HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2002

Hot Recruiting Information available for previous months June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001 June 2001 July 2001 August 2001 September 2001 October 2001 November 2001 December 2001 January 2002

Thursday, January 31, 2002

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the University of Pittsburgh signed 6'9 Levon Kendall from Vancouver (Kitsilano) BC last fall, but nobody picked up on it until earlier this week.   Kendall, who is averaging 22 ppg, 12 rpg, and 2.5 bpg for an undefeated high school team, also had interest from Oregon State, Utah State, San Diego State, and UC-Santa Barbara.  Apparently one of the Pittsburgh coaches discovered him at the NIKE All-Canada Camp in early October.  Johnson also has the scoop on a number of the top juniors in the state of Ohio and, obviously, right at the top of the list is 6'6 Jr Lebron James from Akron (St Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the consensus #1-ranked player nationally regardless of class.  His top five currently includes Ohio State, North Carolina, Duke, Florida, and Louisville, but Michigan State and Cincinnati also have been on that list.  Actually it's a list that fluctuates, but Ohio State and North Carolina the two constant schools.  However, Johnson doesn't believe James will ever see a day in college.  But he also doesn't buy into the speculation that James will attempt to legally challenge the rule that prohibits him from skipping his senior year in high school and entering the NBA Draft this spring.  Did you know that James had a recent meeting with Tim McCormick, who is with NBA Players Association.   Instead, Johnson thinks McCormick was recruiting him to go to NBA Players Association Camp next June.  Johnson also points out that St. Vincent-St. Mary is talking about playing games next season against Beaumont (Ozen) TX in Chapel Hill, NC, Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY in Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, and Columbus (Brookhaven) OH at a site to be named someplace in Ohio.  Obviously St. Vincent-St. Mary wouldn't attempting to schedule games like this if James wasn't plannng to be there next season.  Ohio State already has an early commitment from 6'8 Jr Ivan Harris from Springfield (South) OH, who is the #2-ranked junior in the state by Johnson. The top three schools for 5'7 Jr Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, who is #3 on Johnson's list, are Ohio State, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, but Clemson and most of the schools in the Mid-American Conference are trying.  There also is a possibility that Lavender will package himself with 6'6 Jr Brandon Foust from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and, if that happens, it looks like Cincinnati and Seton Hall are willing to offer.  However, Ohio State still appears to be on the fence.   6'5 Jr Demetrius Johnson from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH is considering Iowa, Iowa State, Marquette, Xavier, Southern Cal, Dayton, South Florida, Miami-OH, where his older brother Julius Johnson is a sophomore, and Ohio University, where his oldest brother Sonny Johnson is a junior.   Cincinnati, Ohio State, South Florida, Dayton, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Iowa, Iowa State, Xavier, Kent, and Akron are all in the hunt for 6'6 Jr Reggie Harwell from Cleveland (St. Joseph's) OH and 6'5 Jr C.J. Anderson from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH is being recruited by Cincinnati, Xavier, Duquesne, Purdue, Marquette, and Georgetown.  One of the fastest rising players in the state, as well as a top five junior, according to Johnson, is 6'9 Jr Monty Sinclair from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH.  He likes Ohio State, Notre Dame, Tulane, Purdue, Xavier, Marquette, Penn State, Duquesne, Miami-OH, and Bowling Green.  Johnson also points out that 6'7 Jr Norm Plummer from Cincinnati (Fairfield) OH, who already is in his 4th year of high school, will have to go the prep school route and 6'7 Jr Shawn Crable from Massillon (Washington) OH, who is ranked #11 in the class in the state, also won't get many looks for basketball, because he is one of the top three football players in the state.  As a a matter of fact, Crable's top three schools for football are Michigan, Tennessee, and Ohio State.  Johnson also has schools on the top three sophomores in the state in 6'2 Soph Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'10 Soph Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, and 6'11 Soph Seth Gorney from Vandaila (Butler) OH.  Butler already has been offered by Cincinnati and Ohio State.   Agnew is a prime target of Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Duquesne, and Michigan State.  Gorney is being recruited by Ohio State, Purdue, and Dayton, which is where his father played college basketball.   Johnson also wanted us to mention that 6'2 Frosh Travis Walton from Lima (Senior) OH, who previously was not on his list, but who is starting on the varsity, is now his #2-ranked freshman in Ohio, as well as a top 50 freshman nationally.  

Wednesday, January 30, 2002

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also does a great job of keeping up with what is going on in a lot of other states, so it should come as no surprise that he has the scoop on what is going on in terms of recruiting with a number of the top players in Louisiana.  Johnson confirms what we already knew - that 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, who is currently ranked #30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP - is overrated.   However, that isn't stopping schools like Wake Forest, Kentucky, Florida, Tulane, and Alabama from showing a lot of interest.  Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tulane are the early favorites for 6'2 Jr Jay Jackson from Monroe (Ouachita Christian) LA, who is ranked #54 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   The top three for 6'4 Jr Johnny Hodge from Monroe (Ouachita Christian) LA are Louisiana Tech, Tulane, and Arkansas.  The fastest rising player in the state is 6'8 Jr Paul Milsap from Grambling (H.S.) LA and he is already getting early attention from Texas, LSU, Tulane, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Grambling State, and Louisiana Tech, which currently has the inside track, because Milsap's uncle is an assistant coach for the Bulldogs.  Connecticut, Tulane, and Houston are the early favorites for 6'1 Jr Troy Aaron from Lake Charles (St. Louis) LA, 6'6 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA likes Tulane, LSU, and Mississippi State, and 6'0 Jr Chavis Rose from Shreveport (Southwood) LA is getting attention from schools like LSU, Tulane, Oklahoma, Louisiana Tech, and Texas.  Johnson also has an early list for four of the top sophomores in the state in 6'7 Soph Lamar Robinson from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, 6'2 Soph Mike Lewis from Bossier City (Airline) LA, 6'4 Soph Early Doucet from St. Martinville (H.S.) LA, and 6'7 Soph David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA.  Gomez lives right in LSU's backyard, but his father is an alumnus of Tulane.  So this promises to be a war.  Doucet's list includes LSU, Tulane, Auburn, and Alabama.  Lewis likes LSU, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.  Robinson is already getting attention from LSU, Tulane, Alabama, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that Tulane is mentioned with every one of the players listed above.  In other words, we just got further evidence of what a great job head coach Shawn Finney and his staff are doing in terms of laying the foundation to build this program into a powerhouse in the future. The Green Wave also will have five scholarships available a year from now, so don't be surprised if they have one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.   Also noteworthy is the fact that Louisiana Tech is mentioned with a number of the players mentioned above, but this shouldn't come as any surprise, because head coach Keith Richard has gotten more than his share of the top players out of Louisiana since taking over four years ago.  In other words, don't be don't be surprised if the Bulldogs emerge as one of the surprise teams in college basketball come March and keep things heading in the same direction down the road.  Remember, they had the #36-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP last spring, plus they're involved more than their share of the underclassmen mentioned above. 

For years I have not only held the strong belief that professional basketball is a totally different sport than college and high school basketball, but also suspected that a large number of college and high school basketball fans could care less about the NBA.  Well, our  "Question of the Day" for January 18th, which asks what level of basketball do you follow the closest, and January 20th, 21st, and 22nd, which asks how much interest in high school, college, and professional basketball do you have on a 1-10 scale, simply reinforces what I already believed.  Sure, our audience is made up of college coaches, media people, and basketball junkies who like to follow recruiting, but can you believe that not one person voting inour poll said he had more interest in professional basketball than college and high school basketball?  Actually the results were 60% in favor of college basketball, 40% were in favor of high school basketball, and 0% were in favor of professional basketball.  With regards to our other question regarding how much interest one has in high school, college and professional basketball, it should come as no surprise that most people had a strong interest in high school basketball, as 89% voted in the 7-to-10 range  As a matter, 48% of the people voting said their interest was a perfect 10.  And the interest in college basketball was even stronger, as 88% gave the sport a nine or a 10.  In contrast, only 13% of the people voting said their interest in professional basketball was a nine or a 10 and only 29% were in the 7-10 range.  However, at the other end of the spectrum, 30% of the people indicated they had no interest at all in professional basketball, as their vote was either a one or a two.  If that weren't bad enough, another 16% picked three or four, which indicates they don't have a lot of interest in the pros.  Add in the 20% of the people who picked five and almost two-thirds of the people who responded are on the bottom half of the spectrum with regards to their interest in professional basketball.  In sharp contrast, only 6% of those responding fell into the same category with regards to high school basketball and 0% fell into this category with regards to college basketball.   Have you voted yet?  If you haven't, we encourage you to go back and tell us what you think on this and all the other important "Questions of the Day".  Obviously there results are not reflective of our population in general, but it does show that professional basketball may have a serious problem at the grass roots level.  It also may be an indicator that professional basketball should not attempt to move into a city like Louisville, KY and try to go head-to-head with strong college basketball programs, like the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky.  As a matter of fact, this the "Question of the Day" for today.  And it is fairly important, because for the last several years the city of Louisville has been attempting to bring a NBA team to town (i.e. the Vancouver Grizzlies, which moved to Memphis, TN a year ago, and more recently the Charlotte Hornets, which are moving to New Orleans, LA).  

