six steals, and nailed 7-13 3-pointers.  In other words, we're talking about a scoring point guard with speed, quickness, athleticism, and top 100 talent.  The player who stepped up for Abramson was 6'4 Johnny Lewis, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but 6'8 Jr Warren Scott, who is ranked #30 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was a major disappointment, as he finished with five points and four rebounds.  As a result, Scott, who was averaging 25.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg, drops out of the top 10 in scoring and top 15 in rebounding in the tournament.  Scott also will likely drop in our rankings, unless he grows some more, because he's not very skilled, not very explosive, and doesn't play very hard and 6'8 guys like that have a hard time making it at the high Division I level.  6'10 Shavlik Randolph had 24 points and 12 rebounds, but once again Raleigh (Broughton) NC was outclassed, as Miami (Christian) FL won  80-61 in a 5th Place semi-finals game.  We expected 6'8 Jr Ivan Lopez (13 points and eight rebounds), 6'4 Jr Jesus Delgado (seven points), and 6'1 Carlos Rivera (14 points) to be good when we got our first look at Miami Christian earlier this afternoon, but we had no idea about 5'11 Jose Barea.  Neither did anybody else, because Barrera, who also has a 3.9 gpa in the classroom, recently moved to Miami, FL from Puerto Rico.  Barrera doesn't pass the look test, but he more than passed the play test as he had 31-points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three assists and impressed us with his savvy, toughness, and quickness in transition.  The only thing holding him back is his lack of size, but we think he'd be an excellent player for somebody like Florida International.  The two big names in the other 5th Place game earlier today were 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA and 6'1 Soph Zam Fredick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC and both players shot the ball much better than they have previously in the tournament. Gilchrist hit 12-21 field goals en route to 31 points, but that still wasn't enough as St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC pulled off the upset against Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 71-63.  Frederick, who is one of the top sophomores in the nation, hit 11-14 field goals en route to 31 points. 

We already talked about how well 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY played last night as he scored 48 points, which is fourth on the all-time City of Palms Classic single-game scoring list behind Teddy Dupay, who had scored 49 points against Compton (Dominguez) CA and 56 points against Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH in 1998 and Clifford Rozier, who scored 51 points in a game in 1989.  But we didn't tell you how statistically dominating Solivar has been in this tournament.  Not only is he the leading scorer averaging 37.0 ppg, but he is second in field goal percentage (62.5%), first in terms of number of 3-pointers made hitting 11-20 from beyond the arc, and first in free throw percentage hitting 13-14 from the foul line.  He also is leading the tournament in steals with 5.0 spg, is tied for third in the tournament in assists with 3.5 apg, and is tied for 9th in defensive rebounding with 5.0 drpg.  If that weren't enough, he also made the top 20 list for blocked shots tied with a number of players averaging 1.0 bpg.  If he continues to play like this, there is no question that his recruitment will pick up dramatically.   He also will move onto our list of the top 100 seniors nationally.  In other words, we're talking about one of the fastest rising players in the nation this winter.   The other player who is dominating the tournament is 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA.  After the first three days Powe was ranked 5th in scoring with 23.3 ppg, 6th in rebounding with 9.0 rpg, 3rd in blocks with 3.3 rpg, 5th in field goal percentage hitting  29-48 field goals, and 11th in steals with 2.0 spg.   And this morning he scored 20 points and grabbed 14 points in a 71-56 loss to St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL.  Speaking of Lakewood, this team features another one of the biggest sleepers in the nation.  We're talking about 6'4 Marcus Morrison, who currently is ranked #5 in the state by our Florida Editor John Adkins.   However, based on his performance here, he will move up to #4 in the state behind 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakewood (Kathleen) FL, and 6'8 Yusef Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL and into our national top 100.  Morrison is an explosive athlete with great body control, excellent handling and passing skills, and the ability to either post you up or beat you outside with his jumper.  He also is a terrific rebounder for his size, as was evident by the fact that he led his team with 12 rebounds versus Oakland (Tech) CA this morning.  Getting back to Powe, his high school coach Hodari McGavock said the list of schools for Powe includes California, Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, Maryland, Arizona, Arizona State, UCLA, Florida, Connecticut, Florida State, and Fresno State.  But Powe himself mentioned Kansas, Florida, California, Duke, Louisville, Arizona, and Kentucky.  Neither Powe nor his coach listed a leader, but the smart money appears to be on Louisville and California.  In addition to Soliver, Powe, Morrison, 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who is leading the tournament in rebounding with 14.0 rpg and 6'10 Shavlik Randolph, who had 31 points and 10 rebounds in his first game of the tournament last night (due to North Carolina rules Broughton got a bye in the first round), we also have to mention 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, who scored 14 points last night in the final game of the evening against St. Matthews (Calhoun County) FL. 

Thursday, December 20, 2001

It was the most impressive scoring performance we've seen at the City of Palms Holiday Classic since Teddy Dupay scored 49 points against Compton (Dominguez) CA with Tyson Chandler was a freshman and Tayshaun Prince was a senior and then set the all-time single-game tournament scoring record against Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH with 56 points, including 10 3-pointers..  We're talking about the 31-point first half effort by 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  Not only was Soliver on fire from beyond the arc, as he hit 6-9 3-pointers, but he also single-handedly outscored the entire Raleigh (Broughton ) NC team by six points.  And he didn't let up in the second half like he did the night before (he scored 22 points in the first half, but only had four points in the second half), as he scored seven of his team's first nine points and finished with 48 points, including 7-11 treys, as well as a pair of 3-pointers the old-fashioned way.  Soliver also was perfect from the foul line hitting 11-11 free throws, plus he had had three assists, three steals, and  impressed us with his tremendous hustle, excellent ball handling and passing skills, and defense.  As a matter of fact, he was still looking to take the charge late in the game.  Two of Soliver's teammates - 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann and 6'0 Marvin McCullough have already signed with Iona, so obviously the Gaels are trying to hit their own trifecta by landing Soliver this spring.  However, St. John's and Fairfield are also being mentioned and we know that Notre Dame is going to try and get involved.  All this overshadows another great performance in the same game by 6'10 Shavlik Randolph, who finihsed with 31 points of his own.  Randolph also played a lot harder than when we've seen him the past when and he scored at will inside, as he hit 12-15 field goals.  He also grabbed 10 rebounds, but he was never seriously challenged by anybody close to his size.  However, that will change tomorrow when Broughton meets Miami (Christian) FL and he faces 6'8 Jr Ivan Lopez at 3:30 PM tomorrow afternoon in the 5th Place Bracket.  Immediately following that game will be Virginia Beach (Salem) VA versus St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC at 5:15 PM in the other 5th Place Bracket Game.  And you can bet University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino will be in Ft. Myers, FL by the start of the first consolation bracket game with starts at Noon between St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL and Oakland (Tech) CA.  Remember, the Cardinals are one of the leaders for 6'8 Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, who is ranked #6 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.    In other consolation bracket game tomorrow, it will be Missouri City (Hightower) TX versus New Orleans (Abramson) LA at 1:45 PM and in the evening it will be Marion (Tabor Academy) MA versus Bronx (All Hallows) NY at 7:00 PM and Lakeland (Kathleen) FL versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at 9:30 PM.  Earlier today 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA turned it what had to have been the second best performance of the day, as he scored 24 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked four shots, and hit 10-14 field goals.  He also played  with the same intensity that he did last summer at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #6 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP.   No question about it, he's got my vote for the McDonald's All-American Team.  Also reinforcing what we already thought was 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, who is currently ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We don't question his natural talent, athleticism, and ability to get to the basket, but we do question his decison making and shot selection (6-22 field goals and 1-10 3- pointers versus Tabor Academy).  We also impressing earlier today were 6'5 Anthony Paez from Ft. Myers (Lehigh) FL, 6'6 Chudi Chinweze from Missouri City (Hightower) TX and 6'2 Jr Michael Umen from Missouri City (Hightowers) TX.  Umen is an athletic 2-guard who hit 4-8 3-pointers en route to an 18-point effort.  Chinweze chipped in with 16 points and five rebounds, as he impressed with his athleticism and ability to play both inside and outside.  We'd like to see Paez, before making any final conclusions, but 24 points and 11 rebounds were more than impressive.  So was the performance turned in earlier today by Powe when he scored 22 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against Ft. Myers (Cypress Lake) FL.

