HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2001

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

Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Yesterday Merrick Horne called to tell us that MidSouth-Hoops.com is reporting that 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, who is the consensus #1 ranked junior in the nation, has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow, Thursday, February 1st, to announce his college decision. "Stoudamire has game - serious game," says MidSouth-Hoops.com.   "He's been likened to a Kevin Garnett-type player, with size and quickness that most tall players don't have.   He can also put the ball on the floor.  In fact, Travis (Stoudemire's legal guardian and AAU coach is Travis King) told me that several (or should I say, numerous?) national publications either have, or soon will have features on this talented young man.  OK, where is he going?  We don't know...but check back tomorrow and we'll list the three finalists!"  That was written yesterday and, as of yet today, we're still waiting for the final list of three.  We also understand that the official annoucement may not come until Monday.  However, our guess is that the final three are Memphis, South Florida, and Georgetown.  If you will recall, Stoudemire recently made unofficial visits to both Memphis and South Florida and somehow he's related to 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, who signed with the Hoyas last fall.  Speaking of Thomas, the MidSouth-Hoops.com is also reporting that the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Assocation has ruled Thomas ineligible for the remainder of the season.   Getting back to Stoudemire, if he picks Memphis, he would give the Tigers a huge head start on next season, as well as become part of one the great recruiting success stories in the history the game.  Don't believe it?  Well, in less than a year on the job head coach John Calipari and assistants Steve Roccaforte and Tony Barbee already landed the #1 ranked recruiting class in the nation, which includedthe #1 ranked high school player in the senior class in 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, the #1 ranked junior college player in 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, and 6'8 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, at the conclusion of the fall signing period.  And that doesn't even include 6'7 Arthur Barclay, who is sitting out this year as a Prop 48 casualty, and 6'2 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, who signed a year ago with Miami-FL, but who transferred to Memphis after Leonard Hamilton took the Washington Wizards job last spring.  Nor does it include 6'2 Antonio Burks from Hiwasee (JC) TN, who was ranked as the #6 point guard in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook last fall.  As a matter of fact, Rothman tells us that Burks, who currently is sitting out this year as a walk-on at Memphis, should be counted with this recruiting class.  And if that's the case, Memphis' recruiting class would be almost unbeatable on our 1-10 rating scale in the spring, because they would move six points ahead of DePaul and eight points ahead of Missouri.  And that's before we adjust the rankings to reflect what will likely happen between now and then.  If you will recall, DePaul will likely lose 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL to the NBA draft in June, and Missouri will definitely not get credit again for 6'8 Travon Bryant, who became eligible to play for the Tigers in December.

We are getting reports that 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, who is ranked #77 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally commmitted to Louisville to play football.  But Jon Reidel, who is our man in Albany, GA, has not confirmed it as official yet.   However, if this does hold up, as expected, it would be of major significance, because he would be a free player on the hardwood for the Cardinals.  If you will recall, last fall Louisville signed 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL.  So obviously they don't need to tie up any more scholarships on perimeter players in this recruiting class.   But, at the same time, they do need all the talent they can get.  Tinch is big-time slasher/athlete, but his offensive skills are limited.  However, it may not matter at the next level, because nobody in the senior class nationally is any more explosive to the basket or better defensively.  Last fall Tinch committed to Seton Hall, which doesn't have a football program, but he later reneged after receiving pressure to play both sports.  Louisville got a major advantage in the Tinch-sweepstakes due to the strong ties that Wiley Brown, who is the strength coach for the basketball team, has in Southern Georgia.  And this could also prove to be value a year from now, as the Cardinals already are showing strong interest, along with Memphis, Alabama, Georgia, and Cincinnati, for 6'10 Jr Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA, who is ranked among the top big men nationally in the junior class.   Johnson is averaging 25 ppg and 15 rpg, but what makes Johnson so intriguing is the fact that he hasn't lost any of his perimeter skills, despite the fact that he continues to grow an inch or two a year every year,   "He can still shoot three and is very effective away from the basket," says Reidel, who knows a player when he sees one (Reidel used to publish Reidel's Roundball Review).  And like Tinch, Johnson is also a heck of an athlete and once was a terrific football player.  As a matter of fact, Reidel tell us that Johnson was the quarterback on the football team in junior high school, which means he could have had a big time future in the gridiron if he'd stuck with it. However, he grew dramaticlly and the rest is history.  The biggest question with Johnson might be his toughness and whether he can overcome the stigma that seems to plague players from Albany, GA.  In case you don't know what we're talking about, Albany is one of the best basketball towns per capita in America, but only two players in its history - Dontonio Wingfield and Lavar Postell - have made it to the NBA.  And the story becomes even more interesting when you read Reidel's recent article, Super Six at 10 Can't Miss Prep Stars found NBA to be an Allusive Dream, which appeared in the Albany Herald on Sunday, January 14th, and was picked up by the Associated Press.  The "super six" are the six great players - 6'9 Dontonio Wingfield from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'2 Michael Spruell from Albany (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Melvin Drake from Albany (H.S.) GA, 6'1 Pertha Robinson from Albany (Dougherty) GA, 6'4 Chris Cameron from Albany (Dougherty) GA, and 6'6 Antonio Smith from Albany (Westover) GA - who came out of Albany 10 years ago and the rest is obvious.  As we mentioned earlier, Wingfield did make it in the League.  But not for long, as he held on for a year with Seattle and two with Portland.  However, now it looks like injuries will prohibit him from attempting a comeback.  As a result, Wingfield, who has five kids and is broke financially, is back at the University of Cincinnati attempting to get his degree.  Spruell, who, as a senior in high school, was the MVP in the Roundball Classic in Pittsburgh, PA.   However, after signing with Providence College, he ran into legal difficulties and, as a result, is now in jail with 6-1/2 years left to go on a 10 year sentence.  Drake played professionally for several years in Switzerland and with the Atlanta Trojans of the USBL, but now he teaches social studies at Sylvester (Worth County) GA.  Robinson, who scored 1200 points on the SAT and 2600 points on the court in high school, got his degree in consumer economics from the University of Georgia and is now a counselor for troubled youth in Albany, GA.  Cameron played four years at Tulane and two years professionally in Iceland, where he averaged 25 ppg.  He also spent a year in the IBL and was home for a while.  But the dream is still alive for Cameron, because he recently signed a contract to play in Finland.  Smith played his college ball at Pensacola (JC) FL and Louisiana Tech and professionally for two years in Sweden, where he was MVP of the League.  But now he is back in Albany working as a paraprofessional in the school system. 

Tuesday, January 30, 2001

The official announcement won't be made until mid-February, but the word on the street is that Dinos Trigonis is on the verge of not just taking the 5th Annual Coca-Cola All-American Classic (formerly the Eddie Jones and DaDa Classic) to another level, but making this one of the premier high school all-star events in the nation.  The game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 10th, which is the day after the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic in Chicago, IL, and it will be played in the 15,000-seat MGM Grand Garden Arena, which is the most luxurious and plush venue in the nation for an event of this size.  Tip-off for the preliminary game will be at 6:00 PM and it promises to be border war, as most the top players from Arizona and Nevada will be going head-to-head against their counterparts from California.  Then, the main event will feature most of the top players from the West Coast against the East All-Stars, which will be a team made up of players from the rest of the nation.  And the smart money should be on the West All-Stars due to the quality of talent and depth in the senior class in Southern California.  Trigonis wouldn't provide us with a list of who he expects be in the game, because, at this stage, recruiting for the various spring all-star games is in high gear.  However, sources close to Trigonis tell us that he expects to have 6'6 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, 6'8 Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA, 6'6 Jamaal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'1 Chris Hernandez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, 6'2 Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'2 Derrick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, and 6'11 Mike Fey from Capital (Olympic) WA.  He also will likely have 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, because he won't be subject to the two all-star game limit that is imposed by the NCAA for college-bound student-athletes.  If you will recall, Chandler is expected to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA draft this spring.  So Trigonis already appears to be in great shape on 12 of the top players from the West Coast, but he may run into real problem, if several of the other players, like 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA,and 6'5 Erroll Knight from Seattle (Chief Steath) WA, that they're attempting to get also fall into line.  One option might be to put several players from California on the East Squad.  However, that too might be out, because the Illinois-quartet of 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'5 Marcellus Sommerville from Peoria (Central) IL, and 5'10 Jason Straight from Chicago (Dunbar) IL, 6'7 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, and 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ appear to be near locks for the game, plus 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'6 Jackie Manual from West Palm Beach (Gardinal Newman) FL, 6'8 Wayne Simien from Leavenworth (H.S.) KS,6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN, 6'9 Robert Little from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, 6'6 Duane John from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'9 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX, 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, and 6'8 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL are among those that should appear in the possible category.  In other words, the preliminary game could also end up being darn good, because, in addition to some of the players mentioned above, 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, 6'6 Edwin Draughn from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA,6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'10 Rory O'Neil from Ridgecrest (Burroughs) CA, and 6'9 Matt Short from Yreka (Union) CA all will be more than worth the price of admission.

One of the biggest turnarounds in college basketball this season is by Providence College, which was 11-19 overall and 4-12 in the conference a year ago versus 14-5 overall and 5-2 in the conference to-date this season.  The Friars also should probably be ranked among the top 25 nationally, because three of their five losses came early in the season, which was before 7'2 Karim Shabazz became eligible.  And it looks they could be even better next year, because Providence's two fall signees - 6'9 Garrett Thompson from Suffolk (JC) NY, who is averaging triple-double, and 6'6 Rob Sanders from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who is averaging over 25 ppg for one of the top prep school programs in the nation - are both having great seasons.  Also, our New England Editor Wayne Simone thinks 6'7 Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, who verbally committed to Providence a month ago, could turn out to be the biggest steal from the Connecticut Select AAU program since Will Solomon signed with Clemson three years ago.  Providence is still looking to land another player in the spring and we suspect that will be 6'3 Dawan Robinson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  However, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Friars assistant coach Steve DeMeo, who is one of the hardest workers and best evaluators of talent in the nation, also is hoping to stash his kid - 5'11 Darryl Hill from Bayside (Cardozo) NY - in a prep school next year.  We also hear that that DeMeo has an eye on several sleepers and we know he's made some inquiries about 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who recently was offered by the University of Kentucky and currently is ranked #74 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Speaking of Chiles and Kentucky, it looks like a verbal commitment by Chiles will be forthcoming when he makes his official visit to Lexington, KY on the weekend of February 10th.  And if that's where he wants to go, we think he should get it done on the spot.  Remember, there are questions about his lack of size, outside shooting, and point guard skills, plus the Widcats are already loaded with combo and wing guards.  So the scholarship may not still be on the table in the spring, if something unforeseen happens, like Marvin Stone transfers and they decide to sign another big man.  And there is still the possibility that they will finally decide they to sign a pure point guard, which is our advice, in this recruiting class.  In other words, if you know what you want to do, get it over with, because things can change quickly in the recruiting game.  And Chiles isn't the only Ballard player who appears to be getting new attention from a school in the Big East.  As a matter of fact, University of Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun was in the house on Friday night when Louisville (Ballard) KY, which at the time was ranked #3 nationally by the USA Today, got knocked off by Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN.

