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Friday, January 31, 2003

It's funny how things turn out sometimes.   If you will recall, earlier this week the Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled that everything was in order with regards to the amateur of status of 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH regarding the purchase of a new Hummer by his mother for his birthday.  However, today the Ohio High School Athletic Association ruled James ineligible after it was discovered that he'd been given two free "throwback" jerseys worth $845 by a local sporting good store.   Obviously this will have a direct impact not just upon the revenue making potential of the Ohio High School State Tournament, but also upon scheduled regular season games that St. Vincent-St. Mary is scheduled to play  and post-season all-star games that James is expected to play in as well.  Remember, St. Vincent-St. Mary hasn't sold out every arena St Vincent-St. Mary has played in this season, because they are the #1-ranked high school team in the nation or because James is the best player in the nation regardless of class.  Instead, James is a major drawing card, because the word is out about his having the all the ingredients necessary to become the next Michael Jordan.  But it's too bad the stupid amateurism rules used at both the college and high school level are more important than the student-athletes they are supposed to govern and the fans who pay the bills by buying the tickets.  In other words, there may be a lot of disappointed people next weekend at the Prime Time Shootout next week in Trenton, NJ, as well as the McDonald's All-American on Tuesday, March 26th, in Cleveland, OH .  At least that's the word from the legendary Morgan Wootten, who helps run the game and has final say over the selection of players.   However, whether James will be allowed to play in other all-star games will depend upon the rules set forth by the individual game.  In the case of the McDonald's All-American Game, the rule that governs participation by players states that you can't play in the game, if you have been ruled ineligible to participate in your state by the state association.  In other words, unless a judge overturns the ruling or the Ohio High School Athletic Association overturns the decision on appeal, the only way James would be able to play in the McDonald's All-American Game would be if he moved to another state and was declared eligible immediately by that state high school athletic association.  And with the game less than two months away and the importance placed on doing things the right way by the people who run the game at Sports America, you can be guaranteed that isn't going to happen.  No doubt James is partly to blame for his own fate, because normally when somebody gets a car or a pair of valuable jersey's, they don't flaunt it the way James has.  It's almost as if James was trying to get ruled ineligible, so he can speed up the bidding war among all of the major shoe companies, like NIKE and adidas, that is sure to follow his final high school game.  This also should brings into question an even more important question about the entire issue of amateurism and the use of it by both the NCAA and state high school associations to maintain power and perpetuate themselves.   In other words, if you are the best 15-year-old piano player in the world and you have gotten paid on numerous occasions to perform in person and/or on television, but can't pass a standardized test and/or have troubles academically, you're going not to be put through the same charade that the student-athlete is subject to when attempting to get into college.  Instead, they're going to say you have a special gift and not only make an exception to let you into school, but also give you a full scholarship, as well as give you extra money so you won't have to worry about getting a job and, instead, focus exclusively upon perfecting your talent.  Obviously this is extremely hypocritical, because the great piano player isn't going to bring in millions of dollars for the music school nor is he or she going to get former graduates back on campus for the first time in 20-years, if the music school improves dramatically.  But that's exactly what happens when the basketball team's number of wins increases dramatically.   As a matter of fact, there usually is a direct correlation between success in big-time athletics and contributions and donations to both the athletic department and the university in general. 

The rosters for the EA Sports Roundball Classic in Chicago, IL, which will be held at the United Center on Monday, March 31st, have been released and the East Squad will include 6'3 Mustafa Shakur from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'11 David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'9 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'5 Michael Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Sammy Mejia from Cornwall on the Hudson (Storm King) NY, 6'10 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, and 6'4 Colin Falls from Wilmette (Loyola Academy) IL and the West Squad will include 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'11 Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI, 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'10 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'0 Aaron Brooks from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'3 Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Demetris Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI.  We also have confirmed via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that 6'1 Jay Jackson from Monroe (Ouachita Parish) LA, who is ranked #167 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Texas Tech.  And we think this is a steal, because Jackson is a big time athlete and scoring machine, as was evident by the fact that he was the second leading scorer with 26.8 ppg at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL right before Christmas.  Jackson also is a great kid and a tremendous competitor, but he really doesn't have a true position right now, because he's too small to be a 2-guard and he doesn't make good enough decisions to be a pure point guard at the big time college level.   However, that could change down the road as Jackson gains experience playing for Bob Knight, who is still one of the great teachers in the history of the game.   Jackson joins 6'8 DeVonne Giles from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'9 Mike Travis from San Francisco (JC) CA, and 6'4 Drew Coffman from Midland (Lee) TX to move Texas Tech's recruiting class into a tie, along with Iowa, at #29 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  This also gives Knight his second outstanding recruiting class since taking over as head coach of the Red Raiders two years ago.  If you will recall, Texas Tech's recruiting class, which included 6'8 PAwel Storozynski from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'7 Kasib Powell from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'10 Ermal Kugo from Seminole (JC) OK, 5'11 Will Chavis from Panola (JC) TX, 6'6 Nick Valdez from Northeastern (JC) CO, and 7'0 Mickey Michalec from Skitook (H.S.) OK, in the spring of 2001 was ranked #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   With the exception of Kugo, who never enrolled in school, that class obviously has played a significant role in Texas Tech's success the last two years.  And it looks like this trend will continue, as all four of incoming players are expected to make an immediate impact.  Johnson also tells us that 6'3 Jai Miller from Selma (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #79 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of only seven players still available in our top 100 nationally, plans to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent on Monday with Alabama, Auburn, or Stanford to play football.  However, Miller also will count as a free player in basketball, because he plans to play both sports in college.  We also have understand that 6'11 Jr Steve Hill from Branson (H.S.) MO, who is ranked #23 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already down to three schools - Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas - and a verbal commitment should be forthcoming with the next several months.  It also looks like the Turkish player that the University of Kentucky is recruiting is 6'9 Pehver Ozer.  This is especially interesting, because Ozer, who is 20-years-old, plays for the Darussafaka Club Team, which has several former college players on the roster and, as a result, appears to be a team in the top professional league in Turkey.   If this is the case and Ozer does sign with the Wildcats in the spring, he probably would have to sit out some games next season.  The word is that Ozer has a slender build, but he's a fierce competitor and a winner, as is evident by the fact that the teams he's played on at the junior national level all over Europe in recent years have been very successful.

Thursday, January 30, 2003

Bob Gibbons All Star Sports Report is reporting that 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA made a verbal commitment earlier this week to the Auburn University, but this has taken everybody by surprise, including Georgia Editor Linzy Davis, who talked with Douglas' father, Harry Douglas, just two nights ago.  "It's not a surprise that Douglas is going to Auburn," says Davis.  "But it is a surprise that it happened right now, because Mr. Douglas told me all along that his son would wait until this spring to make an official decision.  I'm also surprised, because Mr. Douglas didn't even drop a hint about it when I talked to him the other night."  Remember, the younger Douglas plays for Davis' Georgia Elite AAU team.  Douglas, who was averaging 30.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg, is best described as a prolific scoring point guard.  As a matter of fact, Douglas recently had a season high of 42-points, plus he's scored 115 points, hit 95% of his free throws, grabbed 24 rebounds, and dished out a dozen assists in his last four games.  Douglas, who picked the Tigers over schools like Georgia, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Cincinnati, Miami-FL, Florida State, Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisville, Connecticut, Indiana, and Tennessee, is ranked #78 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Douglas is ranked as high as #30 nationally in the junior class by All Star Sports.  This moves Auburn's recruiting class into a tie with Wake Forest at #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Davis also tells us that Georgia is still the leader for 6'10 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, but also he warns us to watch out for the University of Oklahoma.  And, if the Sooners pull this off, it wouldn't be the first time they have gotten a player that was stashed at Bridgton Academy who was supposed to have been a done deal for the Bulldogs.  Remember, 6'10 Larry Turner from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME re-signed with Georgia last year, but was unable to get into school, because he failed to pass the high school graduation equivalency test that is required for entrance into the University of Georgia.  However, that is not a problem for the University of Oklahoma, which does require such a test as part of their entrance requirements.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Joseph Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Michigan and this is huge, because it means the top two juniors in the state have already picked the Wolverines and, as a result, their recruiting class moves up to #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, Michigan also already has a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI and it's not inconceivable that Crawford's teammate, 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is one of the top three sophomores in the state, along with Crawford and Coleman, and/or 6'2 Soph Jarrett Smith from Westland (John Glenn) MI, who is the top ranked sophomore in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, could make an early commitment to Michgan in the not to distant future.   Obviously Michigan's NCAA problems that date back to previous regimes are not hurting the current staff's recruiting one bit.  As a matter of fact, Michigan's current recruiting class, which includes 6'4 Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'9 Brent Petway from Griffin (H.S.) GA, and 6'10 Courtney Sims from Dedham (Noble & Greenough) MA, is currently ranked #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  But even more important is the fact that Petway and Sims give Wolverines head coach Tommy Amaker two of the last important pieces to the puzzle  Sims needs to get bigger and stronger and Petway needs polish, but they both came out of nowhere last summer and, when they did, the Michigan coaching staff took advantage of the opportunity.  Right now we have Petway ranked #58  and Sims #68 in the senior class nationally, but if we were ranking them just based on natural talent and potential, they'd both be a lot higher.   As a matter of fact, Petway and Sims both have NBA potential!  Which means that Michigan not only is one of the biggest surprises in college basketball this year, but they appear to be perfectly positioned to keep it going for many years into the future.  Don't believe it?  Well, Daniel Horton appears to be well on his way towards winning Freshman-of-the-Year honors in the Big-10; Harris, Coleman, and Crawford ensure that the Wolverines will be loaded on the perimeter for years to come; and Petway, Sims, and 6'11 Frosh Chris Hunter all have incredible potential inside.  In other words, there are a lot of similarities between Michigan and Louisville right now.  Both have a head coach who is only in his second year rebuilding the program.  Both came into the season this year with little or no expectations, but are currrently two of the hottest teams in college basketball.  And both have already knocked off the team that is now preceived to be big brother in their own backyard.  That's not to say that Kentucky and Michigan State won't remain among college basketball's elite, but with the progress both Louisville and Michigan have already made and where they appear to be heading, it's going to be extremely interesting to watch both the Louisville-Kentucky and Michigan-Michigan State rivalries closely for many years.

Wednesday, January 29, 2003

The University of Alabama has lost its last three games against Auburn, Mississippi, and Kentucky, but they did get the most important verbal commitment to-date so far this year when they landed 6'7 John Felix from Bevill State (JC) AL last week.  Yes, this happened a week ago, but to our knowledge nobody in our business has picked up on it nationally until today.  We're talking about a big time athlete who is similar in a lot of ways to Glenn Robinson, because he can beat you inside with his ability to post up and rebound and outside with his perimeter skills and 3-point shooting.  Felix, who also is an excellent defender, already has had several 35-40 points games this year and he's only a freshman in junior college.  In other words, this is an early verbal commitment for next year.   Felix was originally recruited from France to Birmingham Southern by assistant coach Scott Stapler, but they never could academically get him into school.  Instead, a year ago Felix went to prep school at Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, where was the teammate of 6'11 James Lang, and now is one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks this year.  Not only does give give head coach Mark Gottfried another advantage in the three way recruiting battle that is presently being waged among Alabama, Louisville, and UAB for Lang services, but it also moves the Crimson Tide's recruiting class into a tie at #7, along with N.C. State, Cincinnati, Iowa, and Michigan, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Shawnson Johnson is transferring from LSU to North Texas, 6'7 Najeeb Echols is tranferring from Missouri to Illinois State, and 6'2 Michael Liggons from Rome (Coosa) GA is transferring from Georgia to Middle Tennessee State.  It also appears that Hartford has landed 6'8 Aleksas Zimnickas from Toronto, ON, but we're not sure whether to include him with the Hawks' current recruiting class or not, because he plans to enroll in school right away.  Regardless, it appears that Hartford has a steal on their hands, because Zimnickas is skilled, fundamentally sound, and plays hard.  As a matter of fact, he reminds those who have seen him of Rhode Island freshman Jon Clark in many ways.  Everybody know that Hartford has two of the best recruiters in the business at the mid-major level in Chris Pompay and Al Seibert, but the guy who got this one done was John Yablonski, who is the other assistant coach on Larry Harrison's staff. 

It's funny how things sometimes turn out, because, if you'd asked UCLA head coach Steve Lavin what his ideal job was 10 years ago, he probably would have said the University of San Francisco.  After all, Lavin is originally from the Bay Area and his father, Cap Lavin, was a legendary coach at Anselmo (Sir Francis Drake) CA.  Well, now Lavin's days appear to be numbered at UCLA and so do those of current Dons head coach Philip Mathews at San Francisco.  So obviously a lot of people are putting two-and-two together and coming up with Lavin as the next head coach at San Francisco.  They also expect Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland to get the UCLA job, but we're not so sure, despite the fact that Howland is one of the hottest head coaches in college basketball and he's one of Sonny Vaccaro's main guys.  Remember, UCLA is an adidas school and Vaccaro would like nothing more than to have one of his guys as the next head coach at UCLA.  However, Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, despite the fact the Crimson Tide has lost three games in a row, still appears to be the favorite among the boosters and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger is a name that always seems to come up when we talk with people inside the business.   And, if that happens, it could be the start of a domino effect that could just continues to snowball, if University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith were to say yes this time around to the Atlanta Hawks.  Did you know that that Smith turned down the Hawks job three years ago?  Obviously the first choice for the University of Kentucky job, if it opens, would be Florida head coach Billy Donovan.   However, the smart money is on Donovan staying at Florida.  And, if that happens, the name we're starting hear as the potential successor to Smith at Kentucky is Texas head coach Rick Barnes.  Remember, the ideal candidate that first-year University of Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart will be looking to hire is somebody with proven head coaching experience who is hot in the business, but who doesn't have Kentucky ties.  Obviously Barnes fits that description and so does Illinois head coach Bill Self, if suddenly either Kentucky or Texas is looking for a head coach.  However, we think this senario is a little less likely, unless Self himself thinks Roy Williams or Eddie Sutton might be going someplace soon (Oklahoma State and Kansas are supposed to be Self's ideal jobs) or 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IN, who is already believed to be a lock fo the Fighting Illini, is so good that he will never play a day of college basketball.  However, let's say that Self does move.  Then, two of the leading candidate for Illinois would likely be Creighton head coach Dana Altman or Oregon head coach Ernie Kent, which would present several other interesting scenarios.  If Kent left Oregon, you can bet that Minnesota head coach Don Monson will be looking to get that job in a New York-minute.  Remember, if 6'11 Rick Rickert declares hardship after this season, Minnesota becomes an even tougher job than it already is.  If Altman left Creighton, then Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Porter Moser, who was a two-year starter at Creighton as a player in the late 80's and currently is 12-7 on the season, would likely be in line to replace Altman.  We also are starting to hear names like Dayton head coach Oliver Purnell and Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton for Clemson, if Larry Shyatt doesn't survive.   However, regardless of what happens at Clemson, it looks like Tigers assistant coach Darren Tillis is in line for North Carolina A&T, which currently is 0-14 on the season.  And, if Shyatt does get fired at Clemson, he should be one of the leading candidates for the Cleveland State job.  Not only is Shyatt originally from Cleveland, but he was an assistant coach at Cleveland State for six years.   As a matter of fact, Shyatt recruited Tillis, who was the 21st player selected in the 1982 NBA Draft, to Cleveland State.  If Purnell were to leave Dayton, how about Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin as the coach to be named later for former Dayton head coach Jim O'Brien.  If you will recall, Rick Pitino hired O'Brien when he was at Kentucky and later took O'Brien with him to the Boston Celtics, where he has remained as the head coach.  However, we don't think Pitino would be able to get Cronin the Western Kentucky job, like he did when Ralph Willard was an assistant coach at Kentucky, if Felton left.  Did you know that all the Western Kentucky fans are mad at Pitino, because Louisville exercised the $50,000 buyout in their contract and didn't play the Hilltoppers this year?  However, we won't be surprised if Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor wasn't in line for Eastern Kentucky, if Colonels head coach Travis Ford doesn't survive.  Would Wyoming head coach Steve McClain be interested in Texas A&M, if by some chance Melvin Watkins?  Remember, the Aggies have more than enough money to pay what it takes to find a big name head coach.   However, if Watkins is able to continue to build on the Aggies 10-6 record, will they get 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Wabash Valley (JC) IL?  Actually we hear that's closer than most people realize to happening.  Would Colorado head coach Ricardo Patton take Tennessee State?  We don't think so, but we've heard that rumor as well.  We also don't think Temple head coach John Chaney is going anywhere, but the rumor is out there that this will be his last year and the name we hear the most, if Chaney does hang it up, is Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers.  Obviously 76ers head coach Larry Brown have some influence, but the real connection is first-year Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, who tried to hire Ayers as the head coach when he was still at DePaul last spring.  We also are hearing Duke assistant coach Chris Collins being mentioned for the Penn State job and St. Bonaventure head coach Jan van Breda Kolff could be in line for the N.C.  State job, if Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek moves to someplace like Texas.  The word is that van Breda Kolff is tight with the athletic director at N.C. State and, as a result, would be a natural fit, if Sendek, who, two years removed from being a guy on the bubble, is now one of the hottest head coaches in the businss.

