HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY 2001

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Wednesday, February 28, 2001

It is no secret that the dot.com industry has gotten clobbered by the down turn in the economy during the last six months and, as a result, many of the web sites that specialize in providing you with recruiting information are either going the paid route in an attempt to them compensate for their reduced cash flow via advertising or they are going out business altogether.  And it looks like another one is about to bite the dust.  That's right!  We have confirmed that HoopsTV.com will officially announce that they are out of business tomorrow and most people in the business think it is only a matter of time before Rivals.com, after piling up staggering losses during the last year-and-a-half, also heads in the same direction.  However, as it turns out one of the best things that ever happened to the HOOP SCOOP was our competition with the Rivals.com network a year ago.   Not only did they make us to our job even better than ever, but they also forced us to make some very important changes that helped shelter us from the financial disaster that much of the dot.com industry is currently experiencing.  In other words, we may be one of the few web sites still providing extensive coverage of recruiting and grass routes basketball six month or a year from now.  So it appears to be more important than ever to beat the price increase, which we will extend for only two more days.   Remember, we offer the best national coverage available on a daily basis, as well as the most comprehensive state-by-state reports, national player rankings, and coverage of major events found anywhere.  The new prices are $30 per month, $90 for three months, $180 for six months, and $360 per year.  However, if you call us tomorrow or Friday at 1-(502) 493-0043, you can still renew at the old prices, which are $25 per month, $65 for three months, $125 for six months, or $250 per year. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on the University of Nebraska's second early commitment.  No, we aren't talking about 6'3 Jr Chinedu Onyenku from Omaha (Creighton) NE, who we also eventually expect to follow in the footsteps of his former teammate and good friend - 6'8 Jr Roy Enright from Omaha (Burke) NE.  If you will recall, Enright, who is ranked #44 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, wasted no time making up his mind last spring, as he made a verbal commitment to the Cornhuskers immediately after Barry Collier got the head coaching job.   Instead, we're talking about Enright's high school teammate - 6'4 Jr Jason Dourisseau from Omaha (Burke) NE.  This comes on the heels of a solid recruiting class last fall, which included 6'2 Brennon Clemmons from Olney (JC) IL, 6'11 Dan Heimos from Waterloo (Gibault) IL, 6'3 Jake Muhlheison from Lincoln (Southeast) NE, and 6'5 Corey Sims from St. Louis (Normandy) MO and was ranked #73 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, the new regime is building an excellent foundation similar to the way they did it when they were so successful during most of the 90's at Butler.  And if they do get Onyenku, who is a world-class athlete, as well as a legitimate top 100 junior nationally, the Cornhuskers will also be getting it done primarily with homegrown kids.  Assuming that this does happen, then, all that would be left to do will be to find that superstar, which will be necessary for the Cornhuskers to move into the upper echelon of the league, along with Kansas, Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.  However, Collier is widely regarded as one of the bright coaches on the rise in the business, so our guess is that it only will be a matter of time. 

Tuesday, February 27, 2001

This is the year of the "overhyped pampered spoiled soft big man"and 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA are the poster boys.  Throw in the fact that Chandler, 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, and 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA may not play in the McDonald's All-American Game, due to injuries or concerns about hurting their draft status, and it is easy to see why the game will probably be decided by the guards.  We're talking in particular about the wing guards, which include 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  As a matter of fact, Wagner, Torbert, and Hodge are ranked #1, #2, and #3 by the HOOP SCOOP in the senior class nationally and Carruth is one of the best 3-point shooters we've seen in a long time.  We've broken the McDonald's All American Team down a number of different ways, plus we've provided you with our insights and analysis.  To get all this, click on McDonald's All American Team and remember the game will be live on national television on Wednesday, March 28th, from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC.  Also interesting is the fact that we gave the McDonald's All American Selection Committee and Morgan Wootten, who is the Chairman of the Selection Committee, an "A" for how well this year's team turned out.  Yes, I am a number of the selection committee, but that doesn't mean I'm a homer for the game.  As a matter of fact, a year ago I voiced some sharp criticism about some of the players selected and the process in general.   However, this time around it appears they've done an outstanding job. 

Monday, February 26, 2001

Camden's 32-game winning streak ended last night when Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ upset Camden (H.S.) NJ, 76-54, at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ.  6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram led St. Anthony with 31 points, but the leading scorer in the game, as usual, was 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  Also, as usual, Wagner didn't shoot well in this arena, as he was held to only 23 shots and 32 points.  But even more important is the fact that Wagner needs only 51 points to become the all-time leading scorer in the history of high school basketball in the state of New Jersey.  Currently the all-time leading scorer in New Jersey state history is John Somogyi from New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ, who scored 3,310 points from 1965-68, which was prior to the evolution of the 3-point shot.  Wagner may break that in his next game, but if Camden should lose two in a row, their season would be over and, if that were the case, Wagner could fall short of the record.  However, the more likely scenario is that Camden will likely win the state title in their classification, plus get several games in the Tournament of Champions, which includes all the winners from each classification in the state of New Jersey.  In other words, Wagner may get to play in another eight to 10 games and, as a result, break the record by several 100 points or more.  Speaking of Wagner, he was one of 12 players named to the East Squad when the McDonald's All-American Team was named earlier tonight at half-time of the Connecticut-Notre Dame.  Also named to the team were 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) GA, 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'7 James White from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Anthony Richardson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, and 6'1 Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN.   The only surprises were Richardson, who is ranked #48 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and Thomas, who currently is ranked #46 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, upon closer inspection neither was really a surprise.  Richardson is a world-class athlete with incredible talent and versatility, but he's also very inconsistent.  As a result, being a local kid probably was enough to get him over the hump.  Thomas was ranked among the top five or 10 players nationally in his class as a freshman and sophomore, but others simply passed him up.  Remember, this class is absolutely loaded!  The West Squad, which was announced at half-time of ESPN's next game between Missouri-Texas, includes 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, and 6'8 Wayne Simien from Leavenworth (H.S.) KS.  This also included two players who must be considered political picks, but once again there is an easy explanation as to why they are in the game.  Ewing, who is ranked #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is obvious, because this athletic two-guard is bound for Duke and the game is being played at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University on Wednesday, March 28th.  Simien, who is ranked #30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, signed with Kansas last fall and will play in the Capital Classic All-Star in Washington, DC in early April.  While this may have been the best job the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee has done in recent years of picking players who truly belongs in the game (there is not one player on either team who can't compete), there are three glaring omissons - 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, and 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, all of whom are legitimate top 10 players nationally.  Sure, the argument can be made that Sensley is a 5th year player, but so is White.  Allen, who is ranked #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has come on like gangbusters this season.  But his omission is explainable, because last summer he was in the 30-40 range nationally.   The one that is unforgivable is Hargett.  He might be the best point guard in the class, if you don't include Wagner.  Sure, he's a had tough home life, but his team usually wins and the "bad kid rap" isn't as accurate as most people think it is.  Wouldn't it have been nice if he could have been in the game and dedicated his performance to his brother who recently died of natural causes?  More insight, comments, and analysis on the selection of the McDonald's All-American Team will be provided exclusively in the Members Section tomorrow. 

We are getting reports that the University of Iowa may be close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'1 Chauncey Leslie from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who is unbelievably quick baseline-to-baseline and has emerged into one of the top point guards in the junior college ranks.  And that's saying a lot, because Indian Hills also has another great point guard in 6'0 Brandon Brooks.  However, Leslie, who has a year of junior college experience on Brooks, is the guy who runs the show.  And on Saturday afternoon Leslie was also perfect with his shooting, as he hit 9-9 field goals, including 7-7 3-pointers, and 2-2 free throws for a game high 27-points, as Indian Hills knocked off Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 68-62.  Also still on Leslie's list are Illinois, Pittsburgh, and Miami-FL, but assuming he picks the Hawkeyes, Leslie, along with 6'4 Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL, would go a long way towards solving head coach Steve Alford's lack of backcourt depth a year from now.  A month ago Iowa was 16-4 and ranked among the top 20 nationally.  But the Hawkeyes are only 2-5 since Luke Recker was sidelined with an injury in late January and, as a result, are still on the bubble in terms of whether they will get a NCAA Tournament bid.  Regardless of what happens the rest of this reason, Iowa will be one of the most improved teams in college basketball a year from now.  As a matter of fact, they should be a consensus pre-season top 10 next season, because, with the expection of Dean Oliver, everybody who counts will be back, including Recker and 6'8 Reggie Evans, both of whom will provide the senior leadership on what promises to be Alford's best team to-date.  Speaking of Alford, we would be very surprised if he had any interest in the Indiana job, if interim head coach Mike Davis is not retained.   However, the new athletic director had better not take any chances and at least make the call.  Just imagine what life would be like for the athletic director at Indiana University, if it later came out that Alford was actually interested in the job, but he was never even contacted.  Right now who the new athletic director at Indiana seems to be a deep dark secret, but it is widely known that there are currently only two serious candidates.  The two names we're hearing the most are two former Indiana University players - Toronto Raptors General Manager Glen Grunwald and IU television announcer John Laskowski.  However, we think they are going to go outside of the university to make the hire and the two names we've uncovered are Tim Weiser, who interestingly replaced Tom Jurich at Colorado State when he left to take the Louisville job four years ago, and Michael McNeely, who is Vice President and the Chief Operating Officer for the San Diego Chargers.   McNeely also has prior college experience as athletic director at the University of the Pacific and working for the NCAA.  We also are hearing former IU player Randy Wittman's name being mentioned as a possible candidate if the head coaching job at IU opens up this spring.  Currently it is looking more and more like he might get fired from the Cleveland Cavaliers, but Wittman, who played for the Hoosiers from 1978-83 and has always been extremely popular in Indiana. 

Last week Arizona State got a verbal commitment from 6'2 Curtis Millage from Southwestern Community (JC) CA, who  recognized as one of the top junior college point guards on the West Coast.   Millage is best described as an athletic combo guard who can really score.  So he should provide the perfect complement to 6'3 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, who is ranked #45 nationally among seniors by the HOOP SCOOP, and together they should give Arizona State Rob Evans the backcourt he needs to make a dramatic turnaround next season (currently the Sun Devils are 11-14 overall and 3-11 in conference play).  Braxton was the only player the Sun Devils signed last fall and, as a result, their recruiting class was ranked #102 nationally.  However, with the addition of Millage, Arizona State's recruiting class moves up to #44 into a tie with Texas and Valparaiso and it could move even higher, if they land a big guy or two this spring. 

