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Saturday, July 29, 2006, Sunday, July 30, 2006, & Monday, July 31, 2006

It's almost over for Division I college coaches, as the Summer Evaluation Period officially ends at midnight tonight (Monday, July 3st).  However, I'm flying across the country today and I will spend the next eight days getting a head start on the future, as tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday I will be at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL to cover the 14-Under AAU Nationals; on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I will be at Alliant University in San Diego, CA to cover the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, and next Monday and Tuesday I will be back in Lake Buena Vista to see who actually wins the 14-Under AAU National Championship.   So now is the calm before the storm, which means it is the perfect time catch up some verbal commitments and right at the top of the list is 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, who according to our Texas Editor Tim Miller, made it official for Texas A&M over the weekend.  Jordan needs to develop more of a killer mentality inside, but he reminds us of LaMarcus Aldridge in many ways and he may have just as much potential as Aldridge, who was one of the top players drafted in the NBA Draft a little over a month ago.  In other words, this is a major steal for the Aggies, as Jordan, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, could be the great inside player that Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie needs in order to keep up with the very elite teams in the league, like Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma State.  Remember, the Aggies already are one of the better teams in the league and, with 6'2 Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Joseph Fulce from Plano (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Derrick Roland from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 5'11 Bryan Beasley from Pflugerville (H.S.) TX, and 6'3 Bryson Graham from Lon Morris (JC) TX all in the fold from last year's recruiting class, which was ranked #17 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 and with 6'3 Derrick Lewis from Tulsa (Cascia Hall) OK and 6'6 Nathan Walkup from Dear Park (H.S.) TX also already apart of their current recruiting class, it's obvious that Jordan is one of the final pieces to the puzzle.  And Gillispie and his staff beat some pretty fast company to get this one done, as LSU, Indiana, Texas, and Florida were the other finalists for Jordan's services.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis confirms that Pepperdine was able to hold off a last minute attempt by San Diego State to get 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA to change his mind and, as a result, the Wave now has a slashing athletic wing forward who is ranked #96 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP in the fold to complement 6'9 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA in a recruiting class that is now tied at #32, along with Mississippi State and Dayton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   The verbal commitments by Jordan and Shelley also are important, because they become the 57th and 58th players who were ranked among our top 100 players nationally in our pre-summer rankings who are currently verbally committed to four-year Division I schools.  The complete list includes 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR to UCLA, 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD to Syracuse, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to Illinois, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Kansas State, 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to Duke, 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK to Oklahoma, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Duke, 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH to Florida, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX to Texas, 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Villanova, 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA to Arizona, 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL to Florida, 6'11 DeAndre Jordan form Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX to Texas A&M, 6'3 E'Twuan Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN to Purdue, 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA to USC, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, 6'4 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA to Michigan State, 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA to Gonzaga, 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH to Ohio State, 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA to Alabama, 6'4 Durrell Summers from Redford (Covenant Christian) MI to Michigan State, 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA to Georgia Tech, 6'2 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ to Rutgers, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to Syracuse, 6'8 Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD to Maryland, 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL to Alabama, 6'5 Alexander Legion from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Michigan, 6'0 Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL to Miami-FL, 6'0 Taylor Battle from Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY to Penn State, 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA to Washington, 6'2 Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to Syracuse, 6'5 Lacedaris Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA to Baylor, 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY to Syracuse, 6'9 Laron Dendy from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC to Clemson, 6'10 Matthew Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT to Washington, 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Memphis, 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Villanova, 6'3 Corperryale Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI to Michigan, 6'7 Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA to California, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN to Purdue, 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH to Ohio State, 6'7 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Boston College, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC to Charlotte, 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI to Michigan State, 6'6 Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC to Virginia, 6'6 Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH to Dayton, 6'8 Chace Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA to UCLA, 6'6 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL to Ohio State, 5'11 Michael Thompson from Chicago (Lincoln Park) IL to Northwestern, 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN to Purdue, 6'7 Raven Johnson from Clarksdale (Coahoma County) MS to Mississippi State, 6'3 Demetri McCamey from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL to Illinois, 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA to Pepperdine, 6'7 Mike Holmes from Bishopville (Lee Central) SC to South Carolina, 6'6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH to Ohio State, 6'9 Shane Walker from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA to Maryland, and 6'1 Sammy Zeglinski from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA to Virginia.  Not only is that an incredible number when one remembers that the beginning of the Fall Signing Period is still three-and-a-half months away, but it also illustrates just how dramatically the recruiting process has been speeded up in recent years.  Or to look at it another way, if you're a college recruiter and you're still trying to get involved with new players in the senior class nationally during the month of July, you're really behind the eight ball.  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller also tells us that 6'0 DeAndre Brown from Decatur (Columbia) GA has verbally committed to UT-Arlington.  And, if Brown, who was ranked #7 in the state in the Class of 2007 when we last updated our Texas rankings on March 26th, is as good as Miller thinks he is, this is a major steal.   Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Kodi Augustus from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX appears to have verbally committed to Mississippi State.  At least that's what John Eurey, who is his club team coach, is telling people.  So assuming that this is true, it looks like the Bulldogs have an excellent catch.  Not only is Augustus a multi-dimensional athlete who was ranked #118 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006, but he also now is going the prep school route at a school yet to be determined and, as a result, is now the equivalent of a top-100 ranked player.   It also looks like our Georgia Editors Linzy Davis and Horace Neysmith have been asleep, because the verbal commitment by 6'5 Lance Storrs from Decatur (Columbia) GA to Georgia Tech, which happened on March 9th, fell under the radar screen until somebody mentioned it to me this weekend.  However, this is still worth mentioning, because Storrs is a good athlete and is one of the better 3-point shooters in the class.  Storrs also is a local kid, which means that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt is doing a good job of keeping his share of the top players at home.  If you will recall, the Yellowjackets also have a verbal commitment from 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, who is one of the most athletic and most naturally talented inside players in the senior class nationally.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that it's finally official 6'7 D.J. Wright from Toronto (Academy) ON, who picked LSU earlier today.  And this is a big get for the Tigers, because we're talking about one of the best 3-point shooters in either the United States or Canada.  We also find it interesting that the guy who got this done is LSU assistant coach Nikita Johnson.  And this is important, because LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who is recognized as one of the best recruiters in the nation, still has not signed or gotten a verbal commitment from anybody in either last year's or this year's recruiting class.  But before you start felling sorry for the Tigers, you need to know that LSU head coach John Brady was one of the most visible head coaches of the summer and the Tigers are involved with more than their fair share of the top players in the nation. 