Tuesday, January 28, 2003

While most of the high school basketball world is focused on the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ, February 6th-9th, I will once again be covering the National Prep School Invitational at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI, February 7th-9th.  Not only will this give us another opportunity to see most of the top prep school and 5th year players, but, at Mike Procopio's event, we'll get to see all these guys in mid-season form and, as a result, do an even better job of fine tuning our 5th year list.  The first game on Friday, February 7th, will tip-off at 3:00 PM with Ocala (Christian Shores Academy) FL versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, followed by New Hampton (Prep) NH versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 4:45 PM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL at 6:30, Marion (Tabor Academy) MA versus Miami (Senior) FL at 8:15 PM, and Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME at 10:00 PM.  The first game on Saturday, February 8th, will match Ocala (Christian Shores Academy) FL against a team that has not yet been announced at 8:30 AM, followed by Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Winchendon (Notre Dame) MA at 10:15 PM, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus West Simsbury (The Masters School) CT at Noon, Miami (Senior) FL versus Pawtucket (St. Raphael) RI at 1:45 PM, Ocala (Christian Shores Academy) FL versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 3:30 PM, and Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME at 5:15 PM.  The rest of the day is open, because the University of Rhode Island has a home game against George Washington.  Sunday's schedule begins with Chestnut Hill (Brimmer & May) MA versus Bradenton (Pendleton School) MA at 10:30 AM, a game between two teams yet to be announced at Noon, Stamford (King & Low-Heywood Thomas) CT versus Salisbury (School) CT at 1:45 PM, Ocala (Shore Christian) FL versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 3:30 PM, Grass Roots Canada versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA at 5:15 PM, and Barrington (St. Andrews) RI versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 7:00 PM.  Some of the top players will include 6'3 Quincy Douby from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Demetris Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'7 Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'0 Jr Tauren Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'10 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Acadmey) NH, 7'0 Julian Lamptey from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'5 Marquis Kately from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'9 Boubacar Coly from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Adbi Lidonde from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'5 LaKeith Blanks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Relando Balkman from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Norman Plummer from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Lawrence Carrier from Salisbury (School) CT, 6'8 Mike Pilgrim from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'10 Ben Elias from Ocala (Christian Shores Academy) FL, 6'6 Jr Lamar Barrett from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Blake Schlib from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Michael Cook from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'10 Konimba Diarra from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'1 Jr Emery Outland from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'4 Jr Matt Mattone from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'2 Carlos Rivera from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'2 Loren Stokes from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'5 Joel Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Rekalin Simms from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'1 Van Crafton from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'10 Oluwafemi Ibikunte from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'0 David Gale from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Jamaal Walls from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'9 Reggie George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 7'2 Lukasz Obrzut from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) NH, 6'7 Joe Dickins from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Alray Thomas from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'3 Sammy Hunter from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Sekou Lewis from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Soph Michael Gore from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'9 Asrangue Souleymane from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Francois Pehoua from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Anthony Bruin from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Ryan Cahak from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 5'10 Terrance Crump from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  And one the way to the National Prep School Invitational we're going to attempt to catch the first night of the Prime Time Shootout at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, NJ on Thursday, February 6th, because the matchups will include Newark (East Side) NJ versus Bloomfield (Tech) NJ at 4:30 PM, Plainfield (H.S.) NJ versus Elizabeth (H.S.) NJ at 6:00 PM, Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ versus Paterson (Catholic) NJ at 7:30 PM, and Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ at 9:00 PM.  The rest of the Prime Time Shootout will be played at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, NJ and the first game on Friday, February 7th, between Lawrenceville (School) NJ versus Neptune (H.S.) NJ will tip-off at 3:00 PM, followed by Clifton (H.S.) NJ versus New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ at 4:30 PM, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC at 7:30 PM, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA at 9:00 PM.  The Prime Time Shootout schedule for Saturday, February 8th, features Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ versus East Lyme (H.S.) CT at 10:30 AM, Newtown (Council Rock North) PA versus Willingboro (H.S.) NJ at Noon, Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA versus Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD at 1:30 PM, Harrisburg (H.S.) PA versus Rochester (McQuaid Jesuit) NY at 3:00 PM, Jackson (Lanier) MS versus Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY at 4:30 PM, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Columbus (Brookhaven) OH at 6:00 PM, Akron (St. Vincent-St Mary) OH versus Los Angeles (Westchester) CA at 7:30 PM, and Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC versus Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ at 9:00 PM.  The schedule for Sunday, February 9th, includes Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA versus Richland (St. Augustine) NJ at 10:30 AM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Paterson (Catholic) NJ at Noon, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY versus Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY at 1:30 PM, Houston (Westbury Christian) TX versus Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ at 3:00 PM, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY at 4:30 PM, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versus New York (Rice) NY at 6:00 PM, Camden (Catholic) NJ versus Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA at 7:30 PM, and Trenton (Central) NJ versus Burlington (North Burlington) NJ at 9:00 PM.  Obviously the Prime Time Shootout is absolutely loaded, as the top players in attendance will include 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'8 Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'10 Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'8 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, 5'7 Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'3 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Marcus Williams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Earl Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'1 Michael Nardi from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Terrance Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'7 Brandon Foust from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'7 Reyshawn Terry from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, 6'11 Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'2 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 5'10 Daon Merritt from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Louis McCroskey from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'3 Marquis Webb from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'7 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Jr Cedric Jackson from Burlington (North Burlington) NJ,5'11 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'7 Jr DeSean White from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'6 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'5 Jr Gavin Grant from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Jr Brian Laing from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'11 Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'6 Scott Cutley from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'0 Tyler Relph from Rochester (McQuaid Jesuit) NY, 6'7 Ryan Pettinella from Rochester (McQuaid Jesuit) NY, 6'7 Jr Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'7 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'3 Jr Bobby Clark from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Jr Ben Nwachukwi from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 7'3 Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'11 Grant Billmeier from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'10 Konimba Diarra from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Warren Scott from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Byron Joynes from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock North) PA, 6'6 Dion Dacons from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Keith Foster from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NJ, 6'2 Jr Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'7 Herb Courtney from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 6'6 Romeo Travis from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 5'8 Dru Joyce from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'2 Jr Marcus Williams from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'11 Jason Patterson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'4 Marques Alston from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Taevon Nelson from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'4 Jr Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Eddie Green from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NJ, 6'8 Justin Bolander from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NJ, and 5'8 Jr Rich Cunningham from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA.  However, I've seen most of these players already this winter and, as a result, being at the National Prep School Invitational for three days will be a lot more beneficial for my purposes.   Which means covering the Prime Time Shootout will be delegated exclusively to Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey editor Allen Rubin and hopefully he will be up to the task, as this promises to be one of his most important assignments ever.

Monday, January 27, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that this morning the Ohio State High School Athletic Association ruled that 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH had done nothing that would violate his amateur status and, as a result, he will eligible to play the rest of the season.  If you will recall, the Ohio State High School Athletic Association let it be known recently when it became public that James' mother had bought her son a $49,000 Hummer for his birthday that they planned to investigate the matter to see if it would effect James' high school basketball eligibility the rest of the season.  Obviously the state association wanted to give the appearance that they are in control of the situation, but, if they had ruled James ineligible, all they would have been in control of was taking a financial bath and getting ripped by people like us for trying to overstepping their bounds.  Johnson also tells us that Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH kept its perfect record intact yesterday by beating Akron (Buchtel) OH, 82-71.  James had 25 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists.  Talk about perfect timing!  Earlier today we published onto the web site our updated Ohio Report, which can includes Johnson's six all-state teams regardless of position and class, an article that provides insight and analysis about the top players in each class, and Johnson's rankings in order of the top 131 seniors, top 95 juniors, top 44 sophomores, top 28 freshmen, top 13 8th graders, top five 7th graders, top five 7th graders, and one 6th grader, which can be found by clicking on Johnson Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Ohio.  And later this week we plan to also publish our updated Kentucky Report, which should be especially interesting, because a lot of things have changed since our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley last updated his rankings a year ago.  Back then his top six underclassmen in the state were 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'8 Jr Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 5'10 Soph Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'8 Soph Robbie Simpson from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'7 Jr Michael Brock from Independence (Simon Kenton) KY, and 6'6 Jr David Cornwell from Louisville (Ballard) KY.   Since that time Bush's basketball career has gone South and, as a result, he has decided not to play basketball in college; Simpson transferred to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC; Cornwell transferred from Louisville (Ballard) KY to Louisville (Eastern) KY, where he is now ineligible; and Rando has grown to 6'2.  So we asked Kihnley to provide us with a sneak preview of his top five players in the state are regardless of class and it comes as no surprise that Rando is ranked #1, followed by 6'3 O.J. Mayo from Ashland (Rose Hill) KY, who is the consensus #1 8th garder in the nation, 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'2 Jr Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY, and 6'7 Justin Doellman from Union (Ryle) KY.  In other words, Kihnley only has one senior in the state ranked among his top five.  Kihnley also tells us that Louisville, Kentucky, and Indiana are the top three for Farley.  However, when it is all said and done, we'd be surprised if Farley doesn't end up at Louisville.  Apparently Farley is a big Rick Pitino fan.  We also continue to hear that 6'11 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL will honor his original commitment to Louisville and sign with the Cardinals in the spring.  And, if that does happen, Louisville's recruiting class would move back up to #1 on our list of the top Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Currently Louisville's class, which is tied at #8, along with Mississippi State, includes 6'7 Nate Daniels from Broward County (JC) FL, 6'10 Nauha Diakite from Barton County (JC) KS, and 6'4 Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI.  Lang is also expected to visit UAB and Alabama in the spring, but the Crimson Tide could be out, if Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried gets the UCLA job.  Remember, Gottfried was an assistant coach at UCLA during the Jim Harrick era and he appears to be the overwhelming favorite for the job right now.  We also know that Louisville is recruiting a number of the top juniors in the nation, including 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'10 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Atlanta Southwest Christian) GA, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Jr Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'3 Jr Jamarcus Ellis from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'2 Jr Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY, and 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY.  As a matter of fact, Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino was in Camden, AL to see Williams, who had 29 points, 16 rebounds, and six rebounds against Greenville (H.S.) AL on Friday night.  And Louisville isn't the only school that was in Camden, AL last week.  Did you know that Texas head coach Rick Barnes was in town last Wednesday and somebody from Duke was in town on Thursday?

Saturday, January 25, 2003, & Sunday, January 26, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that La Salle has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'10 Roman Narmbaye-Mbainas from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, who is ranked #5 in the area in the senior class by Rubin, as well as #288 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Narmbaye-Mbainas, who is best described as a shot blocker/defender/rebounder, needs to continue to work on his offensive skills and, as a result, obviously this appears to be a perfect fit, because the guy who got this one done is Explorers assistant coach Roland Houston.  No, Houston didn't make our list of the top assistant coaches this time around, but it's only a matter of time before he does, because, at 6'8 and as a former player at both the University of Rhode Island and in Europe, he's good at working with big men.  And Houston has a lot to work with, because Narmbaye-Mbainas is one of the best unsigned big men still available, but he has a huge upside.  Narmbaye-Mbainas also moves the Explorers' recruiting class into a tie at #101, along with Lamar, Colorado, Ball State, Hofstra, Hampton, Chattanooga, San Diego, Georgia Southern, Bradley, and Bowling Green, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Combine that with the class, which included David Bell from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'4 Gary Neal from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'2 Jermaine Thomas from Fredrick (Governor Thomas Johnson) MD, and Lewis Fadipe from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC and was ranked #50 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, that second-year head coach Billy Hahn brought in a year ago and there is no question it's only a matter of time before La Salle becomes one of the better teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  Remember, Hahn has a great eye for talent and, as a result, is master at finding the guy who is going to develop into an excellent player down the road (i.e. Juan Dixon).  Rubin also tells us that La Salle doesn't have any more scholarships available and that's too bad, because, if they did, you can bet they would be one of the schools to beat for 6'7 Arnuad Dahi from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, who is ranked #109 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Not only is Dahi an excellent athlete with an enormous amount of potential, but after watching him at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational in Milford, DE in November, there is no doubt that he's a better 3-point shooter than we originally thought.  Instead, Dahi's list includes schools like Penn State, Old Dominion, Wisconsin, and Missouri.  And thanks to the efforts of Penn State assistant coach Pat Brogan, who prior to this year was an assistant coach at Lafayette and, as a result, has more than his share of Philly contacts, the Nittany Lions are also making a strong push for 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA.  Cain, who is already academically qualified, played extremely well when we saw him at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL before Christmas.  So in our mind he is one of the fastest rising players in the nation.  Currently Cain's list also includes Villanova, Temple, UNC-Greensboro, Western Kentucky, Virginia, and South Alabama, but we think his list will get longer before it gets shorter, as we're talking about an extremely athletic white kid with toughness, the ability to score and rebound around the basket, and the potential to develop into an excellent wing forward down the road, if he doesn't get bigger and stronger.  However, the best player still available in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor is 6'0 Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, who is ranked as the #1 senior in the area by Rubin and who is a legitimate top 50-100 range player nationally.  However, there are two problems.   First, Rice probably isn't going to make it academically, which means that schools like Coppin State are hanging around hoping to get him as a Prop 48 casuality.   Second, Rice is such a hometown kid that he often doesn't travel and, when he does, he has left major camps and tournaments early in order to go home.  So it wouldn't surprise us one bit if Rice went the prep school route to Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA next year and then attract the interest of the local schools.  As a matter of fact, Rice would be perfect for Temple.  Remember, Owls head coach John Chaney has made a living taking guys from tough backgrounds over the years, plus this strong athletic point guard who puts up prolific numbers, as is evident by the fact that he recently broke Wilt Chamberlain's high school career scoring record, has an incredible amount of talent, as is evident by his playground legendary status.   Add Rice at point guard to 6'3 Mario Taybron from Norfolk (Ryan Academy) VA, who would then be able to play his natural 2-guard spot, and 6'10 Wayne Marshall from Philadelphia (Martin Luther King) PA and 6'5 Michael Blackshear, who is sitting out this year due to academic reaasons, both inside, plus all the good young players Temple already has in the program, and it wouldn't surprise us if Chaney suddenly is on the verge of having one of his best team's ever two years from now.   Rubin also believes that 6'3 Russell Carter from Paulsboro (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked #11 on his list of the top seniors in the area, and is getting the most attention from East Carolina and Pennsylvania, is another player that is getting underrecruited. 

