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Sunday, January 31, 1999

Yesterday, we saw Fresno (Washington Union) CA beat Fresno (Clovis West) CA, 83-73, but the game really wasn't that close, as Washington Union jumped out early and was up 21 at half-time. Nobody in the nation brings the house down with their earth shattering slam dunks and athletic moves to the basket better than 6'5 DeShawn Stevenson, who ranks as the #3 junior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP. Obviously he was the highlight of the day, as he scored 22 points, made some excellent passes, and rebounded extremely well for his size. He also showed he can catch and shoot from beyond the arc, but for Stevenson to live up to his tremendous potential, he has to learn to create off the dribble. Also playing well for Washington Union was 6'6 Carvell Wafer, who did all the dirty work inside, and 6'5 Shamell Stallworth, who showed signs of being able to play away from the basket. However, 6'2 Jr Deshawn Anderson did not play like one of the top juniors in California, which is where he is ranked by Joel Francisco in his most recent addition of Southern California's Finest Scouting Service. He's athletic, quick to the hole, and can shoot the three, but he's not ready for prime time just yet. We also were disappointed in 6'5 Frosh Charlie Rodriquez, who is a legit top 30 freshman nationally, but certainly isn't the next great player from Fresno. First of all, he's not 6'6, he's 6'5. And what you see might be what you get, because the word is that he's a year or two older than his grade. Growth is the guy, because his game is almost entire inside. He does have an excellent upper body, quick hands and feet, and is an enforcer at this level inside. Rodriquez was complemented by 5'11 Ashley Knowlton, 6'2 Brad Hertel, and 6'1 Soph Chris Hernandez. Hernandez, who is the son of one of the assistant coaches, is an excellent 3-point shooter. Hertel is an athletic tough blue collar white kid who isn't afraid to take it the hole. Knowlton is also a competitor and he grows on you, because he beats you with his hustle, ability to score off the dribble, and excellent handling and passing skills. As a result, he's the one player on Clovis West who really needs to move up.

Several week ago 6'2 Fred Primus, who established his national reputation a year and a half ago when he shot the lights out at the NIKE All-American Camp, was suspended from the University of Pittsburgh due to off the court legal difficulties. However, according to our Ohio Editor Editor Chris Johnson, a number of other schools, including Cincinnati, Maryland, Temple, and Kansas State, all appear to be perfectly willing to give Primus a second chance.

Saturday, January 30, 1999

Seton Hall, Providence,Villanova, and St. John's are all on the early list for 6'6 Jr Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who ranks as one of the top 10 juniors in New York City by Ron Naclerio. As long as we're talking about Lincoln High School, which was Stephon Marbury's old school, current Lincoln senior 5'10 Sylvester Telfair has a little brother in 7th grade who promises to be the next great point guard from New York City. As a matter of fact, several observers who saw Marbury and have seen Sebastian Telfair at the same stage think that Telfair is better. That's a strong statement, because we had Marbury ranked as the #1 sixth grader in the nation. Right now Telfair is still in junior high school, but already there are rumors that former Lincoln head coach Bobby Hartstein may come out of retirement to coach the kid. But for that to happen, Lincoln would have to get the kid first. And there is no guarantee that will happen, as schools like Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and Brooklyn (Grady) NY are already recruiting the kid. So is Providence, because Sebastian has been up there several times to see Jamal Thomas, who like his adopted brother.

HOOP SCOOP Philadelphia Area Allen Rubin tells us that he's excited about the plethora of good young point guards he's seen in his area. We already told you about 6'0 Frosh Jerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop McNamara) PA, who had 23 points last weekend when Rubin saw him against Solebury (School) PA. Then on Tuesday night Rubin was also very impressed with 6'2 Frosh Adam Payton from Burlington (Township) NJ and on Friday he saw 6'4 Frosh Mike Cook from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA score 41 points, including three 3-pointers, and hand out five assists against Abington (Friends) PA. McNamara, Payton, and Cook all have mid-to-high Division I potential, but obviously Cook, who ranks as one of the top two or three freshmen in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area by Rubin, is the best right now. Rubin has yet to see 5'11 Frosh Dominic Mejic from Voorhees (Eastern) NJ, but word is that Mejic also belongs in that elite young point guard group.

The rumor about Carlos Boozer being close to making a verbal commitment to Duke is not true, according to Boozer's AAU coach Darren Matsubara. As a matter of fact, Matsubara says the only new thing involving Boozer, who is still considering UCLA, Duke, and St. John's, is that he's grown an inch and is now 6'10. Matsubara also tells us that Boozer probably won't seriously start thinking about making a decision until after his high school season is over and that he will likely make an announcement in Detroit, MI when he's at the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic in early April. If this is the scenario, we think he will pick UCLA, because we can't see him annoucing for Duke, which is a NIKE school, at an adidas event.

Roy Schmidt and Harv Schmidt, who publish the Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye Scouting Report and also write for All-Star Sports, have sent us the results from Hoops In The Loop, which was last weekend. In the first game on Saturday, January 23rd, Chicago (Crane) IL beat Chicago (Robeson) IL, 61-49.  The top performer in the game was Crane's 6'4 Jr Maurice Bush, who had 19 Points and nine rebounds. Chicago (Providence-St. Mel beat Gary (Westside) IN, 77-71, in the second game thanks to the efforts of 6'3 Soph Levar Seals, who had 21 points and seven rebounds. Seals is now the Schmidt's #2 sophomore in Illinois. Game #3 featured 6'5 Carlton Baker from East Chicago (Central) IN, who was the best player the Schmidt's saw either day. "He's the best player in Indiana and top 30 nationally," says the Schmidt's. "Kasberg was right on the money. It is a shame Baker is a head case. He could be ineligible again as early as next week." In that game East Chicago (Central) IN beat Chicago (Dunbar) IL, 61-60. Baker had 33 points, 19 rebounds, 11-13 FG's, and four blocks. In the final game on Saturday, Minneapolis (De LaSalle) MI beat Hillcrest (Country Club Hills) IL, 57-48. De LaSalle was led by 6'3 Ben Johnson, who had 21 Points and six rebounds, and 6'3 Jonathan Sims, who hit 6-9 3-point field goals en route to 24 points. On Sunday, January 24th, Schaumburg (H.S.) IL beat Elgin (H.S.) IL, 49-48, in the first game of the day. The top performance was turned by Elgin's 6'5 Jr Marcus Smallwood, who had to carry the load with 14 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks, because his highly touted teammate 6'1 Sean Harrington didn't play due to stomach cramps. In game #2, Palos Hills (Stagg) IL beat Deerfield (H.S.) IL, 46-32, thanks to the efforts of 6'8 Joe Scott, who had 21 points and three blocks. In the next game Peoria (Central) IL knocked off Chicago (Gordon Tech) IL, 57-49. Marcellus Sommerville, the outstanding 6'5 Soph for Central had 11 points and 13 rebounds. Next, Chicago Heights (Bloom) IL beat Winnetka (New Trier) Il, 70-62. The best player in the game was 6'7 C.C. Malone. He finished with 21 points and rebounds, while 6'4 Jr Phil Alexander help out with 22 points and 9 rebounds.

Friday, January 29, 1999

Jackson (Provine) MS has beaten Jackson (Lanier) MS already twice this year, but Lanier's 6'9 Jr Darius Rice clearly outplayed Provine's 6'7 Jr Justin Reed in their most recent meeting. Rice had three 3-pointers in the 4th quarter, as he went for 29 points, but Reed from Jackson (Provine) MS only had five points. However, Reed had plenty of help from 6'5 Aaron Harper and 6'1 Marcus Terrell, who signed with Mississippi and Southern Mississippi, respectively in the fall. But Rice had to do most of it himself, as 6'5 Joe Ward, who transferred from Clinton (H.S.) MS in the summer, was out with an injured back. "That was probably the best and toughest that Darius has played all year," said Lanier head coach Thomas Billups. "He took some hard fouls, but never quit out there." Currently Reed ranks #31 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, while Reed checks in at #37. But if the trend continues, don't be surprised if Reed passes Ward up by the end of the year.

Last night we finished our an article for the USA Today's Web Page that included our ranking of the top 60 juniors nationally and, as a result, we can draw some very interesting conclusions about the class. First, the Class of 2000 appears to be the "Year of the Point Guard and/or Power Forward," as 15 of the top 20 players in the Class of 2000 play one of those two positions. Digging a little deeper, 16 of our top 60 juniors are power forwards, but the most loaded position is point guard, as 17 of our top 60 play this position. Second, Illinois, California, New England, and New York appear to be the best areas for top talent. Illinois has four juniors ranked among our top 20 nationally, while New York features three point guards who rank among our top 13. California has six players who rank among the top 60, but the best area appears to be New England. And if you throw in the growing amount of 5th year players who will be at the traditional prep powerhouses, like Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, Winchendon (School) MA, New Hampton (Prep) NH, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Milford (Academy) CT, and Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA…well, you get the idea! We are still working on our complete national player list for each class and hope to have it published on our web page by the end of next week. Obviously, these things don't happen over night, as is evident by the fact that our nationaly player list is over 100 pages, instead of just usual only 100 names that our competitors often provide.

Thursday, January 28, 1999

We have a very reliable source who tells us that 6'3 Soph Rashaad Carruth will withdrawing from Decatur (Cathedral Prep) GA either today or tomorrow and will be enrolling at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA on Monday. This is huge, because Carruth is one of the best shooters in the nation and he has tremendous natural talent and potential. However, he has not played well this year and during the holiday tournament season his weaknesses (i.e. can't shoot off the dribble) got exposed. Currently Oak Hill ranks as the #1 high school team in the nation, according the USA Today, but Carruth won't influence how they play the rest of the season, except maybe in practice, because he won't be eligible until next season.