Just when we were getting to ready to write Denny Crum's coaching obituary, Louisville knocked off Marquette, 77-74, in triple overtime on Saturday night.  This is extremely important, because there is a third way that Crum keeps his job (last week we told you that we thought the only two ways Crum would be the coach at Louisville were if he signed two big men or he convinced the athletic director that he would reveal where the bodies are buried).  Let's say the Cardinals beat UAB and Memphis at home this week.  That would increase their record to 13-17 and give them a three game winning streak heading into the Conference USA Tournament, which also played at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY late next week.  Now, before we go any further, we need to remind you that Crum is extremely competitive and he has always been surprisingly lucky.  He also has a history of turning things around in a hurry when you think he is down and out.  Good examples came earlier this year when the Cardinals played the University of Kentucky close in Freedom Hall on January 2nd, when they stunned Cincinnati on the road several weeks later, and continued to own DePaul at both places.  We're not predicting this will happen and we think it's a long shot at best, but what would happen if Louisville won four consecutive games in the Conference USA Tournament?  Well I'll tell you.  Crum would be the leading candidate for Coach-of-the-Year honors in the Conference, because the Cardinals would have rebounded to win seven straight down the stretch to achieve a 17-17 overall record, as well as a shocking (considering how poorly they've played earlier in the year, as well as how little talent they have on the team) invitation to the NCAA Tournament.  Also, athletic director Tom Jurich would have to give Crum some sort of vote of confidence, if not a contract extension and, as a result, several of the outstanding recruits that Crum has been chasing for the last year, like 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL and 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, would probably fall into line.  While this is not probable, it also is not impossible.  In other words, make sure the fat lady has started signing before you totally write-off this Hall of Fame coach, because history just might repeat itself.

Saturday, February 24, 2001, and Sunday, February 25, 2001

Last week we announced a price increase for the Members Section, whereby, we are raising the subscription price from $25 to $30 for one-month, $65 to 90 for three months, $125 to $180 for three months, and $250 to $375 per year.  However, we have left it open for you to subscribe to the Members Section at the old prices, if you called us at 1-502-493-0043 by the end of the month.  Well, time is running out, because February is almost over.   So we encourage you to act immediately!  If you already subscribe to the Members Section, now is the perfect time to extend your current subscription at the old prices.  If you are subscribing for the first time, you will shocked at how much more information we have in the Members Section.  Among the things that those who don't subscribe to the Members Section are missing out on are our comprehensive state-by-state reports, rankings of the top 100 seniors in each class dating back to 1996, our in-depth ranking of the top recruiting classes for each of the last three years, and coverage of most of the top spring all-star games and events, including the HOOP SCOOP All-American Premiere, which will be held in Memphis, TN, May 18th-20th.  And to entice you even more, I will even give you an added amount of time on your subscription, if you call immediately.  However, if you can't afford or don't have the desire to get the most information available anywhere, you still can help us in another way.  Unfortunately, due to the sharp nose dive the entire dot.com industry has taken recently, our advertising revenue has declined sharply.  But we can offset this decline if you will support our advertisers by clicking on the banner ads, which are found at the top of each page.  This is important, because it may prevent us from having to also start charging you for the Scoop of the Day, as well as other material, which has been free for the last three-and-a-half years in the Visitors Section. 

Greg Perry, who is the foremost authority on high school basketball in Nevada, also has some expertise in Arizona, especially after being in Phoenix on Thursday for the Arizona 5A Semi-Finals.  As always, he has some interesting comments and observations.  Perry sets the stage when he tells us that the  first game of the night promised to be a good one, as the #2 ranked team in the state, Mesa Dobson (28-2), took on 6th-ranked Phoenix Brophy Prep (23-7).  "The battle of the big men looked particularly intriguing, Dobson's twin towers - 6'8 Jordan Legge and 6'8 Nick Dewitz - taking on Brophy's talented pivot, 6'9 Nick Lewis," says Perry.   "Brophy came back from 10 down midway through the fourth quarter to prevail in overtime, 62-59.  The comeback included a 13-2 run fueled by back to back 3's from 6'4 wing Ryan Tricco and a conventional three point play from 6'3 Soph Gerad Punch.  Legge played valiantly in the extra time, while teammate Dewitz sat with 5 fouls, but it wasn't enough, as the nationally-ranked Mustangs were ousted from the tournament.  Unsigned Tricco led all scorers with 27 points (11-23 FGs, 2-7 3PFGs, 3-6 FTs).  He also battled inside for a game-high 14 rebounds, while handing out four assists along with three steals.  He appears capable of playing either guard position and maybe swinging to small forward if he continues his career in the Big West or WCC.   He has great physical and mental toughness, but is completely wide open on schools.   Hurt by limited exposure in the summer, his sterling state tournament performance will only help his cause.  Brophy starts two sophomores, 6'3 John Shumate, Jr and 6'3 Gerad Punch.  Punch is a very athletic aggressive scoring guard who will be very difficult top handle once his jump shot catches up to the rest of his game.  He finished with nine points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.  Shumate, on the other hand, is a pure point guard who is still maturing physically.  He doesn't seem to like contact very much, but he did step up to hit two free throws in overtime to clinch the win.  All five of his points came at the line (5-6) and he handed out six assists.  The future is bright for him if he gets in the weight room and adds some muscle.  The San Diego-bound Lewis was key inside for Brophy, blocking five shots, altering probably half a dozen more, and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with his 14 points (6-9 FGs, 2-3 FTs).  He has live legs at the defensive end and a versatile offensive game, showing that he can post up against players his size or catch the ball 12-15' out and attack the basket with the dribble.   Over on the Dobson side, the Legge/Dewitz post tandem didn't disappoint.   Dewitz missed long stretches with foul trouble and he's still recovering from a deep thigh bruise, but he managed 17 points (5-12 FGs, 7-9 FTs), seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks.  He's got a nice stroke and could wind up as a small forward in the not so distant future.  He's undecided and apparently has had interest from several Pac-10 schools, but acadmeics could be a problem and have him spending a year at prep school.  Legge, a Santa Clara recruit, led his team with 23 points (10-17 fgs 2-2 fts 1-3 3's), and he added seven rebounds, seven steals, and two blocks.  He has great defensive instincts and he did a great job swooping in to intercept lobs and hustling back to break up transition opportunities.  Point guard Kellen Baker, a 5'8 senior, had his moments for Dobson as well.  He's very quick and creative, but he gets himself into bad situations by overpenetrating and he's forced to put up bad shots to avoid turnovers.  If a junior college coach can get him to tone things down a bit, he could have a nice career at a low-major DI school.  His line included nine points (3-12 FGs, 0-1 3PFGs, 3-5 fFTs), four rebounds, six assists, and two steals."   And the second game was just as good, as the top-ranked team in the state, the Phoenix St.Mary's Knights (28-3) took the floor against the darkhorse team in the field, Phoenix South Mountain (18-11).  "6-11 Arizona recruit Channing Frye managed to hit only one of his first six shots as St. Mary's fell behind 11-4," says Perry.  "But then they rallied to tie things up at 15-all after the first eight minutes.  After closing the first stanza with six straight points, Frye was dominant in the second period, hitting 5-6 shots to help his team take a 41-37 lead at the half.   Frye and New Mexico State recruit 5'8 Jason Fontenot combined for 37 points of their team's 41 first-half points, but the rest of their team seemed to be sleepwalking, and South Mountain remained within striking distance.  South Mountain would lead by as much as seven points in the 3rd quarter as their bigger, more athletic forwards shredded the press and dominated the glass, but mighty mite Fontenot pulled his team even at 57-all with a barrage at the end of the 3rd quarter.  The fourth was a seesaw, with Frye reawakening after disappearing in the 3rd and St. Mary's pulling out a thrilling 73-71 win as Jason Fontenot, ever the hero, managed to get a fingertip on a desperation three from South Mountain 6'1 point guard Duane Walker at the buzzer, the shot falling harmlessly short.  The South Mountain Jaguars got a huge effort from their top player - 6'6 Bilal Russell.   Russell led his team with 26 points (11-21 FGs, 4-6 FTs) and 12 rebounds (six offensive), scoring on putbacks, in transition, and by taking defenders off the dribble and hitting pull-up jumpers.   Russell is an outstanding student, and although he's had some interest from Georgia Tech, it wouldn't be surprising to see him wind up at Lehigh or an Ivy League school.  6'6 Andre Mason played well inside as a complement to Russell, grabbing 10 rebounds and three steals, but he struggled to put the ball in the basket, hitting only 3-9 shots en route to nine points.  Walker acquitted himself   fairly well against James Fontenot, with 16 points (6-12 FGs 2-5 3PFGs 2-3 FTs), four rebounds, four assists, and three steals, showing that he might deserve some attention from smaller schools looking for a point guard at this late juncture.  St. Mary's was a two man show, with Frye and Jason Fontenot rescuing the Knights, while everybody else seemed to struggle.  6'0 Jason Fontenot, part of a package heading to New Mexico State with his twin brother, couldn't seem to find the range.  He scored eight points (2-6 FGs, 0-3 3PFGs, 4-4 FTs) and was never much of a factor offensively, although his defense versus the ball was solid most of the night.  Brother Jason was electric as usual, leading everybody with 31 points (10-19 FGs, 5-10 3PFGs, 6-9 FTs), while adding three rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.  Two of his long bombs were hit from several feet behind the NBA line, demonstrating his practically unlimited range.  He has a tendency to penetrate too deep at times, and although he can get away with flipping in circus shots in traffic now, at the next level those same shots will be easily rejected.   He plays a lot like Dana Barros and should have a fantastic career at New Mexico State.  Frye finished with 29 points (14-22 FGs, 1-3 FTs, 0-1 3PFGs), hitting 13-16 shots after his poor start.  He also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots.  Frye does a good job keeping up with his hyperspeed point guard and he does well catching and finishing in traffic.  He's getting stronger, but even more time with the weights is warranted before he's ready for the Pac-10."