Friday, January 24, 2003

Since before the start of the current basketball season, I've been touting the University of Louisville as the biggest sleeper in college basketball.  However, the Cardinals, which are now ranked #1 in the latest Sagarin Ratings, #9 by the Associated Press, and #14 by the USA Today/ESPN Poll, have exceeded even my own expectations.  If will recall, we had Louisville ranked #10 in our pre-season rankings, #8 based on talent, and even predicted at the start of this month that they would not lose a game in January.  But we didn't know that, except for a lack of rebounding off the bench and questionable depth at the point guard spot, this team would not have any weaknesses.  Not only do they have tremendous depth, play excellent defense, and are capable of shooting the lights out at any time, but they also are lethal in transition, extremely unselfish and move the ball to perfection at the offensive end, and brutal on the boards when Marvin Stone and Ellis Myles are both in the game.  Add the fact that they have near perfect chemistry and have done a great job of buying into Rick Pitino's system and it should not be all that surprising that the Cardinals are tied with Florida with the longest current winning streak (12 wins) in college basketball.  And we expect this trend to continue, even though the Cardinals are about to enter the toughest part of their schedule, which includes Indiana, Cincinnati, Memphis, and Marquette at home and Marquette, Cincinnati, and DePaul on the road in February.  And, if the Cardinals go 5-2 or better during this stretch, don't just pencil them as a legitimate NCAA Final Four team this year, but also make them the favorite, along with Arizona, to win the NCAA Championship in early April.  Not only have we been way ahead of all the competition on this story from the very beginning, but nobody that we know of, except the HOOP SCOOP, the New York Times, and Dick "Hoops" Weiss, who isn't regarded as the #1 basketball writer in America for nothing, had Louisville ranked among the top 30 teams nationally pre-season.  However, if Louisville does return to the NCAA Final Four four the first time in 17 years, it will mean that Pitino will probably be looking for a pair of assistant coaches.  Remember, Mick Cronin, who is the #2-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, and Vince Taylor, who was largely responsible for landing 6'7 Nate Daniels from Broward County (JC) FL and 6'10 Nauha Diakite from Barton County (JC) KS, both will be in line for heading coaching jobs.  Also don't forget that nobody in the business does a better of job of moving his assistants than Pitino, as is evident by the fact that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek, Florida head coach Billy Donovan, Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard, Boston Celtics head coach Jim O'Brien, NBA executive Stu Jackson, and Boston Celtics director of scouting Leo Papile, all have gone on to bigger and better things.  Cronin has never had any head coaching experience, but his father was a legendary high school coach in Ohio, plus Cronin has worked for two of the best head coaches in the business (Pitino and Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins), and he's wired into just about everybody in the business.  In other words, Cronin would be the perfect guy for a program like Penn State or Virginia Tech, both of which are in big time conferences and both of which are likely to open up at the end of the season, due to a lack of wins and an inability to get the players necessary to compete year-in-and-year-out at the top level.  Taylor also learned more than a few things along the way, as he played at Duke for one Hall of Fame coach (Mike Krzyzewski), was an assistant at Louisville for another Hall of Fame coach (Denny Crum), and now works for a future Hall of Fame coach in Pitino.  So it would be a major surprise if Taylor isn't able to pick and choose from among any Ohio Valley Conference or Sun Belt Conference jobs that become available this spring.  Speaking of the longest winning streaks in college basketball, as well as another Pitino protegee, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez guided the Jaspers to one of the biggest wins of his career last night against Fairfield to give the Jaspers their own 10-game winning streak.  As a matter of fact, this is quickly becoming not only one of the best mid-major rivalries in the nation (Fairfield upset Manhattan in the Metro Atlantic Post Season Conference Tournament last March and, as a result, prevented Manhattan from going to the NCAA Tournament), but also it has a Pitino-Krzyzewski influence.  Remember, Pitino almost hired Gonzalez twice when he was at Kentucky and a year ago at this time Fairfield head coach Tim O'Toole was the only former Krzyzewski assistant coach who hadn't gone on to become successful at the Division I level.  Well, all that has changed now, as O'Toole appears to be perfectly positioned to get the next Atlantic-10 Confernce job that becomes available and both now appear to be ready to move up the coaching ladder in a hurry.  Let's say Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland, who, along with Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried, appears to be one of the two leading candidates to become the next coach at UCLA, gets that job once the current season is over.  Then, it would make perfect sense for Gonzalez to become one of the leading candidates for the UCLA job.  After all, Pittsburgh is in the Big East, it's half a day's drive from New York City, and it's close enough for Gonzalez to make the same type of impact recruiting in the Big Apple that Villanova's Jay Wright did a year ago.  And, if the dominos fall like we've described, suddenly there would not be just one, but two head coaching jobs open in New York City.  We're talking about Manhattan and Fordham and Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare is ideally suited for either job.  Remember, DeCesare was ranked last spring as one of the top 10 high school coaches in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and he is the man responsible for turning St. Raymond's into one of the premier high school programs in America in recent years.  As a matter of fact, DeCesare would probably turn Fordham around quicker than you can think of the last time you can remember seeing current Rams head coach Bob Hill on the recruiting trail.  Another obvious candidate for either job would be Seton Hall assistant coach Fred Hill, who not only is ranked as the #3 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, but also played a major role in landing the great recruiting classes at both Villanova a year ago and at Seton Hall during the Tommy Amaker regime.  And how about USC assistant coach Kurtis Townsend for the Tennessee State job?  Did you know that he was one of the leading candidates two years ago when they hired Nolan Richardson, III?  And does anybody even want the Chicago State job, where Bo Ellis has averaged only 4.6 wins per year for the last five years?  It also will be interesting to see whether the trend will be to recycle proven head coaches or to move assistant coaches into head coaching positions.  A year ago the trend was to hire assistant coaches, as 19 of the 42 jobs that were filled went to assistant coaches.  We're talking about former Arizona assistant coach Jay John getting Oregon State, former Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty getting Texas Christian, former Connecticut assistant coach Dave Leitao getting DePaul, former Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey getting South Alabama, former Arkansas assistant coach Mike Anderson getting UAB, former Oklahoma Ray Lopes getting Fresno State, former Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion getting the College of Charleston, former LSU assistant coach Kermit Davis getting Middle Tennessee State, former Kentucky assistant coach Mike Sutton getting Tennessee Tech, former Oregon assistant coach Greg Graham getting Boise State, former Marquette assistant coach Tod Kowalczyk getting Wisconsin-Green Bay, former Houston assistant coach Jerry Francis getting Prairie View A&M, former Miami-FL assistant Dwight Freeman becoming the head coach at Norfolk State, former Saint Louis assistant coach Brad Soderberg becoming the head coach of the Billikens, former Valparaiso assistant coach Scott Drew becoming the head coach of the Crusaders, former Radford assistant coach Byron Samuels becoming the head coach of the Highlanders, former Virginia Commonwealth assistant coach Jeff Capel, III  becoming the head coach of the Rams, former Hampton assistant coach Bobby Collins becoming the head coach of the Pirates, former Kent State assistant coach Jim Christian becoming the head coach of the Golden Flashes.  Believe it or not, Leitao, Christian, Lopes, and Anderson are the four guys who appear to have made the transition from being an assistant coach to head coach the easiest, as they clearly are doing the best job to-date.   Currently DePaul has a 10-5 record and is ranked #32 in the Sagarin Ratings.   Kent State has an impressive 11-2 record and is ranked #49 in the Sagarin Ratings.  Fresno State was 13-3 and was ranked #63 in the Sagarin Ratings heading into last night's game at Hawaii.  UAB is 10-4 and ranked #78 in the Sagarin Ratings.  

Thursday, January 23, 2003

In his last two games 5'9 Frosh Mark Meadows appears to have taken his game to another level, as he had 29 points, six assists, and three steals and 17 points, 16 assists, and five steals, respectively, and, as a result, may have to move even higher in our rankings of the top players nationally in the great Class of 2006.  Currently Meadows is ranked #26 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP and this explosive athletic combo guard is already extremely savvy beyond his years, as is evident by the fact that handles, passes, shoots, and defends extremely well for his age.  All Meadows lacks is size and a starting spot on the varsity, although he does get more playing time than any other guard on the team.  And Meadows isn't the only freshman to watch in what appears to be an especially good class in Arizona, as 6'3 Frosh Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ is averaging 14.0 ppg, 3.0 apg, and 2.0 spg and 6'0 Frosh Kal Bay from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ is averaging 9.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, and 2.5 spg while starting on the varsity this season.  Also worth noting are the top seven juniors in the state - 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, who is an extremely athletic shot blocking dunking machine, as well as the best player in the state regardless of class; 6'5 Jr Debouise Williams from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ, who is a silky-smooth combo guard; 6'6 Jr Xavier Kirby from Phoenix (Desert Vista) AZ; 6'10 Jr Ryan McCurdy from Gilbert (Highland) AZ; 6'7 Jr James Lester from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ; 6'5 Jr Gabe Freeman from Tempe (McClintock) AZ; and 5'10 Jr Jermaine Calvin from Tempe (McClintock) AZ - and the top three sophomores in the state - 6'0 Soph Darren Jordan from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'6 Soph L.J. Jones from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ, and 6'6 Soph Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ.  We also have the latest edition of Richard Flaata's Minnesota Roundball Prep Newsletter and it has just about everything you need to know about high school basketball in the state of Minnesota.  Especially noteworthy are his rankings of the top players in each class, which include 6'8 Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'10 Longar Longar from Rochester (John Marshall) MN, 6'0 Lawrence McKenzie from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, 6'8 Dan Coleman from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'5 Darren Clarke from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'1 Kammron Taylor from Minneapolis (North) MN, 6'8 Dan Fitzgerald from Mendola Heights (St. Thomas Academy) MN, 6'9 Jon Williams from St. Cloud (Apollo) MN, 6'3 Kevin Henderson from Minneapolis (North) MN, and 6'7 Matt Annen from Elk River (H.S.) MN as the top 10 players ranked in order in the senior class and 6'8 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Jr Miles Webb from Brooklyn Park (Park-Center) MN, 6'4 Jr Steven Neal from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, 6'6 Jr Everette Pedeschleaux from Plymouth (Armstrong) MN, 6'10 Jr Patrick O'Bryant from Blaine (H.S.) MN, 7'0 Jr Corey Hanley from Richfield (H.S.) MN, 6'2 Jr Matt Cadwell from St. Paul (Crelin-Denham) MN, 6'8 Jr Ryan Amorso from Burnsville (H.S.) MN, 6'6 Jr Mitch Henke from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, and 6'5 Jr Brett Winkelman from Morris (H.S.) MN as the top 10 players ranked in order in the junior class.  Among the top 10 seniors listed, only player still available is Henderson.  Tollackson and Webb both have already made early verbal commitments to Minnesota, but the other eight player on the junior list are still available.  For the rest of his list of the top seniors, juniors, and sophomores, as well as previews of the top players and teams in each class in each section and other interesting tidbits, you can subscribe to Minnesota Roundball Prep Newsletter by writing 25860 10th Street West, Zimmerman, MN  55398, calling (763) 856-0859, or emailing raflaata@sherbtel.net.

Wednesday, January 22, 2003

The selection process for the McDonald's All-American Game, which will be held, Wednesday, March 26th, at Gund Arena in Cleveland, OH, is currently under way and the final results will be released on February 27th on ESPN SportsCenter, 6:00-7:30 PM.  We can't tell you who is on the ballot or who we are voting for, but can tell you who is doing the voting, as the list of people on the selection committee includes Scott Alexander of Fox Sports South; Vince Baldwin of Michigan & Ohio Prep Spotlight; Dave Bones of Cage Scope; Ron Briscoe of Southeast Regional Basketball Report; Frank Burlison of Fox Sports; Joe Butler of Metro Index; Van Coleman of Future Stars Magazine; Bill Cronauer of B/C Scouting Service; Jack Curran, the head coach at Jamaica (Archbishop Molloy) NY; Clark Francis of the HOOP SCOOP; Howard Garfinkel of Five-Star Basketball; Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports; Nate Harris, the head coach at Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK; Sonny Hill of Sonny Hill Basketball League; Doug Huff of Student Sports, Inc.; Van Johnson of Game Plan Sports Scouting Service; Andy Katz of ESPN; Kurt Keener, the head coach at Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI; Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report; Tim McCormick of EPSN Television; Vito Montelli, the head coach at Trumbull (St. Joseph) CT; Brick Oettinger of Prep Stars/Recruiter's Handbook; Eddie Oliver of HoopsUSA; Kurt O'Neil of Elite Hoops; Joe Petrocelli, the head coach at Kettering (Bishop Alter) OH; Keith Pickett of Shop n Save/KMOX Shootout; Tracy Pierson of Prep WestHoops.com; John Rhodes of the Beach Ball Classic; Don Showalter, the head coach of Wellman (Mid-Prairie) IA; Tim Stevens of the Raleigh News & Observer; Mike Sullivan of RivalsHoops.com; Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.Com; Dave Telep of the InsidersReport.com; Barry Temkin of the Chicago Tribune; and Boo Williams of Boo Williams Summer League.  We also have dates, which can be found on our Dates/Future Events page, for most of the other spring all-star games and major spring and summer events and we'll start by mentioning them according to show company affiliation.  The NIKE events include the Prime Shootout in Trenton, NJ, February 6th-9th; Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA, April 11th-13th; Jordan Capital Classic in Washington, DC, April 17th; Kentucky Derby Festival All-Stars in Louisville, KY, April 26th; NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN, May 24th-26th; NIKE Hoop Jamboree in St. Louis, MO, June 18th-22nd; NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN, July 5th-10th; the Kentucky Hoopfest in Louisville, KY, July 10th-12th; and NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC, July 14th-17th.  The adidas events include the Sonny Vaccaro EA Sports Roundball Classic in Chicago, IL, March 31st; adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ, July 6th-11th; the Derek Smith Shootout in Louisville, KY, July 10th-12th; and the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV, July 20th-25th. Dinos Trigonis is expected to launch his inaugural Pangos All-American Camp in Los Angeles, CA, May 30-June 1st and, if you think this is going to be just another "Dinos Event," think again.  Trigonis became a major player in the business, partly due to LeBron James and the success of the Dream Classic earlier this month in Los Angeles, CA and partly due to his involvement with the new shoe company (Pangos).  Other must stops on our annual spring and summer tour will include the NCAA Final Four in New Orleans, April 5th-7th; the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 25th-27th; Spiece Run'N Slam Basketball Tournament at the Spiece of Fitness Center in Ft. Wayne, IN, May 1st-3rd; Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC, May 23rd-25th; AAU 17-Under Super Showcase in Orlando, FL, July 22nd-26th; and the 17-Under National Junior Boys AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL, July 25th-31st.  We also have to mention the dates for the Five-Star Basketball Camp, because this is a must stop for anybody who wants to improve their game.  Five-Star in Hampden-Sidney, VA will be June 14th-18th; Five Star in Honesdale, PA will be June 18th-23rd and August 22nd -27th; and Five-Star in Pittsburgh, PA, July 3rd-8th, July 9th-14th, July 15th-20th, July 21st-26th, and July 27th-August 1st.  For more specialized camps, check out Five-Star's web site at Five-Star Basketball Camp.  Also of major significance is the fact that college coaches will only be allowed to attend events in states, like Texas and Nevada, where the state asscociation has sanctioned the event on Saturday and Sunday and only on days when there is not a national test, like the SAT or ACT, being administered.   Which means that,unlike a year ago, college coaches won't be allowed out on Friday, April, 10th; Saturday, April 11th; Friday, April 17th; and Friday, April 24th.  In other words, the number of days that college coaches will able to watch high school players this spring in an AAU-like setting will be limited to only five days - Sunday, April 13th; Saturday, April 19th; Sunday, April 20th; Saturday, April 26th; and Sunday, April 27th.  And Sunday, April 20th, is Easter Sunday, which will limit things even more for certain players and coaches who opt to be with their families during this important religious holiday.  So obviously everything is falling into place once again for Hal Pastner, who once again is putting together what promises to be one of the best events of the entire year.  For even more information go to his web site, which can be found by clicking on Academy National Invitational & Houston Kingwood Classic. 

