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Sunday, February 28, 1999

In an article today in the Louisville Courier Journal Columnist Rick Bozich provides evident that 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ will likely remain in Camden, despite all the rumors that he will transfer to Louisville (Ballard) KY. If you will recall, a year ago the Camden program was put on probation for two years after a fight in the state championship game. As a result, head coach Clarence Turner was suspended for a year and the program was limited to only 17 games a year and no post season play during the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. Last summer Wagner was rumored to be heading to both Louisville (Ballard) KY and Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, but it didn't happen. Then, he was rumored to be transferring to Camden (Catholic) NJ in the fall, but that didn't materialize either. More recently we're heard that Wagner's father, Milt Wagner, will return to Louisville next year, where he will get an administrative assistant position at the University of Louisville. However, Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich won't let that happen, because he doesn't want to do anything that somebody could question, even if it is legal under NCAA rules. Bozich also reinforced this. Apparently Wagner told him that plans to return to Camden after he retires from playing pro ball in France this spring. "'I went to Camden High, his mom went Camden High, his grandparents went to Camden High, so playing for Camden has always been his dream.'" says Wagner. "'He's not leaving his family.'" Wagner also tells Bozich that the fact that the University of Louisville plans to retire his jersey won't influence his decision. "In fact, persistent pressure might influence the kid to look elsewhere, says Bozich. "And make no mistake, Dajuan Wagner is looking. He's looking at Duke, North Carolina, Michigan, Temple, and other schools, including Kentucky." Having said all that, last fall when we talked with Wagner at the And1 Hoop Challenge in September, you should have seen his eyes light up when he asked us about Louisville and watching his father when he was a player at Louisville. However, although Wagner is still only a sophomore in high school, he is the best prospect nationally at the high school level since Kobe Bryant and Tim Thomas and, as a result, the speculation that he will declare hardship for the NBA after his senior year in high school has already begun. And while nobody is ready to declare hardship out of high school, he might be more ready than most. Bozich says that Dajuan might be the closest he's seen to Michael Jordan, but we thinks hes more like a smaller version of Oscar Robinson. He's physically strong for his age, he knows how to power his way to the basket or beat you with finesse, and has tremendous work ethic and natural talent.

We are still hearing that Utah head coach Rick Majerus is the leading candidate for the San Diego State job, but the key to getting him appears to be time, because he doesn't want to do anything until after the season is over. The same may be true with Purdue head coach Gene Keady, who now appears to be the second choice. Apparently, Keady, who is 63 years old, feels like he has a few good years left and he wants to turn a program around. Plus a warmer climate would be to his liking. However, if Purdue keeps winning in the NCAA Tournament, he may not be ready to make a decision for another three or four weeks. If that happens, Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick would be the next choice. But the longer it goes, the less likely we think he'll get it. However, even tha isn't a foregone conclusion, as new names continue to pop up all the time - the latest being former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla.

The HOOP SCOOP has learned that Manhattan College head coach John Leonard has a meeting scheduled tomorrow with school president, Brother Thomas Scanlan, and, immediately thereafter, we expect the job to come open. The obvious candiate would be current assistant coach Matt Kilcullen, but we also have heard St. John's assistant coach Kevin Clark, Virginia assistant Bobby Gonzalez, and Boston University head coach Dennis Wolffe all mentioned as likely candidates.

Saturday, February 27, 1999

It comes as no surprise to HOOP SCOOP Ohio Correspondent Chris Johnson that the University of Dayton has picked up a verbal commitment from 6'4 Jr Sam Smith from Worthington (Christian) OH. He not only predicted as much at the National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH, told us that he would be the perfect fit for the Flyers. "He'll be an excellent complement to 6'6 Brooks Hall," says Johnson. "This will give them two great scorers out on the perimeter. Dayton assistant coach Wade O'Connor has already done a great job of getting some of the top players from Ohio, but they still need now is a couple of good big guys. But they would be half way home if they can get Chris Strodes back." If you will recall, Strodes, a 6'7 power forward , committed to the Flyers in the fall and enrolled in school in December, but had to go back to junior college, because he wasn't getting it done academically. Currently he is playing at Sinclair Junior College in Ohio. If they can get Strodes and somebody like 6'10 Todd Fields from St. Catharine (JC) KY, then the Flyers might be ready to make a serious run in the tough Atlantic 10 Championship in a couple of years.

We told you a week ago that Delaware head coach Mike Brey might be the leading candidate for the Vanderbilt job, but now that head coach Jan Van Breda Kolff is officially out, we are hearing Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson's name being toss about a lot. If you will recall, Peterson was on Van Breda Kolff's staff when he won during his first several years at Vandy and Peterson has gone on and proven to be a successful head coach at the mid-major level. However, Peterson's biggest claim to fame was when he was ranked as the #1 high school player in the state of North Carolina over, that's right, Michael Jordan.

We hope the reports aren't true about head coach Mike Deane being out at Marquette, because this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for this terrific X's and O's coach who has always overachieved in the past. However, yesterday the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Deane will be fired at the end of the season due at least in part to a "rift" with athletic director Bill Cords. However, with Deane's prior track record at both Marquette and Siena, he may not have to wait long for a job - he has already been mentioned as a possible candidate for several jobs, like San Diego State, Holy Cross, and Nevada-Reno.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that 6'3 Trevor Diggs from Kilgore (JC) TX has verbally committed to UNLV. Diggs, who originally signed with Fordham as a high school senior at Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, is a true combo guard, because doesn't have the judgement or the handling skills to be a pure point guard and he lacks the size and shooting skills to be a wing guard. However, the fact that he's grown two inches and improved his skills in junior college makes his value go up dramatically.

Friday, February 26, 1999

It has been widely reported that Utah head coach Rick Majerus and Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick are the leading candidates for the San Diego State job, but it doesn't appear to over just yet. Several other names we've heard mentioned for the job are Duke assistant coach Quin Snyder, UCLA assistant coach Michael Holton, and Gonzaga head coach Dan Monson. Monson is particularly intriguing, because the athletic director at San Diego State, Rick Bay, hired Monson's father, Don Monson, at the University of Oregon a number of years. Monson, along with Northern Arizona head coach Ben Howland, Stanford assistant Trent Johnson, and Utah assistant Donny Daniels, also appears to be a candidate for the Nevada-Reno job. Holton also appears to be the leading candidate for the Long Beach State job, which could come open if the 49ers don't finish strong in this weekend and in their conference tournament.

Switching areas of the country, rumor has it that Craig Esherick may be having second thoughts about following John Thompson at Georgetown. We're hearing that the likely successor would be Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, but we need to do some more checking before we would give this rumor much validity. We also continue to hear that Chris Burgess is unhappy at Duke and may transfer to UCLA, Utah, or Brigham Young, but we don't we don't put much value in this rumor either. Why? Because we think Elton Brand will declare hardship for the NBA draft and, if that that happens, Burgess will have a chance to have more of a prominent role next year at Duke.

The top schools - UCLA, Rhode Island, Alabama, USC, Oregon State, Connecticut, and South Florida - on the list of 6'5 Schea Cotton from Long Beach City (JC) CA all appear to have an obvious connection. UCLA and USC are both local. Rhode Island has former UCLA head coach Jim Harrick and Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is a former UCLA assistant. Oregon State has Dino Tanner, who is a good friend of Cotton. Cotton attended prep school a year ago in Connecticut and South Florida head coach Seth Greenberg coached Cotton's brother (James) at Long Beach State. Also we understand that Cotton has won his appeal with the NCAA and, as a result, gets five years to play four at a Division I school. However, we don't look for this to happen, because Cotton is already three or four years older than his class and he's talented enough to think about declaring hardship for the NBA draft in a year or two.

Thursday, February 25, 1999

For years we have told people that the best camp in the business is the Five-Star Basketball Camp and now we have all the dates and locations for their 34th annual summer run. Howard Garfinkel, Will Klein, & Company will start, as usual, in Hamden-Sydney, VA, June 11th-17th. Next will be the first of two sessions in Honedale, PA at Camp Bryn Mawr, June 19th-25th. Then, they move to Robert Morris College in Coraopolis, PA, July 2nd-8th, for the first of six straight sessions. Then comes the first backcourt camp of the summer, which will be combined with a new Post-Development Camp. Both will be July 8th-11th, followed by sessions on July 12th-18th, July 19th-25th, and July 26th-August 1st. Then they will conclude at Robert Morris College, August 1st-4th, with another backcourt camp. And as always, they will conclude the summer with a regular session at Camp Bryn Mawr in Honedale, PA, August 26th-September 1st, followed by another backcourt camp, September 1st-4th. Getting to Honesdale is like going to the end of the world, but it might be well worth it, because, as usual, Garfinkel has an all-star cast of speakers that includes Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino, New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari, Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ head coach Bob Hurley, Sr, New York Knicks star Allan Houston, and former Duke star Steve Wojciechowski. The speakers at Robert Morris College are also expected to be terrific, as that group will include television analyst Hubie Brown, Detroit Pistons great Grant Hill, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Fratello, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Mike Dunleavy, Detroit Pistions' Christian Laettner, and the legendary Jack Ramsey. For more information call 1-914-237-1306 or write Will Klein, 569 Kimball Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10704. Also you can go to the their web site at www.five-starbasketball.com.