Tuesday, January 29, 2002

One of the great things about the HOOP SCOOP is that it's recession proof.  In a bad economy we know about how many subscribers we're going to get and how much we plan to spend and, as a result, we can adjust our prices accordingly.   Currently the price of the HOOP SCOOP is $30 per month, $90 for three months, $120 for six months, and $360 per year.  However, schools that paid after July 1, 2002 year were charged an extra $100 late fee.  So for all practical purposes the price of an annual subscription is already $460 and, as a result, that's the price we will be selling an annual subscription for in the near future.  This will allow us to continue to expand, pay our people more, and attend even more of the top events in the nation than we already do, despite a bad economy.  In other words, now appears to be the perfect time to announce a price increase to $39 per month, $115 for three months, $230 for six months, and $460 per year.  So at a savings of $9 per month, $35 for three months, $50 for six months, and $100 per year, now is the perfect time to renew your subscription before the price goes up on February 15th.  You can either renew your subscription by clicking on subscribe or by calling us at 1-(502) 493-0043.  If you subscribe online, you will have to enter a new user name and password.  If you want to keep the same one, I suggest you call us.  If you want to subscribe for longer than a year, we'll also give you a special discount on a two-year subscription for only $560, which means you would save $160 before the price increase and $360 after the price increase.   Speaking of subscriptions, people often ask me how many subscribers we have? Actually the number fluctuates between 500 and 1,000 depending upon what time of the year it is and we have about a 130 schools that subscribe on an annual basis.  And most of these schools are at the big-time level.  As a matter of fact, the only schools in the top eight conferences (ACC, Big East, Big-10, SEC, Big-12, Pacific-10, Conference USA, and Atlantic-10) that don't currently susbscribe are Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Baylor, Texas A&M, Oregon State, Washington, Southern Miss, Rhode Island, Duquesne, and Richmond.  Obviously we hope to get some of these schools in the future, but we think it is important to let you know who does and doesn't buy the HOOP SCOOP, because we want you to know that we are able to separate the business side from the editorial side.  Some good examples include Georgia Tech, which has the #17-ranked recruiting class in the nation, as well as 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is one of the top five players in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; Virginia Tech, which has the #21-ranked recruiting class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; Duquesne, which has the #47-ranked recruiting class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; and Texas A&M, which signed 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Academy) MA, who is ranked #16-nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, last fall.  A year ago we also had Washington with the #20-ranked recruiting class nationally and 6'9 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX, who signed with Baylor, ranked #60 nationally.  In each case we have the player or the school's recruiting class ranked higher than most of our competition.  However, in the case of 6'7 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who is ranked #73 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, we are currently too low.  Sure, that will change to some extent next time we update our national rankings, but we're not ready to proclaim that he's a future lottery pick until he develops more consistency and a better outside shot.  In other words, we want him to earn it!  Still, we think Igoudala has the athleticism and potential to be the next great player for the Razorbacks.  We won't go into all the schools who buy and don't buy the HOOP SCOOP at the mid-major and low-major levels, except to say that there appears to be a direct correlation between programs that are successful and programs that subscribe.  The perfect example is Hampton University, where head coach Steve Merfeld has not only developed a reputation as a giant killer (i.e Iowa State last March and North Carolina at the beginning of the season), but he makes sure that he gets every advantage possible over his competition.  So you can bet he will be one of the first people to take advantage of the price increase!

BigAppleSports.com is reporting that 6'9 Jamar Smith from Allegany (JC) MD, who is ranked #4 among power forwards by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, as well as one of the top two available big man in the junior college ranks, has verbally committed to the University of Maryland.  If this indeed is true (it's been rumored for weeks), it is huge because it would move the Terrapins recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont Heights) MD, 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist, from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, and 6'7 Nik Caner-Medley from Portland (Deering) ME, up from #9 to #3 nationally behind Duke and North Carolina.  In other words, the Atlantic Coast Conference may have the top three ranked recruiting classes on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Getting back to Smith, he's also ranked #5 on Van Coleman's list of the top junior college centers behind 6'9 Jaime Lloredo from Dixie (JC) UT, who is committed to LSU; 6'10 Jackson Vroman from Snow (JC) UT, who is committed to Iowa State; 6'10 Raphael Araujo from Arizona Western (JC) AZ, who is committed to Brigham Young; 6'9 Jeff Graves from Iowa Western (JC) IA, who is committed to Kansas; and ahead of 7'0 Chris Alexander from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who is committed to Iowa State; 6'10 Jack Wolfinger from Ventura (JC) CA, who is committed to USC, 6'8 Brandon Vincent from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, who is commtted to Mississippi State; 6'11 Jonathan Oliver from Ventura (JC) CA, who was committed to USC, but didn't return to junior college this semester; 6'11 Geoffrey Brown from Colby (JC) KS, who is committed to Southern Mississippi; and 6'10 John Toombs from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL, who is commited to Georgia.  Really?  We actually had seen this before on the list previewing the , but thought somebody had just picked up on something that had happened a year ago, because we had never seen this officially reported.  However, now we'll had this to our list.  This too is important, because it moves the Bulldogs recruiting class up from #51 into a tie at #25, along with DePaul.  A quick look at Coleman's list the top junior college power forwards shows that 6'9 Kei Madison from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, who committed to Mississippi State last fall, is back on the board.  And #5-ranked 6'8 Don Jones from Long Beach (JC) CA, #6-ranked 6'8 Omari Westley from Barton County (JC) KS, #8-ranked 6'9 Seth Scott from Utah Valley (JC) UT; and #9-ranked 6'9 Mory Correa from Pratt (JC) KS are also still available at the power forward position.  However, #2-ranked 6'8 J.K Edwards from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who is committed to UNLV; #3-ranked 6'9 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, who is commited to Louisville; #4-ranked 6'9 Randy Holbrook from Odessa (JC) TX, who is committed to Xavier; #7-ranked 6'9 Chris Booker from Tyler (JC) TX, who is committed to Purdue; and #10-ranked 6'8 James Peters from Butler County (JC) KS, who is committed to UNLV; are gone.  In other words, the pickens are slim, as the top 11 centers and half of the top 10 power forwards in the junior college ranks are already off the board (either signed or verbally committed).

It looks like I've really stirred things up good this time.  If you will recall, on Wednesday, January 23, 2002, we mentioned that it was ironic that Temple head coach John Chaney had been quoted in the Philadelphia Daily News talking about how he wished he had Marques Green on his team.  We also pointed out that Temple never recruited Green and we raised the question about whether our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin didn't have Green ranked high enough, because he doesn't fall into the "cookie-cutter" mold that Rubin, as well as most people in our business, use to rank players.  Apparently a number of people thought this was a malicious attack on Rubin.  As a matter of fact, I've gotten a number of emails from people who apparently missed the point entirely.  All we were trying to do is talk about something we though was extremely  humorous on a slow news day.  Looking back several years ago we debated who was better - Green or Jameer Nelson.  At the time Rubin liked Nelson better, but our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz and I liked Green better.  In the final analysis Nelson ended up being ranked #60 nationally in the Class of 2000 and Green was nowhere to be found among our top 100.  And it's a good thing we listened to Rubin about Nelson, because he has had a great college career thus far at St. Joseph's.  To make the story even more interesting is the fact that the Temple coaching staff apparently agreed with Rubin and made Nelson a top recruiting priority, while not recruiting Green at all.  And that brings us to our first question.  Did Temple miss out by not also recruiting Green, who, instead, ended up at St. Bonaventure?  And Chaney's comments provided us with a perfect opportunity to raise our second question.  Is Rubin biased against undersized point guards and power forwards.  Rubin maintains he isn't, but I believe he is.  Actually it doesn't matter what I think or what he thinks.  But it does matter what you think, because you are the one who will  judge our credibility and, as a result, that's why I always try and give credit where credit is due.   Also, having certain biases and/or playing politics is acceptable as long as people know where you're coming from.  Unlike some people, I am perfecting willing to admit when I have to rank a player higher or lower than he should be ranked based on politics or when I have a particular bias.  I admit I am biased against big white kids, because they usually lack mobility, coordination, and athleticism.  Instead, they are usually ranked based more on size and potential, which means there is often a greater margin for error.  More often than not I also have a hard time when a coach takes a wing player and attempts to convert him into a point guard.  I guess I watched former Louisville head coach Denny Crum try and does this one too many times.  I do like killers inside, good shooters outside, and athletes at every position.  I don't like guys that are soft and don't play hard, but I like guys with skills, great hands, good body control, excellent timing, and a burning desire to get better.  I also am more partial than most to undersized guys at both the point guard and the power forward spots.  Sure, that's not politically correct and I'll miss at times when maybe I shouldn't, but I also will be right more than my share of the time, because usually have good insight and I am willing to go out on limb.  And that's the direction in which I'm trying push our entire staff (go out on a limb more often and be less status quo).  Who is right and who is wrong isn't that important.  What is important is a free and open date and to make the reader decide for himself.  In other words, Rubin may not have liked the fact that I put him the spot about Green, but he was a lot less upset about it than everybody else seems to be, because he knows my intent was not meant to be derogatory.  He also knows that he is one of our best people and that old habits (both his and mine) are hard to change.

