TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

Hot Recruiting Information available from 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 February 2002 March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010

Friday, January 29, 2010, Saturday, January 30, 2010, & Sunday, January 31, 2010

The only two new commitments that we've added this week to our list of Recent Commitments are 6'0 Sherick Haynes from Lackawanna (JC) PA, who made a verbal commitment to the University of South Florida on Wednesday, and 6'9 Adam Kemp from Winchendon (School) MA, who made a verbal commitment to Marist on Monday.  Kemp is a 6'9, 240-pound center who is ranked #28 in Massachusetts by the New England Recruiting Report.  However, even more important, Kemp has great hands, good footwork, and is a tough physical presence inside, which makes him exactly what the doctored order for Saints head coach Chuck Martin, who has a plethora of good young guards and wing players, but very little size currently in the program.  Haynes is ranked #42 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and is best described as a scoring point guard.  He is currently averaging 19.7 ppg and 4.0 apg and has good athleticism, deep shooting range, and the leadership qualities and ball handling and passing skills necessary to run a team.  We also still think the University of Kentucky is the team you have to beat for 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and also is still considering Florida, Kansas, Connecticut, and Miami-FL.  And, if we're right and he does pick Kentucky, then Knight could potentially make the same type of impact that 6'4 Frosh John Wall has made this year for the Wildcats.  However, we're less sure about what's going to happen with regards to 6'3 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Several of his teammates tell us that when they're talking in the dorm that one day it's Kentucky.  The next day it's Kansas.  And the next day it's Connecticut.  Other people in the know think the University of Arizona might be the team you have to beat for Lamb's services and there also is no doubt that West Virginia is making a very strong push.  Remember, Oak Hill Academy participated last weekend in the Prime Time Shootout in Morgantown, WV and the fact that 6'9 Soph Devin Ebanks, 6'8 Soph Kevin Jones, and 6'2 Soph Darryl Bryant, who are 60% of the Mountaineers' starting line-up, all hail from the New York Metropolitan area also doesn't hurt their chances.  We also are starting to hear rumors about who has been named to play in this year's McDonald's All-American Game, which will be played at Value City Arena in Columbus, OH at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, March 31st.  It's too bad that the list of players selected to play in the game is always one of the worst kept secrets in basketball this time of year and, as a result, in the future they should consider not releasing the list until the team is officially announced on the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Game Selection Show.  This year's show will be presented by Safelite AutoGlass and will be aired on Thursday, February 11th at 5:30 PM ET on ESPNU.  And while it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to speculate on who will be in the McDonald's All-American Game prior to when the team is announced, I will tell you who is on the 2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game Selection Committee.  The chairman of the Selection Committee is the legendary Morgan Wootten, who was one of the top high school coaches in the history of the game while compiling a 1,274-192 record during his 46 years as the head coach at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, MD.  The rest of the selection committee includes Vince Baldwin of Prep Spotlight Magazine, Paul Biancardi of ESPN, Dave Bones of Cage Scope, Ron Briscoe of the Southeast Regional Basketball Report, Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press Telegram, Van Coleman of Hoopmasters.com, Bill Cronauer of the B/C Scouting Service, Jack Curran, who is the head coach at Briarcrest (Arcbishop Molloy) NY, Clark Francis of the HOOP SCOOP, Howard Garfinkel of the Five-Star Basketball Camp, Bob Gibbons of the All-Star Sports Report, Sonny Hill of the Sonny Hill Basketball League, Doug Huff of Student Sports, Inc., Van Johnson of Game Plan Sports Scouting, Kurt Keener, who is the head coach at Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report, Dave Krider of Maxpreps.com, Tim McCormick of ESPN, Vito Montelli, who is the head coach at Trumbull (St Joseph) CT, Brick Oettinger of Prep Stars and the Recruiter's Handbook, Eddie Oliver of Hoops USA, Joe Petrocelli, who is the head coach at Dayton (Alter) OH, Keith Pickett of the St. Louis Shootout, Tracy Pierson of PacWestHoops.com, John Rhodes of the Beach Ball Classic, Don Showalter, who is the head coach at Wellman (Mid-Prairie) IA, Tim Stevens of the Raleigh News & Observer, Mike Sullivan of HSNewYork.scout.com, Greg Swaim of Greg Swaim.com, Dave Telep of Scout.com, Donnie Wilkie of the City of Palms Classic, Boo Williams of the Boo Williams Summer League Team, and Joe Wootten, who is the head coach at Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA.  We also think it's important to point out the selection criteria "adheres to the rules and regulations of the National High School Federation which states that once a student/athlete enters his/her ninth grade year, he/she has four consecutive years to complete his/her high school eligibility.  Therefore, fifth-year player will not be eligible to participate in the McDonald's All-American High School Basketball Games."  For more information about the game and a complete list of all the players who have participated in the 34-year history of the game, click onto McDonald's All-American Game.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with the latest recruiting scoop for some of the top underclassmen in his area.  It still looks like the final five for 6'10 Jr Rakeem Christmas from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Georgetown, Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, and Florida International.  The early list for 6'5 Soph Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, includes Villanova, Penn State, La Salle, Temple, St. Joseph's Texas, North Carolina, Fordham, Syracuse, and Kansas.  The favorites for 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Syracuse, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Memphis, Villanova, Baylor, Texas, and Florida.  The list for 6'3 Jr Juan'ya Green from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, who is ranked #76 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, includes Villanova, Georgetown, Providence, George Mason, Boston University, St. Joseph's, Maryland, and Temple.  It looks like Seton Hall, Davidson, Quinnipiac, St. Bonaventure, Charlotte, and Harvard are all in the hunt for 6'2 Jr Joey Gripper from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, who is ranked #293 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Pittsburgh, Temple, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Seton Hall, Richmond, Penn State, Florida State, Virginia, and Providence make up the list for 6'6 Jr Jaylen Bond from Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA, who is ranked #135 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Rubin also tells us that the best unsigned senior in his area is 6'4 D.J. Newbill from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA.  "We're talking about a versatile athletic perimeter player," says Rubin.  "He can play the one, the two, or the three and has the patience and intelligence necessary to run a team and the size and the ability to score necessary to play either wing spot."  Another one top top unsigned players in the area is 6'5 Jack O'Neill from Amber (Wissahicken) PA, who is a power wing forward with a soft feathery touch.  He's a good 3-point shooter and is good at slashing to the basket and using his body to draw fouls.  Rubin also tells us that the biggest surprise in the area this winter has been 6'9 C.J. Aiken from Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA, who is ranked #4 in the senior class in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area.  "The knock on Aiken has always been that he doesn't bring it all the time," says Rubin.  "But that's not the case anymore.  He's done a 360.  Not only is he bringing it in every game, but he's also playing like a top 50-ranked player nationally.  He's got the size, length, athleticism, ability to score both inside and outside, and the shot blocking and rebounding skills necessary to be one of the best big men Phil Martelli has ever coached."  The best individual performance that Rubin has seen this winter was turned in earlier this week by 6'2 Tyrone Garland from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, who finished with 34 points and four assists against Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY.  "Garland was scoring every which way imaginable," says Rubin.  "He had six 3-pointers and also hit more than his share of mid-range shots and drives to the basket.  And he did this while playing against good on the ball defense and good help defense.  So it should come as no surprise that Garland still gets my vote as the best senior in the city."  The guy that Rubin thinks has not lived up to his top 100 national ranking and #4 ranking in the area in the junior class is 6'11 Jr Malcolm Gilbert from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA.  "He is a good shot blocker and rebounder," says Rubin.  "But Gilbert doesn't play with enough passion and his offense has not improved.  There too many games when he doesn't even score in double-digits and he's always the biggest guy on the court.  So he's going to have to make decision.  Does he want to go to a big time school and run the risk of having a long wait for his turn or does he want to go to lower level school where he can step in right away make an immediate impact?"  This explains why Rubin thinks Harvard might be able to sneak in the back door and get this big man who also possesses the grades and high character necessary to go to an Ivy League school.  Gilbert also is attracting interest from schools like Villanova, Seton Hall, Connecticut, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Penn State, West Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Temple, Florida State, Marquette, Louisville, North Carolina, Providence, and Boston College.  But none of those school are recruiting him as hard as the Crimson.  Rubin also tells us that the best 3-point shooter in the area is Siena-bound 6'4 Jr Rob Poole from Haddonfield (Paul VI) NJ.  The best playmaker is 6'0 Tyreek Duran from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA.  Christmas is the best rebounder, Aiken is the best shot blocker, and 5'11 Desmond Irving from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA is the best on-the-ball defender.  Rubin also tells us that the race is now too close to call between Goodman and 6'7 Soph Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA for the best sophomore in the area.  The biggest enigma has to be 6'4 Frosh Rondah Jefferson from Chester (H.S.) PA, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the area by Rubin, but has been sidelined all year with a broken leg.   Rubin also thinks some of the better teams in the area next year will be Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA, Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA, Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA, Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, and Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA.  Unfortunately the Academy of the New Church, which currently has the #1-ranked and the #4-ranked juniors (Christmas and Gilbert), the #2-ranked sophomore (Goodman), and the #2-ranked freshman (Miles Overton), is not a member of the state high school association.  And this is important, because this will prevent the Academy of the New Church from playing next winter in national tournaments, like the Beach Ball Classic and the City of Palms Classic. 