The early list for 6'2 Jr Jake Sullivan from Oakdale (Tartan) MN, who is ranked as the #1 junior in the state of Minnesota, as well #73 nationally in his class by the HOOP SCOOP, is somewhat of a surprise, because the University of Minnesota wasn't even mentioned. Was this an oversight? Probably, because every good player in the state always has the Golden Gophers near the top of his list. Instead, he said he has heard from schools like Syracuse, Northwestern, Xavier, Dayton, Stanford, and St. John's.

According to Mark Mayemura, the Editor of Recruiting USA, two freshmen at Fullerton (JC) CA have both made commitments to four-year schools. Mayemura tells us that 6'8 Ronald Strange has picked San Jose State over Utah State, Oregon State, and Colorado State. Strange, who is a 6'8, 220 lbs, power forward, has played one year and red-shirted a year in junior college, so he still has three years left to play three years. Rashaun Thomas, on the other hand, was academically qualified upon graduating from high school and has only played one year in junior college. So he will have four years to play three at a four-year school. This 6'1 point guard picked Utah State over Long Beach State, Loyola-Chicago, and San Jose State.

Wednesday, February 24, 1999

Yesterday we talked with Darren "Mats" Matsubara, who coaches the EBO-Fresno Team, and he tells us that the 3rd Annual adidas Hoop Summitt in Fresno, CA, May 29th-31st, will be the tournament "where the super powers meet." For more information, Mats encourages people to call him at (209) 275-4121. As long as we had Mats on the phone, we had to ask him the latest on 6'10 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, who has played for the EBO-Fresno Team the last two years. Mats says that no decision has been made regarding his college decision and none is expected until after Boozer's high school season is over. "He'll play in the McDonald's Game and then he'll have to start thinking about it," says Matsubara. The final three for Boozer are UCLA, Duke, and St. John's. If you recall, earlier Boozer was rumored to be close to making a commitment to Duke. Now the UCLA people seem very confident.  Stay tuned!

Have ever heard of 5'11 Jr Barry Welsh from Abington (H.S.) IL? Neither had we until Taylor Bell wrote about him in the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday, February 22nd. Bell quotes Bill Flanagan, who is a Peoria based talent scouts, as saying that Welsh is the #1 point guard recruiting priority for in Indiana in the junior class.

Tuesday, February 23, 1999

Chris Johnson tells us that the Cleveland Plain Dealer has a quote from 6'3 Derrick Tarver from Akron (Buchtel) OH, who ranks #8 in the senior class in Ohio, saying that he has verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati. "I chose Cincinnati, because it was close to home; they have good players and a great coach," says Tarver. "They'll probably use me as a guard/forward." Only problem is that the Cincinnati staff has never had any interest in him. Making the story even more unbelieveable is the fact that Tarver, who had been averaging 28 ppg and 11 rpg before being suspended, was arrested for possession of drugs on New Year's Day. We also have heard rumors about 5'10 Kevin Paschel from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY being on the verge of committing to the Bearcats, but Cincinnat isn't recruiting him either. The Bearcats have one scholarship left and they are the leader for 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME. If they don't get Johnson (we think he will likely go pro), look for Cincinnati to go after the best shooter they can find - i.e. 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH.

According to the New York Post, 6'3 Kevin Bell from New York (Rice) NY, who will visit Villanova this weekend, will likely commit to the Wildcats if they offer. Bell doesn't rank among our top 100 nationally, but he is a jack-of-all-trades and a great role player, because he does all the dirty work and provides the perfect complement to 6'2 Kenny Satterfield and 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett.who give New York (Rice) NY one of the best one-two punches in the nation. If Villanova doesn't offer Bell, that would be good news for both Providence and Duquesne, both of whom are also finalists on his list.

I have good news, bad news, and more good news. The first good news is that everything is operational on our new web site. The bad news is that to get to that point during the last 48 hours, things like providing you with our insight on the selection of the players for the McDonald's All-American Game and the story involving 6'9 Jr Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, who ranks #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, have been put on hold. The other good news is that we will address them now. First, Curt Alexander, a correspondent for the Indianapolis Star/News is reporting that "Randolph will serve 30 days in the Grant County Juvenile Detention Center. A juvenile court referee sentenced Randolph on Monday after he pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving stolen property. Police said Randolph, 17, sold one of 21 guns stolen Dec. 19 from a gun store in Jonesboro, about 7 miles southwest of Marion. They found another of the stolen handguns Friday in a car parked behind Randolph's home. Juvenile Referee James McKown sentenced Randolph to 40 days, but suspended 10 of them. Randolph will serve his sentence in two 15-day stints. The first 15 days began Monday; the other will begin when school lets out on June 14. The split sentence won't aid his team. Marion coach Moe Smedley said Randolph is through for the season. His arrest and sentencing have not yet compromised his college future. Smedley, who has coached Randolph since he was a freshman, said none of the NCAA Division I programs recruiting Randolph have backed off." For our comments on the McDonald's All-American Game, click on McDonald's.

Monday, February 22, 1999

The new web site is up and working, but a few of the passwords are not working properly just yet. Hopefully this problem will be taken care of by late tonight or tomorrow. Until this happens, both the new site and the old site are being updated with the same information. Remember, the new web site address is http://www.hoopscooponline.com and our new email address is clark@hoopscooponline.com and/or hoopscoop@hoopscooponline.com.

The 20 players named to the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Team are as follows in alphabetical order: 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS, 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'10 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, 6'9 Nick Collison from Iowa Falls (H.S.) IA, 6'11 Brian Cook from Lincoln (H.S.) IL, 6'7 Michael Dunleavy from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'4 Joe Forte from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5'11 Jason Gardner from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'0 Majestic Mapp from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'3 Brett Nelson from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'5 Jason Richardson from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'11 Casey Sanders from Tampa (Prep) FL, 6'2 Kenny Satterfield from New York (Rice) NY, 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL, 6'6 Damien Wilkins from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, and 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that the University of Richmond is done recruiting, because the Spiders now have a commitment for their final scholarship from 6'1 Jeff Myers from Rockford (Boylan) IL. If you will recall, a week ago Richmond also got a commitment from 6'3 Reggie Brown from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY and last fall they signed 6'9 Eric Zwayer from Sebring (H.S.) FL.

We are now getting reports from sources on the West Coast that think UCLA is now the heavy favorite again for 6'9 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK. If you will recall, recently Boozer was rumored to be close to committing to Duke, but now our sources, who are admittedly very biased towards UCLA, are telling us that it is all but a foregone conclusion. The same sources also thinks that UCLA could be in trouble in their recruitment of 6'8 Justin Davis from Alameda (St. Joseph) CA, because Davis is very concerned that the Bruins will recruit over him. Apparently it is now a three horse race among UCLA, Michigan, and Stanford. However, for Stanford to get him into school, Davis would have to score much higher when he retakes the SAT. UCLA also may be losing ground in the recruitment of 6'5 Kareem Rush from Kansas City (Pembroke Hill) MO. Apparently Missouri is now the leader, but according to Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat, Rush also is considering going the prep school route. Sources also tell us that 6'5 Schea Cotton from Long Beach City (JC) CA has narrowed his list to 10 schools. While we weren't provided with the list, a very reliable source, who is close to the Cotton family ,tells us that Schea is once again extremely interested in, you guessed it, UCLA. If you will recall, Cotton signed with UCLA in the spring of '97, but the NCAA invalidated his national letter-of-intent, because when took the SAT, there was no time limit.

Sunday, February 21, 1999

The 20 players named to the prestigious McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Team will be announced tomorrow at 6:00 PM EST on espn2. We can't tell you who was selected to the team, but we can tell you that there were no major surprises, although several players we voted for were left off the team. The McDonald's All-American Game will be played in at the Hilton Coliseum in Ames, IA on Wednesday, March 24th. For your convenience, the teams will be posted on our web site at 6:00 PM, as soon as they are official announced, along with our thoughts and analysis.