Monday, January 28, 2002

Our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin were both at the Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic on Saturday and the highlight of this seven-game single-day event was the game between Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  As a matter of fact, Schultz tells us that this was the best game he's seen all year.  Not only was the game extremely close, as Blair Academy won 56-55, but also there was an incredible amount of athleticism and talent on the floor.  Blair Academy featured 6'7 Jr Loul Deng, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva, who is currently ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they combined for 33 points and 20 rebounds.  Life Center was led by 6'0 Mike Lasme, who is ranked #69 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but we also have to mention 6'6 Jr Arnuad Dahi, who is the #2-ranked junior in the area by Rubin, and 6'10 Jr Roman Narmboye-Mbainoj from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, who has only been in the country a couple of weeks.   Narmboye-Mbainoj didn't even start, but he runs the court, is an amazing athlete, and has a great natural feel for the game.  In other words, we're talking about a guy who should be ranked among our top 10 juniors in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area right now, as well as the top 100 juniors in the nation down the road.  In the other six games Newtown (Council Rock) PA beat Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA, 56-38; Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY beat Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 61-56; Richland (St. Augustine) NJ beat Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 79-71 (OT); Philadephia (Martin Luther King) PA beat Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 54-43; Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA beat Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 55-53, Philadelphia (Bartram) PA beat Chester, 58-55.  The best player of the entire day was 6'4 Maurice Collins from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, who finished 25 points and 14 rebounds.  We're talking about an overachieving combo forward who is ranked #19 in the senior class in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second on the list provided by Schultz and Rubin was 6'0 Jr Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA.  Not only did Rice score 29 points and hit 4-7 3-pointers, but he also proved to be so deceptive athleticially that he should be ranked our top 50-100 range nationally.  Next was Villanueva with 22 points and nine rebounds in what was his first game back after being sidelined for two weeks with an injury.  Rounding out the top five players of the day were 5'11 Scott Greenman from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, who finished with 28 points, six assists, and 6-11 3-pointers, and Lasme.  Greenman isn't ranked any higher than #18 in the area by Rubin and doesn't have the size and athleticism to be a big-time player, but is an absolute steal for Princeton.  Lasme had 16 points and five assists, but he would have had a lot more, if his teammates had caught and finished more of his passes.  Next were 6'5 Darron Bradley from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA with 19 points and 11 rebounds, 6'2 Ben Luber from Newton (Council Rock) PA with 25 points, 6'5 Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA with 18 points and 10 rebounds, 6'6 Tim Doyle from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists, and 6'7 Michael Haddix from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ with 17 points and 11 rebounds.  The second 10 included 6'6 Jr Jordan Ingram from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA with 13 points, including 6-7 field goals and 14 rebounds, 6'9 Jr Jason Cain from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA with 12 points and 12 rebounds, 6'3 Richard Francis from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA with 16 points, Deng with 11 points and nine rebounds, 6'6 Michael Blackshear from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds and hit game winning shot to beat Germantown Academy, 6'7 Brian Houlihan from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY with 14 points and seven rebounds, 6'9 Jr Wayne Marshall from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA, who had 10 points, seven rebounds, and held 6'11 Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ to only seven points and two rebounds, 6'3 Alex Patsos from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY with 18 points, 6'6 Jr Dalton Morgan-Hinds from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA with 15 points and eight points, and 6'5 Soph Michael Springman from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA with 10 points, six rebounds, and four assists. 

We've been hearing the rumors about 6'3 Rashaad Carruth transferring from the University of Kentucky for a month now, but we always assumed that increased playing time as the season progressed would be more than enough to take care of the problem.  However, this appears to be a rumor that just won't die, as the Wildcats continue to not live up to pre-season expectations.  Remember, we picked the Wildcats as the pre-season #2 in the nation.  And after last Saturday's loss to Alabama (Kentucky is now only 3-3 in the Southeastern Conference), the natives are even more restless.  We've confirmed that Michigan, Memphis, North Carolina, and, yes, Louisville are all schools that would be on Carruth's list, if he decides to transfer.   However, that's not a surprise, because all these schools were on his list the first time around.  We've also heard all the rumors, like Marvin Stone, who transferred from Kentucky to Louisville several week ago, telling Carruth to following in his footsteps and come to Louisville and Sean Woods, who played at Kentucky under Rick Pitino, bringing Carruth and Cliff Hawkins to Louisville as part of a package that would include Woods as an assistant coach.  While they're great rumors, I think the chances of Carruth and/or Hawkins ending up at Louisvlle are slim and none.  As a matter of fact, we did some checking several weeks ago and it appears that Louisville has no interest in Carruth, Hawkins, or anybody else as a transfer who would have to sit out next season.  Remember, the Cardinals are involved with an overwhelming number of the top echelon players in the junior class nationally, including 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'10 Jr Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'0 Jr T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'5 Jr Olumuyiwa Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'0 Jr Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, 6'10 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'0 Jr Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, and 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, plus they are believed to be the early leader for 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'0 Soph Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, and 6'8 Soph Robbie Simpson from Louisville (Seneca) KY.  In other words, Stone was worth taking because he would be eligible to play next season.  But why would Louisville be interested in taking any transfers when the list of underclassmen they're involved with reads like a Who's Who of the Top Players in the Junior Class Nationally?  We also have heard rumors about University of Kentucky athletic director Larry Ivy and head coach Tubby Smith both being out after the current season.  Well, we might have believed it about Ivy, if he hadn't released Stone.  However, it's hard to get rid of a coach who has won a NCAA Championship at your school, especially when his team is 13-5 and ranked #11 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Coaches Poll.  Combine that with the fact Smith is recognized as one of the top head coaches in the college basketball, as well as a class act, and it's hard to believe he will be going anywhere, unless he gets a better offer and/or just gets tired of all the whining Kentucky fans.  One possibility could be the Philadelphia 76ers, if Larry Brown retires or takes another coaching job after the current season.  And, if that happens, the Wildcats could end up with somebody like Billy Donovan, who did more to revolutionize the way the game is played today with his outside shooting when he was a player at Providence in 1997 than any player in the last 20 years.  Whether Donovan would even leave Florida now for Kentucky is also the subject of an interesting debate.  But regardless of whether Donovan would leave or not, don't you think it's premature on Carruth's part to be thinking about transferring from Kentucky?  As a matter of fact, that's our "Question of The Day", so make sure you tell us what you think!

Saturday, January 26, 2002, and Sunday, January 27, 2002

The third time apparently was a charm for Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, as they pulled off a surprising upset Friday night against Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, which currently is ranked #3 in the latest USA Today poll.  If you will recall, Westchester was ranked #1 before being upset by Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in Houston, TX on December 29th in the National Academy Invitational.  However, Westchester bounced back a week later with a 31-point win to beat Fairfax for the second time this season.  But this time Fairfax jumped out to a 11-2 lead early and never looked back en route to a 66-62 victory.  Westchester did manage to cut the lead to only 3-points late in the game, but 5'8 Jr Aaron Bell, who finished with 10 points, and was the point guard who makes this team go, hit three out of four clutch fouls shots to put the game on ice.  Bell is an excellent penetrator who beats you with his speed and quickness, decision making, and court savvy.  He also has the talent, skills, and moves to be a big time point guard, but his lack of size may prevent that from happening.  Still, we think he's a lot better than where we currently have him ranked at #73 in the junior class in California.  The leading scoring for Fairfax was 6'7 Evan Burns with 19-points, but they other player for Fairfax who impressed us 6'5 Frosh Jamaal Boykin, who chipped in off the bench with 10 points and some key rebounds.  In other words, he move than justified his #1 ranking in his class in the state, but he too needs to grow in order to get recruited by all the top schools in the nation.  However, time is no his side, because he's just a freshman in high school.  The leading scorer and best player for Westchester was 6'4 Hassan Adams with 17 points, but their best prospect - 6'7 Jr Trevor Ariza, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP - only finished with 10 points.  Unfortunately they don't get Ariza the ball much inside, but he did impress University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey, who was in the house to watch him play, with his work on the boards and ability to get his 3-point shot.  Part of the problem for Westchester was there just aren't enough basketball's to go around, as Adams made sure he got his points off transition and 6'1 Brandon Heath fired everything he could get his hand on up from downtown.  As a matter of fact, we're not sure that Heath has ever seen a shot he doesn't like and, as a result, he might be our leading candidate for top gun of the winter.  Heath did finish with nine points, but he singlehandedly cost Westchester the game.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with a sneak preview of what is expected to happen with some of the top juniors in his area.  Actually with 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA, who is ranked #4 in the area by Rubin, it is already done.   If you will recall, Luber recently made an early verbal commitment to Penn State.   Virginia, Temple, Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall, Virginia Tech, N.C. State, Providence, Rutgers, St. Joseph's, Kansas, Maryland, and Connecticut were the schools mentioned by 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shakur, who is the #1-ranked player in the area in the junior class, as a well as a top 15 junior nationally and the #2-ranked point guard in the class behind 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.  Villanova, Seton Hall, Rutgers, and St. John's are already in the hunt for 6'6 Jr Arnuad Dahi from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, but that list will get longer before it gets shorter as the word continues to get out.  Remember, this big time athlete, who is ranked #2 in the area, hasn't been in the country very long.   The same also can be said about 6'10 Jr Roman Narmboye-Mbainoj from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  We understand Narmboye-Mbainoj also has big-time talent and potential, but he just arrived in the country a couple of weeks ago and, as a result, is too new to be on Rubin's latrst report.  The #3-ranked player in the area is 6'0 Jr Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA.  He's been around for what seems like forever, but he may have academic questions.  However, that doesn't stop Rice from putting Duke near the top of his list, which also includes Miami-FL, Connecticut, Michigan, Villanova, Temple, and Louisville.  It already appears to be a three-horse race among Temple, St. Joseph's, and Maryland for 6'9 Jr Wayne Marshall from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA, who is ranked #6 on Rubin list.  And #7-ranked 6'11 Jr Aaron Gray from Emmaus (H.S.) PA is already attention from St. Joseph's, Connecticut, Virginia, Penn State, Florida State, Notre Dame, Temple, and Villanova.  St. Joseph's, La Salle, Villanova, Temple, Canisius, Princeton, Delaware, Rider, Marist, and Brown are among those in the hunt for 6'8 Jr Jason Cain from Philadelphia (Bertram) PA, who is ranked #9 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area.