After watching 6'6 Jr Andre Woodson from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY and 6'9 Jr Isaiah Mills, who transferred back this fall to Corbin (H.S.) KY from Indianapolis, in the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic at Fairdale High School night before last, the junior class is looking a lot better in the state of Kentucky than it did when we updated our Kentucky Report several months ago.  Mills is a skilled white kid who blocks shots, rebounds, and scores inside, but he still needs to get bigger and stronger.  He also doesn't have big time athleticism, like Woodson does.  Woodson has the quickness, outside shooting, and ball handling skills necessary to play out on the perimeter and the upper body strength, aggressiveness, and nose for the ball to be a force at this level inside.   In other words, we're talking about a physical specimen who will likely get recruiting at the big time level in both football and basketball.  We also got a chance to compare Woodson and Mills with 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who is the best player in the state in both football and basketball regardless of class.   Bush's timing still appears to be a little off after playing football all fall, as he connected on 5-15 field goals, including only 1-6 3-pointers.  However, Bush's 14 points and 13 rebounds were more than enough to help Male to a 61-52 victory over Paris (Bourbon County) KY.  Speaking of not shooting well, 6'2 Preston LeMaster only hit 7-21 field goals, including only 1-8 from beyond the arc, en route to a 19-point effort.  On the other hand, in the previous game of the evening 6'2 Ryan Cochran from Paducah (St. Mary's) KY, who is going the University of Florida on a golf scholarship, hit 7-12 3-pointers and scored 33 points and in a surprising, 72-59, upset against Fairdale (H.S.) KY.  The leading scorer and rebounder for Fairdale was 6'6 Anthony Milan from with 19 points and 11 boards, but 6'2 Frosh Maurice Grinter, who is the son of former Fairdale star Maurice Morris, scored 13 points and already is showing signs that he will be every bit as good as his legendary father.  He also is by far and away the best freshman in the state. The biggest upset in the eight opening round games was pulled off by Pensacola (Woodham) FL, which came back last night to send a heavily favored and extremely talented Barrington (St. Andrews) RI team into the consolation bracket.  However, St. Andrews can use the fact that they only have one senior on their roster as an excuse.  That's right!  This will be a team to watch in the future, as 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols, 6'1 Soph Emery Outland, 6'3 Jr Abdi Lidonde, 6'5 Soph Lamar Barrett, 6'4 Soph Nick Mattone,  and 6'8 Jr Milos Mirkovic all figure to be the key parts to a team that has already been invited to the City of Palms Classic and Slam Dunk the Beach a year from now.  Nichols is clearly their best player right now and Providence is the early favorite over schools like Seton Hall, Villanova, Syracuse, and Louisville.  However, we're still not sure what position Nichols projects at for the next level, because he needs to get bigger and stronger to play inside and/or develop better ball handling skills and more range on his jumper in order to play out on the perimeter.  Lidonde does shoot the ball well and he's extremely athletic on the perimeter, so he too is already getting early attention from schools like William & Mary, Brown, and Davidson.  The best player for Woodham was 6'3 Gary Mays, but the key to their success was their balance and ability to play with St. Andrews in an uptempo setting.  Also playing well in the first round were 6'6 Larry Williams from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'7 Butch Jointer from Nicholasville (East Jessamine) KY, 6'4 Jr Chris Current from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'3 Jason Maschak from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, 6'5 Brian Silverhorn from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, 6'6 JaMichael Blair from Knoxville (East Austin) TN, 6'10 Curtis Battle from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 5'10 Eric Flourney from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, and 6'4 LeBoise Gladden from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA.  Williams has already been offered by Chicago State, Morgan State, and Kentucky State, but he's got the athleticism, outside shooting, potential to grow, and rebounding skills to get recruited at a much higher level, especially if he goes to junior college for two years or prep school for a year.  Jointer also uses his athleticism, rebounding, and 3-point shooting to beat you both inside and outside.  Current's forte is his 3-point shooting, but he's also deceptively athletic, plus he's just a junior.   Maschak never saw a shot it he didn't like, but this outstanding athlete didn't miss many against Frankfort.  So we're probably higher on him right now than we should be.  Silverhorn needs strength, but he's got the inside and outside game necessary to get a lot of mid-major looks.  Blair is undersized power forward who did all of his damage inside ( 9-15 field goals and 21 points).  However, we were disappointed with his rebounding and athleticism.  Battle isn't very good right now, but he's a space-eater with good hands (seven rebounds) and the ability to score inside when they get him the ball.  In other words, we like his size and potential.  Flournoy, who is a scoring point guard, and Gladden, who does the dirty work inside (10 rebounds) combined for 38 points, but that wasn't enough as Knoxville (Austin-East) TN beat Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 74-73.  The two biggest disappointments in the first round of the King of the Blue were 5'11 David Bryant from Louisville (Ballard) KY and 5'11 Quinton Smith from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, but at least Bryant had an excuse (he was sick).  What's happened to Smith, who currently is extremely overrated (ranked #4 in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP)?

When we make our annual trip to the West Coast in late January our first stop will be the Dream Classic, which will be held on Monday, January 21st, at Azusa Pacific's Felix Events Center. The lineup of teams will include Los Angeles (Price) CA versus Peninsula (Rolling Hills Prep) CAat 10:30 AM, Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA versus Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA at Noon, Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA versus La Puente (Bishop Amat) CA at 1:30 PM, Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA versus Irvine (Woodbridge) CA at 3:00 PM, Long Beach (Poly) CA versus Lakewood (H.S.) CA 4:30 PM, Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA versus Inglewood (H.S.) CA at 6:00 PM, and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus San Diego (Hoizion) CA at 8:00 PM.  Yes, tournament director Dinos Trigonis is missing some of the traditional powerhouse teams from Southern California this year, but he still will have impressive array of talent on hand.   Among the top seniors in attendance will be four of the top unsigned players in the state in 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Bobby Jones from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'7 Adam Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, and 6'1 Patrick Hadden from Irvine (Woodridge) CA, as well as Utah-bound 6'3 Tim Drisdom from Downey (Calvary Christian) CA, 6'7 Marcedes Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who will sign to play football at UCLA, but also plans to basketball, Loyola-Marymount-signee 6'6 John Haywood from La Puenta (Bishop Amat) CA, Utah-bound 6'4 Richard Chaney from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, and 6'7 Travis Niesen from Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA, who has signed with Santa Clara.  The list of juniors we're looking forward to seeing includes 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Jr Wendell White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'11 Jr Khalif Ford from Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA, and 6'1 Jr Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA and some of the top sophomores include 6'3 Soph Curtis Allen from Peninsula (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 6'6 Soph Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'9 Soph David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, and 6'2 Soph Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvary Christian) CA.

Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Our California Editor Dinos Trigonis is widely regarded as the foremost authority on high school basketball talent on the West Coast, but that doesn't mean we always see eye-to-eye on players.  As a matter of fact, some of our differences are pointed out in our updated California Report, which includes our six five-man all-state teams regardless of class and position and comments about each class.  Whether you argee with Trigonis, agree with me, or are someplace in-between on a particular player, this is by far and away provide the most comprehensive list of names available anywhere on the state of California, as he provides us with his rankings in order of the top 199 seniors, top 164 juniors, top 120 sophomores, top 54 freshmen, top 45 8th graders, top 20 7th graders, top seven 6th graders, and top four 5th graders.  That's 613 names, all of which can be found be clicking on Trigonis Ranks 'Em: The Top Prep Players In California.  Especially important is the depth that Trigonis goes into with the young players, because now we have a good starting point to track players, like 6'0 Andre Dunn from Los Angeles, CA, 6'7 Matthew Shaw from Gardena (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Zamon Jones from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, and 5'8 Cameron Granville from Los Angeles, CA, all of whom are competing for the top spot in the Class of 2006, 5'4 JayDee Luster from San Diego, CA, who is the #1 ranked 7th grader, and 5'8 Demetrius Walker from Live Oak (H.S.) CA, who is the #1 ranked 6th grader.  Speaking of Walker, his father is 6'9, his mother is 6'2, and he is already being touted as the next Tyson Chandler.  So you might want to remember the name!  We also are close to finalizing our Georgia Report and Florida Report, but we may not get either report published until early January due to the hectic schedule that we will be keeping the rest of the month.  Later today we will be taping our radio show, which is broadcast on our web site at www.hoopscooponline.com/visitors/radio.html and tonight we be at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic.  Then tomorrow morning we will fly to Ft. Myers, FL to cover the City of Palms Classic on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Next comes Christmas, followed by Slam Dunk to the Beach on December 26th-28th, Lewes, DE, the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX on December 29th, Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC on December 30th.  In other words, it's the best time of the year for high school basketball and we'll be providing you with all the highlights exclusively in the Members Section. 

Tuesday, December 18, 2001

Jerry Gale, the editor & publisher of SoCalHoops.com, tells us that BibbyBaby' USC Hoops is reporting that 5'9 Nate Robinson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA has committed to USC to play football.  This is important, because Robinson also is a very good basketball player and, as a result, Henry Bibby has convinced Robinson, who made an official visit to Southern California last weekend, to play both sports.  This is significant for the Trojans, because it moves their recruiting class up from #30 to #24 nationally behind DePaul and ahead of Idaho on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that 7'6 Neil Fingleton, as predicted yesterday by our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, is transferring from Holy Cross, which is where he probably should have gone in the first place.  We also have heard the rumor about 6'9 Abdou Diame leaving the Auburn team and likely transferring to Georgia Tech or Virginia.   If he picks Virginia, that would give them #1 ranked transfer team in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, Todd Billett from Rutgers and Nick Vander Laan from California both transferred to Virginia last spring and, as a result, the Cavaliers signed only one player in the current  recruiting class in 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, who is ranked #51 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Previously a team could only sign five players and three the next, but when the NCAA changed the rule this fall to five and four, Virginia suddenly had another scholarsip available.  If he picks Georgia Tech, he would provide the perfect complement to inside to 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TN, who is ranked #5 nationally in the senior class. 

Monday, December 17, 2001

Our Ohio and International editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that Valparaiso University has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Center Each (Our Savior of New America) NY, who is originally from Mali.  This is huge, because Sylla, who is a big time athlete, great defender, and excellent outside shooter, has the potential to move into our top 100 nationally.   As a matter of fact, both Sylla and 6'9 Jr Konimba Diarra will get seen by a lot of college coaches later this week in the Las Vegas Holiday Prep Invitational in Las Vegas, NV.  If you will recall, the Crusaders also got one of the earliest commitments on record when they landed 6'8 Jr Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN a-year-and-a-half-ago and, as a result, if we had a list of early commitments to-date for the junior class, Valparasio would currently be ranked #1 nationally.  And they will likely end up near the top of that list a year from now, especially if Valparaiso assistant coach Scott Drew, who has three more available scholarships in this class, continues to take advantage of his all foreign contacts.  Remember, Valparaiso's roster, which includes Joaquim Gomes, Lubos Barton, Raitis Grafs, Antonio Falu, and Stalin Ortiz, reads like a Who's Who of extremely talented International Players.  Johnson also tells us that Mike Duncan, who is the director of the Cleveland Basketball Club, has told him about two outstanding 8th graders who need to be added his Ohio list.  We're talking about 6'9 Chris Best from Shaker Heights (Middle School) OH and 6'5 Marcus Johnson from Cleveland Heights (Monticello Middle) OH.   Right now Johnson, who is a tremendous talent with the ability to play the one, two, and the three spots, is the better of the two, but they're both legitimate top 50 players, according to Duncan. 