Friday, February 23, 2001

The big matchup tonight between Louisville (Male) and Louisville (Ballard) KY, both of which are ranked among the top 10 nationally by the USA Today, has been cancelled.  It turns out that Ballard has already played in too many games this year and, if they participate in tonight's game, would be ineligible for postseason play.  This is unfortunate, because game has been soldout for days and was scheduled to be televised live locally.  Male and Ballard also almost played earlier this year in the championship of the L.I.T. (Louisville Invitational Tournament), but Male got knocked off in the semi-finals by Bowling Green (H.S.) KY.  However, the third time will likely be a charm, because Male and Ballard likely will meet in the Seventh Regional Tournament in two weeks and at stake will be a trip to the Kentucky State High School Tournament later in month at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.   Adding even more suspense to this long awaited meeting is what happened the last time these two teams met a year ago in the Seventh Region Semi-Finals.  If you will recall, at the time Ballard, which was the defending state champion, was heavily favored and nationally ranked.  However, Male pulled off a stunning upset in overtime.  In other words, assuming that these two teams meet in two weeks, it promises to be a game of tremendous importance, as the winner will be the heavy favorite to win the Kentucky State Championship and the loser's season will be over!  Instead of playing the game at Louisville Gardens (the semi-finals will be on March 8th and the final will be on March 10th), maybe they should figure out a way to make this part of the Conference USA ticket package.  Especially interesting will be to see which draws more fans.  Earlier this week we told you that 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY might be on the verge of verbally committing to the University of Kentucky.  However, now it looks like he's going to wait until after this season is over and make another visit.  Apparently he wants to spend more time with the coaching staff.  We also mentioned that 6'8 Brian Thornton from Louisville (Manual) KY had narrowed his list to Tennessee and Vanderbilt.  Well, several days ago Thornton made it official for Vanderbilt and this appears to be a perfect fit, because Thornton, who is ranked #10 in the state of the Kentucky and among our top 250 nationally, is an excellent student and skilled basketball player.  However, he's not ready yet for prime time, which means that Commodores head coach Kevin Stallings will have to spend some time developing him. 

Yesterday we thought Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy would be the next head coach at the University of Louisville, due to his strong connections with athletic director Tom Jurich.  But today it looks like former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino is the leading candidate for the Louisville job.  Although this is the hot rumor around town, we seriously doubt whether Pitino can become the Cardinals next head coach.  It would be like creating the sequel to the civil war in the Bluegrass State between fans of the University of Kentucky and fans of the University of Louisville.  It also would be the supreme insult to former Louisville head coach Denny Crum.  He not only couldn't beat Pitino (he actually beat Kentucky twice during the eight years Pitino was at Kentucky), but there is a direct parallel between when Pitino arrived in Lexington, KY in the spring of 1989 and the slow decline of the University of Louisville program, which occured throughout all of the last decade and is continuing. Also, there never has been any love lost between Crum and Pitino, especially after Crum made an illegal contact when he took Dwayne Morton and Morton's mother out to dinner in the fall of 1989 immediately before Morton picked Louisville over Kentucky.   If you will recall, at the time Pitino thought he had Morton wrapped up, but obviously something happened to change his mind.  As a result of this and other battles, the one person who likes Crum less than Jurich might be Pitino. We also are hearing that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek might be in line for the UNLV job, if the Runnin' Rebels don't decide to extend the contract of Max Good, who took over when Bill Bayno was fired in December.  And that would open the door for Pitino to go to N.C. State, which would put him right in the heart of the biggest rivalry in college basketball amongst Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State.   Sounds a little farfetched at first, but this isn't the first time Sendek has had interest in the UNLV job.  As a matter of fact, Sendek not only interviewed for the job, but he was actually offered the job five years ago right before they hired Bayno.   Also, Sendek was an assistant coach under Pitino at both Kentucky and Providence and you can bet that if Pitino doesn't take the UNLV job, he'll be pushing one of his guys in that direction.  Sendek also is one of the bright young coaches in college basketball, but he's not been able to put the pieces together yet at N.C. State and right now it looks like he's running out of time.  Also, if Pitino were to take over at N.C. State, he would inherit 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who signed with the Wolfpack last fall and is ranked as the #3 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And that parallel is also interesting, because Pitino built the foundation for the program during his years at Kentucky around another great player from the Bronx - Jamal Mashburn.  Pitino also is still being mentioned for Indiana, Michigan, and even the New Jersey Nets, but it looks like he was smart enough to say no to Rhode Island.  So was Bob Knight, but, if the Rams want to hire a big name coach, Crum may soon be available. 

Thursday, February 22, 2001

The most important time of the year for basketball in New York City is just around the corner, because the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) has their sectional playoffs this weekend and the second round of the playoffs for the PSAL (Public School Athletic League) begin next week.   Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio would like to see a few upsets along the way, like Bayside (Cardozo) NY upsetting their arch rival Cambria Heights (Campus Magnet) NY in the second round and, then, knocking off the #1 seed Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY in the quarterfinals.  But realistically, Naclerio is predicting the top four seeded teams - #1 Paul Roberson, #2 Brooklyn (Grady) NY, #3 Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY, and #4 Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY - will all advance to the semi-finals of the PSLA on Saturday, March 10th.  Let's take a closer look.  There were only two upsets (when a lower seeded team beat a higher seed team) - #19 Bronx (Clinton) NY knocked off #14 Queens Village (Van Buren) NY and #21 East Elmhurst (Newtown) NY  beat #12 Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY - in the first round of the PSAL Playoffs a week ago.  The second round of the PSAL will begin Tuesday, February 27th with a doubleheader at Hunter College in New York City.  In the first game at 4:00 PM it will be the #4 Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus #13 Jamaica (Hillcrest) NY and in the second game at 6:00 PM it will be #5 New York (Park West) NY versus #21 East Elmhurst (Newtown) NY.  Also, on the February 27 at Elmcore Rec Center in Queens, NY at 4:00 PM it will be #2 Brooklyn (Grady) NY versus #15 Canarsie (H.S.) NY and at 6:00 PM it will be #7 Bronx (Theodore Roosevelt) NY versus #10 Staten Island (Curtis) NY.  On Wednesday, February 28th, at Lehman College in the Bronx, NY at 4:00 PM it will be #6 New York (Frederick Douglas) NY versus their big rival #11 New York (Manhattan Center) NY and at 6:00 PM it will be #19 Bronx (Clinton) NY versus #3 Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY.  On Thursday, March 1st, at Hunter College at 4:00 PM it will be #8 Cambria Heights (Campus Magnet) NY versus #9 Bayside (Cardozo) NY and it will be 6:00 PM Brooklyn (Midwood) NY versus Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY.  Then, the winners will play in the quarterfinals on Saturday, March 3rd, at Lehman College at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM and on Sunday, March 4th, at Hunter College at 2:00 PM and 4:00 PM.  The PSAL Semi-Finals will be on Saturday, March 10th, at St. John's University at Noon and 4:00 PM and the PSAL Championship Game will be at Noon on Sunday, March 18th at Madison Square Garden.  The championship game will be televised live on the MSG Network.  Naclerio tells us that CHSAA Playoffs this weekend are really meaningless, because all the good have already secured a spot in the CHSAA Intersectionals, which will determine the actual city CHSAA Championship.  CHSAA Intersectional play begins on Sunday, March 4th, with the teams that are seeded from #5 to #12 playing in a quadruple header at Manhattan College.  Then, the four winners will advance to meet the #1 through #4 seeded teams in doubleheaders to be played on March 7th and 8th, also at at Manhattan College. The CHSAA Semi-Finals will be at Fordham University on March 11th at 2:00 and 4:00 PM and the CHSAA Championship Game will be at Fordham University on March 14th at 7:30 PM.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the winner of the New York City CHSAA Championship will play the Long Island Catholic High School Champion, which should be either Oyster Bay (St. Dominic's) NY or Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY.  That game will also be held at Fordham University on Sunday, March 18th, at 4:00 PM.  The winner will go upstate to the Final Four in Glen Falls, NY and compete for the New York State Championship.  What makes this especially interesting is the fact that Naclerio believes that St. Mary's is the best  team in the state and, if they knock off the New York CHSAA Champions and, as a result, win the right to go to Glen Falls, NY, on Friday, March 23rd and Saturday, March 24th, it would be the first time in memory that a CHSAA team was not represented in the Final Four.  The other three Final Four spots will go to the winner of the New York Public League, the New York State Public Champion, and the New York State Private School Champion.  

To the surprise of most Indiana University fans, Tom Jurich has decided to remain in his current position as athletic director at the University of Louisville.  That decision was officially announced at 4:00 PM press conference this afternoon.  Jurich, who is widely regarded as one of the top athletic directors in the nation, appeared to be the heavy favorite for the IU job, but the fact that he turned it down doesn't bold well for University of Louisville head coach Denny Crum.  If you will recall, Crum and Jurich have been at odds for the last several months.  Our sources tell us that a decision by Jurich has already been made to buy Crum out of the last two years of his existing five-year contract.  Crum in the last few days has publicly raised questions about the $2.5 to $3 million deficit the athletic department has run during the last fiscal year and has let it be known that he doesn't plan to go quietly.  However, Jurich now appears to have the full support of the university president John Shumaker, as well as most of the members of the board of trustees.  As a result, it looks like Jurich is going to win, but the price could be very costly.  The original figure we heard a week ago was $2.4 million, but Louisville Courier-Journal Sports Columnist Rick Bozich today said that he thinks the cost could be "at least $4.5 million."  The only way Crum stays is if he can get immediate commitments from several legitimate big men, like 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY or 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL or convince Jurich that he will make good on any threat he might make behind closed doors to reveal where the bodies are buried.  Numerous Louisville fans have expressed their opinion about how poorly the situation is being handled on both sides (Crum's and Jurich's), but the bottom line is that it is very difficult to get rid of a Hall of Fame coach with two NCAA Championship and six NCAA Final Appearances, especially when the being forced out wants to keep coaching.  And to Crum's credit, he has worked harder in the last 12 months than he ever has before in his career.  Crum was named the Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer last summer by the HOOP SCOOP and also has been highly visible at numerous high school games this winter.   However, time is running out.  It's not about loyalty, wins or losses, what he's done in the past, or what he might do in the future.  Instead, it's all about fixing the immediate problem, which is lack of quality inside players currently in the program.  Crum has had every opportunity in recent years, but, instead of moving the program forward, he has allowed the program to digress to a level unparalled during his 30-year career at the University of Louisville.  Currently Louisville has a 10-17 overall record and, without two players like Bender and Cisse inside, next year could be just as bad.  In other words, it is time for Crum to either put up (produce verbal commitments from several big men like Bender and Cisse) or go out gracefully.  Should Crum opt for the latter, he would prove the people who talk about his strong character and tremendous integrity correct.  However, if he continues to politicize the situation, he is sure to lose not just his job, but also much of the respect and support that he's built up over the last 30 years.  Getting back to Jurich, Indiana's loss is Louisville's gain, because he's the perfect person to make the right hire and get the basketball program back on track once Crum is gone (either now or several years from now, if he can produce several big men).  Our guess is Jurich will hire Larry Eustachy.  However, I have gotten several emails from Iowa State fans who disagree.  They remind me that Eustachy is extremely happy in Ames, IA, plus he has a 10-year $1 million per year contract with the Cyclones.  However, there are a number of reasons why we disagree.  First, Freedom Hall seats 19,000-plus, which makes Louisville basketball a cash cow when they're selling out.  Second, the University of Louisville has an athletic surplus of over $30 million that they are saving for a rainy day.  Third, Jurich isn't afraid to spend money to make money.  Fourth, there are a number of big money people on the board of trustees and in the community who won't hesitate to help sweeten the pie (i.e. Howard Schnellenberger in the mid-80's), if it means getting the right coach.  Fifth, Jurich and Euctachy have been best friends since childhood and Jurich has a history of hiring people he's already had a prior relationship with from a previous school.  Sixth, Euctachy and Louisville football coach John L. Smith were both on the same coaching staff at Utah State and are good frirends.  As a matter of fact, that's why Jurich knows Smith so well. 