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Right on schedule earlier today we published Lavel Johnson's updated Mississippi Report, which includes his ranking of the top 100 seniors, top 85 juniors, top 40 sophomores, top 20 freshmen, top five 8th Graders, and top five 7th Graders; some expert analysis that focuses primarily on the incredible junior class in the Magnolia State; five All-State Teams that include the top 25 players in the state regardless of class and position; and the First Team All-Time All-State Team that includes Chris Jackson, Monta Ellis, Othello Harrington, Purvis Short, and James Robinson.  That last one is especially interesting, because Johnson picked Robinson over some pretty fast company (i.e. Al Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Ronnie Henderson, and Jonathan Bender).  Bender broke Michael Jordan's scoring record in the 1994 McDonald's All-American Game, but Bender played on a lousy high school team and did not have a stellar high school career.  So I agree with Johnson on this one.  The same also can be said with regards to McDyess, who was ranked among the top 25 players nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in the Class of 1993 , but really did not become a great player until he reached the NBA in 1995.  On the other hand, a quick look at our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally shows that Henderson was one of the top five-ranked high school seniors nationally in the great class of 1993, which also included Randy Livingston, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Dontonio Wingfield, Rashard Griffith, Jacque Vaughn, Joey Beard, Charles O'Bannon, Keith Booth, et al., and Jefferson was ranked #6 in the great class of 2004, behind Dwight Howard, Andray Blatche, Shaun Livingston, Josh Smith, and Sebastian Telfair and ahead of Marvin Williams, Rudy Gay, Robert Swift, Juan Diego Palacios, and Malik Hairston.  I would take either one of these two players over Robinson, who was ranked among the top 20 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in 1989.  However, Johnson stands firm in this debate, which is good, because it may start some controversy.  Remember, there are no right or wrong answers with regards to all of this, as a long as you can back up your opinion with solid facts and sound reasoning.  And, in the case of Johnson, he tells us that Robinson averaged over 40 ppg as a high school senior and this was before players from the Magnolia State started going to camps and playing AAU ball on a national stage.  We also probably didn't dwell enough on what might have been if Renardo Sidney didn't move to the West Coast before his sophomore year of high school and if 6'9 Jr LaQuinton Ross hadn't transferred from Jackson (Murrah) MS earlier this month to Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  Just think how good Sidney could have been if he hadn't gained so much weight and hadn't gotten corrupted by the process?  The jury is still out on Ross.  But just think how good Jackson (Callaway) MS, which was the school that he attended when he was a freshman, would be right now if Ross was teamed up with 5'11 Jr Marquavius "Deville" Smith, who is one of the premier point guards nationally in the nation, and was playing for Wayne Brent, who previously was an assistant coach at the University of Mississippi and is now recognized as one of the top high school coaches in the nation?  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that next great player in the state promises to be 5'10 7th Grader Malik Newman from Durant, MS, who is currently ranked #5 nationally in the Class of 2015 by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, the smart money says that Newman will not follow the same path as Sidney and Ross, despite the fact that he is coming up through the ranks in the same club team program that produced both of these aforementioned players who were highly touted at an early age.  Newman has a great bloodline (his father Horatio Webster was an All-Southeastern Conference player at Mississippi State in the mid-90's) and it appears that he has the same great attitude, work ethic, and competitiveness that his father had as a player.  It also looks like Newman will get the stability and coaching that he needs to become a great player, as the word on the street is that their are already plans when the time comes for him to enroll at Callaway High School and play for Wayne Brent.  Johnson also wants me to add two events that will be taking place this spring in his backyard to our events calendar, which you can get by clicking onto Dates/Future Events.  The first is the Battle of the South Classic, which will be held in Jackson, MS on March 26th-28th, and the second is the Big River Classic, which will be held in Jackson, MS on April 9th-11th.  For more information on the former click onto msboyshoops.com and for more information on the latter click onto marcrowe.com.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The 2010 Fullcourt Press Junior All-West Camp, which was held on Sunday, January 24th, at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, CA, featured a number of the top players in the 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade from the West Coast and, as a result, we're provided with another great head start on the future.  "The camp began with a terrific skills clinic by former Alabama star and professional Schea Cotton, an impressive speed and agility workout by Steve Campbell, and continued with two competitive rounds of games (as well as a play-off session) that showcased the depth of the young talent present," says our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis  "The campers were also educated on the NCAA rules and guidelines and had an opportunity to learn about the recruiting process from a panel of scouts that were present."  Trigonis tells us that the list of the top 15 8th Graders in attendance in alphabetical order include 6'6 8th Grader Devin Burleson from Lancaster (Oak Tree) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Joe Covarrubias fromWhittier (Hillview) CA, 5'7 8th Grader Isaac Deese from Lakewood (Haskel Middle School) CA, 5'11 8th Christian Delgado from Lakewood (Hoover) CA, 6'0 8th Grader Ajon Efferson from Altadena (Eliot Middle School) CA, 5'3 8th Grader Latrelle Franklin from Temecula (Vail Ranch Middle School) CA, 5'11 8th Grader Antonio "Tra" Holder from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 6'5 8th Grader Marsalis Johnson from Van Nuys (Pine Crest) CA, 6'3 8th Grader Stanley Johnson from Fullerton (Parks) CA, 5'9 8th Grader Kameron Murrell from Long Beach (Hill Middle School) CA, 5'11 8th Grader Artis Parris from Long Beach (Constellan) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Rolando Rhymes from Phoenix (University of Public Schools) AZ, 5'9 8th Grader Darryl Stewart from Chatsworth (Sierra Canyon) CA, 6'5 8th Grader Spencer Vering from Murrieta (Bell Mountain) CA, and 6'0 8th Grader Namon Wright from Lancaster (Oak Tree) CA. "Burleson is a long and athletic post with a physique reminiscent of a young Elden Campbell (Morningside HS/Clemson/Los Angeles Lakers), as well as a soft lefty touch around the cup." says Trigonis.  "This excellent rebounder is still raw in many ways, but his long-term upside is very real!  Covarrubias is a strong wing player that can score in bunches and has the savvy of a veteran.  He's also the cousin of highly touted junior point guard Cezar Guerrero. Deese is a smart point guard with a lethal perimeter stroke and the confidence and leadership abilities necessary to be a national premier playmaker...Great competitor is also a tremendous student (4.0 GPA) and his style of play reminds me of Arizona guard Kyle Fogg.  While not the swiftest player at the camp, Delgado is nonetheless a very productive player that has improved tremendously throughout his middle-school years.  Solid all-around skills as well as a high basketball IQ gives him the ability to compete with the best in his age/grade level.  Efferson is one of the fastest rising guards nationally in the Class of 2014.  This smooth lead guard has outstanding perimeter skills and an energetic personality that permits him to be an effective team leader...Tough and gritty competitor has ability to elude hawking defenders...Very good student (3.2 GPA).  Franklin is an ultra-quick point with pesky hands that make him an Eddie Jordan-type defender.  Franklin’s handle is also extremely tight and he possesses a pin-point passing ability that provides teammates with plenty of scoring opportunities...Younger brother of San Diego State-bound LaBradford Franklin.  Although Holder has played better at other venues, he is still a Cadillac-type playmaker that projects to be a high-major point guard with normal physical development.  Holder’s impressive combination of advanced point guard skills makes him arguably the #1-point guard prospect in his grade level in Southern California.  If Holder (a solid student) decides to stay at Rolling Hills Prep for his high school years, it would automatically re-establish Ryan Silver’s Huskies as one of the premier small school powers in California.  Marsalis Johnson is the younger brother of Campbell Hall star and Louisiana Tech signee Deuce Johnson.  Marsalis is a strong rebounder and defender that has a skilled face-up game as well...Great kid!  While it might be difficult to project a long-term position, lets be clear about one basic thing:  Stanley Johnson can flat-out play!  Stanley is a beast in the paint - posting up opponents at will and cleaning up the glass with regularity.  Johnson is also a deceptively good ball handler and passer with the ability to score in a variety of ways.  Johnson has indicated that he will attend Mater Dei next fall.  Murrell is a polished playmaker with an excellent 3-point stroke and the overall skill package that makes him a player worth tracking over the next several years.  Murrell has indicated that he too is Mater Dei-bound come next fall.  Parris is one of the most improved 8th Graders in California and he was one of the most active players here.  When he wasn’t rebounding with authority, he was slicing down the lane for “two” or making stop after defensive stop...Terrific kid!  Stewart is a hardnosed defender, a legitimate perimeter shooter, and an athletic player with excellent potential.  Vering is strong power-forward with very nice “back-to-the-basket” offensive skills and is an assertive rebounder on the glass as well...Underrated outside shooter too.  Wright is a slithering combo-guard, a quick ball handler, and a smothering defender."  The next tier of talented 8th Graders (in alphabetical order) include 5'8 8th Grader Eric Ambrose from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 5'11 8th Grader Joseph Apodaca from Long Beach (Jefferson Middle School) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Spencer Benson from Murrieta (Warm Springs Middle School) CA, 6'3 8th Grader John Jackson from Tucson (Sonovan Science) AZ, 5'10 8th Grader Thomas Lapham from Manhattan Beach (Middle School) CA, 5'7 8th Grader Jonathan Lockett from Bellflower (Mayfair Middle School) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Jaylen Massengill from Lakewood (Hoover Middle School) CA, 5'7 8th Grader Jonathan Lockett from Bellflower (Mayfair) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Jaylen Massengill from Lakewood (Hoover Middle School) CA, 6'2 8th Grader Thomas McEvoy from Tucson (St. Peter & Paul) AZ, 6'1 8th Grader Tre Miller from Tucson (Santa Cruz Catholic) AZ, 5'10 8th Grader Dane Norman from San Diego (Parker) CA, 6'2 8th Grader Ty Ochse from Sierra Vista (Apache) AZ, 5'10 8th Grader Jordan Pitts from Lakewood (Bethany Christian) CA, 5'10 8th Grader Chris Sandifer from Inglewood, CA, and 5'7 8th Grader DeShon Taylor from Moreno Valley (Vista Heights) CA.  "Ambrose is a vastly improving shooting-guard who moves well without the ball," says Trigonis.  "This defensive-oriented combo-guard also gives maximum effort and is a strong finished around the basket.  Benson is a sharp shooting wing with nice range on his jump shot...very good student (3.5 gpa).  Johnson is a strong swingman and a physical defender.  Lapham is a scrappy point guard with a solid handle.  Lockett is a very athletic skilled combo-guard and plays with energy at both ends of the floor...Good student.  Massengill is a wing with a stocky build and a quick first step.  McEvoy is active on the glass.  Miller is a swift swingman and a slashing scorer that was difficult to contain on his drives to the cup.  Norman is a very young 8th Grader with length and I like the way he runs the floor...Excellent student (3.8 GPA).  Ochse is a hard-working post-player that gives 100% each time out and is an off-the-charts student (4.1 GPA).  Pitts is an athletic guard, a great rebounder for size, and an impressive student (3.9 GPA).  Sandifer is a quick ball handler that had defenders struggling to stay in front of him all camp long.  Taylor is a speedy point that takes care of the rock well...Very good student (3.6 GPA)."  Other 8th Graders that should be mentioned (in alphabetical order) include 5'5 8th Grader Martaw Coleman from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 5'7 8th Grader Corbin Martinez from Temecula (GMS) CA, 5'6 8th Grader Keshaun Mack from Long Beach (Hughes Middle School) CA, 5'2 8th Grader Reginald Pope form Long Beach (Newcomb Academy) CA, 4'11 8th Grader Jacob Vilchez from Long Beach (Newcomb Academy) CA, 5'11 8th Grader Matthew Stockton from Coto de Caza (Prentice School) CA, 5'4 8th Grader Marcel Chappell from Temecula (Vail Ranch Middle School) CA, 5'6 8th Grader Andre Bearden from Vail (Gridley Middle School) AZ, 6'0 8th Grader Alexaner Forney from Agoura (Lindero Canyon) CA, 5'4 8th Grader Shannon Chestand from Long Beach (Hughes Middle School) CA, and 5'11 8th Grader George Zhou from Westlake Village (Medea Creek Middle School) CA.  The Top Five 7th Graders in attendance in alphabetical order were 5'7 7th Grader Sedrick Barefield from Temecula (Day Middle School) CA, 6'4 7th Grader Tyler Dorsey from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA, 5'1 7th Grader Jacoeb Hampton fromTucson, AZ, 6'3 7th Grader Jordan Millay from Caspar (CYMS) WV, and 6'0 7th Grader Cameron Walker from Santa Maria (Lakeview Junior High School) CA.  "Barefield was one of the camp’s top surprises," says Trigonis.  "He is a very smooth point guard with a bright future...Quick off the dribble, wise with his court decisions, and possessing a very accurate scoring touch, Barefield is a player we will be hearing about when he gets to the high school level.  Barefield was clutch in the camp’s 7th Grade Championship Game knocking down a 19-foot shot with two seconds to go to propel his camp team to the title...Good student too (3.2 GPA).  Dorsey is an exceptional perimeter scorer that projects to be a multiple position player...The top 7th Grader here, Drosey is already a national name and his high overall skill level makes him potentially an elite-level college player.   If Dorsey was a stock, now would be a very good  time to buy.  Hampton is a small but extremely quick point guard with the competitiveness coaches crave...Huge heart and a lofty basketball IQ allow him to compete against bigger and stronger players.  Millay is a strong wing-forward with an excellent outside stroke, very good court-vision, and the requisite work-ethic to develop into a fine player...Tremendous student (4.0 GPA).  Walker is an agile swingman with the length and upside necessary to be a coveted long-term prospect and the grades (3.67 GPA) necessary to be a potential Ivy League recruit."  The next tier of talented 7th Graders (in alphabetical order) include: 5'2 7th Grader Jacob Davison from Long Beach (Cubberly) CA, 5'2 7th Grader Kejuan Feagin from Carson (Douglas (Academy) CA, 6'7 7th Grader Jack Kaub from Garden Grove (Oak Middle School) CA, 4'11 7th Grader Isiah LeBlanc from Lakewood (Holy Innocent) CA, 5'5 7th Isaac Magallan from Corono (Citrus) CA, 6'3 7th Grader Kendall Smith from Bellflower (St. Arbert) CA, 5'0 7th Grader Matthew Thomas from Lakewood (Hoover Middle School) CA, 6'0 7th Grader Nolan Thompson from Temecula (Margarita Middle School) CA, 5'10 7th Grader Chris White from Los Angeles (Palms Middle School) CA.  "Davison is a steady ball handler and an excellent student (4.0 GPA)," says Trigonis.  "Feagin is a solid ball handler and passer.  Kaub is an accurate spot-up shooter and an outstanding student (4.0 GPA).  LeBlanc is an excellent shooter from long range, an effective playmaker, and a good student.  Magallan is an agile guard that plays hard at both ends and has a great attitude. Smith is a physical power forward that gets after it on the glass.  If Smith grows and makes a concerted effort to improve his conditioning and attention span, he could evolve into a nice player down the road.   Thomas is a flashy point guard with the ability to beat defenders off the dribble.  Thompson is a very good defender that runs the floor well.  White is a long swingman that can finish in transition and is effective attacking the basket."  Other 7th Grader that need to be mentioned are 5'5 7th Grader Teddy Bower from Huntington Beach (Brethren Christian) CA, 5'5 7th Grader Vittorio Avila from LaMirada (Los Coyotes Middle School) CA, 5'6 7th Grader Kurt Milch from Palos Verdes (Miraleste IS) CA, 5'4 7th Grader Kyle Johnons from Camarillo (Las Colinas Middle School) CA, 5'5 7th Grader Quentan Bright from Los Angeles (Dana Middle School) CA, and 5'7 7th Grader Jalen Adrian McEaddy from Tucson (Orange Grove Middle School) AZ.  The Top Five 6th Graders in attendance in alphabetical order were 5'0 6th Grader Joshua Benjamin from Cypress (Clara King) CA, 5'4 6th Grader Dylan Horn from Malibu (Viewpoint Middle School) CA, 5'3 6th Grader Eric Monroe from Del Mar (St. James Academy) CA, 5'6 6th Grader Derryck Thornton from Chatsworth (Sierra Canyon) CA, and 4'11 6th Grader Scott Voulgaris from Santa Barbara (Marymount) CA.  "Benjamin is a heady point guard that plays with poise and never gets rattled by defensive pressure," says Trigonis.  "This gym rat has the work-ethic and love for the game necessary to be an impact player at the next level.  Benjamin works hard in the classroom too (“A” student).  Horn is a natural-born leader at the lead guard position.  He is a great competitor and very effective playmaker.  Not a shabby student either (3.9 GPA).  Monroe is a polished playmaker with a dangerous 3-point stroke.  He is also adept taking defenders off the bounce and his play here left a lasting impression.  This excellent student (3.8 GPA) is presently being trained by former Arizona guard and current Phoenix Suns scout Bruce Fraser.  Thornton is one of the finest 6th Graders I have ever seen!  This long and wiry floor-general’s confidence, passion, air-tight handle, and ability to make plays against competitors two grade levels higher reminds me of a young Brandon Jennings.  Thornton has the swagger of a champion!  Voulgaris is a smart and savvy point guard that competes on every play and his excellent handle allows him to beat defenders off the dribble and create for himself and teammates.  Not a bad student either (4.0 GPA).  Other 6th Grader that need to be mentioned are 5'6 6th Grader Erick “Isaiah” Mobley from Murrieta, CA CA, 5’7 6th Grader DeMarco Prewitt from Menifee (Valley Middle School) CA, 4’5 6th Grader Brian Givens from Bellflower (Jefferson) CA, 5’2 6th Grader Trace Redfield from Temecula (Van Avery Prep) CA, and 5’0 6th Grader Michael Curley from Temecula (Margarita) CA.  There was one 5th Grader present and 5th Grader Damon Harge Mountain House, CA more than held his own handling defensive pressure well and making fine passes.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 5'9 Jr Chris Jones from Memphis (Melrose) TN has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee and this is important for a number of reasons.  First, Jones is an excellent player and winner, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #40 nationally in the junior class and is averaging 22.0 ppg and 5.0 apg on a nationally ranked high school team.  Second, Jones is capable of putting up prolific numbers, which he did last spring when he was the leading scorer with 33.8 ppg at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  Third, Jones is the first player out of high school from Memphis, TN that Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl has landed since taking over the program five years ago (6'7 J.P. Prince also is from Memphis, TN, but he originally signed with the University of Arizona and then transferred to Tennessee three years ago).  Fourth, Jones should provide the perfect complement to all of the great talent that the Volunteers already have in this year's and next year's recruiting classes.  If you will recall, 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, 6'4 Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, and 6'2 Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA are already in the fold in their current recruiting class, which is tied at #9, along with N.C. State and Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And the Volunteers also have an early verbal commitment from 6'3 Jr Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA in next year's recruiting class, which is now ranked #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  That's five players who are ranked among the top 50 players nationally in their respective class, which means they should be set at the one, two, three, and four spots for years to come.  That leaves finding a dominating center as the last piece to the puzzle for Tennessee assistant coaches Tony Jones and Steve Forbes, who are two of the best evaluators of talent in the business and are second to none on the recruiting trail.  The only drawback with regards to Jones is his lack of size.  And, when one finds out that he will turn 19 this spring, it's safe to assume that he's done growing and likely will end up at a prep school next year.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'1 LaBradford Franklin from Temecula (Great Oak) CA has verbally committed to San Diego State.  And he thinks this athletic combo guard will be an excellent complement to all of the stud athletes, like 6'6 Frosh Kwahi Leonard, 6'8 Jr Billy White, 6'9 Jr Malcolm Thomas, and 6'5 Jamal Franklin from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ, and good guards, like 6'0 Jr D.J. Gray and 6'2 Frosh Chase Tapley, who are expected to be in the program a year from now.   Franklin can play either guard spot and Trigonis thinks he is a lot better than where we have him ranked, which is currently #422 nationally in the senior class.  Trigonis thinks Franklin belongs in the 150-200 range.  But, then again, Franklin played on Trigonis' Belmont Shore club team this past summer.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'2 Jesse Morgan, who was rumored to be transferring from South Kent (Prep) CT to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, has now surfaced at the University of Massachusetts, where he will sit out the rest of this season and the first semester of next season and then be eligible as a college freshman in late December of 2010.  And this is important, because Morgan will now drop off our Ranking of the Top 60 5th Year Players and be replaced by 6'10 Enes Kanter from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who we're now being told is a 5th Year Player.  However, that's just the beginning of our changes, as Kanter will be inserted into the #2 spot on our List of 5th Year Players, 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Chatham (Hargarve Military) VA will drop to #3, 6'4 Christian Kabongo from Ivring (God's Academy) TX will drop to #4, 6'9 Evan Smotryz from New Hampton (Prep) NH will drop to #5, and 6'9 Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald Academy) NC will drop into Morgan's old spot at #6.  And moving up from #15 to #12 into Kanter's spot in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 is 6'8 Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR.  And moving up from #34 to #15 is 6'2 Corey Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, moving up from #42 to #34 is 6'5 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, moving up from #80 to #42 is 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, moving up from #102 to #80 is 6'3 Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith Christian Academy) NC; moving up from #234 to #102 is 6'2 Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and being inserted at #234 is 6'10 Juvonte Reddic from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC.