Friday, July 28, 2006

A year ago we mentioned that it's too bad that the winner of the Reebok Big Time Tournament doesn't participate in the playoff that already exists between the winner of the Main Event and the adidas Super 64 Tournament.  And this year that is especially true, because a game between Pump N-Run Elite and and the Southern Cal All-Stars would be a great way to cap off the summer.  Remember, Pump N-Run Elite is the team that won the Arizona Cactus Classic in late May and they upset DC Assault in the championship of the adidas Super 64 Team prior to beating the Houston Hoops, 103-86, in the playoff game between the winners of the two tournaments.  And don't forget that the Southern Cal All-Stars won the Las Vegas Easter Classic, Houston Kingwood Classic, and Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions prior to winning the championship in the Reebok Big Time Tournament with an impressive 69-63 win over Mean Streets Express in the title game  They could play the game in August or September and, at least one of the parties is totally in favor of the idea, as one of the Pump brothers told us earlier today that they would love to play the Southern Cal All-Stars anytime anyplace.  "We could give the gate to charity," said Pump.  "It would be great for the sport and great for basketball in Southern California."  The Pump's also have to be happy with their 2006 Best of the Summer Tournament, which is now in its second day and features some really good teams, including the Pump N-Run Elite with 6'4 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, and 6'9 Kenton Walker from San Diego (Scripps Ranch) CA; EBO EA Sports with 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'8 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Christian) CA, 6'7 Darshawn McClennan from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'11 Jr Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, and 6'2 Jr Heiden Ratner from Las Vegas (Silverado) NV; DC Assault with 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 6'9 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; Atlanta Celtics with 6'3 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson Couny) GA, 6'9 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) CA, 6'9 Montavious Adams from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, and 6'6 Terrell Bell from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA; Illinois Wolves with 6'3 Demetric McCamey from Westchester (St. Joseph') IL, 6'7 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph's) IL, 6'8 Carlton Fay from Granville (Putnam County) IL, and 6'0 Sammy Maniscalco from Chicago (St. Patrick) IL; New York Panthers with 6'4 Jr Melquan Bolding from White Plains (Archbishop Stepanic) NY, 5'11 Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Thomas Manzano from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS, 6'5 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 6'3 Rashad Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY; World Wide Renegades with 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'5 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA, and 6'8 Trevor Mbakwe from Mendota Heights (Henry Sibley) MN; Cleveland Basketball Club with 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 7'1 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 6'1 Jr Anthony McBride from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, 6'6 Jr Rayshawn Goins from Cleveland (Rhodes) OH, and 6'2 Jr Devon Moore from Columbus, (Northland) OH; Indiana Elite with 7'0 Jr Beas Hamga from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 6'6 Jr DeAndre Liggins from Washington (George Washington) IL, 6'6 Jake Kelly from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Bryan Bouchie from Washington (H.S.) IN, and 6'1 Dairese Gary from Elkhart (Concord) IN; New England Playaz with 6'6 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'6 Elijah Whitehead from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Garrett Kissell from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'6 Mohamed Lo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'9 Soph Dartaye Ruffin from Barrington (St. Andews) RI; New Orleans Jazz with 6'4 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, 6'3 Lamar Falley from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 6'4 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA; Derek Smith AllStars.Org 17U with 6'5 Steffphon Pettigrew from Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY, 6'5 Antiquan Beckham from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5'10 Douglas Beamount from Louisville (Male) KY, and 6'9 Thomas Coleman from Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY; and Houston Hardballers with 6'7 Carlton Scott from San Antonio (Madison) TX, 6'0 Christopher Jones from Katy (Cinco Ranch) TX, and 6'9 Jr Steve Tchiengang from Cypress (Christian) TX.  And, while the Best of the Summer Tournament has a lot talent, it's also important for us, because it gives me a chance to see some teams that I missed seeing in Las Vegas.  And the perfect example is the French Hoops team, which features 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'11 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, and 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  And, although the French Hoops lacked good guards and, as a result, got beat 50-32 by the New York Skyrockers, Diarra once again impressed us with his ability to score both inside and outside, as he finished with 11 points and was easily the best player in the game.  Thomas chipped in with nine points and Sylla, whose defense is way ahead of his offense, only a two points.  We also were impressed with the number of big time coaches watching the French Hoops team, so we decided to get an updated list of schools for each of these players.  Diarra is getting the most interest from USC, Baylor, Cincinnati, DePaul, Rutgers, Connecticut, and Fresno State.  Sylla's list includes St. John's, LSU, Connecticut, and San Diego State.  Thomas likes Rutgers, USC, Clemson, Fresno State, and Ball State.  Our Florida Editor Patrick Stanwood, who was at the AAU 17-Under Super Showcase in Orlando, FL, also checks in and he tells us the SYF Players have won this tournament for the second consecutive year, thanks to a well rounded attack that featured the Purdue-bound trio - 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, and 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN - and 6'2 Greg Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN.  Moore, who was the best player in the tournament, scored most of his 18 points on drives to the basket, but Stanwood also was impressed with his ability to shoot the three and desire to lock up his man down defensively.  Martin scored most of his 14 points from mid-range, but he also did a good job of penetrating and finding the open man.  Hummel only had five points, but he did a lot of the little things that don't show up in the box score and had more than his share of rebounds.  Hill finished with 11 points and, as usual, was a like a jack-of-all-trades, as he found ways to score, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, and rebounded well for his size.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the SYF Players beat Team Melo, 54-50, in the championship game.  And yes, Team Melo featured 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, who put on what will be remembered as one of the all-time great performances in camp history at the NIKE All-American Camp earlier this summer, but who was in summer school when we saw this team in the NIKE Peach Jam.  And, while Green showed flashes of greatness during the week, he did not live up to the hype in the championship game, as he scored only eight points and ultimately earned little more than a late technical.  Instead, the best player for Team Melo in the championship game was 6'4 Jr Sean Mosley from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, who finished with 19 points and, once again, showed flashes or brilliance reminiscent of when he was so good in the playoffs at the Rumble in the Bronx and early at the NIKE All-American.  However, while Mosley continues to show flashes, consistency counts and, as a result, we're still waiting for this athletic wing guard who can shoot the lights and overpowers other perimeter players in his quest to get the hole to play like this all time.  Also chipping in with 10 points for Team Melo was 6'4 Malcolm Delaney from Towson (Catholic) MD.  We also continue to hear rumors about 6'7 D.J. Wright from Toronto (Academy) ON picking LSU.  Well, our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that it hasn't happened yet, as schools like Rutgers, Pittsburgh, and Providence are also still in the hunt for this lights out 3-point shooter.  However, at the end of the day, we do think you can write this one down for Tigers.  We're also still waiting to see what is going to happen with 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, who is supposed to make his college decision today.  The word was that it's going to be Pepperdine, but we hear that San Diego State is really turning up the heat.  So stay tuned! 