Monday, January 29, 2001

We've already dubbed this as "the year of the soft spoiled pampered overhyped big man," but there is one player who continues to live up to all the expectations.  We're talking about 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who recently had a week where he scored 209 points and shot 64% from the field in three games.  He's also averaging just under 48 ppg, is on track to break the all-time New Jersey scoring record, led his team to championship last March in the Tournament of Champions in New Jersey, which decides the championship in the state regardless of classification, and currently is singlehandedly responsible for a mediocre Camden team being undefeated and ranked among the top five nationally in the USA Today.  We're also talking about a player who was ranked among the top five players each of the last three summers at the NIKE All-American Camp and, despite all of the incredible hype, continues to live up to and usually surpasses all the expectations.  Sure, there are those who think Wagner doesn't pass enough and/or is too selfish.  However, Wagner is shooting over 50% from the field for the season, most of his teammates are average at best, and he can score any time he wants.  So the point is almost irrelevant, unless you're the opposing coach or fan who wants the team Wagner is playing against to win.  As a matter of fact, they said the same thing about Wilt Chamberlain, who once scored 100 points in a professional game.  So Chamberlain led the league in assists one year just to prove his critics wrong.  Wagner too is a much better passer than most people give him credit for being.  "When there is somebody wide open underneath the basket and Wagner gets them the ball, they almost always score, " says Dave Schultz of the HOOP SCOOP.  "I've seen him get 10-12 assists in a game, but that's not his role.  Instead, it's his job to put up prolific numbers and with his strength, athleticism, and explosiveness, he's like a man among boys."   Wagner can score any time he wants and often does, as was evident recently when he scored 100 points in a single game.  "The story has gotten so big that the Newark Star-Ledger has started sending a reporter to every Camden game," says Schultz.   "And they don't even like to cover South Jersey.  After we saw Wagner get 38 points the other night against St. Augustine, the headline in the newspaper read 'Wagner settles for 38.'  Wagner hit 16-31 field goals, physically dominated the game, and led his team past one of the top teams in the state, which until that point was undefeated.  But by his standards that was an off night."  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman was also impressed when he saw Wagner for the first time against Memphis (Hamilton) TN and Memphis (East) TN right after Christmas.   "He set the tone eight seconds into the game with a 3-pointer from right in front of the Hamilton bench," says Rothman.  "Hamilton used a 1-3-1 zone and chased him the entire game, but he still went for 50.  The next night East used a triangle and two (the two being used to double-team Wagner), which held Wagner to only 15 shots.  But he still took over the game down the stretch, as he brought Camden back from seven points down in the fourth quarter and finished with 24 points."   However, what impressed Rothman the most are his ability to get low and get his head and shoulders past the defender.  Rothman doesn't want to compare Wagner with Allen Iverson, because he didn't see Iverson in high school.  But he does put him in the same category with Penny Hardaway, who might be as good as there every was to come out of the Mid-South.  And our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin echoes this thought with his comment about Wagner being one of the four great players to come out of his area in the last decade.  The others are Rasheed Wallace, Kobe Bryant, and Eddie Griffin.  "He's also the best point guard prospect in the country and I'm talking about for both college and the NBA," says Rubin.  Obviously, Wagner has a lot to live up to with this kind praise and these types of comparisons.   But, like most of the truly great ones, he almost always does!

A lot of people think it's going to be an all-out war among Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State for 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who ranks among the top five juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Randolph's grandfather was an All-American at N.C. State and both of his parents attended the University of North Carolina.  However, we think it's already a done deal for Duke.  Sure, the strong Duke ties on Randolph's mother's side of the family are a plus for the Blue Devils.  So are the success of the Blue Devils program under Mike Krzyzewski, who is widely regarded as the premier coach in the game today, and the fact that Duke is one of the top schools in the nation academically.  But we're told that in the final analysis none of that really matters.  Instead, the deciding factor will be 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-point shooters we've seen in a long time.  If you will recall, Redick verbally committed to the Blue Devils last fall and, as a result, that sealed the deal for Randolph.  Apparently Redick and Randolph are not only best friends, but have a strong desire to attend the same college.  However, don't get too concerned if nothing happens any time soon.  Randolph's father is a great guy, but he also loves all the attention that goes hand-in-hand with the recruiting process and, as a result, that will likely drag out the recruiting process. Another school that will likely be able to take advantage of a close friendship when recruiting one of our top five juniors nationally is Michigan State.  If you will recall, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is best friends with 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who signed with the Spartans last fall.  Throw in the fact that Michigan State has been getting the pick of the litter in their own backyard in recent years and we think you can almost write this one down as well.  However, the biggest lock among the elite juniors nationally, at least according to our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, is 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NY to St. John's.  "He shows up for more St. John's games than I do," says Naclerio.  But don't write that one down just yet, because grades are a question mark and Cooke already is several years older than his class.  In other words, we think the chances are better than 50-50 that Cooke will by-pass college and go straight to the NBA after a year of prep school next year at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.

Saturday, January 27, 2001, and Sunday, January 28, 2001

I remember it like it was yesterday.  Louisville was playing at Marquette in mid-December of 1976 and there was dead silence in Milwaukee Arena.   Everybody was standing at attention, as the color-guard presented the nation's flag right before the singing of the national anthem.  From one part of the arena somebody yelled "Give'em hell, Al."  Then, from other parts of the area, one at a time, you could hear individual voices, "Give'em hell, Al.  Give'em hell, Al."  Then, there was one voice from the Louisville section that was just as loud and just as distinct. "Go to hell, Al."  That was me, this was a big game, and this was the age of Al McGuire.  Louisville went on to win the game, as a freshman by the name of Darrell Griffith hit the game winning shot to give Marquette its only home loss of the 1976-77 season.  Of much greater significance, three-and-half-months later the game's most colorful coach retired after Marquette upset North Carolina in the 1977 NCAA Title Game in Atlanta, GA.  At the time McGuire was bigger than life.  Not only was he a great coach, but he also was truly one of the great ambassadors in the history of the game, as he represented much of what was positive about college basketball in particular and life in general.  He was above the petty things that often divide people from different walks of life and this was especially evident with his recruiting of tough kids from the inner cities and the special relationship he had with his players.  McGuire was also great with the media.   He was extremely quotable and had a unique way of translating the game into layman's terms, which is why he was so good as a television commentator, along with Dick Enberg and Billy Packer, during the late 70's and early 80's.   During the last year McGuire's health had been deteriorating and he was being treated for leukemia.  So it came as no surprise when McGuire died on Friday in Milwaukee, WI at the age of 72.  It also comes as no surprise that McGuire is so fondly remembered by the millions of college basketball fans whose lives he touched in one way or another.  This also is a day of mourning and sadness for everybody connected with the Oklahoma State basketball team, because 10 people - two players Nate Fleming and Dan Lawson, sports information employee Will Hancock, director of basketball operations Pat Noyes, trainer Brian Luinstra, student manager Jared Weiberg, broadcast engineer Kendall Durfey, broadcaster Bill Teegins, pilot Denver Mills, and co-pilot Bjorn Falistrom - were killed in a plane crash last night while returning home from their game against the University of Colorado.  

Last night Concord (DeLaSalle) CA upset Compton (Dominguez) CA, 49-46, in the final game of the evening at the NIKE Extravaganza at the Pyramid at Long Beach State University in Long Beach, CA, but the big story of the day was the performance by 6'3 Carlos Morban from Miami (Christian) FL, who impressed us last summer when we saw him at the NIKE All-American Camp last July, but still is one of the most unheralded players in the senior class nationally.  Morban is a tremendous competitor and good 3-point shooter, but he used his incredible speed and quickness to make his living off defense and transition.  He finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, as he combined with 5'10 Kelly Ortiz to score all of Miami Christian's 20 first quarter points.  As a matter of fact, with a minute left in the first quarter Miami Christian was up 17-12 and it appeared that there might be an upset in the making.  However, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA went on a 20-8 run and never looked back as they coasted to an 87-55 victory.  And the big difference was depth, as Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight's biggest problem is finding enough minutes to keep everybody happy, while Miami Christian head coach Art Alvarez is forced to rely solely upon three players - Morba, Ortiz, and 6'9 Johan Rivera, who scored all of their team's 55 points and got all but four of their 28 rebounds.    Especially impressive for Mater Dei was 6'5 Cedric Bozeman, who finished with 24 points, including 10-16 field goals, four rebounds, six assists, and two turnovers.  Also shooting extremely well were 6'11 Jamal Sampson (7-11 field goals) and 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen (4-5 field goals), but even more important was Sampson's 17 rebounds.  Speaking of rebounding, that was another big difference in the game as Mater Dei beat Miami Christian on the boards 46-28.   Also at the NIKE Extravaganza yesterday, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA beat Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 74-60, but the two best performances in the game were turned in by Villa Park's 6'3 Matt MacGinnis and 6'9 Soph Sean Phaler, who combined for 47 points, including 7-18 3-pointers.  MacGinnis has already signed with Point Loma, which is a NAIA school, but Phaler will be heard from a lot during the next several years, because he's extremely versatile and is still growing.  However, he needs to get bigger and stronger and develop more of an inside presence in order to live up his vast potential.  The best player for Westchester was 6'3 Jr Brandon Heath, who finished with 15 points, including 3-3 3-pointers, but otherwise it was not one of Westchester's better efforts.  Earlier in the day Long Beach (Poly) CA knocked off Oceanview (H.S.) CA, 43-29; Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA beat Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 71-61; Las Vegas (Durango) CA beat Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA, 74-60; Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA beat Costa Mesa (H.S.) CA, 63-60; Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA beat Los Alamitos (H.S) CA, 73-48; and Glendora (H.S.) CA beat Anaheim (Servite) CA, 56-32.  Especially noteworthy was the 17 points, all of which were posted in the first quarter, by 6'6 Jr Reggie Butler for Long Beach (Poly) CA.  Butler still needs to develop physically, but he's extremely versatile and we love his athleticism.  As a result, he's one of the fastest rising juniors in Southern California.  Other young players with great futures who were very impressive were 6'1 Soph Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, who was his team's leading scorer with 14 points, and 5'11 Frosh Tywain McTyer from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, who finished with 12 points and five assists, while complementing 6'1 Jr Frank Brown (20 points and four assists) in the backcourt.  The leading scorer for the day was 6'3 Jr Gio St. Amant from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, who finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds, and the big reason why DeLaSalle prevailed against Dominguez was 6'0 Charles Brown, who made most of the big shots for DeLaSalle down the stretch. 