Wednesday, February 21, 2001

It used to be you had to average 25 ppg and 10 rpg before you could even think about going hardship into the NBA draft after your sophomore or junior year of college.  But now, if you're 6'11 and have some skills, it looks like eight points, six rebounds, and four blocks is good enough for you to get considered as a lottery pick in the NBA draft.  Yes, according to Matt Borrello, who is best known for his expertise on New England preps, but who also is branching out into the Midwest, those were the numbers posted by 6'11 Eddy Curry from Thornwood (South Holland) IL, who fouled out with five left minutes left in the game last weekend against Chicago (Whitney Young) IL.  Also of major significance is the fact that 12 NBA scouts were in attendance.  And this isn't the first time they've gone away disappointed.  If you will recall, Curry also was a major bust in early December at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis, MO when he went head-to-head against 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  However, everybody still talks about Curry being a can't miss pick in the NBA lottery next June.  Has the NBA really gotten that bad or is this just the trickle up effect by some of the first Prop 48 casualties into upper level management in NBA front offices?  Forget about being good basketball.  The NBA isn't even good entertainment.  As a matter of fact, people, like myself, who are avid college and high school basketball fans, can't stand to watch professional basketball anymore.  And forget about charging me for a ticket.   You couldn't pay me $50 to $100 for a court side seat to go 99% of all NBA games.   And they continue to make it even worse by talking about drafting all these suckers in high school, like Curry, Chandler, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'4 Kelvin Tolbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, et al. who think they might be good enough to jump straight from high school into the League.  Sure, they can take the money and run, but what these high school kids don't realize is that they're just another piece of meat to the team that is drafting them and, if they don't make it, there are 10 other guys waiting in line ready to take their place.  In terms of the risk factor (i.e getting hurt or not living up to expectations), it might be smart to take the money and run.  However, in terms of the percentages, the odds are much greater that a player will obtain superstar status, if he pays his dues and develops through the ranks (i.e Tim Duncan and Keith Van Horn).  Sure, you can get better in the pros if you get an individual trainer and work on your skills in the off-season.  But all too often that doesn't happen.  Instead, the player, who won't even show up when he's supposed to get a $60,000 bonus for lifting weights twice a week, comes to mind.  In other words, you are a lot more likely to develop your skills and improve your game in a college setting, because the coach still has your attention, as well as some control.  And we haven't even mentioned how important the college years are mentally, physically, and intellectually, because that's the time when boys are making the transition into men.   But what do I know?  Remember, I didn't think Corey Maggette was ready when he left Duke after his freshman year to enter the NBA darft two years ago.   And look what happened to JaRon Rush and Jerome Moiso when the left UCLA a year ago?  On the other hand, I went on record in places like the HOOP SCOOP and Basketball Times saying that Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant were drafted too low when they went straight from high school to the NBA.  In other words, just because you're the top high school player in your class or 7-feet tall, it doesn't mean you have the heart, desire, and god given natural ability to be mentioned in the same breath with players like Garnett, Bryant, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who you might notice wasn't mentioned above.  Yes, we think Wagner is capable of making the jump straight to the League, but hopefully he too will also get the time he needs to continue to develop next year at University of Memphis.  

Tuesday, February 20, 2001

The playoffs begin tomorrow night in what many believe is the nation's toughest athletic conference - the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) in Washington, DC.  Our Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia Editor Steve Turner thinks it's the most wide open tournament in recent history.   "Anybody could win it," says Turner.  "It likely will come down to who puts three good games together."  The favorites are Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD (13-3), Washington (Gonzaga) DC (12-4), and Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC (12-4).   The action begins tomorrow night at 7:00 PM when DeMatha, which is the #1 seed, hosts Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, which is the seed #9 and has yet to win a conference game this year.  Also at 7:00 PM tomorrow night Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, which is the #8 seed will be at Washington (St. John's ) DC, which is the #7 seed.   The remaining games will be at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, MD on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Friday's action will begin at 4:00 PM when Washington (Gonzaga) DC plays the winner of the O'Connnell-St. John's game.  Then, at 5:45 PM Archbishop Carroll, which is the seed #3, will play Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, which is the #6 seed, and at 7:30 PM Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, which is the #4 seed, will meet Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, which is the #5 seed.  The semi-finals will take place on Saturday and we expect DeMatha to meet the winner of Good Counsel-Paul VI at 5:30 PM and, unless there is an upset, it should be Gonzaga and Archbishop Carroll at 7:30 PM.   The championship game will be held on Sunday at 6:00 PM and, if DeMatha wins, the smart money appears to be on the legendary Morgan Wootten retiring while he's on top.  However, if DeMatha doesn't win, most people are guessing the game's all time winningest coach will return for another season.  The Washington Public League (District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association)  playoffs won't begin until next week and Turner believes that race here also is totally wide open.  However, those in the know give Washington (Springarn) DC, Washington (Ballou) DC, Washington (H.D. Woodson) DC, Washington (Coolidge) DC, and Washington (Dunbar) DC all a shot at the title.  The other big story in the DC area appears to be the likelihood that Kensington (Newport) MD, which is widely regarded as one of the top basketball factories in the area, may be on the verge of closing.  And it may happen immediately, as the word on the street is that the school is over a $1 million in debt.  Hopefully this is more rumor than fact, because it would create havoc for all the players and Chris Chaney is one of the bright young guys in the business.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD upset Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 82-74, in the Beltway League and the MVP of the tournament was 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who finished with 26 points and firmly established himself as the #1 senior in the area, as was evident by his team's balanced scoring attack, as 6'6 Glean Eddy had 19 points, 6'4 Charlie Bell had 13 points, and 6'4 Jr Donnell King had 14 points. The players at Montrose Christian and the legendary Stu Vetter may not have wait long to redeem themselves for long after last night's loss to National Christian, because they play Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, which is undefeated at 20-0 and ranked #15 nationally by the USA Today at McDonough Arena at Georgetown University in the final regular season game for both teams on Thursday.  Assuming that Oxon Hill wins, they will be the heavy favorite to win in the 4-A Prince George's County Playoffs. 

We understand that the rumors about Josh Kroenke declaring for the NBA draft due to lack of playing time at Missouri are totally false.  As a matter of fact, Kroenke, who played in only one exhibition game in November, is being redshirted after suffering three concussions prior to the start of the season.  But Kroenke getting drafted in the second round of the NBA draft isn't as farfetched as you might think, because his father, Stan Kroenke, owns the Denver Nuggets.  However, Kroenke isn't ready for the NBA quite yet.  Not only does he need to get a lot bigger and stronger, but he's also a great kid and he plays hard (so obviously he wouldn't fit in with all those pampered superstars).  Another player who might get drafted, if his father gets a head coaching job in the NBA is Saul Smith.  We continue to hear rumors about University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith going to the League after the current season is over, but now it now looks like he might be at Kentucky to stay.  As a matter of fact, it appears that he's currently on the verge of signing a new long term contract with the Wildcats.  Also it looks like he 's back to where he was several years ago when he was ranked as one of the top three coaches, along with Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Utah's Rick Majerus, in college basketball.  Currently Smith has Kentucky on top of the standings in the SEC East with a 10-2 conference record, as well as a 17-7 overall.   And if Smith does return next year, everything should be a lot more relaxed, because none of the fans will be able to blame his son for another slow start or an early exit in the NCAA Tournament, which was the case a year ago.  Moving onto Kentucky's recruiting, we understand that 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY is supposed to be Kentucky-LSU game tomorrow night on an official visit and it would be a major surprise if Chiles doesn't commit to the Wildcats in the very near future.   And if Chiles does verbally commit to Kentucky, it will be very interesting to see what happens in terms of their scholarship situation this spring.  With the addition of Chiles, the Wildcats will be two over their 13-player scholarship limit.  However, we're guessing that Todd Tackett will transfer and it wouldn't be a major surprise if Marvin Stone also transfers.  Plus, there is the possibility that Tayshaun Prince and/or Keith Bogans could declare hardship for the NBA this spring.  If that weren't enough, it appears that Kentucky may be close to getting an early jump on their recruiting for next year by getting an early commitment from 6'5 Antwain Barber, who is having an excellent freshman season at Wabash Valley (JC) IL.  If you will recall, Barber, who is a terrific athlete and prolific scorer, solidified his reputation as the #1 player in the state last March when he scored 42 points for Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY in the semi-finals of the state tournament against Russellville (H.S.) KY.  He also 31 points in the championship game of the state tournament against Lexington (Catholic) KY and was clearly the best player on the Kentucky All-Star Team last June.

Monday, February 19, 2001

Like most companies who do business on the internet, the HOOP SCOOP has felt the effects of the downturn in the dot.com market.  However, this shortfall is not based on the number of subscriptions we've been getting to our web site (January was actually a suprisingly good month and February has been better than expected).   Instead, it is based on the fact that several of the internet sites, like HighWired.com, that I'd previously been writing for have gone out of business.  As a result, it is important for us to once again to balance the budget, which means we are raising the price of a subscription to the web site from $25 to $30 per month, $65 to $90 for three months, $125 to $180 for six months, and $250 to $360 per year.  This price increase is effective immediately, if you go to the subscription page on our web site and sign up on-line.  However, if you call me at 502-493-0043 anytime during the rest of the month, I will allow you to subscribe at the old prices.  Plus, I will even throw in some extra time onto your subscription, if you call within the next few days.  Also, within the next month I will be sending out invoices to college coaches for the 2001-2002 year, which begins on July 1, 2001 and ends on June 30, 2002, at the new $360 subscription price.  So, if you want to beat the price increase, I suggest you call now and renew for next year.  Any school not getting their renewel in by August 1, 2001 will be charged an additional $90 late fee and any school that hasn't paid for last year won't be allowed to renew their subscription in the future until last year's subscription is paid.  In other words, it's time to clean up our accounts receivable.  Hopefully this won't exclude you from subscribing to the Members Section, but I do not believe in charging a separate price to college coaches and fans for the same information.   Remember, you get what you pay for and the feedback I get is that our information is far superior and much more in-depth than anything else on the internet.  