Friday, January 25, 2002

The selection process for the McDonald's American Game, which will be played in New York City on Thursday, April 4th is entering its final stages, but we're not at liberty to tell you who we voted for because the balloting is supposed to remain a secret, at least until after the 24-man team is announced in late February.  Instead, we are going to go back and look at the results from our "Question of the Day", where we asked you to select the best player nationally in the senior class at each position.  And some of the results will surprise you.   Let's first look at the point guard spot where somebody obviously stacked the deck, as 5'11 Dee Brown from Hillside (Proviso East) IL got 161 out of the 334 votes, which is 48% of the vote.  Next were 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC with 17%, 6'1 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL with 13%, and 6'1 Chadd Moore from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 9%.   It also comes as a surprise that 6'1 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX and 6'1 Daniel Horton from Cedar (H.S.) TX only got 3% of the vote and 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI and 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY only got 2% of the vote.  Actually this is the deepest position in the class, so seven of the players mentioned above probably should end up on the McDonald's Team and, if we had to provide you with an order, it would be Felton, Hopkins, Horton, Brown, Roberson, Dockery, and Ray.  The voting for the 2-guard spot was a lot more reflective of what most people think, as 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX was the runaway leader with 32% of the vote.  Next were 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Springs) VA with 15%, 6'4 Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont Heights) MD with 12%, 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK with 9%, 6'5 Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA with 8%, 6'7 Antoine Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, and 6'5 Rashad Anderson from Lakewood (Kathleen) FL with 5%.  In contrast, our order at the 2-guard spot is Bracy Wright, Redick, Antoine Wright, Alexander, Anderson.  The position where reality is least reflected is the wing forward spot, where 6'7 Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN finished with 54% of the vote, while 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked as the best player in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, had only 18%, 6'5 Andre Igoudala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL had 12%, and 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK with 9%.  As a matter of fact Byars and Azubuike were the last two players we included at this position and, as a result, they are not good enough to make the cut, despite all the popular support.  Neither is Igoudala, because he lacks the consistency and outside shooting necessary to be ranked among the very elite players in the class, although he does have world-class athleticism and an incredible upside.  Instead, we think the top players at this position are Anthony, 6'7 Evans Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH.  At the power forward spot 6'10 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI with 30% of the vote beats out 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN with 22% and 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, and 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, all with 13%.  The best of the group actually is Bosh, followed by Davis, 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, Randolph, 6'8 Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, May, 6'7 Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, and Williams.  The runaway leader at the center position with 40% of the vote was 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, while 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY got 21%, 6'10 Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA got 18%, 6'9 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA got 12%, 6'9 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA got 5%, and 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK got 2%.  In contrast, our order would be Stoudemire, Collins, Fraser, and Bookout.  That's 27 players for only 24 spots, plus there are some prep school players, like 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD, 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, and 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, who are good enough to be considered for the team.  In other words, these are the 31 players that we think should be seriously consider for the McDonald's All-American Team.  However, it doesn't mean that this is exactly how we voted or that even all these players were on the ballot.  But it does illustrate just how difficult the final selection process can be, as you also have to be concerned about taking the right number of players at each position and the chemistry of the teams.  So why don't you do break it down some more and tell us what you think, as our "Question of the Day" for tomorrow will likely help us narrow the field down some more.  And that question is "which player would you eliminate among the final 10 players on our list of the 31 serious candidates for the McDonald's All-American Team."

Thursday, January 24, 2002

The inquiry sign is now up on the verbal commitment that 5'9 Jr Dez Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #33 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, made to the University of Tennessee several days ago.  Apparently the mother of 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis Station (White Station) TN, who also committed to the Volunteers two weeks ago, is mad because the Tennessee coaching staff had led her to believe they would take the first player (Willingham or Bradshaw) who committed to the Volunteers.  As a result, it appears that Willingham has finalized his decision, but the Volunteers can't accept his commitment, which is too bad, because Willingham is the best player the current regime has landed since taking over early last April.  And both Bradshaw and his mother shouldn't be so concerned, because Willingham is a point guard and Bradshaw is a 2-guard.  Sure, Bradshaw is a good ball handler and passer, but he doesn't have the footspeed and athleticism to play point guard in the Southeastern Conference.   Instead, Bradshaw should be concerned about 6'4 John Winchester from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NV and 6'4 Stanley Asumnu from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, both of whom signed with the Volunteers last fall and both of whom are much better than Bradshaw at the 2-guard position.  However, it looks like the head coach Buzz Peterson is going to do the politically correct thing and settle for a good role player at the 2-spot, instead of a great point guard.  Remember, establishing a strong recruiting base in Memphis, TN is always important if you're at Tennessee, plus good white players unfortunately are still at a premium.  The ideal way to solve this problem would be to figure out a way to take them both, because that would give the Volunteers one of the deepest backcourts in college basketball for years to come.  If you will recall, in addition to Winchester and Asumnu, Tennessee also landed 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV.  However, Willingham, who also is an excellent student and a terrific kid, may change his mind and go someplace else, like Stanford.  As a matter of fact, our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff, who tipped us off on this story, tells us that it was a tough decision for Willingham, who picked the Volunteers over The Cardinal. 

Unfortunately 6'9 Brandon Bender still doesn't get it.  He had an opportunity to play for somebody (Rick Pitino) who wasn't going to take any of his shit and would push him to become the best player he can be.  Instead, this morning Bender, who already had been suspended from the team twice this season, announced that he is transferring from the University of Louisville.   The timing of this (mid-season) comes as somewhat of a surprise, but the fact that Bender has not lasted under Pitino was something we expected.  As a matter of fact, we thought there was a good chance Bender wouldn't even make it through all the conditioning last summer and fall.  We also didn't believe Bender would stick around once Pitino had found more talented inside players who were willing to pay the price and buy into his system.  We're not talking about a bad kid, but we are talking about a high maintenance guy who more often than not beat to his own drummer.  Fortunately for Bender there will be a number of other schools willing to take a chance on him, like UNC-Charlotte, West Virginia, Alabama, or maybe even Kentucky (he could be the player to be named later in the Marvin Stone trade).  Actually we've heard that UNC-Charlotte is the favorite.  Remember, the 49ers recruited him the first time around and apparently they think he could emerge into another DeMarco Johnson, who was the star at UNC-Charlotte during the Melvin Watkins era.  However, we're not sure whether or not Conference USA has a policy that prohibits players from transferring from one school to another within the league.  And even if there isn't a league rule, most schools are in the habit of not releasing a player to another school in their league.  So West Virginia may prove to be a more viable option.  If you will recall, Bender and Mountaineers point guard Jonathan Hargett developed a close friendship while playing AAU ball and at one point had even talked about going to West Virginia as package.  Another very important connection for the Mountaineers is Bender's father, who has had almost a 30-year relationship with Mountaineers head coach Gale Catlett.  Did you know that Vic Bender, who came very close to signing with the Bearcats, was recruited by Catlett when was the head coach at Cincinnati in the early 70's?  This also is important, because the Cardinals would have been one player over the 13-player scholarship maximum, if they had signed another player in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, the Cardinals, which already have 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, and 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ counting towards the five players they can sign in this recruiting class, are still in the hunt for a point guard or another big man.  In other words, Pitino has already recruited over all his front line players (Ellis Myles, Luke Whitehead, and Bender, if he had stayed), as Stone will likely start at center, Dartez will be the power forward, and Garcia will be the wing forward next season.  Plus, Pitino may also recruit over Hurt, if he doesn't fully recover and/or live up to his incredible natural ability.  This also means that it might be time for Louisville fans to forget about the rest season.  Remember, in November we thought the Cardinals, which started off 10-2 and had wins against Ohio State and Tennessee, would be a major surprise.  However, that was based on Carlos Hurt, who recently was lost for the season with a back injury, and Bender being major contributors.  Instead, we think they will be lucky to win more than three or four more games, which would make them a .500 team, because they have no depth inside now that Hurt is out and Benders is gone and their two point guards are both walk-ons. 

It looks like all the rumors about Slam Dunk to the Beach being in financial trouble are totally false.  As a matter of fact, Bobby Jacobs, who is the executive director for the Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament in Lewes, DE tells us he is on the verge of assembling his most talented field ever for next December's tournament.  The list of teams he already has lined up, include Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, Potomac (Bullis School) MD, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Oakland (Tech) CA, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, Rochester (McQuad Jesuit) NY, Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, Centereach (Our Savior Lutheran) NY, Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, Reno (H.S.) NV, Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, Severn (Archbishop Spaulding) MD, Prentiss (H.S.) MS, Starkville (H.S.) MS, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ, Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) MD, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, Hockessin (Samford) DE, Lewes (Cape Henelopen) DE, Wilmington (St. Mark's) DE, and either Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY or Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY.  In other words, should have 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's ) OH, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Vocational) CA, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, 6'8 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'11 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'11 Jr Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, 6'7 Jr Omari Isreal from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 6'4 Jr Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'8 Soph D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'8 Soph Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Soph Jerome Johnson from Potomac (Bullis) MD, and 6'8 Soph Juan Deigo Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  And Jacobs also is putting together a new tournament, Flying to the Hoop, which will be held on January 17-20, 2003 in Dayton, OH.  He is hoping to get Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to play in a single game, plus he is planning on having a 4-team Ohio Tournament and an 8-team national tournament.  Jacobs tells us that some of the likely participants will include Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, Zanesville (H.S.) OH, Lexinton (Catholic) KY, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, and Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA.