Eastern Michigan head coach Milton Barnes and Toledo head coach Stan Heath were both on hand for a game last week between Pontiac (Northern) MI and Ferndale (H.S.) MI. Barnes was checking out 6'2 Nucleus Smith from Northern and 6'4 Randy Royal from Ferndale. Heath was there to see 6'4 Frosh Lester Abrams from Pontiac (Northern) MI, who showed why Vincent Baldwin, the Editor and Publisher of Michigan & Ohio Prep Spotlight, has him ranked as the #3 freshman in the state, as he pumped in 14 points.

After being in the shadow of 6'8 DeAndre Hulett, who is now tearing it up in the junior college ranks at the College Sequoias (JC) CA, at Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI the last two years, 6'5 Jason Richardson has established himself as the co-favorite, along with 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MU for Mr. Basketball in Michigan. Richardson, who is averaging 25.8 ppg, 12.6 rpg, 4.3 apg, 3.3 spg, and 2.0 bpg, has displayed a much improved shooting touch to go along with his breath-taking slam dunks. "He reminds me of Jumaine Jones of Georgia, except he's a tad smaller," says Chris Johnson of the HOOP SCOOP. "Like Jones who played in the shadow of Dion Glover, Richardson has tremendous athletic ability and he continues to get better and better now that he is out of the shadow of Hulett."

Although Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien and his staff, headed by Dave Spiller and Paul Biancardi, have been on the job only since April of 1997, the job they have done since then is phenomenal. Despite losing a hard fought five point decision at East Lansing, MI for first place on Wednesday, Ohio State has handed Indiana head coach Bob Knight his worst loss in 28 years, Purdue head coach Gene Keady his worst loss in 19 years at Purdue, and last Saturday pounded Minnesota 89-60 in front of 20 underclassmen from Ohio and around the country. Among those spotted in attendance by Chris Johnson of the HOOP SCOOP include 5'10 Super Soph Brian Swift from Bedford (Chanel) OH, 6'7 sleeper Jr Justin Miller from Jamestown (Southwestern) NY, 6'6 Jr Robbie Owens from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 6'9 Jr Ardo Armpalu from Wellston (H.S.) OH. With this year's recruiting class done, O'Brien and his staff have a head start on the future.  In otherwords, don't look for players like Samaki Walker, Kenny Gregory, and Jason Collier to get away in the future.

Wednesday, January 27, 1999

The other day our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg called to tell us how well 6'5 Carlton Baker from East Chicago (Central) IN has been playing, but he didn't tell us about the biggest sleeper in the state and perhaps the nation. Today he did. For the last three years 5'11 Jason Carter from Gary (Mann) IN has been homeless, but that doesn't mean that this left handed phenomenal athlete can 't play. He's still very raw, undisciplined, and has too much mustard in his game, but the other night he had a several impressive tomahawk dunk and hit three deep 3-pointers, as he went for 35 points against Indianapolis (Pike) IN, which are the defending state champions in the highest classification in Indiana. Kasberg tells us that Carter will have to go the junior college route, but apparently his life is heading in the right directon, because a city counsel man has adopted the kid and he now has a stable environment to grow up in. How good is Carter? Kasberg plans to rank him #3 in the state behind Baker and ahead of 6'6 Richard Wright from East Chicago (Central) IN, which means he deserves top 100 national consideration. As a result, we plan to go watch him personally in February and we'll let you know if Carter is as good as the billing.

On Saturday we said that California was the heavy favorite to get 6'9 Gabriel Hughes from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, unless California gets 6'6 LaValle Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI. We don't think this is likely to happen, but if it does, it is fairly common knowledge that Duquesne and Idaho are waiting in the wings. However, we gave the impression that this information came from Dave Benezra of Recruiting USA. It did not. As a matter of fact, Benezra was evasive when we asked him about this at the Dream Classic a week ago at UCLA.

In the fall we reported that 5'11 Tony Cole from Winchendon (Prep) MA had committed to Rhode Island and that he might end up there and become eligible beginning second semester this year. However, it didn't materialize. Instead, he transferred to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, but now he is no longer there either.  Apparently he has returned to Louisiana, but we don't know where he is. Sound familiar?  If you will recall, a year ago, Cole, who was at Compton (Dominguez) CA, left school and was missing in action all spring.

The University of Minnesota has done an outstanding job of keeping the top big men in the state home and the next in a long line appears to be 6'10 Soph Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who was one of the top young big men at the NIKE Camp last summer. And just like with Joel Pryzbilla, you can bet that schools like Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky will all get heavily involved with Rickert, so it comes as no surprise that Minnesota head coach Clem Haskins was recently in the house to see Rickert play.

Everybody keeps talking about 6'1 Jr Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmon) LA, but Chris Johnson of the HOOP SCOOP tells us that there is another outstanding junior point guard in Louisiana in 5'11 Jr Chevis Brimmer from Hannan (H.S.) LA. Apparently Brimmer's big claim to fame is that he got the best of Duhon recently in a head-to-head matchup. We aren't ready to rank Brimmer, as high as Duhon, who ranks among our top 20 juniors nationally, but Johnson tells us that he's definitely worth keeping an eye on. We will let you know what we hear.

Tuesday, January 26, 1999

Khary Cuffe provides us with the latest list for 6'8 Jr Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, who currently ranks as the #4 junior in New York City behind 6'1 Jr Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'1 Jr Omar Cook form Middle Village (MiddleVillage) NY, and 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY. It includes everybody in the Big East (except Notre Dame), as well as Duke, Florida State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Clemson, Cincinnati, Texas, USC, Temple, UNC-Charlotte, Stanford, and Auburn. "Right now he's just looking for schools with good academic reputations like Stanford, Duke, Georgetown, etc..and he especially likes a few others, which are in a tough conference like the Big East, ACC, and Pac-10."

Yesterday our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin talked with Philadelphia (Neumann) PA assistant coach Charles Monroe about the recruitment of his two outstanding young players. He tells us that LaSalle, Temple, St. Joseph's, Syracuse, Villanova, Massachusetts, Rutgers, and Seton Hall are all showing early interest for 6'4 Jr Chas Bailey. 6'7 Soph Brandon Brigeman has almost the same list, which includes Rhode Island,Temple Rutgers, Villanova, St. Joseph's, Massachusetts, Seton Hall, and LaSalle.

We are still waiting to hear from Roy Schmidt and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye for the results from Hoops in the Loop over the weekend, but G.J. King, the Editor and Publisher of the Chicago based Recruiter on Line, has checked in and provides us with information from the High School Hoops Showdown, which was held at the Rockford Metro Center on Sunday. In the first game Milwaukee (Vincent) WI beat Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 45-42. Marshall Williams led the winners with 18 points, while 5'11 Soph Chris Hill, who is one of the best sophomores in the state, impressed everybody with his point guard skills and excellent outside shooting (4 3-pointers) for the losers. In the second game Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL beat Rockford (Boylan) IL, 77-62, thanks to the efforts of 6'1 Jr Imari Sawyer (26 points and eight rebounds) and 6'10 Demetrius Williams (17 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks). Boylan was led by 6'2 Joe Tulley, who had 23 points, including 13 points in the first quarter. King tells us that among those in attendance was DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy, who was watching Tulley, Sawyer, 6'10 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, and 6'6 Soph Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL.

Monday, January 25, 1999

Allen Rubin was at Converse Lehigh Valley Hoop Festival at Stabler Arena at Lehigh University over the weekend and in the first game on Saturday night Scranton (Bishop Hannon) PA upset Solebury (School) PA,  67-57. The highlight of the game was watching the savvy young point guard 6'0 Frosh Jerry McNamara, who scored 23 points and handled the pressure of the athletic Solebury team, make a name for himself. "Right now I have him ranked 7th in my area among freshman, but he has to move up," says Rubin. "He's the best freshman point guard I've seen all winter and a legitimate top 50 freshman nationally in a normal year." In the second game 5'10 Soph Andre Henry, who was the game MVP with 10 points, 6 assists, and six steals, broke down his defender, drove inside, and hit the game winning shot at the buzzer, as Harrisburg (H.S.) PA beat Mercersburg (Academy) PA, 47-45. The MVP for the losing team was 6'9 Kareem Wright with 12 points and 16 rebounds. In the next game 6'3 Jonafer McDonald scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, as he led Bethlehem (Liberty) PA to a 62-54 victory over Allentown (Allen) PA. Things really got interesting in the fourth game of the day when Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA beat Kensington (Newport Prep) MD in overtime, 70-67. It comes as no surprise that 6'6 Matt Carroll came up big at crunch time and, as a result, was his team's MVP with 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists. Carroll was complemented by Rubin's favorite player, 5'11 Alex Ramos, who had 17 points and six assists. The MVP for the losing team was 6'3 Jamison Brewer, who had 14 points and four assists, but 6'7 Victor Samnick was the leading scorer in the game with 18 points. Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the entire tournament was Newport Prep's 6'9 Rodney White, who had only nine points and was only 4-15 from the field. Usually White plays hard when we're in the gym, but Rubin was very disappointment by his lack of effort. Moral to the story, you have to play hard every night if you want to be a great player someday, Rodney. In the fifth game Landisville (Hempfield) PA outscored Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 21-12, in the final quarter to pull off a 57-54 upset. Leading the winners were team MVP 6'8 Jr Ryan Butt, who had 23 points and 14 rebounds, and 6'3 Jr Jeremy DeBord, who had 19 points. Leading the losers was 6'8 Jr Eddie Griffin, who had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks. In the sixth game Middle Village (Christ the King) NY beat Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 52-48. With the scored tied at 48-all, 6'1 Jr Omar Cook drove the lane, was fouled, and made two foul shots to put Christ the King on top for good. However, the MVP for Christ the King was 6'7 Jr Zach Williams, who had 15 points and eight rebounds.  The MVP for St. Patrick was 6'11 Samuel Dalembert, who had 12 points, 10 rebounds, five blocks, and numerous alters. Also worth mentioning for St. Pat's was 6'1 Jr Walter Price, who did what he did best by hitting 5-9 3-pointers.