Tuesday, January 21, 2003

Over the weekend the Miami-Herald and the Miami Sun-Sentinel both reported that three players - 6'1 Guillermo Diaz, 6'4 Raul Ortz, and 6'5 Carlos Berrcales - from Miami (Christian) FL have been ruled ineligible by the Florida State High School Athletic Association and, as a result, won't be allowed to play the rest of the season.   It also appears that Miami Christian may have to forfeit the first 16 games they've won this season, pay a $2,500 fine, be banned from participating in the state tournament both this year and next year, and not be able to travel outside the state next year.  If you will recall, Miami Christian played in the Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, HI right before Christmas, at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE right after Christmas, and then they flew across the country on consecutive weekends and played against Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA in early January.  Instead of realizing what a great educational experience traveling all over the country has been for the players in question, the Florida State High School Athletic Association apparently is out to get Miami head coach Art Alvarez for recruiting violations  And,as usual, the big loser not only will be these three players, but also all of the future players that Alvarez and other coaches in Miami potentially could bring to South Florida from Puerto Rico to both play basketball and enrich their lives educationally and socially.  Not only is Alvarez an excellent coach and successful business man, but he also knows where all the good basketball players can be found in Puerto Rico.  As a matter of fact, Alvarez is the coach of the Puerto Rican National Team and, as a result, it has already been rumored that he might quit coaching after this season (his son currently is a senior at Miami Christian) and work exclusively for NIKE, as the conduit for getting players to from Puerto Rico to the United States.  And, if this happens, that would be too bad for high school basketball in Miami, FL, because you can bet that Alvarez won't be placing any more players in the Sunshine State, which means it looks like once again a state association is cutting of its nose in order to spite its face.  Without knowing all the details, we also have to make note of the fact that Alvarez is an extremely smart guy.  In other words, it would be a major surprise, if he hasn't crossed all of his I's and dotted all of his T's when bringing these players from Puerto Rico to Miami, FL.   So it's our guess that Alvarez probably has a pretty good case, if, and when, he decides to challenge this ruling in court.  And, regardless of what happens, we're confident that Alvarez will be just as successful in whatever other endeavors he decides to pursue.  A perfect illustration can already be found by looking at how his team has responded to the loss of three of its best players.  Did you know that Miami (Christian) FL was down by as many as 19 points in the second half to Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL on Saturday, but thanks to a 27-point effort, including 13 points in the 4th quarter, by 6'5 Jesus Verdejo, they more than made it respectable, losing to one of the top teams in the state, 67-59, at home.  And then Miami Christian bounced back and beat Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL yesterday.  Unfortunately, due to the suspensions, we won't get to see whether Diaz is more like the player we saw at Slam Dunk to the Beach, where was absolutely sensational, or the player we saw twice earlier this month in California, where he was very ordinary (at least in terms of our expectations), until April in two of the post-season all-stars games.  Our guess is that Diaz will fall someplace in-between, because he still has a long way to go in terms of developing a feel of the game, point guards skills, and a consistent outside shot.   However, with his incredible leaping ability and Darrell Griffith/David Thompson like showmanship, there is no question in our mind that he not only is the most exciting high school player in the nation today, behind 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, but he also be the player down the road who that gets the entire city of Miami excited about the Hurricanes in basketball.  Speaking of Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, which currently is 10-0 against a national schedule, there is no question as to why they are the #1 high school team in the nation in the latest national high school poll, which was published this morning in the USA Today.   But there should be a lot of debate regarding who is #2.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thinks that honor should go to Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, whose only loss this season came in overtime against Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.  Donnie Wilkie, the tournament director of the City of Palms Classic, as well as one of the most knowledgeable people we know when it comes to high school basketball on a national basis, thinks Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ is the second best team in the land, despite the fact Kevin Boyle's team lost again last week and, as a result, has slipped to #10, one behind Columbus (Brookhaven) OH in today's USA Today poll.  Instead, the USA Today has Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA ranked #2.   But having seen all three teams - Fairfax, #5-ranked Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and #11-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - there is no question that Fairfax is no better than the third best team in California.  The problem is that teams like #5-ranked Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, #8-ranked Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and #10-ranked Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, all of whom should be ranked in the top five, knock each other off in the national holiday tournaments and, as a result, play a tougher schedule, but don't have as good a record as teams, like #2-ranked Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA (16-1), #3-ranked Rochester (McQuaid) NY (15-0), and #4-ranked Indianapolis (Pike) IN, all of whom are ranked ahead of them.

Monday, January 20, 2003

Going into the final day at Flyin' to the Hoop National Holiday Basketball Invitational Tournament in Vandalia, OH our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thought Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ would beat Centereach (Our Savior Lutheran) NY in the championship game, due to the fact that St. Benedict's has two guards - 6'3 Art Bowers and 6'1 Bashir Mason Centereach (Our Savior Lutheran) NY - who have signed with Massachusetts and Drexel, plus the best player in the entire tournament after the first three days in 6'5 Jr Earl Smith.  However, it didn't turn out that way as Centereach (Our Savior Lutheran) NY, which had already beaten Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ twice earlier this season, got its revenge, 65-45, earlier tonight in the title game.  Our Savior New American was led by 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Tellos Palacios, who scored 24 points on 9-14 field goals, six rebounds, and three assists en route to tournament MVP honors.  Johnson also concurred that Palacios was the best player in the tournament based on his four-day tournament, but he had his most impressive performance in the opener when Our Savior New American pounded Lexington (Catholic) KY, 68-46, and Palacios finished with 27 points on 12-16 from the floor, 12 rebounds, and just missed a triple-double with nine assists.  However, Our Savior New American's semi-finals game was their toughest and Palacios' toughness and inside presence against Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD with 7'0 Will Bowers and 6'7 Jr Rudy Gay was the big difference, as he finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists.  Palacios tells most people he's wide open on schools, but when Johnson asked him if he taken any unofficial visits, Palacios confirmed that he's already been to Valparaiso, N.C. State, and Ohio State.  Palacios is a larger version of Jamal Mashburn, which must be why Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has already been to see him play a number of times this season.   Johnson also tells us that Palacios is a lot lighter on this feet and seemed to have a lot more court awareness than when Johnson saw him last summer.  "Palacios has lost 15 pounds and is a lot more explosive off the floor," says Johnson.  However, the key to Our Savior New American winning the championship so easily was the outstanding play of 6'7 Oumar Sylla, who just got better-and-better in every game throughout the tournament, culminating with an outstanding defense performance on  Smith, who was coming off a brilliant 30-point performance the previous day against 6'4 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, in the championship game.  Sylla held Smith to 2-9 shooting from the field and only nine points and no assists.  Sylla also complemented Palacios with 13 points, nine rebounds, nine assists, and three steals.  This is why Sylla is ranked as the 5th best player in the tournament behind Palacios, Smith, Wafer, and 6'7 Jr Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD and ahead of 6'8 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'1 Kojo Mensah from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 7'0 Jr Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 J.R. Pinnock from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 7'0 Will Bowers from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON, 6'3 Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7'0 Josh Higgins from Vandalia (Butler) OH, 6'6 Jr Arturas Jomantas from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Sam Pharr from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, 6'5 Anthony Teague from Cleveland (Shaker Heights) OH, 6'3 Jr Demetrius Green from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'7 Jordan Lear from Zanesville (H.S.) OH, 6'8 Jr Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'9 Jr Hatila De Souza from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  The official all-tournament team, as selected by the tournament co-founders Bobby Jacobs and Eric Horstman included Palacios, Smith, Wafer, Gay, Mensah, and Gorney.  Speaking of Gorney, he led the host Vandalia (Butler) OH team, which is currently 15-0 and ranked #2 in the state in Division I behind Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, to a 63-49 victory over Zanesville (H.S.) OH in the championship in the Wright Brothers Bracket.  With Gorney's twin tower (Josh Higgins) in foul trouble and only playing half the game, Gorney played all but the last two minutes and scored a game high 22 points and 13 rebounds.  Gorney also blocked four shots, as Ohio State assistant coach's Paul Biancardi and LaMonta Stone both eagerly looking on.  Speaking of the Buckeyes, they are the favorite for Gorney over schools like Michigan State, Kansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Indiana, and Xavier.  Gorney is similar physically to Syracuse's Craig Forth, but he plays more like former Kentucky/Villanova star Mike Bradley, although Gorney is not quite as explosive nor as athletic as Bradley.  Johnson also wants to talk about Smith, who has a great combination of athleticism, strength, and a quick release on his 3-point shoot.  "That's important," say Johnson.  "Because it doesn't require him to put the ball on the floor like most high school and college players have a tendency to do."  Speaking of college, the only school Smith mentioned was North Carolina.  However, more time to get his academics in order and the Tar Heels lack of scholarships have this one on hold.  Gay reminds Johnson of former Xavier player James Posey, except Gay is a lot bigger and more developed than Posey was at the same stage in high school.  Gay, who is big and strong enough to play inside in high school and college, has tremendous ball skills and a soft shooting touch.  Thus, explains why Johnson not only thinks Gay is ranked too low at #48 nationally on our latest junior class list, but it explains why he thinks Gay has a future at wing forward in the NBA.  As for his more immediate future, Gay told Johnson that Georgetown, Villanova, Connecticut, Syracuse, Maryland, Indiana, and Virginia were the top schools on his list.  Johnson also wants to talk some more about the Valparaiso-bound Sylla, who he first saw last summer at the adidas ABCD Camp.  Sylla is one of the best defensive players Johnson has seen in a long time, invoking memories of former Memphis wing Cedric Henderson, who, at his size, was one of the best defensive players Johnson has ever seen.  But Sylla also is an excellent rebounder and great passer, as is evident by the fact that he averaged 7.8 ppg and 5.3 apg in the tournament.  Among the many important basketball people in the stands were Atlanta Celtics program director Wallace Prather and the father of 6'9 Jr Josh Smith from Powder Spring (McEachern) GA, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   So naturally Johnson took advantage of the opportunity and got a list of schools from Smith's father, who says that his son is being recruited by Georgia Tech, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia, Missouri, LSU, UCLA, Alabama, and Florida State.  Prather also filled Johnson in on where all of his other top juniors are leaning.  The favorites for 6'10 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Atlanta Southwest Christian) GA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Duke, Louisville, Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, N.C. State, and UCLA.  How can UCLA be listed?  Don't they know that it's already a foregone conclusion that Bruins head coach Steve Lavin will be fired at the end of the season?  Well, if that happens, the Bruins will likely be out, because, just like everybody else in the business, they like Lavin.  Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Auburn, UNLV, and Duke are the favorites for 6'9 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #25 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has a 3.7 gpa in the classroom.  The list for 6'6 Jr Dwayne Day from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA includes Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Aubrun, Florida, Mississippi, and Miami-FL.   Georgia, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Mississippi, Florida State, Miami-FL are all showing interest in 6'3 Jr Montavious Waters from Leesburg (Lee County) GA.  For a while Johnson must have thought he was in the Peach State, because he also bumped into Georgia Elite head coach and HOOP SCOOP Georgia Editor Linzy Davis, who was in town to watch Tangara play.  Davis confirms that North Carolina, Memphis, and Michigan are still the schools you have to beat, but Tangara's list also includes Ohio State, Georgia, Tennessee, Kansas, Florida State, Cincinnati, Charlotte.  Davis also filled Johnson in on 6'10 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and it appears that Georgia leads Cincinnati for his services.  The biggest surprise of the tournament was 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) MD, who not only came out of the blue, but wasn't even listed on Mt. Zion's roster.  Not only was Carr the X-factor in Mt. Zion's surprising win over Oak Hill, as he finished 12 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, but he was glue that kept a lot of very individually talented players together.  Carr is listed as a junior, but our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor ranked Carr as the #17 junior in the area a year ago when he was at Philadelphia (University City) PA.  When Johnson gets us his updated rankings of the top players in Ohio later this week, he plans to have 6'10 Jr Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH and 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH ranked #3 and #6, respectively, in the junior class.  Agnew, at 6'9, 350 lbs, needs to drop at least 30 pounds, but that hasn't stopped Xavier from pushing into the lead over Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Purdue.  Terwilliger's list includes Ohio State, Cincinnati, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Michigan State.   

Saturday, January 18, 2003, & Sunday, January 19, 2003

I have been on the disabled list with the flu since Thursday, January 16th, so my plans to attend the Louisville Invitational Tournament on Friday and the Flyin' to the Hoop National Holiday Basketball Invitational Tournament in Vandalia, OH this weekend have gone right out the window.   However, I have talked with several people who attended the Louisville Invitational Tournament and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson was at Flyin' to the Hoop National Holiday Basketball Invitational Tournament in Friday night, all day Saturday and today, and will be back again tomorrow.  The two biggest stories today were the surprising upset by Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, which beat Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 60-47, and the incredible scoring battle between 6'5 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and 6'5 Jr Earl Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who Johnson's opinion are the top two players in the entire tournament.  Wafer won the scoring battle with 31 points versus only 30 points for Smith, but Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ won the game, 85-69, and, as a result, advances into tomorrow's championship game against Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY at 6:00 PM.  In the Mt Zion Christian-Oak Hill game, it wasn't that Mt. Zion Christian was that good, it was that Oak Hill shot the basketball that bad, as they hit only 16-59 field goals and only 3-18 from beyond the arc.  Tied for high scoring honors for Mt. Zion Christian were 6'7 Richard Dorsey with 12 points and 6'3 Tasheed Carr with 12 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.  Also chipping were 6'5 Soph Albert Webber with 11 points and 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara with 10 points for Mt. Zion Christian.  The leading scorer for Oak Hill was 6'6 Dion Deacons with 11 points, while 6'8 Ivan Harris and 6'3 J.R. Reynolds added 10 points apiece.  The two biggest stories at the Louisville Invitational Tournament came in Saturday morning's semi-finals game when Louisville (Eastern) KY shocked Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, which currently is the #1 ranked team in the state, 84-74, and 6'0 Jr Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY scored 47 points, which is second highest individual single game scoring performance in LIT history behind Manuel Forrest from Louisville (Moore) KY in 1981.  Rondo's stat line in the semi-finals also included 14-23 field goals, 2-3 3-pointers, 17-21 free throws, 13 rebounds, seven steals, and two assists.  Rondo also came up big in the championship game, as he hit 8-17 field goals and had 27 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, two steals in a 64-58 win over Louisville (Iroquois) KY, which knocked off Louisville (Male) KY, Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, and Ratcliff (North Hardin) KY en route to the championship game.  Not only was Rondo named turned MVP, but now holds the all-time tournament scoring record with 148 points in five games, as he averaged 29.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 5.4 apg, and 5.1 spg.  The previous tournament scoring record was set by, you guessed it, Manual Forrest with 145 points in 1981.  Speaking of Forrest, did you know he was one of the first players I discovered?  As a matter of fact, when Forrest was a freshman in high school in 1977-78, I said that he was the Player-of-the-Future in Kentucky Basketball, which was a one time pre-season publication that gave me my first real start in the business.  Actually, I gave myself my own start, because I was the editor and publisher of that publication, which sold 7,000-8,000 copies on newstands and in stores in Louisville, KY and Lexington, KY.  Former University of Kentucky head coach Joe Hall, Louisville All-American Darrell Griffith, and Ballard High School star Jerry Eaves were the three people on the cover and believe it or not, I have people today who tell me they still have a copy of that publication.  Also interesting is the fact that the next spring, after Kentucky beat Duke for the NCAA Championship, Blue Devils head coach Bill Foster was quoted saying that the only the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and a high school kid in Louisville, KY had Duke ranked anywhere pre-season that year.  As a matter of fact, we had the four teams in the NCAA Final Four in March of 1978 all ranked among the our top 11 in nationally.   Kentucky was #1, Notre Dame was #4, Duke was #9, and Arkansas was #11.  In other words, I've been ranking both players and teams more accurately than most of the competition for 25 years now and I'm only 43-years-old.  Getting back to the Louisville Invitational Tournament, if you live off the 3-points shot, sometimes you die from 3-point shot.   Thus, was the case with Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, which hit only 29-79 field goals and only 6-22 3-pointers in the semi-finals against Louisville (Eastern) KY.   Pleasure Ridge Park was led by 5'10 Soph Juan Spillman with 14 points and 13 rebounds, 6'1 Carlos Williams with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and 6'5 Donte Sweet with 13 points and nine rebounds.   Louisville (Iroquois) KY, which knocked off Ratcliff (North Hardin) KY in the other semi-finals game, 63-53, featured a very balanced scoring attack, as five players scored between 14 and nine points.  However, the key to the game was the outside shooting provided by 6'0 Derrick Goodloe from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, who hit four big trifectas in the second half.  The leading scorer and best player for North Hardin was 6'5 Jr Demetrius Guions with 24 points and 16 rebounds.  Also chipping with 12 points and 10 rebounds for North Hardin was 6'6 Andre Woodson, who has already verbally committed to play football at the University of Kentucky.  The leading scorer for Iroquois in the championship game once again was Goodloe with 19 points.  The all-tournament team included Rando, Goodloe, Woodson, Guions, Sweet, 6'2 Maurice Blakey from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 5'11 JordanWhitaker from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'0 Pat Kelly from Louisville (St. Xavier) KY, 6'3 Jr Melvin Beasley from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'2 Demetrius Fuqua from Louisville (Iroquois) KY, 6'3 Gerard Garrett from Louisville (Doss) KY, Jermaine Bentley from Louisville (Eastern) KY, and Chris Taylor from Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY.