I hate to say I told you so, but 7'6 Neil Fingleton is transferring from North Carolina due to lack of playing time and the inability to get up and down the floor.  If you will recall, Fingleton was named to the McDonald's All-American Team, but we took more than our share of flack prior to all the spring all-stars games two year ago, because we didn't have him ranked among our top 100 nationally.  However, now it looks like he may be going to a school where he will have a chance to improve and play, as Holy Cross appears to be right at the top of his list.  If you will recall, Fingleton, who originally is from England, played his high school basketball at Worcester (Holy Name) MA.  We think that would be the perfect fit, because size in the Patriot League is at a premium and Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard is as good as there is at any level in terms of developing talent.  John Rhodes, the executive director of the Beach Ball Classic, is telling us he will have a major sleeper from the junior class in his tournament later this month.  He's talking about 6'2 Jr Nate Newell from Shreveport (Evangel Christian) LA, whose father, Mike Newell, was previously the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock and Lamar.  So it should come as no surprise that the younger Newell has a great understanding of the game, plus he's a pure shooter just like shoots like J.J. Redick.  In other words, Rhodes thinks Newell is a legitimate top 50 junior nationally.  We also understand that 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has already received the necessary score on the SAT to be eligible to play as college freshman two years from now.  We think the University of Minnesota will tough to beat, but Humphries has already made unofficial visits to Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, and Texas and he plans to make an unofficial visit to Arizona is January.  Louisville, Kentucky, and North Carolina are also on the list of this versatile combo forward who combines power with his skills, outside shooting, and athleticism.  As a matter of fact, he had a triple-double with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 11 assists last Friday night against Champlain (Champlain Park) MN.   Our Baltimore Editor Paul Bowden tells us that 6'3 Jr Gerald Brown and 6'2 Tyler Smith, both from Baltimore (Douglas) MD, are already getting a lot of early attention this year, as coaches from Providence, Rhode Island, Delaware, Drexel, and Morgan State have already been see Douglas play in one of its first three games this season.

Saturday, December 15, 2001, and Sunday, December 16, 2001

More often than not the host team will play a weaker team, while the top teams in the tournament duke it out in other games.   However, the reverse was true last night at the Adolph Rupp Classic in Lexington, KY when Lexington (Catholic) KY faced Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  Not only was this a great test for what obviously is one of the top young teams in the nation, but they actually had a chance to win, as 6'3 Soph Demetrius Green from Lexington (Catholic) KY missed what would have been the game winning shot.  That's right!  DeMatha held on to win against Lexington Catholic, 61-60, and once again we were very impressed with all of Catholic's good young players, including Green, who finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, 6'3 Soph William Graham, who impressed with his outside shooting, athleticism, and versatility, 5'9 Frosh Martiese Morones, who hit a big 3-point shot in the final minute to close the gap to only one, 5'11 Jr Brian Smith, who ran the show, made his teammates better, and even hit a pair of 3-pointers, and 6'4 Ryan Morton, who is the only key senior on the team.   The same three players - Travis Garrison, 6'1 Warren Williams and 6'2 Chris Stephenson - from the previous day stepped up to combine for 50 of DeMatha's 61 points.  The other big story of the day involved 6'7 Carmelo Anthony, who scored 17 of his 22 points prior to half-time as he showed why we have him ranked as the #1 senior nationally.  However, Anthony wasn't the only key player, as Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA coasted to a 87-48 victory over Bowling Green.  Also chipping in for Oak Hill were 6'1 Justin Gray with 19 points, 6'3 Eric Wilkins with 16 points, 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore with 14 points, and 6'9 Sani Ibrahim with four points.   We especially liked the chemistry that has developed between Moore, who has toned himself down and doesn't look to shoot as much as he did in the past, and Gray, who is money from beyond the arc.  Speaking of Gray, he's played great all three times we've seen him this year and, as a result, has to move way up in our rankings (like into the 50-100 range nationally).  Maybe he'll take the spot of  Ibrahim, whose value continues to fall, although this incredible athlete with both size and potential did at least seem to be at a little interested early in the game.  Wilkins also has to mentioned because he had several incredible dunks and played extremely well.   Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY not only coasted to a 55- 31 win over Montreal (Champlain Saint Lambert) QU, but they also held Kentucky-bound 6'9 Bernard Cote to only five points, including 2-7 field goals.  Instead, the best player once again for Champlain St. Lambert was 6'5 Jr Negus McKenna, who had 13 points and 10 rebounds.  Pleasure Ridge Park was led by 6'7 Brad Lightle and 6'5 Jr Donte Sweat with 13 points apiece, but we also liked 6'2 LaDavid DeLorch, who had eight points, and all the good young players in the program, including 5'11 Jr Carlos Williams, 5'11 Frosh JuJuan Spillman, and 6'1 Jr Maurice Blakey.  5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY showed why he is the #1 senior in the state, as he scored 26 points and was largely responsible for his team's 61-55 win over Richmond (Madison Central) KY and  Georgetown (Scott County) KY redeemed itself with a 69-53 win over Schenectady (H.S.) NY.  If you will recall, on Friday night Scott County's three best players - 5'10 C-3 Brown, 6'4 Coy Zerhusen, and 6'1 Soph Tyler Hicks - combined for only 16 points.  However, last night Brown finished with 21 points, Hicks had 17 points, and Zerhusen had 16 points.  The only player worth mentioning for Schenectady was 6'7 Rashawn Freeman, who did most of his damage inside, as he finished with 17 points. 

We are looking forward to the King of the Bluegrass, which tips off on Tuesday at 4:30 PM at Fairdale High School in Fairdale, KY.  The first round games on Tuesday, December 18th, include Asland (Paul Blazer) KY versus Louisville (Seneca) KY at 4:30 PM, Louisville (Ballard) KY versus Nicholasville (East Jessamine) KY at 6:00 PM, Radcliffe (North Hardin) KY versus Frankfort at 7:30 PM, and Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY versus Corbin (H.S.) KY at 9:00 PM, and Wednesday, December 19th, they include Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA versus Knoxville (Austin-East) TN at 4:30 PM, Fairdale (H.S.) KY versus Paducah (St. Mary's) KY at 6:00 PM, Louisville (Male) KY versus Paris (Bourbon County) KY at 7:30 PM, and Pensacola (Woodham) FL versus Barrington (St. Andrews) RI at 9:00 PM.  Some of the top players will be 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who is ranked #50 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Wright State-bound 6'8 Mark Surgalski from Ashland (Paul Blazer) KY, who is the #2 senior in Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP; Marshall-bound 6'7 LaVar Carter from Louisville (Male) KY, who is the #3 senior in Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'6 JaMichael Blair from Knoxville (Austin-East) TN, who is the #4 senior in Tennessee by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'8 Soph Robbie Simpson from Louisville (Seneca) KY, who is the #2 sophomore in Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'10 Quinton Smith from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, who is the #4 senior in Kentucky by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'11 David Bryant from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'5 Larry Williams from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'5 Anthony Milan from Fairdale (H.S.) KY, 6'2 Preston LaMaster from Paris (Bourbon County) KY, 6'0 Kevin Gordon from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'3 Ryan Cochran from Paducah (St. Mary's) KY, 6'3 Donald Wilson from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 5'11 Jr Drew Gibson from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 6'1 Jr Sean Booker from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'6 Jr Andre Woodson from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, 6'2 Jr Chris Current from Frankfort (H.S.) KY, 6'3 Jr Johnny Hammons from Corbin (H.S.) KY, 6'1 Frosh Jordan Newby from Louisville (Ballard) KY, and 6'1 Frosh Maurice Grindner from Fairdale (H.S.) KY.  Plus, we'll get our first look at 6'9 Jr Isaiah Mills from Corbin (H.S.) KY, who will be the #3 junior in Kentucky again after transferring back from Indianapolis, IN this fall.  So, as usual, King of the Bluegrass Tournament Director Lloyd Gardner has an all-star cast that features most of the top players in the state.  As a matter of fact, the only team in the state we haven't already seen that the field is missing is Louisville (Moore) KY, which features two players who weren't listed this fall on our Kentucky Report.  We're talking about 6'8 Mohamed Camara, who is currently averaging almost a triple-double and has the potential to emerge into one of the best seniors in the state, and 6'6 Victor Gomez.  Originally from Africa, Camara is an excellent shot blocker/rebounder who can catch, pass, and run the floor.  However, Camara still needs to time to develop some offensive post moves and learn both the game and the language and, as a result, Moore head coach Don Evans thinks he will likely need another year or two in prep school and/or junior college.  Gomez, who is originally from the Dominican Republic, is an excellent wing player who can run the floor and shoot the lights out.  However,  Gomez needs to improve dramatically at the defensive end before he's ready to make the jump to the next level.  We also are trying to confirm whether 6'7 Jr David Cornwell, who recently left Louisville (Ballard) KY, has enrolled at Louisville (Eastern) KY.  If the rumors are true, this would immediately make Eastern one of the top teams in the state, as well as a prime target for all the major holiday tournaments, a year from now.  Remember, Cornwell was the #3 junior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, and Eastern's point guard - 5'10 Soph Rajon Rondo - is the #1 sophomore in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as a top 25 sophomore nationally.