Reggie Tisdale, the Editor & Publisher of Indiana Basketball News, and Jim Kasberg, the Indiana Editor of the HOOP SCOOP, both agree that the best player in the state of Indiana is 6'6 Carlton Baker. They also think he is a legitimate top 30 senior nationally, especially after his performance this weekend when he scored 34 points against Chicago (Dunbar) IL and 27 points against Gary Roosevelt in the Hoops to the Loop Tournament in Chicago. He also was named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Week today. Baker signed in the fall with Barton County (JC) KS, but schools like Wyoming, Texas Christian, Fresno State, Cincinnati, and Louisville all have an early jump in his recruitment, which should become intense when he graduates from junior college in two years.

Sunday, January 24, 1999

He's just a fan, but Burley Geiger goes to more games and is more knowledgeable about basketball than many people in the business. He was in the house last night in Beckley, WV when two of the nation's premier powers - Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC - squared off in the championship game of the Coal Classic. Oak Hill won the game, 68-60, but Geiger tells us that they didn't award an MVP or name an all-tournament team. He does tell us that although it was primarily a team effort, 6'2 Steve Blake, 6'1 Jr Cliff Hawkins, and 6'6 Ronald Slay all played well for Oak Hill. And deserving special mention for Mt. Zion are 6'0 Tim Lyles, 6'9 Chris Garnett, and 6'1 Soph Jonathan Hargett. Geiger also tells us that Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA beat Beckley (H.S.) WV, 56-51, in third place game.

In his second game back after a 10 game suspension 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD helped #2 ranked DeMatha escape with a 56-54 victory over Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY on Thursday night in the DeMatha Invitational in Washington, DC at MCI Center. "Bogans, a 6-foot-5 senior who will play for Kentucky next season, scored a game-high 23 points with his future coach, Tubby Smith, watching from behind the bench," said Tara Finnegan in an article in Friday's Washington Post. "Bogans made two decisive plays in the final minute, taking a charge from Highlands center Derek Smith with 45.7 seconds remaining to give DeMatha possession, and scoring the eventual winning basket with eight seconds left off a pass from guard Billy Edelin."

It looks like Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, which lost two consecutive games a week ago, is back on track, as they beat Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 73-67, yesterday in the championship game of the St. Thomas More Invitational. According to Bill Wilson of Connecticut Hoops, the MVP of the tournament was 5'7 Jr Avery Queen from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME. Also named to the All-Tournament Team were 6'9 Dermarr Johnson and 6'9 Andre Williams, both Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME; 5'10 Matt Turner and Nick Vanderlaan, both from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT; and 6'7 Delvar Barrett. Bridgton (Academy) CT beat New Hampton, 81-69, in consolation game.

Saturday, January 23, 1999

A week ago when we were in Columbus, OH for the National Hoops Classic, Bobby Kortsen took us to see the new and impressive six court basketball facility that he is having built on Columbus' east side. It hasn't been completed yet, but it will be soon enough for Kortsen to hold his OHSBCA Spring Workout there, as well as the All-American Hoop Invitational and All-American Camp, July 11th-14th. Anybody who wants more information about these and other events that Bobby and Sharon Kortsen are promoting, you can call (614) 873-1780.

6'4 Duane King from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, who is one of the best athletes, as well as one of the best students in the class nationally, may be close to making a verbal commitment to the University of Pennsylvania. Also still on his list are Bradley, Notre Dame, Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Murray State, Marquette, and Texas A&M. If King does indeed commit to Penn, the Quakers would have a great recruiitng class, because 6'8 Ugonna Onyekwe from Mercersburg (Prep) PA is also a big-time talent and 5'11 David Klatsky from Holmdale (H.S.) NJ is a smart mid-major point guard. As long as we're talking about players at Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'0 Michael Griffith, who signed early, is a steal for East Tennessee State and 5'11 Kevin Paschel, who is still available, has been getting token interest recently from Arkansas and Cincinnati. We're not sure he's big and strong enough to play at that level, but he's a phenomenal passer, good outside shooter, and a big-time athlete. As a result, we rank Paschell among the top 200 nationally right along with King and Griffith.

All of the other recruitable players from the L.A. Rockfish AAU program have already signed, but the player with the most potential is still available. We're talking about 6'9 Gabriel Hughes from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA,who is still very raw in terms of skills, but he's very athletic, runs the court like a deer, and much tougher than his older brother, Solomon Hughes, who is currently at California. If Cal doesn't get 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, which we don't expect to happen, we look for Gabriel to cast his lot with head coach Ben Braun in the spring. If California does get Blanchard, they will be out of scholarships and won't offer the younger Hughes. If this happens, Dave Benezra of Recruiting USA thinks Gabriel will sign with either Duquesne or Idaho.

Several week ago the University of Maryland received an early commitment from somebody who nobody in the business had ever heard of, but apparently he's an excellent outside shooter. I received an email today for somebody who has seen 6'3 Jr Tamir Goodman from Baltimore (Talmudical) MD play. Goodman is the second coming of Pistol Pete or Drazen Petrovic. That's a pretty strong statement. I guess time will tell.

Friday, January 22, 1999

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat recently gave us a list on 6'11 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, which included Syracuse, Michigan, Georgetown, DePaul, and Michigan State. However, Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Prep Bulls-Eye tells us that Louisville is not only recruiting Smith, but they attended his game at the Proviso West Shootout this past weekend against Elgin (H.S.) IL. "While it may not appear that Louisville has a realistic shot, I would not rule them out," says Schmidt. "Strange things could happen with this one before it is over. Louisville is also very much involved with 6'8 Jr Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, so you can add them to the list, along with DePaul, Illinois, Michigan and Kansas. But I still believe DePaul and Illinois are the leaders."

When we were in Chicago in for the Hoops In The Loop Preview Tournament, we questioned whether DePaul and/or Illinois should even recruit 6'1 Jr Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, who has amazing talent, but very lacks judgment and appears to have no sense when he comes to decision making and getting his teammates involved. But now Roy Schmidt is telling us that Sawyer really likes North Carolina, which explains why we have them on his early list, along with DePaul, Syracuse, Kentucky, and Connecticut. However, we question whether he would ever be e to meet their academic requirements. Schmidt also tell is that Clemson and St. Louis could now be the leaders for 6'3 Sean Harrington from Elgin (H.S.) IL, although his father (Jim Harrington), who is also the head coach at Elgin, says he is still wide open. St. Louis is now recruiting Harrington because they are worried that 5'11 Marque Perry from Chicago (Prosser) IL won't make it academically. "They want a guard who can come in and play right away," says Schmidt. "Harrington can play at St. Louis - he has been averaging 30 ppg this season."

We continue to question why the University of Kentucky is not recruiting a pure point guard to come in and replace the graduating Wayne Turner next year. But maybe they are just willing to wait on several of the outstanding junior point guards who they have a great shot of getting. At the top of their list are 6'1 Jr Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who wants to either go to Kentucky or play in the ACC, and 6'1 Jr Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, whose list includes schools like Kentucky, Maryland, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. Speaking of Kentucky, we talked with the father of 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS again earlier this week and he now confirms that the University of Kentucky is recruiting his son. Apparently he didn't know it at the time, because Kentucky hadn't call him directly.  Instead, they had been going through the coaching staff at Butler County (JC) KS. Jackson ranks as one of the top five junior college players in the nation, but is more of a scoring combo guard than a pure point. However, if you put Jackson and 6'4 Keith Bogans in the same back-court together, it could be scary.

Thursday, January 21, 1999

We have confirmed the reports that 6'1 Danny Walker from Compton (JC) CA has verbally committed to the University of Nebraska. Originally from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Walker signed a national letter-of-intent with Southern Cal, but later transferred to New Mexico State and then to Compton (JC) CA. Walker is best described as an undersized 2-guard, because he can shoot the lights out, but lacks the ball handling skills and decision making necessary to run a team at the high Division I level.

A week and a half ago we mentioned that 6'9 Ronnie Griffin, who is currently at Eastern Ketucky, might be transferring. Well, write it down! Griffin has told a source close to the HOOP SCOOP that he is definitely leaving. Our best guess is that he will go to junior college for a year and then transfer to a four year school where he will have two years to play.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked as the #1 sophomore in America by the HOOP SCOOP, scored 55 points earlier today against Pine Hill (Overbrook Regional) NJ. This is monumental occasion, because his 55th point was the 1000th point of his high school career.

It looks like Duke is already the heavy favorite for 6'10 Frosh Ted Skuchas and 6'5 Frosh Lee Melchionni, both from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA. Skuchas recently got his letter from Blue Devil coaching staff and he's very excited because his father got his graduate degree from Duke, which has always been the younger Skuchas' dream school. Speaking of fathers, Melcahionni's dad was a very good player at Duke before playing professionally for a number years in the ABA.