Friday, January 17, 2003

It is the editorial position of the HOOP SCOOP that the Ohio State High School Athletic Association should just shut up and cash in on 6'7 LeBron James the same way Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH has done.  If you will recall, St. Vincent-St. Mary's has played all over the nation and met every challenge so far this season with an undefeated record and, as a result, the school stands to make almost as much as a million dollars off James, who not only is the #1 high school player in the nation regardless of class, but also has the same type of drawing power that Michael Jordan has.  Don't believe it?  Well, the starting price for James in the shoe company bidding war between NIKE and adidas is reported to be $20 million and you can bet NBA general managers will be standing in line waiting to see if the team that gets the #1 pick in next spring's NBA Draft might be willing to make a trade after they select James.  However, the Ohio State High School Athletic Association is trying to find something wrong in the fact that James' mother was able to get a loan to buy a $49,000 car.  Obviously James, who barring injury or something totally unforeseen, will be worth 100's of millions of dollars down the road and, as a result, there is no question that James' mother should be able to get a secured loan for a car based on her son's future money making potential.  This would be a very small investment, if James decided to do all of his future banking business with the financial institution that recently lent James' mother the money to buy Hummer.  Remember, the bank does have collateral.  If something unforeseen should happens (i.e. a career ending injury) and, as a result, James isn't able to continue to make the payments, they can always repossess the car.  But in some people eyes there appears to be a different standard for the student-athlete.  Don't you think any bank in the nation would be willing to provide a secured loan to the mother of a boy genius who had just discovered a cure for cancer, but hadn't yet had time cash in on the hundred's of millions that he would be expected to make from drug companies?   Unfortunately the Ohio State High School Athletic Association is trying to make this an issue about amateurism.  But really it's about maintaining institutional control.  In other words, it's just like with the NCAA, whereby, their stupid rules are more important than the student-athlete they're supposed to protect.  However, in this case the Ohio State High School Athletic Association might be biting the hand that feeds it.  Just image how much revenue in ticket sales they would stand to lose if they ruled James ineligible before the Ohio State Tournament, which is about a month-and-a-half away.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also points out something else very interesting about James, who apparently is interested in breaking the record held by Clark Kellogg, who to this day is one of the best high school players this writer has ever seen.  Did you know that Kellogg participated in seven all-star games in 1979 and was either the MVP or the co-MVP in every game?  Normally in this day-and-age that wouldn't be possible, because players who are interested in maintaining their college eligibility can only play in two post-season all-star games.  However, if you're planning on by-passing college and going straight into the NBA Draft in June (as appears to be the case with James), NCAA rules don't apply.  James already is committed to play in the McDonald's All-American Game, Sonny Vaccaro's Roundball Classic, and the Michael Jordan Capital Classic and hopefully will also play in the Derby Classic, but finding eight good games to play in might be tough.  So with this in mind, we wouldn't be surprised if several new all-stars pop up and/or if Dinos Trigonis brought back the Dada Classic and made the "LeBron James goes to Hollywood Story" a sequel.  Remember, everyplace James goes sells out (i.e. the only time Pauley Pavilion has been sold out this year was when James played in the Dream Classic two weeks ago).  Obviously this is a testament to what a tremendous competitor and great player LeBron James really is.  And this wouldn't be the first time that James has run the risk of injury in order to compete and find new challenges.  If you will recall, James wanted to be the first high school player in the history of Ohio to led his team to a state championship in both football and basketball in the same year and, as a result, was one of the top football players in the state, as well as the best basketball player in the state during his season.  That's in sharp contrast to guys like 7'0 Tyson Chandler and 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, both of whom didn't play in any of the post-season all-star games two years ago, because they didn't want to hurt their NBA Draft status.  And things like this are very important to know if you are an NBA General Manager.  Who would you want?   A tremendous competitor who never ducks the competition and gets 20 points, 10 rebounds, and seven or eights assists, even on a bad night, or a player who is more concerned about the value of his stock dropping than reaping the rewards of traveling all over the country and competing against the top high school players in the nation several more times?

Thursday, January 16, 2003

Louisville (Iroquois) KY beat Louisville (Male) KY in double overtime, 70-68; Louisville (Eastern) KY beat Louisville (Trinity) KY, 66-46; Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY beat Louisville (Doss) KY, 74-52; and Louisville (Ballard) KY beat Louisville (St. Xavier) KY, 65-62; in the second round of the Republic Bank/Coca-Cola Louisville Invitational Tournament yesterday at Louisville Gardens in Louisville, KY.  This sets up tomorrow's quarterfinals games, which will feature Louisville (Ballard) KY versus Radcliff (North Hardin) KY at 4:00 PM, followed by Louisville (Iroquois) KY versus Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY at 5:30 PM, Louisville (Eastern) KY versus Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY at 7:00 PM, and Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY versus Owensboro (Daviess County) KY at 8:30 PM.  Some of the top performances yesterday were turned by 5'11 Jr Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY with 27 points; 6'3 Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY with 22 points; 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocked shots; 6'2 Maurice Blakey from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY with 14 points; 5'11 JordanWhitaker from Louisville (Ballard) KY with 23 points; and 6'0 Derrick Goodloe from Louisville (Iroquois) KY with 20 points.  However, the most interesting part of the evening was talking with Louisville (Manual) KY head coach Dave Zuberer.   First, Zuberer provided us with a list of some of the top 8th graders in Louisville, KY.  That list includes 6'1 Antwain Beckman from Louisville (Highland Middle School) KY, 6'2 Devin Anderson from Louisville (Kammener Middle School) KY, 5'9 Doug Beaumont from Louisville (Barrett Middle) KY, 6'0 Cameron ???????? from Louisville (Highland Middle School) KY, and 6'4 Brandon Young from Louisville (Moore Middle School) KY.  Louisville (Seneca) KY, Louisville (Moore) KY and Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY are the leaders for Beckman.  Anderson will probably go to high school at Louisville (Ballard) KY, Beaumont appears to be bound for Louisville (Male) KY, and Young is expected to enroll Louisville (Moore) KY.  Nobody has a last night for Cameron, but we do know that his top two schools are Louisville (Ballard) KY and Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY.  Zuberer also provides us with the name of one super seven grader - 6'4 Allen Murphy from Louisville (Farnsley Middle School) KY.  He tells us that Murphy's father is an assistant coach at Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, which means it would be a major surprise if Murphy isn't already bound for this basketball factory in the Louisville's South End.  Second, Zuberer denies the rumor about 6'1 Nolan Smith from Forestville, MD, who is the #2-ranked 8th grader nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, moving to Louisville, KY and enrolling at Louisville (Manual) KY.   However, this is not as far-fetched as one might think, because Smith is the son of former Louisville star Derek Smith.  As a matter of fact, Smith played briefly last spring with the Derek Smith All-Stars and, as a result, we suspect Smith will play some in the future for the club team for which his late father is named.  However, unless Smith moves to Louisville, KY, it is our guess that he will play for DC Assault during the July Evaluation Period.  Remember, the NCAA implemented a rule a year ago that prohibits college coaches from going to events where the participating teams have players who live further than 100 miles away from where the team is based.  But, if by some chance, Smith does move to Louisville, KY, then the top two 8th graders in the nation would both go to school in the Bluegrass State.   Remember, the consensus #1-ranked 8th grader is 6'3 O.J. Mayo from Ashland (Rose Hill) KY.

Wednesday, January 15, 2003

Last night Louisville (Eastern) KY beat Louisville (Moore) KY, 47-36; Louisville (Iroquois) KY beat Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, 54-52; Louisville (St. Xavier) KY beat Louisville (Butler) KY, 66-50; and Louisville (Doss) KY beat Louisville (DeSales) KY, 58-49; in the opening round of the Republic Bank/Coca-Cola Louisville Invitational Tournament at Louisville Gardens in Louisville, KY.  That set's up today's schedule, which will feature Louisville (Male) KY versus Louisville (Fern Creek) KY at 3:00 PM, Louisville (Eastern) KY versus Louisville (Trinity) KY at 4:30 PM, Louisville (Doss) KY versus Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY at 6:00 PM, and Louisville (Ballard) KY versus Louisville (St. Xavier) KY at 7:30 PM.  Tomorrow will be off-day, so it will be the winner of Louisville (Ballard) KY-Louisville (St. Xavier) KY versus Radcliff (North Hardin) KY on Friday at 4:00 PM, followed by the winner of Louisville (Male) KY-Louisville (Iroquois) KY versus Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY at 5:30 PM, the winner of Louisville (Eastern) KY-Louisville (Trinity) KY versus Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY at 7:00 PM, and the winner of Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY-Louisville (Doss) KY versus Owensboro (Daviess County) KY at 8:30 PM.  The semi-finals will be on Saturday, January 18th, at 10:30 AM and Noon and the championship will be at 7:30 PM that same night.  The top players will include 6'3 Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 5'11 Jr Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'2 Sean Booker from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'3 Soph Ravon Lee from Louisville (Ballard) KY,  6'6 Andre Woodson from Ratcliff (North Hardin) KY, 6'2 Maurice Blakey from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'5 Torey Meagher from Louisville (St. Xavier) KY, 5'10 Soph Juan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'6 Jr Mario Urruito from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, 6'8 Jr Kyle Martin from Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY, and 6'8 Jr Matt Marcesa from Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY.   Obviously high school basketball in the state of Kentucky is down this year, but there are some good  teams and players from around in the state that are worth seeing, like Lexington (Catholic) KY with 6'2 Jr William Graham, 6'4 Jr Harrison Morton, 6'3 Jr Demetrius Green, and 5'11 Jr Brian Smith; Ashland (Rose Hill) KY with 6'3 Frosh O.J. Mayo; Maysville (Mason County) with 6'1 Jr Chris Lofton; Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY with 6'8 Ross Neltner; Union (Ryle) KY with 6'7 Justin Doellman; Independence (Simon Kenton) KY with 6'8 Michael Brock; and Bowling Green (H.S.) KY with 6'8 Tyler Ray.  Unfortunately none of these teams and players are participating in this year's L.I.T. and, as a result, it's very difficult to get excited about this year's tournament.  Still, there maybe be a few sleepers who come out of the woodwork, as well as a few interesting stories, for us to write about later in the week.  So stay tuned!

Tuesday, January 14, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Allen Rubin tells us that 6'1 Jr Jamual Warren, 6'5 Jr Roosevelt Lee, and 6'10 Soph Vernon Goodrich, all three of whom were at Milford (Academy) CT, which recently closed, have now surfaced at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  For our purposes Warren and Lee are both listed as seniors, but technically they have been reclassified as juniors.  Goodrich also has been reclassified as a sophomore.  Rubin also reports that 5'10 Marcus Harley from Rosemont (Harriton) PA, who is ranked #30 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Lafayette and that 6'6 Mark Zollar from Philadelphia (St. Joseph Prep) PA, who is ranked #22 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, has Cornell, Columbia, Colgate, La Salle, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Monmouth, Lehigh, and Lafayette all still on his list.  The only other thing that Rubin has to pass along to us is that 6'8 Scott Hazelton, as expected, has transferred from Connecticut to the University of Rhode Island.  However, there is still plenty of things left to happen on Rubin's beat, because five of the top 10 seniors - 6'0 Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 6'7 Arnaud Dahi from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'10 Roman Nambaye-Mbainas from Burlington (Life Center) PA, 6'8 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, and 6'4 Dustin Salisbury from Lancaster  (McCaskey) PA in the area are still available.  As a matter of fact, we understand that Temple has been showing strong interest in Cain, but Rubin also reminds us that the Owls don't currently have any scholarships available.  Rubin also tells us that he plans to move 5'11 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA into the #1 spot ahead of 6'7 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA in the junior class next time he updates his rankings.  Singletary is a good handler and passer, he uses his quickness and athleticism to lock up his man defensively and beat his man in transition, and he gets better and better every time Rubin sees him.   Singletary also is a good football player and an excellent student, which is why he's a prime target for Vanderbilt, as well as Rutgers, Virginia, St. Joseph's, Texas, Ohio State, LSU, and Connecticut.  However, our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz gives the edge to 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA over Singletary.  Lowry also makes good decisions and makes his teammates better, but he also is more of a 3-point threat and is such a tremendous competitor and almost impossible to stop in transition.  Lowry, who currently has Ohio State, Providence, Texas, Virginia, Temple, La Salle, and Stanford on his list, also is the heart-and-sole of the Cardinal Dougherty team and this was especially evident when we saw him lead his team to a third place finish two weeks ago at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE.   Kurz is the best 3-point shooter in the area and, as a result, he has been compared to University of Florida freshman and former Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA star Matt Walsh.  Kurz, who also is an excallent student, is getting the most attention from Stanford, Notre Dame, Villanova, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Indiana, and Penn State.  In other words, it really is that close among the top three juniors (Singletay, Lowry, and Kurz) in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area.  

Monday, January 13, 2003

Our timing couldn't have been any better when we started talking about the possibility of a coaching change at UCLA 11 days ago.  If you will recall, that was right after UCLA beat Washington and right before the Bruins beat Washington State and, as a result, it appeared that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin might have one more rabbit to pull out of his hat.  However, all that changed after UCLA's six-point loss to USC last Wednesday.  And things went from bad to worse on Saturday when St. John's beat the Bruins, 85-70.  "Lavin Ponders Resignation" read the headline of today's Los Angeles Times Sports Page.  "Embattled UCLA basketball Coach Steve Lavin has had discussions with confidants about resigning before the Bruins play another game, sources close to the program said Sunday," says Steve Henson, a staff writer for the Times.   "Rather than continue to endure the criticism of the fans and the lifeless play of his 4-7 team, Lavin believes it might be best to leave voluntarily before Athletic Director Dan Guerrero has a chance to dismiss him."  The article also quotes Guerrero saying that he would not fire Lavin until after the season and we doubt very seriously that Lavin would just quit.  If he did just decide to resign and walk away in the middle of the season, Lavin would be giving up a guaranteed $578,000 salary next year and $150,000 for each of the following five years.   Instead, it is our guess that Lavin is using the media to get the message to Guerrero that he not only wants out, but his agent, Arn Tellem would be willing to negotiate a buy-out of his contract before the end of the season.  "A source who spoke to Lavin on Saturday said he has never seen the coach so dispirited.....Sophomore forward Dijon Thompson and sophomore guard Cedric Bozeman, in particular, have privately voiced frustration that Lavin seems more concerned with keeping the peace than with laying down the law and insisting on a team effort."  Providing even further evidence of the fact that Lavin's heart isn't in it anymore is what we've been hearing second hand via sources who are tight with several UCLA players.  The word is that Lavin is no longer coaching with the same zest and zeal in practice every day.  In other words, it now appears to be more a question of when Lavin will be gone  than whether he will be gone.  And with that comes more questions, like will 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who signed with Bruins in November, try and get out of his National Letter-of-Intent?  Actually Ariza can't get out of it, if his reasoning is that the coach who recruited him is no longer at the school.  Remember, it clearly says on the National Letter-of-Intent that the student-athlete is signing with the member institution and not the coach.  However, there are question marks about Ariza's academics and, as a result, Ariza may be able to follow in the same footsteps as Evan Burns, who is the player Ariza was recruited to replace after UCLA wouldn't admit Burns into school.  However, Burns was eligible according to NCAA standards, which is why he was able to enroll at San Diego State and become eligible immediately.  Also what will Lavin do now?  He certainly has the coaching credentials to get another high level Division I head coaching job.  If you will recall, Lavin has a 139-66 record in six-and-a-half years at UCLA and he guided the Bruins to five Sweet Sixteen NCAA appearances in the six years.  He also has the charm, good looks, quick wit, and knowledge of the game that would make him a natural for television.  And, who knows, maybe he  will exit UCLA and enter into the broadcast fast enough to make it six Sweet Sixteen NCAA appearances in the last seven years (five as a head coach and one as a television analyst).

No guts, no glory!  That was our rational last fall when we published our pre-season college rankings, which included Louisville ranked #10, Connecticut #11, Oklahoma State #19, USC #23, Notre Dame #27, Kansas State #28, and Clemson tied at #30.  Obviously we missed on USC, which currently is only 6-5 on the season, but, as things stand now, we look surpringly good on the other six teams that we went out on a limb on in our pre-season rankings.  And right at the top of the list is Louisville, which not only is off to a 10-1 start, but also is living up to their #8 ranking in our Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for all 328 Division I Teams.  Louisville is currently ranked #18 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll, but, if they beat East Carolina, Texas Christian, DePaul, Tennessee, and Southern Miss later this month, they could be 15-1 and a top 10 team heading into two of their toughest games of the year against Indiana and Cincinnati at home in early February.   In other words, most people still haven't figured it out yet, but Louisville is looking more and more like a legitimate NCAA Final Four team all the time.  The other biggest sleeper prior to the start of the season, according to the HOOP SCOOP, was Kansas State, which started off slow losing four of its first five games, but in the last month has won eight straight games, including a 68-44 upset against #23-ranked Texas Tech on Saturday.  And the rest of Kansas State's schedule is very favorable, as they have to face three of the toughest teams in the league (Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas) only once this year during the regular season.  Kansas State also has only one game against Texas A&M and Baylor and they don't have to play Texas Tech again this season.  However, they do have to play Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, and Iowa State both at home and on the road, which means at least an 8-8 league record is well within their grasp.  That would give the Wildcats 16 wins and would put them right on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, if they win several games in the Big-12 Conference.  And we think Kansas State will be even better a year from now, despite the fact that Pervis Pacso, Matt Siebrandt, and Gilson DeJesus will graduate after this season.  If you will recall, we ranked Kansas State's recruiting class, which included 5'7 Dez Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jeremiah Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'8 Cartier Martin from Aldine (Nimitz) TX, 6'4 Lance Harris from Columbia (Hickman) MO, and 6'10 Tyler Hughes from Olathe (North Olathe) KS, #10 in the nation at the conclusion of the fall signing period.  And this comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which also featured Frank Richards, Jarrett Hart, and Marques Hayden and was ranked also ranked #10 in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, and recruiting class two year ago that included Pervis Pacso, Janerio Spurlock, and Gilson DeJesus and was ranked #19 nationally.  Clemson still doesn't get any respect, because most of their wins have come against Wofford, High Point, Penn State, Maine, Gardner Webb, Winthrop, Liberty, Coastal Carolina, and Morris Brown.  However, knocking off Cincinnati, 58-51, right after the Bearcats beat Oregon in December, is noteworthy, plus Clemson's only loss so far this season has been to Duke, which is currently the #1 ranked team in the nation.  In other words, we still don't know how good Clemson is, but we'll find out in a hurry, because the Tigers play at North Carolina tomorrow night and Virginia, Florida State, Maryland, and Wake Forest are all games that are just around the corner for the Tigers.  Most of the pre-season rankings included Connecticut, which is now 10-1 and ranked #6 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Poll, and Notre Dame, which is now 13-2 and ranked #9 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Poll, but nobody had the Huskies ranked any higher than we did and the only two pre-season publications that we know of that had the Irish ranked higher than we did were Basketball News and the Blue Ribbon Yearbook.  Oklahoma State was ranked #39 by Asscoiated Press, #33 by USA Today/ESPN, #64 by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and #26 by Lindy's Pre-Season Magazine before the season, but we were the only one to have the Cowboys ranked among our pre-season top 20 nationally.  Currently Oklahoma State is 12-1 and ranked #24 in the latest USA Today/ESPN Poll. 