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells Arizona State, Utah, Providence, Notre Dame, Pepperdine, Drake, Oklahoma, and Loyola-Marymount are all in the hunt for 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin believes St. Joseph's is the big leader over La Salle, Duquesne, and Massaschuetts for 6'7 Jamal Nichols from Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA.   Rubin also is looking for 6'6 Nicholas King from Philadelphia (Frankford) PA to decide among Fairfield, UNC-Greensboro, La Salle, Temple, and Hofstra.   Speaking of Hofstra, the Flying Dutchmen got a commitment that fell through the cracks several weeks ago from 5'9 Woody Souffrant from Brooklyn (Grady) NY, who is ranked #21 in the New York City area by Ron Naclerio.  A reliable source tells us 6'8 Brian Thornton from Louisville (Manual) KY has narrowed his list to Vanderbilt and Tennessee after taking an official visit to Nashville, TN this weekend.  The same source tells us that 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN told Thornton that he is down to Vanderbilt or Colorado, which is not good news for the University of Louisville in their seemingly never ending quest for a talented big man.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson believes that the University of Cincinnati may be on the verge of getting a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jimmy Hubbard from Johnson County (JC) KS.   Orginially from Belton (H.S.) MO, Hubbard had Arkansas-Little Rock and Southwest Missouri State on his list early.  However, Cincinnati and Oklahoma State both   jumped into the hunt after the value of his stock escalated at the Jayhawk Shootout in December.  Last weekend Johnson also gave us the scoop on 6'3 Jaison Williams, who recently transferred from Aurora (Hinkley) OH to Columbus (Northland) OH.  However, it now appears that after three games the OHSAA (Ohio High School Athletic Association) has ruled him ineligible to compete the rest of the season, because his parents haven't taken up full-time residence in Ohio yet.  As a result, this will prohibit the potential showdown in second of the Central District Division I Regional Tournament between Northland and Dublin (Coffman) OH.  If you will recall, Coffman features 6'1 Jr Chris Quinn, who is ranked as the #3 junior in state by the HOOP SCOOP and already is a prime recruiting target of schools, like Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Penn State.

Boy, things can change in a hurry in this business.  A month ago it appeared that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin was about to be run out of Westwood.  However, now instead of being the guy Rick Pitino replaced at UCLA, Lavin appears to be one of the leading contenders for National Coach-of-the-Year honors, along with Matt Doherty, who is 21-2 in his first year at North Carolina, Al Skinner, who is 19-3 at Boston College, Rod Barnes, who is 21-4 at Mississippi, and Larry Eustachy, who is 22-3 at Iowa State.  Lavin has won 13 of his last 15 games.   He's also won five in a row, including shocking upsets two weeks ago at Stanford and, then, on Thursday at home against Arizona.  Even Lavin's long lost buddy Peter Dalis, who is now the infamous athletic director who admitted in early January that he'd been talking to Pitino about Lavin's job, now appears to be on the bandwagon - at least according to the article "Secret of Lavin's Success Is Dalis' Incentive Plan" by T.J. Simers in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. "Thursday night he was so proud of the Bruins' effort in a victory over Arizona that UCLA Athletic Director  Peter Dalis went to the locker room after the game and addressed the team," said Simers.  "'I was prepared to go down there, win or lose,' Dalis said.  'I had to salute Dan Gadzuric for playing on such a sore ankle.  I've seen a lot of basketball here in my 46 years and that game was amazing - it had a lot of grit to it."  Saturday afternoon Dalis was so carried away by Bruin euphoria after a victory over Arizona State that he said, 'I'm expecting [Lavin] to be back here next year coaching this team. Yeah, for sure.'" And it gets even better.  "A LITTLE MORE than a week ago The Times reported that one prominent UCLA booster, who requested anonymity, 'guesses it will take a Final Four run to save Lavin's job.'  As it turns out, all it took was a five-point victory over Arizona State.  In a Tuesday report in The Times, Dalis danced around the question whether he could guarantee Lavin's return, but after the Bruins had recorded their 13th victory in their last 15 games Saturday, he left no doubts.  'Lavin has done a hell of a job,' Dalis said, while admitting the team's success this season has exceeded his own expectations. 'I think the team has really rallied around Coach Lavin.'   How's that for a turnaround -Lavin now may be in line for a raise."  And now we find out why the title of the article is so good.  "NONE OF THIS, of course, would have ever happened without Dalis," says Simers.  "I would think the ideal spot to place the monument to Peter T. Dalis, a.k.a. 'The Great Motivator,' is adjacent to the three flag poles located between the J.D. Morgan Intercollegiate Athletic Center and the Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion. As most Bruin fans know, ordinarily Lavin's teams don't play well until the very end of the season when his job is on the line, but Dalis' Jan. 9 revelation that he had talked twice to Pitino inspired the players to turn it on early to save Lavin.  If not Pitino, after all, it could be Bobby Knight, and you'd play your heart out, too, to avoid that.  Thanks to Dalis spilling his guts to the media after Pitino became available, Lavin is now a legitimate coach-of-the-year candidate. By the way, is there also an award for athletic director of the year?"

Saturday, February 17, 2001, and Sunday, February 18, 2001

Well, it looks like Andy Katz and espn.com were right on the money two days ago.  The HOOP SCOOP has now confirmed via a very reliable source that Denny Crum won't be back next year.  The HOOP SCOOP has also confirmed that the price of the buyout will be $2.4 million.  Our source also tells us that there are only two serious candidates for the job.  Obviously one is Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy and the other we suspect is former Boston Celtics and University of Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino.   However, we suspect that Pitino would be more likely to take the Indiana job, if Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich were to take over as athletic director for the Hoosiers.  Speaking of Jurich going to Indiana, our source also tells us that he thinks the chances are 75% that Jurich will remain as the athletic director at Louisville.  So now the question becomes how soon can Jurich name a replacement for Crum?  Obviously, he may want to wait until the end of the season, but based on the way Jurich hired John L. Smith four years ago as the football coach (he knew who he wanted and got it done immediately), our guess is that a new coach will be in place before the NCAA Final Four.  And that's important for recruiting purposes, because Louisville is still in the hunt for most of the top big men, like 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (H.S.) TN, 6'9 Terry Licorich from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, who are still available in the senior class nationally.  Also, it will be interesting to see if current Cardinal assistant coaches Vince Taylor, Pat Rafferty, or Scottie Davenport will be retained on the new staff.  Our guess is that the new coach will want to bring in his own guys.   But Taylor, who was almost hired by Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski last spring, is the main reason why Louisville has been in such great shape on Cisse, and has all kinds of foreign contacts, is obviously the guy they should keep.  Rafferty, who brings his strong junior college ties to the table, might also get a look if the new coach is somebody other than Euctachy, who already has a strong history of getting junior college players.  However, Davenport probably won't be retained because he is almost synonymous with the old regime and has no on the road recruiting experience.   However, that doesn't mean he won't land on his feet, because his knowledge of the game, organizational skills, and ability to scout and break down an opponent are second to none.  As for Crum, hopefully he'll get a job in television, where he can continue to make the big bucks and pass along his knowledge of the game to us fans. 

Friday, February 16, 2001

The only head coaching job that former Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino is actively pursuing is UNLV, because he seems to think that job is open.   However, to my knowledge current UNLV head coach Max Good has not been fired or even told that he won't be retained next season.  In other words, like numerous other Division I head coaches, Good is on the bubble.  Win enough games and they'll welcome you back next year with open arms.  Lose too many games and you'll be looking for a job.  It really should be that simply, but Good is in even a tougher spot.  As a matter of fact, if he had to make the choice between himself and Pitino, he'd probably hire Pitino, too.   However, our guess is that Pitino won't be at UNLV next year and, if that's the case, we think they would be smart to keep Good, who has done a tremendous job since taking over for Bill Bayno in December.   We also don't think Pitino will be at UCLA next year, because Steve Lavin has been working his lucky rabbit's foot overtime and, as a result, the Bruins just keep on winning, despite the fact this is a rebuilding year.  We also hear Pitino mentioned prominently for both Kentucky and Michigan, plus Indiana and Louisville could be possibilities.  Remember, University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich may have to find somebody to replace Denny Crum next month and/or he also may also have to hire a coach at IU, if takes the Indiana job.   Whether he could pull that off is anybody's guess, but we do now that Pitino and Jurich have met several times socially during the last year.  But our guess is that Iowa State's Larry Eustachy will be the next head coach at Indiana with or without Jurich as the athletic director.   However, if Jurich knows Eustachy is heading to Bloomington, IN, doesn't that make the IU job that much more advantageous for Jurich, who is Eustachy's best friend?   What really would be interesting is if Jurich fires Crum and then takes the IU job and hires Eustachy.  And if Eustachy leaves Iowa State, could Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd be in line for the Cyclones job?  And this only is the beginning of what promises to be a wild spring in terms of coaching changes.   Remember, Good took over for Bayno at UNLV and Brian Hammel called it quits at Northern Illinois in December.   Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo head coach Jeff Schneider resigned in early January and last week Rhode Island came open when Jerry Degregorio resigned.  It still looks like George Washington head coach Tom Penders is the leading candidate for Rhode Island, but wouldn't it be poetic justice if Good got it?  Remember, Good would love to return to New England.   Also, the perfect candidate for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo job would be Delaware assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer.  Oppenheimer, who is regarded as one of the bright young coaches in the business, was born to coach, as was evident by the way he ran the L.A. Rockfish club team as a player in the mid-80's.  Speaking of Oppenheimer's strong connections to the Rockfish program (he coached the Rockfish in the late 90's), if he were to get the job, we suspect the pipeline of Rockfish players to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo would be just as strong as the existing Rockfish pipeline to the University of California.   If you will recall, Cal currently has five former Rockfish players (Shantay Legans, Solomon Hughes, Brian Wethers, Nick Vander Laan, and Gabriel Hughes) in the program, plus a sixth Rockfish alumnus 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who signed with the Golden Bears last fall, is also on the way.  We also are hearing that Darelle Porter's days are numbered at Duquesne and it is beginning to look like Murry Bartow could be in trouble at UAB.   Hopefully Bartow will get the time he needs to turn things around, but, if he doesn't, Indiana University's Mike Davis would be the perfect person for the job.  And if that happened, the Blazers immediately would become one of the leaders for 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who is ranked as one of the top 10 juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Davis is extremely close to the Moore family.  Also, the possibility exists that Marvin Stone may be transferring from Kentucky this spring and, if Davis is at UAB, you can bet that Stone will look long and hard at the Blazers.   In other words, Davis being at UAB would be Mark Gottfried's and Cliff Ellis' worst nightmare at Alabama and Auburn. 