We continue to hear that the leading candidate for the University of Pittsburgh job is Xavier head coach Skip Prosser and that might make a lot of sense, because Prosser is originally from the area. However, we're not so sure that the Pittsburgh job is a step up. After all, Prosser is a hot item, he's got a lot of excellent young talent in the program, and a number of other excellent jobs (i.e. Notre Dame) might open up in the spring. Former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla, Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, and N.C. State assistant coach Sean Miller also have been prominently mentioned for the Pittsburgh job, but a new name appears to be Northwestern head coach Kevin O'Neill, who we understand was recently approached about the job. If you will recall, O'Neill has done in two short years at Northwestern what nobody has been able to do in decades. Win! However, with Evan Eschmeyer graduating after this season, now might be the perfect time for O'Neill to leave. We also are hearing that the chances that University of Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick will take the San Diego State are growing every day and that University of Delaware head coach Mike Brey would be the leading candidate for the Vanderbilt job.

If you haven't heard of Millersburg Military Academy in Millersburg, KY, you will, because they are in the process of transforming their program from one of the worst high school programs in the nation (8-336 over 11 seasons) into a national prep school power. When head coach Stephen Seals took over two years ago, they won nine games. Last year they won 21 games and already this year they have won the Bluegrass conference regular season and tournament championship. However, the hard part comes next year when they move up to the post graduate level. "This will give kids in the Midwest an opportunity to play close to home and in a basketball crazy environment," says Seals. "Our schedule will include JV teams (UNC and Virginia Tech) and junior college teams (St. Catharine and teams from Illinois), and other post graduate teams (Hargrave and FUMA)."

Saturday, February 20, 1999

Last night we went to see 5'10 Jason Carter from Gary (Mann) IN, who is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation. Carter lacks strength and stamina, but he more than makes up for it with great heart, guts, and determination, as was evident when he hit a 3-point shot from 25 feet to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Carter also scored five points in the extra period to help his team to a 91-89 victory over Gary (Wallace) IN. In addition to his ability to both go to the hole and drain the three, we were impressed with Carter's passing ability, explosive quickness, and ability to come up with the big steal or clutch rebound, despite his lack of size. Carter isn't as good as 5'10 Jason Gardner from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'5 Carlton Baker from East Chicago (Central) IN, or 6'6 Richard Wright from East Chicago (Central) IN, but our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg was right on the money. With seasoning and coaching, Carter could be as good as any of them. Right now Wyoming and Fresno State are the only four year schools seriously recruiting Carter, but apparently he doesn't want to go the junior college route. Instead, he wants to get his GED, sit out next year, and then play three years of college basketball.

It is a little early for players to start thinking about what junior college they're heading to, but 6'9 Pervis Pasco from Clearwater (JC) FL, who ranks #9 in among seniors in the state of Florida by the HOOP SCOOP, already has made up his mind. He made a verbally committed to Pensacola (JC) FL earlier today.

We mentioned a week ago that 6'5 Ontario Harper from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Jamario Moon from Rockford (Coosa Central) AL, and 7'1 Raynell Brewer from Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS were all committed to Mississippi State and would count with the Bulldogs recruiting class in the spring, even if they don't make it academically. However, 6'7 Alonzo Lane from Canton (H.S.) MS, who ranks #93 nationally among seniors by the HOOP SCOOP, no longer counts with Mississippi State's recruiting class. Lane verbally committed several times, but each time has taken it back and, as a result, is now being recruited by a number of Southeastern Conference schools.

Friday, February 19, 1999

The other day we told you that we are changing our web site address sometime next week to http://www.hoopscooponline.com. Well, for a change we appear to be ahead of schedule and may have everything operational my as soon as Sunday night. Also beginning this weekend, the HOOP SCOOP's email address will change to hoopscoop@hoopscooponline.com and the email address for Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher will become clark@hoopscooponline.com. Also in the not too distant future, we plan to make available to all subscribers to the Members Section free of charge a hoopscoop.com email address, as well as a number of other new features.

The Washington Post reported yesterday that the University of Maryland has picked up another early commitment from 7'3 Jr Matt Slaninka from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who ranks #437 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP. The other player Maryland has a commitment from is 6'3 Tamir Goodman from Baltimore (Talmudical) MD, who ranks no higher than #522 nationally in the junior class, because nobody has seen him except against suspect competition. However, if Goodman proves himself this summer against the top players in the nation at one of the top camps, his value should skyrocket. Slaninka rarely plays at DeMatha, but like they say, you can't teach somebody to be 7-feet. Following up even further, Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports is reporting on the ACC Today web site that Slaninka will likely go to prep school after he graduates from DeMatha next year, so he will have at least two more full seasons to elevate his game to the ACC level. Our guess is that if doesn't make major strides during this time, he may sign with somebody at a lower level.

After months of adding and adjusting names, our national player list it is finally finished. It is 109 pages and it includes our ranking in order of the top 1000 seniors, top 1000 juniors, top 500 sophomores, top 200 freshmen, top 30 8th graders, and top five 7th graders. Everybody else is listed alphabetically by state. Not only is this the most comprehensive list we're ever published, but it is also probably the most accurate. It can be accessed by clicking on National Player List.

Thursday, February 18, 1999

Another rumor that is still alive and well is that University of Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick wants the San Diego State job and apparently a big reason why he wants out at Rhode Island after this year is because his star player 6'10 Lamar Odom will likely declare hardship for the NBA draft in June. If Harrick gets the San Diego State job, there is no doubt in our mind that he will try and name his son, Jim Harrick, Jr., who is currently an assistant at Rhode Island, as his successor. Whether he will be successful is anybody's guess, but another name that we are prominently hearing is Virginia assistant Bobby Gonzalez, who has been largely responsible for turning both Providence and Virginia around him a hurry - thanks to his recruiting efforts. And this seems even more natural when you recall that Gonzalez just left Providence last spring when he went with head coach Pete Gillen to Virginia. And as long as we're talking about Gonzalez, he's been recently recognized in a number of places as one of the top assistant coaches in the business. As a matter of fact, in a recent questionnaire that the HOOP SCOOP sent out to over 100 people in the business, Gonzalez was the #1 ranked assistant coach in the nation, according to his peers.

We continue to hear that University of Massachusetts head coach James "Bruiser" Flint could be in trouble. Apparently a lot of fans are screaming for the administration to get former UMass and current New Jersey head coach John Calipari back. However, inside sources are telling us that Flint's job should be secure for another year, which is good, because we think Flint will get it done in a big way, if they give him enough time.

The early favorite for the Brown University head coaching job appears to be Glenn Miller, who is the head coach at Connecticut College, which is currently the #1 ranked team in Division III. The Holy Cross job appears to be wideopen at this point, as University of Connecticut assistant coach Tom Moore, Bryant College head coach Ed Reilly, Cincinnati assistant coach Rod Baker, and former Pittsburgh head coach Ralph Willard all have inside connections that may help them get the job.

We are still getting reports that 6'6 Tory Reed from Milford (Academy) CT has verbally committed to the University of Massachusetts, but we have yet to confirm this officially. However, this does make sense, because his current teammate - 6'10 Micah Brand - has also committed to Massacchuetts. Also, now that Ajmal Basit appears to be transferring to Seton Hall, UMass is reportedly looking at another Milford player, 6'1 Abdul Mills, who was outstanding last week at the prep school tournament in Providence.

The best unsigned point guard, as well as one of the fastest rising players in New England is 6'2 Mike Wilson from Naugatuck (H.S.) CT, who now ranks #7 in the area by Wayne Simone, the editor and publisher of Connecticut High School Hoops. Wilson is best described as a scoring point guard, because he's averaging 26.0 ppg. But he is also an excellent floor general with good handling and passing skills (averaging 8 apg) and he rebounds extremely well for somebody his size and position (averaging 7 rpg). Right now the leaders are George Mason, American University, Rider, Dartmouth, Northeastern, and Hartford.