Friday, December 14, 2001

Everybody tells us that 6'3 Soph William Graham from Lexington (Catholic) KY has an incredible future (especially if he grows three or four inches like everybody expects), but the players who stood out earlier this evening for Lexington (Catholic) KY in their 78-39 win against Schenectady (H.S.) NY in the opening game of the Adolph Rupp Classic at Lexington Catholic High School were 6'3 Soph Harrison Morton, 5'11 Jr Brian Smith, and 5'9 Martiese Morones.  Morton, who was the leading scorer in the game with 15 points, is an excellent athlete with a soft touch and the ability to score both inside and outside.  Smith, who is the youngest son of University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, run the show to perfection and made his teammates better en route to tournament MVP honors.  Morones, who is the step-son of former University of Kentucky player Sean Woods, came off the bench to hit several 3-pointers and score 11 points.  Also chipping in with nine points was 6'3 Soph Demetrius Green from Lexington (Catholic) KY, who impressed us with his quickness off the dribble, athleticism, and ability to slash to the basket.  In other words, Lexington Catholic head coach Danny Haney, who already has one of the premier programs in the state (Class a state champions in 1992 and 1997 and a runnerup state tournament finish two years ago), will likely have the premier team in the state next year, as well as one of the top five teams in the nation during the 1993-94 season.  And don't write them off too quickly in tomorrow night's big game against Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, which beat Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 84-43, in the game that immediately followed the Lexington (Catholic) KY- Schenectady (H.S.) NY contest.  Not only did 6'8 Travis Garrison, who finished with 18 points, including 7-10 field goals, nine rebounds, three blocks, one steal, and zero turnovers, pick up where he left off two weeks ago when we saw him in the Morgan Wootten Invitational in College Park, MD, but he made it impossible for Scott County to get on track.  As a matter of fact, Scott County's three best players - 5'10 C-3 Brown, 6'4 Coy Zerhusen, and 6'1 Soph Tyler Hicks - combined for a grand total of only 16 points, while DeMatha had three players (Garrison with 18 point and 6'1 Warren Williams and 6'2 Chris Stephenson with 16 points apiece) with 16 points or more.  The final game of the evening was also ugly as Wabash Valley (JC) IL, which is the defending junior college national champions, coasted past St. Catharine (JC) KY, 55-40.  6'5 Antwain Barbour, who has already signed with the University of Kentucky, is widely regarded as the #1 junior college player in the nation and 6'4 Tony Allen, who is a world-class athlete and slasher, is getting attention from big-time schools, like Kansas and Illinois.   However, when we left at half-time Barbour and Allen only had four points apiece.   Instead, the guy who was doing everything except sell tickets was 6'6 Herman Davis, who had 23 points, including 11-15 field goals, and nine rebounds.   Not only did Davis impress us with his outside shooting and ability to go to the hole, but he has a soft jump shot, a nice mid-range game, and a knack for always being around the ball.  In other words, we're talking about another big time athlete with high major talent.  Also impressing us was 6'1 Jon Hollingsworth, who scored eight points, ran the show, and beat his man with his speed and quickness.   Also yesterday afternoon we saw a scrimmage between Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, which featured Kentucky-bound 6'9 Bernard Cote, who finished with only seven points and was somewhat of a disappointment.   Instead, all the good young players on this team, like 6'5 Jr Negus McKenna, 6'5 Jr Mohammed Hachad, and 5'10 Soph Emmanuel Nicholas, who combined for 39 of their team's 53 points, stole the show.  McKenna is a big time slasher/athlete.  Hachad is a combo guard with excellent ball handling and passing skills, as well as the ability to beat you with his 3-point shooting.  Nicholas is a quick little point guard who thrives in transition.  All three have high major talent and potential, although we're always a little skeptical of Canadian players.  The best two players for Oak Hill were 6'1 Justin Gray and 6'7 Carmelo Anthony, who combined for 442 of Oak Hill's 77 points.  Also 6'9 Sani Ibrahim scored two quick baskets early, but after that he was a major disapppointment, as he hit only 3-11 field goals.  The Adolph Rupp Classic picks up again tomorrow at 3:30 PM at Memorial Coliseum with Schenectady (H.S.) NY versus Georgetown (Scott County) KY, followed by Richmond (Madison Central) KY versus Glasgow (H.S.) KY at 5:00 PM, Lexington (Catholic) KY versus Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD at 6:30 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Bowling Green (H.S.) KY at 8:00 PM, and Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY versus Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU at 9:30 PM.  This is a big deal for Kentucky fans, because they get a chance to see all three of their recruits - Barbour earlier tonight and Cote and 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY tomorrow.  It also is a big deal for anybody who likes to see great coaches.  Remember, Morgan Wootten of Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD is the winningest coach in the history of the game (1249-189), Steve Smith at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has an incredible 471-31 record, Dale Mabrey is 516-145 at Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, Danny Haney is 388-129 at Lexington (Catholic) KY, and Billy Hicks is 176-38 at Georgetown (Scott County) KY and 524-146 during his career.

It looks like Georgetown College head coach Happy Osborne, who has a 155-32 record during the last five years at what is widely regarded as the premier NAIA program in college basketball, is about to pull off what might be his greatest coup yet.  Believe it or not, Teddy Dupay, formerly of the University of Florida, appears to be transferring to the program that won the NAIA National Championship in 1998 and has been to the last 10 NAIA Tournaments (no team has ever played in 11 consecutive NAIA Tournaments)   And Dupay isn't the only player who may be transferring to Georgetown.  If you will recall, we recently told you that Mac Wilkinson was on the way out at Louisville.  Well, the lastest school we've heard mentioned for Wilkinson is Georgetown College.  Our Our Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Alex Carmona, who was ruled ineligible to play this year at Troy (H.S.) OH earlier this fall, as the Ohio State High School Athletic Association cracks down on imported foreign players, has withdrawan from school and returned to Puerto Rico, along with his longtime mentor Giddel Padilla.  Certainly this is not good news for Slam Dunk to the Beach Executive Tournament Director Bobby Jacobs, who invited Troy High School to be in his tournament this year, because Carmona is a consensus top 100 senior nationally.  It also further complicates his commitment to the University of Dayton.   Not only has Carmona not signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Flyers, but he is no longer in high school and he has not yet passed the college entrance exam.   Also of interest is the fact that 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD has been ruled ineligible to play the rest of the season due to the fact that he was held back in 8th grade.  He actually jumped from the 7th grade to the 9th grade when he enrolled at Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA four years ago.   However, after only two weeks, they decided that skipping a year might not be a good idea, so they put him back in 8th grade.  The problem is the clock starting running on his high school eligibility at that point, despite the fact he enrolled as freshman the next year at Winchendon (School) MA.  All this important, because Strickland, who lost his appeal last week, has never been better than he was during his first two games this season.  As a matter of fact, Brian Merritt of Elite Scouting, as well as a frequent contributor to the HOOP SCOOP, tells us that Strickland was averaging over 34 ppg and is now as good as any guard in the senior class nationally, except for 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) MD.   "It would be an absolute shame if Strickland didn't make the McDonald's All-American Team, because he didn't get to play this season," says Merritt.   "He's taken his game to another level this winter."  Merritt also tells us that one of the fastest rising juniors in the Baltimore area is 6'9 Jr Will Bowers from Severn (Archbishop Spaulding) MD and we appear to be too low on 6'9 Jr Byron Joynes from Towson (Catholic) MD.  We currently have Joynes ranked #101 nationally in the junior class, but Merritt and 6'7 Carmelo Anthony, who was at Towson Catholic before transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA last summer, both think Joynes should be ranked higher.

Thursday, December 13, 2001

For what seems like the 100th time during the last two years somebody tried to tell me that 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has already reached his potential and, as a result, just isn't going to get any better in basketball.  Well, I couldn't disagree more!  As a matter of fact, I think Bush has only just begun to scratch the surface of his basketball ability.  Jut imagine what he could do if he had a coach like Rick Pitino to push him to the limit every day in practice.  And that's his biggest problem, because Bush has a tendancy to coast most of the time.  However, on those rare occasions when he decides to take over a game, it's scary how good he can be on the hardwood.  But no matter how good he is in basketball, most people don't give him the credit he deserves, because he's ridiculous on the gridiron.  As a matter of fact, he is the best player in the state in both sports right now and he's just a junior.  Bush's incredible football talent also appears to be what is holding up his recruitment.  We've been told the Cardinals could get an early commitment from Bush in  basketball if Pitino decided to turned up the heat.  However, Pitino has never been big on players playing both sports and, as a result, the basketball coaches are waiting for the football staff to get it done.  But that's not happening, because Male's football coach Bob Redman is extremely difficult to deal with and, as a result, the football coaches don't want to force the issue until they have to.  In other words, they could get it done in basketball and hand him over to football on a silver platter.  Instead, they are leaving the door open for all the elite football programs nationally to walk in and steal him.  And Bush isn't the only two sport athlete that Pitino may have to make a decision about.  Apparently 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, who has to sit out this year as a Prop 48 casualty, but who can practice with the team now that football season is over, has been playing well enough in practice to convince Pitino that he will contribute to the basketball program when he becomes eligible a year from now.  I hate to say I told you so, but we thought Tinch would have been a major contributor to the program this year, if he hadn't fallen short on the SAT on his final attempt last summer.  Remember, we had Tinch ranked as #65 nationally in our final rankings of the Class of 2001 and we said repeatedly that he was the best defender, as well as one of the best athletes, in the entire class.