Purdue, Vanderbilt, N.C. State, and Tennessee all were in attendance on Tuesday night in the game against Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY to see 6'8 Brian Thornton from Louisville (Manual) KY, who is ranked #10 in Kentucky's loaded senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and who is one of the best unsigned big men still available nationally.  Also showing interest in Thornton, who also an outstanding student (3.5 gpa), are UAB and Mississippi.   Thornton scored 25 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in that game on Tuesday night and is averaging 20 ppg and 13 rpg.  However, we still think he needs to get into better shape and consistently play bigger inside in order to eventually make an impact at any of the schools mentioned above.  But that doesn't mean we don't like his skills, talent, and potential.  Also still available to be recruited by Division I schools and ranked among the top 10 seniors in the state once again will be 6'4 Ben Bowling.   Last summer Bowling enrolled at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, but lasted only a short time before transferring to Ft. Lauderdale (Westminster Academy) FL, where he was averaging 18 ppg.  However, he was declared ineligible last week by the Florida High School Activities Association and, as a result, has returned to Hazard (Perry County Central) KY.  Bowling is currently petitioning the KHSAA (Kentucky High School Athletic Association) in attempt to regain eligibility for the remainder of the season and our guess is that he will receive a favorable ruling due to the fact that's his parents live in the school district.  And he couldn't have picked a better time to arrive, because Perry County Central is only 11-10 on the season.  However, with Bowling back, the smart money should be on Perry County Central winning the 14th Region titles for a third consecutive season.  Also of note in the state of Kentucky is the fact that 5'9 Jr Brandon Stockman from Glasgow (H.S.) KY continues to put up prolific numbers.  As a matter of fact, Stockman edges out 6'2 Patrick Sparks from Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY, who is averaging 29.8 ppg, and 6'4 Anthony Johnson from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, who is averaging 28.1 ppg, as the leading scorer in the state with 30.5 ppg.  He also led Glasgow to the boys All "A" Championship last weekend with 28 points in the championship game en route to tournament MVP honors against Somerset (H.S.) KY.  Stockman not only is the #1-ranked junior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, but right now he is the only player in the junior class who has shown any signs of being able to play at the big time college level.   He's super quick, a lights out 3-point shooter, and a terrific ball handler, but he's also really small.  However, that hasn't stopped schools like Kentucky, Auburn, Butler, Cincinnati, Florida, and Mississippi State from showing a lot of interest.   But when this one is all said and done, we'd be real surprised if he doesn't end up at Kentucky.  Apparently he's been a Kentucky fan all his life and he would be the perfect fit at the point guard spot for the Wildcats.  And that's very significant, because a quality point guard who can run the show and make his teammates better is the only current missing piece to the puzzle.  Speaking of the University of Kentucky, we continue to get reports that University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith won't be back next year.  And the way the Wildcats are playing right now, he may be able to command a lot more money, if he takes a NBA job, than he would have been able to get a month or two ago.  We continue to hear Smith mentioned for the Philadelphia 76ers, if Larry Brown retires, and the Charlotte Hornets.  Also is interesting is the fact that the Charlotte Hornets are one of several teams talking about moving their franchise to Louisville, KY and, if that happens, and they hired Tubby, he wouldn't have worry about changing his current residence to coach the team (Lexington is only an hour away from Louisville).  

Thursday, February 15, 2001

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is reporting that Ball State has a committment from 6'1 Johnny Miller from Munice (Central) IN, who is ranked #13 in the state of Indiana by the HOOP SCOOP.  Johnson also has the scoop on 6'3 Jaison Williams, who has recently transferred from Aurora (Hinkley) CO to Columbus (Northland) OH.  Apparently Williams had a dispute with the head coach at Hinkley High School in December and quit the team.   Since that time his parents, both of whom work for the government, moved to Ohio, because they wanted to give their son another shot at playing during his senior year, plus they wanted to be close to where he will be going to college.  If you will recall, last fall Williams signed with Xavier.  Williams only scored seven and 10 points in first two games, but Tuesday night he lived up to his reputation as a borderline top 100 senior nationally when scored 25 points and hit four 3-pointers.  Also missing much of the season has been 6'9 Terence Dials from Youngstown (Boardman) OH, who currently is ranked #78 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Dials missed the first half of the season while recovering from knee surgery, which also sidelined him all last summer, and, then, after playing in only four games was sidelined again with a foot injury.  But in his first game back earlier this week Dials scored 31 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked 11 shots in a loss to Warren (Warren Harding) OH.  This one is particularly interesting, because Johnson thinks that Dials, who is a force inside at 6'9, 250 lbs. is a major steal for Ohio State.  As a result, don't be surprised if he moves up dramatically next time we adjust our national senior rankings in the spring.   Speaking of the Buckeyes, we know that Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi has been spending a lot of time looking at juniors in the state of Indiana and one of their prime targets is 6'9 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  May is a very critical recruit for whoever is the head coach at Indiana University next year, but Iowa, Duke, and North Carolina are also on his list. 

Andy Katz of espn.com is reporting that University of Louisville head coach Denny Crum will be force into a negotiated retirement settlement by athletic director Tom Jurich at the end of the season.  We find this extremely interesting for several reasons.  First, Katz doesn't have the contacts locally to beat everybody in town on a story about Louisville basketball.  As a matter of fact, he doesn't even know how many year's Crum has been the coach at Louisville (this is his 30th year, not his 29th).  Second, we've been talking to a lot of Louisville fans (many of whom are in the know) all week and nobody is confirming that a decision has been made.  As a result, Katz has to be getting this from somebody within the athletic department and our guess is that this is a trail balloon to find out which way the wind is blowing.  If an overwhelming number of people support Crum, which appeared to be what happened earlier tonight on several local call-in shows on WHAS-Radio, then Jurich will probably see the writing on the wall and take the athletic director job at Indiana University (assuming that it is offered).   If most people line up behind Jurich, then our guess is that he will stay at Louisville and fire Crum at the end of the season.  It is our editorial position that whether Crum stays or goes when the season is over is not all that important, as long as the University of Louisville has a strong athletic director, like Jurich.  If Jurich goes to Indiana, he likely will hire Iowa State head coach Larry Eustachy, who has been Jurich's best friend since high school.  As a matter of fact, the newspaper in Ames, IA several days ago had a big story talking about this very possibility.  Also, Jurich has a history of hiring people he has had a prior relationship with during his tenure at Louisville.  And who better to hire than Eustachy, who has established himself as one of the best young head coaches in college basketball?  Jurich also will likely have to hire a football coach next fall, if he is at Indiana, and you can bet that University of Louisville football coach John L. Smith will be at the top of the list.  Interestingly, Eustachy and Smith were the head basketball and head football coaches together at Utah State.  This would be devastating to the University of Louisville, because a new athletic director won't be able to come in and fire Crum, who already has gone public to gather support and even went to far as to state earlier this week that he wants a four-year contract.   Currently the Cardinals are 10-15 on the season and the great recruiting class that Crum has been crying wolf about for several years has yet to materialize.  Sign two quality big guys and Crum should stay, because you won't be able to find a better X's and O's coach.  Also, loyalty and what Crum has done over the last 30 years is important.   But strike on the two big guys and any rational thinking person has to come to the conclusion that it is time for Crum to go.  Unfortunately Crum probably doesn't have until April or May for us to see who he signs.  In other words, Crum needs to have landed those two prize recruits by the last game of the the season, which likely will be in the first or second round of the Conference USA Tournament in early March.  Yes, time is running out.  But even more important, lose Jurich, who for several years now has been expected to hire Eustachy to replace Crum as the basketball coach at Louisville, this spring and Smith next November and it might be time to hold University of Louisville President John Shumaker accountable as well.  Either that or drop the basketball program down to a lower level, like the Sun Belt or the OVC, so that Crum's teams be able to remain competitive the next four years.  That's right!  Without two quality big guys next year who can make an immediate impact next year, it might be that bad!

Wednesday, February 14, 2001

It looks like University of Memphis head coach John Calipari has done it again!   First, last spring the Tigers landed the #1 high school player in the nation in 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ. Then, last fall he signed 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, who is ranked as the #1 junior college player in the nation.  Now, Memphis has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, who is the consensus #1 ranked junior in the nation.  Actually we've been waiting for this to happen ever since MidSouth-Hoops.com reported two weeks ago that Stoudemire was on the verge of making a verbal commitment.  However, the announcement kept getting postponed, because Travis King, who is his AAU coach, first wanted to find out about Stoudemire's high school eligibility status.  Stoudemire has been denied four different appeals for eligibility this season, but Donnie Wilkie, who is the tournament director for the City of Palms Classic, tells us that he expects Stoudemire to be eligible next season.  "He should be fine as long as he's enrolled when the school year begins next fall," says Wilkie. As a matter of fact, Wilkie is putting his money where his mouth is, because he's already invited West Orange to be in his tournament next December.   And that isn't the only team that Wilkie appears to have locked up.  Also expected to be back at what has turned into the premier pre-Christmas Tournament in the nation are Los Angeles (Westchester) CA Louisville (Male) KY, and Lakeland (Kathleen) FL.  Plus, it appears that Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ will be back after a two year absence and we understand that Falls Church (Bishop O'Connell) VA, which is the only team to knock off Westchester so far this year, also already a done deal.  We also know that Wilkie is going afer Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, New York (Rice) NY, and Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  Getting back to Stoudemire, the word is that if he's going to get drafted in the lottery a year from now, he likely will bypass college and go straight to the NBA.  However, this is still huge for Memphis, because it ensures that nobody else in college will get Stoudemire and it builds even more momentum for what promises to be a third consecutive great recruiting class.  If you will recall, last June the Tigers finished with the #16-ranked recruiting class nationally after they signed 6'7 John Grice from Shelby State (JC) TN, 6'9 Modibo Diarra from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Scooter McFadgon from Memphis (Raleigh-Egpyt) TN, 6'5 Lou Wright from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN, and 6'7 Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  They also currently have the #1-ranked class with Wagner, Massey, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL.  Stoudemire picks Memphis over Georgetown and South Florida, which is where he recently made an unofficial visit, along with 6'8 Jr Yusuf Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, who is ranked #38 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP.   Speaking of Baker, who is out for the season with a torn ACL, we would surprised if South Florida doesn't get this one done sooner than later.  And if it happens, just remember where you heard it first!