Saturday, January 11, 2003, & Sunday, January 12, 2003

When compared to the 9th Annual Pangos Dream Classic a week ago at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA, the NIKE Extravaganza yesterday at Long Beach State University of Long Beach, CA was anticlimactic.   However, for Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, which lost a week ago in the feature game of the Dream Classic to now #1-ranked Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, last night's game against Miami (Christian) FL, which came into the game ranked #14 nationally by the USA Today, was every bit as important.  Remember, Mater Dei is currently ranked #9 nationally in the USA Today's and, as a result, still has a good shot at being a top five team nationally, as well as an outside shot at being rated #1, at the end of the year, especially since two of the teams - #6-ranked Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA and #8-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - ranked ahead of Mater Dei are from California.  Miami Christian jumped out early to 16-5 lead, thanks to primarily to the efforts of 6'5 Jesus Verdejo, who scored nine of his 23 points in the first quarter.  But, then Mater Dei went on a 19-6 run, as 5'11 Trevante Nelson, who hit four big 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, did most his damage in the second quarter, and Mater Dei coasted from there to an easy 81-67 win.   It also was a tough night for 6'1 Guillermo Diaz from Miami (Christian) FL, who had only six points at half-time and did most of his damage long after the game was over at garbage time.  In other words, Diaz played more like he did a week ago when we saw him get a quiet 14 points versus Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, instead of two weeks ago when he had 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists against Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ and was ranked as the #5-ranked player in the entire tournament at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE by the HOOP SCOOP.   Our guess is that all the travel has caught up to Miami Christian and especially Diaz.  If you will recall, Miami Christian played in the Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, HI right before Christmas, at Slam Dunk to the Beach right after Christmas, and then they flew across the last two weekend to play in games in Los Angeles, CA.  Not only did Diaz not appear to have any legs, but he didn't have the same athleticism, showmanship, and a flare for the spectacular that he had at Slam Dunk to the Beach.  Which means he won't get any consideration from me when voting for the McDonald's All-American Team later this month.  However, that doesn't mean that we've heard the last of Diaz, who brought his 50-inch vertical jump from Puerto Rico to the United States last summer and still is learning the American game, as well as how to play point gaurd.  And that my also be part of the problem, as Miami Christian doesn't have a true point guard and Diaz has been forced into the role.  Not only does he not handle pressure very well, but he has a tendancy to over penetrate, take bad shots, and force things.  The other big difference in the game was depth for Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, which got very balanced scoring from 6'3 Wesley Washington with 15 points, Nelson with 13 points, 6'7 Jr Marcel Jones with 12 points, and 6'9 Harrison Schaen with 12 points, and 6'0 Soph Mike Gerrity with nine points, and lack of depth for Miami Christian, which got 23 apeice from Verdejo and Diaz, but only six points a apiece from 6'4 Raul Orta and 6'5 Carlos Berrocales and only five points from 6'5 Soph Sammy Hernandez.  Other impressive performances earlier in the day at the NIKE Extravaganza were turned by 6'9 Sean Phaler from Villa (Park) CA, who had 25 points and seven rebounds, but only hit 1-4 3-point field goals versus Las Vegas (Durango) NV; 6'4 Jr Matt Sargeant from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, who finished with 25 points, 3-7 3-pointers, and four steals versus Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA; 6'11 Jr Todd Follmer from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and three blocked shots versus Fullerton (Troy) CA; and 6'7 Evan Moore from Brea (Brea Olinda) CA with 31 points and eight rebounds versus Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'9 Soph Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA did not live up his press clippings, as he finished witth 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocked shots against Huntington (Ocean View) CA.  Remember, most people, including Louis Johnson of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, belief that Johnson is the best sophomore in Southern California.   However, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis plans to rank 6'6 Soph Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, as the #1 sophomore in California, as soon as he gets us his updated California Report.  In other words, the debate continues, so stay tuned!

Friday, January 10, 2003

The rumor on the internet is that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin could be gone by as soon as today or tomorrow, but we think that is just wishful thinking on the part of disgruntled Bruin fans.  And this provides a classic illustration of the mentality of UCLA fans, who have wanted to get rid of Lavin after early season loses to mid-level school in recent years, despite the fact the Bruins have been to the NCAA Sweet 16 in five of the last six seasons.  Unfortunately this is a down year for the Bruins and, after a 2-5 start and, more recently, a devastating home loss to USC two nights ago, it appears that the momentum is growing to get rid of Lavin.  However, we don't think anything is likely to happen until the end of the season.   Not only do our sources do not confirm these internet rumors, but we still think Lavin has a chance to turn things around.  Remember, Lavin has a long history of being able to pull a rabbit out of his hat when the going gets tough.  And making the entire feeding frenzy when more unfathomable is the fact that Lavin is a first-class person and has been a great ambassador for UCLA and college basketball over the years.  We also continue to hear rumors about the University of Louisville being close to getting verbal commitments from 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is ranked as the best player nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'1 Jr Brett Lofton from Mayfield (Mason County) KY, who is ranked #59 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, we don't believe anything is close to happening with Telfair, who claims he's wide open, although we do know that Duke is his favorite school and Louisville and Arizona have made the strongest in-roads.  We suspected that Louisville would try and steal Lofton early, but now that the word is out after his incredible four-game performance at the King of the Bluegrass, where he took home tournament MVP honors, we think the University of Kentucky will be tough to beat.  Plus, the Cardinals might be able to do better.  Did you know that Louisville is also strong with some of the other top guards in the nation, like 6'2 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL.  In other words, if Lofton wants to go to Louisville, he'd better not wait too long, because the scholarship may not be on the table much longer.   We do think that 6'3 Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY is close to making a verbal commitment to Ohio State.  As a matter of fact, Bush, who is one of the top football prospects in the nation, but wants to play both sports in college, is making his official visit to Ohio State this weekend.  And Bush, who also has Louisville, Kentucky, Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Oklahoma on his list, is not the only star football player that is visiting Ohio State that weekend who has aspirations to walk-on in basketball.  We're talking about 6'3 Jesse Holley from Roselle (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked #16 in the senior class in in New Jersey in basketball by Chuck Meeker.  We also continue to hear that Kentucky is very interested in 6'7 Barbacar Thiem from Washington (Spingarn) DC.  If you will recall, our Washington, DC area editor Steve Turner told us last fall that Thiem, who is a world-class athlete and showed flashes when we saw him in late December at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE), is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation.  However, what the Wildcats really need is big men.  Let's take a closer look.  Believe it or not, the only two big men currently in the program are 6'11 Jules Camara and 6'9 Marquis Estill, both of whom are seniors.  However, Estill may be able to appeal and get his Prop 48 year back, if he graduates on time next spring.  Kentucky also will lose Keith Bogans after this season, plus they must also start replacing Antwain Barbour, Gerald Fitch, Cliff Hawkins, and Erik Daniels, all of whom are juniors, as well.  The only two sophomores in the program are Chuck Hayes and Josh Carrier, the only two freshmen are Kelenna Azubuike and Brandon Stockton, and their only two recruits in the current recruiting class are 6'7 Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillside) NC and 6'8 Sheray Thomas from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD.  In other words, this spring's and next year's recruiting classes are make or break time, if Tubby Smith has long term plans to remain at the University of Kentucky. 

Thursday, January 9, 2003

Last night's 80-75 victory by USC over UCLA was one of the final nails in the coffin of Bruins head coach Steve Lavin.  Yes, it was the must a game for Lavin, who with every loss now finds that his situation becomes even more precarious.  Right now the Bruins are 4-6 with 17 more regular season games left to play.  St. John's on Saturday at home should be a win.  So should Washington, Washington State, Oregon State, Stanford, and California, all at home, and Oregon State on the road.  Also on paper UCLA should lose to Arizona, Oregon, Arizona State, Stanford, California on the road and to Arizona and Oregon at home.  That would make UCLA's record 11-13 with three games - USC and Georgetown on the road and Arizona State at home - that could go either way.  But even if UCLA wins all three of those game, their record still would be no better than 14-13 going into the post-season conference tournament at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA in early March.  So unless the Bruins pull off a number of major upsets or put together a string of wins in the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament, it becomes only a matter of time before there is a coaching change at UCLA.  Is Lavin a good coach, has he done a good job during his first six season at UCLA, and does he still have a bright future in the business?  The answer obviously is yes in all three cases.  But this is big time college basketball and sometimes a change is necessary.  Remember, struggling to even make the NCAA Tournament, a potential losing season, and an overwhelming number of empty seats for most home games is totally unacceptable at UCLA.  Not only do Lavin's days appear to be numbered, but the list of potential candidates for the job continues to grow, as Alabama's Mark Gottfried, Pittsburgh's Ben Howland, Utah's Rick Majerus, Gonzaga's Mark Few, Missouri's Quin Snyder, Washington's Lorenzo Romar, USC's Henry Bibby, Pepperdine's Paul Westphal, UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass, San Diego's Brad Holland, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger are all names that are now being tossed around.  And UCLA isn't the only high profile program where the natives are restless.  At the University of Kentucky, you can't lose to the University of Louisville and Rick Pitino by 18 points and not take a lot of heat.  And this isn't the first time that Smith has been under the gun.  If you will recall, a year ago the Wildcats were major underachievers and, after a lot of turmoil, four players transferred.  Smith also has taken heat for his team's half-court style of play, inability to shoot the three, starting his son at point guard for two seasons, and not being as good in terms of dealing with the media and publication relations as his predecessor (Pitino).  While Smith can't seem to do anything right in the eyes of the people who should appreciate him the most (Wildcat fans), he is regarded among his peers as one of the best coaches and best people in the business.  As a matter of fact, prior to Smith's second season at Kentucky, his teams overachieved had five straight years at Tulsa in1994 and 1995, at Georgia in 1996 and 1997, and at Kentucky in 1998 when the Wildcats won the NCAA Championship.  Thus, explains why Smith is ranked #11 on our list of the top head coaches, which was published yesterday and can be found by clicking on Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches.  In other words, now might be the perfect time for Smith to find a greener pasture or, at least, one where he will be appreciated a little bit more.  Remember, Smith was rumored for and turned down the Atlanta Hawks job in the spring of 2000, plus he's supposed to be the heir apparent to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown, if and when he ever retires.  And in light of the fact that Tulsa knocked  off UCLA in the NCAA Tournament when during Smith's days as the head coach of the Golden Hurricane, maybe we should add his name to the potential candidates for the UCLA job.  Also extremely interesting is the situation at North Carolina where Tar Heels head coach Matt Doherty seemed to have already turned things around with a great freshman class after a shocking 8-20 season a year ago.  But when 6'8 Sean May, who was the Tar Heels only legitimate inside player, was lost for two months with a knee injury against Iona in late December, everybody held their breath, as they waited to see if history would repeat itself.   Since May was lost, North Carolina has lost to Iona and Miami-FL and beaten St. John's and Davidson.  In other words, we will get a much better indication, as the Tar Heels tip-off their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule on Saturday at Virginia, followed by games at home against Clemson, Connecticut, and Maryland within the next two weeks.  The key is for Doherty to buy enough time to get verbal commitments from several of the top junior big men that he's involved with, like 6'9 Jr Brian Johnson Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'8 Jr Shawn Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL.  Currently North Carolina only has two more scholarships available for both the current class and next year's class, but they continue to recruit players, like 6'5 Jr Earl Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, and 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, just in case another scholarship becomes available.  One job that we know will be open in the spring is Tennessee State, where Nolan Richardson III is being forced out after the alleged gun incident on Christmas day.  However, the smart money says that it's only a matter of time before Penn State, which is currently 5-7, and Virginia Tech, which is currently 5-7, are both open.  Washington State and San Francisco, both with 5-7 records, also need to turn things around in a hurry and Ball State, which was picked first in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference, has been extremely disappointing with a 4-7 record to-date.  And how about Long Beach State, where first-year head coach Larry Reynolds is 1-10, and New Mexico, where former Oregon State head coach Ritchie McKay is 5-7?  Remember, Wayne Morgan at Long Beach State and Fran Fraschilla at New Mexico never did this bad.  In other words, when it comes to hiring and firing coaches, be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.   Also very disappointing so far this season has been Georgia Tech, which is only 6-5 thus far in Paul Hewitt's third season.  In sharp contrast, Clemson (9-1), Colorado (10-3), Auburn (12-2), and Southern Miss (8-4), all of which are places where the head coach needed to do well this season, are all exceeding expectations. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2003