I now have the official party line from Patrick Suarez, who is the Webmaster for the official web site of DeMatha Catholic High School. "Contrary to your report, Morgan Wootten is not retiring. He plans to return for his 44th season," says Suarez. "No formal meetings regarding Morgan's successor have been held. None are scheduled." Assuming that this is true, that's great for basketball, because Wootten is not only the winningest high school coach in the history of the prep game, but also is a first class person in every sense of the word. It also probably means that he has fully recovered from his liver transplant and that the rumors about this season taking a toll on him are unfounded. As long as we're on the topic, I received another email from somebody questioning our reporting of this story. The guy wanted to know why I didn't just call Wootten and ask him. I emailed him back and asked him if you were thinking about retiring at the end of the season, but hadn't made up his mind yet or for whatever reason hadn't announced it yet, would you really tell me? And if you did, you certainly try and keep it off the record, which means I wouldn't be able to use it at all. I recall in the early 1980's when I first starting out, the head coach at Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY told me that his star player Ed Davender had committed to Kentucky. I called then University of Kentucky assistant coach Leonard Hamilton to confirm this and he told me it was wrong. As a result, I didn't go with the story even though I had the scoop. However, I can't blame him, because they didn't want it out yet. Later, after Hamilton left Kentucky, he told me that there were some things he couldn't tell me at the time and apologized. As a result, I have a lot of respect for Hamilton. This situation is similar, because all a phone call would have gotten the official party line, which we now have anyway. However, believe me, there are a lot of people in the know that think that Wootten might step down at the end of this year. Only time will tell, but I think we've reported this fairly and accurately. As for reporting something as "rumor," simply by definition you have to assume that the odds of a rumor happening can be no greater than 50-50. That's part of what we do, deal with rumors, speculation, opinion, and analysis. So next time I report something as rumor or raise a question, don't show me what an idiot you are by emailing me and questioning my integrity, reputation, and what we do. This is much different than when I go on record and tell you that I have a very reliable source and am 100 percent sure of what I'm talking about. The best example of this was last spring when we broke the Fran Fraschilla firing at St. John's. We had that confirmed numerous different ways and we knew from a credibility standpoint that we had to be right! As a matter of fact, one of the things I am told I do very well is determining how to report something and we have an excellent track record to back this up.

Wednesday, February 17, 1999

Another source in the DC area tells us that he too hears that 6'9 Jr Andre Scott is at Eleanor Roosevelt in Prince George's County, but after this semester will transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA. "I also continue to hear that it is a power struggle at DeMatha between the principal John Moylan and Morgan," says our source. "Coach Wootten obviously wants his son as coach, but Moylan wants Mike Hibbs. Morgan does not want to step down, unless Joey is guaranteed the job - seems like they will just try to out last each other. Lastly, to correct what was in yesterday's hot information, DeMatha has lost to Good Counsel when Bogans and Forte are both in the lineup. It happened their sophomore year at DeMatha. DeMatha had a one point lead with three seconds to go and had the ball at halfcourt. Keith Bogans was called for a push off and Roger Mason went to the line to hit both for the win."

Last night we talked with James Stafford, who is the head coach of DTA-Team Wisconsin, which is one of the premier AAU programs in the nation, and he gives us an update on his two star players - 6'5 Marshall Williams from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI and 6'6 Reece Gaines from Madison (West) WI. Williams has already taken official visits to Memphis and Colorado and will likely visit N.C. State and Rhode Island sometime in the near future. Marquette was on Williams' list, but currently head coach Mike Deane isn't recruiting Williams, although it wouldn't be a surprise if they got back involved. Also, Williams will likely wait until spring to see if the Notre Dame job comes open and to see who gets hired at Iowa. As a matter of fact, Williams made an unofficial visit to Iowa last fall and liked it well enough to wait and see what happens. We had heard that Gaines' visit to Maryland didn't go all that well, but Stafford doesn't confirm this rumor. He does tell us, contrary to popular belief, that Wisconsin is still on his list, although the Badgers are a distant third behind Maryland and Louisville, which is currently the leader. However, Michigan is waiting in the wings and rumor has it that Connecticut might try to get involved with both Gaines and/or Williams.

Greg Swaim of Midwest Basketball tells us that spring dates and sites for The Midwest Basketball Spring Slam have been set for 1999. This year these events will be held in Amarillo, Texas (March 20), Joplin, Missouri (April 3) and Little Rock, Arkansas (April 10) and there will also be a travel team division for teams that want to get early exposure to the college coaches and recruiting services in attendance. Last year over 550 college coaches and over 1,100 players from 32 states and four countries attended these events. This is a great opportunity for graduating players to get seen for the last time and an opportunity for underclassmen to get early exposure to college coaches. Enrollment is limited, so players are encouraged to sign-up early either online by going to Swaim's web site at Midwest Basketball or by calling for a brochure at (405) 377-HOOP.

Tuesday, February 16, 1999

Allen Rubin also got a list of schools from some of the other players at the Prime Time Shootout over the weekend, including 6'8 Maurice Jackson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who has Providence and Seton Hall at the top of his list. The early favorites for 6'0 Jr Jameer Nelson from Chester (H.S.) PA are Providence, St. Joseph's, Temple, Massachusetts, and Manhattan. Robert Morris, Rider, St. Francis-PA, and Gannon are the leaders for 5'11 Ed Tagley from New Castle (H.S.) PA. Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova, South Carolina, and Houston are all involved with 6'5 Jr Jamaal Tate from Linden (H.S.) NJ.

For the last six months we have been waiting for Jeff Wheeler, who was in charge of developing and managing our web site, to get everything completely finished so that we can go after it full steam ahead from a marketing standpoint. After being frustrated with Wheeler for months, in late January I asked him for a final deadline. He said that the worst case scenario would be February 10th. He apparently isn't up to the task, because February 10th has come and gone. As a result, we have already found an alternative, but there will be several minor inconveniences for subscribers to the Members Section. First, the new web site address will be changed from http://www.hoopscoop.com to http://www.hoopscooponline.com. Please take a second right now to bookmark the new address so you won't have any problems finding the new site when Wheeler pulls the pug on us next week. Second, when we get the new site up and running (hopefully early next week), you will need to assign yourself a new password for security purposes. This will happen the first time you go the web site. So be prepared with something that you will remember. It needs to be eight letters or numerals or less and in lower case. Your User ID will remain the same. Otherwise, you shouldn't notice any other changes. If you have an questions or any problems, feel free to call me at 1-800-253-DUNK.

Today we followed up with our original source about the possibility that the legendary DeMatha head coach Morgan Wootten might retire at the end of the season. "If Morgan quits, he will announce it when he is ready," says our source. "Already, one of our assistant coaches has gotten feelers from the parents of sophomore Billy Edelin and Andre Scott, a 6'7" junior that is sitting out. Scott definitely wants out of DeMatha, because they basically left him out to dry, but I am concerned about his grades. Someone told me he no longer attends DeMatha, but goes to a public school in Prince Georges County. He wants to play his senior year at a strong basketball school. I do not think Edelin will leave, unless there is a new coach, but the father is unhappy with the Wootens." Stay tuned!

A commitment that slipped past us was 5'10 Maceo Wofford from Jamestown (H.S.) NY, who recently announced for Iona College. Wofford is averaging 30.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 5 apg, and 6.8 spg. He is shooting 53% from the floor and 81% from the free throw line and is now the 8th highest scorer in Western New York history. (he passed Christian Laettner last week).

Monday, February 15, 1999

We had reported several months ago that the final three for 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA would be Clemson, Florida, and Georgia, but now it looks like Auburn is making a strong push for this relentless competitor who currently is ranked as the #1 senior in America by the HOOP SCOOP. Apparently they are telling Harvey that they will move Chris Porter to the wing forward spot and if that happens, just imagine how good Auburn, which currently is dominated by juniors, will be next year. With guys like Adrian Pearson and David Hamilton as backups on your front-line, Auburn shoud be one of the favorites to win the national championship. However, all this didn't just happen. If you will recall, a year ago we had the Tigers recruiting class, which included several outstanding junior college transfers, ranked #6 nationally.

I received a very interesting email last Friday from a coach in the Washington, DC area regarding the legendary Morgan Wootten. "Two athletic directors in our WCAC league have said that Morgan Wootten of DeMatha tendered his resignation Friday 2/5. The new coach will be Mike Hibbs of Bullis Prep in Potomac, who was a freshman and junior head coach at DeMatha in the early 90's. This will take effect at the end of the season. Morgan does not look well recently, and possibly his health might be a concern. If this is true, we are shocked that first, his son (Joe) did not get the job, and second, that none of his long time assistants did not get the job. Both assistant Neal Murphy and JV Coach Tom Burke have been at DeMatha for years. Also his team is playing with more of a spark since 2/5. Tonight they showed Good Counsel that they will be reckoned with in the playoffs, beating them, 72-58, at George Washington Smith Center. Good Counsel has never beaten DeMatha when both Keith Bogans and Joe Forte have been in the lineup." After making several more calls, can confirm that this rumor is out there, but we can't confirm its accuracy."