Thursday, July 27, 2006

With 1,000 teams, over 10,000 players, and thousands of games going on during a five-day span at the Reebok Big Time Tournament, adidas Super 64, and Main Event, it's impossible to see everybody that you want to see.  And a perfect example is 6'11 Clinton Chapman from Canby (H.S.) OR, who finished ranked among the top 20 in scoring with 20.0 ppg, top 15 in rebounding with 6.7 rpg, and top two in blocks with 3.7 bpg during the first two days of pool play at the Reebok Big Tournament.  However, his team (Portland Panthers) got beat by the Oregon Rebels in the second round of the playoffs and, as a result, I never got a chance to see him play.  But our California Editor Alan Utter and HOOP SCOOP Correspondent Jim Jones, both of whom also covered the Reebok Big Time Tournament and adidas Super 64 from start to finish, did get to see Chapman play twice and they ended up ranking him #21 on their list of the top players that they saw in these two events.  "Chapman was pretty much the same player that we saw at the NBA Players Association Camp a month ago," says Utter.  "He's a skilled big man who scores, rebounds, and blocks shots.  But it's his upside that gets college coaches excited."  Speaking of Utter's and Jones' list of the top players that they saw over the last four days, I find it hard to believe that they have 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL ranked #2 over 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  And making this even more interesting is the fact that Jones liked Rose's upside, potential, and unselfishness so much that he would have ranked Rose #1 over Love.  In other words, beauty is often in the eye of the beholder and we have an interesting debate with regards to the top players on the list, which read as follows:  1) 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 2) 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 3) 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 4) 6'3 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 5) 6'9 Soph Renardo Syndey from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6) 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'0 Kelvin Grady from East Grand Rapids (H.S.) MI, 8) 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 9) 6'8 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 10 5'11 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 11) 6'7 Darrington Hobson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 12) 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 13) 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 14) 6'9 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 15) 6'2 Jeffrey Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 16) 6'5 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 17) 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 18) 6'2 Stephen Thomas from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN, 19) 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 20) 6'4 Bradley Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 21) 6'11 Clinton Chapman from Canby (H.S.) OR, 22) 6'3 Jr Oscar Bellfield from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 23) 6'3 Jr Jarred DuBois from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 24) 6'4 LaDarius Hall from Thomasville (H.S.) CA, 25) 6'9 Jr Steve Tchiengang from Cypress (Christian) TX, 26) 6'7 Gerrell Knighthead from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, 27) 6'8 Jr Drew Gordon from Westchester (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 28) 6'7 Carlton Scott from San Antonio (Madison) TX, 29) 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 30) 6'7 Billy Allen from Hamilton (H.S.) OH, 31) 6'10 Craig Brackins from Wolfeboro (Academy) NH, and 32) 6'10 Jr Corbin Moore from Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA.  Utter also provides us with some of his and Jones' impressions of the top players that they saw over the last five days and they especially liked Kelvin Grady's quickness and decision making on the court.  "He played against Brandon Jennings and looked very good against the #1 ranked player in the Class of 2008.  Jennings' upside is much higher and his selfishness reputation is undeserved, as he is a great passer and always has a lot of assists in every game.  We also loved Derrick Rose’s game and think he is by far the best point guard in his class.  His Meanstreets Express teammate Eric Gordon was outstanding in this tournament, as he averaged 29.2 ppg and finished as the leading scorer in the tournament.  O.J. Mayo and Billy Walker did not appear to be highly motivated for this tournament and did poorly for the most part, although Mayo did show his talent in his first game, shooting the three extremely well and exhibiting super quickness.  But then they stopped playing hard and the D-I Greyhounds did not have good chemistry, which caused them to lose big to the the Southern Cal All-Stars and be eliminated early in the playoffs.  Taylor King never saw a 3-point shot he did not like, only hitting a good percentage in one game.  We don’t think he will stay at Duke as Coach K’s offense doesn’t match Taylor’s game.  But he works very hard on the boards and, if he works on his mid-range jumper, which he is really good at hitting, he could be a very good wing forward for somebody.  Kevin Love just beats you down on the blocks every which way there is.  He will be an outstanding center for UCLA and likely a great power forward in the NBA.  Love picked the right school to attend as Ben Howland runs the ball through his big men on every play but fast breaks, while Roy Williams will always be running Dean Smith’s motion offense, which only lets the three shooters shoot the ball.  We also paid particular attention to the four Southern California point guards in the Class of 2008 with big reputations.  Of course we liked Brandon Jennings the best.  Then came 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA and 6'4 Jr Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, even though he played on a sore ankle.  Last and least was 6'2 Jr Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, who, we think at best is a lower Pac-10 guard with average quickness and athleticism, although he does see the floor pretty well.  Against a quicker team, Anderson's passes kept being picked off and his lack of ability hurt his team.  UCLA is not going to be offering any of these point guards until they see who develops into the best player down the road.  The Reebok Big Time Tournament was by far the best tournament, as it featured the most good players and the best match-ups.  It also was true to it's name, as Dominic Clark and all of his people did their usual incredible job of dealing with the media and providing all the updated scores and statistics during the course of the tournament.  In other words, Sonny Vaccaro just continues to do it year after year, despite the added competition that waters everything down and all the hype about the other events.  Our most inspirational player was 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who was the undersized power forward that gave it his all in every game for Mean Streets Express.  He just could not handle Kevin Love, but then no one else could either.  Renardo Sidney has more potential than anybody in this tournament and we found it especially interesting that he said I'm going to UCLA when asked about his recruiting.  We also talked to source close to USC about O.J. Mayo's recruiting and were told that Trojans head coach Tim Floyd has not heard from Mayo in four weeks.  So, contrary to published reports in other media a few weeks ago, it doesn’t sound like the next USC O.J. is going to happen.  It also looks like Pepperdine is getting it done in recruiting, as 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA is going to announce for the Waves tomorrow (Friday) at the Dinos Trigonis' 2006  Full-Court Press End of the Trail Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA.  Pepperdine also already has a commitment from 6'9 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA and are among the leaders for 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA and 6'7 Darrington Hobson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who will be visiting Pepperdine next week.  We also talked to sources close to Memphis and have heard that Calipari is doing very well with Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon, who very much enjoy playing together.  And, last, but not least, UCLA has gotten a late commitment from 6'8 Nikola Dragonic from Serbia, who is 6'8, 215-pounds and averaged 16.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg, for the 18-Under Serbian Team.  And the word we get is that he's a lot better than Marko Spica, who originally committed to UCLA, but now is expected to follow former UCLA assistant coach Ernie Zeigler to Central Michigan.  Dragonic is compared to NBA-guard Paja Stojakovic, who is a very good shooter with great range and the ability to drive into the lane and finish strong." 