Friday, January 22, 2010, Saturday, January 23, 2010, & Sunday, January 24, 2010

With the 36-point performance turned in by 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY over the weekend at the Prime Time Shootout in Morgantown, WV, a strong case can now be made for this excellent skilled combo forward to be ranked among the top five seniors nationally, along with 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  The competition for the fifth spot is 6'11 Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  But those who have seen him play this winter are telling us that Jones, who is currently ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has not been nearly as good as he was last summer.  And, after watching 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, who currently is ranked #6 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also play over the weekend, there is no question that Harris is on a much higher level right now than Selby, who ironically reneged on the University of Tennessee prior to when Harris signed with the Volunteers during the Fall Signing Period.  Speaking of Selby, he hit several outside shots early.  But as the game wore on he missed all of the big shots that would have helped his team get over the hump and beat a well-balanced Mt. Lebanon team that took control of the game late in the 3rd Quarter and pulled off a stunning 54-46 upset.  Mt. Lebanon's best player clearly was 6'3 Evan Pierce, who is ranked #278 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is an absolute steals for Wagner.  Pierce does need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's a terrific 3-point shooter and he made some big shots en route to 17 points in this game.  The other player big hero for Mt. Lebanon was 6'5 Jr Paul Lang, who finished with 20 points and provided the perfect complement to Pierce and 6'2 Jr Evan Eaton, who did a nice job running the show, and 6'8 Deion Thurman and 6'8 Grant Latus, both of whom were effective around the basket.  We also were impressed with the way New York (Rice) NY knocked off Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 62-44.  However, Westchester probably deserves a pass in this game due to the fact that 6'2 Jordin Mayes, who is ranked #87 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, did not play.  Instead, the big hero was 6'8 Kadeem Jack from New York (Rice) NY, who finished with 31 points and 19 rebounds while being matched up against 6'9 Reggie Murphy from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who is one of the better unsigned big men still available.  Jack's game is more finesse than power.  But he used his skills, timing, and explosiveness to dominate around the basket.  We also liked his hands, footwork, and the way he ran the court, which leads us to believe that he deserves to be ranked in the top 50-100 range nationally and why he's getting some big time looks, including from University of Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey and Razorbacks assistant coach Tom Ostrom, both of whom were in the house to watch him play last night.  This biggest surprise at the Prime Time Shootout was 6'6 Soph Jarmal Reid from Decatur (Columbia) GA, who appears to have taken his game to another level since we saw him play four times three weeks ago at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC.  We're talking about somebody with the strength, athleticism, and killer mentality necessary to be a dominant force at the big time college level three years from now.  But Reid also steps out knocks down the 3-point shot, as is evident by the fact that he had 25 points and three 3-pointers against Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL and had 21 points and two 3-pointers against Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Also chipping in with 24 points against Oak Hill was the Northwestern-bound 6'5 Jershon Cobb from Decatur (Columbia) SC, who also continues to impress us with his multi-dimensional game and, as a result, now deserves top 100 consideration nationally.  For Oak Hill it was business as usual, as they beat Columbia, 64-56, and 6'4 Doron Lamb and 6'8 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA combined for 38 points.  Smith also impressed us with his 3-point shooting, but made some careless mistakes with the ball in transition.  And this is important, because Smith is so athletic and such a good rebounder that we think he will end up playing power forward at the big time college level, despite the fact that he's being projected as a wing forward by most of our competition.  We also thought Cincinnati-bound 6'9 Justin Jackson from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL lived up to expectations, as he finished with 19 points and did a good job on the boards.  However, we were disappointed with 6'10 Kelvin Gaines from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who also is bound for Cincinnati, and 6'8 John Brown from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who has gotten some big time looks.  What Brown does best is be athletic and he does have the size and potential necessary to develop into a good player down the road.  So a year of prep school or two years of junior college would probably do him a world of good.  Gaines has a long wing span and he passes the look test.  But he doesn't play very hard nor does he get much done inside.  Instead, the two other players that we liked for Arlington Country Day were 5'10 Chris Blunt and 6'0 Soph Ian Baker, who hit five 3-pointers as their team jumped out to a 24-8 lead early against Decatur (Columbia) GA.  But Baker was sidelined with cramps and Blunt didn't get the same open looks the rest of the game.  So it should come as no surprise that Arlington Country Day got beat by Decatur (Columbia) SC, 80-76, in the final game of the evening on Friday night.  We also probably need to mention the fact that 6'3 Noah Cottrill from Logan (H.S.) WV, who has been verbally committed to West Virginia almost as long (two-and-a-half years) as Bob Huggins has been the coach, had 17 points and was the fan favorite.  And we think he will be good role player for the Mountaineers, as he's a good 3-point shooter and has no fear against bigger, stronger, and more athletic players when it comes time to go to the hole and make things happen in transition.  Our list of the top 25 players ranked on performance at the Prime Time Shootout over the weekend in Morgantown, WV is as follows:  1) 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, 2) 6'8 Kadeem Jack from New York (Rice) NY, 3) 6'6 Soph Jarmal Reid from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 4) 6'9 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 5) 6'8 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 8) 6'5 Jershon Cobb from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 9) 6'8 Jordan Lathem from Baltimore (City College) MD, 10) 6'3 Evan Pierce from Mt. Lebanon (H.S.) PA, 11) 6'0 Frosh Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 12) 5'9 Jr Tavon Sledge from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, 13) 6'9 Justin Jackson from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 14) 6'5 Paul Lang from Mt. Lebanon (H.S.) PA, 15) 6'10 Jr Juvonte Reddic from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 16) 6'5 Jr Jermaine Sanders from New York (Rice) NY, 17) 6'9 Reggie Murphy from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 18) 6'4 Kareem Jamar from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 19) 6'9 Jr Daouda Soumaoro from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 20) 6'6 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 21) 6'0 Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 22) 6'2 Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 23) 6'3 Noal Cottrill from Logan (H.S.) WV, 24) 6'3 Jr Paul Herbert Williamson from Logan (H.S.) WV, and 25) 6'4 Soph Michael Cheatum from Baltimore (City College) MD. 

Thursday, January 21, 2010

With the publication earlier today of our Andre Whitehead's updated Tennessee Report, we are in the process of kicking off our next major project, which will be to update all of our State-by-State & Area Reports within the next several months.  And the hardest part is already out of the way due to the fact that we published Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report on November 8, 2009.  Next up will be Lavel Johnson's Mississippi Report, which we plan to publish on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, and our West Coast Report, which will include the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Arizona, and will be published sometime late next week.  Then, right before I head to the 2010 National Prep School Invitational at the University of Rhode Island in Kinston, RI on February 4th-7th, we will publish Rick Lewis' North Carolina Report.  And right after we return from prep school tournament the plan is to publish our Texas Report.  Right after that it will be off to the Prime Time Shootouts in Piscataway, NJ and Trenton, NJ and when I return my focus will turn onto publishing reports from places like Ohio, Florida, New England, New York City, and the upper Midwest which includes the states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa.  And we will do the same thing in all of these reports that we've done in the both Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report and the Tennessee Report with regards to putting together a First Team All-Time All-State/All-Area Team.  The former includes Wilt Chamberlain, Rasheed Wallace, Dajuan Wagner, Kobe Bryant, and Guy Rodgers and the latter includes 6'7 Anfernee Hardaway, Johnny Neumann, Derrick Hord, and Brandan Wright.  Obviously this will be the subject of a lot of debate and interest and now is the perfect time to send me an email at hoopscooponline@msn.com, if you want to lobby for a particular player and/or want to make sure that we don't miss somebody that you think it is important in a particular area.  We also have some verbal commitments to pass along, including 6'7 Toby Veal from Northwest Florida (JC) FL to Virginia Commonwealth, 5'11 Jr George Marshall from Chicago (Brooks) IL to the University of Wisconsin, 6'3 Rico Sanders from Alabama Southern (JC) AL to South Alabama, 6'8 Fran Dougherty from Warminster (Archbishop Wood) PA to the University of Pennsylvania. and 6'1 Derrick Rodgers from Citrus (JC) CA to the University of Portland.  That first one is especially noteworthy due to the fact that Veal is ranked #49 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and was ranked #86 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008 when he was a high school senior at Savannah (Sol C. Johnson) GA who signed with the University of Colorado.  We also are impressed with the group of players who have been named to participate on of the USA Team in this year's NIKE Hoop Summit, which will held on Saturday, April 10th in Portland, OR.  We talking about 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallows Hills West) NY, 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'7 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, and 6'4 Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA. The USA Team will face an elite group of international player on a World Select Team that has yet to be named.  We also think it's important to note that they players who participate in this game will be exempt from the two-game all-star game limit that high school players are subject to by NCAA rules. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The next event on my agenda is the 2010 Primetime Shootout, which will be held this weekend in Morgantown, WV, and this will be my first look this winter at 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD and 6'8 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, both of whom are ranked among the top 10 players nationally in their respective classes.  I also will be anxious to see if 6'8 Kareem Jack from New York (Rice) NY lives up to the hype.  The word I'm getting is that this blue collar power forward has emerged into a legitimate top 100-ranked senior nationally, as well as one of the best unsigned inside players still available.  It also will be interested to see if 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallows Hills West) NY, who currently is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, plays as well as he did last weekend when he scored 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds and was clearly the best player at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, MA.  I also am looking forward to getting my first look at 6'10 Soph Joseph Uchebo from Oak Ridge (Military Academy) NC, who made an early verbal commitment to N.C. State two months ago; seeing how some of the younger players, like 6'1 Soph DaShaun Suber from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Soph DaQuan Cook from Baltimore (City College) MD, who will be in attendance have progressed; and how the local fans will react to 6'2 Noah Cottrill from Logan (H.S.) WV, who picked the Mountaineers two-and-half-years ago, 6'8 Soph Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, who made an early verbal commitment to the Mountaineers last summer.  Things will tip-off on Friday, January 22nd, at Morgantown High School with Columbus (Marion-Franklin) OH versus Morgantown (H.S.) WV at 5:00 PM, followed by Beckley (Woodrow Wilson) WV versus Chester (H.S.) PA at 6:30 PM, South Charleston (H.S.) WV versus Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ at 8:00 PM, and Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL versus Decatur (Columbia) GA at 9:30 PM.  The morning session on Saturday, January 23rd, will also be held at Morgantown High School with Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV versus Oak Ridge (Military Academy) NC at 8:30 AM, Dix Hills (Half Hallows Hills West) NY versus Chester (H.S.) PA at 10:00 AM, and Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC at 11:30 AM.  The evening session on Saturday, January 23rd, will be held at the West Virginia Coliseum with Mt. Lebanon (H.S.) PA versus Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD at 5:30 PM, Logan (H.S.) WV versus Baltimore (College City) MD at 7:00 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Decatur (Columbia) GA at 8:30 PM, and Los Angeles (Westchester) CA versus New York (Rice) NY at 10:00 PM.  The list of top players who will be in attendance includes 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallows Hills West) NY, 6'5 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Noah Cottrill from Logan (H.S.) WV, 6'9 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'2 Stargell Love from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'4 Jershon Cobb from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 6'8 Kareem Jack from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Shane Southwell from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Justin Jackson from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5'11 Dietic Payne from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'2 Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'7 Justin Martin from Beckley (Woodrow Wilson) WV, 5'10 Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'5 Kareem Jamar from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'11 Baye Moussa Keita from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Anthony Thomas from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'9 Reggie Murphy from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Jay Canty from Oak Ridge (Military Academy) NC, 6'2 Evan Pierce from Mt. Lebanon (H.S.) PA, 6'3 Frantz Massenat from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'5 Jr Jermaine Sanders from New York (Rice) NY, 5' Jr9 Tavon Sledge from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, 6'7 Jr Tyler Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, 6'7 Jr Jacob Lawson from Oak Ridge (Military Academy) NC, 6'6 Durand Johnson from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'3 Jr Khalid Lewis-El from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Soph Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, 6'10 Soph Joseph Uchebo from Oak Ridge (Military Academy) NC, 6'1 Soph DaShaun Suber from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Soph DaQuan Cook from Baltimore (City College) MD, and 5'11 Frosh Jevon Thomas from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

In retrospect the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA was one of those events that was full of surprises and bizarre things out of the ordinary.  We already knew that Paterson (Catholic) NJ had too many out-of-state teams on its schedule and, as a result, would be replaced in their game on Sunday by Newtonville (Newton North) MA.  However, we did not anticipate the fact that 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA would be back on the shelf after re-injuring a knee that has already sidelined him most of the season nor did we expect his team to be as bad as it was in its 60-37 loss against Kinston (H.S.) NC.  On the other hand, anybody who saw the way 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ hobbled up and down the court and played in a lot of pain while being match-up against one of the top senior power forwards in the nation (Tristan Thompson) will tell you that he probably should not have played at all.  And who would have believed that Columbus (Northland) OH would beat Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, if before the game you'd been told you that 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH would not make a single field goal and score only three points the entire game?  The same also can be said about Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, which pulled out the win against Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, despite the fact that 6'9 Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV finished with only eight points and six rebounds and would get totally outplayed by a guy who for all practical purposes was playing on only one leg.  We also did not expect 6'4 Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, who is one of the most savvy floor generals to come down the pike in a long time, to have only one assist and seven turnovers against Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  And who would have thought the 6'6 Frosh Jabari Parker would be the best player on Chicago (Simeon) IL?  Which makes us wonder is Parker really that good or is Simeon really that down?  It also looks like the light finally click on for 6'8 Jr Greg Lewis from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, who was sensational in the second half against Newtonville (Newtown North) MA.  There also was the sensational performance turned in by 6'6 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who not only finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and 9-14 field goals against Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, but also made a strong case for being the best player on his team.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that we have 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA ranked among the top 25 seniors nationally.  We also did not anticipate 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY being ranked as the #1-ranked player at the event.  However, it's tough to argue when one finds out that Harris had the highest individual scoring performance with 35 points and also finished tied at #1, along with 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH and 6'4  Victor Oladipo, with 16 rebounds.  Our ranking of the top  30 players based on performance at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic is as follows:  1) 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills West) NY, 2) 6'2 Jr Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'3 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 4) 6'2 Corey Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 5) 6'6 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6) 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 7) 6'7 J.D. Weatherspoon from Columbus (Northland) OH, 8) 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) 6'6 Derrick Williams from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 10) 6'3 Dante Holmes from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, 11) 6'7 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 12) 6'8 Jr Greg Lewis from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, 13) 6'3 Nick Johnson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 14) 6'0 Jr Quinn Cook from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 15) 6'4 Victor Oladipo from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD,16) 6'8 Gil Biruta from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 17) 6'2 Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 18) 6'5 Kareem Jamar from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 19) 5'9 Jr Tavon Sledge from Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills West) NY, 20) 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 21) 6'5 Jr Jordan Burgess from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 22) 6'5 Corey Andrews from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 23) 6'5 Josh Turner from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 24) 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 25) 6'1 Cedrick Lindsay from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 26) 6'6 Frosh Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 27) 6'10 Jr Mikael Hopkins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 28) 6'2 Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 29) 6'11 Baye Keita from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 30) 6'8 Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV. 