Friday, January 26, 2001

There will be big day of basketball tomorrow at the Pyramid at Long Beach State University in Long Beach, CA, as the NIKE Extravaganza features nine games.  The schedule includes Anaheim (Servite) CA versus Glendora (H.S.) CA at 8:30 AM, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA versus Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA at 10:00 AM, Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA versus Costa Mesa (H.S.) CA at 11:30 AM, Las Vegas (Durango) CA versus Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA versus 1:00 PM, Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA versus Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA at 2:30 PM, Long Beach (Poly) CA versus Oceanview (H.S.) CA at 4:30 PM, Villa Park (H.S.) CA versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at 6:00 PM, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus Miami (Christian) FL at 7:30 PM, and Compton (Dominguez) CA versus Concord (DeLa Salle) CA at 9:00 PM and we'll bring you all the highlights on Sunday.  We don't look for any major upsets in the NIKE Extravaganza, like when Compton (Dominguez) CA got knocked off by Fresno (Clovis West) CA two weeks ago in the 2001 Dream Classic at Loyola Marymount University.   But we will get another look at Westchester, Mater Dei, and Dominguez, which are the three best teams in Southern California, as well as most of the top players in Southern California.  One player we won't get to see is 7'0 Jr Martin Iti from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who was ruled permanently ineligible by the school last fall due to questions regarding his transcript.  However, that doesn't stop the recruiting process from going forward.  As a matter of fact, we are getting unconfirmed reports about Iti already having made a verbal commitment to USC.  So obviously that will be one of the things we check into tomorrow.  Another event in Southern California that we plan to cover will be the Southern California Basketball Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA on Saturday, February 3rd.  Tip-off time between Ontario (H.S) CA versus Inglewood (Morningside) CA will be at 11:00 PM, followed by Lakewood (Artesia) CA versus Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA at 1:00 PM, Lynwood (H.S.) CA versus Compton (H.S.) CA at 3:00 PM, Long Beach (Poly) CA versus Corona (Centennial) CA at 5:00 PM, and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA at 7:00 PM. 

Just as we suspected, nothing was really decided yesterday at the highly publicized meeting between Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich and head coach Denny Crum.  Crum apparently made it clear that he has no plans to leave of his own accord and Jurich made no guarantees, except that he will evaluate the entire situation at the end of the season.  Ironically, Louisville's shocking upset against Cincinnati, which occured on the eve of the big meeting two days ago, couldn't have come at a better time, because it served as a good reminder that Crum is still an outstanding coach.  As a matter of fact, this season might be one of his best coaching efforts ever.  His won-loss record certainly doesn't reflect it, but, except for Reece Gaines and Marcus Maybin, Louisville's talent level is near the bottom of the league and, as a result, we thought 10-12 wins prior to the season was very realistic.  And they're right on schedule, even though they almost knocked off Kentucky earlier in the year at home and they went on the road this week and beat Cincinnati, which is still the best team in the league, although they're down by their standards.  However, wins and losses are all fans seem to look at and, as a result, most Louisville fans have never really understood the problem.   When Crum arrived at Louisville in the spring of 1971 his recruiting philosophy was the same as his former boss - let the assistants do most of the initial leg work and then let the head coach close the deal when you get the player on campus for an official visit.   No, Louisville wasn't Westwood and Crum wasn't John Wooden during the UCLA dynasty, but during the 70's and 80's Bill Olsen and Wade Houston did an incredible.  Olsen got the unheralded talent out of the deep south (i.e. Allen Murphy, Derek Smith, Wiley Brown, Lancaster Gordon, and Charles Jones) and Houston delivered Darrell Griffith and Bobby Turner, landed the McCray's, kept the Camden Connection going, and stole a few like Pervis Ellison, LaBradford Smith, and Kenny Payne.  However, with more and more restrictions on recruiting due to the enactment of NCAA rules, it became very important for head coach to take a more hands-on approach to recruiting, especially in the early stages (i.e. seeing players during the summer evaluation period).  But like so many of the great coaches who established their reputations and had great success in during the 70's and 80's, Crum was slow to change and eventually it caught up with him.   It slowly was catching  up with him throughout the 90's, but players like Dajuan Wheat, Samaki Walker, Alvin Sims, Tick Rogers et al. turned out to be major overachievers and, as a result, nobody seemed to notice, until the bottom feel out three years ago when the Cardinals went 12-20.   And they didn't seem to notice again the last several seasons until they got beat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  But now the current season appears to be a disaster and, as a result, most fans think it is time for a change.  However, I don't agree and one of the reasons is that I believe there is a direct correlation between coaches who you see all the time on the recruiting trail and schools that get it done.   That's why Crum being named the Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer by the HOOP SCOOP last summer is so important.  Thanks to a strong athletic director in Tom Jurich who has helped push Crum in the right direction and a strong desire on Crum's part to go out on top, Crum now appears to be making the effort necessary to return the Cardinals program to the heights the achieved in the early 80's.  But, like they say, Rome wasn't built in a day and even though Crum's deserves an "A" for effort on the recruiting trail, he hasn't gotten it done yet and, if he doesn't soon, he likely will run out time.  And that's the big question.  Will he have the time he needs to line up the big guys he has to land this spring or will the walls come tumbling down when the season is over in mid-to-late March?  If the latter happens, it would be a tragedy.  However, if Crum doesn't sign two quality big men, like 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, and/or a junior college, prep school, or foreign player that we don't know about yet, then it probably is time for the University of Louisville to make a change.  