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Normally 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA is the prolific scorer and 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) CA is the guy who locks you up defensively.  But they both got hot against the King James Shooting Stars in the semi-finals at the Main Event and, as a result, they were able to more than offset the size and talent of the two best players - 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, who finished with 18 points, and 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, who finished with 13 points - in the entire tournament.  Not only did Thomas and McMillan combine to scored 59 of their team's 75 points, but Thomas hit nine 3-pointers and McMillan hit five 3-pointers, which means the Seattle-Friends of Hoop shot the lights out to advance into the tournament's championship game for the second straight year with an impressive 75-68 win against the King James Shooting Stars.  The Houston Hoops won the other semi-finals game, 59-57, thanks to a well balanced attack that was led by 6'6 Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX and 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who combined for 31 points, and 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who runs the show, makes teammates better, and is the glue that hold this team together.  So this sets the stage for the two championship games that are being held today at the Cox Pavilion on the Campus of UNLV between DC Assault and Pump N-Run Elite, which are the final two in the adidas Super 64, and the Houston Hoops and Seattle-Friends of Hoop, which are the final two in the Main Event.   Pump N-Run Elite jumped out to a 10-2 lead and led 18-7 and 24-13 in the first game, before 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who had 28 points in the game we saw yesterday afternoon, but did not play in the semi-finals game last night, and 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who had 33 points in DC Assault's 74-66 win last night in the semi-finals against Double Pump N-Run, got DC Assault back on track.  By the 3:30 mark left in the first half, the score was tied at 31-31.  DC Assault led by one at half-time, but Pump-N-Run started the second half just like it did the first half, as they outscored DC Assault, 17-5 in the first six minutes of the second stanza.  However, this time, thanks to the efforts of 6'1 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who is the prototypical point guard that gets everybody involved, and 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, and 6'7 Drew Viney from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who provide most of the firepower, Pump N-Run Elite maintained a six to 10-point lead the rest of the way.  The final score was 86-80 and making the story even more interesting is the fact that Pump N-Run Elite head coach Jim Harrick is the first head coach ever to win both a NCAA Championship (in 1995 at UCLA) and a championship in one of the major AAU/club team tournaments during the summer.  Beasley finished with 30 points, but most of that came in the first half, as he rarely touched the ball down the stretch.  Freeman also chipped in with 25 points, but 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was almost non-existent as he finished with only four points.  And so were 6'8 Kenny Belton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC with five points, 6'7 Jamar Samuels from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC with five points, and 6'10 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with three points.  Harden, who missed only one shot the entire game, finished with 34 points and was named the tournament MVP.  Drew, who tells us that his list of schools includes Stanford, UCLA, North Carolina, Washington, Arizona, Arizona State, California, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Florida, and Connecticut, had 16 points, Daye had 12 points and Viney had 11 points.  Speaking of Viney, who is an excellent 3-point shooter in his own right, he tells us that California, Washington, Arizona State, and Pepperdine are the top four schools on his list.  The big story in the Main Event Championship Game between Seattle-Friends of Hoop and the Houston Hoops was the fact that 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX and 5'10 Soph Tommy Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX did a good job of containing 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, who had only eight points and missed numerous shots, and 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) CA, who had 10 points, and providing 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who finished 17 points, and 6'6 Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, who had 14 points, with numerous scoring opportunities.  So, with this in mind, it should come as no surprise that the Houston Hoops coasted to a 70-52 victory, which sets up the big match-up at 7:00 PM tonight between the winner's of the Main Event (Houston Hoops) and adidas Super 64 (Pump N-Run).  And, Hal Pastner, who runs the Main Event and is the Director of the Houston Hoops club team program, and Dana and David Pump, who are big shots with adidas, run the Pump N-Run grass roots basketball program, and are tournament gurus, have to be happy, as their own teams not only have prevailed, but will get all the hype and exposure that goes along with winning these tournaments.  In other words, it looks like they've invited a bunch of teams they can beat and called it a tournament.  We also think it's interesting that these same two teams met in the championship game of the Arizona Cactus Classic, but we're not sure that the fact the Pump Run N-Run Elite won big against the Houston Hoops means much this time around.  Catching up on what's happened earlier today at the Reebok Big Tournament, Spiece Indy Heat beat H-Squad, 79-71; Mean Streets Express beat the Long Island Lightning, 74-65; Southern Cal All-Stars beat Minnesota Magic Elite, 72-63; and Houston Hardballers beat Squired Richmond Brooks (VA), 54-52 (OT); in the quarterfinals and Mean Streets Express knocked off the Spiece Indy Heat, 74-57 in the first of two semi-finals games.  The other semi-finals game is currently in progress and, as things, stand now, we may have a major upset in the making as the Houston Hardballers were up by as many as 14 points and are up on the Southern Cal All-Stars 34-29 at half-time.  Especially noteworthy from earlier in the day were the 27-point game performance versus the Long Island Lightning and 25-point game performance versus Spiece Indy Heat by 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, who gets our vote as the best player in the tournament based on performance.  And the statistics back us up, as Gordon is the leading scorer in the tournament with 29.8 ppg and his team is waiting the winner of the Houston Hardballers-Southern Cal All-Stars game in the championship game, which is scheduled to tip-off at 6:20 PM PST.  The upset didn't materialize, as the Southern Cal All-Stars finally managed to take control of the game in the second half and pulled out a 60-51 victory against the Houston Hardballers, which had an incredibly tough road to the final four, as they were not one of the 64 pre-ranked teams in the open division.  However, 6'7 Carlton Scott from San Antonio (Madison) TX, who had 15 points and six rebounds; 6'0 Christopher Jones from Katy (Cinco Ranch) TX, who had 14 points, 4-4 3-pointers, and three assists; and 6'9 Jr Steve Tchiengang from Cypress (Christian) TX, who had nine points and four rebounds; turned out to be three of the better players that we've seen the tournament.  Tchiengang is true to his name, because he's a big time athlete and killer inside.  He's also has the ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper, although he's best inside, as is evident by the fact that he was 0-7 from beyond the arc against the Southern Cal All-Stars.  Jones, who will be a 5th Year Player, has good ball handling and passing skills, the explosiveness and moves necessary to get to the hole, and the ability to the open jump shot.  Scott has an incredible wing span, which he uses to score inside, rebound, and block shots.  Scott also is a pogo stick and has the potential to grow several more inches, which is why schools like Miami-FL, Texas Tech, Arizona State, Nebraska, and  Oregon State are all in the hunt.  However, we still think he's one of the fastest rising players in the nation right now, as is evident by the fact that our Texas Editor Tim Miller had Scott ranked no higher than #36 in the state in his class the last time he updated his rankings.  As for Jones and Tchiengang, we had the former ranked #68 in the state in the Class of 2006 and the latter ranked #3 in the state in the Class of 2008.  The Southern Cal All-Stars were led once again in scoring by 6'9 Soph Renardo Sydney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA with 14 points.  Sydney was complemented by 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA with 12 points and 10 rebounds, 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 11 points and eight rebounds.  So now the stage is set for the big rematch in the championship game between the Southern Cal All-Stars and Mean Street Express and the game the first time around, which was won by the Southern Cal All-Star, was not as close as the 84-73 final score might indicate.  A quick poll of a number of media people and scouts in attendance indicates that this game is too close to call.  Not only do the Southern Cal All-Stars look tired and have not played well the last several times we've seen them play, but Mean Streets Express, which was 1-2 in pool play, now appears to be playing it's best basketball of the tournament and they have an incredible backcourt in 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL.  And this might be not be the last time that Gordon and Rose end up playing on the same team together, as the University of Memphis now appears to have emerged as the leader for Rose.  And, if that happens, Gordon may not be too far behind, as  the rumors persist about Gordon reneging on the Fighting Illini, if they don't land Rose, and they obviously like playing with one another on the same team.  And making the story even more interesting the fact that Memphis assistant coach Tony Barbee attended high school at Indianapolis (North Central) IN, which just happens to be the same high school that Gordon now attends.  In other words, there are a lot of interesting connections, which leads us to believe that Memphis will be one of the favorites, if Gordon reneges on Illinois.  Obviously is came as no surprise when 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN nailed three straight 3-pointers and Mean Streets Express jumped out a 21-6 lead early in the championship game against the Southern Cal All-Stars.  However, Mean Streets Express' domination didn't last long as the Southern Cal All-Stars picked up the intensity level with 10:44 left in the first half and went on a 9-2 run.  And from there it was a dog fight the rest of the half, as the Southern Cal All-Stars kept chipping away at the lead until it was only a two-point game at the intermission.  At the half 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN had 18 points and was 4-5 from beyond the arc and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL had six points and seven assists.  6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR was leading the way for Southern Cal with 10 points and 11 rebounds and 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA had chipped in with 10 points and is 2-2 from 3-point land.  Southern Cal took it's first lead, 46-45, with 11:30 left in the game.  But from there it was too close to call until Hackett scored on a lay-up and Love rejected a shot and then grabbed a big rebound with about 30 second left in the game.  The final score in the championship game of the 2006 Reebok Big Tournament was the Southern Cal All-Stars 69, Mean Streets Express 63.  Love finished with 20 points and 15 rebounds, Hackett had 21 points and hit 3-4 field goals, and  King had 13 points, but was only 5-13 from the field and 3-10 from beyond the arc, as the Southern Cal All-Stars become the first team ever from California to win the Reebok Big Time Tournament.  We also have to mention 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who had eight points, six assists, five steals in the championship game, because one of the deciding factors in the game was when he switched over and shut Gordon down defensively down the stretch.  Gordon led Mean Streets Express with 25 points and was 10-20 from the field and 4-7 from beyond the arc.  Rose chipped in with 12 points and 10 assists.  I also got back in time to see the end of the game that matched the winners of the other two tournaments and Pump N-Run Elite beat Houston Hoops, 103-86, in the final game of our five day marathon in Las Vegas, NV.  6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA had 30 points and 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA has 28 points and was named the tournament MVP.  6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA also chipped in with 20 points for the winners, as he impressed everybody with his outside shooting.   The leading scorers for the Houston Hoops were 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX with 25 points.  6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX with 21 points and 5'10 Soph Tommy Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX with 12 points. 