Wednesday, December 12, 2001

For the fourth consecutive year we have compiled an incredible amount of information, as we provide a conclusion to the Fall Signing Period.  First we published our 16-page list of all the National Signings & Commitments.  Next we provided you with our nine-page Ranking of the Top 145 Recruiting Classes and our 19-page Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference.  And now we are finished with our 11-page report that provides you with Different Ways to Look at Recruiting. In other words, most of our competitors take an afternoon to rank the top recruiting classes, because they don't go insight or the knowledge to provide you with the depth we go into.  Instead, it takes us over a week and this time we have proviced you with a total of 55 pages worth of material, which is permissible to re-print and use for your private use (i.e. mail-outs to recruits and fans).  However, this information is subject to copyright infringement, if it is reproduced for publication without our permission.  Everybody marvels over the great recruiting class that Duke signed this fall and evidence of just how good this class is can be found by looking at our chart that ranks the teams with the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit.  Duke is ranked #7 on this list with 44 points, six recruits, and a Talent Rating Average Per Recruit of 7.3.  However, the highest ranked class belongs to North Carolina, which has a total of 26 points, three recruits in 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, and 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, all of whom are probably McDonald's All-American's, and Talent Rating Average Per Recruit of 8.7.  The Tar Heels are followed by Arizona, which only signed two players; Oklahoma, Brigham Young, and St. Mary's, all of which only signed one player each; Villanova, which signed four players; and Duke.  In other words, one of the true tests of a great recruiting class is to sign a lot of players and be ranked near the top of this list.  Yes, both quality and quantity are important.  Also interesting is the fact, that the Atlantic Coast Conference accounted for four of the five teams (Duke, Georgia Tech, Memphis, North Carolina, and Syracuse) that are tied at #1 on our list of the top two players signed.  However, the Big-10 has the most teams (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan, and Purdue) ranked among the top 16 on our list of the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit for the Top Two Recruits.  A similar trend can be found when we look at who had the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit for the Top Three Recruits, as Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, and Georgia Tech account for four of the top 10 classes, while Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Purdue, and Michigan all are ranked in the 5-to-17 range.  In others, teams from the ACC and the Big-10 accounted for 11 of the top 17 classes when we look at who signed the three best players.  But when we look at who had the Highest Talent Rating for the Top Four Recruits from this fall and last year combined, no conference has more than two teams ranked among the top dozen and seven conference accounted for all of the top 20 teams on this list.  Let's take a closer look.   The  Big-12 was the clear winner, as Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa State, and Missouri account for 25% of the teams on this list.  Next are Conference USA with Memphis, Louisville, and DePaul, the Southeastern Conference with Florida, Alabama, and Auburn, and the Atlantic Coast Confernece with North Carolina, Duke, and Georgia Tech, which edge out the Big-10 with Michigan State and Purdue, the Pacific-10 with Arizona and UCLA, and the Big East with Syracuse and Villanova.  Sure, they can talk about parity in college basketball all they want, but, just like with the NCAA Final Four in recent years, it seems like we're talking about a lot of the same teams.  In other words, the rich really are getting richer in college basketball.  We also figure out what conferences have signed the most top 100 seniors or the equivalent of a top 100 senior in high school in junior college or prep school.  That honor goes to the Southeastern Conference, which edges out the the Big-10 by a single player.  However, when you assign each player a rating on a scale of 1-10 and add up the points, the Big-10 wins edges out the SEC by three points.  And  only a point behind the SEC is the ACC, which has three top five-ranked players in Felton, Duke-bound 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and Georgia Tech-bound 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  Also interesting is the fact that only half of the conferences in Division I signed one or more players ranked among our top 100 nationally. 

Tuesday, December 11, 2001

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI, who was ranked #31 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in our final rankings of the Class of 2001, has enrolled at Eastern Michigan and will be eligible a year from now.  Hart, who will have three-and-a-half years to play college basketball, originally signed with Michigan a year ago, but didn't meet the necessary academic requirements to get into school this fall.  Instead, he enrolled this fall at Ohio State, which took him as a partial qualifier.  Howver, he didn't last long, because he recently withdrew from school.   Apparently Hart, who also considered Oakland and Detroit, wanted to attend a college closer to where his girlfriend, who attends Eastern Michigan, goes to school.   Hart won't be counted with Eastern Michigan's recruiting class, because he is a transfer.  However, he is potentially the best player ever to play at this Mid-American school.  6'9 Luis Guzman from Champlain (JC) VT will count towards Ohio University's recruiting class.  As a matter of fact, he's the first player we've added to our list of Recent Commitments since we finalized our list from the Fall Signing Period.  Had we found out about this in time to make our list of National Signings & Commitments from the Fall Signing Period, he would have moved Ohio University's class, which currently is ranked #102 nationally, into a tie at #75, along with Loyola-Marymount and Montana State.  If you will recall, first year head coach Tim O'Shea also got three other good players in 6'5 Jeff Halbert from White Bear Lake (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Steve King from Richfield (H.S.) OH, adn 6'8 Andregs Kregers from   Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN.  The last player to make our National Signings & Commitments list from the Fall Signing Period was 6'9 Alex Craft from Corpus Christi (Flour Bluff) TX.  Craft picked Yale and we think this is a major steal, because, at 6'9, 205 lbs, he has a 7-foot wing span, can bench press 220 lbs, has deceptive speed and athleticism, and the ability to play either in the low post or out on the perimeter, where he can shoot the lights.  Obviously the key here is the potential, but don't be surprised if Craft develops into a terrific Ivy League player after he gets physically bigger and stronger.  The only other interesting bit of news we've run across today involves 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who was the #2-ranked 5th player nationally by the HOOP SCOOP a year ago.  If you will recall, Sensley made an early commitment several years ago the University of California, but was not admitted into school due to the fact that his SAT score was never high enough to meet California's tough admission standards.   "Iona is hoping for news on Friday that would send shock waves through the rest of the Metro Atlantic Conference," said Rick Remsnyder and Peter Abraham today in the Journal News, which covers Westchester County, NY.. "The Gaels will discover then whether prized recruit Sensley is academically eligible to play starting in the second semester.  If Sensley scored high enough on his most recent SAT, the Hawaii native will return home to play in Iona's second game of the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic on Dec. 21 in Honolulu, HI (Sensley is originally from Hawaii)."  The also talked about the connection between Sensley and Iona starting point guard Solomon Brown, who is Sensley former teammate at St. Thomas More and on the Los Angeles Rockfish AAU team, as well as one of Sensley's best friends. 

When I don't know what else to write about a player, I can almost always add another line saying that he's "a low-to-mid major" or  a "mid-to-high major" player.  It sounds impressive as hell, but it means very little.  Actually I am amazed at how much disagreement there is among college coaches and scouts regarding where teams and conferences belong at different levels on the Division I spectrum.  A lot of people think conferences like the Missouri Valley, Mid-American, Metro Atlantic, and Ohio Valley are low Division I Conferences, but in terms of both performance and recruiting, they've always been right in the middle of the spectrum.  Is the Atlantic-10 Conference a high major or a mid-major conference?  Good question, because the league has teams that perform at both levels.  So does the team or the conference the team plays in determine the level and does the conference a player signs with or the actual talent level of the player determine where he fits in on the spectrum?  In an attempt to answer some of these questions, we have taken our area of expertise (recruiting) and done a five year study dating back to the spring of 1998 based the talent rating average per recruiting for each Division Conference.  The conference with the highest talent rating average per recruit gets 32 points, the conference with the second highest talent rating average per recruit gets 31 points, and so on down to the #32-ranked conference, which gets only one point.  In 1998 and 1999, the Mountain West Conference and the Western Athletic Conference were combined together, so we gave them the same amount of points and, as a result, only had 31 conferences.  In order to adjust for this, the conference with the lowest talent rating average per recruit got two points instead of just one point during the two years.  We also used a reserved numerical scale, instead of taking the average per recruit for each year, because the talent levels for different classes can vary dramatically.  And we used the talent rating average per recruit, instead of the traditional method for ranking recruiting classes, which meausres both quality and quantity, due to the varying number of teams and players in each conference and recruiting class.  Sure, you may disagree with us on a particular player, but when you're talking about thousands of players in each class over a five year period, I think it will difficult for somebody to dispute our findings.  The big winner is the Atlantic Coast Conference, which finished first four out of the five years we analyzed.  The Southeastern Conference, which finished first the other year and never has been ranked any lower than #4 in a give nyear, finishes a strong second, followed by the Big-10 and Conference USA.  I'm sure that's going to turn a few heads, because most people believe the Big-12, Big East, and Pacific-10 are better conferences than Conference USA.   However, this is based on recruiting and not performance during the last five seasons.  In other words, the players from the Fall 2001 are still in high school, junior college, and prep school and the players from the Spring 2001 are freshmen and juniors in college.  In other words, it's too to gage the college impact for at least 40% of the players on our list.  Also noteworthy is the fact that there is a 10-point difference between the Pacific-10 and the Mountain West Conferences and that the Mountain West, Western Athletic, Atlantic-10, Colonial Athletic, and Sun Belt are all pretty much in the same range.  So we think it's save to say that they are just missing the top level, which includes the seven High Major Conferences, and, as a result, we have labelled these High Mid-Major Conferences.  Then there is an 18 point drop from the Sun Belt to the Mid-American Conference, which heads our Mid-Major list that also includes the Missouri Valley, West Coast, Big West, Metro Athletic, Horizon, and Ohio Valley.   From there we have a seven point drop to the Mid-Continent, America East, Southern, Ivy League, and Big Sky, which form the Low Mid-Major Conferences.  And at the bottom of the Division I spectrum are the Northeast, Atlantic Sun, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Southwestern Athletic, Southland, Patriot, and Big South, which form the Low Major Conferences.  Also all Division I Independents collectively are included as if they were a conference at the Low Major level.

HIGH MAJOR CONFERENCES

HIGH MID-MAJOR CONFERENCES

MID-MAJOR CONFERENCES

LOW MID-MAJOR CONFERENCES

LOW MAJOR CONFERENCES

EDITOR'S NOTE:  All the data, except from the Fall 2001, which will be available by Thursday, December 13th, used in determining the outcome of this study is available by clicking on Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes, which provides our ranking of the top players in each class nationally (past, present, and future).  Once you've done that, click on Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes Conference-by-Conference and/or Different Ways to Look at Recruiting.