Ranking players is easy compared to ranking the top colleges and our annual rankings of the top college head coaches, assistant coaches, and high school coaches illustrate this point perfectly.  Obviously success is an important criteria when compiling our list of the top 30 head coaches in college basketball today.  As a matter of fact, all but two of the top 22 coaches on the list have been to the NCAA Final Four at least once and our top eight head coaches - Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino, Texas Tech's Bob Knight, Arizona's Lute Olson, Kansas' Roy Williams, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins, Maryland's Gary Williams, and Michigan State's Tom Izzo - have combined for 32 NCAA Final Four appearances and have won 10 NCAA Championships.  Also extremely interesting is the fact that the Atlantic Coast Conference with Krzyzewski, Williams, N.C. State's Herb Sendek, Virginia's Pete Gillen, and Wake Forest's Skip Prosser accounts for five of the top 30 head coaches on our list and it should be only a matter of time before Florida State's Leonard Hamilton and North Carolina's Matt Doherty, both of whom are in the process of rebuilding their programs, make this list.  The Big-12 Conference also has five head coaches on our top 30 list, followed by the Big-10 and the Big East Conferences with four; Conference USA and the Southeastern Conference with three; the Pacific-10 and the Mountain West Conferences with two; and the Atlantic-10 Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, and the Patriot League with one head coach apiece.  We also have come up with a list of the top head coaches who are in the middle of their career, but who have the potential to move onto our list of the top 25 head coaches in the game (must have been a head coach more than five years, but not more than 15 years at the Division I level) and this list, which is headed by Notre Dame's Mike Brey, Alabama's Mark Gottfried, Texas' Rick Barnes, Illinois' Bill Self, Oregon's Ernie Kent, Villanova's Jay Wright, Florida State's Leonard Hamilton, Nebraska's Barry Collier, Rutgers' Gary Waters, and Iowa's Steve Alford also is truly amazing.  And the Big East Conference with Brey, Wright, Waters, Tulane's Perry Clark, and West Virginia's John Beilein, has the most coaches ranked among our top 25 head coaches in the five to 15 years range.  Next, is the Big-10 Conference with four; followed by the Atlantic-10 Conference with three; the Southeastern Conference, Big-12 Conference, Pacific-10 Conference, and Conference USA with two; and the Atlantic Coast Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Ivy League, Western Athletic, and Mountain West Conference with one apiece.  After Kent State's amazing run in the NCAA Tournament, it comes as no surprise that new Arkansas head coach Stan Heath heads our list of the top 25 up-and-coming head coaches in the college game today (must have been a head coach five years or less at the Division I level), but the rest of the list is less of a Who's Who of the Top Head Coaches in the Elite Conferences and more like a list of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the business, as coaches from 17 different conferences are represented on this list.  And, when we combine all three categories, we find that the Big East Conference has the most head coaches represented with 10, followed by the Big-10 Conference with nine; the Atlantic Coast, the Big-12, and the Southeastern Conferences with eight; Conference USA with six; the Atlantic-10 Conference with five; the Pacific-10 Conference with four; and the Mountain West Conference with three.  And you can also make an argument for a number of other outstanding head coaches, like South Carolina's Dave Odom, California Ben Braun, Hawaii's Riley Wallace, St. John's Mike Jarvis, Providence Tim Welch, LSU's John Brady, Baylor's Dave Bliss, New Mexico State's Lou Henson,  Georgia State's Lefty Driesell, Butler's Todd Lickliter, Detroit's Perry Watson, Davidson's Bob McKillop, East Carolina's Billy Herrion, Winthrop's Gregg Marshall, Bowling Green's Dan Dakich Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt, San Diego State's Steve Fisher, New Orleans' Monte Towe, UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass, and Maine's John Giannini, all of whom weren't on the list, but arguably could be.   In other words, college basketball has an overabundance of great head coaches and that's really is what is saving the sport as more top players continue to go hardship earlier and earlier to the NBA earlier.  And just as interesting is our list of the top 40 assistant coaches in the college game today (must be an assistant coach in one of the top conferences in college basketball - ACC, Atlantic-10, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, Conference USA, Mountain West, Pacific-10, Southeastern, and Western Athletic Conference).  That list is headed by Ohio State's Paul Biancardi, Louisville's Mick Cronin, Villanova's Fred Hill, Michigan State's Brian Gregory, USC's Kurtis Townsend, Missouri's Tony Harvey, Illinois' Norm Roberts, Memphis' Steve Roccaforte, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, and  Florida's Anthony Grant.  We also find two other bits of information about the top assistants fascinating.  First, no conference has a decisive advantage over any other conference in terms of having the most top-ranked assistants, as the Big East and Conference USA both check in with six; the Pacific-10 Conference, Big-12 Conference, and the Atlantic Coast Conference have five; the Big-10 and the Mountain West Conferences have fourl the Southeastern Conference has three; and the Atlantic-10 Conference has two assistant coaches ranked among our top 40 assistant coaches.  Second, unlike our three lists of the top head coaches where only 16 of the 81coaches (20%) listed are of a minority status, 20 of the top 40 assistant coaches are black.  And this is important, because this is the pool from which many of the next head coaches will be hired from and, as a result, college basketball is way head of most other  sports in terms of providing equal opportunities for the top people in the field regardless of race and/or ethnic background.  We also have a great list of assistants in the top 10 conferences who will should be considered for our top 40 list as the current assistants on the list continue to move up the ladder in the near future into head coaching jobs.  Plus, we have another list of the top 40 assistant coaches at the lower Division I level, which is headed by George Mason's Mike Gillian, William & Mary's Patrick Skerry, Murray State's Jim Hatfield, Drexel's Geoff Arnold, New Orleans' Patrick Harrington, Middle Tennessee State's Donnie Tyndall, and Northeastern's Frank Martin.  And, if that weren't enough, we also have a list of the top 28 high school and prep school coaches, which is headed by Bob Hurley Sr of Jersey City (St Anthony) NJ, Steve Smith of Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Jack Curran of Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NJ, Kevin Boyle of Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Stu Vetter of Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Gary McKnight of Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Maurice Hicks of New York (Rice) NY, Mike Price of Cincinnati (Oak Hills) OH, and Mike Byrnes of Winchendon (School) MA.  To get our complete list for each category, click on Exclusive Ranking of the Top Coaches.

Tuesday, January 7, 2003

Except for 5'10 Will Bynum, who is transferring from Arizona and likely will pick Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, or Georgia Tech, there is very little happening in the recruiting world right now.  So now seems like the perfect time to publish our updated rankings of the Top 300 Juniors Nationally.  And after his brilliant performance in the 9th Annual Pangos Dream Classic on Saturday, it should come as no surprise that 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY is once again our #1-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2004.  Telfair edges out 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'0 Jr Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'9 Jr Joshua Smith from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, and 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL for top player honors.  Especially interesting is the fact that four of the top six players, 16 of the top 30 players, 46 of the top 100 players on our list are from the South.  It also is interesting is that the three most populous states in the nation have the most players ranked among our top 100 nationally, as New York and California all check in with nine players apiece among our top 100.   Next on the list is North Carolina with seven, followed by Illinois with six; New Jersey and Maryland with five; Georgia, Virginia, Missouri, and Michigan with four; Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington with three; Kentucky, Florida, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Connecticut with two; and Tennessee, Louisiana, Ohio, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and Minnesota with one player who is ranked among our top 100 nationally in the Class of 2004.  Also of significance is the fact that 6'2 Jr DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA to Duke, 6'2 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC to North Carolina, 6'5 Jr Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN to Purdue, 6'9 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC to N.C. State, 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH to Cincinnati, 6'6 Jr J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN to Iowa, 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI to Wisconsin, 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI to Michigan, 6'7 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX to Texas, 6'5 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX to Arizona, 6'5 Jr David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA to Gonzaga, 6'7 Jr Marquis Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI to Michigan State, 7'0 Jr Roy Hibbert from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD to Georgetown, 6'5 Jr Cheyenne Moore from Colora (West Nottingham) MD to Georgetown, 6'6 Jr Cameron Stanley from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC to Wake Forest, and 6'4 Jr Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills) CA to Southern Cal all have already made early verbal commitments.  In other words, 16 of the top 100 juniors are already off the board a full 19 months before they will enroll in college.  And in only two cases did the player pick a school outside of the state in which he resides.  We're talking about Nelson and Angle.  However, we probably shouldn't count Angle, because Iowa head coach Steve Alford not only was one of the most popular players in Indiana University basketball history, but he has tremendous contacts throughout the state.  Which means that Duke is the only program in the nation that has gone clear across the country to pull off an early major recruiting coup in the Class of 2004.    Digging a little deeper we find that this trend continues, as 6'3 Jr Miles Webb from Brooklyn (Park-Center) MN to Minnesota, 5'9 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wymoing Park (H.S.) MI to Michigan State, 6'4 Jr Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WI to Kentucky, 6'2 Jr Michael Flowers from Madison (La Follette) WI to Wisconsin, 6'11 Jr Sam Rayburn from Portland (Sunset) OR to California, 6'1 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA to San Diego, 6'3 Jr Darryl Garrett from Detroit (Denby) MI to Xavier, 6'10 Jr David Ellis from Sacramento (Capitol Christian) CA to California, and 6'0 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (The Bishop's School) CA to San Diego, all of whom are ranked in the 100- 300 range nationally and already verbally committed, either live in the state or a state that neighbors the state where the school they committed to is located.  

Monday, January 6, 2003

Slam Dunk to the Beach Executive Director Bobby Jacobs was on the HOOP SCOOP On-Radio last night and one of the many things he talked about was his Flyin' to the Hoop National Holiday Basketball Invitational Tournament, which will be held at the 5,000 seat student activity center in Vandalia, OH during the Martin Luther King weekend (January 17th-20th).   The place should be packed on the first night, as the two opening games on Friday night (January 17th) feature Bellaire (H.S.) OH versus Vandalia (Butler) OH at 7:00 PM and Cleveland (Shaker Heights) OH versus Zanesville (H.S.) OH.  The schedule on Saturday, January 18th, includes Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA versus Colora (West Nottingham) MD at 11:00 AM, the winner of Bellaire (H.S.) OH-Vandalia (Butler) OH versus the winner of Cleveland (Shaker Heights) OH-Zanesville (H.S.) OH at 12:45 PM, Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 2:30 PM, Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON versus Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD at 4:15 PM, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Lexington (Catholic) KY at 6:00 PM, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and versus Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY at 7:45 PM.  On Sunday, January 19th, games don't tip-off until 1:00 PM when it's the loser of Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX-Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus the loser of Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ-Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY in the first Flyin' to the Hoop Consolation Semi-Final Game.  Then, at 2:45 PM it will be the loser of Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON-Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD versus the loser of Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY-Lexington (Catholic) KY in the second Flyin' to the Hoop Consolation Semi-Final Game, followed by the winner of Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX-Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus the winner of Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ-Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY in the first Flyin' to the Hoop Semi-Final Game at 4:30 PM, the winner of Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON-Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD versus the winner of Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY-Lexington (Catholic) KY in the second Flyin' to the Hoop Semi-Final Game at 6:15 PM, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  On Monday, January 20th, games begin at 11:00 AM with the 7th Place Game in the Flyin' to the Hoop Bracket, followed by the 5th Place Game in the Flyin' to the Hoop Bracket at 12:45 PM, the 3rd Place Game in the Flyin' to the Hoop Bracket at 2:30 PM, the Championship Game of the four-team Ohio bracket at 4:15 PM, and the Championship Game of the eight team Flyin' to the Hoop Bracket at 6:00 PM.   The top players at the Flyin' to the Hoop National Holiday Basketball Invitational Tournament will include 6'5 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Marcus Williams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Earl Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'5 Jr Cheyenne Moore from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'2 Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Jr Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Warren Scott from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Byron Joynes from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'11 Will Bowers from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'8 Jr Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacious from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'7 Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Ousmane Konate from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Robbie Simpson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'6 Jr Glen Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'2 Jr William Graham from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'3 Jr Demetrius Green from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'4 Jr Harrison Morton from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 5'10 Brian Smith from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'5 Soph Albert Webber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'4 Soph Ashford Graves from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Konimba Diarra from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'11 Josh Higgins from Vandalia (Butler) OH, 7'0 Jr Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, 6'5 Kirk Bunn from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'5 Anthony Teague from Cleveland (Shaker Heights) OH, and 6'4 Joshua Washington from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  However, before I get to Flyin' to the Hoop, I also plan to cover the L.I.T. (Louisville Invitational Tournament) in Louisville, KY, which will be held next week, and the NIKE Extravaganza, which will be held on Saturday, January 11th, at Long Beach State University in Long Beach, CA.  The schedule for the NIKE Extravaganza includes Westminster (H.S.) CA versus Anaheim (Servite) CA at 8:30 AM, Bellflowers (St. John Bosco) CA versus Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA at 10:00 AM; Huntington Beach (Ocean View) vesus Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA at 11:30 AM, Glendora (H.S.) VA versus Fountain Valley (H.S.) CA at 1:00 PM, Villa Park (H.S.) CA versus Las Vegas (Durango) CA at 2:30 PM, Fullerton (Troy) CA versus Santa Margarita (Ranco Santa Margarita) CA at 4:00 PM, Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA versus Brea (Brea Olinda) CA at 6:00 PM, Long Beach (Poly) CA versus Concord (DeLaSalle) CA at 7:30 PM and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus Miami (Christian) FL at 9:00 PM. 

Sunday, January 5, 2003

The big story yesterday at the 9th Annual Pangos Dream Classic at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA did not involve 6'7 LeBron James, who is the consensus #1-ranked high school player nationally regardless of class, and the big match-up between Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH.  Instead, the two highlights of the day were the thrilling 84-79 double overtime victory by Carson (H.S.) CA over Compton (Centennial) CA, which got a brilliant effort from 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo, and the incredible performance turned in by 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY in his head-to-head match-up against 6'2 Jr DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA.  Not only did Telfair reestablish himself as the best junior in the nation, but he also put on the best single-game performance we've seen so far this winter.  The official stats only had Telfair with two assists, but he did a great job of setting the table for his teammates and the rest of his game fed off that, as he finished with 11-19 field goals, 6-9 3-pointers, 30 points, and two steals, while playing only 21:16 minutes.  And this isn't the first time we've seen Telfair do something incredible.  Remember, two years ago at the adidas ABCD Camp, when they put him into the same pool with all the top point guards, Telfair not only came through with flying colors, but he outplayed everybody, except for Raymond Felton.    And, if that wasn't impressive enough, Telfair had a spectacular 29-point performance in the Underclassmen All-Star Game at the adidas ABCD Camp two years ago, which was the best individual performance we saw all summer.  Telfair, who had been ranked #1 in his class from 4th grade until last summer by the HOOP SCOOP, can score with the best of them.  But what really makes him special are his ball handling and passing skills and incredible speed and quickness.  As a matter of fact, one knowledgeable fan told me that Telfair is the quickest point guard he's ever seen.   And, if that weren't enough, Telfair also had nice things to say about Nelson, who only had 10 points at half-time, but finished with 37 points, most of which came long after Telfair had called it a night.  Telfair says he has every intention of going to college, but adds that his recruitment is too wide open to provide us with a list at this time.  However, Lincoln High School head coach Dwayne Morton tells us that Louisville and Arizona are currently way out in front of all the rest.  We've been saying since last fall that Afflalo was the best junior in Southern California and, after hitting 15-30 field goals and 5-8 3-pointers en route to 42-points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals against Carson, I'm sure a lot of other people will start to jump on the bandwagon.  We're talking about an athletic combo guard with excellent size, great court vision and excellent passing skills, and the ability to beat you outside with his jump shot or inside with his strength and moves to the basket.  We're also talking about a great sleeper for a top 25 junors nationally next time we update our national rankings and, as a result, his list of schools, which includes Kansas, DePaul, Louisville, USC, UCLA, Connecticut, Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona, should come as no surprise.  And Afflalo wasn't the only player who turned in an outstanding performance in this game, as 6'9 Ekene Ibekwe finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and six rebounds, 6'5 Soph Brian Harvey finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and 6'4 Samuel Hill finished with 19 points for Carson (H.S.) CA.  Getting back to the big game of the evening, which was televised nationally by ESPN2, the only memorable play of the entire game came early when James made an incredible pass to 6'6 Romeo Travis, who was trailing him on the fastbreak and converted the pass for a layup.  James did have 21 points and nine rebounds, but by his standards, his performance was mediocre.  And a big reason why James didn't play well was his shot wasn't going down.  This was evident by the fact that James only hit 8-24 field goals.  Both teams also seemed to be effected by the fact that the game was on national television.   Not only did the television timeouts disrupt the flow of the game, but neither team seemed to subscribe the John Wooden theory, whereby, you should be quick, but not hurry.  Thus, explains why both teams played at a frantic pace, missed so many easy shots, and made so many mistakes.  As a matter of fact, it took over two minutes for anybody to score a single point and it was only 11-11 at the end of the first quarter.  However, early in the second quarter St. Vincent-St. Mary went on a 14-7 run and, from that point on, the game was well in hand, despite the fact the final score was 64-58 score.  Still, James was clearly a man among boys and he even found a little time to do some trash talking in the final minute of the game, as he told some people behind the basket that his team would be ranked #1 nationally in next week's poll.   The leading scorer and rebounder for Mater Dei was 6'3 Wesley Washington with 18 points and eight rebounds. 