Wednesday, January 23, 2002

"We're just not a good team," is what Temple head coach John Chaney was quoted as saying last Thursday in an article by Mike Kern in the Philadelphia Daily News after a 98-74 loss at St. Bonaventure.  "It's just that simple. They played the kind of basketball we used to play.  I was told a long time ago, 'In a land where everyone is blind, a man with one eye can be king.'  I think that's where we are.  We just can't pass the ball.  We got guys open, and we can't find them.  I wish I had (Bonnies point guard Marques Green) on my team...This time of year is guard time.  As long as he's on the floor his role makes a difference.  That little kid (he's 5'7) really makes them go.  He finds all the holes.  He knows where to get the ball." Actually we find all this ironic, because Temple never recruited Green, who had 13 points, 10 assists, four steals, and two turnovers against the Owls last week, despite the fact that Green went to high school right in their backyard at Norristown (H.S.) PA.  Could this have anything to do with the fact that our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has an obvious bias against small point guards?  If you will recall, Rubin is "the man" everybody listens to in the Philadelphia Area and, if memory serves me correctly, Rubin never thought Green was a big time player, because he didn't fall into the cookie-cutter mold that Rubin always applies to players.  Remember, Rubin didn't get the nickname "Mr. Status Quo" for nothing.  As a matter of fact, our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz and I always used to give Rubin a hard time about how low he had Green rated.  Speaking of Schultz, he also is a lot more on the ball than Rubin when it comes to providing us with a list of future events in that area of the nation.  As a matter of fact, the 3rd Annual Scholastic Play-by-Play Classic, which is scheduled this Saturday, January 26th, at McGonigle Hall at Temple University, will include teams like Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, Philadelphia (Archbishop Carroll) PA, Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA, Chester (H.S.) PA, Newtown (Council Rock) PA, Bryn Mawr (Shipley) PA, Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, and Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  Also on Saturday, January 26th, the Homeless Classic, which will be held at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, NJ, will feature Roselle (Catholic) NJ versus Elizabeth (St. Mary's) NJ at 5:00 PM, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Elizabeth (H.S.) NJ at 6:40 PM, and Elizabeth (St. Patrick's) NJ versus Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ at 8:15 PM.  The Prime Time Shootout, which will be held, February 6th-10th, will feature five of the USA Today's top seven teams in #1-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, #3-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, #4-ranked New York (Rice) NY, #5-ranked Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and #7-ranked Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.  However, there are not all that many great match-ups.   Let's take a closer look.  On Wednesday, February 6th, the tournament will tip-off at Lawrenceville School with Willingboro (H.S.) NJ versus Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ at 6:00 PM and Syracuse (Nottingham) NJ versus Burlington (Burlington City) NJ at 7:30 PM.   Then, on February 7th, it will be Plainfield (H.S.) NJ versus Blairstown (Blairstown Academy) NJ at 4:00 PM, Linden (H.S.) NJ versus Elizabeth (H.S.) NJ at 5:30 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Wayne (Passaic) NJ at 7:00 PM, and Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ versus Newark (East Side) NJ at 8:30 PM at the Dunn Sports Center in Elizabeth, NJ and on Friday, February 4th it will be Holmdel (H.S.) NJ versus Newark (Central) NJ at 1:30 PM, Newtown (Council Rock (H.S.) NJ versus Burlington (Burlington City) NJ at 3:00 PM, New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ versus Camden (H.S.) NJ at 4:30 PM, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Amityville (H.S.) NY at 7:00 PM, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ at 8:30 PM at the Soverign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ.  Also at the Soverign Bank Arena on Saturday, February 9th, it will be Hazlet (Raritan) NJ versus Horhsam (Hatboro-Horsham) NJ at 10:30 AM, Trenton (H.S.) NJ versus Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA at noon, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ versus Linden (H.S.) NJ at 1:30 PM, Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA versus Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ at 3:00 PM, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA versus Bronx (All Hallows) NY at 4:30 PM, Camden (Catholic) NJ versus New York (Rice) NY at 6:00 PM, Neptune (H.S.) NJ versus Medford (Shawnee) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Rochester (McQuaid Jesuit) NY versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY at 9:00 PM and on Sunday, February 10th, it will be Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY versus Clifton (H.S.) NJ at 10:30 AM, Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA versus Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY at noon, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH at 1:30 PM, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY versus Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ at 3:00 PM, New York (Rice) NY versus Wayne (Passaic) NJ at 4:30 PM, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Ft. Washington (Germantown (Academy) PA at 6:00 PM, Camden (H.S.) NJ versus Elizabeth (H.S.) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Florence (H.S.) NJ versus Pleasantville (H.S.) NJ at 9:00 PM.  And later in February, also at the Soverign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ on February 24th, it will be the Second Annual Scholastic Play by Play Classic with Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Camden (Catholic) NJ, Burlington (Burlington City) NJ versus Trenton (Central) NJ, and Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ versus Burlington (Life Center) NJ. 

We have been hearing for some time now that both the University of Louisville and the University of Cincinnati plan to leave Conference USA sometime in the immediate future and will join the Big East Conference.   However, we understand that Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich earlier today denied that anything like this was eminent.  But let's take a closer look just in case.  We think this would be a bad move from a basketball standpoint, because the nucleus of Conference USA is still the rivalries that have existed back to the days of the old Missouri Valley Conference between schools like Louisville, Memphis, Cincinnati, Marquette, St. Louis, and DePaul.  All of these schools are inner city commuter schools, they have great basketball traditions, and are geographically within driving distance of one another.  Add Southern Mississippi, Tulane, UAB, and UNC-Charlotte to the equation and you have a league with the perfect number of schools (Marquette, St. Louis, DePaul, and UNC-Charlotte currently don't have football programs, so you're talking about 10 schools that participate in basketball and six in football.   However, South Florida and Houston also were added as orginal members for the sake of added television exposure and  East Carolina and Texas Christian were added a year ago for the sake of football (Army also belongs to the Conference in football, but doesn't belong to the league in basketball).  There is no question that each one of these schools brings something positive to the table, but just like Cincinnati and Louisville would be in the Big East, they are geographic misfits in Conference USA.  So obviously the league is true to its name, but what good comes out of being the most spread out conference in America if most people aren't watching?  That intense interest and bitter rivalries that have existed as long as most people have been alive is what had made the Atlantic Coast Conference the best conference in college basketball.  Not only does the ACC feature three of the best basketball schools in the nation (Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State), all of which are less than half an hour from one another, but it also has Wake Forest just up the road and teams (Maryland, Virginia, Clemson,and Georgia Tech) in neighboring state.  In other words, the ACC not only is the ultimate in terms of tradition and rivalries, but it has great geographic proximity.  The only exception is Florida State, but the Seminoles bring enough to the table for the ACC to forget about the fact that it is a geographic misfit.  The Big-10 Conference also has a number of long-standing bitter rivalries, like Indiana and Purdue, Michigan and Michigan State, Michigan and Ohio State, and Northwestern and Illinois, plus all the states in the league are geographically connected.  So instead of flunking geography, this is a conference that flunks math now that Penn State is in the league.  Remember, the Big-10 Conference has 11 teams, not 10, as in Big-10.  The Big-12 and the Pacific-10 also are great conferences, because they have great rivalries, like Kansas and Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska, UCLA and USC, great tradition (when was the last time the Pacific-10 expanded and the Big Eight had been around for what seemed like forever, before recently added Texas, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M), and the teams are all geograhically aligned in the Southwest part of the nation.  And the original concept of the Big East also was perfect, because Pittsburgh, Boston College, Georgetown, Connecticut, Syracuse, Villanova, and Providence are all within an afternoon's drive of the New York Metropolitan area, which featured the league's other two charter members (St. John's and Seton Hall).  However, the league forgot about geography when it added Miami-FL, Rutgers, Notre Dame, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech.  Obviously this was done primarily for football, but they forgot to get the most important football program in the nation (Notre Dame), which is only a member of the Big East in basketball.  And that brings us to several other important questions, like will Cincinnati and Louisville join the Big East in all sports and how will they share revenue?  Actually we think this is primarily a football move.  As a matter of fact, we know that Jurich can run the entire athletic department at Louisville perfectly, but he will have a hard time breaking even, due to the amount that annually must pay on the state-of-the-art football stadium that was built several years ago.   In other words, it's all about money, as Louisville and Cincinnati are looking for a conference that has an automatic BCS bid (the winner of the Southeastern, Big-12, Big-10, Pacific-10, Atlantic Coast, and Big East Conferences get automatic bids).   And, even more important, they want to be in conference where three or four teams have a shot at going to major bowls.  In other words, they are willing to flunk geography if they can somebody to share revenue.  But how is the revenue shared and with whom?  Obviously it makes a big difference if you only have to share revenue with the teams in the league that play football.  In the Big East that would exclude schools like St. John's, Connecticut, Providence, Georgetown, and Seton Hall, all of whom either don't play Division I-A football or football at all.  It also wouldn't include Notre Dame, which is an independent.  In other words, if you are only sharing the pie with Miami-FL, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Rutgers, Villanova, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia, getting into the Big East would be a financial bonanza for both Louisville and Cincinnati in football.  However, it wouldn't be nearly as advantageous in basketball, as it is our understanding that teams in Conference USA get to keep a disproportionate amount of their own revenue, plus there would be two more teams in the league to share revenue with in basketball.   So obviously the best move Louisville and Cincinnati can make is to join the Big East in football, but remain in Conference USA in basketball.  And the precedent has already been set (Notre Dame belongs to the Big East in basketball, but reamins an independent in football), but do Louisville and Cincinnati have enough the same type of clout?  As a matter of fact, that's our "Question of the Day" for tomorrow and the next day.   Do Louisville and Cincinnati bring enough to the table, whereby, they can join the Big East in football, but remain in Conference USA in basketball is the question for tomorrow, January 24th, and do you think they should leave Conference USA, if they have to participate in the Big East in both sports, is the question for Friday, January 25th?

The word we get is that Carlos Hurt, who underwent disk surgery earlier this week, is expected to fully recover and in theory could even play by for the University of Louisville by end of the season.  However, based on Rick Pitino's previous track record during his last season at the University of Kentucky when he didn't allow Derek Anderson to return, our guess is that the chances of Hurt being back before next season are slim and none.  In other words, Hurt will likely be sitting out almost as long as 6'10 Marvin Stone, who has exceeded all expectations so far in practice after transferring from the University of Kentucky about 11 days ago.  Speaking of Stone, he won't count in our rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  If you will recall, it has always been the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  However, he will count as one of the University of Louisville's five scholarship players in this recruiting class.  This is important, because Louisville now had four players - Stone, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, and 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ - who will count towards the five scholarship players they can enroll into school next fall.  As a result, they have to make a very important decision.  Do you take a commitment from 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL, who they probably can get, or do you go after a good junior college point guard, like 5'11 Ricky Clemons from Southern Idaho (JC) ID?  Our guess is they will go for the point guard, if they can get somebody as good as Clemons.  Remember, Hurt wasn't living up to his high school reputation even before he became injured and the Cardinals are already believed to be the favorite for 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is widely regarded as the #1 sophomore in America.  In other words, Clemons would graduate the spring before Telfair would enroll into school.  However, if they have to settle for a point guard who isn't ready to step in and run the show next year or a combo guard like 6'1 Darryl Hill from Milford (Academy) CT, who really doesn't solve their immedidate problem, our guess is they will eventually take Spears, who also is a prime target of Illinois and Connecticut, if he is still available.