Wednesday, January 20, 1999

Our Ohio and International Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'11 Kordian Korytek from Poland has enrolled at Fresno State and could be eligible immediately. Apparently all they are waiting for is for the NCAA Clearing House to rule him eligible to play. "Koryte is like most European players," says Johnson. "He not a great athlete, but he is an excellent shooter and very skilled with the ball. He'll give Tark a strong one-two punch up front, along with Melvin Ely, who is best at the defensive end." Johnson first heard about Korytel last spring, along with Matt Gladieux, who Fresno State was also involved with at the time. Speaking of Gladieux, this excellent 3-pointer shooter, who started at Toledo and then transferred to Bellarminea year and a half ago, is now at Coastal Carolina.

The University of Dayton signed 6'7 Chris Strodes from Independence (JC) KS, but Chris Johnson tells us that Strodes has now enrolled at Sinclair (JC) OH and, as a result, is recruitable again. Apparently Strodes had enrolled at Dayton at the beginning of the second semester with the idea of sitting out one year and then having three years to play. However, some players just won't go to class if they aren't playing and apparently that's what's happened here, which why Strodes has gone back to junior college. As it stands now, Strodes could be eligible to play next year if he goes the Division II or NAIA route, but he hasn't passed the necessary classes to be eligible to play next year if he signs with a Division I school.

One of our least favorite players a year ago in high school was Ernest Brown from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, but several college coaches who have seen him recently at Mesa (JC) AZ tell us that he's a changed man. He's much more aggressive, more confident, and more skilled than he used to be and, as a result, might be the best junior college freshman in the nation. He's also grown to at least and inch and is now 7'-feet. So when he talks about the possibility of going to the NBA, he doesn't mean the Newark Basketball Association. If you will recall, Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report used this line several years ago when asked by a reporter about Brown's ridiculous comments about going to the NBA directly out of high school. Right now Arizona, Arizona State, Fresno State, and Cincinnati are all showing interest, but you can bet that his list will get longer before it gets shorter.

Tuesday, January 19, 1999

Yesterday we were at the 5th Annual Dream Classic Holiday Challenge in Los Angeles, CA, but we did talk briefly with Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat and he tells us that Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME lost for a second time last week on Friday night to New Hampton (Prep) NH.  If you will recall, Maine Central Institute lost to Milford (Acaddemy) CT two days earlier, which broke a winning streak that had extended almost two years. The player most responsible for the upset was 6'5 Josh Kroenke, who hit 7-9 3-pointers and was the leading scorer in the game. Speaking of Kroenke, we are still looking for a possible package deal with Kroenke and 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA both going to Missouri. We saw both Kapono and Kroenke's parents yesterday at the Dream Classic and got the lastest on their recruitment. Kroenke's mother says that her son's list includes Missouri, Villanova, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Penn State, San Diego State, UAB, Princeton, and Pennsylvania. The only interesting thing that we might read into this is that Missouri was the first school she listed. Kapono confirmed that UNLV, Missouri, Utah, and Rhode Island are his top four, but he added that we should expect the unexpected. When asked about the possibility of a package deal, all Kapono did was laugh. Obviously, Kapono, who is a great kid and somebody we know fairly well, is still playing it all very close to the vest.

Another player we talked with yesterday at the Dream Classic was 6'5 Schea Cotton, who currently is attending junior college at Long Beach City (JC) CA. He tells us that he hasn't even thought about where he might end up after junior college, but we are hearing rumors that the University of Washington may have the inside track. Remember, Cotton's older brother, James Cotton, plays for the Seattle SuperSonics and several of Cotton's friends - Senque Carey and Greg Clark - are currently at the University of Washington.

John "Pony Tails" Reinke tells us that Florida International, which got a commitment from 6'9 Jabari Brown from Hialeah (Champagnat Catholic) FL, could be the "steal of the year." "He's easily a top 100 player and 's good enough to play in the ACC or SEC right now," says Reinke. "He's an excellent post man right now and in college he'll be like a Marcus Camby 4-man. He's big, he's athletic, and he jumps to the moon. He's also very mobile and can face up from 15' feet." Florida International also landed a very talented combo guard in the fall in 6'3 Nate Aaron from Jacksonville (University Christian) FL and they have 6'5 Lucas Barnes, who has transferred from Miami-FL, sitting out. Another player that Florida International may steal is 6'10, 380 pound Nigel Dixon. "He has great hands, great footwork, and is unstoppable in the half court, because of his size," says Reinke. "And he's not afraid to touch people. He also has definite NBA potential if he can lose 70 lbs. because he jumps surprisingly well for somebody so big. A lot other schools are intrigued, but Florida International head coach Shaky Rodriguez is the only coach who is showing serious interest."

Everybody knows that 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC wants to go to North Carolina, but the Tar Heels aren't interested, because he currently is an academic question mark. As a result, most assume that it is currently a two horse race between Michigan and UNC-Charlotte, but now there appears to be another school in the mix. That's right! It looks like Syracuse is now a serious contender.

Monday, January 18, 1999

Apparently Inglewood (H.S.) CA didn't get their wakeup call this morning, because they only shot 13-70 FG's and, as a result, lost 55-41 to Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA in the 9:30 AM game of the 5th Annual Dream Classic Holiday Challenge at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion. As usual, the star for Redondo Union was 6'9 Jr Andrew Zahn, who had 20 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. We still question whether Zahn is athletic to play at a lot of schools at the big-time level, but he's so skilled and go good in a system that he still has to rank among our top 20 juniors nationally. Providing the perfect complement to Zahn were 6'5 Jr Walter White, who used his body, athleticism, and aggressiveness to score 20 points and grab 13 rebounds. While White's height may limit him down the road to the mid-major level, 6'5 Soph Dijon Thompson could emerge into one of the best players in his class in Southern California if he develops his perimeter game. Thompson is a tremendous athlete and he has excellent moves to the basket.

Long Beach (Jordan) CA beat Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 66-65, in overtime in the second game of the day at the Dream Classic Holiday Challenge, but the best player in the game was Verbum Dei's 6'1 Marlon Parmer. He can't go right, but he's an amazing passer, is excellent at beating his man off the dribble and penetrating to the hole, and he just got better and better as the game went on. He finished with 23 points and eight assists, but also had four turnovers. 6'4 Darren Peterson led Long Beach (Jordan) CA with 22 points, but he never saw a shot he didn't like (1-7 3 pointers) and he's turnover prone (four turnovers). We did like 6'0 Craig Calloway, because he passes the ball (6 assists) and makes good decisions. However, the best player for Jordan was 6'8 Jr Travon Bryant, who ranks as the consenus #1 junior in Southern California. He's active inside - he had six rebounds and seven blocks shots against Verbum Dei - but he also has a soft touch and excellent moves around the hoop. He's also young for his class (won't be 16 until February 5th) and his brother De'cean Bryant is a player at Long Beach State. However, Travon tells us that UCLA, California, Arizona, Kansas, and Pepperdine are the early favorites.

Simi Valley (H.S.) CA hung on to beat Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA,61-54,  in the third game of the day thanks to the efforts of 6'9 Rafael Berumen, who scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. However, what impressed us the most about Berumen's game was his ability to pass the basketball and make good decisions. Based on his skills Berumen should rank among the top 50 nationally, but he doesn't have the athleticism to be ranked among the top 100. As a result, he's a touch player to evaluate. But one thing is for sure - what you see might be what you get, because he's old for his grade. 6'4 Jason Morrissette impressed us with his acrobatic moves to the hole, but the only player who accomplished a lot of Fairfax was a slimmer and trimmer 6'6 Joe Shipp. who had 21 points. He still doesn't play much defense, but he is a prolific offensive threat who can beat you both inside and outside. As a result, he deserves top 100 national consideration.

6'0 James Wright and 6'8 Brandon Moorer led Los Angeles (Manual Arts) CA over Long Beach (Poly) CA, 72-63, in the fourth game of the day at the Dream Classic. Wright, who thrives in transition, is a 2-guard in a point guard's body, but that didn't stop him from going for 28 points in this game. He's a steal for Long Beach State, because he's perhaps the fastest players in the tournament from end-line to end-line, as well as an excellent 3-point shooter. Moorer is primarily a power foward right now, but he's showing signs of extending his game, which is just an added plus, because this world class athlete is already an absolute steal for Texas A&M Corpus Christi. His teammate 6'10 Johnny Hardwick is also going to Texas A&M Corpus Christi, but he was a major disappointment, as was evident by his numbers (only two points and six rebounds). However, the best player in the game was 5'10 Jr Wesley Stokes and Poly might have even pulled off the upset if he had had more help. Stokes, who ranks right behind 6'8 Jr Travon Bryant as the #2 ranked junior in Southern California, needs strength, but has jet-like speed and quickness, tremendous range, and great ball handling and passing skills.

In the next game 6'6 Casey Jacobsen scored 43 of his team's 66 points, as Glendora (H.S.) CA beat Capistrano Valley (H.S.) CA,66-48. Jacobsen was his usual self, as he put on a clinic with 16-22 shooting, including 4-7 3-pointers, and seven rebounds. However, the other excellent white player from Southern California 6'3 Nate Hair was a total bust for Capistrano Valley. He only had 10 points, but in all fairness, he's better in an uptempo game. Instead, Capistrano Valley's best player was 6'7 J.J. Sola, who had lead his team in both scoring and rebounding with 19 points and five boards.