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin was at the Prime Time Shootout in North Jersey all day yesterday and he provides us with all the results. With 23 points, 6'8 Jr Mike Conover led Hamilton (Steinart) NJ past Burlington (City) NJ, 64-54, in the opening game of the day. Next, New York (Rice) NY ended the 22-0 streak by New Castle (H.S.) PA, who is coached by former Bronx (Tolentine) NY and University of Pittsburgh assistant John Sarandrea. Although Rice won, 83-75, it was a two point game with only a minute left. 6'1 Kenny Satterfield led all scorers with 30 points, while 6'7 Jr Andre Sweet (14 points), 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett (15 points), and 6'3 Kevin Bell (14 points) provided plenty of balance for Rice. New Castle was led by 6'4 David Young with 26 points. Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, which had been upset the day before by Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, knocked off Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 70-65. This was somewhat of a surprise, because St. Raymond's ended New York Rice's 30 game winning streak last week. Simon Gratz received balanced scoring from 6'0 Jr Shawn McKie, 6'4 Jr Percell Coles, and 6'8 Tahric Gosley, who combined for 31 points, while 6'0 Majestic Mapp led St. Raymond's with 22 points. Middle Village (Christ the King) NY won the game against Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, 61-59, but 6'2 Jason Williams won the battle of the point guards with 24 points against 6'1 Jr Omar Cook, who ranks as the second best point guard in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Cook had 10 points and nine assists, but his 13 turnovers, while matched up against Williams, illustrate why we think Williams is the best pure point guard in America today. In the fifth game of the day, 6'0 Jr Jameer Nelson, who is one of the best point guards in Suburban Philly, led Chester (H.S.) PA past Little Silver (Red Bank Regional) NJ, 56-54, in two overtimes. In the final game, Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY beat Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 51-48, thanks the efforts of 6'8 Uka Agabi, who had 19 points and 16 rebounds for Molloy.

Yesterday at the Prime Time Shootout Allen Rubin talked with New York (Rice) NY head coach Maurice Hicks and Middle Village (Christ the King) NY head coach Bob Oliva about the recruiting of their players. Oliva told Rubin that North Carolina, St. John's, Kentucky, and Syracuse are the top four for 6'1 junior Omar Cook, who ranks #8 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP. Zach Williams, Oliva's 6'8 junior, is a prime target of schools like Ohio State, Virginia, and St. John's. Providence, Penn State, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Florida State are the leaders for 6'10 Mark McCarroll and 6'3 Kasom Mims likes Charleston Southern, Niagara, and Canisius. Hicks told Rubin that Seton Hall, Syracuse, Penn State, and St. John's are the favorites for 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett, who ranks as the #3 junior point guard in New York City, but also ranks #13 in the class nationally. The top three schools for 6'8 Jr Kyle Cuffe are St. John's, Villanova, and UCLA. Rutger, Villanova, and St. John's are showing the most early interest in 6'7 Jr Andre Sweet. The long list for 6'8 Uka Agabi includes Boston University, Delaware, Hartford, Hofstra, Long Island, Columbia, Davidson, Fairfield, Iona, Siena, Loyola-Maryland, Manhattan, Niagara, and Rider.

Sunday, February 14, 1999

Allen Rubin and Dave Schultz are both covering the Prime Time Shootout in North Jersey for the HOOP SCOOP this weekend and Rubin provides us a report on all the action from yesterday. In the first game Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ beat Mt. Holly (Rancocas Valley) NJ, 63-55, thanks primarily to the efforts of 5'9 Shane West, who had 33 points and hit 13-17 field goals, including 5-9 from beyond the arc. No wonder schools like East Carolina, Drexel, Manhattan, and LaSalle are all in the hunt for this undersized point guard from Newark. In the second game, 6'2 Jason Williams once again showed why we rank him as the #1 point guard in America, as Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ beat Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 69-47. Bishop Loughlin was without one of its best players 6'3 Jr Terrance Watkins, but that still probably wouldn't have been enough to overcome Williams, who had 24 points and hit 10-16 field goals. In the third game, 6'1 Todd Billet hit the game winning 3-point shot with .063 left in overtime, as Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ knocked off Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA. 5'11 Soph Tony Tate and 6'10  Maurice Jackson combined for 43 points in the fourth game, as they led Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ past Chester (H.S.) PA, 74-54. In the fifth game of the day, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, which trailed the most of the game, came back in the last two minutes to beat Little Silver (Red Bank Regional) NJ, 69-65. St. Patrick was led by 5'9 Jerome Holman, who had 34 points and was 11-19 from the field, and 7'0 Samuel Dalembert, who had 14 points, nine rebounds,and six blocks. Red Bank Regional has 6'8 Sean Axani, who signed with Rutgers, and 6'10 Tahj Holden, who signed with Maryland, but their leading scorer was Ryan Johnson with 23 points.  In the sixth game of the day, 6'0 Sean Mullholland had 23 points and five assists, as he led Medford (Shawnee) NJ past Trenton (H.S.) NJ, 72-65.

The Recruiting Beat has Matt Borrello and Stephen Richardson covering the National Prep Tournament in Providence, RI and Patrick Jira tells us that after the first two days, they rank the top five players in the tournament as follows: 1) Tony Robertson from Barrington (St. Andrew's) RI; 2) Dermarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME; 3) 6'5 Ontario Harper from Winchendon (School) MA, 4) Abdul Mills from Milford (Academy) CT, and 5) Bruno Sundov from Winchendon (School) MA. Jira also tells us that Johnson had 34 points and 19 points, but Robertson, who had 35 and 33 games, edges him out as the top player, despite the fact St. Andrew's was 0-2 in the tournament. Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME beat Barrington (St. Andrew's) RI, 111-69, and Milford (Academy) CT, 83-64, to advance to the championship game this afternoon against Winchendon (School) MA. On Friday night Winchendon beat Philadelphia (Christian) PA, 104-71, and yesterday knocked off New Hampton (Prep) NH, 98-90, to set up today's final.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat confirms that 6'5 Ontario Harper from Winchendon (School) MA, assuming that he makes grades, is supposed to go back to Mississippi State, but as of yet, an official announcement has not been forthcoming. Neither has an official announcement ever been made with regards to 6'7 Jamario Moon from Rockford (Coosa Central) AL, who is rumored to have signed with the Bulldogs last fall. However, this never turned up on the list of commitments turned into the NCAA. Maybe Moon signed a conference letter-of-intent or maybe they never turned the letter-of-intent in to the NCAA, because they didn't want to locked into taking him, if by some chance he makes it academically. And of course there is 7'1 Raynell Brewer from Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS, who has been rumored for months to be committed to Mississippi State, but it has never been officially announced. Perhaps head coach Rick Stansbury is just waiting to see who makes it first academically. There is no question we need to make some phone calls this week to find out exactly what is the deal.

Saturday, February 13, 1999

This weekend there is a big prep school tournament at Providence College and the Providence Journal has some interesting recruiting items that are worth passing along about some of the participants, including 6'9 Dermarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who the HOOP SCOOP now ranks as the best 5th year player in the nation. Johnson recently narrowed his list to Cincinnati, Maryland, and Connecticut, but now Chicago has been added to the list. That's the Bulls! Apparently Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause was in the house last night to see Johnson. The Providence Journal also is reporting that Providence, South Carolina, and UNC-Charlotte are the leaders for 6'10 Marijonas Petrivicious from New Hampton (Prep) NH, but that Syracuse, Penn State, and Arizona are also still on his list. Providence also appears to the leader over Clemson and Minnesota for 6'1 Abdul Mills from Milford (Academy) CT. Rhode Island, Providence, Boston College, and Northwestern are all in the hunt for 6'11 Ivan Kartelo from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'11 Abraham Keita, also from Winchendon (School) MA, likes Providence, St. John's, Massachusetts, Florida State, and Villanova.

Most people in the business knew that San Diego State head coach Fred Trenkle's days were numbered, but almost immediately after he announced that he would resign several days ago, the speculation about a possible successor got real interesting. And apparently they want a high profile coach, especially after expectations were raised a year ago when the old staff brought in what was widely regarded as the best recruiting class in school history. According to Recruiting USA, the #1 choice is Utah head coach Rick Majerus. Recruiting USA Editor & Publisher Dave Benezra says that this is not just a rumor. Majerus loves Southern California, but that's the tough part," says Benezra. "Coach Majerus is very loyal to his players; current, future, and on missions...he also has tremendous program support from both the administration and alumni." The other top choice, and much more likely in our opinion, is Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick, who like Majerus, loves Southern California. "It's no secret that despite public denials, the man would love to come back in the area and have a chance to do some damage to UCLA, whether head to head or in the recruiting arena, or both, besides other areas, says Benezra. "That's nothing against Harrick, but rather a sign of his competitiveness and feistiness over what he feels (rightly or wrongly) was a witch hunt/palace coup orchestrated by certain people at UCLA." If Harrick gets the San Diego State job, don't be surprised if he hires Lakewood (Artesia) CA head coach Wayne Merino. Benezra points out that Harrick and Merino are close friends and, as a result, Rhode Island is at the top of the list for his star player - 6'8 Jason Kapono - along with Missouri, Utah, and UNLV. Benezra also points out that this would give San Diego State the inside track on both of Merino's talented underclassmen 6'9 Apolinar Fernandez and 6'8 Jack Martinez, both of whom rank among the top 20 sophomores in the nation, as well as 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH. If you will recall, Kroenke, who is one of the best outside shooters in the nation, as well as one of the most improved players in the nation over the last two years, has played for Merino on his AAU team the last several summers.