Just as interesting as the games at the Prime Time Shootout on Sunday in Trenton, NJ was the big battle that is being waged for teams between NIKE and Slam Dunk to the Beach.  Reliable sources tell us that NIKE has already invited Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Louisville (Ballard) KY, Louisville (Male) KY, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Midwest City (H.S.) OK, New York (Rice) NY, and Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to a new NIKE-sponsored tournament that will be held in Lexington, KY in conjunction with the Fifth-Third Bank Holiday Classic after Christmas. The problem is that Bobby Jacobs, who is the Executive Director of Slam Dunk to the Beach, already thought Westchester, St. Patrick, Midwest City, and Rice were all locked up for his tournament.   Apparently he doesn't have any signed contracts, but according to Jacobs, their word should be enough.  And he still may get Rice, because the principal of the school apparently feels like loyalty and keeping one's word are important.  However, one has to remember that NIKE pays each of these teams a lot of money in sponsorship and, as a result, when NIKE says jump, that is exactly what they expect their people to do.   But Jacobs also makes a good point when he says NIKE should make it apart of their contract if they're going expect teams they sponsor to play in their tournament.   Jacobs hasn't given up on getting the other three teams in question yet, but when you're going head-to-head against a multi-national company that is worth billions of dollars, he's probably fighting an uphill battle.  And our buddy John Rhodes, who runs the Beach Ball Classic, knows exactly how Jacobs feels.  As a matter of fact, Slam Dunk to the Beach replaced the Beach Ball Classic three years ago as the premier holiday tournament in the nation.  And the primary reason is that Jacobs had a bigger budget, plus Eddie Oliver, who was the former executive director of the Beach Ball Classic, was helping Jacobs get teams.  But Rhodes, who himself has lost Oak Hill and Male to the new NIKE event, was just taking it all in stride.  He also promised that 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, who is #1-ranked pure point guard in the junior class nationally after he singlehandedly was responsible for his team's upset of Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD in this year's Beach Ball Classic, will be the cornerstone of his tournament again next year.  If you will recall, Felton has been rumored to be going to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  

Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Several weeks ago when we heard that University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich was a candidate for the same position at Indiana University, we didn't put a lot of stock into the rumor for several reasons.  First, Jurich, who currently is just beginning his second year of a 13-year multi-million dollar long-term contract, appeared to be locked in as athletic director at Louisville for a long time.  Second, Louisville is a great city in which to live, the people are friendly, and it's a great college sports town.  As a result, Jurich appeared to have a strong desire to continue to make the city of Louisville his home.  Third, he's accomplished big things during his four years as athletic director at Louisville, including hiring a football coach in John L. Smith, who has taken a program that was 1-10 the year before he arrived and turned it into a national power, and upgrading all the non-revenue and women's sports.  All that was left to do was get the basketball prorgram back on track, which brings us to the real point of this discussion.  Publicly it is obvious that there is no love lost between Jurich and head basketball coach Denny Crum.  As a matter of fact, they couldn't be much further apart.  Crum, who has won two NCAA Championships, been to six NCAA Final Fours, and is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, is currently trying to hang on for dear life.  Right now Louisville is 9-15.  And that includes a loss at home on Sunday night to UNC-Charlotte, 106-72, which means the Cardinals have lost a record six times at home this year by over 20 points. They also have lost a total of eight games at home, which also is a record in a single season.  As a result, even many of Crum's most diehard supporters now believe the time has come for a change.   Jurich says he will evaluate the situation at the end of the year, but right now is making no promises.  However, privately there appears to be a major power struggle going on behind the scenes and the stakes are extremely high.  If Crum wins, the university will likely lose one of the best athletic directors in the nation.  And if that happens, Jurich probably will take both Smith and Iowa State head coach Larry Eustacy, who was expected to be Crum's replacement at Louisville (Eustacy and Jurich have been close friends since childhood) with him.  Remember, Indiana likely will have to hire both a football coach to replace Cam Cameron a year from now and a basketball coach to replace Mike Davis this spring.   If Jurich wins, he will likely stay, but you can almost bet this will be Crum's last year.  University of Louisville President John Shumaker met with Jurich on Monday and has made it clear that he backs the athletic director 100%.   However, several sources in the know tell us that the final say regarding Crum's future does not rest with Jurich or Shumaker.  Instead, the board of trustees will make the final decision and the word is they're split right down the middle.  Also, the Conference USA Tournament, which is less than a month away, promises to be a financial disaster.  Not only are all of the teams with strong fan-bases, like Cincinnati, Memphis, and Louisville, down this year, but Louisville has a half-million dollar guarantee to the conference that must be honored whether they sell any tickets or not  (at last report, Louisville was still 6,500 tickets away from the break even point).  Louisville does have a $30 million athletic surplus, but an alarming number of long time season ticket holders are talking about giving up their tickets next winter, if Crum returns as the coach.  Also, the Cardinals only have five home football games, instead of seven, like they've had the last two seasons.  And all this comes on the heels of the fact that the athletic department had a shortfall of $2.5 million last year due mainly to apathy towards the pathetic state of the basketball program.  Your guess is as good as mine as to how all this is going to play out.  However, one things is for sure, a strong athletic director, like Jurich, is a lot more important to the future of the University of Louisville, than a lame duck Hall of Fame basketball coach, like Crum, who now has a losing record during the last four seasons.

Monday, February 12, 2001

No surprise, but it became official today when Jerry Degregorio resigned as the head coach at the University of Rhode Island.   Degregorio, whose main claim to fame was that he was the person most responsible for bringing stability into the equation former Rams star Lamar Odom.   Degregorio was Odom's high school coach at New Britain (St. Thomas Aquinas) CT during the later part of Odom's senior year and, as a result, became part of the package at Rhode Island after Odom was not accepted into school at UNLV.  Degregorio was named the head coach at Rhode Island when Jim Harrick left for the University of Georgia two years ago.  Hiring Degregorio at the time seemed like the right move, because it appeared that Odom would be more likely to stay another year at Rhode Island, if his mentor (Degregorio) became the head coach.  However, Odom declared hardship anyway and the Rams program has been falling apart ever sense (last year Rhode Island was 5-25 overall and 2-14 conference record and this year hasn't been any better, as the Rams are currently 5-19 overall and 1-10  in the Atlantic-10).  Degregorio is a great guy, but it was obvious right away that he was in over his head and his resignation probably comes a year too late.  But don't feel too bad for Degregorio, because he is expected to do go back to doing what he does best - babysitting Odom.  Also don't worry about Rhode Island, which has a tradition of being one of the top overachievers among programs at their level, because the list of candidates for the job already is impressive.  We talking about George Washington head coach Tom Penders, who got it done big the first time he was at Rhode Island; UNLV head coach Max Good, who would love to return to New England; Boston College assistant coach Tim O'Shea, who played a major role building the program at Rhode Island during the Al Skinner days; and University of Maine head coach John Giannini.  We also have heard that Good would be in line for the Maine job, if Giannini goes to Rhode Island.  But we don't believe it, because Good always said that he had the best basketball job in the state of Maine when he was the head coach at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.   Also, although Giannini has done an excellent job in his current position, going to the University of Maine would be a major step down for Good, who has been a big time head coach at both MCI and UNLV. 

The big story at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ over the weekend was the performance by 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked as the #1 senior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, in the 4th quarter of the game against Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY on Saturday night.  Wagner only shot 6-23 for the game en route to 39 points, but in the 4th quarter he once again showed he that he is a cut above the rest.  Not only did he bring Camden back from a double digit deficit, as he hit 6-8 field goals, but he also scored 17 points, including the last eight points of the game, as Camden beat St. Raymond's 68-64.  As a matter of fact, Camden never led until the final minute of the game and it was Wagner who hit four clutch free throws to put the game on ice.  However, by Wagner's standards this weekend was a bust, because he also shot poorly on Sunday against Chester (H.S.) PA, as he hit only 12-30 field goals and had 33 points.  In other words, Wagner scored 72 points in two games, but he didn't even get MVP honors for his team in the game Sunday night against Chester.  Instead, that honor went to 6'9 Jr Eric Davis from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who had 16 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, and is vastly improved over when we saw him last fall.  And if that weren't enough help for Wagner 6'5 James Pulliam also chipped in with 14 points and 13 rebounds against Chester.  The other big story of the weekend was the surprising 23-point, 30-rebound, and seven-blocked shot performance by 6'10 Marcus Gantt from Camden (Woodrow Wilson) NJ against Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ on Saturday afternoon.  Previously Gantt had never lived up to his potential and, as a result, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin had Gantt ranked #19 in the area.  However, if he continues to play like this, he'll have to move into the top five behind Wagner, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, and 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA.  In other words, La Salle, which signed Gantt early, may have a potential star on its hands.  However, Gantt wasn't the only one who came up big in the noon game on Saturday, as 6'5 Greg Kuchinski from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ set the all-time tournament single game scoring record with 48 points, most of which came from mid-range and in.  And it took four overtimes before this one was decided, as Woodrow Wilson emereged the winner 85-83.  In another thriller on Friday night Compton (Dominguez) CA beat Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 43-41, and the big difference in the game was the dominance inside by 7'0 Tyson Chandler, who had 14 points, nine rebounds, nine blocks, and seven turnovers.  He also shut down 6'8 Marcus Austin and 6'11 Soph Grant Billmeier, who combined for only four points.  As a matter of fact. the entire team only connected on 2-23 field goals from within the paint.  Rubin and our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz both attended all of the games Friday night and all day Saturday and Sunday and here is how they rank the players in the tournament based on performance:  1) Wagner, 2) Gantt, 3) Kuchinski, 4) Chandler, 5) 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6) 5'11 Soph Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA, 7) Davis, 8) 6'1 Mike Slattery from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 9) Julius Hodge from Bronx (St.  Raymond's) NY, 10) 6'6 Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 11) 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St.  Raymond's) NY, 12) 6'5 Tim Begley from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, 13) 6'5 Jr Eric Hazard from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, 14) 6'7 Olu Babolola from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 15) 5'8 Cantrell Fletcher from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 16) Michael Cuffee from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 17) 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 18) 6'1 Soph Mike Nardi from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 19) 6'1 Naeem Scott from Chester (H.S.) PA, 20) 6'9 John Paul Kobryn from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 21) 6'5 Jr Mike Blackshear from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 22) John Huggins from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 23) 6'6 Tamal Forchion from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 24) 7'2 Soph Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 25) 6'1 Jr Whit Holcomb-Faye from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, 26) 6'6 Brian Tomko from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 27) 6'6 Jose Gonzalez from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 28) 6'5 Zach Martin from Medford (Shawnee) NJ, 29) 6'2 Robert Taylor from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, and 30) 6'1 Soph Marques Alston from Neptune (H.S.) NJ.  Especially noteworthy was the performance by Alleyne on the final day when he scored 16 points and showed that he can dunk the basketball without ever leaving his feet.  Yes, his arms are that long and, as Donnie Wilkie, who is the tournament director for the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, pointed out, Alleyne may be the player who makes the rules committee eventually raise the height of the rim. 