Thursday, January 25, 2001

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has gotten an early lists of schools from some of the top juniors in his area, including 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'5 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, and 6'11 Jr Ted Skuchas from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  McNamara, who is supposed to play next summer with the Los Angeles based Pump-n-Run AAU team, is already a top priority for Syracuse.  So it comes as no surprise that the Orangemen were the first school he mentioned.  Also on McNamara's list are DePaul, Notre Dame, Penn State, Duke, Seton Hall, North Carolina, and Florida.  Maryland is the favorite for Walsh, although Syracuse, Virginia, Villanova, Notre Dame, and Stanford are also on his list.  Duke has the early advantage for Melchionni and Skuchas, because their father's both played for the Blue Devils.   However, Melchionni also mentions North Carolina, Notre Dame, Florida, Villanova, Pennsylvania, and Princeton.  Skuchas is also getting interest from North Carolina, Virginia, Notre Dame, Virginia Penn State, Iowa, Stanford, UCLA, St. Joseph's, and Villanova.  We also understand that Duke is way out in front over schools like Syracuse, Seton Hall, and Georgia Tech for 6'11 Soph Grant Billmeier from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who ranks among the top five sophomores nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, the word is that Billmeier answered Duke to a question about his college interests on a questionairre that he recently returned to Syracuse.  The only new player who will be ranked among Rubin's top 10 juniors in the area next time he updates his list is 6'2 Jr Mustafa Shakur from Philadelphia (William Penn) PA, who will move from #17 to #9 in his rankings.  So it comes as no surprise that Temple leads for Shakur, although Central Florida, Boston University, Duquesne, Rhode Island, Providence, and Georgia Tech make this a very interesting list.  The best senior still available in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area is 6'7 Jamal Nichols from Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA.  Right now Massachusetts is the favorite, but Duquesne, St. Joseph's, and La Salle are also still in the hunt for Nichols.  Also still in the board are 6'5 David Bell from Philadelphia (Olney) PA, 6'2 Dominic Jackson from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 6'7 Anthony Thompson from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA, 5'11 Andre Henry from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA, and 6'6 Nicholas King from Philadelphia (Frankford) PA.  However, Rubin suspects that Bell, Thompson, and Henry will all go the prep school route.   Central Florida and Hofstra are showing the most interest in Jackson.  King likes Hofstra, Fairfield, UNC-Greensboro, La Salle, and Temple.  Rubin also tells us that UNLV head coach Max Good was in town two nights ago to see 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, who signed with Runnin' Rebels last fall, and 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who scored 100 points a week ago, continues to put up prolific numbers as he posted 55 points versus Pennsauken (Tech) NJ on Tueday.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the University of Tennessee has landed 6'6 Michael Collins from Commerce (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #130 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, Collins, who selected Tennessee over Clemson, is also a big-time wide receiver and, as a result, his scholarship will be for football.  But that doesn't mean this incredible athlete, who was terrific when we saw him last summer, also isn't a steal for the basketball team, especially since they don't have to tie up a scholarship on him.   The only problem is that they'll have to wait until after the Volunteers make their annual New Year's Day Bowl football appearance to get him.  Johnson also tells us that 6'8 Pawel Storozynski from Poland via Dodge City (JC) KS has committed to South Carolina.   This too is a major commitment, because Storozynski was ranked #3 among power forwards by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook last fall after making a major splash last July at Jerry Mullen's junior college camp in Tulsa, OK.  If that weren't enough commitments on a slow day in January, Johnson also is reporting that Wisconsin has added a good one in 6'3 Devin Harris from Wauwatosa (East) WI and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has finally informed us that 6'2 Malik Wallace from Allegany (JC) MD has verbally committed to Maryland-Baltimore-County (apparently this happened about a week ago).  Johnson also has the scoop on our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, because he's reporting that 6'2 Marcus Hatten from Tallahassee (JC) FL made an official visit to St. John's last weekend and was at the St. John's-Villanova game. This too is of major significant, because Hatten was ranked as the #1 shooting guard in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  In other words, if they can pull this off, Red Storm head coach Mike Jarvis would not only have the perfect complement to Omar Cook, but he also would be able to go to war in the Big East next year with one of the best backcourt duos in all of college basketball.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson still has 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH edging out 6'7 Matt Sylvester from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH as the #1 senior in Ohio, but it's closer than you might think due to Williams' lack of consistency and toughness.  Johnson also tells us that Miami-OH-bound 6'6 Danny Horace from Cincinnati (Western Hills) OH and 6'8 Pierre Darden from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, who is now a prime recruiting target for Xavier, are among the seniors most on the rise.   So is 6'3 Danny Williams, who transferred last fall from Toledo (Scott) OH to Toledo (Libbey) OH.  Also falling into this category are 6'2 Jake Steuer, who impressed people when he went head-to-head earlier in the year against 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'7 Waki Williams from Columbus (East) OH, who has a tremendous upside, because he's only been playing organized basketball three years, and 6'5 Kevin Martin from Zanesville (H.S.) OH, who played well when we saw him two weeks ago at the American Family National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH.  Johnson thinks the biggest story in Ohio's junior class involves a transfer from a small school in Louisiana.  We're talking about 6'5 Jr DeForrest Riley from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, who will rank in the 4-6 range next time Johnson updates his rankings.  "Riley reminds me of former Cincinnati star Damon Flint, although Riley is a lot more explosive," says Johnson.  "Ohio State, Cincinnati, and Xavier are already showing interest, but if Riley gets invited to the adidas ABCD Camp next summer, along with his teammate Robert Hite, you can bet that everybody in the Big-10, Big East, and Southeastern Conferences will get involved."  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'8 Jr Alassane Kouyate from Medina (Highland) OH has transferred to Cuyahoga Falls (Walsh Jesuit) OH, where he will sit out the rest of the reason, as he gets healthy again and works on his academics.  Other juniors in the state who have really helped themselves this winter are 6'4 Jr Issian Redding from Sandusky (H.S.) OH, 6'3 Jr Ron Lewis from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 5'10 Jr Dashaun Harper from Columbus (Ready) OH.   The same can be said in the sophomore class about 6'6 Soph Romeo Travis, who last fall transferred from Akron (Central-Hower) OH to Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.   Johnson also has been tracking the rapid development by three big guys in the sophomore class in 6'11 Soph Matt Lefeld from Coldwater (H.S.) OH, 6'8 Soph Monte St. Clair from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, and 6'7 Soph Craig Cashen from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, plus 6'1 Soph Marcus McCants from Marion (Catholic) OH is coming out of nowhere, just like his older brother - Ed McCants, who signed last spring with Northwestern - did a year ago.  He hasn't previously been ranked, but Johnson is now singing the praises of 6'3 Frosh Delbert Ferguson from Youngstown (Ursuline) OH.  However, college recruiters won't have to worry about even bothering with this one, because he's already a lock for Ohio State for football.  And we may be talking about one of the best football prospects to ever come out of the state and, ironically, the new football coach at Ohio State just happens to be formerly the head coach at Youngstown State. 

Wednesday, January 24, 2001

When the University of Michigan signed 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 6'5 JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI, 6'8 Kelly Whitney from Chicago (Marshall) IL, and 6'7 Chuck Bailey from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI last fall, their recruiting class was ranked #13 nationally.  So now the Wolverines are totally focused on finding quality size, which appears to be the one remaining need.  Sure, they'd like to land a good big guy this spring, but that might be easier said than done, because nearly all of the good big men signed in the fall, are talking about going straight into the NBA draft next spring, or have already narrowed their list of schools to a select few.  So obviously getting an early jump on next year's recruiting class becomes even more of a priority and, ironically, one of the fastest rising juniors in the nation is only 15 minutes from Ann Arbor, MI.  We're talking about 6'10 Jr Chris Grimm from Brighton (H.S.) MI, who is ranked in the 50-100 range nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Grimm is a big white kid with decent speed and quickness, good shot blocking ability, and excellent post skills.  Grimm convinced Bell that he can play at the high Division I level when he saw Grimm score 39 points and grab 17 rebounds versus Detroit (Denby) MI in early December at the Tip-off Classic at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI.  Michigan State, Ohio State, and Marquette, which are all already showing early interest, are also convinced that Grimm is a big-time player.  As a matter of fact, Grimm and 6'9 Jr Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI, who made a very early commitment to the Michigan State last summer, were both seen sitting in the first row behind the Spartans bench at the Michigan State-Ohio State game last Saturday in East Lansing, MI.  Despite the fact that Grimm is vastly improved, he still is ranked no higher than #6 in the state, because the five players ahead of him - 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, Davis, 6'4 Jr Ricardo Billings from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'5 Jr Lester Abram from Pontiac (Northern) MI, and 6'7 Jr Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI - all will be McDonald's All-American candidates a year from now.  In addition to Davis, Bell also thinks Roberson will end up at Michigan State.   Abram has already verbally committed to Michigan and Ohio State appears to be the early favorite for Billings.  That leaves Trannon, but he's at that in-between size and his perimeter game needs work.  So big-time college football may be in his future.  There also isn't all that much left in the senior class to talk about, as the only two top 10 players in the state who are unsigned are 6'3 Cecil Hood from Detroit (Central) MI and 6'11 Nathan Loehrke from Mattawan (H.S.) MI.  However, junior college appears to be in Hood's future, while Loehrke appears to be prime Mid-American Conference material.  Loehrke did verbally commit to Northwestern right before Kevin O'Neill resigned last fall, but the new regime has decided to pass, because Loehrke appears to be too slow to play in the Big-10.   Instead, Princeton is battling Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, and Ball State for Loehrke's services.  Moving down into the 10-20 range, 6'3 Rob Strickland from Detroit (Denby) MI is still available, but he's another one who appears to be destined to play football at the next level.  Also, Duquesne got a commitment from 6'8 Lenard Harden from Ferndale (H.S.) MI in December, 6'10 Justin Ockerman from Garden City (H.S.) MI has a big-time baseball future, and 6'1 Greg Jennings from Kalamazoo (Central) MI is heading to Western Michigan to play football.  Which means that the most intense recruiting battle still going on in the state is over 6'3 Dion Sherrell from Detroit (Henry Ford) MI, who is currently ranked #18 on Bell's list.  He's Eastern Michigan's #1 target.  However, San Diego State and Texas A&M are also making it interesting.  Unfortunately Michigan high school teams can't travel to national tournaments and, as a result, Bell thinks Detroit (Redford) MI and Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI are both getting overlooked in all the national polls.  Redford has two excellent senior guards to go with 6'3 Soph Dion Harris, who is ranked as the #1 sophomore in the nation, and Benton Harbor is still really good, despite the fact they're missing 6'9 Jeff Ferguson and 6'9 Robert Whaley, who currently has more than his share of off-the-court problems.  Bell, who publishes The Bank, which is the bible when it comes to Michigan high school basketball, also tells us that his next report will be out in a couple of weeks.  He plans to feature the top 20 sophomores in the state and he's already touting it as one of his best issues ever.   The best way to subscribe to the The Bank is by calling 1-734-449-5803.   The cost is only $25 for the next five issues, which will be published over the course of the next year. 

Anybody who is interested in high school basketball national rankings really can't afford to be without Eddie Oliver's Hoops USA Consensus Weekly Poll, which combines the five national high school polls published by USA Today, Fox Sports, National Prep Poll, School Sports, and Hoops USA.  It comes as no surprise that the #1-ranked team in this weeks poll is Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, followed in order by Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, Louisville (Ballard) KY, Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, and Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  While we don't necessarily agree with order, that's still about as good as you're going to get, because we haven't seen anybody better than those five teams all year.  The second five in order include Camden (H.S.) NJ, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Memphis (White Station) TN, and Louisville (Male) KY and in the 11-20 range in order are St. Louis (Vashon) MO, Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynold's) NC, Midwest City (H.S.) OK, Fresno (Clovis West) CA, South Holland (Thornwood) IL, Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, Coatesville (H.S.) PA, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Hialeah (Champagnat) FL, and Upland (H.S.) CA.  Rounding out the top 30 in order are Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, Melbourne (Air Academy) FL, Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Compton (Dominguez) CA, Brookville (Snellville) GA, Houston (Lamar) TX, Concord (DeLaSalle) CA, Cleveland (St. Ignatius) OH, and Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA and in the 31-40 range in order are Columbia (Keenan) SC, Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Bronx (All Hallows) NY, Indianapolis (Pike) IN, Jamaica (Archbishop Molloy) NY, Birmingham (Sidney Lanier) AL, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, and Flint (Northern) MI.  In addition to the total consensus points each team has received from the five polls, Oliver also includes each team's current record, as well as their ranking in each poll.  Not only is the Hoops USA Consensus Weekly Poll fascinating and extremely well done, but it's also available for free and you can get it on a weekly basis via email if you contact Oliver at ozone@sccoast.net. 