Friday, February 12, 1999

Greg Swaim of Midwest Basketball tells us that Kentucky, Connecticut, and Memphis were all in last week to see 6'1 Jr Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who ranks #12 among juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Swaim tells us that Duhon is still wide open but adds that schools like Duke, North Carolina, and UCLA are among those showing the most interest. Swaim also thinks Texas Christian is now the favorite over Oklahoma and UNLV for 6'7 Joe Fermino from Barton County (JC) KS.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat has the latest list of schools for 6'7 Jr Justin Reed from Jackson (Provine) MS, who ranks #31 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP. "All the local schools, including much of the SEC, have been by, including Mississippi State, Ole-Miss, Jackson State, Auburn, Alabama...etc.," says Jira. "UCLA, Maryland, Florida, Clemson and LSU are also some of the schools showing interest in Reed."

Marquette has only one scholarship left, but they are involved with a number of players, including 6'6 Marshall Williams from Milwaukee (Vincent) MI, 6'4 Gary Buchanan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'6 Marcus Jefferson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'8 Stephon Don Don from Collin (JC) TX. According to an article recently in the Milwaukee Sentinel, Buchanan is also considering Virginia Tech, Villanova, West Virginia, Providence, Iowa State, and Rhode Island. Jefferson's list now includes Marquette, Wisconsin, DePaul, Notre Dame, Villanova, and Providence.

Thursday, February 11, 1999

We talked with Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports today and he assures us that his sources on 7'1 Raynell Brewer from Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS are good regarding Brewer's verbal commitment to Mississippi State. As a result, we are now counting Brewer with the Bulldogs recruiting class. If you will recall, we reported last fall that Brewer had told head coach Rick Stansbury that he plans to sign in the spring, but it was never officially announced. However, Mitch Malone of Texas Blue Chip has insisited all along that Mississippi State wasn't even on the list, despite that fact the the coaches at Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS have told us that Mississippi State is the strong leader.  Gibbons also tells us that he is finally on the internet via the ACC Today and it's worth checking out.

It's now official! We talked with 6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH tonight and he has, as expected, verbally committed to Notre Dame. Not only do we want to thank Michael Duncan of the Cleveland Basketball Club for that scoop, but we want to get him off the hook with Cleveland State, because we neglected to list the Vikings with 6'5 Jr Julius Johnson from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH, who is the #1 junior in the state. He also is one of Cleveland State's top recruiting priorities. Can head coach Rollie Massimino pull off the upset against schools like Ohio State, Cincinnati, Xavier, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Southern Cal? It will be tough, but few coaching staffs get after it harder.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat tells us that 6'11 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL has narrowed his list to two schools - DePaul and Fresno State. Jira thinks that makes DePaul the leader, but we think Fresno State might be the one to watch. Remember, head coach Jerry Tarkanian already has Smith's buddy Nick Irvin sitting out as a Prop 48 casualty and another Chicago area player - Melvin Ely - is currently the starting center.

Last week HOOP SCOOP Correspondent Dave Schultz was at the rematch between Camden (H.S.) NJ and Camden (Catholic) NJ and 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner was nothing less than sensational, as he actually outscored Camden Catholic all by himself (38-36) midway through the third quarter. Wagner finished with 46, but even more important, Schultz says the interest in Wagner is staggering. A year ago his following included the black community and basketball people," says Schultz. "But now white people from the suburban Philadelphia who have never been to Camden before are to Wagner's games. He has the same type following that Kobe Bryant had when he was a high school senior. "The guy behind me brought his nephew to see Wagner play. He claims to have seen Bryant's last 11 high school games, but thinks Wagner might be better down the road." How good is Wagner? Schultz thinks Wagner, who is averaging 38 ppg, might be the best player in the nation right now. "I've yet to find anybody who has ever been disappointed after watching Wagner play," says Schultz. "Wagner is bigger and stronger than Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury.  Wagner is not as quick as Allen Iverson, but he makes better decisions, shoots it better, and is just as good going to the hole. Wagner is more like a smaller version of Oscar Robertson, because he has that power dribble that allows him to go strong to the basket or pull up and hit a short range jumper in the lane."

Wednesday, February 10, 1999

It still appears to be a two horse race between UCLA and Michigan for 6'8 Justin Davis from Alameda (St. Joseph's) CA, but Michigan appears to be making up lost ground, as Davis was in Ann Arbor on an official visit over the weekend. Apparently Stanford is also back on the list even though he doesn't have the necessary test score to get into school. However, Vincent Baldwin, the Editor & Publisher of Michigan and Ohio Prep Spotlight, tells us that could change, because Davis plans retake the SAT again in an attempt to improve his score. However, the key to Michigan landing a great recruiting class is get 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Pioneer (Ann Arbor) MI and 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC. But if that doesn't happen, Michigan is also making a push for 6'6 Reese Gaines from Madison (West) WI, although Louisville and Maryland, which is where he was last weekend, also appear to be at the top of his list. Until recently we thought Gaines would wind up at Wisconsin, but it looks like the Badgers are out.

We recently returned our second ballot for the McDonald's All-American Game, which will be played on Wednesday, March 24th, in Ames, IA at Hilton Coliseum. While we can't tell you who we voted for, we are at liberty to tell you about the selection process. On the first ballot we had a list of over 100 names from which we picked four players at each position. Then, on the second ballot we had 30 names that we were asked to rank in order. We really liked this, because obviously the higher a player is ranked, the more value he will have when they come up with a cumulative total. The teams will be announced live on February 22nd at 6:00 PM on EPSN2.

Tuesday, February 9, 1999

Allen Rubin, our Philadelphia Area Editor, has the scoop on where the sharpshooting wing guard 6'4 Reggie Brown from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY is going to school. Apparently he had a great visit to the University of Richmond over the weekend and upon returning home he decided to pick the Spiders over Notre Dame and N.C. State.

Earlier we had reported that the leading candidates for the University of Pittsburgh job were former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla and Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, but now a number of different sources, including the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, are reporting that Xavier head coach Skip Prosser is now the leading candidate for the job. Stay tuned!

After talking with Vincent Baldwin, the Editor & Publisher of Michigan and Ohio Prep Spotlight, we are now projecting Michigan and Virginia as the co-favorites for 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, who ranks as one of the top 10 seniors in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP. Also still on Blanchard's list are Penn State, Notre Dame, California, and Georgetown, but the school that is in the most interesting predicament is Virginia. Right now the Cavaliers have only one scholarship available and there other prime target - 6'7 Liberto Tetimadinger from France - will be making an official visit later this month. What does head coach Pete Gillen do if Tetimadinger decides to commit on the official visit? Our guess is that he will take the commitment, because Tetimadinger is better than a lot of people realize and like they say "one in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Monday, February 8, 1999

We mentioned yesterday that 6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH made an official visit to Providence over the weekend, but Mike Duncan, who is the general manager and head coach of the Cleveland Basketball Club, tells us that Augustine may be on the verge of committing to Notre Dame. Augustine will visit South Bend tomorrow and Duncan tells us that he believes he will commit on the visit. Apparently Augustine's mother is pushing the Irish, because Notre Dame is a great school and she values her son's education - Augustine has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom.

Mike Duncan also tells us that he will have the top two juniors in the state - 6'5 Jr Julius Johnson from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH and 6'7 Jr Omari Westley from Cleveland Heights (John F. Kennedy) OH - on his AAU team next summer. The two early favorites for Westley are Ohio State and Cincinnati, while Cincinnati, Ohio State, Xavier, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Southern Cal are all showing serious interest in Johnson. But an even bigger story might be Johnson's younger brother - 6'2 Demetrius Johnson from Garfield Heights (A.B. Hart) OH. Duncan is the second person in the last two days to tell us about the younger Johnson, who has been putting up incredible numbers at the 8th grade level. As a matter of fact, Demetrius, who had a 58 point game recently, is averaging over 45 ppg. In otherwords, remember the name! We're probably talking about one of the top five 8th graders in the nation.

Miami-FL, Providence, and South Carolina are all now showing interest in 6'0 Erick Wills from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD. However, we still think he's best suited for the mid-major level, where he's being heavily recruited by a number schools, like George Mason, Richmond, and St. Peter's. Also still available is Wills' teammate - 6'3 Jamison Brewer - who is considering Villanova, Texas, Auburn, Mississippi, Georgetown, and South Florida, which is currently recruiting him the hardest.