Monday, January 18, 2010

We did not expect the first game of the day at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA to be close.   And right on cue Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ jumped out to a 14-3 lead early against Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, thanks primarily to the 3-point shooting of 6'2 Jr Myck Kabongo, 6'8 Gil Biruta, 6'6 Mike Poole, and 6'5 Aaron Brown, all of whom hit treys before the first television time-out.  And right after the first television time-out Poole and Kabongo struck again from beyond the arc to make it 20-3.  At that point Bishop O'Connell came out of their zone and went on a 6-2 run to make it 22-9.  But then St. Benedict's went on a 7-2 run of its own and that was pretty much all she wrote for Kendall Marshall and company.  Speaking of Marshall, he not only couldn't match up in terms of speed and quickness defensively against Kabongo, but also appeared to be intimidated at the offensive end, as he missed several open shots prior to scoring his first basket at the 3:20 mark in the 2nd Quarter.  The half-time score was 40-21 and Kabongo was leading the way with 10 points, eight assists, two turnovers, one assists, 4-7 field goals, and 2-3 3-pointers.  Biruta also had 10 points and Brown had nine points, but was the only one not hitting the outside shot (he was only 1-5 from behind the arc while as a team St. Benedict's hit 8-14 3-pointers in the first half).  The leading scorer in this first half for Bishop O'Connell was 6'5 Jr Jordan Burgess with nine points.  But he also had two costly charges early, which killed any chance for his team offset St. Benedict's initial run and to gain any momentum.  Marshall had only four points, but it was his assist to turnover ratio (1 to 4) in the first half that was especially devastating.  Marshall did do a better job of getting to the basket and finishing in the second half, as this 6'4 North Carolina-bound point guard finished with 14 points, five rebounds, one assist, seven turnovers, 5-11 field field goals, and 0-3 3-pointers.  But they were never able to get it any closer than 13 points late in the 3rd Quarter, as St. Benedict's coasted to a 72-52 win.  Kabongo finished with 20 points, six rebounds, 12 assists, seven turnovers, two steals, 7-16 field goals, 3-7 3-pointers.   But even that doesn't tell the story of how well this Texas-bound junior point guard played, as he turned in one of the two top individual performances, along with 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hill (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, that we've seen in the last three days at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic.  Biruta finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, 7-10 field goals, and 2-3 3-pointers and Brown chipped in with 14 points, 6-15 field goals, and 2-6 3-pointers.  The leading scorer and best player for Bishop O'Connell was Burgess, who finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four turnovers, three steals, 8-14 field goals, and 1-4 3-pointers.  Also noteworthy is the fact that St. Benedict's hit 27-54 (50.0%) from the field and 10-21 (47.6%) from behind the arc for game.  And really that was the big difference in the game, as Bishop O'Connell shot 19-47 (40.4%) from the field and only 1-11 (9.1%) from behind the arc.  It looked like Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ might be able to pull off a major upset in the second game of the day, as the Friars jumped out to a 19-15 lead early and only allowed Westchester to score 10 points in the second quarter and 14 points in the third quarter.  But, St. Anthony, which shot 11-18 field goals (61.1%) from the field in the first half and 19-37 (51.4%) from the field for the game, never seemed to be able to get over the hump and Westchester finally prevailed in a 55-51 hard fought defensive battle.  The best player for Westchester was 6'5 Kareem Jamar, who finished with 17 points, six rebounds, 5-12 field goals, 1-5 3-pointers, and 6-8 free throws.  What a steal for the University of Montana!  The rest of Westchester's scoring was very balanced, as 6'2 Jordin Mayes and 6'8 Reggie Murphy had nine points apiece, 6'7 Dwayne Polee had eight points, and 5'11 Denzel Douglas had seven points.  The leading scorer and best player for St. Anthony was 6'6 Derrick Williams with 21 points, seven rebounds, and 7-10 field goals.  However, even more important, Williams more than compensated for the fact that 6'8 Devon Collier, who didn't play a single second until midway through the second quarter and only had three points and six rebounds, never seemed to get into flow of the game.  We also have to give 6'1 Elijah Carter, 5'10 Jr Jordan Quick, and 6'4 Jr Lucious Jones, who combined for 23 points and nine assists for St Anthony's, credit for more than holding their own against Westchester's high flying and athletic perimeter players. 

The next game between Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, who are two of the consensus top three-ranked teams in the nation, was like a NCAA Tournament game in terms of intensity, athleticism, high level of play, and great match-ups, like 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus 6'9 Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV and 6'3 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus 6'4 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  And it looked like Joseph, who is the only one of the aforementioned players who is not ranked among our top 10 seniors nationally, had something to prove, as he scored 11 of his team's first 19 points in a game that was too close to call early.  And, in addition his 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, one turnover, and 7-12 field goals in the first half, Joseph also was doing a great job of running the show, playing defense, and making his teammates better, as he was the guy primarily responsible for his team pulling out to a 42-34 half-time led.  The other big story in the first half was the fact that Gilchrist once again showed why he gets our vote as the #1-ranked player in the nation regardless of class.  Gilchrist appeared to have re-injured his foot and could hardly walk, but still had 11 points, four rebounds, 3-7 field goals, and 5-6 free throws and was clearly getting the best of Thompson, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Irving also had 10 points, 4-9 field goal, and 1-3 3-pointers at the intermission, but he too had not yet gotten it into high gear.  Findlay Prep led by as many as 10 points early in the 3rd Quarter, but by the end of the quarter it was a one-point game.  From there it remained too close to call until the final two minutes when three different players on Findlay Prep missed four of six free throws and Irving scored nine of his team's final 13 points for St. Patrick's.  However, after Irving made his first free throw to cut the Findlay Prep's lead to only one-point with one second left in the game, Irving quickly went from being the hero to the bum when he missed the free throw that would have sent the game into overtime.  Irving still ended up being the best player in the game, as he finished with 30 points, one assist, three turnovers, three steals, 11-21 field goals, 2-6 3-pointers, and 6-7 free throws.  Gilchrist chipped in with 19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, 5-11 field goals, and 9-10 free throws.  On the other hand, Joseph was amazingly quiet in the second half, as he finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three turnovers, two blocked shots, 8-16 field goals, 1-2 3-pointers, and 6-8 free throws.  And Thompson never seemed to get on track, as he finished with only eight points, six rebounds, six turnovers, and 3-6 field goals.  Didn't Ro Russell tell him Thompson was going head-to-head against the best player in the nation?  We also have to give 6'3 Jr Nick Johnson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, as he finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, 6-15 field goals, and 2-6 3-pointers, credit for being Findlay Prep's most consistent player throughout the game and 6'4 Thomas Laerke from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV picked up where he left off when we saw him at the City of Palms Classic with 10 points, 2-7 field goals, and 5-7 free throws.  The latter is an athletic white kid who shoots the three, is an excellent passer, knows how to compete, and would be an excellent catch for the right high major program and the former is like a jack-of-all-trades who does a little bit of everything on this team.  The next game between Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD also more than lived up to expectations, as 6'2 Gary Franklin, 6'5 Keala King, and 6'5 Tyler Lamb provided Mater Dei with all kinds of firepower out on the perimeter and DeMatha has great overall balance with 6'0 Jr Quinn Cook running the show, 6'8 Jr Mikael Hopkins providing his presence inside, and 6'4 Victor Oladipo, 6'4 Jerian Grant, and 6'3 Soph James Robinson providing explosiveness and athleticism out on the perimeter.  It was too close to early (Mater Dei led by one at the of the first quarter), but by half-time the Monarchs had opened up a 36-31 lead.  And they led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter and by 10 points with less than three minutes remaining in the game en route to a 74-67 victory.  This makes Mater Dei head Gary McKnight the all time winningest high school coach in the history of state with 844 wins.  The leading scorer and best player for Mater Dei was Lamb, who finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, two turnovers, three blocked shots, three steals, 9-14 field goals, 1-2 3-pointers, and 4-5 free throws.  Currently we have Lamb ranked #42 nationally in the senior class.  However, after tonight's performance, he'll move up 15 to 20 spots in our rankings.  He's got excellent athleticism, can shoot the lights out, rebounds well for his size, and has good ball handling and passing skills for his position out on the perimeter.  In other words, help is on the way for UCLA, which is desperate need off high level talent.  We also thought Franklin more than lived up to expectations, as he finished with 17 points, one assist, five turnovers, two steals, 6-13 field goals, 4-7 3-pointers, and 1-3 free throws.  There aren't many better 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, but he's a 2-guard, not a one.  King, who finished with nine points, five rebounds, 3-11 field goals, and 1-2 3-pointers, was somewhat of a disappointment.  But this was not the case with 6'6 Max Hooper and 6'4 Soph Katin Reinhardt, who combined for 24 points and 6-12 3-pointers.   The leading scorer for DeMatha was 6'0 Jr Quinn Cook, who had 23 points, three assists, four turnovers, 9-24 field goals, 2-8 3-pointers, and 3-3 free throws.  Oladipo had 15 points and 16 rebounds and Grant and Hopkins both chipped in with 12 points apiece.  Especially noteworthy is the progress that Hopkins has made since we've seen him last.  He's not there yet, but he's got some nice post moves, he runs the court, and he's becoming more of a dominating presence inside. 

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The only thing that was noteworthy in the first game of the day at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA between Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI beat Chicopee (H.S.) MA was the 17-point/16-rebound performance turned in by 6'0 Soph Jesus Sanchez from Chicopee (H.S.) MA.  However, this was still not enough to get his team over the hump, as Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI won the game, 48-47.  The second game between Springfield (Sabis Charter) MA and Groton (Groton-Dunstable) MA was a lot more interesting, as there were a couple of players who will likely get recruited at the Division I level in 6'3 Soph Kamali Bey from Springfield (Sabis Charter) MA and 6'6 Ryan Romich from Groton (Groton-Dundstable) MA.  Bey, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, did most of his damage inside.  But he needs to grow a couple of inches in order not to fall into the "tweener" trap at the next level.   However, time is on Bey's side, as he's still just a sophomore and the word is that he's the right age for his grade.  Romich, who finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four and blocked shots, is an athletic white kid who runs the court, steps out and hits the mid-range shot, and uses his long wing span and good timing to block more than his share of shots.  He also appears to be an excellent student, as is evident by the fact that schools like Colgate, Albany, Holy Cross, Bucknell, Princeton, Brown, Army, and Boston University have all shown interest.  Romich also made some big plays down the stretch to help ensure Groton-Dunstable's 52-48 win against Springfield (Sabis Charter) MA.  It's easy to see why 6'6 Frosh Jabari Parker is the first player every to play on the varsity at Chicago (Simeon) IL.  Not only is he their best player and go-to guy, but he also was his team's leading scorer and rebounder with 16 points and eight rebounds in a game that went right down to the wire against Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA.  However, it was 6'3 Brandon Spearman from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who made the big shots, including a big 3-pointer with 7.8 seconds left in the game to cut the lead to only two, at crunch time.  But it wasn't enough, as 6'2 Tyreek Duran from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA stepped to the free throw and iced the game with a pair of free throws.  Neumann-Goretti won the game 54-50 and their best player was 6'2 Tony Chennault, who finished 18, seven rebounds, two assists, five turnovers, three steals, 7-18 field goals, and 0-3 3-pointers.  Chennault also once again reinforced our belief that he is the best senior in the City of Brotherly Love (are you listening Allen Rubin?) with his speed and quickness and ability to defend and make things happen in transition.  We also were impressed with Duran's unselfishness and ability to run the show, as he finished with nine points, five assists, and 2-7 field goals, and the way 6'6 Daniel Stewart from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, who finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, scored and rebounded inside.  However, we were not impressed with their shooting, as Neumann-Goretti hit only 19-55 (34.5%) field goals and 2-19 (10.5%) 3-pointers and, as a result, allowed a much less talented Simeon team to hang around.  And Simeon wasn't much better, as they hit only 17-49 (34.7%) from the field and 2-10 (20.0%) from behind the arc.  The next game was close for a quarter (20-17).  But then the speed, quickness, and athleticism of Baltimore (St. Frances) MD started to take its toll against Newtonville (North Newton) MA, which replaced Paterson (Catholic) NJ in this weekend's event.  Believe it or not, Paterson Catholic was a last minute scratch due to the fact they have already reached their limit when it comes to playing out-of-state teams this season.  By half-time St. Frances was up 41-29.  And from there they coasted to a 72-57 victory in a game which was not as close as the final score might indicate.  The best player in the game was 6'3 Dante Holmes from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, who finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.  We're talking about a guy who needs to become more consistent, but has the combination of strength, athleticism, and inside and outside skills necessary to be ranked in the 150-200 nationally in the senior class.  He's also still available, which makes him one of the better players still on the board that we've seen this winter.  We also have to give 6'8 Jr Greg Lewis from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD credit for stepping up and winning the battle inside against 6'8 Jr Tevin Falzon and 6'9 Greg Kelley, who were the two best players for Newtonville (Newton North) MA.  As a matter of fact, this is the best we've seen Lewis play this winter (we also saw him play a number of times in the City of Palms Classic and the Beach Ball Classic), as he finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and 7-12 field goals and also showed an effort and intensity that previously had been lacking.  Falzon finished with 10 points, three rebounds, 2-4 field goals, and 2-4 3-pointers.  But eight of those 10 points came in the first quarter and, as a result, as Falzon went, so did the Newton North team.  Kelley finished with 19 points and seven rebounds.  But what impressed us the most about Kelley was his ability to step out and hit the three, as he was 3-6 from behind the arc. 