Monday, December 10, 2001

The Big-10 Conference with 185 points, 37 recruits, and a 5.0 talent rating average per recruit is clearly ranked #1 ahead of the Southeastern Conference with 177 points, 37 recruits, and a 4.8 talent rating average per recruit and the Big East with a 174 points, 40 recruits, and a 4.4 talent rating average per recruit when you judge recruiting by the traditional method, whereby, you assign every player a rating on a 1-10 scale and come up for a cumulative total for each team in the conference.  However, it is always important to look at recruiting in a number of different ways, because each team's needs are always different.  Especially interesting is the fact that the Atlantic Coast Conference has a 6.2 talent rating average per recruit, which is the highest talent rating average per recruit that has been recorded since the fall of 1998 when Duke landed their last great recruiting class.  If you will recall that class included 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, 6'10 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, 6'11 Casey Sanders from Tampa (Prep) FL, 6'7 Michael Dunleavy from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'10 Nick Horvath from Arden Hills (Mounds View) MN, and 5'10 Andre Buckner from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY.  However, Sanders and Buckner didn't sign until spring, so they didn't count that fall when the ACC as a league had a 6.5 talent rating average per recruit.  In other words, the average per recruit for the ACC in both 1998 and 2001 was higher than the equivalent of a player ranked among our 41-70 nationally.  As a matter of fact, any time a conference has over a 5.0 talent rating average per recruit or higher, it did extremely well.  So obviously the debate we've engaged in this fall about which conference - the Big-10 or the ACC - did the best in recruiting was worth pursuing, as both leagues obviously did incredibly well.  However, when we take into account both quality and quantity (the traditional approach) to rank recruiting classes, the ACC finished no higher than 5th behind the Big East, SEC, Big East, and Big-12 and ahead of Conference USA, the Pacific-10, Atlantic-10, Mid-American, Western Athletic, Colonial, Sun Belt, Missouri Valley, Mountain West, West Coast, Southland, Big West, Metro Atlantic, Horizon, America East, Mid-Eastern Athletic, Mid-Continent, Southern, Big South, et al. All this can be found by clicking on our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the 2001-2002 Fall Signing Period.

Sunday, December 9, 2001

Several weeks ago we mentioned that the University of Louisville was out of scholarships, but they might be able to get around it by getting Felton Spencer, who played for the Cardinals in late 80's, to pay his younger brother's tuition.  Obviously we're talking about Mac Wilkinson, who is a seldom used reserve.  However, now it looks like the problem will be solved, because Wilkinson is talking about transferring.  And assuming that happens, Louisville, which currently has the #13-ranked recruiting class in the nation with 6'10 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'2 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, will have the scholarship they need to sign another big man in the spring.  One possible candidate, according to our Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson, is 6'10 Erazem Lorbeck from Slovenia.  However, we think it will be tough to beat UCLA and North Carolina for his services.  Another name to add to Louisville's recruiting list is 6'9 Hilton Armstrong from Peekskill (H.S.) NY.  We originally reported that Armstrong had committed to La Salle, but now our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that it didn't happen.  Apparently Armstrong was going to commit to the Explorers, but then changed his mind and decided to wait until spring.  In other words, we reported that  Armstrong's commitment had happened before it actually happened and we didn't find out about it until we started investigating why Louisville was recruiting a player we thought was already done deal for La Salle.  Equally bad is how I found out about the early commitment that 6'8 Jr Ivan Harris from Springfield (South) OH, who is ranked #40 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, made to Ohio State.  If you will recall, we told you two weeks ago that Harris had a press conference scheduled for Wednesday, November 28th, and that in all likelihood he would pick the Buckeyes.  Well, we were right, but we never got the satisfaction of reporting in a timely matter.  As a matter of fact, I didn't find out about it until today when I asked Johnson why nothing had happened yet with Harris?  Apparently Johnson got busy and forgot to tell us that Harris had indeed committed to Ohio State on November 28th.

Four days ago I mentioned that we'd be finalizing our list of National Signings & Commitments from the fall signing period this weekend, but I know that there will be several people who will call, fax, and/or email me this week with addition players who should be on the list.  Certainly I will appreciate it, but unless I knew about it today, it isn't going to be included anywhere except on the list of names who have committed and/or signed since the conclusion of the fall signing period.   This is necessary, because I am running out of time to finalize our all the different ways we look at recruiting.  As a matter of fact, we are already done with our Ranking of the Top 145 Recruiting Classes from the Fall of 2001 and the only two conferences that had every team in the league on the list are the ACC and the Big-10.   However, the conference with the most schools ranked among the top 145 recruiting classes was the Big East with 12.  Next with 11 apieice are the Big-10, SEC, Big-12, and, believe it or not, the Mid-American Conference with Marshall at #55, Akron #65, Ball State, Central Michigan, Ohio University, Miami-OH, and Bowling Green all tied at #102, Northern Illinois at #121, and Western Michigan, Toledo, and Kent State all tied at #126.  So, no doubt, it will be very interesting to see where the Mid-American Conference finishes when we finalize our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference tomorrow or the next day.  And this isn't the first time the Mid-American Conference has finished surprisingly high on this list.  As a matter of fact, last spring the Mid-American Conference finished ranked #12 among all Division I conferences in recruiting.  And prior to that it was ranked #15 in the spring of 2000 and ranked #11 in the spring of both 1998 and 1999.  Obviously this is one of the up-and-coming leagues in college basketball, as is evident by the fact that Ball State upset two pre-season top10 ranked teams (Kansas and UCLA) in November and Kent State knocked off Indiana in the NCAA first round last March.  Next on our top 145 list is Conference USA with 10 teams, followed by the ACC and the Pacific-10 with nine teams apiece, the Atlantic-10 with eight teams, the Colonial Athletic Association with six teams, and the Mountain West, Western Athletic, Missouri Valley, and Sun Belt with five each.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which is right at the bottom of the Division I spectrum, had two teams (Hampton at #26 and North Carolina A&T tied at #124) ranked among the top 145 recruiting classes. 

Saturday, December 8, 2001

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'3 Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA has verbally committed to San Diego State.  Heath is best described as a scoring point guard, but he doesn't make good enough decisions and isn't consistent enough to be ranked among our top 100 nationally.  However, he does have the natural talent, athleticism, ball handling and passing ability, and outside shooting  range to get top 100 consideration.  As a matter of fact, Doug Huff, who also does a weekly top 20 high school team ranking for Student Sports Magazine, has Heath listed on his Third Team All-American Team in Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook.  I guess that's what can happen when you don't get out much to see players.  Has anybody ever seen this guy?  Speaking of people who don't get out much to see players, I used to rag on Mike Sullivan of RivalsHoops.com for the same reason.  However, in fairness to Sullivan, he is now one of the more visible guys in the business and, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with him on a particular player, I have to respect his opinion because he's obtaining his knowledge first hand.  Getting back to Heath, he should be another important to the puzzle for Aztecs head coach Steve Fisher, whose team is definitely worth keeping an eye on.  Remember, San Diego State has two excellent inside players in 6'9 Jr Mike Mackell, who was the California Junior College Player-of-the-Year last season, and 6'9 Sr Randy Holcomb, who averaged 15.9 ppg a year ago and who should be one of the top players in the tough Mountain West Conference this year.  Outside they have 6'4 Jr Tony Bland, who promises to be the top newcomer in the league after sitting last season after transferring from Syracuse, 6'7 Sr Brandon Smith, who sat out last year after transferring from Michigan, 5'9 Jr DeAndre Moore, who was more than solid at point guard averaging 6.8 ppg and 5.0 apg for the Aztecs last season, 6'4 Frosh Tommy Johnson, who orginially signed with Washington State, but sat out last year as he became academically qualified, and 6'5 Jr Curtis Washington, who was named MVP in the California Junior College Tournament.  In other words, if Brian Dutcher, who is Fisher's ace recruiter can find somebody who can step in and replace Holcomb next year or 6'8 Frosh Trimaine Davis steps up to fill the void, this could be one of the teams to watch in college basketball a year from now.  