With only 25 seconds left and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA only four points down things really got interesting in the feature game of the day of the Dream Classic. A technical foul had just been called on Compton (Dominguez) CA and 6'0 Jr Steve Scoggin stepped to the foul line. He missed the first free throw. Then he missed the second free throw, which killed any chance that Mater Dei had of pulling off the upset, as Dominguez won 64-58. 7'0 Tyson Chandler showed flashes and had seven blocks for Dominguez, but he was in foul trouble in the second half and, as a result, didn't dominate like a top five sophomore in the nation should. Instead, the best player for Dominguez was 6'5 Marcus Moore, who is a point guard with size, but he can't go right, can't shoot, and doesn't always make good decisions. However, he is an excellent passer , has good size and athleticism, and is excellent going to the hole, which makes him intriguing for somebody at the mid-to-high level. Moore had 14 points, Chandler had 12 points, and 6'5 Jr Keith Brooks had 11 points for the winners. Mater Dei's attack was also very balanced as Scoggin, 6'0 Derrick Mansell, 6'5 Soph Cedric Bozeman, and 6'7 Mike Bayer, had 14, 14, 13, and 11, respectively.

Compton (H.S.) CA jumped out to a 16-4 lead in the nightcap of the Dream Classic Holiday Challenge, but Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA cut it to three at half-time and eventually won this hard fought contest, . Crenshaw's most talented player is normally 6'4 Tommy Johnson, but tonight 6'0 Jr Jonathan Stokes made a name for himself. He's an explosive point guard who runs the show, goes to the hole and makes things happen. He also hit the game winning 3-point shot to give Compton a victory, 67-65 victory. The leading scorer for Compton was 6'5 Tito Maddox, but the reason they were able to hold on was 6'7 Jr Ellis Myles. He isn't a great leaper, but he is an excellent rebounder, because he had good hands, gets position, and has a knack for knowing where the ball is going to come off the glass. He's also an excellent shooter out to beyond the arc and a tough hardnosed kid.

Sunday, January 17, 1999

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio was at the NIKE Super Six at Madison Square Garden earlier today and saw Long Island (Lutheran) NJ beat Bayonne (Marist) NJ, 58-51, NewYork (LaSalle) NY beat Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 61-52, and New York (Rice) NY beat Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, 68-53. In the first game 6'11 Robby Reid had 17 points and 17 rebounds for Lutheran, but the best player in the game was 6'3 Jr Rashid Dunbar. He had 21 points and showed us the outside stroke and ball handling ablity, which until now has been a question mark in terms of being recruited at the high Division I level. LaSalle won despite the fact that 6'7 Miguel Caballero is still not up to par after suffering an ankle injury recently. Picking up the slack for Caballero were 6'4 Justin Hassell, who had 17 points, and 6'2 Wil Mann, who had 18 points. This game might have been closer, but 6'5 Mark Jarrell-Wright, who started out like gangbusters (his team was up 7-1 early and it was 14-14 at the end of the first quarter), sprained his right knee late in the first quarter and was sidelined the rest of the game. In the final game Christian Brothers made it close for a while, but Rice, which might be the best team we've seen all year at the high school level nationally, did what they always do - wore their opponent into the ground. The best player in the game was 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett, who hit the three when the defense backed off, made great decisions, and was instrumental in getting Rice into their uptempo game. However, he wasn't able to stop 6'1 Todd Billet, who was the leading scorer in the contest with 21 points.

The National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH over the weekend was a bust in terms of the games, so we will focus mainly on the players. At the top of the list was 6'8 Jr Abdou Diame, who is from the Senegal just like University of Kentucky freshman 6'11 Souleymane Camara. Also like Camara, Diame is a tremendous athlete with extremely quick hands and feet. However, Diame not as big as Camara, but he's much further advanced at the same stage. As a result, he provides the perfect complement to 6'7 Ronald Slay and 6'7 Travis Watson, neither of whom take an prisoners inside either. As a result, Diame ranks now ranks among our top 20 juniors nationally. Although it's early and Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith didn't give us a list for Diame, we know that Cincinnati, Kentucky, Furman, Virginia, Clemson, and Maryland are all very interested. With 6'2 Steve Blake, 6'1 Jr Cliff Hawkins, 6'2 Jr Chris Williams, and 5'9 Terry Reynolds all getting minutes in the backcourt, it is easy to see why Oak Hill is the #1 ranked team in the nation, even though they didn't play well when we saw them on Saturday against Grove City (H.S.) OH. Grove City does have one player worth mentioning 6'5 Jr Josh Helm, but we question whether he has the utside shot and speed and quickness necessary to be one of the better players at the NIKE Camp next summer (word is he's already been invited). However, he is a legit top 10 junior in Ohio.

We talked about the recruiting for Durham (Mt. Zion) NC yesterday, but we didn't tell you how explosive and athletic 6'8 Kenny Booker was in the National Hoops Classic. He's also very effective on the boards and he makes a living dunking in your face. For our money, he's their best player and based on his performance in Columbus, OH, he has to move into our top 70 nationally. As a result, he's a steal for Nebraska. Also making a case for a top 100 national ranking was 6'0 Tim Lyles, who impressed us with several incredible passes and tremendous quickness in transition. However, he still needs to work on his decision making and point guard mentality. The biggest disappointment was 6'5 Marquis Daniels, but perhaps he had an excuse - word is he was playing hurt.  We also really liked 6'4 Jr Antonio Hargrove, who made a lot of things happen with his athleticism, hustle, and ability to slash to the basket. He's a role player on this team, but he's a legitimate top 100 junior nationally. We also liked Mt. Zion's sensational sophomore 6'2 Jonathan Hargett and 6'11 Soph Marcus Campbell, who has made dramatic improvement since we saw him last summer. Also very intriguing is 7'3 Frosh Tyrone Johnson, who redefines the terms "rail thin." However, once he stops growing and his body physically starts to catch up, he should turn into a nice player. The only player we liked on the Canton (McKinley) OH team, which lost to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 70-51, was 5'9 Soph Leonard Campbell. He s extremely quick off the dribble, an excellent defender, and a good 3-point shooter with a quick release. Earlier in the day 6'2 Brett Nelson did impress the crowd with a number of long range jumpers, but Wellston (H.S.) OH jumped out to a 24-5 lead over St. Albans (H.S.) WV and Nelson picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter. So obviously it was an ugly game. In the last game of the night Kensington (Newport Prep) MD was way up on Cleveland Heights (H.S.) OH when we left at half-time. And they looked a lot better than when we saw them two weeks earlier at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE. 6'9 Rodney White had 17 points and it seemed liked he scored every time he touched the ball. However, the biggest difference was 6'3 Jamison Brewer was running the show (he's much better with the ball in his hands) and 6'7 Soph James White, who has big-time talent and potential.

Saturday, January 16, 1999

Vincent Baldwin, the Editor & Publisher of Michigan and Ohio Prep Spotlight tells us that 6'9 Charles Kage from River Rouge (H.S.) MI and 6'4 Antonio Gates from Detroit (Central) MI have both enrolled at Eastern Michigan. This is huge for head coach Milton Barnes, because Gates was ranked as a borderline top 100 player a year ago while playing for Detroit (Central) MI when signed with Michigan State. Kage, who also got top 100 consideration at River Rouge (H.S.) MI, verbally committed to Eastern Michigan as a high school senior, but never signed because he didn't qualify academically. Instead, he enrolled at Vincennes (JC) IN in the fall, but lasted only a couple of weeks.

We will have more on the National Hoops Classic tomorrow night, but after Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC beat Canton (McKinley) OH, 71-50, earlier today, we talked with Joel Hopkins, who is the head coach at this basketball factory in North Carolina, and he gave us the scoop on where several of his players might be leaning. He says that Michigan is the strong favorite over South Florida, Iowa State, and Nebraska for 6'5 Marquis Daniels. Clemson is the leader over Villanova and Texas for 6'0 Tim Lyles. Syracuse, West Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, Georgia State, Louisville, and Xavier are all in the hunt for 6'9 Chris Garnett , while Loyola-Chicago is the leader over East Carolina for 6'7 Marquis Williams.

Friday, January 15, 1999

We don't have any details, but we have confirmed it three different ways - Milford (Academy) CT defeated Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) TN Wednesday night, 77-74. This is important for two reasons:  1) Maine Central Institute last lost a game during the 1986-87 season. That's right they were undefeated all last season and had not lost a game until two nights ago this season. 2) Milford beat Maine Cental Institute at home.

We have been getting reports that the University of Kentucky has gotten involved with 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS, but we talked with Jackson's father Clinton Malone and he does not confirm this fact. However, we have other sources that believe that Kentucky is involved. Jackson isn't the pure point guard that Kentucky is looking for, but he's a heck of a talent - a prolific scorer and one of the top five junior college players in America. Malone tells us that his son was at the Louisville-Kentucky game in Louisville, KY on December 26th and that Alabama, Connecticut, Mississippi, South Florida, Iowa State, and Texas A&M are among the others schools pursuing his son.

