HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR FEBRUARY 2005

Monday, February 28, 2005

It appears that the John Chaney feeding frenzy in the media probably won't stop until it finally costs him his job.  Yes, he did sent one of his players (Nehemiah Ingram) into the game against St. Joseph's last week to play the role of a goon and, as a result, 6'7 Sr John Bryant not only will be out the rest of the season with a broken arm, but he also has played in the final game of his college career.  However, first a one game suspension, then a three game suspension, and now a three game suspension, plus the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament, still doesn't appear to be enough for those people who are calling for Chaney's head.  But, as I see it, there is plenty of blame to go around.  First, I blame the officials for not calling the illegal screens, which allowed the game to get out of control in the first place.  Second, I blame Ingram for breaking Bryant's arm.  Remember, you do have to take responsibility for your own actions.  In other words, unless Chaney specifically told  Ingram to go into the game and break his arm, the incident itself is really just an unfortunate accident.  Third, I blame Chaney more for admitting what he did and not realizing the consequences of his actions than actually sending the player into the game to rough up the other team.  Fourth, I blame the thug-like mentality of the NBA that has trickled down into the college and even high school game.  Yes, it's easy to blame John Chaney, but, unfortunately this is what the game has deteriorated into and the problems are much greater than just one isolated incident.  It's kind of like allowing everybody to drive a 100 miles an hour, causing an injury accident, and then admitting that he was driving too fast.  Sure, it's important to hold the person responsible, but, at the same time, also correct the problem (i.e. lower the speed limit).  In other words, the NCAA and the NBA needs to send a much stronger message that the violent behavior that has become all too common in both the game of basketball and our society in general is totally unacceptable.  However, when NBA players go after fans in the stands, they get suspensions, instead, of being thrown out of the league forever.  As for Chaney, let nature take it's course.  He is a good guy and, as a result, you can bet that he feels worse about this than anybody else does.  There is no need to suspend or fire him, because no self respecting parent is going to allow their son to go to a school to play for a coach who admits to the use of goons in a basketball game.  So, for all practical purposes, Chaney is done regardless of whether he quits, gets fired, or tries to stick it out for another year or two, because you can bet that opposing coaches will point this fact out on the recruiting trail quicker than their team can get out on the fast break.   And that's the biggest tragedy of all, because Chaney has always been one of college basketball's best coaches, best teachers, and best role models.  We also find it interesting that some people think that 10 conference wins is the magic number for Indiana University, which currently is 14-11 overall and 9-5 in the league with two regular season games remaining at Wisconsin and at home against Northwestern, in order to make the NCAA Tournament.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I read that no team in a major conference has ever been denied an at-large bid with 10 or more conference wins.  However, even, if the Hoosiers win their final two remaining regular season games and finish with an 11-5 league record, history says that they will need to win at least another game or two in the Big-10 Conference Tournament in order to ensure themselves a spot in this year's NCAA field.  Did you know that only won team in the last 15 years (Georgia with a 16-14 record) has received an at-large bid with less than 17 wins?  And only four teams (Alabama a year ago with 17-12 record, Alabama two years ago with 17-11 record, Cincinnati two years ago with a 17-11 record, and Wisconsin three years ago with a 17-12 record) have received at large-bids in the last three years with as few as 17 wins.  But it does get a little big better for teams with 18 and 19 wins, as North Carolina with an 18-10 record, Michigan State with an 18-11 record, Wake Forest with a 19-9 record, Washington with 19-11 record, and Maryland with 19-11 record a year ago; Purdue with an 18-10 record, N.C. State with an 18-12 record, Auburn with a 19-11 record, Arizona State with a 19-11 record, and Michigan State with 19-12 record two years ago; and Charlotte with an 18-11 record, Kentucky with a 19-9 record, Stanford with a 19-9 record, Mississippi with a 19-10 record, Michigan State with a 19-11 record, UCLA with a 19-11 record, and Indiana with a 19-11 record three years; have got invited to the NCAA Tournament.  However, regardless of what happens, we have to give IU head coach Mike Davis and his staff a lot of credit for continuing to make things interesting.  If you will recall, we thought Indiana was done when they lost 70-65 at Minnesota on January 26th.  But they have 5-3 record since that game and earned new national respect with their big win yesterday against Michigan State.  We also are impressed by the job that John Beilein has done during the last month at West Virginia.  Remember, five weeks ago we thought the Mountaineers' coaching staff was on the fast track to get fired this year, after starting the season 10-0, but then losing five of their next six games.  However, since that time they have gone 7-2 and knocked off Pittsburgh not once, but twice.  They also should win their final two games of the regular season against Rutgers and Seton Hall and have a 20-8 overall and a 10-7 conference record heading into the Big-East Tournament.  And, unless something unforeseen happens, that should be enough to get the Mountaineers a bid into the NCAA Tournament, because the other two teams (Georgetown and Notre Dame) that are knocking on the door as the sixth team from the Big East are not playing as well right now and probably won't win 20 games.  Did you know that the Hoyas, which are currently 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the league, have lost three in a row and still have to play at Connecticut and at home against Providence, and the Irish, which also are 16-9 overall and 8-6 in the league, have lost three of their last five and still have to play at home against Rutgers and Pittsburgh?  We also think that LSU, which not only is 17-8 overall and 10-4 in the league, but has won their last four against Mississippi State, Florida, Alabama, and Auburn, has ensured itself a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but it looks like Memphis (16-12 overall and 9-5 in the league) is back on the bubble, after a pair of losses last week to Charlotte and Louisville.  However, if the Tigers can win at Saint Louis and knock off Cincinnati later this week and then win a couple of games in the Conference USA Tournament, which will be played in Memphis, TN, then this is not a team that you will want to have to face early in the NCAA Tournament.  And a team that you may not want to have to face late in the NCAA Tournament is Connecticut.  Currently the Huskies are 19-6 overall and 11-3 in the league with games left at home against Georgetown and Syracuse.  Not only is Connecticut very comparable at this point in the season to last year's team, which was 27-6 and 12-4 heading into the NCAA Tournament, but nobody in college basketball has better talent, a deeper bench, and is more battle tested.   The Huskies did lose early to Massachusetts, but since that time their other losses have come against Boston College, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and North Carolina.  They've also beaten Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh and now are getting excellent point guard play out of 6'2 Soph Marcus Williams.  As a matter of fact, Connecticut, which is ranked #16 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Poll, might be the most underrated team in college basketball right now. 

Sunday, February 27, 2005

It stands to reason that the younger the age group, the more margin there is for error.  Remember, some players mature early, others don't grow or develop physically, and still others get sidetracked by things like drugs, girls, and gangs.  I mention this, because, unlike with our rankings the top 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders, many of whom we saw last summer at the adidas Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA and last weekend in Portland, OR, I have not personally seen most of the players play on our List of the Top 100 Players in the Class of 2012 (5th Graders), which we published earlier today.  I have seen 5'7 Jaren Reese form Bryan, TX, 5'0 Max Guercy from Arleta, CA, and 5'0 Tyler Lewis from Charlotte, NC, who are three of our top five-ranked players in this age group, but, otherwise, I am almost totally dependent upon people who coach and see players at this age level.  And my best source is Tim Miller, who not only runs the Team TG adidas Express AAU program, but also has guided his team to the AAU National Championship two years ago in the 11-Under Division and last summer in the 12-Under Division.  And, if Miller is as accurate with helping us with these rankings as he's been in the past, then we've published a heck of a list right on the heels of our Ranking of the Top 150 Players in the Class of 2011, which we published yesterday.  And, when you add this to our Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players for the Class of 2005, which was published on February 9th; our Ranking of the 625 Top Players in the Class of 2005 (Seniors), which was published on September 7th; our Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (Juniors), which was published n September 20th; our Ranking of the Top 460 Players in the Class of 2007 (Sophomores), which as published on January 21st; our Ranking of the Top 260 Players in the Class of 2008 (Freshmen), which was published on January 27th; our Ranking of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders), which was published on October 10th; and our Ranking of the Top 225 Players in the Class of 2010 (7th Graders), which was published on January 13th; we now have a grand total of 2,670 names ranked in order within their respective classes.  And, if that weren't enough, we've also gone one step further with our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams, which was published on December 31st and provides our ranking of the top 60 players nationally regardless of class and position.  However, player ranking change all of the time and a perfect example of this is 6'6 Karon Johnson, who was at Richmond (St. Joseph Villa) VA, but now is at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  We mention this, because last night our good friend Tony Squire called me to tell me what his next superstar did on Friday night against Raleigh (Word of God) NC and yesterday evening against Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC.  Yes, we're talking about an 8th Grader, who, when matched up against Boston College-bound 6'8 Evan Neislor from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, had 15 points, nine rebounds, three blocked shots, and two dunks.  And, then he followed it up the next day with a performance that included 21 points, eight rebounds, two blocked shots, a pair of 3-pointers, six assists, and two dunks.  Now, we're not ready to proclaim that Johnson, who also got it done against older players when he played up in the NCAA Division at Five-Star's Hampden-Sydney session last summer and scored 11 points in only 11 minutes in the all-star game, is the best 8th Grader in the nation.  However, when you consider that he's getting it done against players who are four years older and a lot more mature, it might be a good time for the top players in the Class of 2009, like 6'3 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle) CA, 6'3 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (I.S. #96) NY, 6'4 LeShon Edwards from Baltimore, MD, and 5'9 G.J. Vilarino from Phoenix, AZ, to stand up and take notice.  Moral to the story, you're only as good as your last game, there is always somebody just as good as you are coming along to take your place, and the only thing that's harder than getting to the top is staying there. 

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Normally I don't like ties, but the race really is too close to call among 5'10 Matt Carlino from Tempe, AZ, 5'11 Trevor Lacey from Huntsville, AL, and 5'8 Austin Rivers from Winter Park, FL for the top spot in our Ranking of the Top 150 Players in the Class of 2011.  If you will recall, Carlino was the best player in his age group both last summer at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA and last weekend at the President's Day All-American Tournament in Portland, OR.  Rivers not only has his father's (Glenn "Doc" Rivers) incredible point guard mentality, savvy, and understanding of the game, but he ready is so good that some people in Florida think he's the best prospect in the state regardless of class right now.  And our Alabama Editor Mark Komara tells us that Lacey is the best player he's ever had in his program, which is saying a lot, because Marvin Stone was sensational as a sophomore and junior in high school.  "Lacey's like a 6th Grade Magic Johnson with his size, tremendous wing span, ability to see the floor, and incredible passing ability," says Komara.  "And Lacey's only just beginning to scratch the surface, he's going to continue grow, comes from a great basketball family, and is mature enough that he could play on my 9th Grade Team if I needed him (Komara plans to play Lacey on his 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Teams, but does not plan to play him three grades up unless something unforeseen happens)."  We also think 5'6 Jamal Branch from Kansas City, MO and 5'1 Tavon Sledge from Spring Valley, NY, who are the #4 and #5-ranked players in the 6th Grade nationally, are good enough to get serious consideration for top player honors in the class.  Branch, isn't as physically impressive as Carlino and Rivers, but he is a very fluid athlete and is a tremendous scorer.  Sledge has such a great understanding of the game and is so good at making those around him better that he was the only player on Team Next's 12-Under Team who received a lot playing time when he played up and helped their 13-Under Team win the Championship last weekend in Portland, OR.  And 5'1 Stevie Taylor from Gahanna, OH, 5'7 Shaquille Stokes from New York, NY, 6'3 Brian Stolaz from Munster, IN, 5'7 Quantrell Williams from Charlotte, NC, 5'11 Alex Varner from Rialto, CA, 5'0 Jevon Lyle from Kansas City, MO, 6'0 Jordan Gary from Ft. Worth, TX, 5'9 Corey Edwards from Queens, NY, 5'1 Sterling Gibbs from Queens, NY, 5'4 George Marshall from Scotch Plains, NJ, 5'10 Justin Terrell from Dallas, TX, 6'3 Chandler Thomas from Indianapolis, IN, 5'0 Juwan Moody from Auburn Hills, MI, 5'10 Diami Gilmore from Rock Hill, SC, and 5'0 Alvin Boutte from Indianapolis, IN, who round out our list of the Top 20 ranked 6th Graders, are also almost interchangeable.  Yes, it really is that close when you start talking about the Top Players in the Class of 2011.  But, like I always say, we've got six years to get it right.  In other words, this is a great starting point, but, in the grand scheme of things (i.e whether a player gets a college scholarship, makes the McDonald's All-American Team, or plays in the NBA), where a player is ranked in the 6th Grade is meaningless.  We also find it interesting that both Indiana and New York City have three players ranked among the top 20 and Missouri has three players ranked the top 30 players in the class.  However, in terms of overall depth, the big winner is Texas, which, believe it or not, has 23 players - 6'0 Jordan Gray from Ft. Worth, TX, 5'10 Justin Terrell from Dallas, TX, 5'4 Oscar Lewis from De Soto, TX, 5'3 Keyan Anderson from Ft. Worth, TX, 5'1 Charles Bennett from Houston, TX, 5'5 Shai Fields from Galveston, TX, 5'5 Cameron Linzy from Duncanville, TX, 4'11 Dion Houston from Dallas, TX, 5'7 Sheldon McClellan from Houston, TX, 5'0 Trey Davis from Cedar Hill, TX, 5'0 Curtis Davis from De Soto, TX, Wesley Davis from Mansfield, TX, 5'5 Driphus Jackson from Cedar Hill, TX, 5'8 Zach Peters from Plano, TX, 5'11 Marcus Hutchinson from De Soto, TX, 5'7 LeRoy Taylor from Houston, TX, 5'10 Justin Booker from Houston, TX, 5'5 Chris Campbell from Helotes, TX, 5'1 Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, 5'3 Junior Mitchell from Houston, TX, 5'11 Kyen Hall from Cedar Hill, TX, 5'0 Lemarcus Mathis from Dallas, TX, and 5'9 Joe Guerra from Flower Mound, TX - ranked among the 150 top players in the class.  Obviously compiling a national list of players this young of this magnitude is amazing in it's our right.  However, when one also remembers that we published an updated Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players for the Class of 2005 on February 9th, our Ranking of the 625 Top Players in the Class of 2005 (Seniors) on September 7th, our Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (Juniors) on September 20th, our Ranking of the Top 460 Players in the Class of 2007 (Sophomores) on January 21st, our Ranking of the Top 260 Players in the Class of 2008 (Freshmen) on January 27th, our Ranking of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders) on October 10th, our Ranking of the Top 225 Players in the Class of 2010 (7th Graders) on January 13th, and our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game on two days ago, it's easy to see why we're so far out in front of all of our competition.  And, with this in mind, I now can turn my focus onto publishing our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2012 (5th Graders), which will be limited to no more than 100 names, by tomorrow night or Monday. 