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

The big meeting between University of Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich and head coach Denny Crum, which is scheduled for this Thursday, has already been the subject of wide national speculation and debate.  However, our feeling is that the meeting is premature.   How can a decision be reached before it is known whether the current regime will come up big this spring with a great recruiting class or whether all the talk will turn out to be just a mirage?  Land any one of the following two - 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, and/or a great junior college or foreign player that has yet to be identified - and keep your job.   Strike out and it will be time to put this Hall of Fame coach out to pasture.  However, time doesn't appear to be on Crum's side, because, with 6-11 record, another likely loss tomorrow night at Cincinnati, and less than a handful of wins expected the rest of the season, the overwhelming feeling among Cardinals fans is that it's time for a change.  Some, including Louisville Courier-Journal Sports Columnist Rick Bozich have suggested giving Crum one more year, so he can go out gracefully.   But we don't think that's a very good option.  Strike out on the recruiting trail this spring and next season will likely be even worse.  Come up big this spring and where are you going to find a better coach than Crum?  The key is fixing the problem right now!  If Cisse goes to college, we think he will pick Louisville.   Louisville is favorite for Licorish, but he is an academic risk and, as a result, he's waiting until he passes the SAT to make his final decision.  Louisville offered Bender a week ago and behind the scenes he's telling people he plans to become a Cardinal.   However, Bender's father told us recently that the determing factor in the decision will likely be whether Louisville lands another quality big man.  So how do you get one of these guys to pull the trigger and, as a result, the dominos falling?  Simple!   Hire Harrison's father, who is an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University, as well as a close friend of Louisville strength coach Wiley Brown.   If I'm not mistaken, it would be a perfect fit, because the Louisville football team is currently in need of a defensive line coach and, ironically, that's the position Harrison's father coaches at Vanderbilt.  While hiring the father may not be enough to get Harrison right off the bat, it would be a step in the right direction, because it may push Bender and/or Cisse to go ahead and get it done.  But let's look at the best case scenario, whereby, Louisville hire's Harrison's father onto the football staff, Harrison commits to Louisville for basketball, Bender immediately then falls into place, and they take Licorish with understanding that he will have to go to prep school for a year, if he doesn't make it academically and/or a scholarship isn't available.  If you recall, NCAA rules now prohibit Division I schools from signing more than five players one year and three the next.  However, there are still academic question marks surrounding all three of Louisville's fall signees - 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, and 6'5 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL - and, as a result, somebody may not make it academically in the spring.  And if this happens, Louisville would then have a scholarship free, if Licorish does by chance make it.  Or another scenario occurs if they get Cisse, Bender, and Harrison and Hurt, Coutee, and Davis are all eligible.  Remember, employees of the university get free tuition, so Harrison wouldn't require a scholarship, if his father's on the football staff.  Getting back to the issue at hand, this is crunch time for Crum, who has won two NCAA Championships and made six NCAA Final Four appearances.  And regardless of whether the outcome is positive or negative, this promises to be his most important test and, ironically, unlike on the bench, where he almost always called the right play in the last minute of a close game, this time the outcome may be well beyond his control.

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that MidSouth-Hoops.com is now reporting that 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Memphis (Hamilton) TN has not yet been cleared to play this season and, as a result, won't play tonight in Hamilton's game versus Memphis (Whitehaven) TN.  If you will recall, we reported yesterday that Thomas had been cleared and would play.  We also reported that 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, who is the consensus #1 ranked junior in the nation, was in Memphis for an unofficial visit over the weekend.   However, our report appears to have rubbed the folks at MidSouth-Hoops.com the wrong way.  As a matter of fact, I got a message from one of their people on my voice mail this morning questioning why we have similar information to what also is on their web site.  So, obviously I think it is important to address the issue.  First, I want to point out that we are second to none when it comes to crediting our sources.  Second, I rarely read other web sites (I actually had to call Rothman to get the address of MidSouth-Hoops.com), because I am usually too busy gathering our own information via the phone or first hand reporting.  Third, with the exception of the comments about the relationship between Thomas and Stoudemire, everything we reported was either first hand from Rothman or was already in the public domain.  Fourth, Rothman has been one of the foremost authorities on high school basketball in Memphis for over 30 years and, as a result, he knows just about everybody, including Stoudemire's legal guardian and AAU coach Travis King, who is originally from Memphis and who Rothman talked with over the weekend.  While MidSouth-Hoops.com has a reputation for doing an outstanding job of covering basketball in the Mid-South, they do not have a monopoly on the recruiting information in their area.  As a result, there will be times when we both report parts of the same story, but in different ways (i.e. Rothman observing Stoudemire and Thomas sitting together at the Memphis-Houston game on Saturday).   Speaking of Stoudemire, another source (located in Florida) called today to tell me that Memphis isn't the only place where this incredibly talented junior, who reminds us of Kevin Garnett, has recently made an unofficial visit.  As a matter of fact, Stoudemire and 6'8 Yusuf Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL both were at South Florida when the Bulls hosted Tulane on January 13th.  There already is plenty of speculation about Stoudemire bypassing college and going straight to the NBA, but Stoudemire's top five colleges currently are Memphis, South Florida, Auburn, Connecticut, and Georgetown.  The mention of Georgetown is especially interesting, assuming that the reports are true about Stoudemire and Thomas, who signed with the Hoyas last fall, being related.  The key word here is "assuming," because I still don't know exactly how the two playere are related.  Further evidence of this fact is provided when we look at exactly what I wrote yesterday:  "Rothman also tells us that the word is that Thomas and Stoudemire both have family in Memphis and somehow they are related to one another." However, if Rothman, who currently does not have confirmation that there is a relationship) and/or somebody from MidSouth-Hoops.com wants to enlighten me on the relationship, I will be glad to attribute either or both. 

We've made a number of minor changes and one major change to Wes Grandstaff's Texas Report, which was published last Friday exclusively in the Members Section. The major change involves putting six players onto the first team all-state team, which is something I usually stay away from, because I like our format of six five-man teams and I don't like ties.  In our mind the first four players on the first team - 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrolltown (Newmann) TX , and 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX - are locks.  However, deciding upon who should get the final spot has created a real problem.  After changing it back and forth several times and a great deal of discussion, we've decided it's impossible to pick 6'4 Keith Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX over 6'1 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX and vice versa.  Both are having great seasons.  In Langford's case, evidence of this is provided by Mike Kunstadt, who moved Langford up to #3 in the state over Maxiell when he updated his rankings on his Texashoops.com web site over the weekend. That alone is a strong statement, because Maxiell is ranked #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and has a legitimate shot at making the McDonald's All-American Team.   Langford, who verbally committed to Mississippi last spring, but later reneged and signed with Kansas in the fall, can beat you both inside and outside.  But what makes this lefty who is averaging 25.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 3.6 spg, and 4.1 apg, such a hot commodity are his strength and explosiveness, which he uses to simply overpower opponents on the way to the basket.  Horton, who is probably the hottest player in Texas right now, is averaging 27.5 ppg, 4.0 apg, 5.0 rpg, and 4.0 spg, and shooting 43% from beyond the 3-point line.  In addition to being an excellent 3-point shooter and tenacious competitior, Horton also is the main reason why Cedar Hill High School is undefeated (27-0) and nationally ranked by the several of the weekly high school polls.  This combo guard's early list of schools includes Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Duke, California, Illinois, and Miami-FL, but getting Horton may also turn out to be an added bonus down the road.  If you will recall, Horton's younger brother, 6'0 Frosh Jason Horton, who is the backup point guard for Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, is ranked #3 in Texas' loaded freshman class and is potentially every bit as good as his older brother.   For links to the report and rankings, lick on Texas Report and Grandstaff Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in Texas.  

Monday, January 22, 2001

One of the most important things a college recruiter can do is identify who he can get early and then get him on campus for an unofficial visit during his junior or sophomore year of high school.  Nobody does this better than John Calipari.  If you will recall, Calipari had 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked as the #1 player nationally regardless of class by the HOOP SCOOP, locked up soon after he got the head coaching job last spring at the University of Memphis.  He also got 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, who is ranked #39 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to commit early while making an unofficial visit to Memphis last June.  And it looks like Calipari is wasting not time getting a head start on next year, because 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, who is ranked as the consensus #1 junior nationally, was on campus over the weekend.  As a matter of fact, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman saw Stoudemire sitting with 6'9 Harvey Thomas, who transferred from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to Memphis (Hamilton) TN last fall, at the Memphis-Houston game on Saturday.  Speaking of Thomas, who signed with Georgetown last fall and is ranked #50 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, Rothman tells us that he will eligible to play the rest of the season beginning with tomorrow night's game against Memphis (Whitehaven) TN.   Rothman also tells us that the word is that Thomas and Stoudemire both have family in Memphis and somehow they are related to one another.  Also having family in Memphis is Stoudemire's AAU coach and legal guardian Travis King, who apparently was the person who brought Stoudemire to town on his unofficial visit.  We also have heard rumors about another Memphis signee - 6'9 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, who is ranked as the consensus #1 junior college player in the nation - being missing in action.  Apparently he didn't get back on time to school from the holiday break, so his coach suspended him for several games.   But now he's back and he had eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks, while coming off the bench, in his team's most recent game. 