Friday, December 7, 2001

It wasn't even close, as 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX clearly outplayed 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK in the featured game at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis, MO last night.  In other words, Bosh, who was ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will move ahead of Williams, who was ranked #4 nationlly in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, next time we adjust our rankings.   Williams had 13 rebounds and five blocked shots, but offensively he just isn't used to playing against somebody that big, that athletic, and that quick, as he hit only 4-16 field goals, including 0-3 3-pointers, en route to 14 points.  Bosh, on the other hand, was 10-13 from the field, as he finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots and clearly established that he is the better of the two.  He also made Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt extremely happy, because he is the marquee player in their recruiting class, which currently is ranked #15 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and includes Bosh, 6'4 Jarrett Jack from Worcester (Academy) MA and 6'9 Theodis Tarver from Monroe (Carroll) LA.   Bosh has a soft touch out to about 15 feet and when they get him the ball, which is something they forgot to do in the third quarter, he's almost unstoppable around the basket.  But he did prove to be the go-to guy in the 4th quarter, as his team went from 10 down to 10 up late in the game.  However, they still had to hang onto win, 74-70, as both team's put on what might best be described as a comedy of mental errors and ways to lose a basketball game in the final two minutes.  And 6'1 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is ranked #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, never really got into the flow for Lincoln, although he did make some great passes, as was evident by his five assists.  Instead, the second best player in the game and perhaps the third best player of the day was 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who finished with 27 points, including 11-18 field goals and eight rebounds and was instrumental in Midwest City's unsucccessful comeback at the end.   The second best performance of the entire day was turned in by 6'7 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who scored 26 points and brought the house down with a number of earthshattering slam dunks in his team's 71-61 win over Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  Iguodala still doesn't shoot it very well (only 1-5 from beyond the arc), but few players are as athletic and good defensively.  Illinois Warriors head coach Larry Butler and I also got him motivated before the game, because we told him how inconsistent he was last summer.  In other words, Igoudala needs to move up in our rankings (currently we have him #72 nationally), but we still don't think he's as good as Butler and Nolan Richardson, who signed Iguodala this fall at Arkansas, think he is.  However, if he ever becomes a great outsside shooter and comes to play every night, he could be a lottery pick someday.   We also were very impressed with the performance of 6'3 Jr Richard McBride, who scored 24 points and athleticly created match-up problems for the Broughton guards.   Together Igudoal and McBride combined for 50 of their team's 71 points and that was too much to overcome for 6'10 Shavlik Randolph, who finished with 29 points, including 12-16 field goals, and 10 rebounds.  Although Randolph played better than he did last summer, we still think he's fragile.  In other words, we still don't think he's better than Williams, who also plays a similar position (both players signed with Duke this fall).  Another player who didn't live up to his press clippings was 6'0 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who is the #1 ranked senior nationally by just about everybody, except us.  If you will recall, we have 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA ranked #1.  Stoudemire, who only had two points when we left at half-time of the final game of the evening, finished with only 12 points, despite the fact numerous NBA scouts were in attendance.  Instead, 6'4 Jr Lance Harris, who is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally, made a name for himself.  Harris needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he handles the ball, shoots the three, and has deceptive speed and quickness.  He also helped set the tone early, as he scored 19 of his 26 points points in the first half.  Harris was complemented inside by 6'9 Zac Schlader and 6'9 Jr Jamaal Foster, who combined for 28 rebounds against Stoudemire.  Schlader also had 13 points, was active inside, and surprisingly mobile outside, where he showed us a nice looking 3-point shot.  In other words, Austin Peay has a major steal on their hands.  Foster is raw offensively and extremely thin, but he has great hands, big time athleticism, and a good nose for the ball.  So obviously we like his upside.  Earlier in the day 6'5 Troy Slaten from Chesterfield (Rockwood Marquette) MO almost matched 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK point for point.  Azubuike, who finished with 32 points, simply reinforced what we already thought.  Sure, he's great athlete with great body and incredible athleticism, but he suffers from playing against weak competition and isn't a very good 3-point shooter.  In other words, it's totally ridiculous when Azubuike's father talks about his son by-passing college and going straight to the NBA.  Slaten, who finished 31 points, is deceptively athletic and versatile enough to play both inside and outside, as he has good ball handling and passing skills and rebounds well for his size.  But just like Azubuike, what Slaten does best is pull the trigger.  Slaten will probably turn out to be a terrific mid-major player or a nice role player at the high Division I level.  However, Slaten alone was enough to beat Victory Christian, which also got a 25-point effort from 6'6 Kasey Stewart, who impressed us with his blue collar work ethic and rebounding inside.   Illinois-bound 5'11 Dee Brown and 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown accounted for 41 of the 64 points for Maywood (Proviso East) IL, but they didn't play with the same level of intensity that they displayed last summer.  Instead, the two players who stepped up were 7'0 Chris Hunter and 6'0 Brandon Cameron, both Gary (West Side) IN, and, as a result, West Side, which lost 64-61, almost pulled off a major upset.  Hunter blocked shots, was active inside, and displayed a nice shooting touch out to about 15-feet, as he scored 17 points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked three shots, and hit 6-8 field goals.  In other words, he looked more like the top 50 player we had seen when was a sophomore and junior, instead of last summer.  Remember, Hunter was so pathetic during the summer that he dropped out of our top 100, but next time we update our rankings he'll be someplace in the 50-100 range.  Cameron had a bad first half, but he more than made up for it in the second half, as he finished with 18 points, five asssits, five rebounds, and five turnovers.   In terms of talent and athleticism, there is no question he is a great catch for Penn State.  However, he still needs to learn to make better decisions and not force things.  Also worth noting is Idaho-bound 6'7 Keith Christmas, who chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds for West Side.  We also saw enough of the game between Freeburg (H.S.) IL versus Creve Coeur (Whitfield) MO to know that 6'8 Dan Oppland and Mike Oppland were the two most dominant players on the floor.  As a matter of fact, they counted for 54 of their team's 62 points.   However, 6'1 Jake Bayer hit a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime and Freeburg, which also was led by 6'7 Jason Guyette (12 points and 10 rebounds), 6'5 Alex Moddrell (19 points), and 6'3 Eric Turner, who hit a pair of 3-pointers in the overtime, won 69-62.  

Thursday, December 6, 2001

Any time you have 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who is the nation's consensus #1-ranked player, as well as 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK and 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, both of whom are also ranked among our top five nationally, you're going to have a pretty good event.    Add 6'1 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'11 Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who is ranked #4   nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and Keith Pickett, who is the tournament director for the KMOX Shootout, will have seven probable McDonald's All-American's playing in his single-day event today in St. Louis, MO.  And adding even more depth to the field are 6'5 DeAngelo Alexender from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'7 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, and 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, all of whom are ranked in the 40-100 range nationally in their class.  Plus, 6'8 Dan Oppland from Creve Coeur (Whitfield) MO and 6'5 Troy Slaten from Chesterfield (Rockwood Marquette) MO are tw of the top players in the St. Louis area and 6'11 Chris Hunter from Gary (West Side) IN to Michigan and 6'2 Brandon Cameron from Gary (West Side) IN to Penn State are both bound for Big-10 schools.   In other words, the field is loaded!  The first game tips off at 11:30 AM with Chesterfied (Parkway Central) MO versus Ballwin (Parkway West) MO, followed by Freeburg (H.S.) IL versus Creve Coeur (Whitfield) MO at 1:00 PM, Gary (West Side) IN versus Maywood (Proviso East) IL at 2:30 PM, Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK versus Chesterfield (Rockwood Marquette) MO at 4:15 PM, Raleigh (Broughton) NC versus Springfield (Lanphier) Il at 5:45 PM, Dallas (Lincoln) TX versus Midwest City (H.S.) OK at 7: 15 PM, and Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL versus Columbia (Hickman) MO at 8:45 PM. 

Wednesday, December 5, 2001

A lot of people seemed to already think that 6'1 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA was already a done deal for the University of Virginia.  But Reynolds, who is ranked #77 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, didn't make it official until tonight when he made the announcement on a Roanoke television station.  Not only was Reynolds the Cavaliers prime point guard target and the heir apparent at the point guard spot to Majestic Mapp, Todd Billett, and Keith Jenifer, but his commitment also illustrates how early an in-state school can get it done when they are exclusively focusing on underclassmen.   Remember, the Virginia coaching staff had only one scholarship, which went to 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, available this year after they got a pair of transfers last spring (Billett transferred from Rutgers and Nick Vander Laan transferred from California).  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Ben Elias from Tallahassee (Rickhards) FL has signed with the University of New Orleans.  No, we're not talking about a great player, but, at 6'10, 255 lbs., he is a good shot blocker and force at the defensive end.  Elias joins 6'8 Maurice Jackson from Odessa (JC) TX and 6'8 Billy McDade from Largo (H.S.) FL to give the Privateers an excellent three-man recruiting class.  However, unlike class spring when their recruiting class finished ranked #21 nationally, this New Orleans class isn't showing up yet on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date, which has now been extended to 55 schools and has some important changes.  Alabama's class has moved up from #22 to #16, because 6'5 Emmett Thomas from Bevil State (JC) AL.  Remember, the Crimson Tide also signed 6'8 Chuck Davis from Selma (Southside) AL and 6'8 Evan Brock from Marietta (Lassiter) AL and re-signed 6'9 Rodney Bias from Shelton State (JC) AL.  And this comes on the heels of a recruiting class that was tied with for #4 with Missouri in our final rankings nationally last spring.  In other words, Crimson Tide head coach Mark Gottfried continues to get it done.  Speaking of Gottfried, did you know that he has his own website, which can be found at www.markgottfried.com?   Obviously he can't talk about who he is recruiting, but he can keep Alabama fans informed about Crimson Tide basketball.  Getting back to the business at hand, Texas A&M's class moves into a tie at #30 with Southern Cal, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Kansas State, and Cincinnati, because 6'4 Marcus Watkins from College Station (Consolidated A&M) TX counts with this class, despite the fact he hasn't signed a National Letter-of-Intent.  Remember, his father is the head coach of the Aggies, so he gets free tuition and, as a result, they don't have to give him a scholarship.  Arizona State's recruiting class moves into a tie with at #41 with Missouri and LSU with the recent addition of 6'6 Allen Morrill from Arlington (Sam Houston) TX.  Baylor's class makes the list at #45 with 6'6 Terrance Thomas from Lon Morris (JC) TX, 6'4 Ellis Kidd from Seminole State (JC) OK, and 6'9 Tommy Swanson from North Crowley (H.S.) TX.    Boston College's class is tied at #55 with Marshall, but that could change, if 6'4 Jason Forte from Bay Springs (H.S.) MS reneges on his commitment (we still haven't confirmed that Forte has signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Eagles).  The biggest surprise is Virginia Tech, which checks in at #19 nationally.   Obviously, getting commitments from seven players - 6'6 Fabian Davis from Raleigh (Bonner) NC, 6'4 Shawn Harris from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'3 Markus Sailes from  Richmond (Varina) VA, 7'2 Luke Minor from Hagerstown (JC) MD, 6'9 Allan Calloway from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'8 Philip McCandies from Winston-Salem (Parkland) NC, and 6'6 Winston Robinson from Knoxville (Bearden) TN - helps their ranking considerably.  So does the fact that Davis and Harris both would be ranked among our top 100 nationally, if they were still in high school (they are both 5th year players), Sailes is a top 150 player and Minor has something you just can't teach (size - he's huge).  A class that may drop later on is Mississippi State, which currently checks in at #30.  It all depends upon what happens with 6'9 Kei Madison from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, who has not signed a National Letter-of-Intent.  Remember, Madison verbally committed to the Bulldogs earlier this fall, but some people have questioned whether he will be able to transfer and be eligible to play next year in the Southeaster Conference. 