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

He said he had to come to the desert to do it, but he plans to become a Bruin.  That's what 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who will be the #1-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP next time update our rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2007, said at his press conference earlier today.  Then, he put on a Bruins hat, as family, friends, teammates, and media gave him a round of applause.  Love also made it clear that he's not sure how long he will be at UCLA, as he talked about the strong bond that he's always had with his teammates.  "It will be hard to leave," said Love.  But he also left open the option to go to the NBA after just one year if the timing was right.  We also found it interesting that Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports said that Love is the "most skilled" big man that he's seen in the 30 years that he's been covering high school basketball.  Love, who reminds us of a white Wes Unseld, also was mentioned as the next in a long line of great big men to play at UCLA by Sonny Vaccaro, but nobody made any references to Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor or the fact that he is the most important player that UCLA has landed in the last 35 years.  Sure, Love may only be around one year, but he's the guy that everybody wants to play with and Love made it clear at his press conference that one of his first orders of business after the Southern Cal All-Stars win the Reebok Big Time Tournament tomorrow will be to convince his best friend and former teammate 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR to follow in his footsteps and become a Bruins.  As things stand now, Singler's top five are UCLA, Duke, Washington, Arizona, and Kansas.  We also found it extremely interesting that 6'1 Brandon Jennings's little brother, who is just nine or 10-years old, had a UCLA Bruins jersey on, so we asked both Jennings and his mother if Love's decision would have any effect on his decision.  And they both said not in the slightest, because they believe that Love is a one-and-done guy in college.  However, Jennings' mother added that if Love were going to be around for more than one year, that would change everything.  She also said that she'd like nothing more than to see he son and Kevin Love together for a year or two at Westwood.  But, as things stand now UCLA is not even on the list, as Connecticut is believed to be the leader and schools like Arizona, Washington, USC, Texas, and Illinois are also being mentioned.  Instead, it looks like UCLA's prime guard targets for the Class of 2008 are 6'3 Jr Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, 6'3 Jr Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, and 6'1 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA.  Speaking of Drew, he was one of the better players that we saw earlier today at the adidas Super 64, where DC Assault, Bay Area Ballers, Double Pump, GC Ballers, DT Wisconsin, Utah Pump N-Run, and New Orleans Jazz have advanced into the elite eight of the tournament.  Drew also is clearly the best of the rest, assuming that UCLA can't get Jennings, who is the second half of one of the best center/point guard duos that we've ever seen at the high school or AAU level.  Drew doesn't have jet like speed and quickness, but he's a smart point guard with great ball handling and passing skills and he knows how to run a team.  So it should come as no surprise that Pump N-Run, which also features 6'3 Jr James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'9 Austin Day from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'9 Sean Walker from San Diego (Scripps Ranch) CA, and 6'6 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, is now one the favorites, along with DC Assault, to win the adidas Super 64.  However, when it's all said and done, the only team that can beat DC Assault, is DC Assault.  And, if you don't believe me, just ask the Atlanta Celtics, which had an answer for 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 6'3 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA and somebody to match-up against 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'7 Jamal Samuels from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC in 6'9 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Montavious Adams from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, and 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA.  But they didn't have an answer for 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who had 14 points and was one of the three best players on the court, along with Beasley and Smith.  They also couldn't figure out how to stop Beasley, as he finished with 28 points and put on one of the best single-game individual performances that we've seen during the last four days.  We also can see how DTA-Wisconsin knocked off EBO-EA Sports last night in the second round of the playoffs, as they did the same thing today to a battle tested Playaz Basketball Club, which featured 6'2 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'6 Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, 6'5 Rashad Bishop from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Anthony Nelson from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, and 6'4 Chris Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  We were especially impressed with the speed, quickness, and outside shooting provided by 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (Puis X) WI and 6'3 Bryquis Perine from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI and the inside play provided by 6'4 Dominique Sharp from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'7 Jr Bryan Brown from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'10 Antwond Roshell from Milwaukee (Custer) WI, and 6'9 Jr Montrell Clark from Milwaukee (St. Puis X) WI, who is one of the fastest rising underclassmen big men that we've seen during the last four days.  Clark, who is a legitimate top 50 junior nationally, does need to get bigger and stronger, but he's a high energy guy who can run the court, block shots, rebound, and score around the basket.  After spending most of the morning at the adidas Super 64 and then attending Kevin Love's press conference, we now are able to catch up on what's happened earlier today at the Reebok Big Time Tournament.  And one of the big stories is the way the D-I Greyhounds were upset, 67-62, by Urban DFW Elite.  6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH finished with 25 points, but hit only 8-12 field goals and 4-13 3-pointers, and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH had 23 points and was 10-15 from the field.  However, none of the other players, like 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH and 6'6 Jr Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, on the D-I Greyhounds stepped up and did anything and, as a result, in a year when they were supposed to take over for 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and the Spiece Indy Heat, Mayo and Walker allowed Kevin Love to steal the show both on and off the court.  Also getting knocked off earlier today were the Michigan Hurricanes, which lost to the Houston Jr. Hardballers, 48-46; Southeast Elite, which lost to the Spiece Central Stars, 56-51; Georgia Hurricanes, which lost to Team Detroit, 78-77.  We also were very impressed with the way Team Breakdown dismantled the World Wide Renegades in the first game that I personally saw earlier today at the Reebok Big Time Tournament.  The final score was 87-72, but it was really over by half-time when the score was 51-32.  However, watching all of the high level talent in this game was still a treat, as 6'2 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompono Beach (Ely) FL and 6'5 Jonathan Hall from Miami (Senior) FL combined for 40 points and 15 rebounds and 6'0 Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL had 11 points and 11 assists for Team Breakdown and 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 6'5 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA combined for 41 points for the World Wide Renegades.  And, if that weren't enough, Team Breakdown also had one of the more underrated players in the tournament 6'5 Alvin Mitchell from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, who is versatile enough to play both inside and outside with his strong upper body and toughness on the boards and ability to step outside, where he uses his athleticism and shoots the three.  The Round of 16 has just started in the Reebok Big Time Tournament and it's the Spiece Indy Heat versus Jacksonville Lee Bulls at 5:00 PM, Lightning versus Team Detroit at 6:20 PM, Illinois Wolves versus Minnesota Magic at 7:40 PM, and Team Breakdown versus Spiece Richmond Basketball at 9:00 PM at Foothill High School and Urban DFW Elite versus H-Squad at 5:00 PM, Mean Streets Express versus Positive Image at 6:20 PM, Southern Cal All-Stars versus Spiece Central Stars at 7:40 PM, and Houston Hardballers versus the winner of the Chicago Jaguars-Oakland Soldiers game at 9:00 PM at Green Valley High School.  The Final Four in the adidas Super 64 is also set, as it will be Utah Pump N-Run versus Pump N- Run Elite at 6:20 at Eldorado High School and Double Pump versus DC Assault at 6:20 PM at Desert Pines High School.  The Main Event is not far enough along to worry about yet, but we haven't forgotten about it, as we'll be there later tonight for the quarterfinals at 8:50 PM and tomorrow morning at 9:10 AM for the semi-finals and 1:30 PM for the championship.  So stay tuned! 

Monday, July 24, 2006

There are always upsets in the early rounds of the playoffs and, this year was no exception in the adidas Super 64 Tournament, as EBO-EA Sports was upset in the second round by the DTA-Wisconsin 17's; the Las Vegas Prospects were upset in the second round by the Playaz Basketball Club Gold; and Kansas City Pump N-Run was upset in the second round by the Bay Area Ballers.  EBO-EA Sports, which featured a cast that includes 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'8 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Christian) CA, 7'0 Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 6'8 Billy White from Henderson (Green Valley) NV, 6'7 Darshawn McClennan from Fresno (Edison) CA, and 6'3 Charles Boozer from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC not only was one of the favorites to win the tournament, but they are the tournament's two-time defending championship, as well the only team that has previously ever taken home the title in the Super Sixty-Four Division of the tournament.  And, when I saw EBO-EA Sports earlier in the day against Team Oklahoma, they looked very good as they won 82-53 and Horne had 18 points, Bayless had 12 points, White had 10 points, Boozer had nine points, and Simpkins had eights points.  However, Bayless, who has been sidelined with injuries off and one during the last several months, did not look anything like he did when we saw him last April and thought we was good enough to be ranked as the #3 player nationally in his class, behind 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR.  So obviously we'll have take into consideration that Bayless was still not even close to being 100% the one time we saw him play in this tournament the next time we updated our national rankings of the top players nationally in the Class of 2007.  We also find it interesting that the head coach of four of the five schools that Bayless said he was interested in were in the gym to watch him play against Team Oklahoma and the other school on his list was represented by one of the best assistant coaches in the business.  Obviously we're talking about Arizona head coach Lute Olson, Kansas head coach Bill Self, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar, and Texas assistant coach Rodney Terry and, according to Bayless, it currently looks like they all have a legitimate shot at getting this prolific scoring and extremely talented combo guard.  We also were very surprised by the fact that the Kansas City Pump N-Run Team went down in flames, because 6'3 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS and 6'4 Jr Travis Releford from Kansas City (Bishop Miege) KS were both terrific when we saw them do what it takes to knock off a good T-Mac All-Stars Team, which featured 6'0 B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Beaumont (Kelly) TX, 6'9 Jr Steve Tchiengang from Cypress (Community Christian) TX, 6'8 Carlton Scott from San Antonio (Madison) TX, and 6'3 Kris Richard from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, in a first round 11:40 AM game this morning.  As a matter of fact, watching the backcourt battle between Reed and Releford and Holmes and Brown in this game was one of the highlights of the entire day.  And, after the game, we were equally impressed with Reed as an individual, as he tells us that he has a 4.0 gpa in the classroom and is considering schools like Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami-FL, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Stanford, and Iowa.  Other players who we saw who played well enough to mention include 6'5 Jr Rayford Shipman from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, y6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 6'3 Laval Lucas-Perry from Flint (Powers) MI, 6'9 Markeiff Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'9 Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'0 Gerald Robinson from Nashville (Martin Luther King) TN, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Tristan Thompson from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'3 Robby Hanzlik from New Hampton (Prep) NH, and 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  Speaking of Walker, who had 20 points when the Juice All-Stars were defeated in the second round by a well-balanced Utah Pump N-Run Team, he tells us that his list of schools includes Florida, Illinois, Villanova, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John's, and Oklahoma.  Walker also tells us that Florida and Louisville are the favorites.  And this is especially interesting, because it appears that he really likes Louisville, although the Cardinals have yet to show him more than just token interest.  We also were intrigued with 6'9 Kem Nweke from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, who is being recruited by Texas A&M, Miami-FL, Colorado, Navy, San Francisco, Colorado, and Wichita State.  We're talking about a 6'9 wide body who doesn't get up and down the court very well, but has good hands, excellent post moves, and a huge upside.  We also are looking forward to the big match-ups tomorrow morning in the Main Gym at Desert Pines High School in the adidas Super 64, as will be DC Assault versus the Atlanta Celtics at 10:20 AM and the Playaz Gold versus DTA Wisconsin at 11:40 PM.  We also plan to spend some time at both the Main Event and the Reebok Big Time Tournament, but where we go when will be determined by what we think are the best match-ups as the day progresses.  Our California Editor Alan Utter also is confirming that 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR will make it official for UCLA tomorrow.  And, if he's correct, then the Bruins will be in great shape, because Love is not only the best player in the nation and the glue that holds the Southern Cal All-Stars together, but he could turn out to be the most important player UCLA has recruited since Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor.  However, Love must also make sure that he doesn't get caught up in all the hype, because his team has two very important games today versus the Tallahassee Wildcats at Green Valley High School at 7:40 PM and the winner of the Spiece Central Stars-Southeast Elite at Green Valley High School at 7:40 PM.  And, if it turns out to be Southeast Elite versus Southern Cal All-Stars, you can bet we'll be in the house to see it, because this is the team that gave the Southern Cal All-Stars their biggest scare of the entire spring and summer when they had Kevin Love in the line-up.  Not only are 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL, 6'8 Cordell Pope from Birmingham (Parker) AL, and 6'0 Courtney Fortson from Montgomery (Jefferson Davis) AL quick enough and good enough to play with the Southern Cal All-Stars, but they had a double-digit lead against them midway through the second half at the Bob Gibbons Tournament Champions.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