"With 17 teams that have been ranked among the top 25 nationally at some point this season by one of the five polls (USA Today, Fox Sports, National Prep Poll, School Sports, and Hoops USA), Slam Dunk to the Beach, Beach Ball Classic, City of Palms Classic, and all the others have to take a backseat to the Prime Time Shootout this year," says Eddie Oliver.  And Oliver should know because he publishes the Hoops USA poll, which can be gotten free of charge on a weekly basis via email if you contact Oliver at ozone@sccoast.net.   Included among the teams that Oliver is talking about are Camden (H.S.) NJ, Compton (Dominguez) CA, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, New York (Rice) NY, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) NJ, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, Winston-Salem (R. J. Reynolds) NC, Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, and Richland (St. Augustine) NJ.  The lineup of players at the the Prime Time Shootout is also very impressive, as three of the nation's top five seniors - 6-2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA - head our list of the top 30 players who will be in attendance.  The rest of the list ranked in order and regardless of class, includes 6'11 Soph Grant Billmeier from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'7 Jr Bobby Sanders from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'1 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 7'3 Soph Sagari Allegne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Mitchell Bittle from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, 6'1 Jr Alan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'5 Jr Darius Sanders from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 5'9 Cantrell Fletcher from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'6 Wendell Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NJ, 6'5 Jamie Sowers from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'7 Olu Babolola from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'0 Jr Dwayne Lee from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'6 Pat Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 6'5 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, 6'6 Jr Michael Blackshear from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'6 Jr Tim Doyle from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, 6'0 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Tamal Forchion (Roman Catholic) PA, 5'10 Naeem Scott from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 6'3 Jr Kelvin Nelson from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  The Prime Time Shootout will begin on Thursday, February 8th, with Hamilton (Steinert) NJ versus Holmdel (H.S.) NJ at 2:30 PM, Levittown (Truman) PA versus Bridgewater-Raritian (H.S.) NJ at 3:55 PM, and Lawrenceville (H.S.) NJ versus North Bergen (H.S.) NJ at 5:15 PM.  On Friday, February 9th, there will be several more area games in the afternoon, as it will be New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ versus Trenton (Central Prep) NJ at 3:00 PM and Union (H.S.) NJ versus Nottingham (H.S.) NJ at 4:30 PM.  Then, it really gets good with Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA versus Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) CA at 6:00 PM, Compton (Dominguez) CA versus Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Hamden (Hyde) CT at 9:00 PM.  The schedule on Saturday, February 10th, begins at 10:30 AM with Colonia (H.S.) NJ versus Middle Township (Cape May Court House) NJ, followed by Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ versus Camden (Woodrow Wilson) NJ at Noon, Chester (H.S.) PA versus Newtown (Council Rock) PA at 1:30 PM, Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ versus Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY at 3:00 PM, Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC versus New York (Rice) NY at 4:30 PM, Camden (H.S.) NJ versus Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY at 6:00 PM, Medford (Shawnee) NJ versus Neptune (H.S.) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA versus Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA at 9:00 PM.  Games also begin at 10:30 AM on Sunday, February 11th, with New York (La Salle) NY versus Burlington (City) NJ.  Next it will be New Castle (H.S.) PA versus Middle Village (Christ the King) NY at Noon, followed by Jersey City (St. Anthony) NY versus Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY at 1:30 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY at 3:00 PM, New York (Rice) NY versus Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA at 4:30 PM, Camden (H.S.) NJ versus Chester (H.S.) PA at 6:00 PM, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ versus Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA at 7:30 PM, and Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA versus Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA at 9:00 PM.

Saturday, January 20, 2001, and Sunday, January 21, 2001

The big surprise this year in the DC area is Washington (Gonzaga) DC, which currently is 18-3 and 7-1 in the always tough WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference).  Gonzaga's best players are 6'3 Michael Orfini, 5'11 Jr Chris Sumner, and 6'0 Frosh Eric Price, but really it's a team effort as somebody different steps up every night.  Right now Gonzaga is in first place in the league standings, but it's really too close to call, as Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, Fairfax (Paul VI) MD, and Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD all have lost two games, while Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, Falls Church (Bishop O'Connell) VA, and Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD have lost three, four, and five game apiece, respectively.  The situation at Bishop McNamara, which lost 6'0 Tony Bethel, who transferred to Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD last fall, is especially interesting, because head coach Derek Campbell is fighting to keep his job and, if he doesn't, the leading candidate to replace him appears to be former University of California head coach Todd Bozeman.  Another job that may be open after this year is DeMatha, but we've been hearing rumors about the legendary Morgan Wootten retiring for years and he showed no signs of letting up as DeMatha knocked off Archbishop Carroll, 67-58, last night.  As a matter of fact, he appeared to more into actively coaching last night than he's been in a long time.  However, if Wootten does retire everybody seems to think that Mike Hibbs, who is currently the head coach at Potomac (Bullis School) MD, will be the heir apparent to the game's all-time winningest head coach.  However, if that does happen, we have to wonder if Bobby Jacobs, who is the Executive Director of Slam Dunk to the Beach, will try and pull a fast one and get DeMatha into his tournament, instead of the Bullis School.  Getting back to DeMatha's game last night, 6'10 Jordan Collins, who finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds, played so well that he may become the best player in the area.  The highest ranked player has to be 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who is ranked #7 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, since he's gotten back from a herina injury that sidelined him six weeks, he's effected his team's chemistry in a negative way (he's averaging over 30 ppg, but he's doing so at the expense of his teammates).  Another candidate for top player honors is 6'1 Lamar Butler, who along with 5'10 Phil Goss, has led Oxon Hill to an undefeated 13-0 record and the top ranking of all teams in the DC area.  And of course there are Bethel and 6'7 Levi Watkins, both from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  But our choice is Stanford-bound 6'9 Robert Little from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, because he's so big and so skilled in the middle.  Several sleepers, as well as two of the best outside shooters, who have come out of the woodwork this winter in the DC area are 6'4 Jr Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmount Heights) MD and 6'2 Shawn Wiggins from Washington (Springarn) DC.  Speaking of players from Springarn, 6'7 Deon Saunders, who was one of the top seniors in the DC area a year ago, is transferring from American University to the University of Hartford.  That's right!   It looks like Chris Pompay strikes again!  If you recall, Pompay, who used to be one of the top club team coaches in the DC area with the DC stars, also used his strong area ties to get 6'1 Sean Swan from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA and 6'9 Trevor Goode from Virginia Beach (Cape Henry) VA last fall.  Speaking of Swan, we told you he was a major sleeper last fall and his recent efforts against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA when he had 40 points and Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC when he had 25 points simply reinforce our thinking. 

We continue to hear rumors about 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL and 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC both transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year.   However, the only thing that Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith will tell us for sure is that he'd like to have that problem (figuring out what to do with two great point guards).  Right now Moore appears to be a near lock to transfer to this basketball factory in Virginia.  But before he does, he may want assurances from Smith that he won't recruit another point guard, like Felton, who will compete with him for playing time.  However, stranger thing have happened, like Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski landing the best point guard in the nation in consecutive years when Jason Williams and Chris Duhon both picked the Blue Devils.  Getting back to Moore, he didn't play all that well when we saw him at the Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL in late December, but we understand that recently he has rededicated himself to becoming a great player and, as a result, has taken his game to another level.   Assuming this is the case, the Southeast Raptors club team should have a banner first year with adidas next summer, because they also have 6'10 Soph Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, who is emerging into a great one.  No, we're not talking about just another big soft athlete from the deep south with a lot of potential.   Instead, we're talking about a guy who takes it so hard to the basket that he broke the wrist of an opponent who got his hand caught in the rim on Friday night.  So it really wasn't that big of a surprise when everybody on the court started to run the other way when Butler went up, cocked it, and slammed another one home last night.  Butler finished with 36 points, 17 rebounds, and eight blocks last night, but he also impressed everybody with his ability to pass the ball out of the post.  Sure, it's early to start talking about recruiting for Butler, but it's already a war among Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and LSU.  And you can bet the Tigers will be right there in the end, because LSU head coach John Brady is from McComb, MS and attended the same high school as Butler.  And as long as we're talking about LSU's recruiting, this year's recruiting class continues to just get better and better.   If you will recall, LSU's recruiting class, which featured 6'7 Kendrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'9 Shawnson Johnson from Lee (JC) TX, and 6'8 Thomas Davis from Kilgore (JC) TX, was ranked #23 last fall.  However, when 6'4 Marcus Spears from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, who is ranked #59 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but will sign a National Letter-of-Intent to play football, recently picked LSU, the Tigers' recruiting class moved into a tie at #7 nationally, along with Virginia and Kansas, because Spears plans to play both sports in college.  So does 6'4 Michael Clayton from Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA, who also recently committed to LSU for football.   That's moves LSU's recruiting class into the #5 spot nationally behind UCLA and ahead of Florida.  We also understand that we were incorrect recently when we reported that Grambling State on the verge of keeping 6'4 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA home.  Instead, the leaders appear to be Oklahoma and LSU and, if the Tigers pull this one off, their recruiting class will move up to #3 nationally, behind Memphis and DePaul.  And if this happens, you will be able to start talking about Butch Pierre, who LSU's point man on the road, as one of the premier recruiters in the nation.

Friday, January 19, 2001

Earlier this week, on the same day that 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ scored 100 points, 6'4 Jr Cedric Hensley from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX scored 101 points against Houston (Banff Academy) TX.    This is significant, because Hensley is ranked #9 in the junior class by Wes Grandstaff in his rankings of the top players in Texas, which were published on our web site earlier today.  Also interesting is the fact that Heritage Christian, which currently ranks #3 among private schools in the state, will play Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, which ranks #1 among private school in the state, tonight and it should be a war.  Both of these teams play a very competitive schedule outside of Houston (area public schools are afraid to play them), as is evident where they played during the holiday tournament season. Heritage Christian participated in the KingdomUSA Classic in Ocala, FL, where Hensley was named the slam dunk champion and to the all-tournament team.  Westbury Christian, which features 6'4 Stanley Asumnu, 6'7 Curtis Rhodes, and 6'8 Soph Ndidi Ebi, participated in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC and the King of the Bluegrass at Fairdale, KY.  In case you were wondering where Asumnu, Rhodes, and Ebi are ranked, along with all the other top players from Texas, all this is now available by clicking on Grandstaff Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in Texas.   Included are Grandstaff's ranking of the top 85 seniors, top 50 juniors, top 23 sophomores, top 21 freshmen, top 30 8th graders, and top 13 7th graders.  You can also get our six all-state teams regardless of position and class, as well as my comments and observations about both Grandstaff, who is our new Texas Editor, and many of the top players in the state, by clicking on Texas Report.