Tuesday, January 22, 2002

When the University of Tennessee got an early verbal commitment two week ago from 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis Station (White Station) TN, we told you that we didn't think this would effect their recruitment of 5'9 Jr Dez Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #33 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Well, it looks like we were right, because our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that Willingham also made it official for the Volunteers.  As a matter of fact, Willingham had planned to commit to Tennessee on the same day as Bradshaw, but when this tough hardnosed white kid from Memphis, TN picked the Volunteers, Willingham put everything on hold, as he reevaluated his decision.  But in the final analysis he apparently he wasn't scared off by all the other good young players the Volunteers have already brought into the program.  If you will recall, head coach Buzz Peterson and his staff also landed 6'4 John Winchester from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NV, 6'4 Stanley Asumnu from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV.  Then, they got Bradshaw and now Willingham, who is ranked #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the icing on the cake.  In other words, Tennessee has landed excellent five backcourt players, none of whom are good enough to think about going to the NBA any time soon, but all of whom are good enough to help take the Volunteers deep into the NCAA Tournament in the future.  Sure, Willingham is small, but Grandstaff thinks he's as good as any point guard in the nation, as well as right up there along with 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX and 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, who are the top two juniors in the state of Texas, as well as consensus top 10 juniors nationally.  Willingham is a jet-like point guard who makes great decisions and puts up prolific numbers," says Grandstaff.   "Everybody except the opposing team's coach has tried to guard him and nobody has been able to stop him this winter."  When you add 6'6 Justin Albrecht from Iowa Western (JC) IA, and 7'0 Justin  Herndon from Nashville (Donelson) TN, both whom also signed with the Volunteers last fall, to Winchesster, Asumnu, and Watson, we find that Tennessee's recruiting class is ranked #7 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  They also are off to a great start on next year's class, as together Willingham and Bradshaw give the Volunteers the best class to-date in the Class of 2003.  And they aren't done yet, as their focus will now turn exclusively to big men, like Ebi, 6'10 Jr Akini Atkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'11 Jr Shawn Taylor from Vienna (Dooley County) TN, 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'8 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) TN, 6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, and 6'11 Jr Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ. 

The highlight of the day yesterday at the 2002 Dream Classic at Azusa Pacific University was the final game of the evening between Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and San Diego (Horizon) CA.  It should come as no surprise that that Mater Dei won the game 65-56, but it really much closer than the final score would indicate.  As a matter of fact, Horizon, which was led by 6'6 Nate Carter, 6'3 Benas Veikalas, and 6'4 Jr Jared Dudley, who combined for 49 of Horizon's 56 points, was up 36-29 at half-time.  Neither Carter nor Veikalas is a great outside shooter, but they both are extremely athletic tough hardnosed competitors who are best taking it to the hole, but also showed signs of being able to keep you honest from outside.  Carter is a legitimate top 200 senior nationally, as well as one of the best unsigned wing players still available.  Veikalas falls someplace in the 300-500 range nationally and, as a result, would be a steal for the right mid-major program on the West Coast.  Horizon, which also got inside help and rebounding from 6'5 Joktan Roberts, also provided Mater Dei with a good tune-up for nation's #1-ranked high school program - Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, which will play Mater Dei in less than two weeks in the NIKE Extravaganza on Saturday, February 2nd, at Long Beach State University.  Easily the best player for Mater Dei was 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington, who finished with 17 points, most of which came off transition.  6'5 Mike Strawberry chipped in with points and 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen had 11 points, but the player we really liked was 6'9 Soph Chris Henry.  Forget about the fact that Henry only had four points.  We talking about a tough hardnosed white kid who is great at setting picks and screens away from the ball, plus he isn't afraid to put a body on you inside and he's got deceptive mobility and coordination for somebody so big and so young.  We also were very impressed by 6'1 Jr Ray Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 MacKenzie Clark from Pasadena (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Richard Chaney from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'1 Soph Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA, 6'3 Timothy Drisdom from Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA, and 6'4 Jr Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Prep) CA.  Allen, who is the #2-ranked sophomore in California by our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, led his team with 31 points, but that wasn't enough to beat a well balanced Los Angeles (Price) CA team, which squeaked out a 66-64 victory.  Allen is a big time athlete who gets the hole and scores at will at this level.  However, the sky would be the limit, if Allen, who currently has more of a slasher's mentality, developed a consistent outside jump shot.  Drisdom and Chaney are both bound for the University of Utah and right now it's a close call regarding which one we like better.  Drisdom probably gets the nod right now, as he uses his smarts and skills to beat less talented players at this level.  However, we still question whether he will be able to do a lot of the same things at a higher level, because he's not that athletic and he has a tendency to overhandle the basketball.  Chaney, who scored 27 points versus Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA, was ranked #33 in the state when we published our California rankings a month ago, but he convinced us that he's a lot better than that.   As a matter of fact, we think he has top 100 talent and potential.  Not only do we like Chaney's athleticism and explosiveness, but he uses it to beat you going to the basket, plus he has a nice looking 3-point shot, an incredible wing span, and excellent rebounding skills for somebody his size.  Miley led Calvery Chapel with 24 points, but what impressed us the most was his ability to score.  Not only does he have a knack for using his athleticism and body control to beat you inside, but he also can pull up and hit the outside shot.  Miley currently is ranked #13 in the sophomore class in California, but, if he grows two more inches, he will emerge as a top 100 player nationally in his class, plus he will be able to write his own ticket at the next level.   Clark gets mentioned because he's active on the boards and has enough size and athleticism to be a nice catch for the right mid-major program.  Reed is a big time talent and he picked up the slack for 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who is still sidelined with an injury.  However, we still question what position Reed plays.  If you will recall, he's not big enough to play the 2-guard spot and he doesn't make good enough decisions to be a point guard.  As a result, Reed currently is ranked no higher than #17 nationally in the junior class in California by Trigonis. 

We also picked up some very interesting recruiting news at the 2002 Dream Classic yesterday.  Let's start with 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA. Jerry Gale of SoCalHoops tells us that he thinks Schaen has already decided that he wants to attend Stanford, so we congradulated Schaen on his commitment to The Cardinal just to see what his reaction would be.  "I wish," said Schaen, who says he is now 100% healthy again after being out with injuries for six months.  Schaen also confirmed that Stanford is the leader over schools like USC, Arizona, UCLA, California, and Arizona State.  We also talked with 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA and he expects to have the grades and test score necessary to get into a four-year Division I school.   Only time will tell, but Collins mentioned schools like USC, North Carolina, and Missouri, plus he told us, despite previous reports, that Fresno State is not under consideration.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jr Nick Stigger, who is ranked #56 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has transferred from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN to Van Nuys (Montclair Prep) CA and this makes perfect sense when one remembers that we reported that Southern Cal was close to getting a verbal commitment from Stigger several months ago.  In other words, we think the Trojans stashed him there.  We no longer will be counting 6'10 Jack Wolfinger from Ventura (JC) CA, who committed to USC last fall, with Souther Cal's recruiting class, because he didn't return to school for the spring semester and, as a result, appears to be impossible for him to graduate from Ventura next spring and enroll at USC next fall.   However, we are still counting 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Indian Hills (JC) IA with USC's recruiting class and apparently that was one of the big reasons why he recently left Indian Hills and has returned home to Portland, OR.  Apparently he was getting a lot of pressure to follow his teammate - 7'1 Chris Alexander - at Indian Hills to Iowa State.  As a matter of fact, a week ago we reported that Brooks had committed to the Cyclones.  However, we thought that was kind of funny at the time, because 6'0 Tim Barnes from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, who signed with Iowa State last fall, is easily the best point guard in the junior college ranks.  However, now it looks like Brooks is once again heading to USC, which was his original choice last fall.  We also have confirmed that the Trojans have a verbal commitment from 6'4 Roy Smiley from Southeastern (JC) IA, who was ranked as the #2 wing forward in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, plus we think USC is in better shape than most people realize for the Stewart twins - 6'4 Jr Roderick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA and 6'4 Jr Lodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA.  Remember, their team - 5'9 Nate Robinson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA recently committed to the Trojans for football.  However, Robinson also is expected to play basketball.  In other words, USC's recruiting has gone of the Richter Scale since Curtis Townsend, who already was regarded as one of the best recruiters and top assistants in the business, replaced Dave Miller at USC last summer.

Monday, January 21, 2002

Today is the day when Martin Luther King is remembered and, for our purposes, there is no better place to be than at the Dream Classic, which is being held this year at Azusa Pacific's Felix Events Center. The lineup of teams will include Los Angeles (Price) CA versus Peninsula (Rolling Hills Prep) CAat 10:30 AM, Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA versus Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA at Noon, Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA versus La Puente (Bishop Amat) CA at 1:30 PM, Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA versus Irvine (Woodbridge) CA at 3:00 PM, Pasadena (H.S.) CA versus Los Altos (H.S.) CA at 4:30 PM, Inglewood (H.S.) CA versus Peninsula (Rolling Hills) CA at 6:00 PM, and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus San Diego (Horizon) CA at 8:00 PM.  Unfortunately some schools are no longer allowed to play on a holiday, so Long Beach (Poly) CA and Lakewood (H.S.) CA, which were originally scheduled to play at 4:30 PM, have been replaced by Pasadena (H.S.) CA  and Los Altos (H.S.) CA.  Also, Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, which originally was supposed to play Inglewood at 6:00 PM, has been replaced by Peninsula (Rolling Hills) CA.  So we won't get to see 6'6 Bobby Jones from Long Beach (Poly) CA and 6'7 Adam Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, plus 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who is the #1-ranked senior in the state, may not be at full strength, because he is fresh off an injury.  However, 6'1 Patrick Hadden from Irvine (Woodridge) CA and Utah-bound 6'3 Tim Drisdom from Downey (Calvary Christian) CA are two of the top point guards on the West Coast, plus Loyola-Marymount-bound 6'6 John Haywood from La Puenta (Bishop Amat) CA, Utah-bound 6'4 Richard Chaney from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, and Santa Clara-bound 6'7 Travis Niesen from Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA, are all Division I signees, plus there will be a number of outstanding underclassmen, including 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'11 Jr Khalif Ford from Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Jr Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Curtis Allen from Peninsula (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 6'6 Soph Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'9 Soph David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, and 6'2 Soph Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvary Christian) CA.