Sunday, February 9, 1999

Ohio Editor Chris Johnson found something interesting recently in the Cincinnati Enquirer about 6'8 David West from Fork Union (Military) VA. West, who has also made official visits to Marshall and East Carolina, will visit Xavier next weekend. He's originially from Teneck, NJ, but played last year at Garner (H.S.) NC. "He's very athletic," says his coach Scott Shepherd.  "He's got big hands and size 17 feet. He works very hard. He rebounds and can score. He's got good moves down low, but isn't going to overpower you. He's kind of a slasher in the post, which is a little different. We run the same press Xavier does." If West does not commit to Xavier after his visit, look for Providence, Arkansas, Clemson, Virginia, and Georgia Tech to fit it out for the two remaining visits.

6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH made verbal commitments to both Duquesne and Toledo last fall, but this weekend he was at Providence for an official visit. He also has taken an official visit to Eastern Kentucky and next week will take his final visit to Notre Dame.

Speaking of Eastern Kentucky, 6'9 Ronnie Griffin is transferring, but already the Colonels coaching staff appears to have a replacement lined up, as Vincent Baldwin of the Michigan and Ohio Prep Spotlight tells us that EKU now is close to getting a commitment from 6'9, 240 lbs. Chris Garnett from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC. Currently Garnett doesn't rank among our top 100 nationally, but he has a major upside and would be an absolute steal for head coach Scott Perry. As for Griffin, a number of schools, Fresno State, have interest. Griffin has always had tremendous potential, but in recent years we've had questions about his work ethic and weight.

Saturday, February 6, 1999

Bob Gibbons of All-Sports is reporting in his latest newsletter that 7'1 Raynell Brewer from Gulf Coast Mississippi (JC) MS has committed to Mississippi State. But like we did in November, Gibbons may be reporting something before it happens. As a matter of fact, we've talked with several coaches within the last week who are still recruiting Brewer. However, we're not sure it matters anyway, because Brewer has been living off his 7-foot size, big-time athleticism, and ability to run the court like a deer. Unfortunately, he is embarrassingly non-productive and we aren't buying into the fact that he's top 20 junior college player in the nation until his numbers prove it. Currently his ppg and rpg are surprisingly low and, as a result, he's not even one of the best players on his junior college team.

A lot of people think that Fresno State stashed 6'8 DeAndre Hulett at the College of the Sequoias (JC) CA. And they might be right, because Jerry Tarkanian's other son, George Tarkanian is now the head coach and he's turning this California junior college into a power house - thanks at least in part ot Hulett, who already has had several 40-plus point games this year. However, Hulett, who is only a freshman in junior college, appears to have already read the book on how to declare hardship early and take a chance on ruining your career. 

We continue to get feedback about the Denny Crum rumor, including from Crum himself, who not only publicly has said that he has no intention of resigning, but who also has questioned our credibility for reporting the story. However, we stand by what we have done - report something as rumor - because, unlike a television station or a newspaper, reporting rumors is part of our job. We did the same thing when we heard that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski was talking with the Detroit Pistons last spring, when Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins was rumored to be in line for the Denver Nuggets job last spring, and when Dr. Tom Davis was rumored to be retiring from Iowa last spring. In each case, it didn't happen, but also in each case, there was more to it than most people realize. However, in Crum's case, it was not accurate, but still there is a lot of speculation in the basketball world as to whether Crum, who has had health problems and a number of loses lately, might be thinking about hanging it up. By addressing this rumor, we forced Crum to come out publicly and deny the rumor. As a result, the rumor was put to rest and we did our job. Some people, like Crum, may not be happy about it, but it's not our job to make people happy. It is our job to deal with rumors, speculations, ranking, and opinions. As a result, what we hear, especially when we think we have a legitimate source, should be reported. In this case, several of our sources who are usually right on the money, were telling us that this rumor was out there. So we had to pay attention and do exactly what we did - report it as rumor. Bottom line, if you don't ever put it on the line, you're never wrong.

Friday, February 5, 1999

Following up on the University of Louisville situation, the Cardinals did win their appeal with the NCAA, which was announced earlier this morning, and, as a result, will be eligible to play in the post season this year. This is especially important, because it casts further doubt on the rumor that we've been hearing about Louisville head coach Denny Crum resigning. As a matter of fact, upon further investigation, we talked with Louisville Sports Information Director and Assistant Athletic Director Kenny Klein and several other people in the University of Louisville athletic department today and they reaffirm our belief that Crum will coach until he is 65. Currently he is 61, so if that happens, he will be at the helm of the Cardinals until the 2002-2003 season, which would be about the time that 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ would be going hardship into the NBA.

Speaking of 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, we've heard rumors for a long time that his father, former University of Louisville All-American Milt Wagner, would return to Louisville after his professional career ends this year. It would also make perfect sense for the University of Louisville to hire Wagner in some capacity, especially when one considers that Wagner is one of the all-time favorite former players and he wants to get into coaching. So if Wagner moves to Louisville and has a job in the athletic department or basketball office, where do you think his son will go to high school? Already at Louisville (Ballard) KY are three players - 6'9 Soph Brandon Bender, 6'8 Jr Mac Wilkinson, and 6'6 Jr Cedric Knight - all of whom already have Louisville connections. Knight's older brother, Aaron Knight, is currently a walk-on at Louisville. Wilkinson's older brother is another former Louisville player, Felton Spencer. Bender's cousin is current Louisville assistant coach Jerry Eaves. So, if Milt indeed does get a job at the University of Louisville, it would make perfect sense for Milt to put his son at Ballard, because you know that he would be going to all of his son's games anyway. According to NCAA rules, there is no restriction on how often a father can watch his son play, but he has to leave the gym and can't watch any other games once his son's game is over. What a recruiting advantage this would give Louisville and it would all be perfectly legal under NCAA rules. So now you know why we think the younger Wagner is such a lock for Louisville and why Louisville head coach Denny Crum will be around for a while, especially now that the Cardinals have a commitment from a quality point guard in 6'1 Rashad Brooks from Cecil (JC) MD and appear to be one of the leaders for 6'1 Rick Jones from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS, and 6'6 Reese Gaines from Madison (West) WI.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis doesn't want to take a back seat to anybody in the recruitment of 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks #8 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP. As a result, Jarvis has not only already offered Cook, but he recently met with Christ the King head coach Bob Oliva to emphasize the point. He also wanted to make clear that if he gets Cook, he plans to play both Cook and 6'1 Erick Barkley, who is currently the starting point guard for the Red Storm, a lot together. All this became an important, because North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge recently watched Cook play in person, the Tar Heels have already offered Cook a scholarship, and word on the street is that a certain scout is trying to push Cook in UNC's direction. However, Jarvis appears to have gone one step further, because he's also offered 6'7 Jr Zach Williams from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY in attempt to pull off the package deal.

Ron Naclerio is also reporting that former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla is now the leading candidate for the University of Pittsburgh job that is being vacated by Ralph Willard at the end of the season. Apparently the athletic director and Fraschilla, who were both at Ohio University when Fraschilla was first starting out, have a good relationship. Also Fraschilla and New Jersey Jets head coach John Calipari are great friends and, if you will recall, Calipari was the guy who got it done in recruiting for Paul Evans when he was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh in the mid-1980's. If Fraschilla gets the job, don't be surprised if his first recruit is 7'0 Ernest Brown from Mesa (JC) AZ, who Fraschilla originally signed a year ago when he was still at St. John's. Also Naclerio thinks that this might be one of the few college assistant coaching job that long-time Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary Decesare might jump at. And the connections are all very interesting.  Fraschilla and Decesare are good friends and Decesare coached Brown in high school. But even more important, Decesare would be very effective recruitng back in New York City, especially at St. Raymond's, which is stocked with good young talent. Another interesting twist is that Calipari's cousin is N.C. State assistant coach and former University of Pittsburgh point guard Sean Miller. However, Calipari isn't the only powerful connection that Miller. Remember, Miller's father, John Miller, who is the legendary head coach at Beaver Falls (Black Hawk) PA and the head coach of the Pittsburgh Jots, is very close to J.O. Stright, who is the general manager of the Jots.  And this very important, because Stright is perhaps the powerful basketball person in the city of Pittsburgh.

Thursday, February 4, 1999

We might disregard the rumor about University of Louisville head basketball coach Denny Crum stepping down, but after hearing reports from three different sources today alone, we now believe there might be something to it. If you will recall, several months ago we reported that Pittsburgh head coach Ralph Willard had been informally contacted about the Louisville job (this was right after Pittsburgh had beaten Kentucky). However, more recently Pittsburgh has fallen on tough times and Willard quit earlier this week. Getting back to Crum, the rumor is that he will officially announce his retirement on Monday, which will become effective at the end of the season. Is all this one great big coincidence? Maybe! But it is interesting food for thought, especially since the popular belief is that Louisville assistant coach Jerry Eaves has been groomed for the job and eventually was expected to be Crum's successor. However, we thought that Crum would try and ride out the tough times, so he could go out with a bang in four or five years after he gets 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is the best sophomore in the nation, as well as one of the top five players nationally regardless of class right now. Also the other rumor that we've been hearing about Louisville, is that they aren't going to win their appeal with the NCAA. An announcement is expected to tomorrow.