Thursday, January 18, 2001

After years of neglect and playing second fiddle to the C.H.S.A.A. (Catholic High School Athletic Association), it looks like the P.S.A.L (Public School Athletic League) is taking the initial step necessary toward changing the balance of power in athletics in New York City.   The goal, which was initiated from the top after Harold Levy was named the new chancellor of the New York City Public School System a little over a year ago, is to use the resources available to make the nation's largest school system (over a million students) the national model for excellence in all sports.  That assignment has been given to Kevin Gill, who has been put in charge of the P.S.A.L., and this is a major step in the right direction.  Not only does he understand that basketball is the marquee sport, which can be used to attract widespread community interest, support, and exposure, but he also has somebody in charge in P.S.A.L commissioner Mel Goldstein with a great deal of vision.  Goldstein has been in his current position for several years, but now it appears that he's going to have the opportunity to see a lot of his ideas come into fruition.  Obviously the first place to start will be taking all the negative things out of the school system and to do that they will attempting to recreate a safer environment reminiscent of the 50's, 60's, and 70's. "They will need to rebuild the entire infrastructure structure of the P.S.A.L. from the top to bottom," says our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio.   "They will have to recruit better coaches and build from the grassrouts up by putting a major emphasis on strong freshman and junior varsity programs.  Then, and only then, will they be attractive for all the great young talent, as well as kids who need nurturing, who want to play at Public High Schools, instead of going to prep schools, private schools, and Catholic Schools."  This won't be an easy task , because the C.H.S.A.A. is widely recognized as the #1 basketball league in the nation.   However, Naclerio tells us that the gap has already closed, as is evident by the fact Brooklyn (Grady) NY knocked off several of the traditional catholic league powers, including Bronx (All Hallows) NY and Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, earlier this year.   Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY also beat New York (La Salle) NY early in the year by 20 points and recently Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY struggled to get past Bayside (Cardozo) NY and Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY.  Naclerio also thinks that the P.S.A.L. has a big advantage over the C.H.S.A.A. just based on the numbers.  There are only 34 Catholic schools in New York City, but 19 of them are in the "B" and "C" Divisions.  And four of the 15 remaining in the "A" Division are from Staten Island and they usually aren't very good.  In other words, the national reputation of the C.H.S.A.A., rests primarily on the success of eight or nine powerhouse teams, like Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, New York (Rice) NY, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, Bronx (All Hallows) NY, New York (La Salle) NY, and this year Flushing (Holy Cross) NY.  In contrast, there are hundreds of high schools in the P.S.A.L..  "The big key will be marketing and advertising, which will help make people aware of what a great product that the P.S.A.L. has to offer," says Naclerio.  And Naclerio should know, because, in addition to being the New York City Editor of the HOOP SCOOP, he's been the head coach at Bayside (Cardozo) NY, which won the P.S.A.L. City Championship two years ago, for almost 20 years. 

Wednesday, January 17, 2001

We've updated our ranking of the top 100 seniors nationally, which can be found by clicking on Class of 2001, and we find that only 10 of the top 100 seniors nationally remain unsigned and/or uncommitted.  They include 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Tony Key from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, and 6'5 Antonio Hudson from from Grambling (Lab) LA.   Our guess is that Chandler and Cisse will both bypass college and enter the NBA draft next spring.  Harrison will likely go to Vanderbilt.  If you will recall, Harrison's father is an assistant football coach for the Commodores and his boss recently got a four-year extension.  However, when we talked with Harrison, who scored 27 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked three shots in his game in the American Family Insurance National Hoops Classic on Saturday in Columbus, OH, he also mentioned Colorado, Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, and Kentucky.  Oak Hill Academy head coach Steve Smith also told us on Saturday that it's still too close to between North Carolina and Virginia.  Louisville appears to be the favorite for Bender, but West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee haven't given up yet.   Louisville also is believed to be the leader for Licorish, but it's looking more and more like he may not qualify academically.  We'd be very surprised if Key qualifies academically, but after a year or two of prep school and/or junior college, don't be surprised if he picks USC.  The word we get is that the Trojans stashed him at Compton (Centennial) CA.  Miami-OH is pushing hard and Kentucky is showing some interest in Chiles, who has made a major jump in our rankings based on his stellar play this winter, but told us last week that he's still wide open.  Tinch, who likely play both football and basketball in college, made an official visit to Louisville on Saturday.   He tells us that his list includes Louisville, Cincinnati, Colorado, Miami-FL, Florida State, and Alabama.  Of the top ranked players in the senior class, the player who has made the biggest jump since we published our last list in November is 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.  He was ranked #35 nationally, but now he checks in at #10.  Other noteworthy changes include 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, who drops from #5 to #11; 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, who moves up from #24 to #14; 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, who moves up from #31 to #17; 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who moves up from #59 to #22; 6'8 Wayne Simien from Leavnworth (H.S.) KS, who moves up from #45 to #30; 6'8 Marco Killingsworth from Birmingham (Central Park) AL, who moves up from #66 to #49; 6'1 Chris Hernandez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, who moves up from #105 to #53; 6'0 Wil Bynum from Chicago (Crane) IL, who moves up from #97 to #56; 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD, who drops from #52 to #61; 6'2 Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, who moves up from #90 to #64; 6'7 Vytas Danelius from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN, who drops from #43 to #72; 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who moves up from #114 to #74; 6'6 Jamaal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, who moves up from #110 to #76; 6'9 Terence Dials from Youngstown (Boardman) OH, who moves up from #91to #78; 6'2 Derrick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, who moves up from #186 to #90; 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, who drops from #69 to #96.   Dropping out of the top 100 were 6'6 Ali Berdiel from Gary (Andrean) IN, who previously was ranked #74; 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who was previously ranked #79; 6'5 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, who previously was ranked #98; 6'1 Brandon McKnight from South Bend (La Salle) IN, who previously was ranked #99; and 6'9 Josh Powell from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, who previously was ranked #100.

Tuesday, January 16, 2001

I will never forget the one time I saw a game at Camden (H.S.) NJ.   It was back when Kevin Walls was a senior the mid-80s and they simply murdered an all-white suburban team from South Jersey.  I also remember asking then head coach Clarence Turner after the game if he always run up the score like he'd done that afternoon.  "I see no reason to tailor my team to the level of the competition," said Turner.  He also added that he always took Walls, who on that day scored 54 points, out when his team scored 100 points.  Well, it looks like that's also the current philosophy at Camden.  When 6'2 Dajuan Wagner, who is well on his way towards breaking the all-time scoring record in the state of New Jersey, gets 100 points, they take him out and call it day.  And our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that's exactly what happened today, as this afternoon Wagner set the all-time single game New Jersey State scoring record with 100 points against Sicklerville (Gloucester) NJ.  The previous record was held by Greg Barr, who also played at Camden and later at Iona College.  Barr scored 94 points in a game in the early 90's.  Rubin also tells us that Wagner hit 41-62 field goals, but sat out the last four minutes as his team finished with 154 points.  Currently the all-time leading scorer in New Jersey state history is John Somogyi from New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ, who scored 3,310 points from 1965-68, which was prior to the evolution of the 3-point shot.  To date Wagner has 2,704 points, which means he needs only 606 more points or 30.3 ppg in his next 20 games (assuming he plays in 30 games this season) to break the record.  After 10 games this season Wagner is averaging 47.5 ppg.  Rubin also has confirmed that Lafayette has gotten a verbal commitment from 7'1 James Hughes from Mercersburg (Academy) PA and Philadelphia University, which is a Division II power, has stolen 6'7 Graham Edwards from Pottsville (Nativity) PA. 

After looking at the latest Super 25 National High School Boys Basketball Rankings in the USA Today this morning I find that I have seen eight of the 10 teams and 14 of the top 20 teams in the poll place at least once.  Actually I have seen #1-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA twice, #2-ranked Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX three times, #4-ranked Louisville (Ballard) KY four times, #5-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA five times, #6-ranked Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH once, #7-ranked Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ three times, #9-ranked Compton (Dominguez) CA five times, #10-ranked Louisville (Male) KY seven times, #11-ranked Midwest City (H.S.) OK three times, #12-ranked Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC three times, #14- ranked Baltimore (Southern) MD three times, #16-ranked Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA once, #17-ranked Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA three times, and #19-ranked New York (Rice) NY three times.  Among those I haven't seen are #3-ranked Camden (H.S.) NJ, #8-ranked St. Louis (Vashon) MO, #13-ranked Memphis (White Station) TN, #15-ranked Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, #18-ranked Snellville (Brookville) GA, and #20-ranked Seattle (Prep) WA, but I did see Camden (H.S.) NJ and Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD a year ago, plus I've seen all their players in AAU tournaments during the spring, summer, and fall.  In other words, I have a pretty good feel for how the top high school teams stack up.  Obviously, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA should be #1, at least until somebody knocks them off.  Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, which goes 12 deep, should be a close second, followed by Louisville (Ballard) KY and Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.  Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX has to round out the top five, because they're undefeated.  However, I wasn't nearly as impressed with Willowridge at Slam Dunk to the Beach this time around.  If you will recall, a year ago, when they had 6'8 Ivan McFarlan anchoring things inside, I thought this was the best team in the country.  Camden (H.S.) NJ doesn't make my top five, because they haven't played as tough as schedule as five teams ranked ahead of them.  Rounding out my top 10 are Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Memphis (White Station) TN, Louisville (Male) KY, and Compton (Dominguez) CA, despite the fact they lost yesterday to a good Fresno (Clovis West) CA team.  Among the teams that I think are overrated are St. Louis (Vashon) MO (I've never been a big fan of this program in the past); Winston-Salem (R. J. Reynolds) NC, which was unimpressive when I saw them in the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL before Christmas; Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, which lives and dies depending upon how 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh plays; and New York (Rice) NY, which can't shoot and is too young and inconsistent.  A good sleeper to move into the top 20 is Coatesville (H.S.) PA, but they'll only go as far 6'5 John Allen can carry them.  However, right now that might be pretty far, because Allen is having a tremendous senior season.  The mystery team is Snellville (Brookwood) GA, which is currently undefeated at 17-0 after knocking off Lilburn (Berkmar) GA last week.