Friday, February 25, 2005

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has verbally committed to Villanova and this is big for the Wildcats for a number reasons.  First, Benn is an excellent player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #33 on our list of 5th Year Players and was the fourth highest ranked 5th Year player still available, behind 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  Second, Benn is versatile and athletic enough to play three different positions, as he thrives in an up tempo setting, is an excellent defender, good scorer, although he's more of a slasher than a shooter, good ball handler and passer, and has a good enough understanding of the game to play point guard in a pinch.  Third, Benn is a city kid, which is important, because in the past the Wildcats have had a hard time keeping the top local players home.  Fourth, Benn is a good friend and former high school and club teammate of 5'11 Frosh Kyle Lowry, which is always good from a chemistry standpoint.  Fifth, the addition of Benn moves Villanova's recruiting class up into at tie at #65, along with Illinois State and Utah, on our list Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, the addition of Benn gives Villanova not one, not two, but three players who probably didn't receive the notoriety and respect that maybe they should have gotten at the high school level and, as a result, have something to prove at the college level.  Obviously we're talking about Benn, 6'5 Dwayne Anderson from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 6'8 Dante Cunningham from Oxon Hill (Potomac) MD, plus they also landed 6'9 Frank Tchuisi from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who was ranked high when he was younger, but didn't develop they way we expected and, as a result, now is regarded as a project.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that 6'4 Nathan Skinner from Toronto (West Hill) ON, who attended Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY a year ago, but was unable to play due to visa restrictions and is now back in Canada finishing his career at Scarborough (West Hill) ON, has verbally committed to the University of Iowa.  Skinner, who picked the Hawkeyes over Wisconsin, Washington State, Indiana, and Florida State, is the big time athlete and prolific scorer that the Iowa was looking for to complement 6'10 Kurt Looby from Tyler (JC) IA and 6'2 Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL in their current recruiting class, which is now tied at #80, along with Michigan and South Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  It also appears that Clemson has gotten an early verbally commitment 6'6 Jr David Potter from Laurel (H.S.) MD via Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  No, Potter was not ranked among on list of the top juniors in the state, which we published a-week-and-ah-half ago.  But there are people out there who think he that this talented athletic scoring wing forward has the potential to develop into the next Eddie Basden.  And, if they're right, that would be ironic, because Clemson assistant coach Kevin Nickleberry also was the guy who signed Basden four years ago when he was at UNC-Charlotte.  Potter does still needs to improve his outside shooting, but he's tough to stop in transition, knows how to play the game, and is an excellent defender, which is why schools like Charlotte, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest were also showing serious interest.  The addition of Potter moves Clemson's recruiting class up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, but, just as important, it gives the Tigers the momentum they need as they continue to build a strong foundation.  If you will recall, last fall they landed 6'4 K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Julius Powell from Newtown (Conover) NC, and 6'8 Raymond Sykes from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL and a year ago they signed 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (H.S.) SC, 6'9 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, 6'3 Cliff Hammonds from Cairo (H.S.) GA, and 6'2 Troy Mathis from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, all of whom, except Mathis, who has been suspended for the season, are getting quality playing time and have started some games this season.  So Potter becomes the 9th player that Clemson has landed since Oliver Purnell took over two years ago and, with only one sophomore (Vernon Hamilton) in the program on scholarship, the Tigers have three more scholarship to give in next year's recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Chris Cornelius from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH has committed to Southern Illinois, 6'7 Bernard Rimmer from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME has committed to Mississippi State, and 6'3 Courtney Beasley from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME has committed to Southern Miss.  Beasley appears to be a good catch for Southern Miss, because this lefty athlete is capable of playing just about any position on the court and knows what it takes to win.  Beasley is not a great shooter, but he's a physical specimen and he knows how to separate himself from his man and create his own shot, which makes him an excellent scorer.  Rimmer, who originally is from Grenada (H.S.) MS, was ranked #9 in the state's loaded senior class a year ago, plus he's developed into Bridgton Academy's best front-line player this year.  So he should be an ideal complement to 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'5 Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, and 6'5 Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN in Mississippi State's #7-ranked recruiting class.  However, even more important, the addition of Rimmer will ensure that Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury has more than enough support next year out on the perimeter even if Ellis enters his name into the NBA Draft this spring (right now that appears to be extremely likely).  Cornelius, who was ranked #44 in the senior class in Illinois by ChicagoHoops.com a year ago when he was at Oak Park (H.S.) IL, is a "hard-nosed athletic forward who finishes around the basket.  So he should be able to step in immediately for the Salukis after gaining a valuable year of experience while playing for Jason Smith at Brewster Academy.  The addition of Cornelius also moves Southern Illinois' recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Josh Tabb from Ullin (Century) IL, 6'1 Bryan Mullins from Downers Grove (South) IL, 6'7 Jordan Armstrong from Muncie (Central) IN, and 6'8 Nick Rogers from Pendleton Heights (H.S.) IN, up to  #59 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, it looks like the Salukis are continuing to build upon all the success that Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and soon-to-be Purdue head coach Matt Painter have had at Southern Illinois in recent years.

Thursday, February, 24, 2005

Due to the fact that we ran out of time prior to going to the President's Day All American Tournament last weekend, I had to put off finishing our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game.  If you will recall, we already have provided you with our Exclusive Ranking of the Top 40 Head Coaches in the College Game Today, complete with each coach's team, conference, and number of NCAA Final Four Appearances and NCAA Championships; our Ranking of the Head Coaches Who Are In The Middle of Their Career and Have the Potential to Move Onto Our List of the Top 40 Head Coaches in the College Game Today (must have been a head coach more that five years, but not more than 20 years at the Division I level); our Ranking of the Top 35 Up-and-Coming Head Coaches in the College Game Today (must have been a head coach five years or less at the Division I level); and our Ranking of the Top 100 Assistant Coaches in the College Game Today (must be an assistant coach at a school in one of the top 10 conferences in Division I).  And now we are ready to publish our Ranking of the Top 60 Assistant Coaches at the Mid-to-Low Division I Level (must be an assistant coach at a school that is not in one of the top 10 conferences); our Ranking of the Top 30 People Who Are In An Administrative Position, Like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator; and our Ranking of the Top 30 High School and/or Prep School Head Coaches in the Nation.  Obviously all this is a subjective, but it does reflect what we know, where things stand in college basketball today, and all of the valuable feedback we have received each time we have published these rankings in recent years.  As a matter of fact, I'm always amazed at the amount of interest there is with regards to who the top coaches are and, no matter how hard we try, we always leave somebody off the list.  A good example of this came a year ago was when we didn't rank Wisconsin Rob Jeter among our top 70 assistant coaches.  But, thanks to feedback from a number of people, we have moved Jeter, who is largely responsible for the great job that the Badgers have done recruiting in recent years, up to #30 this time around on our list of the top assistant coaches.  Another great example is South Carolina assistant coach Ricky Stokes, who did not make our list of the top 100 assistant coaches, but probably is the leading candidate to take over at East Carolina.  Remember, Terry Holland is the new athletic director at East Carolina and the fact that Stokes used to be an assistant coach at Virginia during the Holland era, as well as the head coach Virginia Tech up until a year ago, makes him the logical choice.  In other words, just like player rankings, these rankings tend to change every day, as we continue to add new information.  So obviously your feedback, especially if you think we have somebody too high, too low, or not on the list at all, is important.  And you can do this by getting in touch with me via telephone at 1-(502) 500-4667, email at hoopscooponline@msn.com, or at fax 1-(502) 254-2646.  Also remember it helps when you use facts, figures, dates, and records to make your case.  We also find it interesting that there have been no changes at the top of our list of the Top 60 Assistant Coaches at the Mid-to-Low Division I Level, as once again Lamar assistant coach and hopefully soon-to-be head coach Steve Roccaforte and College of Charleston assistant coach Pat Skerry are ranked #1 and #2, respectively on this list.  However, we do find that Wright State assistant coach Ed Huckaby, who helped build the program when Steve Merfeld was so successful at Hampton and now is doing the same thing at Wright State, and Todd Howard, who has played a major role in building the program at IUPUI and is destined to be a big time head coach someday, have skyrocketed on this list.  And the same also can be said about our Ranking of the Top 30 People Who Are in An Administrative Position, as once again Indiana University's Dusty May, who has been largely responsible for Indiana's recruiting success in recent years, is the #1-ranked guy on this list and Louisville's Brian Merritt and George Mason's Chris Caputo are both really on the rise.  As a matter of fact, a number of people that we've talked with think Caputo should be even higher on the list.  But as it turns out, that was impossible, because all of the open spots ahead of him went to heavy hitters like Iowa's Rich Walker, Alabama's Darrin Boatright, Duke's Mike Jarvis Jr, and N.C. State's Archie Miller, whose father, John Miller of Beaver Falls (Black Hawk) PA, is ranked #18 on our list of the Top 30 High School Coaches, and whose older brother, Xavier head coach Sean Miller, is now the ranked #23 on our list of the Top 35 Up-and-Coming Head Coaches.  Nobody is more wired into the high school recruiting and AAU scene than Merritt and, as a result, it would interesting to see what would happen if Maryland assistant coach Mike Lonergan gets the Vermont job and Gary Williams hired Merritt in Lonergan's spot at Maryland.  Our guess is that it would be like a tsunami, as all of the local players lined up to stay home.  Remember, Merritt, who is originally from Baltimore, MD, is especially wired into all of the great young talent in the Washington, DC and Baltimore areas.  There also was very little change on our list of the Top High School and/or Prep School Head Coaches in the Nation, as Bob Hurley Sr from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and Jere Quinn from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT continue to be ranked #1 and #2 on this list.  But we did expand the list from 25 to 30 names, as we added some great addition head coaches, like Speedy Morris of Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA, Shaky Rodriguez of Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, Bob Cimmino of Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, Tim Cluess of Manhasset (St. Mary's) FL, Dan Dougherty of Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, Ed Azzam of Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and Russell Otis of Compton (Dominguez) CA to the list.  Unfortunately we didn't have spot this time around for Steve Flint, who is now an assistant coach at Southern Idaho (JC) ID, but he might be one of the most important guys of all.  Remember, Flint not only has more than his fair share of international connections, but, if he gets an assistant coaching job at a high level Division I school, you can bet that the first three players he'll recruit are 6'11 Abdoulayne Ndiayne, 6'11 Mohamed Kone, and 6'0 Jamal Brown, all of whom are at Southern Idaho (JC) ID, all of whom are ranked among the top 15 junior college players in the nation, and all of whom are still available. 

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

The 24 players who have been named to play in this year's McDonald's All-American Game, which will be played in South Bend, IN on Wednesday, March 30th, were announced earlier today and there were several major surprises, as the East Team will include 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middleton (St. Andrews) DE, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, 6'9 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, and 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA and the West Team will include 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, 6'2 Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'7 Martell Webtser from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, and 6'11 Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN.  I'll be the first to admit that 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is not ready to enter his name into the NBA Draft later this spring.  But, unless he was injured or ineligible to play part of the current season, it's an absolute joke that Brumbaugh wasn't named to play in this year's McDonald's All-American Game.   Maybe the fact that Brumbaugh is the only player ranked among our top 20 seniors nationally who is still unsigned and/or uncommitted hurt him, but it's our guess that the too many people on the selection committee, which includes Scott Alexander of Profile Sports, Vince Baldwin of Prep Spotlight Magazine, Ron Briscoe of Southeast Regional Basketball Report, Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press Telegram, Van Coleman of FutureStars, Bill Cronauer of the B/C Scouting Service, Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY head caoch Jack Curran, Clark Francis of the Hoop Scoop, Howard Garfinkel of Five-Star Basketball Camp, Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports, Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK head coach Nate Harris, Sonny Hill of the Sonny Hill Basketball League in Philadelphia, PA, Doug Huff of Student Sports, Inc, Van Johnson of Game Plan Sports Scouting Services, Andy Katz of ESPN, Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI head coach Kurt Keener, Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report, Chris Lowlor of the USA Today, Tim McCormick of ESPN, Trumball (St. Joseph) CT head coach Vito Montelli, Brick Oettinger of Prep Stars and the Recruiters Handbook, Eddie Oliver of Hoops USA, Kurt O'Neil of Elite Hoops, Kettering (Alter) OH head coach Joe Petrocelli, Keith Pickett of the Shop'N Save KMOX Shootout, Tracy Pierson of PrepWestHoops.com, John Rhodes of the Beach Ball Classic, Wellman (Mid-Prairie) IA head coach Don Showalter, Tim Stevens of the Raleigh News & Observer, Mike Sullivan of HSNewYork.scout.com, Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com, Dave Telep of ScoutHoops.com, Barry Temkin of the Chicago Tribune, and Boo Williams of the Boo Williams Summer League, don't see enough to really know who the top players are.   And Brumbaugh not being named to play in the game isn't the only one that has raised more than a few eyebrows.  Can you believe that Micah Downs, who is ranked #28 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was picked over 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP?  And making things even worse is the fact that Downs' father has been quoted saying that his son will likely by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  Obviously making the McDonald's All-American Game will only encourage Downs, who needs at least two or three years of college before he has any business thinking about a pro career.  Yes, they not only picked the wrong player, but they may have helped ruin his life, because Downs physically isn't ready to play in the CBA, much less the NBA and, as a result, may be destined for a long tough road ahead.  We also did not vote for Brandon Costner, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Eric Boateng, who is ranked #31 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Andrew Bynum, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is ranked #45 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who is ranked #47 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and Gerald Green, who is ranked #3 our list of the Top 5th Year Players.  But none of these players making the team is totally ridiculous, although it's our guess that Bynum made the team primarily due to his incredible size and potential and Boateng probably made the team because he signed with Duke.  The same also can probably be said about Duke-bound Greg Paulus, who was picked to play in the game over Syracuse-bound 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY.  Sure, we have Mayben ranked #16 and Paulus ranked #17 nationally in the senior class, but in terms of raw talent, upside, and athleticism, this one isn't even close in favor of Mayben.  But Mayben wasn't even listed on the final ballot when we had to narrow the list from 40 to players, which once again shows that a lot of people on the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee must not see all the players or they simply don't have a clue what they're doing.  But that's it, as 17 of our top 20-ranked seniors (Martell Webster, Monta Ellis, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansbrough, Julian Wright, Tasmin Mitchell, Louis Williams, Richard Hendrix, Keith Brumbaugh, Jon Brockman, Korvotney Barber, Amir Johnson, Eric Devendorf,  Bobby Frasor, Luke Zeller, Tiki Mayben, Mario Chalmers, Marcus Williams, Greg Paulus, and C.J. Miles) were named to play in the game and 17 of the 20 players (Martell Webster, Monta Ellis, Josh McRoberts, Tyler Hansbrough, Julian Wright, Tasmin Mitchell, Louis Williams, Richard Hendrix, Keith Brumbaugh, Jon Brockman, Korvotney Barber, Amir Johnson, Eric Devendorf,  Bobby Frasor, Luke Zeller, Mario Chalmers, Marcus Williams, Greg Paulus, C.J. Miles, and Davon Jefferson) that we voted for on the final ballot were named to play in the game.  In other words, we inserted 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA into the spot where Mayben should have gone, because Mayben wasn't on the ballot and Jefferson has continued to come on like gangbusters this winter.  However, we do have to complement the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee, because they snubbed 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC from making the team.  And hopefully this will be a blessing in disguise for this extremely talented and athletic young man who has done a tremendous job of living off his world-class athleticism and highlight film-like dunking ability, but, at the same time doesn't play hard and has a knack for destroying his team's chemistry.  Yes, maybe this will be the wake-up call that Rush needs to start the journey towards reaching his incredible potential!  For more information about the McDonald's All-American Game, click onto www.mcdonaldsallamerican.com.  Especially noteworthy is the alphabetical list of 622 players who have played in the McDonald's All-American Game during the past 26 years, along with the year each player played in the game, what college he attended, the professional team by which he was drafted, and the year he was drafted. 