Saturday, January 4, 2003

The game between Miami (Christian) FL and Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA last night at the Fourth Annual California Hoops Challenge at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA provided us with more questions than answers about 6'1 Guillermo Diaz from Miami (Christian) FL.  If you will recall, Diaz was sensational when we saw him five days ago on the final day at Slam Dunk to the Beach, as he finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists against Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ and was ranked as the #5 player in the entire tournament by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, Diaz had a very quiet 14 points in last night's game and the reason why Diaz was so disappointing probably was a combination of several things.  First, Miami Christian head coach Art Alvarez told us after the game that his players didn't have any legs and this understandable, because his team has to be fatigued by all the travel.  Remember, they played in the Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, HI right before Christmas, at Slam Dunk to the Beach right after Christmas, and then they flew across the country again to play in the tournament last night.  As a matter of fact, the only player on Miami Christian who appeared to be fresh and up to the task of helping his team, which lost 60-50 to Fairfax, make a comeback was 6'5 Jesus Verdejo.  Second, the Fairfax team and 6'5 Jr Joshua Shipp did a great job defensively on Diaz, as they prevented him from driving inside and using his 50-inch vertical leap to get all the spectacular dunks that he dazzled the crowd with earlier in the week at Slam Dunk to the Beach.  Instead, Diaz ended up taking a lot of off balance shots, many of which bounced off the rim, and forced things, as he got double and triple teamed when he penetrated too far into the lane.  Third, Diaz's outside shot didn't look nearly as good as it did at Slam Dunk to the Beach.   However, Alvarez assures us that his players will be more rested and ready to play when they are back out here next week to play against Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA in the NIKE Extravaganza at Long Beach State University.  Verdejo led Miami Christian with 20 points and 6'4 Raul Orta finished with 10 points, as the two we just mentioned and Diaz accounted for 44 of their team's 50 points.  Accounting for three of the other six points was 6'7 Soph Sammy Hernandez from Miami (Christian) FL, but he lost big in the battle of the undersized sophomore big men, as 6'6 Soph Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA finished with 18 points and dominated the boards.  We also were impressed by Shipp and 6'6 Alex Bausley, who combined for 27 points, but disappointed with the shot selection by 5'11 Kevin Bell, although Bell's point guard play and ability to get his teammates involved was one of the differences in the game.  We also got a chance to see part of the game between Bakersfield (Garces) CA and Los Angeles (Eisenhower) CA and the near triple-double by 7'0 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Garces) CA, who finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and six blocked shots.  We still don't think Swift should be ranked among the elite top players nationally in the junior class (currently we have him #67), but he does continue to show more athleticism, agility, and coordination.  Louis Johnson of the Long Beach Press-Telegram tells us that earlier in the day 6'9 Soph Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'2 Jr Brice Taylor from North Hollywood (Verbum Dei) CA, and 5'8 Jr Mike Pagan from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA also were extremely impressive.  Johnson, who is ranked #44 nationally in the sophomore class, by the HOOP SCOOP, finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 17 blocked shots against a strong Los Angeles (Price) CA team.   When was the last time you saw a player have more blocked shots than he did either points or rebounds?  Thus, explains why Johnson thinks Johnson is the best sophomore in the state ahead of 5'10 Soph Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, Boykin, and 6'5 Soph Brian Harvey from Carson (H.S.) CA, all of whom the HOOP SCOOP currently has ranked ahead of him.  As a matter of fact, Johnson doesn't even think it's close.  Taylor, who is getting early interest from Duke, scored 35 points against Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA and Pagan, who is tough hardnosed point guard, ran the show, made his teammates better, and created havoc defensively against Los Angeles (Price) CA.  Getting back Miami Christian, Verdejo, who is an incredible slasher/athlete, and Orta, who is a long range 3-point shooter, both not only complement one another extremely well, but they both are considering a number of the same schools, although Alvarez insists that a package deal isn't in the works.  He also tells us that Memphis is the strong favorite for Verdejo over schools like Marquette, South Florida, Alabama, Northeastern, Hofstra, and Drexel.   South Alabama apparently is the leader for Orta, but Indiana, Northeastern, Hofstra, and Drexel are also showing serious interest.  We also understand via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that San Diego has another early verbal commitment from 6'2 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H..S) CA.  Not only was Keeler ranked #14 in the junior class in the state the last time our California Editor Dinos Trigonis updated his rankings, but is commitment moves San Diego's recruiting class into a tie at #15, along with California, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date in the Class of 2004.

Friday, January 3, 2003

After UCLA's win last night at Washington, I got a chance to hear first-hand the UCLA radio announcers play it straight and the UCLA talk about how they need to get rid of head coach Steve Lavin, despite the fact the Bruins won beat the Huskies, 87-77.  One UCLA fan even went so far as to suggest they bring Georgia head coach Jim Harrick back.   Sure, UCLA is only 3-5 on the season, but a win at Washington State tomorrow would give the Bruins the momentum they need heading into next week's home games against USC and St. John's.  In other words, this is make or break time for the Bruins this season.   Win the next three and UCLA would be 6-5 heading into a road trip there road trip at Arizona and Arizona State.  And if they split those two games, UCLA would probably have to go 11-3 the rest of the way in a Pacific-10 Conference, where there aren't any great teams this year, except for Arizona and Oregon, in order to make the NCAA Tournament with 18 wins.  Obviously this is going to be difficult, but not impossible, especially since 6'7 Andre Patterson is back and playing the best basketball of his college career (last night Patterson had 12 points and 12 rebounds) and 6'7 Marcedes Lewis, who is a terrific athlete and a physical specimen inside, will soon join the team after a temporary layoff after the football season.   However, if UCLA gets beat by Washington State, which is definitely a possibililty, USC next Thursday, and/or St. John's a week from tomorrow, there is no question that the Lavin-has-to-go rhetoric will get a lot louder.   But our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis still thinks Lavin will get another year, even if the Bruins don't make the tournament this year.  "The question is whether the big money people are going to put up or shut up," says Trigonis.  Obviously Trigonis doesn't think UCLA will come with the millions of dollars that it's going to take to buy-out both the football coach and the basketball coach and hire a big name basketball coach in the same year.  And assuming Trigonis is right, Lavin still has some major needs to fill, like a quality point guard and dominating big man, but he doesn't currently have any scholarships available right now in this recruiting class.  Remember, UCLA's recruiting class was tied at #44, along with USC and Virginia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes from the Fall Signig Period with 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'9 Sean Phaler from Villa Park (H.S.) CA both in the fold.  And while Ariza, who is ranked #15 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Phaler, who is ranked #62 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are both excellent players, neither Ariza nor Phaler is what UCLA needs to fill those needs.  The other interesting item that I've been following closely is the emergence of the University of Louisville this season and it finally looks like the Cardinals are starting to get the respect they deserve after their big 18-point win against Kentucky last Saturday.  If you will recall, we had the Cardinals ranked #10 in our pre-season college basketball rankings and #8 in our talent ratings.  But nobody else has been willing to follow suit, especially after Louisville lost its second game of the season to Purdue.  However, since that time they've gone 6-0 and are now 7-1 on the season.  They also are ranked #24 by Associated Press this week and they just missed being ranked among the top 25 in this week's USA Today/ESPN poll.   They also are ranked #10 nationally in the Sagarin Rankings and there may not be any end in sight, as 6'10 Marvin Stone, who has been eligible for only the last three games so for this season and is averaging a double-double, and the rest of the young players (i.e Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean) continue to gain valuable experience and confidence.  As a matter of fact, with road games at Ohio State tomorrow and Charlotte, East Carolina, Tennessee, and Southern Mississippi and home games against Saint Louis, Texas Christian, and DePaul, it's not inconceivable that Louisville won't go undefeated in the month of January.  And, if that happens, the Cardinals would be ranked among the top 10 nationally, as they head into the tougher part of their schedule, which includes Indiana, Cincinnati, Memphis, Marquette, and Charlotte at home and Houston, Saint Louis, Marquette, Cincinnati, and DePaul on the road in February and early March.  In other words, we think Louisville is a great sleeper for the NCAA Final Four this year, along with Arizona and whichever other two teams get hot between now and then.  Yes, it really is that wide open.   However, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino at Providence in 1987 and Kentucky in 1993 has been the coach of a team still playing the last two times the NCAA Final Four has been played in New Orleans, LA.  Not only do things like this often happen in threes, but Louisville has the talent, depth, and with Reece Gaines finally playing the point guard spot, the chemistry necessary to be one of the teams this year.  And if it happens, remember where you heard it first!

Sometimes the media just doesn't get it.   We're talking about an article that appeared earlier this week in the Wilmington News Journal by Mike Finney.  Instead, of talking about the great job that Bobby Jacobs, who is the Executive Director of Slam Dunk to the Beach, has done building his tournament into what is arguably the best holiday tournament in the nation in recent years or the great job he's done the last two years of continuing to get the top high school talent in the nation to Lewes, DE, despite the fact NIKE has decided to go head-to-head against him with their own tournament the week after Christmas in Houston, TX, Finney wants to talk about the absence of Delaware teams at Slam Dunk to the Beach.  "For those basketball fans who wanted to see the best boys high school teams from Delaware compete, the Slam Dunk to the Beach tournament was not the place to be Saturday (December 28th)," said Finney.   "For the first time in its 13-year history, the Slam Dunk had no team from Delaware taking the Cape Henlopen High court during a day of tourney games.   Robert F. Jacobs, president and CEO of the tournament downplayed the issue.   The gym, which holds about 3,500 fans, was just over half full for Saturday's early schedule' it was full for Saturday night's games.  'It's no big deal, it's just the way the brackets worked out,' Jacobs said.  "People aren't coming to watch the Delaware teams, anyway.  That's evident by every Tuesday and Friday night (in the regular season) when you still can't fill the house.'"  Jacobs also tells us that it makes no difference from an attendance standpoint whether a national team or a Delaware team is playing.  The article goes on to quote several fans saying that it would be nice if more Delaware teams played and it also touches on the fact that local teams are fewer and further between every year.  As a matter of fact, there is even a chart that shows how the number of Delaware teams expanded as the tournament grew in size from 1990 to 1998 and has shrunk as Jacobs has cut the field from a maximum number of teams in 1999 to 34 teams this year.  The article even mentions that the four Delaware teams - Lewes (Cape Henelopen) DE, Laurel (H.S.) DE, Wilmington (St. Mark's) DE, and Hockessin (Sanford) DE - all played on Sunday, December 29th, but didn't mention just how uncompetitive the local teams are.  In the 13-year history of the tournament, Delaware teams have a combined 28-63 record in the tournament and not since 1992 have Delaware teams won more games than they lost in the tournament.  This year the local teams were a combined 1-5 and the only win, which was by Hockessin (Sanford) DE, came against a bad Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA team.  In other words, people like Finney had better be careful what he wishes for, because, if Jacobs were to put one of the Delaware teams in the Slam Dunk to the Beach Bracket, it would be glaring obvious just how uncompetitive the local teams would be on a national basis.  Unfortunately Finney had his own agenda when writing this article and, as a result, he didn't bother get to any quotes from the many people, like us, who make it a point not to show up when the Delaware teams are playing.   And, if Finney has his way, Slam Dunk to the Beach would follow in the footsteps of the Beach Ball Classic, which for a five or six-year period was beyond question the best high school holiday tournament in the nation.  However, while the Beach Ball Classic is still an excellent tournament, the decision was made five or six years ago to cut back in only a 16-team format and not do all the things that are necessary to get an overwhelming number of the top players nationally.   Fortunately for tourism in the state of Delaware and the local economy in Lewes, DE, Jacobs has no such plans.  Instead, his goal is to continue to have the best holiday tournament in the nation and we look forward to coming to his tournament for years to come. 

Thursday, January 2, 2003

After a busy holiday tournament season, I have gone straight to the West Coast and am anixiously anticipating the Dream Classic, which will be held at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on January 4, 2003 and promises to be one of the premier single-day basketball events of the entire year.  Obviously the big match-up will be between 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the consensus #1-ranked high school player in the nation, and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, which not only is the top high school team in Southern California, but also was ranked as high as the pre-season #1 team in the nation by Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and was ranked #4 nationally by the USA Today prior to losing to New York (Rice) NY in the semi-finals of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  However, the three teams - Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Miami (Christian) FL, and Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ - that were ranked ahead of Mater Dei in the USA Today's latest poll, which was on Tuesday, December 17th, also got knocked off during the holiday season.  And so did everybody ranked below Mater Dei, except for St. Vincent-St. Mary, which already has two very impressive wins this year against two of the best teams in the nation in Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Columbus (Brookhaven) OH.  In other words, the winner of this game should be the #1-ranked team in the nation when the USA Today publishes its next poll next Tuesday.   But the real reason why ESPN2 will be broadcasting the game live nationally at 6:30 PM on Saturday night is because Lebron James already is basketball's best drawing card since Michael Jordan.  Don't believe it?  Well, on Thursday, December 12th, when EPSN2 televised the game between Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, the all-sports network drew a 2.0 rating (1.77 million homes), which means that the game attracted the largest audience for a regularly scheduled event in the cable network's nine year history.  It also was the highest rated show since February 18, 2001 when RPM Tonight had a 2.15 rating due to the death of Dale Earnhart.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that James scored 31 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and dished out six assists, as he led his team to a stunning 20-point victory over the #1-ranked team in the nation in that first ESPN2 game  Obviously anybody interested in basketball will be tuning in this time to see if James can do it again.  Our guess is that he will more than live up to the expectations.  As a matter of fact, from the time we first saw James play two years ago in Columbus, OH when he got 33 points against Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to the adidas ABCD Camp a-year-and-a-half ago when he totally destroyed Leonard Cooke and was the best player in camp to winning two state championships and finishing second in a third to all the games he's played in so far this season before packed houses, James has always risen to the challenge throughout his career.  And that's one of the reasons why we think James is up to the task of being the #1 pick in the NBA Draft a year from now and being one of the better players in the NBA from day one.  Yes, LeBron James is that good!  And that's why this is such a great story!  Remember, true greatness in this day-and-age is hard to find.  Not only will we get a chance to see if James is up to the task once again on Saturday night, but we also will get to see three other high school games and some great match-ups.  The first game, which will tip-off at 3:00 PM, will feature Los Angeles (Loyola) CA versus Lakewood (Mayfair) CA.  That's 6'3 Omar Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who is bound for Kansas, versus 6'6 Justin Hawkins from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who is bound for Utah.  Then, at 4:45 PM, it will be Compton (Centennial) CA with Maryland-bound 6'8 Ekene Ibekwe versus Carson (H.S.) CA with 6'4 Jr Aaron Afflalo, who, in our opinion, is the best junior in Southern California.  Next, will be the big match-up between Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA at 6:30 PM, followed by Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Vallejo (H.S.) CA at 8:15 PM. Yes, that's 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, versus 6'2 Jr DeMarcus Nelson, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is verbally committed to Duke.  In other words, it looks like tournament director Dinos Trigonis has hit the jackpot with this year's Dream Classic, which is sponsored by Pangos.   Plus, we wouldn't be surprised if Trigonis doesn't have a few other surprises up his sleeve.  And, if that weren't enough for us to look forward to, we also plan on being at the game between Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA and Miami (Christian) FL tomorrow night.   Not only will we get a chance to see 6'6 Soph Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is ranked #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but we also will get another look at 6'1 Guillermo Diaz from Miami (Christian) FL.  If you will recall, Diaz made his national debut last week at Slam Dunk to the Beach, where he not only finished ranked #5 in the tournament by the HOOP SCOOP, but, with his 50-inch vertical leap and flair for the spectacular, also is one of the most exciting players we've seen a long time. 

Wednesday, January 1, 2003

Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead was at the 20th Annual Arby's Classic in Bristol, TN and he tells us that in the che championship game last night Marietta (Wheeler) GA beat Mansfield (H.S.) OH, 68-51.  And the secret to Wheeler's success was 6'9 Jemario Davidson's ability to dominate the boards and get the ball out to 6'1 Soph Sharoud Curry, 6'2 Tremaine Aaron from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 6'3 Richard McCray in transiton.  Speaking McCray, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, did you know that he is going to Alabama, along with his teammate (Davidson)?  Neither did we until Whitehead called today to provide us with this report.  McCray is a terrific athlete who is strong defensively and excellent at filling the lanes.  However, Whitehead questions McCray's outside shooting and whether he's good enough to be more than a role player in the Southeastern Conference.  Perhaps McCray is part of the Davidson-package to Alabama and he'll be a walk-on or perhaps even he's getting a scholarship in another sport.  Obviously we'll check this out further and get back to you.  Also named to the all-tournament were Aaron; Davidson, who, according to Whitehead, saved his best game for the championship game, as he finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, nine blocks in the championship game; 6'2 Antonio Graves from Mansfield (Senior) OH; 6'3 Jr Yima Chia-Kur from Mansfield (Senior) OH; 5'9 Ryan Saunders from Orlando (William R. Boone) FL; 5'11 Denny Philemond from Orlando (William R. Boone) FL; and 6'5 Drew Hauser from Maryville (H.S.) TN.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'2 Lee Humphrey from Maryville (H.S.) TN, who ranked #139 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was left of the all-tournament team, despite the fact he had 28 points the first night against Kingsport (Dobbins-Bennett) TN, 22 points the second night against Johnson City (Science) TN, and was as good as anybody in the tournament.  However, Humphrey had a viral infection and didn't play on the Monday and Tuesday.  So without its star player, it comes as no surprise that Maryville (H.S.) TN, which won its first two games in the tournament, lost its last two, getting beat by Orlando (William Boone) TN, 4947, in the Third Place Game.  Other players who impressed Whitehead were 6'6 Andre Woodson from Radcliffe (North Hardin) TN, who is already verbally committed to play football at the University of Kentucky; 6'2 Soph Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) TN, who is already getting early interest from schools like North Carolina and Arizona; 6'3 Soph Jon Avery from Mansfield (Senior) OH; and 6'7 Vincent Redd from Elizabethton (H.S.) TN, who most likely will play football (Tennessee leads).   Speaking of Redd, who went head-to-head with Davidson in what was the best match-ups in the tournament, he appedars to be a legitimate sleeper for somebody looking for size at the mid-to-low Division I level.  There were also two foreign teams in the Arby's Classic and Whitehead tells us that 6'8 Tommaso Rinaldi from Rimini, Italy and 6'5 Felix Zzerny from Urspring, Germany both will attract Division I interest.  Rinaldi is slow afoot, but he's fundamentally sound and very skilled in the post.  Zzerny is a good outside shooter, ball handler, and passer, plus he is an excellent student, which is why schools, like Stanford, Davidson, and Vanderbilt, are showing interest. 

For Hot Recruiting Information from earlier in the month click on
January 2003