Saturday, February 10, 2001 and Sunday, February 11, 2001

One of our favorite events of the entire year is the 2001 National Prep School Invitational, which was held at Worcester Academy in Worcester, MA this weekend, and, as usual, we've added a number of new names to our list.   However, the biggest story has to be the emergence of 6'11 Jr Sani Ibraham from Winchendon (School) MA into one of the top five juniors nationally.  Sure, we liked him a lot last summer at the adidas ABCD Camp, where he finished ranked as the #2 big man in camp and outshined all the overhyped big men in the senior class nationally, like 6'11 Eddy Curry from Thornwood (South Holland) IL and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA.  But now he's taken his game to another level.  He's extremely long, agile, and athletic for somebody his size.  So it is no surprise that he's a great shot blocker and excellent rebounder, but it is somewhat of a surprise that he's so skilled and so fluid offensively.   Also setting Ibraham apart from Curry, Brown, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA et al. is that he's both a warrior, which is evident by how hard he plays, and a winner (his team usually wins).  As a result, we are now convinced that there are at least three players - Ibraham, 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, and 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC - in the junior class nationally who are better than any of the so-called "great" big guys in the senior class nationally.  Part of Ibraham's toughness comes naturally, but we also have to give Wallace Prather, who is his AAU coach for the Atlanta Celtics, and Mike Byrnes, who is the coach at Winchendon, some credit as well, because, in both cases he's been well coached and hasn't been spoiled and pampered like many of the players we see in this day and age.   As a matter of fact, all of Winchendon's players play hard.  And except for Ibraham, they all seem to be getting underrecruited.  The two best examples are 6'3 Dustin Hellenga and 6'6 Demario Eddins, both of whom project at the mid-to-high major level.  Hellenga, whose list currently includes Marquette, UNC-Charlotte, James Madison, George Mason, La Salle, and Delaware, is an aggressive athletic hardnosed white kid who loves to take it to the hole and play with reckless abandon.  Eddins is a multi-dimensional big-time athlete who does everything, except look for the outside shot.  But that will change once they correct his vision problems.  However, he still hit one three and scored 24 points in the semi-finals on Saturday night in Winchendon's 78-55 victory over New Hampton (Prep) NH.  Eddins rebounds extremely well for his size, is an excellent passer, and is almost unstoppable going to the hole, because he's so natural talented and athletic.  As a matter of fact, one scout was heard calling him a smaller version of Scottie Pippen.   La Salle, Nebraska, and Colorado are among those who have shown token interest, but right now the only serious contender appears to be Delaware and they may get this one done sooner than later (he's supposed to make an official visit to Newark, DE within the next week and, then, likely will verbally commit).  A much improved 6'11 Darius Manciel, who has re-signed with Texas Christian, complements Ibraham inside and 5'11 Morris Hall, who is a great defender and solid playmaker, filled the void created when 6'0 Jeremiah King, who is transferring to Philadelphia (Christian) PA, recently grew homestick and left school.  Other Winchendon players who have to be mentioned are 6'1 Tim Stevens, who is a solid combo guard for the mid-to-low majors, 5'11 Jr Andres Sandoval, who is a terrific athlete with lots of potential, and 6'7 Jr Emmanuel Messy, whose biggest problem is getting enough playing time.  Normally prep schools have a new cast of characters every year, but we expect Winchendon to be even better next year, because Ibraham, Sandoval, Messy, and 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland should provide a great nucleus to build around.  That's right!  Word on the street is that Strickland,  who transferred to Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD last summer, but is now at a small school in central Maryland, will be back at Winchendon next year.  Strickland is an outstanding student, but he was held back at a younger age, so he will be a 5th year player next year.  He was a much better fit at Winchendon a year ago than he's been at either school he's attended this year.  We left this morning to go to the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ, so we don't know who won the tournament, but last night Milford (Academy) CT beat an undermanned Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT team, 74-59, in the other semi-finals game even without 6'10 Deng Gang.  Instead, the players who really impressed us for Milford were 6'1 Eric Ferguson, who finished with 22 points and has to be one of the best unsigned point guard still available, St. John's bound 6'6 Eric King, who scored 15 points, and 6'6 Derek Bell, who had 16 points.  St. Thomas More's problems appeared to be lack of depth (they only had seven players) and 6'9 Julian Sensley didn't live up to expectations (he scored only 21 points in two games).  However, we were impressed with 6'0 Solomon Brown, 6'7 Rob Sanders, and 6'6 Kareem Grant.  Brown and Grant, each of whom had four 3-pointers, combined for 40 points, but Sanders, who finished with 29 points, was his team's leading scorer in St. Thomas More's opening round against Creedmoor (Christian Faith Center) NC.  Grant also hit three 3-pointers and scored 19 points against Milford, which leads us to believe that he's one of the best 3-point shooters available.  Another player who just gets better and better is 6'8 Brandon Robinson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.   He blocks shots, controls the boards, and dunks in your face.  But down the road he projects as a wing forward, because he also has the skills to play away from the basket.  And the fact that he has qualified academically within the last week is just an added bonus for Auburn, which is where he signed a year ago.  We also were impressed with outside shooting of 6'4 Jual Wiggin, who hit three 3-pointers in a row in Notre Dame's 95-66 win against Troy (Redemption) NY.  As a result, we think he's a steal of Rutgers.  Also playing well for Notre Dame Prep was Pittsburgh-bound 6'0 Carl Krauser, who finished with 17 points.   Another key for Notre Dame is their balance and depth, because 6'5 Germain Fitch, 5'10 Mike Cleaves, 5'10 Charles Ford, 6'9 Stefan Jabikiowicz, and 6'9 Mauricio Branwell all can play.  Branwell is already off the board, because he signed early with Massachusetts.  Jabikiowicz is a project, but Central Florida, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Hartford have varying degrees of interest.  Ford will likely commit to Hartford, which will be an absolute steal.  Cleaves likes La Salle, Bowling Green, Duquesne, Manhattan, and Rhode Island.  Bowling Green, Drake, Southeast Missouri, Rhode Island, and UAB all have interest in Fitch.  New Hampton Prep's best player is 6'3 Jr Rashad McCants, who finished with 22 points against Worcester (Academy) MA on the first night and 12 points against Winchendon on the second night.  At this level McCants is like a man among boys physically and, as a result, he uses his quickness and athleticism to score at will inside.  However, we question whether he has the shooter's mentality to be a great wing player at the next level.   Also, his top 10 national ranking in the junior class by some of our competitors and all the comparisons to Jerry Stackhouse are a little ridiculous, because he doesn't play with that type of intensity nor is he as naturally talented.   As a result, we think his current ranking at #34 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is extremely fair.  We also were impressed again with 6'3 Jermaine Watson from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who finished with 23 points, but a little disappointed with 6'10 Jr Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who had 17 points, but didn't play very hard.  Instead, we thought 6'9 Jr Akim Akagbala from Greenwich (Brunswick) CT, who finished with 12 points and impressed with his shot blocking, rebounding, and vast potential, was the better prospect when they went head-to-head on Saturday afternoon.  We could go on and on, but the last thing we'll mention is how good Barrington (St. Andrews) RI is going to be in the future.   St. Andrews' two leading scorers in their 75-52 win against Springfield (McDuffie) MA were 6'3 David Constantino and 6'5 Demetrius Dejesus with 14 points apiece, but the rest of their key players - 6'7 Soph Demetris Nichols, 6'3 Soph Abdi Lidonde, 5'11 Frosh Emery Outland, 6'5 Frosh Lamar Barrett, and 6'1 Frosh Jordan Knickerbocker - are all freshmen and sophomores.   The all are good, but Nichols must be ranked among the top 10-15 sophomores in the nation, because he's so naturally talanted and athletic.

Thursday, February 8, 2001, and Friday, February 9, 2001

I am combining yesterday and today, because during the last 24 hours, I've done nothing but travel, sleep, and be in the gym at the 28th Annual Saint James Invitational Tournament in Saint James, MD.  Especially impressive was the 28-point second by 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  Apparently Hargett started off slow, as he only had five points in the first  But when we arrived late in the third quarter, it was bang, bang, bang from beyond the arc, as Hargett hit three of his five 3-pointers in a hurry.  And really that was the big difference in the game as National Christian opened up a 10 point-lead against Notre Dame and coasted to a 81-69 victory.  Also playing well was 6'0 Jr Todd Galloway, who led Notre Dame with 29 points and four 3-pointers.  He was complemented by 5'11 David Carter, 6'6 Soph Marcus Sikes, and 6'3 Jr Christian Siris, all of whom had 10 points apieice.  6'7 Glean Eddy chipped in with 14 points for National Christian, but what makes this team intriguing is the potential of its juniors - 6'4 Jr Charlie Bell had 13 points, 6'0 Jr Brandon Mormon had 12 points, and 6'11 Jr Jabbar Young and 6'8 Jr Emanuel Witherspoon both have enough size, athleticism, and mobility to make them worth keeping an eye on.  Georgetown-bound 6'0 Tony Bethel and N.C. State-signee 6'8 Levi Watkins combined for 41 points to lead Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD past Frederick (St. John's at Prospect Hall) MD, 59