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #21 in the junior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to the University of California.  We're talking about a 6'9 blue collar white kid who is a banger/rebounder/defender and, as a result, he should be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Golden Bears.  Remember, 6'11 Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who has a tremendous amount of potential, but is not a killer inside, is California's only recruit in the current recruiting class.  So it stands to reason that they would be looking for additional help inside to complement Wilkes, 6'10 Frosh Devon Hardin, and 6'8 Soph Dominic McGuire  year after next.  The addition of Harrison moves the Golden Bears' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who is ranked #59 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  In other words, it looks like California head coach Ben Braun and staff have a great head start on the future, but the icing on the cake would be if they can get back involved with 6'6 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, Braun and Scheyer's father have been close friends dating back to their days in school together, but Scheyer narrowed his list to Illinois, Wisconsin, Duke, and Arizona earlier this winter.  However, we do think that California is the school that you'll probably have to beat for 6'2 Jr Todd Lowenthal from Poway (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #123 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, for several reasons.  First, Lowenthal's older brother, Brett Lowenthal, is a walk-on for the Golden Bears.  Second, the younger Lowenthal is an outstanding student, which means that academics will be an important part of the equation when he makes his decision.  Third, California is the highest level school recruiting him (the rest of his list includes San Diego, San Diego State, Utah, and Gonzaga) and we think that will weight heavily in his decision.  Fourth, Lowenthal can play either guard spot, because he makes excellent decisions, has the ability to run a team and can shoot the lights out.  Lowenthal also continues to just get better and better, which means we may be talking about one of the best point guard prospects in the Class of 2006 by this time next year.  Trigonis also tells us that 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA now appears to be getting attention from schools like Oklahoma State, USC, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, Texas, and Connecticut and that 6'8 Diamon Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA has Virginia Tech, Fresno State, Texas, USC, and Oklahoma State on his list.  Trigonis also has the latest recruiting scoop for a number of the top underclassmen in the state and, believe it or not, it appears that Arizona, UCLA, USC, Michigan, California, Wake Forest, Illinois, Kansas, Oregon, Washington, UNLV, Michigan State, Duke, and North Carolina are all being mentioned for 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA.  Arizona appears to be the favorite for 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, but UCLA, USC, and Stanford also are high on his list.  USC, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona State, UNLV, Xavier, Stanford, Washington, Utah, Wyoming, and Florida State are all in the hunt for 6'3 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA.  Fresno State would like to keep 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA at home, but it may be touch, because schools like Connecticut, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Washington, Oregon, and Miami-FL are all in the hunt.  The list for 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA includes USC, Oregon State, Arizona State, Washington State, Memphis, Pepperdine, and UNLV.  Among those being mentioned for 6'4 Jr Derrick Jaspers from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA are USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, California, UCLA, Duke, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas Tech, and Utah.  The favorites for 6'7 Jr Blake Wallace from Anaheim (Servite) CA are California, Washington, USC, Arizona State, Washington State, Oregon, Oregon State, and Gonzaga.  The schools to beat for 6'6 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA are Arizona, USC, Fresno State, UNLV, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and California.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'5 Jr Josh Guillory from Lynwood (H.S.) CA are UNLV, Oregon, USC, Pepperdine, Oregon State, California, and Washington.  Academics are also very important to 5'11 Jr Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, so it comes as no surprise that Stanford, California, San Diego, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Yale, Loyola-Marymount, Pepperdine, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and UC-Davis are all on his list.  UCLA, USC, California, UNLV, Pepperdine, Arizona State, and Loyola-Marymount are among those mentioned for 6'5 Jr Jerren Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA. Wyoming, Pepperdine, UNLV, San Diego State, Arizona State, Loyola-Marymount, San Francisco, Portland, Nevada, Fresno State, San Diego, UT-San Antonio, Colorado State, Utah, and Washington State are all being mentioned for 6'10 Jr Terron Sutton from Los Angeles (Price) CA.  The list for 6'9 Jr James Cawthorne from Villa Park (H.S.) CA includes Washington State, Oregon State, Arizona State, Pepperdine, San Diego, UC-Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Loyola-Marymount.  Among those being mentioned for 6'3 Jr Dezon Otis from Compton (Dominguez) CA are Loyola-Marymount, Utah, San Diego State, UNLV, Southern Utah, San Francisco, Portland, UC-Santa Barbara, Pacific, UC-Irvine, and Long Beach State.  The list for 6'6 Soph Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA already includes Arizona, Duke, UCLA, California, Washington, Kansas, Oregon, Iowa State, and Virginia Tech.  The early favorites for 6'6 Soph Chase Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA are UCLA, USC, and Arizona.  Showing the most interest in 6'1 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA are California, Arizona, UNLV, Pepperdine, Oklahoma State, Washington, and New Mexico.  UCLA, USC, Arizona, Washington, Stanford, California, Kansas, and Oregon are the early favorites for 6'9 Soph Clint Amberry from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA. 

Saturday, February 19, 2005, Sunday, February 20, 2005, and Monday, February 21, 2005

Team California beat the Oakland Soldiers, 56-54, in the 14-Under Division; Team Next beat the Oakland Rebels, 74-69, in the 13-Under Division; the Rising Stars beat the Oakland Rebels, 66-39, in the 12-Under Division; and the Rising Stars beat Seattle Rotary Select, 69-52, in the 11-Under Division, as the favorite in each age group won their respective division at the President's Day All American Tournament over the weekend in Portland, OR.  No, none of the teams from the Bay Area emerged victorious in the championship game in their respective division, but they did gain a lot of respect and almost pulled off the upset in the 14-Under and 13-Under title games.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Team California jumped out to a double-digit lead against the Oakland Soldiers, thanks primarily to the outside shooting of 5'9 G.J. Vilarino from Phoenix, AZ, who is ranked #4 nationally in the Class of 2009 by the HOOP SCOOP, and appeared to be on the verge of breaking the championship game wide open early in the 14-Under Division.  However, as the game wore on, the Soldiers kept chipping away at Team California's lead and 5'7 Shaheed Young from Oakland, CA, who finished with 23 points and impressed everybody with his Allen Iverson-like speed, quickness, athleticism, ability to get to the basket, and scoring mentality, took over the game.  And that's saying a lot because team California featured Vilarino; 6'3 Demetrius Walker from Fontana, CA, who recently was profiled in Sports Illustrated and is the #1-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'6 Aaron Moore from Riverside, CA, who is ranked #5 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'10 Dexter Strickland from Rahway, NJ, who is ranked #9 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'3 Terran Carter from Chatsworth, CA, who is ranked #19 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'2 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara, CA, who is ranked #24 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'0 Justin Hawkins from Los Angeles, CA, who is ranked #28 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'1 Rome Draper from Fontana, CA, who is ranked #39 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP; and 5'9 Gary Franklin from Santa Barbara, CA, who is ranked #42 nationally in the 8th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, Team California featured five players who ranked among our top 10 and nine players who ranked among our top 50 8th Graders nationally, but managed to win the championship game by only two points.  As a matter of fact, Team California only had six players who scored in the championship game, as Vilarino had 17 points, Walker had 13 points, Carter had 11 points, Moore had seven points, Hawkins had six points, and Strickland had four points.  Moore and Carter also got outplayed inside by 6'2 Kevin Green from Oakland, CA and 6'2 Terry Brown from Oakland, CA, who combined for 24 points.  But this really shouldn't have been a major surprise, because Team California did not play well as a team all weekend, although Walker, Moore, Carter, Draper, and Vilarino, who was named the tournament MVP and was easily the best player on the team based on performance, all had their moments.  We were especially impressed by Carter's athleticism and toughness inside, Draper's versatility and ability to lock his man up defensively, Moore's ability to block shots and quickness around the basket, and Walker's ability to come through at crunch time (they cleared it out for him and he scored what turned out to be the game winning basket in the final minute of the game).  The Oakland Rebels were within striking distance throughout most of the game in the 16-Under Division, but they never seem to be able to get over the hump, because Team Next was just too strong, physical, and athletic, as 6'1 Davontay Grace from New York, NY, who is ranked #10 nationally in the 7th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Javon Pinkston from Brooklyn, NY, who is ranked #20 nationally in the 7th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP, were impossible to stop inside.  Grace is a force on around the basket, but he also showed the ability to hit the 15-foot pull-up jumper, as he finished with 33 points in the semi-finals win against the Aces and 16 points in the championship game against the Oakland Rebels.  Pinkston, who was named the tournament MVP, had 17 points and 20 rebounds in the title game, which marked the third time in the tournament that he had 20 or more rebounds.  When you also factor in the fact that Team Next had 5'9 Steve Whittingham from New York, NY, who is the #3-ranked 7th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'0 Deshawn Wiggins from Bronx, NY, who the #14-ranked 7th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; and 5'9 Aaron Brown, who is the #59 7th Grader in the nation and has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom, it's easy to conclude that Team Next had the same type of talent that Team California had.  However, they did not have the same type of depth, as they advanced all they way to the championship game with only five players (5'1 Tavon Sledge, who is one of the top 10 6th Graders in the nation and played on Team Next's 12-Under team throughout most of the tournament played up in the title game and got meaningful minutes).  In contrast, the Oakland Rebels featured a well-balanced group of players that we'd never heard of in 6'4 John McArthur from Danville, CA, 5'5 Mark Samuels from San Leandro, CA, 5'9 Dave Douglas from Oakland, CA, 5'7 Davion Berry from San Leandro, CA, 5'11 Nick Armas from Oakland, CA, and 6'2 Ed Thomas from Oakland, CA.  But they more than held their own against these tough New York City kids in the 13-Under Championship game.  Samuels, who finished with 20 points and impressed us with his speed, quickness, athleticism, and ability to thrive at either guard spot, was their best player.  MacArthur, who finished with 15 points and surprised us with his quickness to the ball, going to the ball, and willingness to battle inside against Pinkston and Grace, is their best prospect, especially if he continues to grow and develop physically (he's expected to grow another five or six inches).  We also were very impressed with 5'2 T.J. Taylor from Oakland, CA, who was one of the best players and most prolific scorers that we saw in the 12-Under Division.  However, this athletic 2-guard who can beat you either going to the basket or with his outside shot, didn't have the supporting case necessary to making things interesting against the Rising Stars in the 12-Under Division.  Not only did extremely versatile and very athletic 5'9 Matt Carlino from Tempe, AZ pick up where he left off last summer when he was the #1-ranked player in his age group at the adidas Junior Phenon Camp, as he scored 18 points in the championship game, but he also had plenty of help.  We're talking about 5'11 Alex Varner Los Angeles, CA, who is a physical specimen, a big time athlete, and a killer around the basket; 5'2 Alston McBroom from Los Angeles, CA, who is a smart, quick, poised, fundamentally sound point guard; and 6'2 Jerrod Moore from Los Angeles, CA, who provided the blue collar work ethic and the ability to score around the basket, as he provided the perfect complement to Carlino, Varner and McBroom.  Varner finished with 17 points and owned the boards in the championship game and, as a result, we're convinced that he should be ranked among the top 20 players nationally in the Class of 2011.  You also can make case that Carlino is as good as anybody nationally in the Class of 2011, McBroom falls someplace into the 50-100 range and Moore, who also had 17 points in the championship game deserves top 150 consideration.  The Rising Stars also featured a pair of terrific 5th Graders in the 11-Under Division in 4'10 Max Guercy from Arleta, CA  and 5'6 Marqueze Coleman from Long Beach, CA, as they not only took home the championship in both the 11-Under and 12-Under divisions, but also spoiled the chances of Team Next doing the same thing in the 12-Under and 13-Under Divisions.  However, unlike Team Next's 13-Under Team, their younger team, which featured Sledge, 5'7 Shaquille Stokes from New York, NY, 5'9 Corey Edwards from Queens, NY, 4'5 Deshawn Suber from New York, NY, and 5'9 Jermaine Saunders from Queens, NY, all of whom will be ranked among the top 50 6th Graders when our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011 come out later this week, didn't have the size and strength necessary to match-up physically against the Rising Stars in the 12-Under semi-finals.  We also wanted to mention 5'5 Anerio Adams from Seattle, WA and 5'5 Pierre Wright from Seattle, WA from the 11-Under Division; 5'4 Marquise Harris from Seattle, WA from the 12-Under Division; 6'2 Raymond Jenkins from Portland, OR, 5'7 Tony Wroten from Seattle, WA, who is only a 6th Grader, 6'4 Josh Smith from Seattle, WA, George Williams from Seattle, WA, 6'0 Mike Davis from Seattle, WA, 5'3 Terrance Mitchell from Sacramento, CA, 5'3 Thu Lee from Sacramento, CA, 5'11 Mac Clark from Sacramento, CA, 6'3 Jordan Didier from Anaheim, CA, 5'5 Kyle Boswell from Anaheim, CA from the 13-Under Division; and 5'7 Payton Silva from Seattle, WA, 6'5 Andy Brown from Yorba Linda, CA, 5'10 Andrew Bock from Rialto, CA, 6'1 Jordan Finn from Rancho Cucamonga, CA, 6'3 Aaron Dotson from Seattle, WA, 6'0 Sean Grant from San Jose, CA, 5'9 Josh Loera from Mose Lake, WA, and 6'5 Riggs Yarbro from Mose Lake, WA from the 14-Under Division. 

Friday, February 18, 2005

Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that 6'6 Jr Joseph Fulce from Plano (H.S.) TX has made an early verbal commitment to Texas A&M.  And this interesting, because, while Fulce is ranked #103 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, he has the natural talent, athleticism, potential, and prolific scoring ability to move a lot higher, as he continues to grow, develop physically, and get bigger and stronger.  Yes, we're talking about somebody out of the Scottie Pippen-mold with a size 18-shoe who is projected to grow another three or four inches (he's already grown several inches in the last year).  Fulce also has an incredible wing span, rebounds well for his size, and is versatile enough to beat you in transition with his speed and quickness and outside with his 3-point shooting.  In other words, it looks like Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie and his staff already have a great head start on next year's recruiting, because the addition of Fulce moves the Aggies' recruiting class, which already includes 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, into a tie at #7, along with Maryland, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And this comes on the heels of this year's recruiting class, which is tied at #30, along with Miami-FL, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 5'11 David Devezin from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, 6'6 Jamar Finley from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highland (H.S.) TX.  So it appears that Texas A&M should be set at the forward spots for years to come, because Bennett promises to be the best player on the team when 6'7 Jr Antoine Wright graduates a year from now and the sky could be the limit for Fulce.  And Devezin, who is a solid point guard capable of running the show; Carter, who is a lights out 3-point shooter; Finley, who should provide immediate help out on the perimeter; and Johnson, who should get minutes inside when he arrives year after next, are all pretty good too.  We also have confirmed that Purdue has gotten an early commitment from 6'3 Jr Chris Kramer from Huntington (North) IN, but we're not sure whether he'll ever be more than just a solid role player, as is evident by the fact that he's ranked #447 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, the Boilermakers have landed four players - 6'3 Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'0 Korey Spates from Warrenville (H.S.) OH, 6'4 Marcus Green from Franklin Park (Leyden) IL, and 6'4 Chris Lutz from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, - in their current recruiting class, which is tied at #42, along with Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, and Georgetown, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, who are good enough to step in and make an immediate impact next year.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells that 6'9 Theo Davis, who is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is no longer at Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  Instead, it appears that Davis has returned to Toronto, ON, but it's still our guess that he will go the prep school route next year and then attempt to enter his name into the NBA Draft in the spring of 2006.  However, Davis probably would have better luck doing so this year, unless the NBA puts an age limit into the collective bargaining agreement that is expected to be negotiated this summer.  Remember, we have a list of 17 players, which includes 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Carolina) VA, 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'8 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, and 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, who have shown varying degrees of interest with regards to by-passing college and entering the NBA Draft this spring.  However, if I was a general manager in the NBA and I had to draft any of these guys in the lottery, I'd trade the pick for a proven player.  But next year's draft is a different story, because 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, and 6'8 Jr Pierre Niles from Memphis (Mitchell) TN are all good enough, big enough, and/or talented enough for the same thing to happen a year from now that happened a year ago when eight of the first players picked in the NBA Draft were high school players.  If you will recall, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA was the #1 pick to the Orlando Magic, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL was the #4 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA was the #12 pick to the Seattle Supersonics, 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY was the #13 pick to the Portland Trailblazers, 6'8 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS was the #15 pick to the Boston Celtics, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was the #17 pick to the Atlanta Hawks, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ was the #18 pick to the New Orleans Hornets, and 6'6 Dorell Wright from South Kent Prep) CT was the #19 pick to the Miami Heat.  But, then again, Davis' chances of getting drafted this year are probably about the same as next year (slim and none), because he's just not that good.  Instead, we think he's on track to become the next Brandon Bender and, as a result, a Division II, NAIA, or junior college stint followed by a long career in the CBA may be in his future.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