Saturday, January 16, 2010

The best player in the first game earlier today at the 2010 Spalding Hoophall Classic at Blake Arena in Springfield, MA was 6'2 Jr Derek Kelly from Huntsville (Columbia) AL, who finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 8-18 field goals.  But the outside shot was not going down (Kelly also was only 0-6 from behind the arc) and, as a result, he was not able to get his team over the hump in a 74-63 loss to Springfield (Central) MA.  The best player for the winning team was 6'1 Jordan Smith, who finished with 23 points, 9-18 field goals, and 2-9 3-pointers.  The best prospect in the game was 5'9 Soph Jordan Brantley from Springfield (Central) MA, who had 19 points, four assists, one turnover, 7-13 field goals, and 3-7 3-pointers.  The star of the game in the second game of the day was Tennessee-bound 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hill (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, who finished with 35 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, two steals, 14-23 field goals, 3-6 3-pointers, and 4-4 3-pointers.  However, even more important, Harris, who is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was like a man among boys with his silky smooth demeanor, excellent 3-point shot, nose for the ball, and willingness to make everybody around him better.  Another big difference in the game was 5'9 Jr Tavon Sledge from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, who scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half en route to a impressive 75-56 victory.  Sledge hasn't grown and he didn't show an outside shot in this game, but we have always liked his willingness to compete, explosiveness in transition, court savvy, ball handling and passing skills, and knack for making things happen in transition.  We also have to mention 6'7 Jr Tyler Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, who finished with three points, five rebounds, six assists, 1-10 field goals, and 1-7 3-pointers.  Right now the younger Harris is like a deer learning to run, but he's got the same type of length and skills that his older brother has and, as a result, his potential is off the hook.  We also were really impressed with the efforts turned by 6'5 Josh Turner and 6'5 Corey Andrews, who combined for 52 of their team's 56 points.  Turner finished with 25 points, 9-23 field goals, and 2-8 3-pointers and throughout most of the game matched Harris point-for-point in their head-to-head match-up.  Turner is ranked #184 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's probably 75 to a 100 spots higher than that based on his combination of size, skills athleticism, and outside shooting.  That's the good news.  The bad new is that Turner's grades are so bad even prep schools are afraid to recruit him.   So this makes him prime junior college material, as well as somebody to check back on two years from now, as he has the potential to be a high major recruit.  On the other hand, Andrews, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 10-20 field goals, and 1-4 3-pointers, probably would be well served to consider going the prep school route.  He needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but has good athleticism, is like a jack-of-all-trades, and has a big upside.  We were hoping that 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA would be recovered enough from a knee injury that had sidelined him for the last month to play today in the Spalding Hoophall Classic.  However, this was not the case and, as a result, this game turned out to be a major dud.  And to illustrate just how bad it was, the highlight of the entire game was the picture perfect 3-point shot that 6'7 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC hit to start the game to make it 3-0.  From there Kinston out-scored Kentwood 8-3 the rest of the quarter.  It 27-11 at the intermission, 46-19 at the end of the third quarter, and 60-37 when the final horn sounded.  Bullock finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two turnovers, two steals, 10-20 field goals, and 2-8 3-pointers and was really the only player worth mentioning in the game for either team. 

If you had told me that 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH would play the entire first half and have zero points and 0-1 field goals, I would have told you that the fourth game of the day in the Spalding Hoophall Classic would not be close.  However, Northland trailed Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA only 24-22 at the intermission in a hard fought defensive battle with more misses than most of Rivals.com rankings (Northland was shooting 7-26 and Oak Hill was shooting 8-27 from the field and Northland was shooting 2-8 and Oak Hill was shooting 3-11 from behind the arc).  Oak Hill went on a 7-0 run to begin the third quarter.  But even more important was the fact that Oak Hill was doing a good job of continuing to frustrate Sullinger and his teammates were continuing to miss open shots.  By the end of the 3rd Quarter it was 35-27 and Sullinger still did not have a single point.  However, the momentum finally shifted back to Northland, which went on a 13-0 run to start the 4th Quarter.  And from there it went right down to the wire.  We pick things up with 13 second remaining in the game when Sullinger hit a pair of free throws to put his team back up by one.  But then Oak Hill got the ball down the court in a hurry and 6'4 Doron Lamb appeared to be on the verge of making what would be the game winning lay-up with seven seconds left in the game.  That's when Sullinger came out of nowhere for what instead was the game winning blocked shot.  The final score was 47-46 and, once again, Sullinger did what he always does (help his team win the game).  The leading scorer and best player for Northland was 6'6 J.D. Weatherspoon, who finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, 7-13 field goals, and 7-9 free throws.  Sullinger did manage to go 3-4 from the line and score all three of his points at crunch time.  He also had 16 rebounds and was a force to be reckoned with at the defensive end.  We also were impressed with the 12 point/six rebound effort off the bench from 6'8 Soph Jalen Robinson from Columbus (Northland) OH, who recently made an early verbal commitment to West Virginia.  The best player for Oak Hill was 6'4 Doron Lamb, who finished with 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, six turnovers, 5-14 field goals, and 1-3 3-pointers and did a great job of helping out defensively on Weatherspoon.   Also chipping in with 11 points, five rebounds, 3-12 field goals, and 2-7 3-pointers was 6'2 Pe'Shon Howard.  We also have to mention 6'11 Baye Keita, who had eight points, seven rebounds, and 3-4 field goals and did a great job defensively against Sullinger.  The big story in the next game was the injury to 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, who had 21 points, four rebounds, 7-14 field goals, 3-7 3-pointers, and 4-6 free throws when he left the game  with what appeared to be a serve ankle sprain with 6:15 remaining in the 4th Quarter.  And thanks to the outside shooting of 6'1 John David Swanson, who hit his only two 3-pointers of the game in the final minutes, Winter Park was still able to hang on to beat Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 73-69.  The leading scorer for Gonzaga was the Richmond-bound 6'1 Cedrick Lindsey, who finished with 21 points, four assists, five turnovers, two steals, 5-17 field goals, 2-3 3-pointers, and 9-10 field goals.  Also chipping in with 18 points, two assists, four turnovers, two steals, 8-21 field goals, and 2-7 3-pointers was Duke-bound 6'2 Tyler Thornton.  However, it's the future of this team that gets us excited, as 6'6 Frosh Kris Jenkins and 6'0 Frosh Nate Britt more than lived up to their press clippings (we currently have Jenkins ranked #17 and Britt ranked #24 nationally in the freshmen class), as they combined for 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 8-15 field goals. 

Friday, January 15, 2010

I called our Florida Editor Rick Staudt earlier today and told him that if I put a gun to his head and he had to be right, where does he think 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Wood) FL will go to college?  Staudt said without hesitation that if the gun was cocked and loaded, Knight will pick the University of Kentucky.  "His parents are willing to move and John Calipari has done the best job of building a relationship with the kid," says Staudt.  "It's not done, but in the end those two things are enough to put the Wildcats over the top."  And, if Staudt is right and Knight picks Kentucky over schools like Florida, Connecticut, Kansas, and Syracuse, then the other dominos should start to fall.  Remember, Kentucky and Kansas are believed to be the co-favorites for 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, the final five for 6'3 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV are Connecticut, Villanova, Minnesota, Texas, and UNLV, and the list for 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA still includes Kentucky, Kansas, Connecticut, Arizona, and Miami-FL.  So, if you put a gun to my head and I have to be right, I think the smart money says that Selby will pick Kansas, Joseph will pick Connecticut, and Lamb will pick Kentucky.  I also think when the dust has cleared that the Wildcats will get 6'8 C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC.  Remember Leslie is a close friend and former teammate of John Wall and he got a chance to get caught up in all of the hoopla a week ago when his high school team played in two games in Lexington, KY and he attended the Kentucky-Georgia game.  And this is important, because, if the Wildcats get Knight, Lamb, and Leslie to go along with 6'5 Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Providence School) FL, who signed with Kentucky during the Fall Signing Period, then we'd be talking about the #3-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  However, beating N.C. State for a player right in their backyard might be easier than done.  As things stand now, the Wolfpack already have 6'0 Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, who is one of the top points in the nation, 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is our #2-ranked 5th Year Player, and 6'9 Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald Academy) NC, who is our #5-ranked 5th Year Player, in a recruiting class that is currently tied at #9, along with Tennessee and Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  So, if N.C. State can land Leslie and keep the wolves away from Cothron, who verbally committed to the Wolfpack last fall, but did not sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent during the Fall Signing Period, then they would be in line to have the best recruiting class in the league.  And that's saying a lot when a quick check of our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 shows that five or our top 10-ranked recruiting classes (Wake Forest #3, North Carolina #4, Duke at #6, Virginia tied at #7, and N.C. State at #9) belong to schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  We also believe that in the end blood will be thicker than water, as 6'2 Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI is expected to stay home and play for his father at the University of Detroit and 6'5 Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI will do likewise and play for his father at Central Michigan.  And, assuming that we're correct on both counts, the former will move the Titans' recruiting class, which already includes 6'7 Jordan Manuel from Indianapolis (Howe) IN and 6'5 Frank Williams from Raytown (H.S.) MO, into at a tie at #33, along with Arkansas and Kansas State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and the latter will move the Chippewas' recruiting class, which already includes 6'0 Derek Jackson from Cleveland (Benedictine) OH, 6'7 Colin Voss from East Grand Rapids (H.S.) MI, 6'10 Nate Van Arendonk from Grand Haven (H.S.) MI, and 6'8 Jevon Harden from Detroit (Loyola) MI, up to #17 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.   University of Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar has been tough to beat for players in his backyard in recent years, which is why we give the Huskies the edge over UCLA, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Oregon for 6'9 Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR.  There also is 6'4 Justin Coleman from Huntington (Prep) WV, who came out of the woodwork last summer at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and is now ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Schools like Marquette, Louisville, Arkansas, Xavier, Kentucky, Baylor, Indiana, and Providence have all shown interest.  But right now everybody is waiting to see if Coleman is going to make it academically or if he'll be prime prep school or junior college material.  Another one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally is 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and, after recently reneging on the University of Maryland, the top three schools on his list are Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter has been watching high school basketball for the last two months in his backyard and he tells us the most exciting thing he's seen was the 48-point performance turned in by 6'2 Jr Josiah Turner from Sacramento (H.S.) CA in the Oaks Christian Holiday Classic at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake, CA.  And making this even more impressive is the fact that Turner hit the game winning 3-point shot at the buzzer to give him team a 72-71 victory over Pasadena (H.S.) CA.  Currently we have Turner ranked #45 nationally in the junior class, but Utter thinks he's clearly the best junior in the state.  "He's averaging 30 ppg and is one of the best passers I've seen in a long time," says Utter.  "He has unreal court vision and a tremendous knack for getting his teammates the ball when they're in a position to score.  Turner is also impossible to stop when he drives to the basket.  You can double team him and he will still beat you off the dribble.  He also is good at making the off-balance floater and is an excellent 3-point shooter.  I also like his intensity, nose for ball, ability to rebound for his size, and willingness to defend.  But it's his length, hops, and incredible athleticism that will make him a great point guard someday in the NBA.  We're talking about the next great point guard on the West Coast and a player with the complete package, except maybe for his grades."  Right now it looks like UCLA and Washington are the two schools that you have beat, but this also is a guy who has already reneged once last summer on a verbal commitment that he made to Arizona State and a player whose mother already is talking about her son being a one-and-done kind of guy.  Utter also is singing the praises 6'6 Frosh Isaac Hamilton from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, who is the best freshman he's seen in a long time.  "Hamilton also is the best pure shooter on the West Coast right now," says Utter.  "Even better than Gary Franklin.  I saw Hamilton hit 6-7 3-pointers in the Tip-Off Classic and the one he missed was off-the-dribble and it was in-and-out.  Hamilton also has the athleticism and bloodline necessary to evolve into just as good a player as his older brother (Jordan Hamilton)."  However, Utter thinks the younger Hamilton will project as a better outside shooter and predicts that he will not have the same off-the-court difficulties due to the fact that he's a good student and a humble quiet kid.  Utter also tells us that Los Angeles (Price) CA, which beat Cerritos (Gahr) CA, 75-66, last weekend in the Pangos Dream Classic at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, CA, is arguably the best team in Southern California.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA are nationally ranks teams and Woodland Hills (Taft) CA is also loaded with talent.  What makes Price so good are 6'9 Richard Solomon and 6'5 Allen Crabbe, both of whom have signed with the University of California and have improved during the last year to point where they are now legit top 50-100 ranked seniors nationally.  "Crabbe had 36 points and was scoring every which way imaginable (against Gahr)," says Utter.  "He's bigger, stronger, more athletic, and a better shooter than he was a year ago.  Solomon has grown to 6'9 and he outplayed Angelo Chol two weeks ago when I saw Price beat Hoover.  Solomon has become more aggressive, plays harder and smarter, and has also turned into a very good scorer."  Price also has 6'7 Soph Skylar Spencer, who is a raw athletic sophomore with the strength and build necessary to evolve into a big time player.  And, if they ever get 6'10 Jr Norvel Pelle eligible before the season ends, this could become an even better team than it is right now.  Utter also agrees with us about 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA being the best senior in Southern California, which means that Golden Bears head coach Mike Montgomery and his staff have pulled off a major recruiting coup right in UCLA's and USC's backyard.  However, this comes as no surprise to us, as Montgomery's right hand man (Jay John) previously was the head coach at Oregon State and is one of the top ranked assistant coaches in the country by the HOOP SCOOP and Golden Bears assistant coach Gregg Gottlieb is one of the top up-and-coming guys in the business and is an Orange County native.  Utter also tells us that the top two unsigned seniors in his backyard are 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'2 Deonta Burton from Compton (Centennial) CA.  However, Burton may not be on the board too much longer due to the fact that the smart money is on UCLA offering him a scholarship sometime in the immediate future.   If you will recall, in December UCLA landed 6'1 Lazeric Jones from John A. Logan (JC) IL.  But getting Burton would be a good insurance policy, as the Bruins are in desperate need of help at the point guard position.  Burton is a good all-around point guard and has that street toughness that the Bruins are missing.  And Mayes does too, although Mayes is more of a 2-guard than a point guard due to the fact that what he does best is shoot the basketball and he hasn't been called upon to run a team until this year. 