Saturday, January 19, 2002  and Sunday, January 20, 2002

The highlight of day yesterday at the American Family Insurance National Hoops Classic was watching Columbus (Brookhaven) OH beat Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 71-59, in the final game of the evening.  We're talking about a team that is about to emerge as one of the perennial high school powers in the nation.   In other words, they not only have three of the top seniors in the state in 6'4 Ronald Lewis, 6'3 Raheem Moss, and 6'1 Dontae Patterson, but they also have 5'7 Jr Andrew Lavender, 6'7 Jr Brandon Foust, 6'0 Soph Denzel Lyles, and 6'5 Frosh Jamell Cornley.   The guy who makes this team go is Lavender, who, despite his lack of size, is ranked #57 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  He only scored five points, but he dished out five assists, played excellent defense, and created all kinds of scoring opportunities with his jet-like speed and quickness and ability to penentrate, and find the open man.  Lavender doesn't shoot it as well nor is he as strong as Seton Hall's Andre Barrett, but the comparison is interesting.  And apparently Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr agrees, because he was in the house last night specifically to see Lavender play.  The only other school that has offered is Ohio State, but with the premium on point guards in the junior class, we suspect that list will get longer before it gets shorter.  Lewis was the best player for Brookhaven last night, as he impressed us with outside shooting, explosive athleticism, and ability to lock his man up defensively.  Lewis, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds, is an absolute steal for Bowling Green, as well as a legitimate top 200 senior nationally.  So is Moss, who chipped in with 10 points and six rebounds.  We also were impressed by the inside play of Foust and Cornley, who combined for 26 points and 14 rebounds.  Foust is best decribed as an undersized power foward, but he's so explosive, good on the boards, and strong following his shot that he'd be a steal for anybody from the Atlantic-10 on down.  Cornelly is already a big time athlete with good upper body strength, an ability to hit the 12-foot jumper, and an aggressiveness on the boards.  Combine all this with the fact that Cornely will likely grow another three or four inches and you have one of the top freshmen in the nation.  Patterson, who signed with Wright State last fall, and Lyles are the 6th and 7th men for Brookhaven, but we think Patterson is a good catch for Wright State and Lyles, who is just a sophomore, promises to have a great future.  The best player for Midwest City was 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander.  Not only did he score 23 points, but once again Alexander showed why he deserves serious McDonald's All-American consideration.  He also was clearly the go-to-guy, as well as the best player for Midwest City, which also features Duke-bound 6'10 Shelden Williams, who is currently ranked among the top five seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Williams did have 10 points and five rebounds, but he isn't the same player we saw last summer.  Earlier in the day Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD held on to beat Willard (H.S.) OH, 66-61; Zanesville (H.S.) OH upset Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, 69-66; Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ destroyed Wellington (Academy) OH, 90-53; Greensboro (Dudley) NC knocked off Dublin (Coffman) OH, 77-66; Wellston (H.S.) OH beat Glen Dale (John Marshall) WV, 67-61; and Laurinburg (Institute) NC beat Wheelersburg (H.S) OH, 68-54.   And in that first game of the day Auburn-bound 6'6 Steve Leven from Laurinburg (Institute) NC shot the lights out, as he scored 36 points and hit 6-10 3-pointers.  Also impressing our Ohio editor Chris Johnson, who covered this game, was 6'7 Jr Regis Kourdjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  Sure, he only hit 3-10 field goals, including 0-5 3-pointers, but he did have have 10 points and 10 rebounds, plus he has so much potential and athleticism that Johnson thinks he will eventually emerge into a top 50 player in his class.  The best player for Wheelersburg was 6'6 Andrew Burleson, who finished with 29 points and five rebounds, but he too never got on track from outside, as he only hit 2-9 3-pointers.  We also were impressed later in the day by 6'6 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'5 Mike Hayes from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'1 Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) NC, 6'11 Paul Williams from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'9 Jr Jason Patterson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 E.J. Drayton from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, 6'8 Joe Holmes from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, 6'1 Jr Nick Dials from Willard (H.S.) OH, 6'6 Nick George from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 6'8 Jr Linas Kleiza from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.   Hicks, who had 37 points and 16 rebounds, is really an undersized power forward, but, if he learns to play harder, it may not matter, because this physical specimen and big time athlete has already signed with the University of Cincinnati.  He also showed that he can play alway from the basket, as he hit a number of shots from mid-range and beyond (16-23 field goals and 2-5 3-pointers).  Hayes doesn't have the strength that Hicks has, but he too is a multi-dimensional athlete who impressed us with his scoring (23 points), 3-point shooting (5-8 3-pointers), rebounding (10 rebounds), and quickness (three steals).  Quinn simply picked up where he left off at Slam Dunk to the Beach with his shooting (12-19 field goals and 5-8 3-pointers), but he wasn't able to do it all by himself, as was evident by his zero assists and six turnovers.   Williams doesn't have the strength and skills of 6'11 Jr Grant Billmeier from Elizabeth (St. Patrick's) NJ, but his coordination and athleticism are far superior to Billmeier's and, as a result, we like Williams better right now.  So naturally we think Siena has an absolute steal, as Williams scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds.   Billmeier chipped in with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the leading scored from St. Patrick was Patterson, who hit 4-7 3-pointers en route to an 18-point effort.   One of the biggest disappointments of the day was 6'11 Dakin Braddick from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, who finished with only seven points and six rebounds, but Drayton and Holmes picked up the slack as they combined for 37 points, 16 rebounds, and 3-8 3-pointers.  We also probably should also mention 6'5 Vincent Grier from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, who finished with 16 points and four rebounds, but a better assist to turnover ratio (1-4) and better shooting (4-14 field goals) by Grier would have been the difference in what turned out to be a three point loss.  Dials, who finished with 31 points and four assists, scored over half of his team's points, as he singlehandedly almost pulled off the upset against Montrose Christian, which was led by Kleiza, George, and 6'2 Frosh Eric Price from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  Kleiza, who is ranked #65 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was unstoppable inside, as he finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 11-12 free throws.  However, the legendary Stu Vetter, who is the head coach at Montrose Christian, told us that this was his worst game of the entire season.   Kleiza might best be described as the Kevin Bookout of the class.   In other words, he doesn't take any prisoners and it isn't pretty, but he is a powerful force inside and he's almost impossible to stop inside, as was evident by the number of times he gets to the free throw line.  George, who finished with 13 points and five rebounds, is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he has enough athleticism, skills, and versatility to intrigue some high majors.  Price is a repeat freshman, but he runs the show, scores in transition (14 points), and has unlimited talent and potential. 

Brian Merritt of Elite Scouting, as well as a frequent contributor to the HOOP SCOOP, tells us that 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, who is ranked #52 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the talent, athleticism, and potential to be ranked much higer, has made an early verbal commitment to St. John's and 6'5 Soph Cheyenne Moore has transferred from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to Northeast (Rising Sun) MD.  We also are keeping a close eye on the intense recruiting battle that is going on in New Jersey for 6'7 Derrick Character from Scotch Plains, NJ, who is the #1-ranked 8th grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Some people believe that Character is already a lock for Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, but we've also gotten a report from our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz about Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ being the leader.  Ironically, St. Patrick's and Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ will meet tomorrow night (Monday, January 21st).   And don't count out Morristown (Delbarton) NJ, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ in the Character sweepstakes.   If Character goes to Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, he will likely be the best player on the team from Day One and that's saying a lot, as Pittsburgh appears to be the early favorite over Notre Dame, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Villanova, Penn State, and Wake Forest for 6'11 Jr Grant Billmeier and 6'1 Jr Michael Nardi is already getting a lot of attention from schools like Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Villanova.  Lavel Johnson, the Mississippi Editor of the HOOP SCOOP & MidSouth-Hoops.Com, tells us that early list for 6'9 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S) MS, who is one of the top five sophomores in the nation, includes LSU, Maryland, Cincinnati, Michigan, Kentucky, and Duke and 6'9 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS is getting the most attention from Tennessee, Louisville, Kentucky, Memphis, Mississippi State, LSU, Alabama, and Florida.  Stu Vetter, the head coach at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, tells us that 6'8 Jr Linas Kleiza from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD is getting a lot of attention from Ohio State and just about everybody in the ACC, including Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland. 

Friday, January 18, 2002

Our New England editor Wayne Simone provides us with the scoop on a number of the top juniors in New England's outstanding junior class, including 6’8 Jr Lawrence Carrier from  Salisbury (School) CT, 6’4 Jr Mike Sawyer Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) CT, 6’5 Jr Roosevelt Lee from New Britain (H.S.) CT, 6’3 Jr Kelvin Davis from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 7’0 Jr Fernando Bonfin from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral) CT, and 6’7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI.  Michigan, UCLA, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Connecticut are atop of Carrier's list.  Jones is getting the most attention from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Boston College, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh,  Lee is a question mark academically, but Providence, Connecticut, St. Joseph's, Massachusetts, Boston College, and Georgia Tech are hanging around just in case he make it.  Davis likes Providence, Connecticut, St. Joseph's, Massachusetts, and Georgia Tech.   Everybody has shown interest in Bonfin, but he would like to stay close to home.   So the smart money says Connecticut will beat Fairfield and Sacred Heart.   Seton Hall, Villanova, Louisville, and Syracuse have all shown interest in Nichols, but we think Providence will be tough to beat. 