As is so often the case, it's taken a lot longer than I originally anticipated to put together our Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game and, as a result, I have decided to publish what I've already completed and continue to work on the rest as time permits.  In other words, right now you can get our list of the Top 40 Division I Head Coaches; Top 40 Head Coaches Who Are In the Middle Of Their Career, But Who Have Potential To Move Onto Our List of the Top 35 Head Coaches in the Game Today; Top 35 Up-and-Coming Head Coaches in the College Game Today; and Top 100 Assistant Coaches in the College Game Today.  However, you'll have to wait a little bit longer to get our list of the Top Assistant Coaches at the Lower Division I Level (not in the Top 10 Conferences); Top People Who Are In An Administrative Position, Like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator; and Top High School and/or Prep School Coaches Nationally.  We gave you sneak preview of who the Top 10 Division I Head Coaches are yesterday, but we also find it extremely interesting that Kansas head coach Bill Self is the highest ranked head coach who has never been to the NCAA Final Four.  But he may have the unprecedented distinction of helping put together not one, but two different teams that advanced to the NCAA Final Four in the same year, if Kansas and Illinois both are playing on the first weekend in April in St. Louis, MO.  Self also appears to be pretty good at training assistant coaches, because Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie, who worked for Self at both Tulsa and Illinois, is ranked #1 on our list of the Top 35 Up-and-Coming Head Coaches in the Game Today (must have been a head coach five years or less at the Division I level); St. John's head coach Norm Roberts, who worked for Self at Tulsa, Illinois, and Kansas and was our #3-ranked assistant coach in the nation a year ago, has already exceeded expectations in his first season at St. John's; and current Kansas assistant coaches Joe Dooley and Kurtis Townsend check in at #1 and #8, respectively, on our list of the Top Assistant Coaches.  We also find it extremely interesting that Florida has two of the top five-ranked assistant coaches in Larry Shyatt, who previously was the head coach at Clemson, and Anthony Grant, who actually has dropped from #2 to #4 on our list to make way for Dooley and Shyatt at #1 and #2.  We also have dropped Villanova's Fred Hill from #1 to #3, but that's not a knock against Hill and Grant.  We just think Dooley and Shyatt are that good!  It also should come as no surprise that Duke has two assistant coaches (Steve Wojciechowski and Johnny Dawkins) ranked among the top 20 assistant coaches and all three assistant coaches (Wojciechowski, Dawkins, and Chris Collins) on their staff make our list of the Top 100 Assistant Coaches in the College Game Today.  Also falling into this category are Florida with Shyatt, Grant, and Donnie Jones; Louisville with Kevin Willard, Vince Taylor, and Reggie Theus; Kentucky with David Hobbs, Reggie Hanson, and Scott Rigot; and UCLA with Kerry Keating, Donny Daniels, and Travis Zeigler.  We also were disappointed that we had to stop at 100 names on our list of the Top Assistant Coaches, because there are guys who didn't make the list who someday will turn out to be excellent head coaches.  And the same also can be said about our lists of the Top 40 Head Coaches Who Are In the Middle Of Their Career, But Who Have Potential To Move Onto Our List of the Top 35 Head Coaches in the Game Today and Top 35 Up-and-Coming Head Coaches in the College Game Today.  Also noteworthy is the fact that our #1, #2, and #5-ranked assistant coaches three years ago were Oregon State's Jay John, Texas Christian's Neil Dougherty, and DePaul's Dave Leitao; our #1, #2, #4, #9, and #15-ranked assistant coaches two years ago were Wright State's Paul Biancardi, Murray State's Mick Cronin, Dayton's Brian Gregory, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, and Iowa State's Wayne Morgan; and a year ago our #3, #24, #35, #49, #51, #52-ranked assistant coaches were St. John's head coach Norm Roberts, Miami-FL's Frank Haith, Xavier's Sean Miller, Marist's Matt Brady, Loyola-Maryland's Jimmy Patsos, and James Madison's Dean Keener.  And did you know that Kansas assistant coach Joe Dooley at East Carolina, Florida assistant coach Larry Shyatt at Clemson, Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner with the Houston Hoops, Miami-FL assistant coach Michael Hunt at Towson, Kentucky assistant coach David Hobbs at Alabama, Oklahoma assistant coach Ray McCallum at Houston, Oklahoma State assistant coach James Dickey at Texas Tech, North Carolina assistant coach Steve Robinson at Florida State, Minnesota assistant coach Jim Molinari at Bradley, UAB assistant coach Scott Edgar at Murray State and Duquesne, Purdue assistant coach and soon-to-be head coach Matt Painter at Southern Illinois, Indiana assistant coach Kerry Rupp at Utah, Texas A&M assistant coach Steve Forbes at Barton County (JC) KS, Southern Mississippi assistant coach Steve Barnes at San Jose State, Vanderbilt assistant coach Tom Richardson at Illinois State, UCLA assistant coach Donny Daniels at Cal State-Fullerton, Kentucky assistant coach Scott Rigot at Spartanburg Methodist (JC) SC, and Iowa States assistant coach Bob Sundvold at Missouri-Kansas City, all have previous head coaching experience?   So obviously it will be extremely interesting to see if this plays a factor when it comes time for assistant coaches to get head coaching job this spring.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

I am almost finished with our rankings of the top players in the Class of 2011 (6th Graders) and Class of 2012 (5th Graders), but I have decided to wait until after the President's Day All American Tournament this weekend in Portland, OR to publish both lists.  That way I will be able to incorporate any new players that I see this weekend into the rankings.  So, instead, I've spent the last several days working on Rick Staudt's updated Florida Report,  which includes his ranking of the top 30 players in the state regardless of class and position on his six five-man All-State Teams, some interesting comments about the top players in each class, and his ranking of the top 100 seniors, 75 juniors, 50 sophomores, 26 freshmen, four 8th Graders, eight 7th Graders, and two 6th Graders, which can be found by clicking onto Staudt Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Florida. And I'm absolutely thrilled with the way this report turned out, because Staudt not only does a great job ranking the players, but the fact that he's not trying to run a club team or run events allows him to be even more objective than the other top web sites and scouting services in the state, like www.breakdownmagazine.com, www.powerbasketball.com, and www.galaxyofstarsbasketball.com.  And this also allows us to maintain an excellent relationship with the Tallahassee Wildcats' John Adkins and Matt Ramker, Team Breakdown's Kenny Gillion and Brionne Gillion, Miami Tropics' Art Alverez, Team NIKE's Tom Topping, and the Jacksonville Lee Bulls' David Jones, who are the top club teams and coaches in the state.  As a matter of fact, I wish that some of our other editors and correspondents would take a cue from Staudt and become a little less biased when it comes to ranking their own players.  Instead, it seems like it's the intent of a lot of the of people in the business to hype up their own players, regardless of how much it costs them in terms of respect and credibility.  This Florida Report comes out on the heels of Dinos Trigonis' California Report, which was published on Sunday, February 6th, and now our focus will turn onto getting a number of other state-by-state reports out, including New England, New York City, the Washington, DC Area, North Carolina/South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Texas, by the end of March.  But first, my attention will turn tomorrow onto updating our Annual Ranking of the Top Coaches in the Game, which includes our list of the Top Division I Head Coaches; Top Head Coaches Who Are In the Middle Of Their Career, But Who Have Potential To Move Onto Our List of the Top 35 Head Coaches in the Game Today; Top Up-and-Coming Head Coaches in the College Game Today; Top Assistant Coaches in the College Game Today; Top Assistant Coaches at the Lower Division I Level (not in the Top 10 Conferences); Top People Who Are In An Administrative Position, Like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator; and Top High School and/or Prep School Coaches Nationally.  And it's almost a prerequisite to have been to the NCAA Final Four at least once to be ranked among the Top 10 Division I Head Coaches.  As a matter of fact, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has guided the Blue Devils to the NCAA Final Four 10 different times and, in the process, has won the NCAA Championship three times; Connecticut's Jim Calhoun has been there twice and won it twice; Kentucky's Tubby Smith has been there once and won it once, plus he's done an amazing job each of the last three seasons, as he's compiled an incredible 78-12 record during the last three season; Texas Tech's Bob Knight has been to the NCAA Final Four five times, has won it three times, and, with a 16-6 record this season, is now only 32 wins away from breaking Dean Smith's record of the most wins in college basketball history; Arizona's Lute Olson has made Five NCAA Final Four appearances and won it once; Louisville's Rick Pitino has made four NCAA Final Four appearances and won it once; North Carolina's Roy Williams, who was the game's winningest head coach in the 90's, has made four NCAA Final Four appearances; Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton has made three NCAA Final Four appearances and, in the process, has had far less talent to work with than most of the rest of these guys; Washington State's Dick Bennett has only made one NCAA Final Four appearance when he was at Wisconsin in 2000, but is second to none as a game tactician; and Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins has been to only one NCAA Final Four, but has averaged 23.6 wins per season for 23 years and his Bearcats have already won 19 games this season.  In other words, the 10 coaches mentioned above have been to 36 NCAA Final Four's and won 11 NCAA Championships.  However, all this subject to change in the future, because the Calhoun is in a position to challenge Krzyzewski for top coaching honors, if Connecticut wins another NCAA Championship or two in the next few years, and Tubby Smith, Bob Knight, Lute Olson, Rick Pitino, Roy Williams, Eddie Sutton, and Bobby Huggins all have teams that are ranked among the top 25 in the latest college basketball polls.  In other words, the race is really on to see where all these guys will end up when the final chapter of their career has been written.  And really this what makes college basketball so successful today.  As a matter of fact, it's much harder to rank coaches than players, because there are so many great ones. 

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Wake Forest has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC and this is important for a number of reasons.  First, Skeen is ranked #52 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's a big time player.  Second, Skeen has followed in the footsteps of 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA to UCLA, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA to Stanford, 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA to Stanford, 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from Laplace (Reserve Christian) LA to Baylor, 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC to North Carolina, 6'8 Jr Chris Roquemore from Houston (Jersey Village) TX to Baylor, 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA to California, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX to Arizona, 6'8 Jimmy Graham from Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC to Miami-FL, 6'4 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL to N.C. State, and 5'11 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL to Miami-FL and, as a result, becomes the 12th Player who is ranked our top 100 in the junior class nationally to have made an early verbal commitment.  However, that number now only stands at nine, because Roquemore reneged on the Bears after committing to Baylor during the fall of his sophomore year; Graham has been reclassified back into a senior and now counts with the Hurricanes current recruiting class; and the Hurricanes weren't ready to accept Soto's verbal commitment last summer.  Third, Skeen is a long lanky athlete with long arms, explosive quickness, tremendous versatility, and a huge upside.  As a matter of fact, Skeen reminds Johnson of Wake Forest's 6'9 Sr Jamaal Levy, who has been a three-year starter and is one of the most underrated players in the ACC.  Fourth, the addition of Skeen moves Wake Forest's recruiting class into a tie at #8, along with North Carolina, California, N.C. State, and Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Fifth, Skeen is the second highest ranked junior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, right behind 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC.  Obviously this is important, because five of Wake Forest's top seven players (Chris Paul, Justin Gray,  Eric Williams, Taron Downey, and Trent Strickland) are from in-state, which means they are getting it done primarily with homegrown players.  And, 6'9 David Weaver from Swannanoa (Owen) NC and 6'7 Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, who are apart of Wake Forest's current recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Harvey Hale from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM and is tied at #35, along with DePaul and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, also fall into this category.  We also have confirmed that Western Illinois has landed 6'7 Marlon Mahorn from Coffeyville (JC) KS, who is ranked #30 on our list of the top junior college players.  In other words, this is a major steal and the big reason why Leathernecks head coach Derek Thomas and his staff were able to pull this off is Thomas' relationship with Mahorn's father, Rick Mahorn, dating back to when Mahorn was an assistant coach and Thomas was a scout with the Atlanta Hawks during the Lon Kruger era.  And this isn't only highly touted junior college player that they have picked up in their current recruiting class.  If you will recall, last fall they signed 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarra (JC) TX, who is ranked #58 on our list of the top junior college players, and 6'10 Eve Samuel from Sheridian (JC) WY.  And this comes on the heels of their recruiting class a year ago that was ranked #29 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'7 Fred Oguns from Sheridan (JC) WY, 6'8 Eliz Cepeda from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 6'3 David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, 6'4 Troy Okelson from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'0 Nathan Kester from Illinois Central (JC) IL, 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, 6'8 Navanta Kentel from Pine Bluff (H.S.) AR, and 6'5 Allen McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV.  So obviously it appears that Western Illinois not only has the potential to be one of the most improved teams in college basketball a year from now, as all these players continue to grow up, but there also should be a real battle for starting positions next year, as Mahorn and Gonzalez both should step in and immediately be two of the best players in the Mid-Continent Conference.   It also appears that 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Garden City (JC) OK, 6'9 Samba Gueye from The Senegal, and 6'7 Theo White from Tyler (JC) TX are all back on the board and, as a result, no longer count towards Southern Cal's current recruiting class.  However, before you start to feel too sorry for new USC head coach Tim Floyd, who expects to have only four returning scholarship players - 5'10 Jr Dwayne Shackleford, 6'4 Soph Lodrick Stewart, 6'6 Frosh Nick Young, and 6'4 Frosh Gabriel Pruitt - in the program next year, take into consideration that Young and Pruitt both someday will likely be good players in the NBA, an injury free Shackleford is more than capable of running the show at point guard, Stewart is very athletic out on the wing and has a huge upside, and their two remaining recruits - 6'3 Sead Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL and 6'8 Michael Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA - should be excellent role players.  So all they need to do now is sign several quality inside players during the Spring Signing Period and it appears that Floyd will hire his staff with this in mind.  Speaking of who Floyd is going to hire, we're hearing names like South Alabama assistant coach Tom Ostrom, former Team California Select AAU coach Thaddeus McGrew, and Southern Idaho (JC) ID head coach Gib Arnold being mentioned as likely future assistants at Southern Cal.  However, it will be interesting to see, if Arnold can deliver 6'11 Abdoulayne Ndiayne from Southern Idaho (JC) ID and 6'11 Mohamed Kone from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, both of whom are ranked among the top 10 junior college players in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, Steve Flint, who is an assistant coach at Southern Idaho (JC) ID was instrumental in originally bringing both players to the United States and, as a result, Arnold has allowed Flint to handle Ndiayne's and Kone's recruitment since last fall.  Maybe the compromise will be that Arnold helps Flint get the head coaching job at Southern Idaho and Flint lets Arnold take these talented twin towers with him to USC.  But, even if that doesn't happen, it wouldn't surprise us if Arnold got 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior college ranks by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Monday, February 14, 2005