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

I was unable to attend National Prep Showcase last fall and, as a result, my attending the 2010 National Prep School Invitational at the University of Rhode Island in Kinston, RI on February 4th-7th will be even more important than usual, as this four-day event will feature 30 teams with more than 30 Division I signees from the Fall Signing Period.  However, it's the players that we don't know about and/or haven't signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent that promise to attract the most interest from both the college coaches and the scouts (like us).  The tournament will tip-off on Thursday, February 4th, with Somerset (CJEOTO Academy) NJ versus Lee (Academy) NC at 10:00 AM, followed by Temple Hills (Progressive Christian) MD versus Charlotte (Evelyn Mack Academy) NJ at 11:30 AM, Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA versus Beckley (Mountain State Academy) WV at 1:15 PM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Monson) MA at 2:45 PM, Thompson (Marianapolis) CT versus Bayville (Ocean Academy) NJ at 4:15 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Gran Canaria (Canarias Basketball Academy) Spain at 5:45 PM, Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 7:15 PM and Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ versus Newark (Alif Mohammed Nia School) NJ at 9:00 PM.  The schedule on Friday, February 5th, will include Beckley (Mountain State Academy) WV versus Bayville (Ocean Academy) NJ at 9:00 AM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Newark (Alif Mohammed Nia School) NJ at 10:30 AM, Oakdale (Thomas More) CT versus Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA at Noon, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA at 1:30 PM, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI versus Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ at 3:00 PM, Winchendon (School) MA versus Southborough (St. Mark's) MA at 4:45 PM, Worcester (Academy) MA versus Humble (Christian Life Academy) TX at 6:30 PM, and North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus Gran Canaria (Canarias Basketball Academy) Spain at 8:15 PM.  The schedule on Saturday, February 6th, will include Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC versus Temple Hills (Progressive Christian) MD at 9:30 AM, Charlotte (Evelyn Mack Academy) NC versus Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA at 11:00 AM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Humble (Christian Life) TX at 12:45 PM, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA versus Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA at 2:30 PM, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA at 4:00 PM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Gran Canaria (Canarias Basketball Academy) Spain at 5:30 PM, and Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME versus Andover (Proctor Academy) NH at 7:15 PM.  The schedule on Sunday, February 7th, will include Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC versus South Kent (Prep) CT at 9:30 AM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA at 11:00 AM, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI versus Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME at 12:45 PM, Winchendon (School) MA versus Gran Canaria (Canarias Basketball Academy) Spain at 2:30 PM, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA versus Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA at 4:00 PM, and Worcester (Academy) MA versus Suffield (Academy) CT at 5:30 PM.  The list of the Top 5th Year Players that we will be watching at this event includes 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Kourtney Roberson from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'0 Russell Smith from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'5 Jamal Franklin from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) CT, 6'7 Chris Cantino from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, 6'10 Kelvin Gaines from Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA, 6'7 Ron Gilplaye from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 5'10 Javarius Willis from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'7 Harold Hector from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'3 Tahj Tate from Charlotte (Evelyn Mack Academy) NC, 6'4 DeShawn Clay from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'9 Keith Dewitt from Bayville (Ocean Academy) NJ, 6'7 Cleveland Melvin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'2 Billy Baron from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'7 Tony Snell from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ, 6'8 Majok Majok from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'7 Max Esho from Lee (Academy) ME, 6'3 Dominique Langston from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Eric Ferguson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Waverly Austin from Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA, 6'7 Marvin Dominique from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'10 Anthony Ireland from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Will Clark from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'8 David Laury from Cape May (Ocean Academy) NJ, 6'2 Jordair Jett from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Austin Carroll from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 5'10 Akeem Williams from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Devon Saddler from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'5 Laurent Rivard from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'5 James Stukes from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'8 Darwin Ellis from Charlotte (Eveyln Mack Academy) NC, 6'4 Mark Brooks from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'6 Michael Haynes from Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA, 6'7 Tyshawn Bell from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'4 Devarick Hunt from Humble (Christian Life) TX.  And, if that weren't enough, the prep school ranks are also full of players with legitimate high school eligibility remaining, which means will also be watching players like 6'9 Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Markus Kennedy from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'6 J.J. Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'5 Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'3 Byron Allen from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 C.J. Fair from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Justin Martin from Beckley (Mountain State Academy) WV, 6'6 Melvin Ejim from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'10 Maurice Walker from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Melsahn Basabe from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA,6'8 Jr Kevin Thomas from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC, 6'8 Jr Braedon Anderson from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC, 6'8 Jr Angel Nunez from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'11 Jr Naadir Tharpe from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'0 Jr Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'7 Jr Grandy Glaze from Andover (Proctor Academy) NH, 6'2 Jr Dashaun Wiggins from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) NH, 6'3 Jr Mike Carter-Williams from Barrington (St. Andrews) CT, 5'11 Jr Shabazz Napier from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, 6'10 Jr Chris Coleman from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'8 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Newark (Alif Mohammed Nia School) NJ, 6'8 Jr Jordan Goodman from Temple Hills (Progressive Christian) MD, 6'2 Jr Aaron Cosby from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'11 Jr Vince Van Nes from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 5'10 Jr Danny Lawhorn from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'5 Jr Theon Reefer from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC, 6'4 Jr Kervin Remeau from Temple Hills (Progressive Christian) MD, 6'11 Soph Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Soph Khem Birch from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Soph Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'2 Soph Clyde Smith from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'9 Soph Richard Peters from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Soph Ricardo Ledo from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'11 Soph Kaleb Tarczewski from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, and 6'6 8th Grader Andre Wiggins from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC.  For even more information about this year's tournament, as well any updates to the schedule as this event draws closer, click onto NationalPrepInvitational.com.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

It's important to find a niche if you're going to be successful in this business and Eddie Oliver, who publishes the HoopsUSA.com web site, has certainly done that with regards to all of the top high school basketball tournaments, shootouts, and events that take place annually in the United States.  And to complement his High School Basketball Tournaments and Events Report, which was published in early November, Oliver once again has does an incredible job accumulating all of the results from the holiday tournament season, which you can get by clicking onto 2009-2010 Tournaments & Events Report.   Not only are the results from over 175  different events listed, but in many cases the tournament MVP and the players selected to the all-tournament team are listed.  And, if that we're enough, HoopsUSA.com also is the best source if you want to keep up with all of the latest rankings of the top boys' high basketball teams in the nation, as Oliver also provides links to the latest USA Today Super 25 Poll, which was published earlier today; ESPN Rise Boys' Basketball Fab 50 Rankings, which were published on Sunday, January 10th; Max Preps Xcellent 25 Boys Basketball Rankings, which was published on Monday, January 4th, and the PrepNation National Prep Poll, which also was published on Monday, January 4th.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ will be without 6'8 Michael Gilchrist, who is our #1-ranked junior nationally, but has been sidelined for 1-3 weeks with a knee injury, when it meets Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV next Monday at the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, MA.  A quick look at all four of the aforementioned polls shows that Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ is the consensus #1-ranked team in the nation and that Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV checks in at #4, behind 1) Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) Columbus (Northland) OH, and 3) Houston (Yates) TX and ahead of 5) Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) Bloomington (South) IN, 7) Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 8) Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 9) Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 10) Ames (H.S.) IA, 11) Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 12) Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 13) Memphis (Melrose) TN, 14) Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 15) Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 16) Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 17) Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 18) Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 19) Arden (The Christ School) NC, 20) Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 21) Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 22) Houston (Bellaire) TX, 23) Federal Way (H.S.) WA, 24) Jacksonville (Providence School) FL, and 25) New York (Rice) NY, when we do a combined ranking these four polls.   And this is important, because we'll get to see 12 of those teams (St. Patrick, Northland, Findlay Prep, DeMatha, Paterson Catholic, Westchester, Oak Hill, Neumann-Goretti, St. Benedict's, Mater Dei, Gonzaga, and Winter Park) over the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend at the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, MA.  We also are really intrigued by the fact that 6'6 Carrick Felix from Southern Idaho (JC) ID has become the first junior college player that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has signed in his 30 years as head coach of the Blue Devils.  We're talking about a super athletic wing player who was ranked #558 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008 and averaged 19.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg, and 1.5 spg on a state championship team two years ago at Goodyear (Millennium) AZ.   A year ago Felix was sidelined with a hand injury early in the season and, as a result, received a medical red-shirt and will play for the Golden Eagles this season and still have three years of eligibility remaining at the Division I level.   Felix is currently averaging 16.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.4. spg, and 1.2 bpg on an 11-5 team, which plays in one of the toughest conferences in the junior college ranks in the country.  He also qualified academically, which means he's went to junior college to get better and not because he was a poor student.  It still looks like Felix is more of a slasher than a shooter.  But the word we get is that he has the work ethic, leadership qualities, and ability to lock his man up defensively necessary to complement 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Josh Hairston from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 6'1 Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) NC in a recruiting class that is now ranked #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And the Blue Devils' recruiting class would be ranked even higher, if 6'4 Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA hadn't skipped his senior year of high school and enrolled at Duke last fall.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Jarvis Davis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA  has verbally committed to the University of Charlotte.  This strong physical athletic combo guard has a knack for getting to the basket and drawing fouls, which should make him a good complement to the other good young guards, like 6'3 Frosh Shamar Bowden and 6'2 Soph Derrio Green, who are in the 49ers' current recruiting class. 

Saturday, January 9, 2010, Sunday, January 10, 2010, Monday, January 11, 2010

It's not official yet, but Jim Hicks, who publishes the web site RCSSports.com and covers the Houston area like a blanket, tells us that 6'7 Jr Anthony Norris from Houston (Sam Houston) TX "is expected to end his recruitment and declare his allegiance to the University of Memphis within the next 16 hours."  Norris is currently ranked #3 in the Class of 2011 in the Houston area by Hicks and #159 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We're talking about 6'7 athletic left-handed wing forward who can both slash and shoot and he's come on dramatically this winter, as is evident by the fact that this is the first year he's played on the varsity and he is currently averaging 17.5 ppg.  Obviously this is a case where Tigers head coach Josh Pastner has gone back to his old-stamping grounds and beaten schools like Texas,  Baylor, Marquette, Arizona, Arizona State, Penn State, Colorado, Virginia, and West Virginia, all of which were also showing early interest.  And this comes right on the heels of the Tigers' current recruiting class, which is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and includes 6'0 Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Jelan Kendrick from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'8 Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'4 Chris Crawford from Memphis (Sheffield) TN, 6'0 Antonio Barton from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'8 Hippolyte Tsafack from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA.  And, if the Tigers can also convince 6'5 Jr Adonis Thomas from Memphis (Melrose) TN to stay at home, then they will have landed all of the key players on the Memphis Magic team, which won the adidas 64 Tournament last summer in Las Vegas, NV.  In addition to Thomas, who is Memphis' top recruiting priority in the Class of 2011, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that the Tigers are also targeting players like 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Jr Johnny O'Bryant from 6'5 Jr Kye Madden from LePanto (East Poinsett County) AR, 6'0 Jr Marquavius "Deville" Smith from Jackson (Callaway) MS, and 6'8 Jr Wayne Martin from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL.  And, assuming that Norris does pick the Tigers later tonight or tomorrow morning, then by our count there will be 57 players ranked among our top 300 juniors nationally who are already off the board.  The rest of this list includes 6'8 Jr James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA to North Carolina, 6'2 Jr Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Texas, 6'2 Jr Jamal Branch from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX to Texas A&M, 6'7 Jr Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR to Arkansas, 6'5 Jr Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL to Louisville, 6'6 Jr Samuel "P.J." Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC to North Carolina, 6'3 Jr Bradley Beal from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO to Florida, 6'5 Jr Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX to Texas, 6'2 Jr Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA to Ohio State, 6'4 Jr Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale) GA to Tennessee, 6'10 Jr Michael Chandler from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, 6'1 Jr John Johnson from Philadelphia (Girard College) PA to Pittsburgh, 6'7 Jr C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA to Virginia Tech, 6'5 Jr Brandon Kearney from Detroit (Southeastern) MI to Michigan State, 6'2 Jr Matt Carlino from Bloomington (South) IN to Indiana, 6'6 Jr Ryan Taylor from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, 6'8 Jr DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA to Texas, 6'2 Jr Carlton Brundidge from Southfield (H.S.) MI to Michigan, 6'4 Jr Julien Lewis from Galveston (La Marque) TX to Texas, 6'10 Jr James "Zac" Price from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH to Louisville, 6'4 Jr Archraf Yacoubou from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY to Villanova, 6'2 Jr Gelaun Wheelright from Corona (Centennial) CA to USC, 6'5 Jr Elgin Cook from Milwaukee (Hamilton) WI to Iowa State, 6'3 Jr John Isaac from Leesville (Pickering) LA to LSU, 6'1 Jr Tracy Abrams from Chicago (Mt. Carmel) IL to Illinois, 6'6 Jr Austin Etherington from Arcadia (Hamilton Heights) IN to Indiana, 6'0 Jr Davontay Grace from Brooklyn (Jefferson) NY to St. John's, 6'10 Jr Richard Peters from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH to Oklahoma, 6'7 Jr Maurice Harkless from Forest Hills (H.S.) NY to Connecticut, 6'5 Jr Dezmine Wells from Raleigh (Word of God) NC to Xavier, 6'0 Jr Trey Burke from Columbus (Northland) OH to Penn State, 6'2 Jr Darwin Davis from Bloomington (South) IN to Xavier, 6'4 Jr Byron Wesley from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA to USC, 6'3 Jr Jordan Green from Flower Mound (H.S.) TX to Texas A&M, 6'9 Jr Nnanu Egwu from Chicago (St. Ignatius) IL to Illinois, 5'10 Jr Jahii Carson from Phoenix (Mountain Pointe) AZ to Oregon State, 6'8 Jr Erik Copes from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA to George Washington, 6'8 Jr Anthony Gill from Charlotte (Christian) NC to South Carolina, 5'11 Jr Deante Sanders from Deland (H.S.) FL to Florida (football), 6'8 Jr Sidiki Johnson from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ to Arizona, 6'6 Jr Andrew Nichols from Wrightsville (Eastern York) PA to Rutgers, 5'9 Jr Alvin "P.J." Boutte from Indianapolis (Howe) IN to Detroit, 6'3 Jr Mike Carter-Williams from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Syracuse, 6'4 Jr Robert Brown from Clermont (East Ridge) FL to Virginia Tech, 5'8 Jr Kevin Wagner from Lubbock (Estacado) TX to Texas Tech, 6'10 Jr Peter Alexis from Wilkes-Barre (Holy Redeemer) PA to Penn State, 6'6 Jr Darius Singleton from Sachse (H.S.) TX to Texas Christian, 6'5 Jr Nino Williams from Leavenworth (H.S.) TX to Kansas State, 6'3 Jr Dominique Dunning from Corona (Centennial) CA to New Mexico, 6'8 Jr Yvan Ngirabakunzi from Piney Woods (H.S.) MS to Miami-FL to Miami-FL, 6'4 Jr Rob Poole from Haddonfield (Paul VI) NJ to Siena, 6'4 Jr Marc Brown from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX to Florida State, 6'3 Jr Brett Comer from Winter Park (H.S.) FL to Florida Atlantic, 6'2 Jr Derrick Gordon from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Western Kentucky, 5'11 Jr Jorddan Myrick from West Ottawa (H.S.) MI to Central Michigan, and 6'6 Jr Tyler Poole from Hickory (H.S.) NC to Mississippi. 