Greg Swaim, the Editor & Publisher of the Midwest Basketball, is reporting that the University of Kansas has an early commitment from 6'7 Jr Glen Worley from Iowa City (West) IA. This is not only huge, because Worley ranks #15 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP, but also because it doesn't give the University of Iowa time to hire a new head coach in the spring and make a strong push in the end. Swaim also tells us that Oklahoma State appears to be the favorite over schools like St. Louis, Mississippi, and Mississippi State for 6'9 James Williams from Dixie (JC) UT. If you will recall, Oklahoma State signed 6'11 Anthony Dent from Dixie (JC) UT a year ago, but he never got eligible.

A week ago we told you that 6'4 Duane King from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY was close to making a verbal commitment to the University of Pennsylvania. Well, write it down! Larry Kihnley, the HOOP SCOOP's Kentucky Editor tells us that King has picked Penn over Notre Dame, Marquette, Villanova, Bradley, and Texas A&M. King, who is a 4.0 student and the senior class president, adds to what already is an outstanding recruiting class. If you will recall, this Ivy League power already has to two excellent recruits who committed in the fall in 6'8 Ugonna Onyekwe from Mercersburg (Prep) PA and 5'11 David Klatsky from Holmdale (H.S.) NJ.

We got a fax today from George Raveling, the head of NIKE Grassroats Basketball, and he has provided us with a list of the important dates and events that NIKE will be sponsoring this spring and summer. First, April 2nd-4th, is the Boo Williams Tourney in Hampton, VA. Then on May 20th-23rd, there is the '99 World Tournament of Douai, France. Next are the Memorial Day Hoop Festival in Lexington, KY on May 28th-30th and the Hoop Jamboree for freshmen and sophomores in San Diego, CA on June 18th-20th. The NBA Players Association Camp in Princeton, NJ, will again be in late June, but the exact dates have yet to be set. The NIKE All-American Camp will once again be in Indianapolis, IN, July 5th-11th, the NIKE Peach Jam Classic will be in Augusta, GA, July 12th-16th, and the NIKE National Championship will be in San Diego, CA, July 27th-30th.

Wednesday, February 3, 1999

The roster for the American team has been announced for the NIKE Hoop Summit, which will be played in Tampa, FL, on Sunday, March 28th. It includes 6'9 Nick Collison from Iowa Falls (H.S.) IA, 6'7 Michael Dunleavy from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'8 Chuck Eidson from Summerville (Pinewood) SC, 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL, 6'11 Casey Sanders from Tampa (Prep) FL, 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, 6'4 Kevin Gaines from Las Vegas (Clark) NV, 6'3 Kirk Hinrich from Sioux City (West) IA, 6'6 Joe Johnson from Little Rock (Central) AR, 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, and 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.

He's already taken three official visits to Oregon State, Vanderbilt, and Pepperdine, but we are now projecting Southern Cal to be the heavy favorite for 6'5 Joe Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA. Shipp, who has lost weight and, as a result, is much more athletic than when we've seen him in the past, is a legitimate top 150 player nationally. The big question is will the Trojans offer? Arizona, Villanova, Oregon State and Vanderbilt are also still his list, but Pepperdine is out and so is Wake Forest. If you will recall, Wake Forest used their last scholarship yesterday when they got a commitment from 6'7 Josh Howard from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.

He is still considering declaring for the NBA draft in June, but the list for 6'5 Schea Cotton from Long Beach City (JC) CA continues to grow. Among the schools being mentioned most are Syracue, Connecticut, Washington, UCLA, Oregon State, California, Arizona State, and Southern California. If you will recall, Cotton signed out of high school with Long Beach State, but got out of the national letter-of-intent when his older brother (James Cotton) left Long Beach State early for the NBA draft. Then, in the spring, Cotton signed with UCLA, but never got into school, because the NCAA Clearing House ruled him ineligible because he passed the SAT, but did so without a time limit. Last year Cotton signed with N.C. State, but the same thing happened.

Siena head coach Paul Hewitt and former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla appear to be the leading candidates to replace Ralph Willard, who announced earlier this week that he will resign as the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh at the conclusion of the season. Willard, who failed to take Pittsburgh to the NCAA tournament once in his first four seasons at Pittsburgh, will likely be hired by his former boss and close friend Rick Pitino. If you will recall, Willard turned down the general manager job with the Celtics when Pitino first got the job two years. Willard is widely regarded as an excellent coach, but injuries, lack of chemistry, and off the court problems (i.e. Fred Primus was arrested and suspended from the team two weeks ago) proved to be very difficult to overcome.

We look for 6'5 Marshall Williams from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI to make an official visit to Rhode Island on February 12th and to Fresno State sometime later in the month. He's already been been to Colorado and Memphis officially and unofficially to Iowa. Also showing serious interest and vying for a visit are Michigan and N.C. State.

The University of Louisville got a commitment yesterday from 6'1 Rashad Brooks from Cecil (JC) MD, who is expected to come in next year and compete for the starting point guard spot with 6'0 Caleb Gervin, who is currently sitting out this year as a Prop 48 casualty, and 6'1 Rick Jones from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, who is expected to commit to the Cardinals in the spring. Brooks, who has a 49 inch vertical leap, was out with an injury last summer and, as a result, didn't get a chance to show how good he is at the junior college camps last summer. As a result, he's "a little bit of a sleeper."However, one college assistant we've talked with believes Brooks is one of the best junior college point guards available. His stats - 22.2 ppg and 5.8 apg - also back this up. Louisville is also among the favorites for two other outstanding combo guards in 6'4 Reese Gaines from Madison (West) WI and 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS.

Tuesday, February 2, 1999

Wake Forest is out with 6'5 Clarence Moore from Galliano (South LaFourche) LA, because Demon Deacons now have a verbal commitment from 6'7 Josh Howard from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who ranks #23 nationally among prep school players, which would be the equivalent of a 75-100 range player, if he were included with high school seniors. As a result, Howard is an excellent recruit for head coach Dave Odom, but this athletic combo forward needs to develop more consistency on his 3-point shot if he wants to become an impact player in the ACC.

Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook tells us that N.C. State, North Carolina, Clemson,and Wake Forest are the early favorites for 6'5 Jr Dwon Clifton from High Point (Westchester) NC, who is ranked #26 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP. However, that list is expected to get a lot longer, before it gets shorter.

Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook also tells us that Darren Matsubara, who is the AAU coach of the Fresno-EBO AAU team, which features 6'10 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK and 6'5 Jr DeShawn Stevenson from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, is expected to be in Durham, NC on Thursday night for the Duke-Maryland game. Boozer's final three are Duke, UCLA, and St. John's. Stevenson is reported to be wide open, but in September at Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness All-Star Game, Stevenson's father told us that UCLA, Kansas, Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, Connecticut, and Fresno State were the early leaders.

Monday, February 1, 1999

A week ago we first told you about 5'11 Jason Carter from Gary (Mann) IN, who until recently had been homeless, but who now might be right up there with 5'10 Jason Gardner from Indianapolis (North Lawrence) IN, who is widely regarded as the best player in the state of Indiana. "Gardner is a better defender and he's more fundamentally sound," says Jim Kasberg, the Indiana Editor of the HOOP SCOOP. "They both have about the same speed and quickness, but Carter is a better outside shooter and he's a much better leaper - his vertical leap has to be over 40 inches." Kasberg, who saw Carter for the first time last Friday night against Lafayette (Harrison) IN when he scored 18 points, isn't ready to rank Carter as the #1 player in the state just yet, but based on potential, he has to be one of the top players in the nation. He's a smaller version of Maryland's Steve Francis, who also was a major sleeper until he exploded in the junior college ranks a year ago. Carter has senior eligibility, but is only a junior academically, so junior college or prep school may be in his future. But what a talent! What a sleeper! Stay tuned, because we plan to go see him on February 26th when his team squares off against Gary (West Side) IN.

A player who got overlooked last summer by many at the adidas ABCD Camp and, as a result is still available is 6'5 Clarence Moore, from Galliano (South LaFourche) LA. We're talking about a guy who is a "tweener" size, but who is a relentless rebounder and competitor inside. "He's still very much open," says Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat. "Right now the top schools on his list include Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Texas, Texas A&M and LSU, but he doesn't have any visits set up yet. Moore, who averaging 23 ppg and has guided his team to a 14-9 record overall, also appears to be a good student with a 3.5 GPA in the classroom."