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin was at the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ over the weekend and the highlight of the event was all the great juniors who were attendance.  Forget being a college coach.  If you were a general manager in the NBA and you had 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, and 6'2 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, you would win a lot of games someday.  And that doesn't even include 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who was his usual lackasidasical self, as he didn't play hard, didn't finish, and, once again, didn't live up his ranking as the #2 junior in the nation.  Caracter had 13 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two turnovers, and hit 6-16 field goals against Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA on Friday night,  but he can do that in his sleep.  Then, Caracter had six points, 10 rebounds, and one blocked shot yesterday against Bayside (Cardozo) NY, which did not have a player over 6'5.  Instead, it was Ellington, who finished 38 points, 15-27 field goals, 4-7 3-pointers, and four steals against Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, that provided the same type of great performance that fans at the Prime Time Shootout have become accustomed to seeing in recent years (i.e LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight, Howard, Dajuan Wagner, Sebastian Telfair, and Luol Deng).  And making the story even more interesting is the fact most people still have figured out just how good Wayne Ellington really is.   As a matter of fact, we think Ellington will likely emerge as the best player in the Class of 2006, ahead of 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, and 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, et al.  Not only does Ellington shoot the lights out, but he's an excellent defender and is great at handling the ball and making basketball plays.  He also has great court savvy and has the understanding of the game necessary to play the point.  But, just like Michael Jordan, you wouldn't want to play him there, because he's so sensational at the 2-guard spot.  Rubin also was extremely impressed by Lawson, who not only finished with 20 points, 11 assists, and seven steals in a nationally televised game against Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, but he's also the quickest player with the ball that Rubin has seen since Allen Iverson.  In other words, Lawson is the catalyst that makes this team go, as he controls the game at both ends of the court and was very instrumental in Oak Hill's 36-point win against Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  And right behind Lawson, Rubin ranks his teammate, Kevin Durant, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds against Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, as the third best player in the event.  However, the key here is potential, because Durant is an extremely athletic 6'9 combo forward with a dramatically improved perimeter game.  Next on Rubin's list is Paul Harris, who is the antithesis of Derrick Caracter in terms of work ethic and having the ingredients necessary to win on the basketball court.  Harris finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and played a lot bigger than his height, which is only 6'4.  Rounding Rubin's list of the top five players was 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who finished with 27 points, five assists, and five steals in his team's 69-56 loss to Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  Paulus also is the highest ranked senior and the only senior ranked among Rubin's top seven players in the event, as the next two players on his list are Curtis Kelly and Brian Zoubek.  And really it's almost to close to call, as Kelly finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds against Hazlet (Raritan) NJ, and Zoubek finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds against New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ.  However, those statistics really don't illustrate just how dominant both players were in the paint area.  Next on Rubin's list is 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who hit 8-8 field goals and had 17 points, four rebounds, and four blocks.  But what really impressed Rubin was Johnson's post moves around the basket and ability to kick the ball out to the open man when double-teamed inside.  Rounding out Rubin's top 10 players at the Prime Time Shootout are 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  Devendorf, who finished with 15 points, 7-10 field goals, and four assists against Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, is just a terrific all-around basketball player, as he does all the little things, plays hard, shoots the lights out, gets to the basket, and is an incredible athlete out of the Rex Chapman-mold.  Echefu finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds against Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, but what impressed Rubin the most was his ability to score and rebound around the basket.  However, Echefu also has an excellent mid-range jump shot, plays hard, and has a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the foul line.  And just missing being ranked among Rubin's top 10 players in the event is Edgar Sosa, who finished with 17 points and seven assists against Hazlet (Raritan) NJ.  We're talking about one of the fastest rising juniors in the nation, as last fall Sosa was ranked #199 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but now could be a top 30-ranked player in his class, as well as the #2-ranked junior in New York City, behind Curtis Kelly.  What makes Sosa so good is his ability to play either guard spot.  Not only is he an excellent 3-point shooter (3-5 3-pointers versus Raritan), but he also has dramatically improved as a point guard, is a good defender, and has excellent speed and quickness.  The rest of Rubin's top 25-ranked players from the Prime Time Shootout in order include 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'0 Terrence Grier from Cranford (H.S.) NJ, 5'9 Jr James Washington from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 5'11 Frosh Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'6 Dave Smith from Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ, 6'5 Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Soph Idris Hillard from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, 6'5 Jr Bobby Hill from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'1 Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'0 Soph Michael Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'5 Soph Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Jr L.D. Williams from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 6'7 Jr Qa'rraan Calhoun from Hazlet (Raritan) NJ.  Especially noteworthy was Grier's 36 points and seven steals against Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ; Smith's 16 points and 21 rebounds, which was the best rebounding game of the entire event, against Pittsgrove (Arthur P. Schalick) NJ; Robinson's 7-7 field goals, 3-3 3-pointers, and eight rebounds against Bayside (Cardozo) NY; and the balance that St. Louis (Vashon) MO possessed, as Washington, Bobby Hill, and 6'4 Johnny Hill combined for 43 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, and only one turnover.   And they did this against Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, which they beat in overtime, 66-64, in what was easily the best game of the tournament.  And, by doing so, St. Louis (Vashon) MO should hang onto their #1-ranking in this week's USA Today National Boys High School poll, which is due tomorrow. 

Sunday, February 13, 2005

Do you know what will happen a month from today on Sunday, March 13th?  Yes, that will be Selection Sunday for the field of 65 in this year's NCAA Tournament.  So, with that in mind, I thought now would be a good time do some prognosticating based on where things stand now and how we think things will end up.   In order to do this we made a list of the team's in each conference with a shot at being in the NCAA.  And there were 19 conferences with only one team in the NCAA Tournament, we took Vermont (18-4 overall and 13-1 in the league) from the America East; whoever wins the Atlantic Sun, which currently is too close to call among Gardner Webb (14-9 overall and 11-5 in the league), Belmont (10-13 overall and 9-6 in the league), Jacksonville (14-10 overall and 9-7 in the league), Central Florida (16-8 overall and 9-7 in the league), Florida Atlantic (9-14 overall and 9-7 in the league), Mercer (13-9 overall and 8-7 in the league), and Georgia State (11-12 overall and 8-7 in the league); Portland State (17-6 overall and 9-2 in the league) from the Big Sky; Winthrop (20-5 overall and 11-1) from the Big South; Pacific (20-2 overall and 14-0 in the league) from the Big West; Old Dominion (23-3 overall and 13-1 in the league) from Colonial; Wisconsin-Milwaukee (19-5 overall and 12-2 in the league) from the Horizon; Pennsylvania (14-7 overall and 7-0 in the league) from the Ivy League; Niagara (16-7 overall and 11-4 in the league) from the Metro Atlantic; Oral Roberts (19-5 overall and 10-2 in the league) from the Mid-Continent; Miami-OH (15-6 overall and 10-3 in the league) from the Mid-American; whoever wins the Mid-Eastern Athletic, which currently is too close to call among Coppin State (10-12 overall and 10-3 in the league, Delaware State (11-12 overall and 9-3 in the league), Hampton (11-11 overall and 9-4 in the league), Norfolk State (10-11 overall and 8-5 in the league), Morgan State (10-13 overall and 8-5 in the league), and South Carolina State (14-9 overall and 7-5 in the league); Monmouth (12-10 overall and 11-2 in the league) from the Northeast; Murray State (13-9 overall and 8-4 in the league) from the Ohio Valley Conference; Holy Cross (18-5 overall and 9-1 in the league) from the Patriot League; Davidson (17-7 overall and 13-0 in the league) from the Southern Conference, whoever win the Southwestern Athletic Conference, which currently is too close to call among Alabama A&M (12-10 overall and 9-3 in the league), Alabama State (11-10 overall and 9-3 in the league), and Southern University (11-10 overall and 8-4 in the league); Southeastern Louisiana (17-7 overall and 9-2 in the league) from the Southland; Western Kentucky (18-5 overall and 8-3 in the league) from the Sun Belt.  The Missouri Valley with Wichita State (18-4 overall and 11-3 in the league) and Southern Illinois (20-6 overall and 11-3 in the league); the West Coast with Gonzaga (19-4 overall and 9-2 in the league) and St. Mary's (20-7 overall and 7-3 in the league); the Atlantic-10 Conference with St. Joseph's (12-9 overall and 9-1 in the league) and George Washington (15-5 overall and 7-3 in the league); the Mountain West with Utah (21-3 overall and 9-0 in the league) and New Mexico (17-6 overall and 4-4 in the league); and the Western Athletic Conference with Nevada (18-5 overall and 9-2 in the league) and UTEP (19-6 overall and 9-4 in the league); all got two teams apiece.  That's 29 spots already filled, which leaves 36 spots for teams in the top seven conferences.  And we think seven teams from the Big East deserve to be in the tournament, as Boston College (20-1 overall and 9-1 in the league), Syracuse (22-3 overall and 9-2 in the league), Georgetown (16-6 overall and 8-3 in the league), Pittsburgh (17-4 overall and 7-3 in the league), Connecticut (15-6 overall and 7-3), Notre Dame (14-7 overall and 6-5 in the league), and Villanova (14-6 overall in the 5-5 in the league), all have .500 records or better and have a legitimate shot at winning 20 games or more.  We also think Conference USA deserves six teams, because Louisville (21-9 overall and 9-2 in the league), Charlotte (17-4 overall and 8-2 in the league), Cincinnati (18-6 overall and 6-4 in the league), DePaul (16-5 overall and 8-2 in the league), Memphis (15-10 overall and 8-3 in the league), and UAB (16-7 overall and 6-4 in the league) all should have winning records in the league, have a chance to win 20 or more games, and/or are coming on strong down the stretch.  We also think the Atlantic Coast with Wake Forest (21-3 overall and 9-2 in the league), North Carolina (20-3 overall and 8-2 in the league), Duke (18-3 overall and 8-3 in the league), Maryland (15-7 overall and 6-5 in the league), and Georgia Tech (14-7 overall and 5-5 in the league); the Big-12 with Kansas (20-1 overall and 10-0 in the league), Oklahoma State (19-3 overall and 9-2 in the league), Oklahoma (17-6 overall and 6-4 in the league), Texas (16-7 overall and 5-5 in the league), and Texas Tech (15-6 and 7-3 in the league); and the Big-10 with Illinois (25-0 overall and 11-0 in the league), Michigan State (17-4 overall and 8-2 in the league), Wisconsin (16-6 overall and 7-4 in the league), Ohio State (16-7 overall and 4-6 in the league), and Iowa (16-8 overall and 6-5 in the league); all should get five teams apiece and the Pacific-10 Conference with Arizona (21-4 overall and 11-2 in the league); Washington (20-4 overall and 10-3 in the league), Stanford (13-9 overall and 7-5 in the league), and UCLA (13-8 overall and 7-6 in the league) and the Southeastern Conference with Kentucky (19-2 overall and 10-0 in the league), Alabama (19-4 overall and 8-2 in the league), Mississippi State (18-6 overall and 6-4 in the league), Florida (15-6 overall and 7-3 in the league), should both get four teams into the tournament.  However, a team like Oregon State, which currently is 14-9 overall, 6-6 in the league, and fresh off an impressive win against the University of Washington, could easily play themselves into the tournament.  Other teams that are on the bubble right now, but could emerge during the next month as tournament teams include Arkansas (17-7 overall and 5-6 in the league), LSU (13-8 overall and 6'4 in the league), Miami-FL (15-7 overall and 6-5 in the league), Texas A&M (15-6 overall and 4-6 in the league), Minnesota (16-8 overall and 6-5 in the league), Air Force (15-8 overall and 6-2 in the league), Dayton (14-8 overall and 7-4 in the league), and Xavier (12 overall and 6-4 in the league).  Some of the other teams that we looked at with winning records, but don't think will make the tournament include Arizona State (16-9 overall, but 5-8 in the league and has lost three in row, including their most recent game against USC); Temple (7-3 in the league, but, with a 11-10 record overall and extremely tough non-conference schedule, not enough games remaining); Indiana (6-4 in the league, but same overall record and scenario as Temple); N.C. State (14-10 overall record, but only 4-7 in the league with losses in three of last their four games and games against Maryland and North Carolina are next); Virginia (13-9 overall, but only 4-7 in the league and the next three are against North Carolina, Maryland, and Wake Forest); West Virginia (14-8 overall, but 4-7 in the league and losses in eight of last 12 game after starting 10-0); Kansas State (13-8 overall, but 3-7 in the league with four straight losses); Texas Christian (16-9 overall and 6-5 in the league with a favorable schedule down the stretch, but we find it hard to believe the selection committee will take six, much less seven teams from Conference USA); Marquette (5-6 in the league, but 17-7 overall, so we reserve the right to change my mind, if they knock off Louisville, DePaul, and/or Cincinnati in two of their next three games); South Carolina (13-8 overall and 5-5 in the league, but must face Kentucky, Alabama, and Florida in three of next four games); Vanderbilt (14-10, but 4-6 in the league and only 3-6 in their last nine with only wins coming against UT-Pan American, Mississippi, and Tennessee); and Boston University (18-5 overall and 12-2 in the league, but the America East isn't a strong enough league to get more than one team into the tournament). 