Friday, January 8, 2010

The big recruiting news of the day involves 6'8 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who has picked the University of Connecticut over Duke and Georgetown.  Smith is currently ranked #47 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, after watching him finish with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four blocks, and 8-16 field goals a month ago in the Marshall County HoopFest, there is no doubt in our mind that Smith should be ranked 10 to 15 spots higher on our list.  That's unless you want to rank him as a wing forward.  Smith does need to get bigger and stronger physically, but what he does best is use his energy, skills, and athleticism to rebound, block shots, and score around the basket.  Thus, explains why we like Smith so much better in a high school setting versus an AAU or camp setting, where he's more likely to play away from the basket and get lost out on the perimeter.  We also think Smith will be ideally suited to step in a year from now and help 6'9 Frosh Alex Oriakhi, 6'7 Frosh Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, and 6'10 Ater Majok replace 6'9 Sr Stanley Robinson and 6'9 Sr Gavin Edwards, both of whom will graduate this spring.  In contrast, we suspect that 6'10 Michael Bradley from Chattanooga (Tyner Academy) TN and 6'7 Cleveland Melvin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, both of whom are also apart of the Huskies' current recruiting class, initially will be solid role players who could develop into good players down the road.  Speaking of Connecticut's recruiting class, it also includes 6'4 Jeremy Lamb from Norcross (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #45 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and is tied at #15, along with Missouri, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And this recruiting class will move all the way up to #4, behind Memphis, Ohio State, and Wake Forest and ahead of North Carolina, Auburn, Oklahoma State, Virginia, N.C. State, Villanova, Tennessee, Duke, Marquette, UCLA, and Illinois, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010, if they land 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, or 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, who are the top three-ranked point guards still available and all of whom are still considering the Huskies.  It also looks like our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson knew what he was talking about when he told us on Monday that 6'8 LaQuinton Ross was on the verge of transferring from Jackson (Murrah) MS to Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  "He won't be there until this weekend," says Johnson.  "But once Johnson arrives he should be eligible to play right away."  And this will immediately make him the best junior in South Jersey, ahead of 6'9 Jr Luke Piotrowski from Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic Christian) NJ and 6'4 Jr Rob Poole form Haddonfield (Paul VI) NJ, who earlier this week picked Siena and is a lights out 3-pointer shooter.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also tells us that 6'5 Jayon James from Paterson (Catholic) NJ is now a done deal for Fordham.  We're talking about a slashing athletic jack-of-all-trades combo forward who does a good job of making his teammates better and doing the little things that help his team win games.  And what about the fact that 6'5 Erik Swoope from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who is ranked #241 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Miami-FL a couple of days ago?  Swoope is one of those guys who was highly touted early, but never grew and, as a result, has a major position question.  On other hand, you have to like his build, athleticism, and willingness to play with reckless abandon. 

Thursday, January 7, 2010

The best event that I attended all last winter was the Spalding HoopHall Classic in Springfield, MA.  And this year's event, which will be held January 15th-18th, promises to be even better as the field will include 12 of the top 21-ranked teams in the ESPN Fab 50 High School Poll, which was published earlier this week.  This list includes #1-ranked Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, #2-ranked Columbus (Northland) OH, #3-ranked Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, #4-ranked Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, #6-ranked Paterson (Catholic) NJ, #9-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, #10-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, #12-ranked Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, #13-ranked Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, #14- ranked Washington (Gonzaga) DC, #15-ranked Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and #21-ranked Winter Park (H.S.) FL.  And, if that weren't enough, the level of talent will be second to none as 20 of our top 100-ranked seniors, eight of our top 100-ranked juniors, and five of our top 100-ranked sophomores will be in attendance.  In the senior class we're talking about #1-ranked 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, #5-ranked 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, #7-ranked 6'9 Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, #-10-ranked 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA, #11-ranked 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY, #12-ranked 6'5 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, #14-ranked 6'4 Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, #22-ranked 6'6 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, #23-ranked 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, #31-ranked 5'8 Ahmad Starks from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, #34-ranked 6'2 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, #37-ranked 6'5 Keala King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, #42-ranked 6'4 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, #43-ranked 6'8 Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, #48-ranked 6'7 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, #57-ranked 6'2 Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, #64-ranked 6'7 Dwayne Polee from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, #85-ranked Jerani Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, #87-ranked 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and #96-ranked 6'6 Derrick Williams from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.   In the junior class we're talking about #1-ranked 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, #2-ranked 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, #10-ranked 6'2 Jr Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, #16-ranked 6'6 Jr Samuel "P.J." Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, #18-ranked 6'1 Jr Quinn Cook from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, #51-ranked 5'8 Jr Myles Mack from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, #63-ranked 6'8 Jr Mikael Hopkins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and #70-ranked 6'3 Nick Johnson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV.  In the sophomore class we're talking about #4-ranked 6'7 Soph Winston Sheppard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, #10-ranked 6'6 Soph Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, #45-ranked 6'2 Soph James Robinson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and #67-ranked 6'3 Soph Reginald Dillard from Greensboro (Dudley) NC.  We're also hoping that 6'3 Frosh Nigel Williams-Goss, who is our #2-ranked freshman, will be fully recovered and get some quality minutes after being sidelined with an injury this past fall, and that 6'6 Frosh Jabari Parker from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is our #9-ranked freshman nationally and is the first freshman in the history of the school to play on the varsity, will continue to get meaningful playing time.  Things will tip-off on Friday, January 15th, with three girls games at 3:00 PM, 4:30 PM, and 6:00 PM, followed by two local games with Springfield (Sabis Charter) MA versus Cheshire (Hoosac Valley) MA at 7:30 PM and Northampton (H.S.) MA versus East Longmeadow (H.S.) MA at 9:00 PM.  The schedule on Saturday, January 16th, will begin with Springfield (Central) MA versus Huntsville (Columbia) AL at 11:00 AM, followed by Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT versus Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY at 12:30 PM, Covington (Kentwood) WA versus Kinston (H.S.) NC at 2:00 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Columbus (Northland) OH at 4:00 PM, Washington (Gonzaga) DC versus Winter Park (H.S.) FL at 5:30 PM, and Springfield (Science & Technology) MA versus New Britain (H.S.) CT at 7:00 PM.  The schedule on Sunday, January 17th, will begin with Chicopee (H.S.) MA versus Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI at 10:30 AM, followed by Springfield (Sabis Charter) MA versus Groton (Groton-Dunstable) MA at Noon, Chicago (Simeon) IL versus Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA at 2:00 PM, Paterson (Catholic) NJ versus Baltimore (St. Frances) MD at 4:00 PM, Westfield (H.S.) MA versus Wareham (H.S.) MA at 5:30 PM, and Springfield (Cathedral) MA versus Fiskdale (Tantasqua) MA at 7:00 PM.  And finally the schedule on Monday, January 18th, will begin with Newark (St. Benedict) NJ versus Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA at 11:00 AM, followed by Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at 1:00 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV at 3:00 PM, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA at 5:00 PM, Springfield (Central) MA versus Springfield (High School of Commerce) MA at 6:30 PM, and Holyoke (H.S.) MA versus South Hadley (H.S.) MA at 8:00 PM.  And you can watch the game in bold on Saturday on ESPN and the four games in bold on Monday on ESPNU.  Or you can check back right here and get all of the highlights and our expert analysis as the tournament progresses. 

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

We are finally ready to publish our Ranking of the Top 60 5th Year Players, which by our definition means that a player has reached his 9th semester or more of high school, and we have several important surprises.  And right at the top of the list is the fact that we include Baylor-bound 6'2 Stargell Love from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC on the list.  Everybody we've talked with thinks Love is a high school senior.  But we found quotes from his mentor and AAU coach Lamont Taylor in an article that was published last spring saying that Love, who previously was at Lumberton (H.S.) NC, had been reclassified as a junior after he arrived at Quality Education and has made dramatic improvement on and off the court.   It's our guess that a lot of people also will be surprised that we have 6'4 Christian Kabongo from Irving (God's Academy) TX ranked as high as #3 on the list.  However, our Texas Editor Tim Miller, who also is Kabongo's coach, thinks Kabongo is an absolute steal for East Carolina.  "Besides Faisal Aden, he's the best 2-guard I've ever had in my program," says Miller.  And that's a big statement when one remembers that Aden, who is now at Hillsborough (JC) FL and is bound for Washington State, is the #6-ranked player in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  "Kabongo doesn't shoot it like Aden does.  But Kabongo is more explosive and athletic and is really good at attacking the rim, passing the basketball, and playing excellent defense."  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also was surprised when we told him that it looks like 6'7 Chris Cantino was still at Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA.  "That guys been around for what seems like forever," says Rubin.  "I thought for sure he would be in college by now."  One that is sure not to come as a surprise is the fact that we have Memphis-bound 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH ranked #1 on this list.  This is a no-brainer, as we're talking about somebody who is the equivalent of a top 10 high school senior nationally.  We also think it's important to point out that 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Christian Kabongo from Irving (God's Academy) TX, and 6'9 Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH are the equivalent of a high school senior in the 11-40 range nationally; 6'9 Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald Academy) NC is the equivalent of a high school senior in the 41-70 range nationally; 6'4 Jesse Morgan from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Isaiah Epps from Chatham Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Joel Wright from Greensboro (Central Carolina Sports Academy) NC, 6'8 Kourtney Roberson from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'2 Stargell Love from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'0 Russell Smith from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 6'5 Jamal Franklin from Phoenix (Westwind Prep) AZ are the equivalent of a high school senior in the 71-100 range nationally; and everybody else on this list is the equivalent of a high school seniors in the 101-300 range nationally.  We also think it's important to point out that 6'6 Joel Wright from Greensboro (Central Carolina Sports Academy) NC reneged on his commitment to Fordham in early December and, as a result, is the highest ranked 5th Year Player still left on the board. 

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Do you know what 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'5 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'4 Justin Coleman from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'2 Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'2 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 5'8 Daryl Traynham from Upper Marlboro (Wise) MD, 6'0 K.C. Ross-Miller from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA all have in common?  The correct answer is that these are the 15 players who are currently ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally that are still available.  And, believe it or not, the top five-ranked players and seven players overall (Knight, Selby, Lamb, Jones, Coleman, Leslie, and Ross) on this list are all still considering the University of Kentucky.  And this is important, because when the dust has settled this spring we expect the Wildcats to land either Knight or Selby.  They also are believed to be right at the top of the list for Lamb, Leslie, and Ross and, assuming that both 6'11 Frosh DeMarcus Cousins and 6'9 Patrick Patterson declare for early entry into the NBA Draft next spring, they will also need to land another inside player to complement 6'10 Frosh Daniel Orton.  Jones, Leslie, and/or 6'8 Ricardo Ratliffe from Central Florida (JC) FL, who also is a prime recruiting target of the Wildcats and is currently the #1-ranked junior college player in the nation by JucoJunction.com, would obviously be exactly what the doctor ordered to fill the bill inside.  We bring this up, because it's not inconceivable that Wildcats head coach John Calipari and his staff could end up with an even better recruiting class this spring than they did a year ago when they landed 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'4 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'10 Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, 6'7 Darnell Dodson from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, 6'0 Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, and 6'7 Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY.  If you will recall, they already have 6'5 Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Providence School) FL in the fold.  That's worth four points on our rating scale, whereby, a top five-ranked high school player is worth 10 points, a top 10-ranked player is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range is worth two points, and a player not ranked among the top 1,000 high school players is worth only one point.  Junior college players and 5th Year Players are factored in accordingly.  So, with this in mind, if the Wildcats land Selby or Knight, that would be worth nine or 10 points.  And, if they also get Lamb, he would worth nine points due to the fact that a quick look at our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams, which was published on January 1st, shows that he is now ranked among our top 10 high school seniors nationally.  Jones is ranked #15, Coleman is ranked #30, Leslie is ranked #35 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means they all are worth eight points apiece.  If you're a top five-ranked junior college player, like Ratliffe is, that's also enough good to be worth eight points.  And Ross, who currently is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is one of the fastest rising players in the country, also appears to be on track to be worth eight points.  So let's say the Wildcats end up with Knight, Lamb, Jones, Coleman, Leslie, Ross, and Poole in this year's recruiting class.  That would be 10-9+8+8+8+4, which would give the Wildcats 47 points or the equivalent of a player ranked in the 41-70 range nationally ahead of where we had Kentucky's recruiting class ranked in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2009.  Or if the Wildcats end up with Selby, Ratliffe, Leslie, Coleman, Ross, and Poole.  That would be 9+8+8+8+8+4, which would give the Wildcats 45 points or the equivalent of a player ranked in the 71-100 range nationally ahead of where we had Kentucky's recruiting class ranked in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2009.  There is no doubt that this will be difficult to pull off.  But it also won't be any more difficult to pull off than the recruiting class that they ended up with last spring.  And, if lightning doesn't strike twice this year for the Wildcats, it very well could next year, as they also are in the hunt for a number of the top-ranked juniors, like 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Jr Marques Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'8 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'3 Jr Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Jr Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'5 Jr Damien Leonard from Greenville (J.L. Mann) SC, 6'0 Jr Marquavius "Deville" Smith from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'8 Jr Johnny O'Bryant from Cleveland (East Side) TN, 6'6 Jr Sam Thompson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, and 6'8 Jr Angel Nunez from Winchendon (School) MA.  Let's say that Kentucky really hits the jackpot and lands Gilchrist, who is our #1-ranked junior nationally; Teague, who is our #3-ranked junior nationally; Miller, who is our #7-ranked junior nationally; and any combination of just two more of the above mentioned players list.  That would give the Wildcats a better recruiting class than the recruiting class that everybody except us ranked #1 last spring.  And, based on our point system and where we had the players in Marquette's recruiting class ranked at the time, I will stand by the fact that we had Marquette's recruiting class ranked #1 and Kentucky's recruiting class ranked #2 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2009.  However, I do have to admit that John Wall has turned out to be a lot better than I thought he would be.  If you will recall, after having watched Wall play five different times at this time a year ago, I was one of Wall's biggest critics due to the fact that he often didn't play hard, didn't shoot the basketball well enough, did not always make good decisions, and was a chemistry killer on his high school team.  Well, it looks like Wall has improved dramatically in all of these areas to the point where he is now arguably as good as any player in college basketball today.  On the other hand, one that I was not wrong on was Jonathan Hood, who was ranked among the top 50 nationally by a lot of our competition, but checked in at #113 in our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2009.  However, before everybody gives up on Hood, who is currently averaging 0.9 ppg and 0.6 rpg while playing in only nine games this year for the Wildcats, it's important to remember that he's an in-state kid and likely will evolve into a good role player down the road. 