If you will recall, a year ago at this time we told you about a major sleeper - 6'8 Rod Grizzard from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, who is now a consensus top 20 senior nationally. Well, the same source who told us about Grizzard says that 6'7 Jr Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL can do everything that Grizzard can do and a lot more. Wallace is just as athletic and just as talented in the open court, but he also can take it to the hoop and rebound with trees. As a matter of fact, Wallace had 50 points, 17 rebounds, six 3-pointers, seven dunks, six blocks, four steals, and three assists last night against Vincent (H.S.) AL and he's averaging just under 30 ppg and 10 rpg. And he may emerge as one of the top five players nationally in his class, especially if he plays all spring and summer with the Alabama Lasers. Not only do the Lasers coaches - Wig Pearson and Mark Komara - run one of the premier AAU programs in the nation, but last fall they had eight players sign with major Division I programs. That includes Kentucky-bound 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL and Grizzard, 6'8 Erwin Dudley from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 6'2 Terrance Meade from Scottsboro (H.S.) AL, all of whom have signed with Alabama. However, don't look for Kentucky or Alabama to be the early favorite on this one, because Wallace lives 62 miles from Auburn.

Thursday, January 14, 1999

Several days ago we made a comment on WHAS-Radio in Louisville about the possibility that Caleb Gervin, who is sitting out this year as a Prop 48 casualty at the University of Louisville, was thinking about transferring. Well, we got a phone call today from somebody in the Louisville Basketball Office. The official party line is that there is no truth to this rumor. However, upon checking back with our original source, we still want to take a wait and see attitude on this one. Also we think there is a possibility that somebody may be confusing Caleb with his cousin G. Gervin, who may be bailing out at Houston. So stay tuned!

Several days ago the University of Maryland got an early commitment from 6'3 Jr Tamir Goodman from Baltimore (Talmudical) MD. We have always had tremendous respect for the Terrapins coaching staff and their ability to evaluate talent, but we to wonder about this one. Nobody in our business has ever even heard of Goodman. The fact that he is an orthodoxed jew and, as a result, can't play in games on Saturday is an interesting story in itself.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat is reporting that 6'1 Soph Jonathan Hargette from Highland Springs (H.S.) VA, who is a legitimate top 20 sophomore in the nation, has transferred to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC. It will be interesting to see how he fits into his new setting when we see him this weekend at the National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH, which begins tomorrow night.

Wednesday, January 13, 1999

During the last month we have made a number of attempts to get our subscribers via IBill, which is our current online billing company, to call us and switch their subscriptions directly through us at a considerable saving. Unfortunately the number of people who have taken advantage of this offer has been sporadic at best. As a result, in attempt to force the issue, I have had to stop everything else and cancel all of those subscriptions manually. This will take effect beginning on the date sometime within the next month when each individual credit card is scheduled to automatically be rebilled. I have sent emails to all of the people who are effected, but some of those emails have been undeliverable. So if at some point within the next month your user ID and password no longer work, you will know what happened. I also have given all of these people a special offer that is good for this week only. To take advantage of this offer today, tomorrow, or Friday, call 1-800-253-DUNK. Otherwise, it will cost you more and will have to wait until the middle of next week, because I will be either travelling or in the gym watching games from Friday night until Tuesday.

Rob Matera of Full Court Magazine tells us that 6'9 Dermarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME has narrowed his list to three schools - Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Maryland. This means that both Pittsburgh and Georgetown are out. Also there is a very good possibility (perhaps better than 50-50) that Johnson will declare hardship for the NBA draft in June.

Tuesday, January 12, 1999

The situation involving 6'4 Antonio Falu from Houston (Waltrip) TX continues to raise eyebrows. If you will recall, last spring Falu committed to Alabama, but later reneged, because the former coaching staff got fired. Later it came out that Alabama had illegally recruited Falu, so during the recruiting process there was no way he was going to sign with Alabama. Instead, he signed with Houston, despite the fact that he continued to tell other schools that he was interested right up until the day he signed with the Cougars. Now there appears to be a major question about his transcript. According to an article yesterday in the Houston Chronicle by Danny Robbins, there are now major questions regarding Falu's academic background."The Houston Independent School District announced Monday that Falú likely will be ineligible for the remainder of the season because, under University Interscholastic League rules, his high school career should have ended last spring," says Robbins. "A Chronicle story Sunday showed that the unofficial transcript sent to colleges for Falú, a native of Puerto Rico, failed to identify prep schools he had attended in Florida and Virginia before enrolling at Waltrip as a junior in 1997. In addition, interviews with the coaches at the two prep schools indicated that Falú should have been classified as a senior when he entered Waltrip." The schools in Virginia and Florida are Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA. And we know for a fact that Falu was at Oak Hill several years ago, because our source would know. As a matter of fact, Steve Smith told us several very interesting stories about his experiences with Falu at Oak Hill when we called Smith last fall about the recruitment of some of his players.

Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat has provided us with the latest list of schools for 6'11 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, who will rank #6 nationally in the senior class on our soon to be released updated national player list.  It includes Syracuse, Michigan, Georgetown, DePaul, and Michigan State. We find it extremely interesting that both Fresno State and Louisville were not mentioned.

We finally have the lineup for the National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH, which will be held at the Convention Center in Columbus, OH, January 15-17th. The event will begin at 6:00 PM on Friday night with a girls game, followed at 7:45 PM by Worthington (Christian) OH against Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC and Coal Grove (Dawson-Bryant) OH against Wheeling Park (H.S.) WV at 9:30 PM. Then on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM Elida (H.S.) OH will play London (South Laurel) KY. At noon Zanesville (H.S.) OH will play Frederick (St. John's at Prospect Hall) MD, at 2:00 PM Wellston (H.S.) OH will face St. Albans (H.S.) WV, at 4:00 PM Canton (McKinley) OH will match up against Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, at 6:00 PM Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA will face Grove City (H.S.) OH, and at 8:00 PM Cleveland Heights (H.S.) OH will play Kensington (Newport Prep) MD. The games won't begin until noon on Sunday when Philo (H.S.) OH meets Frederick (St. John's at Prospect Hall) MD, followed by Zanesville (Rosecrans) OH against Covington (Holmes) KY at 2:00 PM, Cincinnati (LaSalle) OH versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA at 3:30 PM, and Dublin (Scioto) OH against Kensington (Newport Prep) OH at 5:30 PM.

Monday, January 11, 1999

We continue to hear rumors that 6'9 Ronnie Griffin may transfer from Eastern Kentucky. If that happens, don't be surprised if two of his former mentors - former Louisville (Central) KY and Louisville (Moore) KY assistant coach Kris Vance, who is at hired at Dixie (JC) UT in the fall, and Chris Hall, who was Griffin's AAU coach and is now an assistant coach at Spalding College in Louisville - both make a strong push for his services. Speaking of Vance, it also makes sense that he is recruiting most of the top players in the state of Kentucky who might be junior college bound. That list includes 6'3 A.W. Hamilton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'3 Alonzo Evans from Louisville (Western) KY, 6'3 Chez Marks from Paris (H.S.) KY, and 6'4 Neal Jenkins from Richmond (Madison Central) KY. We also hear that former Louisville (Eastern) KY guard 6'2 Trent Coward, who originally signed with Georgetown College in Kentucky, may be heading to Dixie (JC) UT.

We've been working on our rankings of the top players in each class nationally and the top four sophomores - 6'2 Soph Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Soph Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'11 Soph Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'4 Soph Kelvin Tolbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI - are pretty obvious. However, the 5th spot was a tough call. Our choice is 5'10 Soph Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX. Not only does Ford defy our rule about all Texas guards exclusively playing football (usually the decision making of Texas guards has a lot to be desired), but he's led his team a first or second place finish in three major tournaments this winter and he has his team ranked as #1 team in Texas. Ford, who has Kentucky, N.C. State, Duke, Georgia Tech, UCLA, and North Carolina all on his early list, may go to college as a possible package with his highly touted teammate and close friend 6'3 Soph Daniel Ewing. Ewing, who also ranks among our top 20 sophomores nationally, likes Kentucky, N.C. State, UCLA, Duke, and North Carolina.

Sunday, January 10, 1999

After setting a school record with a 45 point game against Youngstown (Ursuline) OH on December 19th, 6'3 Jr Drew Schifino from Pittsburgh (Penn Hills) PA is now being regarded as the best player from that school since George Karl. Schifino, who was first noticed by HOOP SCOOP Ohio Editor Chris Johnson last summer when he had 52 points in game at the adidas Summer Shootout in Columbus, OH, is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally. "I've heard from Pittsburgh, Duquesne, and West Virginia all the way down to Georiga Tech, Northwestern, N.C. State, and Maryland, says Penn Hills head coach Jim Rocco. "My favorite right now would be Pitt," adds Schifino. "I want to stay close to home." Johnson not only agrees, but predicts it will be a "backyard brawl" between Pittsburgh and West Virginia, which is only an hour away."

Last night three of Ohio's top underclassmen - 6'6 Jr Robbie Owens from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'4 Jr Sam Smith from Worthigton (Christian) OH, 6'8 Soph Adam Waleskowski from Kettering (Alter) OH - were all at the Ohio State-Indiana game at the Value City Arena when the Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers, 73-56. By the way, Smith who is one of the leading scorers in Central Ohio, will feature his talents next Friday night at the National Hoops Classic in Columbus, OH at the Convention Center. Not only do we plan to provide you with a preview tomorrow, but we will be there Friday night and all day Saturday. Also our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that both Owens and Smith have already been invited to the NIKE All-American Camp next summer.

Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY beat Louisville (Ballard) KY, 77-58, last night in the championship game of the L.I.T., but the big story of the day was Ballard's 78-68 upset of Georgetown (Scott County) KY, which was ranked among the top five nationally in the USA Today. A big reason behind Ballard's upset was their ability to control the tempo of the game. As a matter of fact, Ballard won, despite the fact that none of their talented front line players - 6'9 Soph Brandon Bender, 6'8 Jr Mac Wilkinson, and 6'6 Cedric Knight - played worth a darn. Also not playing very well the night before was 6'1 Rick Jones from Scott County, but against Ballard he made a number of big shots, had some great passes, and made a strong case to be ranked among our top 50 nationally. Also making a strong case for being ranked as the #1 junior in the state ahead of Wilkinson and Knight was 6'5 Scott Hundley, who is the ultimate blue collar player. He not only has a nose for getting the ball off the glass, but also is a great standing 3-point shooter and a phenomenal passer. Right now the only school that is showing serious interest for Hundley is Vanderbilt, but he'd a great role player for somebody like Kentucky or Louisville. Getting back to the championship game, 6'1 Michael Griffith scored 27 points and 6'4 Duane King had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the title game, but the MVP of the tournament was 5'11 Kevin Paschel, who impressed with his athleticism and ball handling and passing skills all week.  Paschel, King, Griffith, Bender, Knight Hundley, 5'11 Jr Spencer Graeter from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'3 A.W. Hamilton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'6 Derek Smith from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 6'2 Joey Herald from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 6'5 Justin Cornell from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, 6'4 Donovan Morris from Fern Creek (H.S.) KY, and 5'6 Jr DeShawn Bowman from Louisville (Iroquois) KY were all the named to the all-tournament team.

Saturday, January 9, 1999

Reggie Tisdale, Editor-In-Chief of Indiana Basketball News, has confirmed that 6'9 Jamal Davis has left Purdue University and is transferring to Barton County (JC) KS. Davis,who was a Prop 48 casualty last year will play two years of junior college ball and then have two years to play at a four year school. Early in his career Davis was ranked as one the top 20 sophomores in the nation, but never seemed to have the work ethic and toughness necessary to live up to the high expectations.

It comes as no surprise that long-time Georgetown assistant Craig Esherick has been named as the interim head coach at Georgetown following the resignation of John Thompson on yesterday. However, there is no guarantee that he will get the head coaching job on a permanent basis. Already we are hearing rumors that Siena head coach Paul Hewitt and Delaware head coach Mike Brey will be candidates. Hewitt is black, he was an assistant at Villanova, so he has a Big East backgroud, and he is close to NIKE's George Raveling, who is one of Thompson's best friends. Brey is originally from the DC area and he has the right connections - he was former an assistant coach under Morgan Wootten at Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD and Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. As for Thompson's future, we are now hearing rumors that he will become the next head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, but if the UNLV job ever comes open, he might be the perfect candidate.

Friday, January 8, 1999

The University of Louisville may be close to getting commitments from three excellent guards - 6'2 Rashad Brooks from Cecil (JC) MD, 6'1 Rick Jones from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, and 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS. Brooks, who ranks as one of the top point guards in the junior college, also has Iowa State, Kansas State, Georgetown, South Florida, and Maryland on hist list. Jones' dream is to play at Kentucky, but they aren't offering. So obviously Louisville is the heavy favorite. Jackson, who ranks as a first team Junior College All-American, also has Connecticut and Alabama high on his list.

Speaking of 6'1 Rick Jones from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, the most exciting player to come out of the Bluegrass State in years plays tonight in the quarterfinals of the L.I.T. at Louisville Gardens at 8:30 PM when Scott County plays Fern Creek (H.S.) KY. Earlier in the day, Louisville (Ballard) KY meets Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY at 4:00 PM, Campbellsville (H.S.) KY plays Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY at 5:30 PM, and it will be Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY versus Louisville (Iroquois) KY at 7:00 PM. The winners will play at 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM tomorrow morning and a Scott County, Ballard, Pleasure Ridge Park, and Ft. Thomas Highlands final four would be about as good as it gets. And if Scott County and Ballard both get to the semi-finals, it will be the third time those two teams have met in the last two weeks. Their first meeting was in the championship game of the Nations Bank City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL on December 23rd. Scott County won that game 111-91. Last week in the Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington, KY, it was closer, as Scott County again beat Ballard in the quarterfinals by six. Will they both get that far? If they do, will three times be a charm for Ballard?  Stay tuned!

Thursday, January 7, 1999

Roy Schmidt from the Illinois based Bull-Eyes Scouting Services tells us 6'8 Jr Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, who is one four players from Illinois who ranks among the top 20 juniors nationally, has Illinois, DePaul, Michigan, and Kansas on his list. Apparently Georgetown is fading and Arizona is out.

Last week Marvin Stone, Sr. was the happiest man in the world, because he found out that his son 6'9 Marvin Stone, Jr had passed the SAT and, as a result, would be eligible to play as a college freshman next year. Hopefully knowing that his son had made it both on and off the court will make things a little easier - at least for the survivors. Late Tuesday night Mr. Stone died of heart attack. He was 47 years old and had a history of heart problems. He had been hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia and apparently the medicine he was taking helped trigger the heart attack. The funeral will be at noon tomorrow. Among those who will be in town to pay their respects will be University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith and assistant coach George Felton. Tomorrow night Huntsville (Grissom) AL is scheduled to play crosstown rival Huntsville (Butler) AL. Hopefully the younger Stone will not only play in that game, but will have the game of his life in the memory of his father.

The Editor & Publisher of Southern California's Finest Joel Francisco tells us that a lot of things have changed based on what he's seen at the 22nd Annual Reebok Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, NV before Christmas and the Best of the West Tournament at Lakewood, CA after Christmas. It was no surprise that Compton (Dominguez) CA beat Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 74-64, in the championship game of the Best of the West Tournament, but Verbum Dei beating Lakewood (Artesia) CA in the semi-finals, 83-75, was a major shock to many. Perhaps the biggest story of the tournament was the emergence of a number of outstanding underclassmen like 6'8 Jr Trevon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA and 5'8 Jr Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who Francisco thinks are now the top two juniors in Southern California. Also stepping it up was 7'0 Soph Tyson Chandler fromCompton (Dominguez) CA, who had 13 points, eight rebounds, and seven blocks in the championship game. "Chandler reminds me of Rasheed Wallace," says Francisco. "He's really upped his intensity and he's turning into an incredible shot blocker. All he has to do now is continue to work on his upper body." Francisco also was singing the praises of 6'6 Frosh Charles Rodriguez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, who estabished his reputation as top 10 freshman nationally with 26 points and 16 rebounds in a quarterfinal upset against Long Beach (Poly) CA. Another great freshman is 6'5 Bobby Jones from Compton (Dominguez) C. Francisco loves his athleticism, defense, and potential. Also worth mentioning is 6'1 Marlon Parmer from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, who is best described as a scoring point guard. He played himself into a top 10 senior in Southern California with a 32 point and six assist effort in the semi-finals against Lakewood (Artesia) CA. One of Francisco's five fastest rising players in Southern California is 6'8 Gabriel Hughes from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA. He teamed with two of the best sophomores in the area - 6'1 Soph Derrick Craven and 6'1 Soph Errick Craven, both of whom will be recruited by everybody in two years.

Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, which is clearly the best team in the nation, beat Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC by 30 points in the championship game of the Reebok Holiday Classic in Las Vegas, NV. MVP honors went to 6'6 Ronald Slay, but a strong case could have been made for co-MVP, because 6'7 Travis Watson was also tremendous throughout the tournament. However, the unsung hero for Oak Hill, according to Francisco, was their 5'8 point guard Terry Reynolds, who might have been the best defensive player in the entire tournament and a definite threat from beyond the arc. Francisco also liked 6'6 Dusan Milicic and 6'4 Filip Vilenov, both from Washington College, which finished third and gave Oak Hill its best game of the tournament. Another major surprise was 6'4 Willie Johnson from Fresno (Edison) CA, who impressed everybody with his explosive quickness and ability to take you off the dribble. Vastly improved from the summer was 6'5 Tanner Shell from Mesa (Mountain View) AZ and his teammate - 6'8 Soph Dennis Latimore - also lived up to his top 10 national billing. And the next great player from Las Vegas appears to be Terrance Christie's little brother - 6-3 Soph Cley Christie from Las Vegas (Durango) NV. The biggest sleeper in the tournament was 6'7 Brian Green from Thornton (Horizon) CO, who is an absolute steal for Colorado State. So much so that Francisco likes Green better than 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA, who ranks among everybody's top 25 nationally.

Despite the fact that he worked his tail off last summer on the recruiting and currently has the #5 ranked recruiting class in the nation with 6'10 Lee Scruggs from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, 6'11 Wesley Wilson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'2 Demetrius Hunter from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'8 Courtland Freeman from Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC, and Victor Samnick from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD and will likely add 6'6 Derick Payne from Washington (Coolidge) DC in the spring, ESPN is reporting that Georgetown head coach John Thompson will resign tomorrow. Thompson, who is currently 7-6 on the year and 0-4 in the Big East, coached the Hoyas to three final four appearances in the mid-80s with Patrick Ewing, including an NCAA Championship in 1985. Our sources not only confirm that Thompson will resing tomorrow, but tell us that several of his close friends in coaching have been trying to talk Thompson out of quitting today. This is important, because it appears to be Thompson's decision. As a result, the rumors that Thompson is being forced out appear to be untrue.