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'2 Billy Humphrey from Decula (H.S.) GA has verbally committed to the University of Georgia.  However, if the Bulldogs think Humphrey is insurance in case 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA decides to enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring, they're probably barking up the wrong tree.  Remember, Humphrey is a great 3-point shooter, but he ranks no higher than #233 nationally in the senior class, because he's an undersized 2-guard who promises to be an excellent role player at the big time college level.  Besides, the one thing Georgia doesn't need is guards, as their three best players - 6'1 Frosh Sundiata Gaines, 6'1 Soph Levi Stukes, and 6'4 Soph Channing Toney - are guards.  In other words, what the Bulldogs need most is a great player to get them over the hump in the tough Southeastern Conference.  And, if he doesn't find that great player, it might be difficult for Georgia head coach Dennis Felton to pull off the same type of dramatic improvement from year-two to year-three that he did during his five years at Western Kentucky.  The addition of Humphrey does move Georgia's recruiting class, which also includes Williams, 6'4 Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 7'0 Rashaad Singleton from Graceville (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Terrance Woodbury from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, and 6'10 Kendrick Johnson from Morton (H.S.) TX, up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, if they lose Williams, their class drops back down to #28 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, as well as #6 in the Southeastern Conference, behind Mississippi, Mississippi State, LSU, Alabama, and Auburn.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the Bulldogs don't have a scholarship player on their roster who is a senior or a junior.  As a matter of fact, by our count, they only have six scholarship players - Stukes, Gaines, Toney, 6'8 Soph Steve Newman, 6'10 Frosh Dave Bliss, and 6'7 Frosh Corey Gibbs - on their entire team.  But, when you add the six players who are currently in this recruiting class, they only have one more scholarship available for next year's recruiting class and only two scholarships for the following year.  Obviously that number increases by one whenever Williams enters the draft, but Felton and his staff suddenly have the luxury of being very selective in terms of who they sign during the next several years.  We also have confirmed that Louisville has gotten an early commitment from 6'6 Frosh Martez Walker from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL and this too is interesting for several reasons.  First, Walker is only the second player in the Class of 2008 that we know of who has made an early verbal commitment.  The first was 6'10 Frosh B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH. who picked Ohio State last fall.  Second, Walker, who is ranked #78 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, was much better when we saw him in 8th Grader on that terrific LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA team that knocked off Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA and Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at Slam Dunk to the Beach.  Walker also has not grown any in the last year, but obviously the connections were all in place to get this one done, because Walker was first discovered by the Louisville coaching staff when he attended their camp several years ago and he's playing for what appears to be the new Louisville farm system.  Remember, 6'11 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL verbally committed to the Cardinals several years, but then decided to enter his name into the NBA Draft and hasn't been heard from since; 6'8 Lamar Roberson, who is now at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) VA, originally had planned to enroll at Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL when he was verbally committed to Louisville last summer; and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, who signed with the Cardinals last fall, counts towards Louisville's current recruiting class.  Speaking of Louisville #1-ranked recruiting class, we're talking about a class that also already includes 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, and 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.   And, when you also factor in 6'11 Soph David Padgett, who transferred from Kansas last spring and is sitting out this season, and 6'9 Brian Johnson, who is red-shirting this year, after not fully recovering from injuries that he suffered a year ago, the Cardinals are in line to have nine new players next season.  They also could potentially have 6'7 Jr Francisco Garcia, 6'2 Jr Taquan Dean, 6'8 Frosh Juan Diego Palacios, 6'3 Soph Brandon Jenkins, 6'5 Frosh Lorenzo Wade, and 6'10 Frosh Terrance Farley all back next year, which means they could be as many as two over the 13-scholarship limit for next year.  However, they have until all the new players enroll in school next August to solve this problem and the possibility exists that Garcia, Palacios, and Amir Johnson could enter the NBA Draft this spring.  And, if that happens, it would mean that Louisville will have lost six players to the NBA Draft in the last two years, because the same thing happened a year ago with Sebestian Telfair and Donta Smith and two years ago with James Lang.  But, assuming that Louisville has 13 scholarship players a year from, then the Cardinals will only have one scholarship available for both the Class of 2006 and Class of 2007 and we'd be very surprised if they don't get 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who is ranked #8 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the son of former Louisville All-American Derek Smith.  In other words, just like the University of Georgia, the Cardinals can be extremely picky about who they recruit right now! 

Friday, February 11, 2005

The University of Kentucky has 13 players - 6'6 Sr Chuck Hayes, 6'5 Sr Josh Carrier, 6'1 Jr Patrick Sparks, 6'5 Jr Kelenna Azubuike, 5'9 Jr Brandon Stockton, 7'3 Soph Shagari Alleyne, 6'7 Soph Sheray Thomas, 6'7 Soph Bobby Perry, 7'1 Soph Lukasz Obrzut, 6'1 Frosh Rajon Rondo, 6'11 Frosh Randolph Morris, 6'3 Frosh Ramel Bradley, and 6'4 Frosh Joe Crawford - on scholarship and one recruit - 6'4 Adam Williams from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL - already in the fold for next year.  So, as things stand now, they can sign only sign one more player in this year's recruiting class and only three players next year, which raises some very interesting questions and possibilities.  And, right at the top of the list, if the Wildcats offer him scholarship, is 7'1 Jared Carter from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, who is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder with the ability to score inside, and a huge upside, but needs to get physically get a lot bigger and stronger and, as a result, probably won't make an impact for several years at the big time college level?  Remember, Carter has always been a Kentucky fan, so, if the Wildcats pull the trigger, it's probably a done deal.  And, if the Wildcats take Carter now, that will prevent them from taking somebody else in the spring, like 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, whose five schools still appear to be Duke, Florida State, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, and Michigan; 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who is the third best 5th Year Player still available, behind 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC; or 6'11 Mohamed Kone from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who is one of the top 10 junior college players in the nation, unless somebody, like Obrzut or Crawford, decides to transfer.  However, if nobody transfers and, if the Wildcats don't sign anybody else in their current recruit class, they would be able to sign four players a year from now from the great Class of 2006.   And, this is important, because it appears that the Wildcats are the heavy favorite for 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH; they're listed among the final three, along with Duke and North Carolina, for 6'10 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN; they are among the leaders for 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN and 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; and they have been mentioned with 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) NJ, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'2 Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, 5'10 Jr Tory Jackson from Saginaw (Buenta Vista) MI, 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Deshawn Sims from Detroit (Pershing) MI,  6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'6 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Jr Jawan Carter from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE, 6'3 Jr Chris Singletary from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'9 Jr Andre Stephens from Heidelberg (H.S.) MS, and 6'6 Jr James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Wright, Young, Durant, and James all are already being mentioned as possible for the 2006 NBA Draft, which means that the Wildcats coaching staff may sign one or two of these guys next fall, but then lose him/them in the 2006 NBA Draft.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the University of Oakland has landed 6'1 Keith MacKenzie from Warren (DeLaSalle) MI, who, according to Vince Baldwin of the MichiganPrepSpotlight, is one of the fastest rising seniors in the state.  This gives Oakland three in-state players and one player from Ohio in this recruiting class, as he joins 5'9 Clyde McKinney from Lansing (Everett) MI, 6'3 Eric Kangas from DeWitt (H.S.) MI, 6'10 Aaron Gardner from Frankton (H.S.) IN in a recruiting class that is now tied at #105, along with Bowling Green, Appalachian State, and San Diego, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Johnson also thinks that Oakland will attempt to steal 6'5 Darryl Clements, who transferred from Harper Woods (Notre Dame) MI to Detroit (Rogers) MI last fall, but didn't become eligible until January.  And they may be able to pull it off, despite the fact that Clements is one of the best seniors in Michigan and is arguably one of the top four unsigned players in the state, along with 6'8 Brandon Wolfe from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'3 Jalon Perryman from Detroit (Rogers) MI, and 6'8 Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, all of whom are ranked among the top 150 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because he is Rico Billings' cousin.  If you will recall, Billings transferred from Ohio State to Oakland a month ago, due primarily to his a close relationship with Oakland assistant coach Devon Smith, who was at Ohio State in an administrative role when Billings sat out as a non-qualifier two years ago.  And Billings isn't the only transfer that Oakland has added this winter, as they also picked up 6'1 Calvin Wooten from Rutgers and 6'6 Vova Feverovas from Wright State, both of whom also are from the Detroit area and are returning home.  It is not the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes, but, if we did, Oakland's class would be ranked #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, their recruiting class would be ranked #1 in the Mid-Continent Conference, well ahead of Valparaiso and Western Illinois. 

Thursday, February 10, 2005

The rosters for the 2005 Jordan Classic, which will be held this year on Saturday, April 16th, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY have been released and we find it very interesting that four players - 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent ( Prep) CT, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL - are scheduled to participate in both the 2005 Jordan Classic and the Roundball Classic, which will be held on Tuesday, March 22nd in Chicago, IL.  However, before you read too much into this, it's important to point out that Blatche and Williams both were high school seniors a year ago and, as a result, are not eligible to play in the McDonald's All-American Game.  So this leaves Ellis and Wright, both of whom will likely will be named to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, which will be announced on Wednesday, February 23rd on ESPN News at 4:00 PM, who will forgo their college eligibility, if they play in all three of the above mentioned games.  Remember, NCAA rules prohibit high school players who want to retain their amateur status, which is necessary to be eligible to play at a four-year Division I school, from participating in more than two post-season all-star games.  And it will be especially interesting to see what Wright does.  If he pulls his name of the Roundball Classic, then that's probably a sure indication that he's heading to college.  In other words, the chances are slim and none that Illinois Warriors head coach Larry Butler is going to let his star player play in an event sponsored by a rival shoe company, despite the fact that it's being held in his own backyard, and not play in the NIKE-sponsored 2005 Jordan Classic.  But, if Wright plays in the Roundball Classic, then the smart money says he'll enter his name into the NBA Draft, because you can rest assured that he'll also play in the McDonald's All-American Game. and the 2005 Jordan Game.  And, if that happens, Wright will probably join Blatche, Ellis, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, and 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, all of whom we think are likely to enter the NBA Draft next spring.  Getting back to the Jordan Classic Rosters, the Home Team will include 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent ( Prep) CT,6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) RI,  6'7 Jon Brockman from Smohomish (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA, 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, and 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA and the Away Team will include 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'8 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'6 Calvin Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'11 Magnum Rolle from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL.  We've also added a number of other events to our list of Dates/Future Events and right at the top of our list is the Louisville Legends Classic, which will take place in Louisville, KY, May 20th-22nd, and will feature the DI Greyhounds with 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'5 Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, Murfreesboro Stars with 6'10 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, Illinois Wolves, Cincinnati AAU, All Ohio, Cleveland Basketball Club, Rising Stars, and Michigan Mustangs.  And the timing is perfect for us, because I had already planned on being in town that weekend to cover the 2005 Kentucky Hoop Stars Classic.  Unfortunately I won't be in town to cover either the 8th Annual Executive Inn East/West All-Star Games at Manual High School in Louisville, KY, Saturday, April 9th, or the 9th Annual Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville, KY, July 9th-10th, but both are must see events for those who are interested in players in this area.  And the Derek Smith Shootout will be held at the same time as the 2005 Kentucky HoopFest in Louisville, KY, which once again will allow college coaches to see players at two different tournaments in the same city during the first weekend in July.  We also don't plan to be at the Breakdown Hoops Festival in Miami, FL, July 13th-16th, because that's when we will be at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA, but this is a must stop for teams from the Southeast part of the country, because the Gillion brother's now have Reebok behind them and, as a result, this should be a major event.  We attended the New Heights Basketball Classic at Basketball City in New York, NY a year ago and got see all of the top local teams, including New Heights, Metro Hawks, Gauchos, Juice, Panthers, Roadrunners, Brooklyn USA,....  And this year's event, which will be held May 20th-22nd should be bigger and better and ever, as teams from as far away as New England and Washington, DC are expected to participate.  The RCS Sports Spring Ice Breaker 2005 will be held March 19th-20th and any time Jim Hicks is involved, you can bet most of the top players in the Houston area will be participating.  As a matter of fact, he's Houston Hoops, Westside All-Stars, Houston Swoosh, Houston Superstars Elite, Houston Select, Houston Superstars II, Houston Gold, Houston Hoopsters,Team Houston, Dallas Showtime (Black), Team Texas, T-Mac Basketball Club, Dallas Showtime,  Hoops Action 17s, Texas Ambassadors, Beaumont OTCYBC Showstoppers, Junior Hardballers, No Limits, Southside All Stars, Platinum Stars, Northeast Elite I, Gulfshores Academy, and Hawkins 3A's are supposed to all in the 17-Under Division.  We've also already told you about Wes Grandstaff's new event, the Next Level National Tournament, which will be held April 22nd-24th and will feature players in the in 17-Under, 16-Under, and 15-Under age groups, but we haven't told you that Grandstaff also will be hosting a Next Level National Tournament in Dallas, TX, April 29th-May 1st and this time he's not going head-to-head with Hal Pastner and the Kingwood Classic.  For more details about both events, click onto NextLevelBaller.com and VisionSports.com.  And, of course, there will be the TeamNext New York Invitational Tournament at Westbury High School in Westbury, NY, which will will feature players in the 16-Under Division all the way down to the 11-Under age group, including 6'0 Soph Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 5'4 Frosh Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'3 Frosh Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, 6'1 Frosh Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'3 Frosh Leonard McNeil from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'5 Frosh Nasir Robinson from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'2 Frosh Khalif Staton from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Baltimore, MD, 5'9 8th Grader Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro, MD, 5'9 7th Grader Steve Whittingham from New York, NY, 6'1 7th Grader Davontay Grace from New York, NY, 6'0 7th Grader DeShawn Wiggins from Bronx, NY, and 6'4 7th Grader Javon Pinkston from Brooklyn, MD, 5'7 6th Grader Shaquille Stokes from New York, NY, and 5'1 6th Grader Tavon Slede from Spring Valley, NY.  In other words, TeamNext New York Invitational Tournament will be absolutely loaded!  There also is the BeanTown Mazzacre III Boys Basketball Tournament, which will be held in Boston, MA, March 26th-27th, and will feature teams like the New York Gauchos, Baltimore Blue, Chicago Means Streets, Baltimore Select, New York Panthers, and Juice All-Stars.  However, the next tournament that I plan to personally cover is the President's Day All-American Tournament in Portland, OR, which will be held February 18th-21st and will feature Team California (2004 National Champions), Portland Elite NIKE Select Disciples, Portland ICA Panthers, Rotary Style Seattle Black, Ice Vibe, Lake Oswego, Oakland Soldiers, The Family, Basketball Town Pharaohs, The Rebels SF, Scholar Athletes Southern California, High Intensity Basketball San Jose, Rotary Style Blue, Cisco, Rotary Style White, Illinois Spartans, ARC, Canby Select, Columbian Lakers, Moses Lake, Generals, and Outrage Washington in the Boys 14-Under Division (8th Grade); TG Express Dallas Texas (2004 National Champions), Portland Elite NIKE Select Hoop Dreams, Rotary Style Seattle Black, Icemen Tacoma Washington, Basketball Town Pharaohs, Titans Elite, Rotary Style Blue, Team Next (New York), Urban Sports, The Family Michigan, Salvation Army Moore Street, Sacramento Raiders, Sacramento Warriors, ARC Vikings, Oakland Rebels, Aces Southern California, And1BaysAreaBallers, Prestige Friends of the Icemen, Seattle Quick Handles Hawks, and Portland Elite Nike Select the Disciples in the Boys 13-Under Division (7th Grade); X Treme Ballers, Portland Elite NIKE Select Urban Sports, Rotary Style Seattle Black, Icemen, Tacoma  Washington, ARC Southern California, Basketball Town Pharaohs, The Family Michigan, Rising Star (Southern California) Rotary Style Blue, Cosgrave, Team Next (New York), Portland Elite Jay Hawks, Richland Lakers Gold, Breakaway Ballers Puy Allup, T-town Ballers Tacoma, Vipers Elite, Mill Creek Achievers, North West All West All Star, Tri City Triple Threat, and Oakland Rebels in the Boys 12-Under Division (6th Grade); Portland Elite NIKE Select The Kings, Rotary Style Seattle Black, Junior Spartans Eugene Future Iceman, Tacoma Washington, Basketball Town Pharaohs, Rotary Style Blue, The Family (Michigan), ARC Vikings, Rising Stars of America, ICA Portland Panthers, Salvation Army Moore Street, South South Pride, and Thrill'ville Thrillers; in the Boys 11-Under Division (5th Grade); and ARC (2004 National Champions), Portland Elite Nike Select, Rotary Style Select, UP TarHeels, Basketball Town Pharaohs, Salvation Army, Rising Star of American, ICP, TC Venom, and Show Time Mitch White Hurst in the Boys 10-Under Division (4th Grade).  For more information, go to their web site at http://www.presidentsdayallamericantournament.com.