Monday, January 4, 2010

Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson has a major scoop with regards to 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the most prolific scorers to come down the pike in a long time.  No, Ross has not decided on college (Johnson tells us that Ross still appears to be wide open with a list that includes schools like Mississippi State, Kentucky, Baylor, Memphis, Syracuse, N.C. State, and Tennessee).  However, it does appear that Ross will be leaving Murrah High School due to the fact that it does not provide the academic support that he will need to be eligible at a Division I college or university as a college freshmen year after next.  "It's not done yet," says Johnson.  "But it looks like LaQuinton will be heading to Burlington Life Center in New Jersey."  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that both Johnson and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey Editor Allen Rubin are intrigued by the potential Syracuse connection.  Remember, the Orangemen already have a verbal commitment from 6'3 Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ and the only school in the Northeast that is seriously recruiting Ross is Syracuse.  Maybe this is a big coincidence.  But in our business you learn to look for connections.  And this is a huge connection.  As for Ross, he was slowed by injuries this past spring and summer, doesn't always play as hard as he should, and needs to learn to develop a better understanding the game and improve his basketball IQ.   "But Ross is capable of putting put incredible numbers," says Johnson.  "He can catch and shoot, beat you off the dribble, and can score from anywhere on the court."  And at 6'8, Johnson has all three of the things that we look for in a great player.  In no particular order we're talking about size for your position, athleticism, and outside shooting.  So, if the light ever clicks on and Ross puts the total package together, it's safe to assume that we're talking about somebody with unlimited upside and potential.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that over the weekend 6'0 Jr Davontay Grace from Brooklyn (Thomas Jefferson) NY made an early verbal commitment to St. John's.  The good news is that Grace, who is ranked #106 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a tough New York City kid and it's always good to get the best players in your backyard.  The bad new is that Grace stopped growing when he was in middle school and doesn't have the foot speed and quickness necessary to match-up against the jet-like point guards that he'll face in the Big East Conference.  And this is important, because it will interesting to see if Grace will turn out to be good enough to be an exception to the rule or whether he will end up being just a good role player for the Red Storm.   It also looks like 6'3 Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA recently picked the University of Maryland.  We currently have this athletic combo guard ranked #15 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players, which we plan to publish later this week.  However, after a quick check of our Ranking of the Top 300 Players in the Class of 2010, which was published on January 24, 2006 when Howard was in 8th Grade, it's clear that Howard is a legitimate high school senior.  We first identified Howard as a 6th Grader when he was in the same class as Demetrius Walker back in 2003.  But Howard was reclassified prior to when he entered high school and, as a result, is now only in his 8th semester of high school.  The addition of Howard moves Maryland's recruiting class into a tie at #36, along with Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And, if the Terrapins can rebound and once again get 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who was verbally committed to Maryland, but re-opened his recruitment late last week and is now considering schools like Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke, their recruiting class will move up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.   And, if this does materialize, Terrapins head coach Gary Williams and his staff will have landed everything but a dominating center in this year's recruiting class.  We also are impressed with the fact that Virginia Tech recently got an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA, who ranked #35 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We're talking about a high energy athletic power forward who is a great shot blocker and tremendous rebounder, which leads us to believe that his upside and potential are off the hook.  The Hokies beat schools like Maryland, Alabama, Florida, Wake Forest for his Barksdale services.  But even more important is the fact that they got this one done early.  However, this should come as no surprise for several reasons.  First, Barksdale lives about two-and-a-half hours from Blacksburg, VA, which means he resides right in their backyard.  Second, with Bill Courtney, James Johnson, and Ryan Odom beating the bushes on the recruiting trail, Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg has a staff that is second to none.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Paris Carter from Lake Land (JC) IL, who played high school basketball at Thornton (Fractional South) IL, has elected to return home and attend Illinois-Chicago.  And we think this is a great catch for the Flames due to the fact that Carter is currently ranked #119 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and is a strong/athletic power forward who was named to the Panhandle Conference's All-Freshman Team last year when he was at Pensacola (JC) FL.  We also are intrigued by the fact that 6'4 Jr Kyle Dranqinis from Nampa (Skyview) ID, who has a great feel for the game and was clearly the best player in the state a year ago when he was a sophomore, has made an early verbal commitment to Gonzaga, and 6'9 Jordan Railey from Beaverton (H.S.) IA, who is the athletic power forward that the Cyclones were looking to complement 6'3 DeMarcus Phillips from Marshalltown (JC) IA and 6'6 Melvin Ejim from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH in this year's recruiting class, has verbally committed to Iowa State. 

Saturday, January 2, 2010, & Sunday, January 3, 2010

Our North Carolina Editor Rick Lewis was at the 38th Annual Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament‏ in Raleigh, NC all week and he sets the stage for this year's championship game in the Summit Hospitality Group Invitational by reminding us that Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC upset John Wall and Raleigh (Word of God) NC a year ago in the NCISAA (North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association) State Championship Game on 6'3 Ian Miller's last second 3-point shot.  And, after United Faith Christian easily defeated Word of God again earlier this season, the Word of God players were chastised by their coach for what he thought was a mediocre effort.  So naturally the big question on everybody's mind was whether the Word of God players would rise to the occasion or whether this would be a three-peat for United Faith Christian.  The game started with tremendous anticipation and excitement from a sold out gymnasium on the campus of Raleigh Broughton High School.  "Both teams started out a tad nervous with missed shots and turnovers," says Lewis.   "It was C.J. Leslie's shot blocking ability that got the crowd excited early, as he blocked two United Faith shots in the first two minutes of action.  And at the same time Dez Wells was doing what he does best., as he was relentlessly attacking the basket and scoring six early points to put Word of God in the lead.  However, the lead dissipated quickly, as Miller and backcourt mate Paris Roberts-Campbell got it going for United Faith."  The Florida State-bound Miller had 19 points, Roberts-Campbell chipped in with nine points, and 6'8 Soph Hanna Perea grabbed eight rebounds in the first half for United Faith Christian, which was up 43-22 at the intermission.  "The game was unofficially already over at half-time, "says Lewis.  "Miller was simply unstoppable as he was hitting long distance 3-pointers and dribble-drive pull-ups and also was taking his man to the basket with ease.  But the biggest and most impressive play of the night was a rebound dunk over Leslie that sent the crowd into a frenzy.  Miller has elevated his play to an elite level and deserves mention as a possible McDonald All American player."  Lewis also thinks that United Faith head coach Shaun Wiseman deserves a tremendous among of credit for his strategy against Word of God.  "United Faith Christian played a tenacious 1-2-2 match-up zone putting one of their 6’8 players at the point of the zone," says Lewis.  "Wiseman dared and doubled-dared Word of God to make some outside shots.  And it was the same story as last year in the state championship game and earlier in the season, as Word of God simply doesn’t have outside shooters (they were only 1-7 from behind the arc).  Not only did Word of God have trouble knocking down the outside shot, but the size and length of United Faith was creating havoc inside for Word of God, which shot only 35% from the field.  United Faith’s game plan was to stop the transition game and they did a superb job in limiting Word of God in this area.  Simply put, if WOG is not scoring in transition, they are in deep trouble."  In the end, this United Faith team won easily, 71-59.  And in the second half 6’9 CJ Leslie scored 21 points and played to his potential en route to a 25-point effort.  In addition, Leslie grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots, and had three steals.  Leslie also went 8-18 from the floor, but missed several earth shattering dunk attempts and managed to hit only 6-12 free throw attempts.  Also chipping with 14 points, 3-6 field goals, and 8-11 free throws for Word of God was Wells.  Miller led United Faith Christian with 26 points, four assists, six turnovers (only negative), and two steals, while Campbell chipped in with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals, 7’0 Peter Jurkin had 11 points and eight rebounds, and three blocked shots, and 6’8 Hanna Perea had six points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots.  "Jurkin and Perea also deflected and altered numerous other shots all game long," says Lewis.  "For the game, United Faith shot 54% from the field while going 45% from the three point line.  United Faith out-rebounded Word of God by a 31-13 margim.  The only negative for United Faith was some sloppy ball handling down the stretch, as they had team high 21 turnovers compared to only 14 turnovers for Word of God". 

While the championship game between Word of God and United Faith Christian was over early, the championship game in the Shavlik Randolph Foundation Invitational between Kinston (H.S.) NY and New York (Rice) NY was a classic.  And it was not decided until 6’7 Shane Southwell hit a jumper for Rice with one second remaining to give his team a 55-54 victory.  "Kinston started fast out of the gate and opened up with an impressive 11-0 run," says Lewis.  "Kinston used a 1-2-2 three-quarter press that kept Rice from scoring until the 2-minute mark in the 1st Quarter.  And they dug themselves an even bigger hole when Kadeem Jack was sent to the bench with two early fouls."  However, by halftime Rice had cut the lead to five and 6’4 Jr Emmanuel Andujar had picked up the scoring slack with nine first-half points.  The leading scorer for Kinston in the first half was North Carolina-bound 6’6 Reggie Bullock with 14 points.  The difference in the first half was poor shooting by Rice, which was shooting only 35% from the field and excellent shooting by Kinston, which was shooting 56% from the field.  Kinston also hit 7-7 free throws, as they took a 5-point lead into the locker room at the half.  At the start of the second half, Bullock hit two quick threes and pushed the lead to 11.  "But then Rice starting looking inside to Kadeem Jack," says Lewis.  "And that proved to be the turning point in the game, as slowly but surely Rice inched closer and to make it 41-38.  On the next possession Kinston got out on a 3-on-2 fast break.  But then Andujar stepped up and took a charge.  Rice then came down and Jermaine Sanders hit a big three to tie the game.  At that point the momentum had definitely switched to Rice and Jack was playing tremendous at both ends of the floor.  If Jack was not blocking shots on the defensive end, he was changing and altering shots and getting big time rebounds.   At the offensive end Jack was being more aggressive, calling for the ball, and using his patented jump hook shot.  The game see-sawed back and forth until the final 10 seconds of the game when Rice fouled and Kinston missed the front end of the one-and-one.  And, after Rice got the rebound and called a time-out, that set the state for Southwell's big game winning shot."  Although Bullock was the leading scorer in the game with 24 points and he hit 4-5 3-pointers, he did not score in the crucial 4th Quarter and hit only 5-13 from the field for the game.  Also chipping in with 13 points for Kinston was 6’6 Dallas Best.  

In closing, the victory by United Faith has elevated the status of several players.  First of all, the value of the stock of 6’8 Nemanj Mikic from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC has gone up tremendously with his play in both the Glaxo Smith Kline Holiday Invitational Basketball Tournament and the Prep All Stars Pre-Christmas Tournament.  "Mikic was one of the top pure shooters in the tournament and has unbelievable range on his jumper," says Lewis.  "He is fantastic coming off screens and has good footwork on his shot.  There’s an old saying for shooters, "do your work early and be in position to shoot."  And he did just that.  In speaking with his coach, New Mexico, Charlotte, Drake and Harvard are all involved for his services."  Another player whose stock continues to rise is 6’3 Jr Paris Roberts-Campbell, who transferred to United Faith and has  reclassified.  He had an outstanding overall tournament, as he was selected to the All Tournament team.  7'0 Soph Peter Jurkin and 6'8 Soph Hanna Perea showed that they are two of the most rapidly improving sophomores in the country.  "Both are still a little raw at the offensive end," says Lewis.  "But they bring toughness on the defensive end with rebounding, blocking shots and changing so many shots."   The MVP, which in this tournament has to go to the best player on the winning team, in the Shavlik Randolph Foundation Invitational was 6'8 Kadeem Jack from New York (Rice) NY.  The MOP, which is the politically correct thing to do and goes to the best player in the tournament who does not play on the winning team, was 6'7 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC.  The rest of the all-tournament team included 6'6 Dallas Best from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'1 Emmanuel Chapman from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'1 Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'0 Jr Lannerryl Johnson from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'7 Shane Southwell from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'3 Tyrrel Tate from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC, and 6'6 Soph T.J. Warren from Durham (Riverside) NC.  The MVP, which in this tournament has to go to the best player on the winning team, in the Summit Hospitality Group Invitational was 6'3 Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC.  The MOP, which is the politically correct thing to do and goes to the best player in the tournament who does not play on the winning team, was 6'9 C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC.  The rest of the all-tournament team included 5'11 Connor Belicic from Apex (H.S.) NC, 6'8 Luke Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald) NC, 6'1 Jacoby Davis from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'5 Joel Kindred from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 5'11 Soph Tyler Lewis from Lewisville (Forsyth Country Day) NC, 6'5 Brian Richardson from Wilson (Greenfield) NC, 6'3 Jr Paris Roberts-Campbell from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC, and 6'7 Weston Murphy from Apex (H.S.) NC.

Friday, January 1, 2010

It's become a ritual in recent years to publish our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams right at the beginning of the year and this list always includes our updated ranking of top 100 high school players in the nation regardless of class and position.  A quick look at our current list shows that five 5th Year Players, 61 seniors, 30 juniors, four sophomores, and zero freshmen make up our list of 100.  And a quick look at our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams from July 20, 2009 shows that the top five players nationally - 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL - have remained the same.  However, we are no longer listing 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL as verbally committed to the University of Florida due to the fact that he made an unofficial visit this fall to Duke and other visits are also being planned.  Another player who falls into this category is 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who not only did not sign with the University of Maryland during the Fall Signing Period, but also has re-opened his recruitment and also is now considering schools like Duke, Kentucky, and Kansas.  On the other hand, we're still listing 6'9 Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald Academy) NC with N.C State's recruiting class, which is currently tied at #8, along with Villanova and Tennessee, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010, despite the fact that he didn't sign with the Wolfpack during the Fall Signing Period.  But that could change if Cothron starts taking visits to other schools and/or comes out and reneges on his commitment.  Getting back to Ross, he currently is one of the fastest rising players in the nation and, as a result, is one of the new additions to our HOOP SCOOP All-American Teams, as he checks in on the Thirteenth Team, along with 6'1 Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith) NC, who also falls into this category.  However, the fastest rising elite player on this list is 6'5 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who jumps from the 8th Team to the 3rd Team, and the hottest new name on the list is 6'10 Enes Kanter from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who has more than lived up to his press clippings since arriving in this country last August.  Other players who have made major moves up since we last updated these rankings five-and-a-half months ago include 6'8 Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'3 Jr Bradley Beal from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'3 Vander Blue from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Keala King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) MO, and 6'8 Jr Julian Royal from Alpharetta (Milton) GA.  We've also added several more sophomores to our list, as guys like 6'7 Soph Perry Ellis from Wichita (Heights) KS, 6'5 Soph Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 6'7 Soph Winston Shepherd from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV continue to mature and develop.  But, at the same time, we dropped 6'4 Soph Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV from the 13th Team to the 14th Team due to the fact that every time we're supposed to see him play he's missing in action with an injury.  We also think it's interesting to point out that the Sunshine State has two players - 6'4 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL - on the First Team.  And North Carolina has the most players ranked among the top 50 players on this list with five (Quincy Miller, Reggie Bullock, C.J. Leslie, P.J. Hairston, and J.T.  Terrell) and Virginia has the most players ranked among the top 100 players on this list with nine (James McAdoo, Doron Lamb, Kendall Marshall, Lorenzo Brown, Roscoe Smith, Dominique Ferguson, Travis McKie, Michael Gbinije, and C.J. Barksdale).  However, before anybody gets too excited and starts touting this as the best basketball area in the nation, it's important to remember that it gets a major boast from Oak Hill Academy, which checks in with players who are originally from New York, Maryland, and Indiana; Hargrave Military, which has a player who is originally from Georgia; and Quality Education Academy, which has a player who is originally from Illinois..  On the the other hand, traditional hotbeds like New York, Indiana, and Illinois only have four players apiece ranked among the top 100 players on this list and Pennsylvania only has two players on this list.  And what about Nevada, which has a disproportionate number of names (Tristan Thompson, Corey Joseph, and Winston Shepherd) on this list due to the fact that Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV is now the premier high school basketball factory in the United States?