The 9:00 AM game between the Southern Cal All-Stars and the Michigan Hurricanes at the Reebok Big Time Tournament will not be remembered as one of the better games of the tournament, but the Southern Cal All-Stars did manage to survive with a 77-72 win and 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who had 29 points and 12 rebounds, simply reinforced why we think he is the best senior in the nation.  But maybe we shouldn't make that statement so fast, as 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH hit 3-point shot after 3-point shot in the following game that featured the D-I Greyhounds versus Mean Streets Express.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Mean Streets, which led most of the game, appeared to be on the verge of redeeming itself after getting beaten badly last night by the Southern Cal All-Stars when Mayo hit a 3-point shot and was fouled with his team down by three with 2.9 second left.  Mayo then stepped to the line, hit the game winning free throw, and reinforced his legendary status even further.  And all this is important, because this just adds to the suspense as we look forward to the big match-up between the Southern Cal All-Stars and the D-I Greyhounds at 7:40 PM at Durango High School in the Reebok Big Time Tournament .  Remember, the Southern Cal All-Stars feature our #1-ranked player nationally in three different classes in Love, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, as well as 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, and 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, all of whom will be likely McDonald's All-Americans in their respective classes.  And the D-I Greyhounds have three of the top 15 players in the nation regardless of class in their own right in Mayo, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, as well as some other very good players like 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH and 6'6 Jr Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY.  However, before we get to that point, the rest of the afternoon and early evening will spent at the Main Event and Durango High School, where I arrive just in time earlier today to see 6'6 Jonathan Wills from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who had 17 points for the game and hit the game winning shot to give the Lamar Odom I-Can All-Stars a 78-77 victory over the Team Texas.  We also were impressed once again (we saw this same team last night in the Reebok Big Time Tournament) with 6'6 Soph Jordan Hamilton from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, who is a multi-dimensional athlete who can create his own shot and get to the basket and is one of the better young players that we've seen during the first two days of action at the two tournaments.  The two best players once again for Team Texas were 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX and 6'0 Jr Rotnei Clark from Claremore (Vertigris) OK, as they combined for 58 points and complemented one another with their ability to light up a scoreboard.  The next game at the Main Event was a total blowout, as the King James Shooting Stars beat the Phoenix Magic, 90-37, but 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH and 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH were two of the better players that we saw today at the Main Event.  Others who need to be on this list are 6'1 Biko Paris from Cypress (Community Christian) TX, 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'9 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'8 George Goode from Raytown (South) MO, 6'0 Reggie Chamberlain from Raytown (H.S.) MO, 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 5'11 John Roberson from Plano (Senior) TX, 6'8 Jr Jeremy Robinson from Decatur (Eisenhower) IN, 6'0 Ramon Fletcher from Kansas City (Paseo) MO, and 6'3 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  And from what we've seen so far, we think the H-Squad, which features an impressive group of players that includes 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Darrington Hobson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'7 John Paul Olukemi from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'4 Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'6 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'0 Darian Norris from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 6'5 Soph Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, and 6'7 Soph Aaron Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA, is the favorite to win the Main Event.  However, part of this may have to do with the fact that we saw the H-Squad knock off a Kansas City Keys team, 72-64, in what was easily the best game of the day that we saw in either gym at Durango High School.  The H-Squad had a very balanced attack, as Guillenwater had 16 points, Hazel had 15 points, Olukemi had 11 points and Henry had 10 points, while 6'0 Reggie Chamberlain from Raytown (H.S.) MO, 6'8 George Goode from Raytown (South) MO, and 6'0 Ramon Fletcher did most of the damage for the the Kansas City Keys.  Chamberlain, who finished with 17 points and hit five 3-pointers against the H-Squad, was one of the best 3-point shooters that we've seen all weekend.  Goode is a big time athlete and can step out and beat you with his 3-point shot, but he's got too much finesse and not enough toughness in his game to be ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally.  But he does have that type of potential and, as a result, is worth keeping an eye by college coaches at the high major level.  Fletcher is the up tempo point guard who makes good decisions, plays good defense, and runs the show.  Finally, we went back to the Reebok Big Time Tournament, where we arrived just in time to see the big game between the D-I Greyhounds and the Southern Cal All-Stars and the outcome simply reinforced what we told you yesterday when we brought up the question about the Southern Cal All-Stars being the best AAU/club team of all time.  The place was totally packed and the intensity level was extremely high, as both teams started off with more than their share of missed shots, turnovers, and forced plays.  However, by the 12:25 mark the Southern Cal All-Stars had taken a 9-2 led and had assumed control of the game.  And, when 6'9 Soph Renardo Syndey from Lakewood (Artesia) CA got a technical foul for hanging the rim after a dunk that made it 13-4, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH missed both technical foul shots, and 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH was immediately called for charging in what was an obvious make-up call going the other way, that pretty much changed the entire complexion of the game.   At that point the Southern Cal All-Stars started on a 14-6 run and by the end of the first half they were up, 41-21.  And it got worse in the second half, as the Southern Cal All-Stars had assumed a 60-35 led when both teams called off the dogs with 8:08 left in the game.  The final score was 84-53 and, while this so far was the highlight of the tournament, we're not sure it means much, because everybody will advance out of pool play and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is the D-I Greyhounds second best player and is one of the top eight seniors nationally, along with 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'9 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, and 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, did not play a single minute in the game due to a knee injury.  However, Walker is expected to play once his team advances deep enough into the playoffs and, as a result, the D-I Greyhounds may not only have the extra motivation that they need, but also another great player to go along with Mayo and 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH.   And, if they are able get a match-up, a third time in the Final Four of this tournament in three years might really be a charm.  Remember, the D-I Greyhounds never could to get over the hump against the Spiece Indy Heat, as they lost in the Final Four of the Reebok Big Time Tournament each the last two years to 7'0 Greg Oden and company.  6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR was clearly the best player in the game, but you'd never know it by looking at the statistics, as he finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists, and three steals.  Also rising to the occasion were 6'1 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who had 14 points, nine assists, three turnovers, two steals and 6-9 field goals, and 6'9 Soph Renardo Syndey from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who was the leading scorer in the game with 17 points.  The Southern Cal All-Stars also shot 51.8% from the field and 29.4% from beyond the arc compared to only 32.% from the field and only .09% from beyond the arc of the D-I Greyhounds.  Yes, the D-I Greyhounds hit only 1-11 3-pointers and Mayo hit only 5-14 field goals and 0-4 3-pointers en route to a miserable 10-point, five-rebound, and two-assist performance. 