Wednesday, February 9, 2005

This weekend promises to be one of the best times of the entire winter, because, in addition to the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ, which we previewed yesterday, the 2005 National Prep School Invitational will be held at the Keaney Gymnasium at the University of Rhode Island in Kington, RI.  And this too should be a terrific event, because the field will include most of the top prep schools and teams that have 5th Year Players, like Winchendon (School) MA, South Kent (Prep) CT, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, Bridgton (Academy) NH, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, New Hampton (Prep) NH, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) MA, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Tilton (School) NH, Troy (Redemption) NY, Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, Worcester (Academy) NH, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA, Toronto (Academy) ON, Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, and Andover (Proctor) NH.  It also will feature most of the top 5th Year Players, including 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'4 Stephon Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Dwayne Anderson from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'10 Chris Johnson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'11 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Harvey Perry from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Roburt Sallie from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Diante Christmas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 7'0 Joe Wolfinger from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA, 6'5 A.J. Hawkins from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Marc Egerson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'3 Jamel White from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Edwin Lashley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'1 Chester Frazier from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Kellen Lee from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'11 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Phil Jones from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'0 Eric Price from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'3 Aaron Jackson from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'9 Calvin Hampton from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'7 Kyle Swanson from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'3 Lorenzo Keeler from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Robert Robinson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'4 Paris Carter from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Michael Smith from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'0 Kevin Spann from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Khalil Hartwell from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'11 Filip Toncine from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'11 Joao Garcia from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'8 Ishan Phillips from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'4 Weyinimi Efejuku from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 5'11 Cameron Tyler from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 James Baron from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'8 Phillip Okonma from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'5 Quentin Martin from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Colin McIntosh from Northfield (Mt. Herman) MA, 6'8 Mike Evanovich from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Montrell McDonald from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'3 Wayne Hunter from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 Mitch Mullis from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'0 Elvis Lora from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Nikola Stevanovic from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'11 Mike Scott from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'2 Jason Wilson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'1 D.J. Fields from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and some excellent players with high school eligibility remaining like 6'11 Magnum Rolle from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 Soph Matthew-Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'4 Soph Antonio Watson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Tyrone Appleton from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'3 Chris Lutz from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Jr Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Terrence Woodbury from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'8 Travis George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  The schedule on Friday will feature Bradenton (IMG White) FL versus Tilton (School) MA at Noon, Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus Troy (Redemption) NY at 1:30 PM, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA at 3:00 PM, Bradenton (IMG Blue) FL versus Winchendon (School) MA at 4:45 PM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA at 6:30 PM, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA versus North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) NH at 8:15 PM, and Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC versus Toronto (Academy) ON at 9:30 PM.  Then, on Saturday, February 12th, it will be Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA versus Toronto (Academy) ON at 9:00 AM, Bradenton (IMG White) FL versus North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) MA at 10:45 AM, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC versus Barrington (St. Andrews) RI at 12:30 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus New Hampton (Prep) NH at 2:15 PM, Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 3:45 PM, Bradenton (IMG Blue) FL versus Brewster (Academy) NH at 5:30 PM, and Andover (Proctor) NH at 8:45 PM and on Sunday, February 13th, it will be Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 9:00 AM, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME versus Worcester (Academy) NH at 10:45 AM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus New Hampton (School) NH at 12:15 PM, Winchendon (School) MA versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 1:45 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA at 3:30 PM, Bradenton (IMG Blue) FL versus Marion (Tabor Academy) MA at 5:00 PM, and Barrington (St. Andrews) RI versus Andover (Proctor) NH at 6:30 PM.  So, with this important prep school tournament only two days away and some great input with regards to 5th Year Players from our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin already in hand, now seems like the perfect time to update our rankings of the top 5th Year Players, which can be found by clicking on Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players for the Class of 2005.

Tuesday, February 8, 2005

HoopsUSA Editor & Publisher Eddie Oliver, who will be handling media credentials for this year's Prime Time Shootout in this weekend in New Jersey, has faxed us the 2005 Prime Time Shootout schedule and, even though there isn't anybody with the star power that LeBron James, Dwight Howard, and Sebastian Telfair had the last three years, this year's field looks as strong as ever.  The tournament will begin on Thursday, February 10th, South Brunswick High School in South Brunswick, NJ with Camden (Wilson) NJ versus Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ at 4:30 PM, Colonia (H.S.) NJ versus Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ at 6:00 PM, Franklin (Township) NJ versus Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY at 7:30 PM, and Bloomfield (Tech) NJ versus South Brunswick (H.S.) NJ at 9:00 PM.  Then, on Friday, February 11th, the venue will change to the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ, where it will be Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ versus New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ at 3:35 PM, Princeton (The Hun School) NJ versus New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ at 5:15 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD at 9:00 PM.  The schedule on Saturday, February 12th, begins with Middle Township (H.S.) NJ versus PittsGrove (Schalick) NJ at 10:30 AM, followed by a girl's game at 12:00 PM, New York (Rice) NY versus Raritan (H.S.) NJ at 1:30 PM, Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY versus Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY at 3:00 PM, Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI versus Montverde (Academy) FL at 4:30 PM, Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY versus St. Louis (Vashon) MO at 6:00 PM, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA versus Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY at 7:30 PM, and Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA versus Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD at 9:00 PM.  The schedule on Sunday, February 13th, includes Lawrenceville (School) NY versus Cranford (H.S.) NJ at 10:30 PM, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY versus Trenton (McCorristin) NJ at 12:00 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH at 1:30 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Bayside (Cardozo) NY at 3:00 PM, Arlington (Bishop Connell) VA versus Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA at 4:30 PM, Rochester (East) NY versus Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ at 6:00 PM, and New York (Frederick Douglass) NY versus Rochester) McQuaid Jesuit) NY at 7:30 PM.  And the list of the top players is even more impressive than ever as it includes 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Jeff Allen from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'3 Jr Nigel Munson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD,  6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 5'11 Jr Tashi Ito from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'7 Jr Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 5'11 Vic Morris from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'9 Jr Caisem Drummond from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'1 Soph Rashon Dwight from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'10 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, 5'11 Soph Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'10 Soph Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 5'11 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'0 Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'2 Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'5 Jr Ruben Guillandeux from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Tyrone Cook from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Soph Jeffrey Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Andre Davis from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Duquan Cook from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Yannick Formbor-Nono from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Semaj Inge from Camden (Wilson) NJ, 6'7 Brian Grimes from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'2 K.J. Matsui from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'0 Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'0 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 5'10 Paul Gause from Pittsgrove (Schalick) NJ, 6'11 Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Jr Ben Thomas from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'6 Jr Jourdan Morris from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'6 Darrell Johnson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'4 Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'9 Desmond Adedei from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'2 Jr Marcus Johnson from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'2 Craig Moore from (Lawrenceville School) NJ, 5'9 Soph Zach Rosen from Colonia (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Nick Smith from Colonia (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Jonathan Dixon from Lawrenceville (School) NJ, 6'5 Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'9 Jr Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Frank Tchusi from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'1 David Cubillian from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'0 Eric Moore from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'2 Soph Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'8 Derrick Mercer from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'5 Barney Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'10 Jr Rockwell Moody from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'8 James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Jr Anthony Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Adam Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'0 Chris Martin from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Jr Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'3 Jr Rob Hampton from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'10 Shawn Barlow from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 5'8 Soph Malik Booth from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'3 Jr  Khasif Pratt from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 David Neal from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'1 Vytautas Valiulis from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'4 Stephen McKay from New York (Frederick Douglass) NY, 6'2 Myron Rolle from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, 5'11 Jr Brian McMichael from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'4 Corey Lyons from New York (Frederick Douglass) NY, 5'8 Jr Derrick Price from Burlington (City) NJ, and 6'5 Drew Gladstone from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  In other words, this event is absolutely loaded and, as a result, we're already looking forward to getting all of the highlights from our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin early next week. 

 Monday, February 7, 2005

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA and 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA have both verbally committed to Stanford, although an official announcement as of yet has not been forthcoming.  But this comes as no surprise to us, because we thought all along that this pair of twins with surprising mobility, versatility, and agility for somebody so big and so young would pick The Cardinal for several reasons.  First, their mother attended Stanford.  Second, Stanford has been recruiting them the longest and the strongest.  Third, academics and basketball are both important.  As a matter of fact, on November 24, 2004 we predicted that this would happen when we said "look for Brook and Robin Lopez both to pick Stanford and don't be surprised if it happens in January."  Well, we were wrong, but we only missed it by seven days.  Obviously it's huge when you get not one, but two 6'11 shot blocking athletes who are currently ranked #27 and #28 nationally in the junior by the HOOP SCOOP and have a seemingly unlimited upside and potential.  However, it's even bigger when one finds out that they both extremely play hard and skilled, have close to a 4.0 gpa, and complement one another extremely well (Robin does almost of his damage inside and Brook capable of stepping out on the perimeter and knocking down the 3-point shot).  They both need to get bigger and stronger and, as a result, they don't always finish around the basket.  But really that's their only weakness and that's probably a blessing in disguise for both them (they'll get the time the need to normally develop in college) and for first-year Stanford head coach Trent Johnson, who has the tough task of following one of the best coaches in the game at any level in Mike Montgomery).  And the timing is perfect, because Stanford, which is 12-9 overall and 6-5 in the league, has lost its last two games against Arizona and Arizona State and has struggled off and on all season.  The early verbal commitment by the Lopez twins also moves Stanford's recruiting class up to #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, ahead of Kansas State, Baylor, UCLA, Hofstra, Northern Iowa, Maryland, North Carolina, California, N.C. State, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida State, Alabama, Marquette, Missouri, Texas A&M, Pepperdine, Iowa, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Butler, Manhattan, Texas Christian, Savannah State, which to our knowledge are the only schools that have verbal commitments from juniors.   Miami-FL also was previously on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, but 6'8 Jimmy Graham from Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC, who had been reclassified as a sophomore about the same time he verbally committed to Miami-FL last spring, is now back on track academically.  And this is important, because Graham now counts with Miami-FL's current recruiting class, which is now tied at #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and also includes 6'7 Adrian Thomas from Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL, 6'5 Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, and 6'0 Denis Clement from Miami (Calusa) FL.  And keeping all of those good Miami players at home also will likely be valuable down the road, because the word on the street is that 6'0 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, who is ranked #6 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a near lock to stay home.  And, this is important for college coaches to know, because it looks like the Hurricanes are going to pass on 5'11 Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who has emerged as one of the premier point guards in the junior class nationally.  In other words, if you're a school other than Miami-FL and you can Soto, why wait on Rios?  Remember, one in the hand is worth two in the bush.  And don't forget that we like Soto so much that we think Jose Juan Barea comparisons are in order.  We also had South Carolina ranked right at the top of our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, because we'd didn't know that 6'11 Ranard Robinson from Fullerton (JC) CA was going to be academically qualified and able enroll at a four-year Division I school next fall.  And, if he had counted with South Carolina's current recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Alassane Savadogo from Gulf Coast (JC) FL, 6'5 Bryce Shelton from Fullerton (JC) CA, and 6'7 Dominique Archie from Augusta (T.W. Josey) GA, their recruiting class would move up to #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, after verbally committing to the Gamecocks last fall, Robinson's work ethic went into the tank and he not only was kicked off his junior college team, but his signed National Letter-of-Intent was not accepted by South Carolina head coach Dave Odom.  Robinson was reinstated after missing only four games, but he was averaging only 2.6 ppg and 2.0 rpg after his first seven games this season and it doesn't appear that he's been playing well enough since for the Gamecocks to reconsider the offer.  Instead, it appears that South Carolina has turned at least some of its focus onto 7'1 Jared Carter from Georgetown (Scott County) KY.  And so have schools like Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Western Kentucky, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State, Georgia, and Colorado.  But, when it's all said and done, we think it will be tough to be the University of Kentucky, if they offer.  We also have confirmed that UNLV has landed 6'3 Jason Petrimouolx from Dixie (JC) UT, who is ranked #9 on our list of the top junior college players.  And he should provide the perfect complement to what already is an excellent recruiting class.  If you will recall, the Runnin' Rebels already have landed 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Wendell White from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA, 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, and 6'7 Joe Drager from Riverton (H.S.) UT.  Essengue provides the big body inside, Jefferson and White both have the versatility to play inside and outside, Adams is the up tempo combo guard who is tough to stop in transition, and Drager and Petrimoulx both can fill it up from beyond the arc.  Petrimoulx also is a great defender and has excellent speed and quickness, which means he should fit in perfectly with Adams in the backcourt next year.  So, with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that UNLV's recruiting class has moved into a tie at #5, along with Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, it also should surprise anybody, if their recruiting class doesn't remain that high, because Jefferson is not yet assured of making it academically, plus there is talk about his by-passing college altogether and entering his name into the NBA Draft this spring. 

Saturday, February 5, 2005, & Sunday, February 6, 2005

It's finally done, but it was well worth waiting for!  We're talking about Dinos Trigonis' California Report, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  And, while it's not as overwhelming as Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report, which seems to include almost as many names as the Philadelphia phone book, Trigonis certainly is heading in that direction, as this report, which can be found by clicking on Trigonis Ranks'Em:  The Top High School Players in California and includes the 302 seniors, 271 juniors, 206 sophomores, 104 freshmen, 19 8th Graders, and 19 7th Graders all ranked in order.  This report also includes nine All-State Teams, which includes our ranking of the top 45 players in the state regardless of class of and position, and my comments about the top players and the strengths and weaknesses of each class.  And it probably will come as a surprise to many that we start off talking about the Class of 2009 (8th Graders).  However, with players like 6'4 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle School) CA, 6'7 Aaron Moore from Riverside, CA, 6'3 Terran Carter from Chatsworth (Middle School) CA, 6'2 Robert Nelson from Santa Barbara, CA, 6'0 Justin Hawkins from Los Angeles (Lutheran) CA, and 6'1 Rome Draper from Fontana (Middle School) CA, this promises to be the best class.  The Class of 2008 (Freshmen) also is loaded and the Class of 2007 (Sophomore) has the potential to develop into a great class.  But it's the Class of 2005 that dominates the first three All-State teams, as all five players - 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA - on the First Team are seniors and 11 of the top 15 players - Amir Johnson, Jefferson, Boykin, Marcus Johnson, Harvey, 6'11 Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'0 Darren Collison from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'4 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, and 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA - on the First, Second, and Third Teams are seniors.  Breaking it down even further we find that 20 of the top 45 players are seniors, 16 are juniors, five are sophomores, three are freshmen, and one is an 8th Grader.  We also point out our disagreements with Trigonis.  But, before people start calling either Trigonis or myself to give us a hard time, it's important to point out that this subjective, whereby, there really are no right or wrong answers with regards to ranking the top players.  However, we do have some differences in philosophy - i.e 6'9 Frosh Auri Allen from Los Angeles (Windward) CA and, as a result, I thought it will be interesting to provide some insight.  In other words, our national rankings are mine and our state-by-state rankings belong to our area editors, which means they do not always correspond.  And I think this good because it stimulates both debate and controversy!  I also want to thank Trigonis for taking the time and making the effort to not only do a tremendous job, but also help set the standard by which a lot of these players will be judged and ranked in the future.  Moral to the story, nobody begins to come close to us in terms of both volume and accuracy and, as a result, we're way ahead of our competition. 