Wednesday, January 6, 1999

Last night HOOP SCOOP correspondent Dave Schultz went to see 6'2 Soph Dujuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who got his average of 34 points, including 14-30 field goals, but for once Wagner was not the big story. Instead, the shocking upset by Camden (Catholic) NJ over Camden (H.S.) NJ was the main topic of conversation when we talked to Shultz earlier today. It's not that Camden Catholic won the game. It's the way they won the game. "It got to be so ridiculous that people in the crowd were calling for the backdoor before it happened," says Schultz. "Princeton doesn't get that many wide open layups. Not only did Camden head coach Glen Jackson not make any adjustments, but his players were totally confused. They were yelling at each other and bumping into each other. It was so bad that one Division II assistant coach who was sitting with us kept saying that Camden is the worst coached team he'd ever seen. What's going to be real interesting now is to see whether the Camden players have any heart. As long as they were undefeated they had that me against the world attitude, but now they have nothing to play for, because they are suspended from participating in post-season play."

I have good news and bad news to give you now that the NBA lockout has finally been resolved. First for the bad news. Beginning the first week in February all these pampered superstars will once again be trying to compete against the best sport going - college basketball. The good news is that I plan to watch as many NBA games this year as I did last year - none! But as long as the NBA is back, I'd like to make two proposals that would solve some of the problems regarding high school and college players jumping early into the NBA draft every year. First, get the NBA Players' Association to pass a rule that does not allow anybody into their union, unless that person is 21 years old or graduated from college. Second, get the NCAA to get rid of the "amateur" rule, whereby, players are considered professional athletes if they sign a contract or get paid. That rule was put in so that college track could compete in the 1950s against AAU and it is not only totally out of date, but is also the big reason behind why so many players leave early in the first place. And as long as you're at it, get rid of the NBA draft and let players get their fair market worth via commercials, endorsements, and signing with professional teams at their own discretion. Just imagine! A15 year old kid could sign with whatever team he wants, have money in his pocket, and still get all the advantages of growing up and getting an education. This would also be good for the NBA, because the earlier they sign a player to a long term contract, the less they would have to pay him. And the possibilities are endless. Does somebody like 6'2 Dajuan Wagner, who is widely regarded as the best sophomore in the nation, sign a 10 year deal for $100,000 a year now, which locks him in with an NBA team once he graduates from high school and college, or wait until he can get several million dollars a year when he graduates from college or is 21 years old?  This would certainly provide the player with an interesting predicament. Do you take the financial security when you're young or do you wait to sign and take the chance of getting hurt or not living up to expectations when you are a college senior? Whether you agree or disagree with our proposal, it is certainly interesting food for thought.

Tuesday, January 5, 1999

We have followed up on the incident last week at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC involving 6'4 Keith Bogans, who ranks as the #2 senior in the nation and signed with the University of Kentucky in the fall, and teammate 5'10 Jr Jason Forte and Josh Barr today in article in the Washington Post reports that Bogans and Forte have been suspended 10 games for fighting in the locker room and, in the process, injuring a school trainer. "DeMatha head coach Morgan Wootten said it was the most serious disciplinary action he has taken in more than 10 years," said Barr. "'What started off as some good-natured kidding between Keith and Jason, as will happen with kids, deteriorated into a fight," Wootten said. "The trainer was there and tried to tell them to stop and back off, and it got a little out of hand."'

Not all the news for University of Kentucky recruits has been bad lately. 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL has not only has passed SAT test, but apparently is playing harder than he has ever played in his life. What's the motivation? Word is that he didn't like some of our comments about his not playing hard when we saw him four times in December. He'd better make this the rule and not the exception, because one of Kentucky's other recruits 6'11 Marquis Estill, who will battle Stone for playing time at both the power forward and center positions the next several years at Kentucky, has improved so much in the last six months that he is now one of the fastest rising players nationally in the class. Right now he's a legitimate top 50 player nationally, but his upside is tremendous. Obviously this kind of competition everyday in practice will make both Stone and Estill a lot better and it's nice to see that Stone is up to the challenge both on and off the court. As a matter of fact, last summer Stone missed a number of important AAU tournaments to to attend summer school. Now he is fully qualified and will be eligible next year as college freshman. Hopefully, others will follow his example and ensure their eligibility as college freshmen by first taking care of business academically.

In December we announced that we will be lowering price for access to our web site, as well as making a number of changes in terms of the billing. We will be eliminating our internet billing provider, which is IBill, within the next month, because it is now much cheaper and more efficient to go through our own bank to handle the billing. As a result, we are passing these savings along to our subscribers. We will also be providing limited access to different areas of our web site for a fee of $3 to $6 per month. These areas will include the Hot Recruiting Information section, the National Player List, State-by-State Reports, and the recruiting rankings from the spring and fall signing periods. In the past, keeping all this information current was a problem, but for the last month Eric Dixon has been entering names and working on numerous state-by-state reports, while I have been covering a number of holiday tournaments and games. Both the national player list, which includes over 5,000 names, and most of the state-by-state reports will be made available within the next week. But that's not all, as we also have a new feature that we plan to announce very soon that will keep us well ahead of most of our competition. As a result, now is the perfect time to switch your subscription from $19.95 per month to $12 per month, $30 for three months, $60 for six months, or $100 per year. We encourage you to take advantage of this offer by calling 1-800-253-DUNK in the afternoon or evening. Subscribers to the newsletter and/or other reports are also encourage to call, because we will be happy to exchange their remaining issues for access to the web site at no additional charge.

Monday, January 4, 1999

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin has a list of schools for the top ranked available senior player in his area - 6'1 Jermaine Robinson from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA - as well as two of the top underclassmen - 6'0 Jr Sean Mulholland from Medford (Shawnee) NJ and 6'2 Soph Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ. Robinson is considering Xavier, Purdue, St. Bonaventure, Old Dominion, Temple, and Virginia. Mulholland, who currently ranks among the top 150 juniors nationally, is being recruited by Maryland, Syracuse, Temple, Notre Dame, LaSalle, and St. Joseph's. The early list for Turner, who ranks among the top 20 sophomores nationally, includes Massachusetts, Florida, Temple, St. Joseph's, Rutgers, and Seton Hall.

For a long time Wisconsin and Louisville have been the heavy favorites for 6'6 Reese Gaines from Madison (West) WI, but now the University of Michigan is making a late push. Could this an indication that the Wolverines aren't going to get 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI? Right now it looks like Virginia is the leader for Blanchard, but Georgetown, Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, and Kentucky are also being very prominently mentioned. As for Gaines, we still think when it is all said and done that the University of Wisconsin will be very tough to beat.

Sunday, January 3, 1999

Roy and Harv Schmidt, who Bulls-Eye Scouting Service in Illinois, tell us that Chicago (Westinghouse) IL defeated Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 64-50, for the championship of the Proviso West tournament. "Westinghouse is undefeated and is clearly the best team in the state and deserves its national ranking in USA Today, " says Schmidt. "The tournament MVP was 6'3 junior Cedric Banks from Westinghouse. Banks presently ranks as our #4 junior in Illinois (he is better than Matt Lottich or Brett Melton) and he is no worse than top 30 nationally." Roy and Harv also tell us that they have their new web site up and running. You can check it out at www.bullseyenet.net.

It has been widely reported that Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD beat West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 50-46, to win the championship in the Beach Ball Classic, but a major story that has yet to make national news are indefinite suspensions of 6'4 Keith Bogans and 5'10 Jr Jason Forte. According to a story on Friday, January 1st by Josh Barr  in the Washington Post neither Bogans nor Forte even played in the championship game of the Beach Ball Classic. Apparently both were suspended by legendary Stags head coach Morgan Wootten after a "locker room incident" following DeMatha's 65-61 semifinal victory over Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY on Tuesday. "Wootten would not discuss the details of the incident, but said both players were suspended indefinitely," says Barr. "Wootten said he plans to meet with DeMatha Principal John Moylan over the weekend to discuss the matter and whether it warrants further disciplinary action. Wootten said he was uncertain when Bogans would return to the team. The Stags play Bladensburg on Monday and #1 Good Counsel on Jan. 9th." Bogans, who signed with Kentucky during the fall signing period, ranks as the #2 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Forte, who is a reserve guard, is the younger brother of North Carolina signee Joe Forte. Speaking of Forte, Seton Hall Prep double-teamed him and held him 13 points. However, that was still enough for him to be named the tournament's most valuable player. "The Stags also got a career-high 17 points and six assists from sophomore guard Billy Edelin," says Barr. "Edelin scored nine of DeMatha's final 11 points, including a jumper with less than two minutes remaining to put the Stags ahead for good."

Saturday, January 2, 1999

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is reporting that 6'5 Moses Malone, Jr. has left school and is transferring from the University of Houston. We'd be guessing about the reason why he is leaving, but maybe the fact that Cougars' recruited over Malone in the fall when they landed 6'8 George Williams from Sugar Land (Elkins) TX had something to do with it. If you will recall, Malone did not rank among our top 100 nationally when he came out of high school a year ago, while Williams currently ranks among our top 25.

Friday, January 1, 1999

Originally we thought 7'1 Karim Shabazz, who announced in mid-December that he was transferring from  Florida State, would wind up at St. John's. Then it looked like Connecticut might steal him. But now the big winner is Providence. While this is a big get for the Friars, Shabazz will not count with their recruiting class, because as a transfer he will not become eligible until this time next year.

Our Philadelphia Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Chris Arnold from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) PA, who ranks #27 in Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by the HOOP SCOOP,  has committed to Philadelphia College Textiles and Science. Arnold has not played a game yet this year due to injuries, but this is a great get for Textile, because he has excellent leadership qualities, he has good ball handling skills, and he is excellent at taking his man off the dribble.