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Mean Streets Express jumped out to a 7-2 lead early and the score was tied at 11-11 and 20-20 before the Southern Cal All-Stars went on a 19-4 to make it 39-24 with 1:18 left in the first half of the game that drew the only packed house on the opening day at the Reebok Big Time Tournament.  And from there they made it look easy as 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR and 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA combined for 37 points and 16 rebounds and the Southern Cal All-Stars coasted to a 84-73 win against the same team that won the championship at the NIKE Peach Jam a week ago in Augusta, SC.  6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN did manage to finish 36 points and hit 8-12 field goals and 4-8 3-pointers and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL had 22 points and seven assists, but they didn't get much out of 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL.  Remember, this is the guy had 21 rebounds and was the leading rebounder last week in the Nike Peach Jam.  Not only did Flowers finish with just six points and six rebounds, but he also couldn't stop Love inside, as is evident by the fact that Love hit 9-11 field goals and finished with 20 points and eight rebounds and was easily the best player, along with Gordon, that we saw all day.  Another key to the game was the Southern Cal All-Stars' outside shooting, as 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA hit 2-4 3-pointers and 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA hit 3-4 3-pointers and as a teams they hit 58.1% from the field and 53.8% from beyond the arc.  Story and King both finished with 17 points apiece and 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who also played with Southern Cal All-Stars at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, chipped in with 12 points.  However, it was a quiet afternoon for 6'6 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA and 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, both of whom only four points apiece, although they both also had six assists apiece.  We also think it's worth pointing out that the Southern Cal All-Stars are undefeated so far this spring and summer when 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR has been in the line-up and, as a result, people like Van Coleman of HoopMasters.com and myself have been searching our memory to find a team that was consistently better than this Southern Cal All-Stars team.  Our California Editor Alan Utter suggested the ARC team in the late 80's that featured Shawn Kemp, Chris Mills, Don McLean, Sean Woods, and Derrick Martin.  Some of the old New York Riverside Church teams, the Spiece Indy Heat team with Greg Oden, Michael Conley, and Eric Gordon a year ago, and the Atlanta Celtics team with Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, and Randolph Morris three years ago also come to mind.  However, in the final analysis none of these teams seem to measure up, as this team not only has great talent, but also great chemistry and everybody understands their role and is totally unselfish.  But they also face one of the toughest roads in the tournament, because the Michigan Hurricanes, which they will face at 9:00 AM tomorrow morning, and D-I Greyhounds, which they will face tomorrow night at 7:40 PM, are in the same pool as the Southern Cal All-Stars.  And, while these are arguably the four best teams in the tournament, everybody in the 64-team Open Division advances into the playoffs, which will begin on Monday morning.  The D-I Greyhounds beat the Michigan Hurricanes, 71-62, in the other big game earlier this afternoon, but the intensity level in this game was disappointing and it was really a two-man show for both teams, as 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH had 23 points and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH had 19 points for the D-I Greyhounds and 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI had 20 points and 6'5 Alexander Legion from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Michigan Hurricanes.  In other words, highly touted players, like 6'1 Jr Anthony Crator from Flint (Southwestern) MI, who had five points and three assists; 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, who had four points and five rebounds; 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, who had two points and 1-7 field goals; and 6'6 Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, who had six points and seven rebounds; were not major factors in this game.  Another one of the more interesting stories of the day was the overwhelming number of college coaches, including Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith, Memphis head coach John Calipari, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin, Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie, Texas head coach Rick Barnes, and LSU head coach John Brady, who were on hand to see 6'10 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX and the Dallas Mustangs this morning at 9:00 AM in the Auxiliary Gym at Foothills High School.  Unfortunately this was not one of Randolph's best efforts, as he six points and three rebounds and hit 3-12 field goals.  Fortunately Randolph played much better in his second game of the day, as Randolph impressed everybody in attendance with his ability to handle, pass, and do things out on the perimeter.  We also have some recruiting items to pass along, including the fact that 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN verbally committed to Purdue.  Not only does this mean that the Boilermakers have suddenly hit the trifecta by landing the three top players - 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, and 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN - on the SYF Players, but they also have the #3-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Among the more interesting items we picked up today, 6'8 A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington County) FL mentioned Florida State, Miami-FL, LSU, Kansas State, and Clemson.  The list for 5'11 Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ includes Cincinnati, Virginia, Clemson, Georgetown, Missouri, and Kansas.  The five mentioned by 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX were Texas, LSU, Indiana, Texas A&M, and Florida.  And 6'2 Fred Brown from Palm Beach Garden (H.S.) FL, who was one of the most underrated players that we saw all day, is getting the most attention from Kansas State, Miami-FL, Florida State, and Alabama.  Louisville, Oklahoma State, N.C. State, Georgia, and Mississippi are the leaders for 6'9 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who picked up right where he left off when we saw him at the Reebok ABCD Camp, as he was one of the best players we saw yesterday.  The list for 6'4 Tony Neysmith from Norcross (H.S.) GA includes Mississippi, Oklahoma, St. John's, and Cincinnati.

Friday, July 21, 2006

Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood was at Rob Taylor's 3rd Annual Buckeye Prep Report Camp in Columbus, OH yesterday and earlier today and he tells us that the big story at the camp was the emergence of 6'5 9th Grader Jarred Sullinger from Columbus, OH, as one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2010 and somebody we could be talking about for years to come.  Sullinger, who is the younger brother of former Ohio State guard J.J. Sullinger and current Kent State sub Julian Sullinger, has lost 40-pounds since the last time Stanwood saw him in March and, as a result, is now an explosive big man who is versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  Sullinger, who finished with 19 points, seven rebounds, and two blocked shots, also was named the co-MVP in the all-star game and was our #1-ranked player in the 9th Grade Division in camp.  Also playing extremely well in the 9th Grade All-Star Game were 5'7 9th Grader Juwan Staten from Dayton, OH, who had 17 points and two assists and took home co-MVP honors, and 6'2 9th Grader Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia, PA, who had 19 points and showed that he may be of stepping up and challenging 6'1 9th Grader Tony Cheanault and 6'3 9th Grader Travis Robinson in the Class of 2010 as the top player in the Philadelphia area for years to come.  However, consistency counts and throughout the entire two days 6'0 9th Grader PeShun Howard from Cleveland, OH impressed us with ability to break his man down off the dribble, get the basket, and shoot the three.  So Howard gets the nod as our #2-ranked player in camp in the 9th Grade Division, behind Sullinger and ahead of Staten and Allen.  And rounding the top five players in the 9th Grade Division was 6'3 9th Grader Cameron Wright from Cleveland, OH, who had five points, four assists, and five rebounds and consistently shot the three and has a flair for finding the open man.  And right on their heels were 5'10 9th Grader from Kevin Gray from Columbus, OH, 5'11 9th Grader Storm Sanders from Canton, OH, and 5'6 8th Grader Stevie Taylor from Gahanna, OH.   Also playing well enough to mention in the 9th Grade Division were 6'4 9th Grader Chris Snow from Canton, OH, 5'10 9th Grader Cody Smith from Lima, OH, 5'10 9th Grader Courtney Avery from Mansfield, OH, 5'5 9th Grader Kenny Penn from Toledo, OH, 6'1 9th Grader Tim Kochendoefer from Portsmouth, OH, 6'5 9th Grader Michael Green from Columbus, OH, 6'1 9th Grader Greg Williams from Cincinnati, OH, 5'10 9th Grader Heath Jones from Grove City (H.S.) OH, 6'0 9th Grader Drew Townsend from Cincinnati, OH, 5'8 9th Grader J.R. Sanders from Canton, OH, 5'8 9th Grader Julian Boatner from Bloomington, IN, 5'5 9th Grader Kenny Penn from Toledo, OH, 5'6 9th Grader James White from Dayton, OH, 5'8 8th Grader Jamar Ridley from Toledo, OH, 6'1 9th Grader Zach Rosenbauer from Lima, OH, and 5'5 9th Grader Oliver McGlade from Columbus, OH.  Clearly the best player in the 8th Grade Division was 5'4 8th Grader Alvin "P.J." Boutte from Indianapolis, IN, who was clearly the best point guard in camp regardless of class.  We're talking about a flashy point guard with all the shake-and-bake moves, but he also has incredible ball handling and passing skills, a knack for finding the open man, and jet-like speed and quickness.  Boutte also is a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led Indy Elite/Spiece to the 13-Under AAU National Championship in Memphis, TN earlier this month.  Also very impressive were 6'0 8th Grader Juanya Green from Philadelphia, PA, who hit the game winning shot and scored eight points in the 8th Grade All-Star Game; 6'2 8th Grader Frankie Small from Philadelphia, PA, who had 10 points, four blocks, and three rebounds in the 8th Grade All-Star Game; 5'10 8th Grader Gene Primus from Cincinnati, OH, who had 15 points and was the co-MVP in the 8th Grade All-Star Game; 6'2 8th Grader Ameen Tanksley from Philadelphia, PA, who has 13 points and was the co-MVP in the 8th Grade All-Star Game; and 5'7 8th Grader Jake Forest from Grove City, OH, who had seven points and four assists in the 8th Grade All-Star Game.  Others who must be mentioned in the 8th Grade Division are 6'1 8th Grader Kenny Enoch from Indianapolis, IN, 5'10 8th Marcus Graham from Dayton, OH, 5'9 8th Grader Tyler Hubbard from Mitchellville, MD, 5'9 8th Grader Malcolm Morton from Huntington, WV, 6'1 8th Grader Jordan Burgess from Richmond, VA, 6'1 8th Grader Jeremiah Davis from Indianapolis, IN, 6'1 8th Grader Devin Coleman from Philadelphia, PA, 6'0 8th Grader D'Vontes Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN, 6'1 8th Grader Kwanis Hayes from Huntington, WV, 6'0 8th Grader Marcus Jones from Philadelphia, PA, 5'4 8th Grader Trey Lewis from Cleveland, OH,  5'2 8th Grader Austin Gardner from Bowling Green, OH, 6'2 8th Grader Ameen Tanksley from Philadelphia, PA, 6'1 8th Grader John Lecomte from Dayton, OH, 5'8 8th Grader Malik Ruffin from Canton, OH, 5'6 8th Grader Karriem Simmons from Atlanta, GA, 5'7 8th Grader Brandon Smith from Indianapolis, IN, 5'10 8th Grader Blake Bannes from Grove City (H.S.) OH, 5'9 8th Grader Charlie Byers from Cincinnati, OH, 5'8 8th Grader Jarvis Threatt from Toledo, OH, and 4'9 8th Grader Taariq Cephas from Newcastle, DE. 