Tuesday, December 4, 2001

Nearly all of the signings and verbal commitments from the fall signing period have been reported, so we've spent most of the day working our comprehensive list, which can be found by clicking on National Commitments.  When we are finished this list will provide you with what should be the most comprehensive list found anywhere, along with a rating of each player on a 1-10 scale.  A top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point. Junior college and prep school are factored in as if they were the equivalent of a high school senior.  We've already found several very interesting things that previously had escaped our attention, like St. Mary's getting 6'9 Fred Adjiwanou from Foothill (JC) CA, who is the #2 ranked power forward by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  We also thought Clemson getting 6'9 Akin Akingbala from Greenwich (The Brunswick School) CT was of major significance.  Sure, Akingbala is a borderline top 100 senior nationally, but he has a huge upside and, as a result, we think he could develop into a pro down the road.  And how about 6'8 Jeremy Johnson from Bossier (Airline) LA and 6'3 Eric Woods from Leesville (H.S.) LA both of whom are ranked among the top 20 seniors in Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana by the HOOP SCOOP?  Louisiana Tech got 'em both and when you add that to 6'8 Barry Thompson from Odessa (JC) TX, who committed to the Bulldogs earlier this fall, Louisiana Tech's recruiting class move onto our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Northeastern State also picked up a major steal in 6'7 Jermaine Spencer from New Iberia (H.S.) LA and the University of Colorado has added two more players in 6'0 Antoine McGee from Mercersburg (Prep) PA and 6'7 Glenn Eddy from Fork Union (Military) VA.  Florida International has landed two players - 6'2 Nelson Matias from Southeastern (JC) IA and 6'7 Eulis Baez from Southeastern (JC) IA - who are ranked among Ball's top 10 junior college players at their position in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and, as a result, head coach Donnie Marsh should be on the verge of turning things around in a hurry.   If you will recall, a year ago Florida International finished ranked #27 when they landed 6'9 Taurance Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA, 6'7 Rafael Luis, 6'7, PF, Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, 6'2 Carlos Morbein from Miami (Christian) FL, 6'8 Johan Rivera from Miami (Christian) FL, and 5'11 Dave Luber from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA.   Loyola-Marymount has added 6'2 Brandon Worthy from San Jose (Mount Pleasant) CA, who is a top 150 senior nationally, and Portland State has a steal in 6'5 Marshall Hartman from Hillsboro (Westview) OR.  So does Southern Illinois, which has landed 6'1 Bryan Turner from Mineral Area (JC) MO, who is ranked as the 9th best point guard in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  We also took note of the fact that Tulsa got 6'2 Chris Wallace from Broken Arrow (H.S.) OK and 5'10 Jerome Holman from Trinity Valley (JC) TX has followed his former teammate (Jamie Sowers) at Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Wichita State.  We also have added over a hundred other names to our list, but I'm sure there still are a few we're missing.  In other words, we would appreciate your help, but you only have until this weekend to email me at clark@hoopscooponline.com or call me at 502-493-0043, if you know of anybody else who needs to be added to our list.  At that point, we'll publish our list of the Top 150 Recruiting Classes and early next week we will follow up with our Conference-by-Conference Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting Classes. 

Monday, December 3, 2001

Currently there are only nine players - 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK, 6'1 Greg Brown from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'6 Elliott Poole from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'5 Maurice Petty from Shelby (Crest) NC, and 6'6 Bobby Jones from Long Beach (Poly) CA - still available who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally. Everybody expects Collins to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, but our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tell us that Collins' transcript isn't as bad as everybody thinks and, as a result, USC and Fresno State both have to mentioned.  And a commitment by Collins would have a major impact on either program's recruiting class.  If Collins picks USC, the Trojans' recruiting class, which already features 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'11 Jonathan Oliver from Ventura (JC) CA, and 6'10 Jack Wolfinger from Ventura (JC) CA, would move from #29 to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If Collins, picks Fresno State, the Bulldogs' recruiting class would move up into a tie at #22 nationally with Ohio State and Alabama.  If both Collins and 6'2 Les Norman from Long Beach City (JC) CA, who is the #3 ranked shooting guard in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, both pick Fresno State, the Bulldogs' recruiting class would move into a tie at #9 with Maryland.  Bookout is ranked #24 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com thinks it's looking more and more like he won't play college basketball.   "Bookout is getting a lot of pressure from the Olympic Committee to only do the track and field thing," says Swaim.  "He already holds the world record for his age in the shot put and discus throw and they think he has a chance to win a gold medal in 2004.  So the key to whether Bookout plays basketball may be whether Oklahoma State hires the right throwing coach.  If they do, Bookout will probably participate in both sports.  If they don't, Bookout still has two remaining visits that he can take to UCLA and Arkansas."  Oklahoma is still also being mentioned, but the Sooners coaching staff is beating the bushes in the junior college ranks for a quality big man.  Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith told us Saturday at the Morgan Wootten Invitational that Alabama, Indiana, Illinois, and West Virginia are among the schools showing the most interest in Ibrahim.  However, we also hear that Ibrahim is probably going to need another year of high school to make it academically.  Auburn, Connecticut, and UCLA are showing the most interest in Lawrence.  Brown and Poole both will likely go the prep school route.  Lamptey is another guy who may not qualify academically, but Oklahoma State will take him anyway.   Petty recently made an unofficial visit to Clemson, but they don't have a scholarship and probably won't have a scholarship for him.  If you will recall, earlier this fall Dwon Clifton was thought to have a heart problem and, as a result, the Clemson coaching staff was scrambling to find somebody at that position.   However, more recently it was discovered that Clifton's problem instead was dehydration.  So Clemson no longer has a need for Petty.  Believe it or not UCLA is the only other school that we've heard mentioned with Petty, but that may change, if and when he qualifies academically.  Trigonis tells us the top three for Jones are New Mexico, Pepperdine, and Boston College.  

Saturday, December 1, 2001, and Sunday, December 2, 2001

I'm going to say the same thing - it's just to early to draw many conclusions - that I said several week ago about trying to watch college basketball in the middle of November.  In other words, the Morgan Wootten Invitational yesterday at Cole Field House in College Park, MD was not one of the more memorable events of the year.  As a matter of fact, the second game with Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Amityville (H.S.) NY and the third game with Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Marion (Tabor Academy) MA were both major disappointments.   Instead, the most interesting game the day was the first game between Bethesda (Georgetown Preparatory) MD and Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, despite the fact that several players, including 6'10 Soph Roy Hibbert, who was out with a broken foot, were missing in action for Georgetown Prep.  So obviously the much anticipated match-up between Hibbard  and 6'9 Soph Brian Johnson didn't take place.  As a matter of fact, Johnson, who scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds, and blocked four shots, was oversshadowed by three of his own teammates - 6'4 Ahmad Smith, 6'4 Soph Freddie Stanback, and 6'5 Frosh Marcus Ginyard.  Smith did most of his damage in the first half, as he set the tone early en route to 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds.  We're talking about an explosive athlete with great body control, a knack for getting to the basket, and a soft touch in the lane.  We still question Smith's outside shooting, but he's still a perfect fit for St. Bonaventure.  Ginyard, who was touted as the #1 8th grader in the area by our Washington, DC area editor Steve Turner last spring, lived up his billing, as he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and six steals.  He also played with the poise of a senior, handled the ball out of the perimeter and hit several 3-pointers.  So did Stanback, who finished with 19 points, six rebounds, and three 3-pointers.  We also were impressed with the execution of the Bishop O'Connell team and the coaching of Joey Wootten, who appears to be a chip off the old block as a coach.  Remember, Wootten's father (Morgan Wootten) is the winningest high school coach in the history of the game.  However, a lot of people haven't given the younger Wootten the credit he deserves.  Bishop O'Connell jumped out to 21-12 led at the end of the first quarter and that was pretty much it for Georgetown Prep, which only had two players in double-digits - 6'3 Soph Tommy Moss with 11 points and 6'4 Brendon McGann with 10 points.  The best performance of the day was turned in by 6'8 Jason Fraser with 22 points and 21 rebounds, but that was not enough to pull off the upset, as DeMatha prevailed, 63-59, in a game that was not as close as the score indicates.  Easily the best player for DeMatha was 6'8 Travis Garrison with score 20 points and 11 rebounds.  He was complemented by 6'0 Warren Williams with 10 points, 6'0 Corey McRae with 11 points, and 6'7 Steve Danley with 11 points.  6'7 Carmelo Anthony had several impressive dunks, but other than that had a very quiet 23-point and 11-rebound effort in Oak Hill Academy's 62-55 victory over Tabor Academy in the final game of the day.  6'2 Chad Moore didn't start, but he added 12 points, as he was the only other Oak Hill player to score in double digits.  We also thought 6'1 Justin Gray, who had nine points and four assists, played well, but for players like 6'7 Antywane Robinson and 6'10 Sani Ibrahim, both of whom were in serious fouls trouble by early in the third quarter, this was a game they'd probably like to forget.  As a matter of fact, Ibrahim, who is coming off a terrible summer, only had two points and two rebounds.  In other words, it looks like he's getting worse, not better.  And it wasn't much better for Tabor Academy's 6'9 Torin Francis, who missed his first eight field goal attempts and first two free throws, before finishing with 12 points (2-10 field goals and 8-10 free throws). 

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