Friday, February 4, 2005

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the two best football players - 6'4 Nyan Boateng from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'2 Kevin Ogletree from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY - in New York City have signed binding National Letters-of-Intent to attend Florida and Virginia, respectively.  And this is important for our purposes, because they both plan to play both football and basketball in college.  Boateng is arguably the top wide receiver prospect in the nation, but he was not named the best football in New York City, because he missed playing his entire senior year due to a serious ankle injury.  We're talking about an incredible athlete, as is evident by the fact he has a 45-inch vertical leap and has been timed in the 40-year dash at 4.39 seconds.  He also caught 44 passes for 940 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior, which explains why schools like Nebraska, USC, Maryland, Penn State, Michigan State, and West Virginia were recruiting him to play football.  Boateng also continues to improve his outside shot, which makes him good enough to be ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally by some publications and #7 in the senior class in New York City by Naclerio when he updated his rankings last summer.  Boateng does not count towards Florida's recruiting class, which already includes 6'4 David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'3 Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, and 6'10 Jimmie Sutton from Coconut Creek (North Broward) FL.  But, if he did, their recruiting class would move up to #26 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Ogletree, who verbally committed to the Cavaliers last June and recently was named the New York Daily News High School Football Player-of-the-Year in New York City, also is a wide receiver on the gridiron who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds and a shooting guard on the hardwood who has a nice jump shot and the ability to get the basket.  And, if we counted Ogletree who is ranked #31 in the senior class in New York City by Naclerio, with Virginia's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'9 Laurynas Nikalauskas from St. George (Blue Ridge Shool) VA, 6'10 Sam Warren from Englewood (Cherry Creek) CO, 6'4 Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 6'5 Brian Moten from Cincinnati (Christian Center Academy) OH, their recruiting class would move up to #59 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, once the football season is over, both Boateng and Ogletree are good enough to be good role players at the big time college level in basketball, which is just added bonus for both the Gators and Cavaliers, because they don't require a scholarship and, as a result, will be free players in basketball.  We also have confirmed that three of the top basketball prospects - 6'3 Curtis Pulley from Hopkinsville (H.S.) KY, 5'11 JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, and 6'3 Maurice Grinter from Fairdale (H.S.) KY - in the state of Kentucky signed binding National Letters-of-Intent to play football earlier this week.  Pulley, who has been described as "a dual-threat quarterback" and "the crown jewel of the Wildcats' (football) recruiting class," signed with the University of Kentucky and Grinter, whose father is former Fairdale High School star Maurice Morris, and Spillman, who has jet-like speed and quickness, both signed with the University of Louisville.  And, while we suspect that both Pulley and Grinter will attempt to play both sports, we'd be surprised if Spillman plays basketball, because he has a questionable attitude and, as a result, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has no interest in him.  Patrick Stanwood of the HOOP SCOOP has a list of schools for 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA and it includes Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Florida State, Florida, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.   And our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the University of Alabama has received an early verbal commitment from 6'3 Jr Mikhail Torrance from Semmes (Mary Montgomery) AL.  Not only have we never heard of the player, but we've also never heard of the town or the high school, which apparently is in the southern part of the state close to Mobile, AL.  However, it appears that Crimson Tide head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff may have stolen one, because Torrance is averaging 18 ppg, 4 rpg, and 8 apg and he recently had a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists earlier this week against Citronelle (H.S.) AL.  Torrance is described as a combo guard who makes things happen and can beat you in a variety of ways.  Also showing interest were schools like South Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Colorado State, Georgia, and Troy State, but apparently picking the Crimson Tide was a no-brainer, because Torrance has been an Alabama fan all his life.  Another player in the junior class that we'd never heard of until recently is 6'3 Jr P'Allen Stinnett from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV.  However, Stinnett is putting up big numbers this season - he scored 33 points versus Phoenix (West View) AZ in early December and 42 points when his team knocked off Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 71-64, in early January.  And, upon further investigation it appears that Stinnett has the athleticism, skills, and natural talent necessary to emerge into a high major player, which explains why schools like Brigham Young, Iowa State, San Diego State, UCLA, San Diego, Pacific, Western Illinois, Yale, and Louisville are showing varying degrees of interest. 

Thursday, February 3, 2005

Believe it or not, I'm already planning my spring and summer schedule and in order do this I have updated our list of Dates/Future Events, which includes all of the important spring all-star games, all of the different sessions for Five Star Basketball Camp, Eastern Invitational, and the Cage Scope High Potential Blue Chip Basketball Camp, all of the tournaments that Hal Pastner will be running in Houston, TX and Las Vegas, NV, all of Dinos Trigonis' Full Court Press and Charlie Weber's events, all of the AAU National Championships, all of the Memorial Day Tournaments, all three of the superstar oriented camps in early July, and most of the major tournaments later in July.  As things stand now, I don't have plans to attend anything until I cover the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV, March 23rd-27th.  And, right after that, I will be off to the NCAA Final Four in St. Louis, MO, from Wednesday, March 30th until Monday, April 4th.  Then, the rest of month of April I will be spent covering the Boo Williams Invitational in Hampton, VA, April 8th-10th; both the Las Vegas Spring Showcase and the Pump'N-Run Spring Tournament in Las Vegas, NV, April 15th-17th; the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 22nd-24th; and the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne, IN, April 29th-May 1st.  I also plan to cover the Kentucky HoopStars Classic in Louisville, KY, May 20th-22nd; the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC, May 27th-29th; the Pangos All-American Camp in Cypress, CA, June 3rd-5th; the Rumble in the Bronx in the Bronx, NY, June 10th-12th; and the NBA Players Association Camp at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, June 20th-24th; prior to the start of the Summer Evaluation Period.  However, in July I probably will attend only two of the three major shoe company camps, as the plan right now is to start at the adidas Superstar All-American Camp in Suwanee, GA on July 5th and 6th and then go to the Reebok ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ on July 7th, 8th, and 9th.  And, while I will miss the NIKE All-American Camp for the first time years, I will see all of the top NIKE players at the NIKE Peach Jam during the middle of July.  I also will do the same thing with the shoe company mess in Las Vegas, NV by ignoring the adidas tournament and focusing exclusively on the Main Event and the Reebok Big Time Tournament, July 22nd-26th.  However, I will get to see a lot of the adidas teams at the adidas Best of the Summer Tournament in Los Angeles, CA and then I will go to Orlando, FL to catch the tail end of the 17-Under AAU National Championship and the beginning of the 15-Under AAU National Championship.  And, finally I will cover both the girls' and the boys' Adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA on consecutive weekends in early August.   In other words, now is the best time of the year for me to catch up on state-by-state reports and within the next several days I will publish Dinos Trigonis' California Report, which currently includes his ranking of almost 300 seniors, just over 200 juniors, 175 sophomores, and 100 freshmen, as well as all of the 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders that we have in our national rankings of the top players in the Class of 2009, Class of 2010, and Class of 2011.  I also plan to publish our updated of the top 5th Year Players and the top players in both the Class of 2011 and the Class of 2012 by the middle of week, which will complement our Ranking of the 625 Top Players in the Class of 2005 (published on September 7th), our Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (published on September 20th), Ranking of the Top 460 Players in the Class of 2007 (published on January 21st), Ranking of the Top 260 Players in the Class of 2008 (published on January 27th), Ranking of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (published on October 10th), and Ranking of the Top 225 Players in the Class of 2010 (published on January 13th).  And, as soon as that's done, I will start working on our updated Florida and New England Reports, both of which I already have in hand.  Getting back to our list of Dates/Future Events, we have most of the top events listed, but, if you know of any events that need to be added to the list, feel free to fax me at (502) 254-2646 or email me at hoopscooponline@msn.com. 

Wednesday, February 2, 2005

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Mike Evanovich from South Kent (Prep) CT has verbally committed to Iowa State, Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook thinks Wake Forest had the inside track for both 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that North Carolina head coach Roy Williams was at the Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA-Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA game last night to recruit 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington and 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson.  However, the big story is 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX signing with Texas A&M.  Obviously Bennett, who is one of the top five tight end prospects in the nation, signed to a National Letter-of-Intent to play football, but being able to play both sports at the college level was a big part of his decision.  Bennett is currently ranked #82 on our list of the top seniors nationally, but, after putting up prolific numbers and being one of the most dominant players we saw at the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX right after Christmas, he'll move way up next time we update our rankings of the top seniors nationally.  Not only are we talking about a big-time athlete, killer on the board, and a scoring machine around the basket, but Bennett also is easily the best player in a recruiting class that is now ranked #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and also already includes 5'11 David Devezin from Ft. Bend (Marshall) TX, 6'6 Jamar Finley from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highlands (H.S) TX.  In other words, Aggies head coach Billy Gillispie, who is second to none as both a coach and a recruiter, now has a steady point (Devezin), an excellent 3-point shooter (Carter), a versatile wing player (Finley), and an absolute stud (Bennett) in this recruiting class.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Bennett walks in and immediately provides Texas A&M with the perfect complement to 6'7 Jr Antoine Wright, who is one of the best players in the league, next year.  The signing by Wright also means that their are only eight players that ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who are still available.  But we think 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL is a done deal for Florida State, if he goes to college; 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY will go the prep school route next year and then (ready or not) enter his name into the NBA Draft in the spring of 2006; 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA will end up Tennessee, unless the bottom falls out and the current staff gets fired; 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD will end up at Virginia Tech, Florida State, Michigan, Kentucky, or Duke; and 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX and 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA will go the prep school route.  That leaves 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, whose list still includes Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia, Navy, George Washington, Rutgers, Penn State, Fairfield, and Lehigh, and 6'3 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who really is a undersized power forward and, as a result, is getting mostly mid-major looks, as the only two players ranked among our top 100 who really are still available.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Peter Stein from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX has picked William & Mary and this too is an excellent catch, because Stein is one of the better players still available.  He also should be an excellent complement to the other three players in the Tribe's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Alex Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Chris Darnell from Stafford (North Stafford) VA, and 6'1 Calvin Baker from Newport News (Woodside) VA.  Remember, Stein and Darnell are both versatile enough to play both inside and outside, Smith is a good old-fashioned undersized power forward who gets it done around the basket, and Baker is an athletic point guard who plays good defense and knows how to run the show.  The addition of Stein moves William & Mary's recruiting class into a tie at #80, along with Southern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago, and Louisiana-Lafayette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   However, even more important, Stein's addition moves William & Mary's recruiting class up to #2 in the Colonial Athletic Association, behind Hofstra, plus William & Mary head coach Tony Shaver should have both the horses and the experience necessary for the Tribe to be the most improved team in the league a year from now.  Did you know that three of William & Mary's top six players are freshmen and their two leading sophomores are a sophomore and a junior?  We're talking about 6'6 Soph Corey Cofield (11.9 ppg), 6'5 Jr Hawley Smith (9.6 ppg), 6'8 Frosh Laimonas Kiselius (7.9 ppg), 6'2 Frosh Nathan Mann (7.9 ppg), and 6'4 Frosh Edwin Ofori Attah (7.8 ppg).  We have been talking with Tony Squire, who runs the Squires' Richmond-based adidas sponsored club team program, and he tells us that he has great young players in his program.  And right at the top of the list are 6'6 Karon Johnson from Richmond (St. Joseph Villa) VA and 6'7 Jarius King from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, both of whom he thinks are two of the best 8th Graders in the nation.   Johnson is a big time athlete who can play either forward spot and he proved he can get it done against older players when he played up in the NCAA Division at Five-Star's Hampden-Sydney session last summer and scored 11 points in only 11 minutes in the all-star game.  King is a power forward all the way, but he already getting meaningful minutes at The Miller School.  And, if that we're enough, Squire also thinks he's going to get a pair of great guards out of North Carolina and he has 7'2 Frosh James Tyler stashed at Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  They call him "Baby Shaq" and this time we might be talking about the real thing, because, at 7'2, 340 lbs., Tyler runs the court amazing well, has great hands, and he still may be growing (he has a size 18 shoe and has grown four inches in the last two years).  So, assuming that Tyler stays at the Pendleton School, which is the ideal place for developement, the sky truly could be the limit.  We also got a list of four 5th Graders from Wallace Prather, who runs the Atlanta Celtics club team program, and we know that 5'5 Jordan Adams, who scored 31 points versus the national runner-up, 6'0 Anthony Bagtas, who is a pure scorer with deadly 3-point shooting range, 5'1 Jamal Williams, and 6'4 Bejamin Howze can all play, because they finished 6th in the 12-Under AAU Nationals last summer.   And the timing could be any better, because sometime next week we plan to publish our list of the top 5th and 6th Graders nationally.  So stay tuned!

Tuesday, February 1, 2005

Eight high school players - 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 7'0 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, and 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and the six 5th Year players - 6'10 Jermaine Bell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'10 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'10 Maurice Shaw from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'5 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON - were on the original list of players who entered their name into the NBA Draft a year ago.  However, Aldridge took his name out of the draft and is now a freshman at the University of Texas; Bell took his name out of the draft and is now a freshman at Indian Hills (JC) IA; Shaw took his name out of the draft is now a freshman at Hutchinson (JC) KS; and Rothbart and Chiriaev both took their name out of the draft and the last we heard were trying to make it playing professionally in Europe.  This left nine players (Howard, Livingston, Swift, Telfair, Jefferson, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, Wright, and Butler) with their name in the draft on draft day and eight of those players (Howard was the #1 pick by the Orlando Magic, Livingston was the #4 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, Swift was the #12 pick to the Seattle Supersonics, Telfair was the #13 pick to the Portland Trailblazers, Jefferson was the #15 pick to the Boston Celtics, Josh Smith  was the #17 pick to the Atlanta Hawks, J.R. Smith was the #18 pick to the New Orleans Hornets, and Wright was the #19 pick to the Miami Heat) got drafted among the top 19 picks in the first round.  The loan exception was Jackie Butler, who now is playing with the Great Lakes Storm in the CBA.  We mention this because there could be a surprising number of players who follow in their footsteps this spring, despite the fact that the Class of 2005 is mediocre at best.  And, if you don't believe it, just look at the list of players that appear to be possible for the NBA Draft this June.  We're talking about 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Carolina) VA, 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'8 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA.   That's 16 players who we think are possible for the NBA Draft and, if any of these guys blows up even more in any of the spring all-star games, away they'll go.  We also find something that Chris Monter of CollegeBasketball News told us earlier today extremely interesting.  Did you know that seven of the eight players (Howard, Livingtson, Swift, Telfair, Josh Smith, J.R. Smith, and Wright) drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft a year ago played in the 2004 Roundball Classic last spring and, as a result, had ties to Sonny Vaccaro and came out of the adidas program?  The lone exception was Al Jefferson, who played on the NIKE circuit.  In other words, if you want to know who likely will enter their name into the NBA Draft this spring, pay attention to who is in the Sports Roundball Classic.  Speaking the 2005 Roundball Classic, the rosters for this game, which will be played on Tuesday, March 22nd at the United Center in Chicago, IL have been announced and the West All-Stars will include 6'4 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'9 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 5'11 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'11 Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN and the East All-Stars will include 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'10 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'1 Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, and 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL.  And backing up our theory even further is the fact that 12 of the 16 players (Blatche, Ellis, McRoberts, Rush, Mitchell, Brumbaugh, Wright, Jefferson, Louis Williams, Shawne Williams, Gerald Green, and Amir Johnson) who may by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft this spring are in the 2005 Roundball Classic.  Moral to the story, if you're a college and you've signed one of these players, don't be surprised if he doesn't show on campus this fall.  However, if I was advising them, I would tell them all that they aren't ready, that a year or two of college would do them wonders.  However, if I was an NBA General Manager and I had to pick a high school player in this year's draft, I would go for Monte Ellis.  Not only is he a scoring machine and a prototypical NBA athlete, but he's made better decisions and gotten his teammates more involved this winter.  I'm also sure somebody will make Blatche a lottery pick, due to his athleticism and great skills.  But we question Blatche's consistency and whether he has the toughness and is physical enough to make the jump straight to the NBA.  The player I would want the least is Rush.  Sure, he's a great athlete and an incredible dunker, but Rush doesn't know how to play hard and, all too often, lives off of one or two spectacular dunks for an entire game.