Monday, January 15, 2001

I've already dubbed this the year of the spoiled pampered overhyped big man, but earlier today in the 2001 Dream Classic at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA I was impressed with 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA.   Sure, Chandler doesn't always play hard nor does he take advantage of his incredible wing span and unbelievable quickness for somebody his size, as often he does a lot of his damage away from the basket.  However, he does have a great feel for the game, excellent passing ability, and a soft shooting touch.  Also, it's hard to argue with a triple-double (17 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocked shots), which is what he finished with in Dominguez's 65-61 loss to Fresno (Clovis West) CA in the feature game yesterday at the Dream Classic.  As a matter of fact, Chandler took over the game when Dominguez went on a 15-3 run to take a 51-50 lead at the end of the third quarter.  But Chandler also had seven turnovers and that was the big difference in the game as Dominguez shot 53.1%, but finished with 31 turnovers.  Clovis West on the other hand, shot only 35.6%, but had only 15 turnovers.   Chandler was complemented by 6'7 Bobby Jones, who had 19 points and seven rebounds, but Dominguez's other starters - 6'5 Jr Darius Sanders, 6'3 Keion Kindred, and 6'3 Tony Bryant - did not play well, as they combined for only 16 points and 11 turnovers.  Clovis West was led by 6'2 Chris Hernandez, 6'2 Jason Walberg, and 6'2 Tyrone Jackson, who combined for 51 of their team's 65 points.  Hernandez only hit 4-13 field goals, but he did have five rebounds, four assists, and three steals 8-9 from the free throw line.  But, even more important, Hernandez is the quintiessential point guard, because he's got deceptive speed and quickness, a great nose for the ball, and knack for penetrating and dishing.  He's also is a tough hardnosed competitor and an excellent outside shooter, which keeps the defense honest.  However, after watching Clovis West four times at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL in December and, then, again yesterday, we've decided that the key to Clovis West is Walberg.   When he's on (yesterday he hit 3-6 3-pointers and had 18 points), Clovis West usually wins. When he's not, they usually get beat.  Also in the Dream Classic yesterday Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA beat Corona (Centennial) CA, 78-60; Inglewood (H.S.) CA beat Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 74-63; and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA beat Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 73-48.  Especially impressive were the Craven's twins - 6'2 Derrick and 6'2 Errick, both from Torrance (Bishop Montomery) CA, who combined 42 points and impressed us with their much improved outside shooting (5-9 3-pointers).  We also love their quickness (four steals apiece) and their competitiveness.  So does USC head coach Henry Bibby, who was on hand to watch their every move.  If you will recall, they committed to USC in July and signed with the Trojans in November.  Once again 6'6 Jamaal Williams, who finished with 31 points, including 14-19 field goals, was a force inside, but athletically Centennial couldn't hang with Bishop Montgomery.  Also doing most of his damage inside at against Redondo Union was 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins, who finished with 14 and 16 rebounds.  However, the big key for Inglewood was the slashing ability of 6'3 Anthony Davis and 6'3 Soph Ray Reed, who combined for 34 points.  They both need to improve their outside shooting for the next level, although we think Davis could be a steal at the mid-major level and the sky may be the limit for Reed, if he grows a couple of more inches and someplace along the line develops more of a shooter's mentality.  Inglewood just ran Redondo Union out of the gym, as they jumped out to a 32-20 half-time lead and never looked back, as they outscored Redondo Union, 30-13 in the third quarter.  Also contributing to the demise of Redondo Beach was the disappointing effort by UCLA-bound 6'7 Dijon Thompson.   He did have 15 points, but his 4-17 field goals and four turnovers tell the real story.  Instead, the best player for Redondo Union was 6'7 Jr Adam Zahn, who finished with 15 points, including 7-10 field goals and five rebounds.   Especially impressive are Zahn's leaping ability and competitiveness, which is why we like him so much better than his older brother (Andrew Zahn) at the same stage.  Mayfair kept it close (16-12) for a quarter in the final game of the evening, but Mater Dei just had too many guns, as they coasted to a 73-48 victory.   Once again 6'5 Cedric Bozeman, who led the winners with 18 points eight rebounds, and four assists, impressed us with his versatility, passing efficiency, and ability to get the basket.  Sampson had good number inside (17 points and 15 rebounds), but we're not sure it means all that much, because Mayfair's tallest players were 6'6 Josh Childress and 6'6 Edwin Draughan. They combined for 37 points and 12 rebounds, but they had little else, as the only other player who scored more than two points for Mayfair was 6'2 Jr Matt McCraw, who chipped in with six points.

Also over the weekend our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin was at the 2nd Annual Hometown Hoops Classic for a tripleheader at the Liacouras Center at Temple University.   In the first game Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, which is one of the top teams in the suburbs surrounding Philadelphia, knocked off Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, which was the #1 ranked team in the city, 63-54.  Hatboro-Horsham was led by 6'6 Brian Tomko, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.  He was complemented by 6'5 Chris Wyatt, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and 5'11 Dave Luber, who scored only three points, but had nine assists, as he got everybody involved and ran the team to perfection.  Also chipping with 13 points apiece were 6'5 Pat Carroll and 6'5 Brian Novitsky.   Leading the way for St. John Neumann were 6'8 Brandon Brigman with 23 points and 13 rebounds and 5'9 Cantrell Fletcher with 22 points.   However, Rubin also is quick to point out that Fletcher hit only 8-23 field goals and didn't have any assists.  In the second game Coatesville (H.S.) PA knocked off Chester (H.S.) PA, 67-58, but the big story was once again a stellar performance turned in by 6'5 John Allen, whose has taken his game to another level this winter.   Allen, who finished with 25 points and 17 rebounds, was complemented by 5'9 Maurice Bryant with 14 points and four assists and 6'2 Chris White with 11points and 13 rebounds.  Rubin also tells us that White did a great job of stopping Chester's best player - 5'10 Jr Naeen Scott, who scored only four points.   Instead, the leading scorer and MVP for Chester was 6'1 Akeem Taylor, who finished with 27 points.  In the final game Camden (H.S.) NJ beat Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 68-53, but the big story was the 6'2 DaJuan Wagner, who more than lived up to the expectations, as he hit 16-31 field goals en route to 38 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three steals.  Among the 8,000 fans who were in attendance (most of them to see Wagner) were Wagner's future University of Memphis head coach John Calipari and father Milt Wagner.  Also playing well for Camden were 6'5 James Pullium with 12 points and 6'9 Jr Eric Davis with 10 points and six rebounds.  Augustine was led by 5'10 Jr Scott Greenman, who hit five 3-pointers en route to 17 points, 6'7 Olu Babalola with 13 points and eight rebounds, and 6'6 Jose Gonzales with 10 points and 11 rebounds. 

Saturday, January 13, 2001, and Sunday, January 14, 2001

All day our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson had been talking about the likelihood of an upset in the feature game between Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, which is consensus #1 ranked team in the nation, and Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, which was ranked #3 nationally in the USA Today, at the American Family Insurance National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH.  And by half-time he was starting to look like a genius because St.Vincent-St. Mary had just scored the last seven points in the first half to take a 42-36 lead.  Not only did St. Vincent-St. Mary have all the momentum, but Oak Hill was having a tough time handling St. Vincent-St. Mary's quickness and outside shooting, plus 6'6 Soph LeBron James, who Johnson has been touting as the #1 player in his class nationally for over a year now, was almost unstoppable with 18 points at intermission.  And it was getting worse for Oak Hill early in the second half, as St. Vincent-St. Mary was up 52-42.  As a matter of fact, the only thing keeping it from getting ugly were a pair of three 3-pointers by 6'3 Rashaad Carruth.  However, that's when Oak Hill did a what great teams do, as 6'3 Billy Edelin, who finished with 29 points, including 12-12 field goals, went to work and Oak Hill went on a 20-8 run to take a lead 62-60 at the end of the third quarter.   And that's the way it stayed until James tied it at 73-all with a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left to play.  Then, James hit another long two to make it 75-all.  However, in the end it was meant to be as James' off-balance 3-pointer in the final seconds bounced off the rim and Oak Hill survived, 79-78.  And it is probably better that it ended that way, because Oak Hill is still undefeated against one of the toughest schedules in the nation and St. Vincent-St. Mary is still young and hungry, as four of their top six players - James, 5'5 Soph Dru Joyce, 6'4 Soph Sian Cotton, and 6'6 Travis Romeo - are only sophomores.  In other words, St. Vincent-St. Mary will likely be the premier high school team in the nation for each of the next two years and James has superstar written all over him.  Not only is James exceptionally quick and skilled for somebody his size, but he also has great court awareness and excellent passing ability, which makes it almost impossible to double team him.  He also has picture perfect shooting form and great moves around the basket, which were evident as he finished with 33 points, including 13-27 field goals and 5-10 3-pointers.  The only thing James needs to do is getting bigger and stronger, but last night it was fun to watch him beat Oak Hill with his quickness, finesse, and tremendous understanding of the game.  No, he's not the best sophomore in high school we've ever seen, but he's right up there, along with players like Shawn Kemp, Felipe Lopez, Tony Kimbro, Chris Burgess, Stephon Marbury, and Dajuan Wagner.   Unfortunately in this day and age people are already talking about the possibility of James going straight to the NBA after high school, but he's a great kid and a good student.  So our guess is that he'll at least give college a good long hard look and, if he does, Ohio State is already the heavy favorite.  As a matter of fact, the Buckeyes were the first school he mentioned when we talked to him after the game.   Next came Michgan State and California, which makes sense because St. Vincent-St. Mary head coach Keith Dambrot was once an assistant coach under Ben Braun at Eastern Michigan.  Also mentioned were North Carolina, Duke, Cincinnati, and Michigan.  Speaking of players may be going hardship into the NBA draft out of high school, the word we get is that 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire, who is the consensus #1 ranked junior nationally, did not win his appeal and, as a result, will not be eligible at Winter Garden (West Orange) FL.  So will Stoudamire, who reminds us of Kevin Garnett in many ways, find another high school where he will be eligible next year or will he do what 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY talked about a year ago and actually become the first player ever to bypass his senior year of high school and go straight to the league? 

The other big game on Saturday between Louisville (Ballard) KY, which was ranked #6 nationally by the USA Today, and Louisville (Male) KY, which was ranked #7 nationally by the USA Today, in the Republic Bank Boys Louisville Invitational Tournament didn't materialize, because Male was surprised by Bowling Green (H.S.) KY in the semi-finals on Saturday morning. The big key for Bowling Green was 6'5 Josh Carrier, who scored 35 points and took the heat off his teammates, as 5'11 Brandon Wardlow and 6'5 Terrez Dewalt combined for 17-23 field goals and 6'6 Jr Jason Stonebraker grabbed nine rebounds for Bowling Green.  Male got 19 points apiece from 6'5 Larry O'Bannon and 6'3 Soph Michael