Thursday, January 17, 2002

We've already talked about the fact that we think 6'8 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is a near lock for Duke.  However, we haven't mentioned the fact that 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, who was ranked as the best underclassmen by the HOOP SCOOP last summer at the NIKE All-American Camp, as well as the second best player in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP after this tremendous performance at the National Academy Tournament in Houston, TX after Christmas, also really likes the Blue Devils.  As a matter of fact, we think Duke and Arizona are the heavy favorites for Ebi over school like Texas, North Carolina, Louisville, and Kansas.  So let's say Duke hits the jackpot for the second consecutive year by landing two more players (Deng and Ebi) who are ranked among our top five nationally.  That would mean the Blue Devils would only have one scholarship remaining.  Remember, 6'8 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA is the 6th player in Duke's current #1-ranked recruiting class and, as a result, has agreed to enroll next season at Duke as a walk-on and pay his own way.  Then, the following year he will receive a scholarship and be eligible to play as a freshman.  We also believe that Michigan is the heavy favorite for 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and that a verbal commitment to the Wolverines will be forthcoming sooner than later.  And the same can be said about 6'10 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, who will likely pick Stanford over Arizona sometime between now and spring.  Memphis and North Carolina are the favorites for 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, but, ready or not, he also is thinking about going straight from high school into the NBA Draft in the spring of 2003.  So is 6'6 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the the consensus #1-ranked high school player in the nation regardless of class.  As a matter of fact, James is so good right now, he's be our choice as the #1 pick in the NBA Draft if he came out in June.  LSU appears to be the favorite for 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, but Mississippi, Mississippi State, Florida, Louisville, Auburn, and Memphis are also prominently mentioned.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman doesn't have a list of schools on 6'8 Jr Nick Stigger from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN, who is ranked #56 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he does tells us that Stigger is transferring to a high school that has yet to be determined in California. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us the University of Georgia has gotten an early commitment from 6'4 Jr Jordan Howell from Madison (Bob Jones) AL.  He's not a great athlete and doesn't shoot the lights out, but white point guards with size and skills are at a premium.    As a matter of fact, the only difference between Howell and his older brother, Brett Howell, who signed with Eastern Kentucky a year ago, but was released from his National Letter-of-Intent and signed with William & Mary last fall, is a couple of inches.   In other words, they both fall into the 100-200 range in their class nationally and, as a result, we suspect the younger Howell is Georgia's answer to 6'4 Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN, who recently signed with Tennessee and promises to be an excellent role player for the Volunteers.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'8 Clark Williams, who is now fully qualified and eligible to play Division I basketball next year, has transferred from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT to Woodstock (Mount Olive Prep) GA.  Obviously Williams, who scored 27 points versus Maryville College in his first game earlier this week, won't reap the benefit of playing the rest of the season for St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn, who is one of the best in the business, but he will save over $5,000 in tuition, because Mount Olive Prep is giving him a full scholarship.  If you will recall, Williams signed with Ohio State last spring after a very successful senior season at Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, but now it looks like Kansas State is the favorite.  And if the Wildcats pull this off, their recruiting class, which currently is ranked #30 nationally and includes 6'1 Frank Richards from Olney Central (JC) IL, 6'7 Marques Hayden from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'8 Justin Johnson from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, would move into a tie at #17 nationally, along with Nebraska and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  It also may put Kansas State into a position to become one of the most improved teams in college basketball a year from now.   If you will recall, Wildcats head coach Jim Wooldridge and his staff also landed a top 20-ranked recruiting class that included three of the top junior college players in the nation a year ago in 6'9 Pervis Pasco from Pensacola (JC) FL, 6'6 Janerio Spurlock from Chipola (JC) FL, and 6'4 Gilson DeJesus from Trinidad State (JC) CO.

Wednesday, January 16, 2002

For a number of years I've attempted to find the right person to cover the state of Florida for the HOOP SCOOP and I am pleased to tell you that John Adkins, who is the director of the Tallahassee Wildcats AAU program, as well as one of the best people in the business, has emerged to fulfill the role in brilliant fashion.  As a matter of fact, we were pleasantly surprised to find out just how accurate Adkins was on many of the players we saw last month in the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  Adkins is easy to deal with, knows the players, and doesn't mind getting additional input from a variety of other people from around the state. Especially helpful in ranking some of the younger players in the state were the rankings that Ocala (Vanguard) FL head coach Jim Haley provided us from his Rookie Sensations Camp.  The finished product, which includes our comments about the top players in each class, as well as our six all-state teams that includes the top players in the state regardless of class and position, can be found by clicking on Florida Report.   Our list of the top 70 seniors, top 42 juniors, top 50 sophomores, top 19 freshmen, and top five eight graders, and the top seventh grader in Florida all ranked in order by class is available by clicking on Adkins Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in the state of Florida.  We also are in the final stages of getting Linzy Davis' Georgia Report ready for publication and we have already starting working on Wayne Simone's New England Report, which we also plan to publish within the next week.  That will bring the total number of reports that we've updated since last September to eight (the others were Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Iowa, Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Kentucky, Ohio, and California).  In February we plan to publish reports on Michigan, New York, and Texas, in March we plan to publish reports on Tennessee, Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland, and Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana, and in April we plan to pubish reports on Illinois, Indiana, and North and South Carolina. 

Our Michigan Editor Steve Bell, who also is the editor and publisher of The Bank, which is a Michigan-based scouting service, and the editor of MichiganPreps.com, tells us that he will have an updated Michigan Report in our hands by this time next week.   And to whet our appetite he has provided us with the latest scoop on most of the top juniors in the state, including 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, 6'5 Jr Olumuyiwa Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'0 Jr Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, 6'6 Jr Ije Nwankwo from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'3 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, 6'10 Jr Drew Neymock from North Muskegon (H.S.) MI, and 6'3 Jr Byron Davis from Detroit (Rogers) MI.  Bell thinks the University of Michigan already is a near lock for Harris, who is ranked among the top five juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  So, unless something unforeseen happens, Harris will team with 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX to form what promises to be one of the best backcourts in the college basketball beginning with the 2003-2004 season.  Missouri appears to be the heavy favorite for Waters, but Iowa and Marquette are also in the hunt.  Famutimi is a prime target for schools like Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Florida, Cincinnati, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, and Kentucky.  Michigan State is the leader for Cotton, but don't count out Georgetown, Purdue, Duke, and Louisville. Nwankwo's older brother is already a student at Ohio State, so the Buckeyes have to be the favorite over schools like Marquette, Iowa, Notre Dame, Purdue, Michigan, and Michigan State.  Ohio State also may have a slight edge for Jenkins, but Providence, Missouri, USC, UNLV, Michigan, and Michigan State also have to be mentioned. Neymock is the fastest rising player in the state and, as a result, already is a prime target for both Michigan and Michigan State.  As a matter of fact, Bell says he would be shocked if Neymock leaves the state.  However, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Iowa are in the hunt.   Davis is getting the most attention from Ohio State, Louisville, Rutgers, and Wake Forest.  Michigan, Michigan State, Marquette, Connecticut, Iowa, and Iowa State are all showing interest in 5'10 Jr Brandon Bell from Flint (Southwestern) MI, who is the younger brother of former Michigan State 2-guard Charlie Bell, but he hasn't developed the way his older brother did and, as a result, most of the schools in the Mid-American Conference schools are also showing him a lot of love. 

The East Coast Jamboree, which will be at Seton Hall University on Saturday, January 19th, and Sunday, January 20th, is an event that hasn't gotten a lot of national publicity, but tournament director Michael Gallagher has put together what promises to be an outstanding event.  The games on Saturday will include Burlington (Life Center) NJ versus Milford (Academy) CT at 2:00 PM, Creedmore (Christian Faith) NC versus Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA at 4:00 PM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY at 6:00 PM, and Winchendon (School) MA versus New York (Riverside Church) NY at at 8:00 PM.  The games on Sunday will feature Milford (Academy) CT versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 12:00 PM, Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA versus Winchendon (School) MA at 2:00 PM, Troy (Redemption) NY versus Creedmore (Christian Faith) NC at 4:00 PM, and New York (Riverside Church) NY versus Burlington (Life Center) NJ at 6:00 PM.  Among the top players, who have either signed or are verbally committed, that will be in attendance are Louisville-bound 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, Massachusetts-bound 6'0 Mike Lasme from Burlington (Life Center) MA, Seton Hall-bound 6'6 J.R. Morris from Creedmore (Christian Faith) NC, North Carolina-bound 7'0 Damion Grant from Wolfeboro (Brewester Academy) NH, George Washington-bound 6'9 Omar Williams from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA,West Virginia-bound 6'1 Darryl Hill from Milford (Academy) CT, Seton Hall-bound 6'9 Eric Davis from Milford (Academy) CT, Manhattan-bound 5'7 Kenny Minor from Winchendon (School) MA, Northeastern-bound 5'11 David Sills from New York (Riverside Church) NY, Albany-bound 6'0 Jamar Wilson from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY,  Siena-bound 6'5 Antoine Jordan from Philadelphia (Celestial) PA, Central Connecticut State-bound 6'5 Antonio McMillian from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA.  Among the top unsigned 5th year and prep school players in attendance will be 6'6 Leonard Cooke from New York (Riverside Church) NY, 6'11 Larry Turner from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA, 6'6 Demario Eddins from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'3 Kelvin Nelson from New York (Riverside) NY, 6'8 Doug Thomas from Creedmore (Christian Faith) NC, 6'9 Demarshey Johnson from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'0 Clyde Wade from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'3 Roderick Middleton from Wolfeboro (Brewester Academy) NH, and 6'2 Armon Gates from Wolfeboro (Brewester Academy) NH.  However, the best prospect is 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA, who is listed as a junior, because he will be back in prep school next year, but academically is already a 5th year player.  Also worth watching will be 6'4 Jr Zakee Boyd from Philadelphia (Celestial Prep) PA, who is a 4th year junior; 6'6 Jr Arnaud Dahi from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, who is the #2 ranked junior in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who has already verbally committed to Valparaiso; 6'8 Soph Juan Deigo Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is one of the top 25 sophomores in America; and 6'9 Jr Konimba Diarra from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who isn't there yet, but has big time athleticism and potential.

Tuesday, January 15, 2002