Thursday, July 20, 2006

I have already arrived in Las Vegas, NV and I am getting ready for the five days of madness that will begin on Saturday, July 22nd, and run through next Wednesday, July 26th, when the Reebok Big Time Tournament, the adidas Super 64 Tournament, and the Main Event all crown their champions.  There will be over 300 teams in the Reebok Big Time Tournament, 536 teams ranging in ages from 17-Under all they way down to 9-Under at the Main Event, and 144 teams in the adidas Super 64 Tournament, which means there will about a 1,000 teams and well over 10,000 players competing during this five-day stretch.  And that doesn't even include the overwhelming number of college coaches who will be attendance, as well as everybody in the media with any interest in grass roots basketball and recruiting.  And, if that weren't enough, Dinos Trigonis also gets in on the act with his 3rd Annual Midnight Madness, which will be held tomorrow night at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy at 2730 South Rancho Road in Las Vegas, NV.  However, this event will not be certified this year for NCAA Division I college coaches, which is why the games will begin at more reasonable time (the games began at Midnight and ran through 3:00 AM the last two years).  Instead, national scouts like Dave Telep of Scouthoops.com, Rob Harrington of PrepStars.com and the Recruiter's Handbook, Van Coleman of HoopMasters.com, Frank Burlison of Scouthoops.com, Jerry Meyer from Rivalshoops.com, and myself (Clark Francis of the HOOP SCOOP) will be on hand when the first set of games tip off at 9:00 PM.  Speaking of the schedule, it will be Belmont Shore versus Double Pump Elite on Court #1, Pangos East (NJ) versus Los Angeles Wildcats (Rising 8th Graders) on Court #2, EBO-EA Sports versus the H-Squad on Court #3, and Compton Magic versus Ft. Sooy-No Limit (IL) on Court #4 at 9:00 PM; H.Squad versus Atlanta Celtics on Court #1, Pangos East (NJ) versus Los Angeles Wildcats (rising 8th Graders) on Court #2, Arizona Magic versus Team Final (PA) on Court #3, and Houston Swoosh Blue versus World Wide Renegades on Court #4 at 9:30 PM; Houston Swoosh Orange versus Los Angeles Rockfish on Court #1, Pangos East (NJ) versus Lloyd Daniels (rising 8th Graders) on Court #2, NorCal Elite versus Gym Rats (NJ) on Court #3, and BTI/Team adidas 17 (CA) versus RB All-Stars (LA) on Court #4 at 10:00 PM; AB All-Stars (Canada) versus New England Playaz on Court #1, Los Angeles Wildcats versus Lloyd Daniels (rising 8th Graders) on Court #2, Southwest Rebels Elite (AZ) versus Las Vegas Elite Pro on Court #3, and French Hoops (France) versus Next Level (Australia) on Court #4 at 10:30 PM; Sporting Chance (AZ) versus Indiana Elite 15s on Court #1, Las Vegas Dynasty versus San Diego Magic on Court #2, Phoenix Magic versus San Diego All-Stars on Court #3, and Carl Jr. Superstars versus Arizona Cagers on Court #4 at 11:00 PM; and Los Angeles Paladins versus Belmont Shore Up & Coming on Court #1 and teams to be announced on Court #2, Court #3, and Court #4 at 11:30 PM.  The 3rd Annual Midnight Madness is open to the public and the admission charge of $5.00 is well worth it, because the list of players expected to be in attendance includes 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Ashton (American Christian) PA, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'10 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 6'4 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA, 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Union) LA, 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'7 Jr Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'11 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA, 6'9 Martavious Adams from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 5'4 Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'7 Jr 6'1 Jr Cashmere Wright from Savannah (Urban Christian Academy) GA, 6'8 Jr Chris Singleton from Canton (Cherokee) GA, 6'9 Soph Stephen Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Billy White from Henderson (Green Valley) NV, 6'2 Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jr Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, 7'1 Babacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 JuJu Stone from Goleta (Dos Pueblos) CA, 6'11 Josh Crawford from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'2 Jr Verdale Jones from Champaign (Centennial) IL, 6'7 Soph Aaron Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Frosh Tyler Lamb from Ontario (Colony) CA, 6'7 Tim Shelton from Freson (Clovis West) CA, 6'3 Dwight Buycks from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'4 Carlon Brown from Riverside (King) CA, 6'6 Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'7 Zane Johnson from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ, 6'11 Ator Major from Syndey, Australia, 6'2 Cheyne Martin from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Quincy Owens from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'9 Genesis Maciel form Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'7 Jr Tyreese Breshers from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'9 Malcolm Campbell from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'10 Jr Chris Gabriel from Los Angeles (Murphy) CA, 6'11 Jr Aru Kok from Sydney, Australia, 5'10 Hank Thorns from Las Vegas (Valley) NV, 6'0 Jr Darian Norris from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 6'3 Chris Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'8 Jr Enoch Andoh from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'7 Redmond Parker from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 5'11 Heiden Ratner from Las Vegas (Silverado) NV, 6'1 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Jr Jacob Ranger from Carpinteria (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Kareem Nitoto from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Bryan Emanuel from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'8 Jr Taylor Rohde from Phoenix (Pinnacle) AZ, 6'2 Jr Dallas Rutherford from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'7 Demetrius Crowell from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, 6'7 Trent Anderson from Tucson (Ironwood Ridge) AZ, 6'5 Gabe Adler from Poway (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Flynn Clayman from Santa Monica (New Roads) CA, 6'3 Jr Tyler Gage from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'8 Jr Austin Smith from Tucson (Mountain View) AZ, 6'0 Jr Kelly Gibson from Tucson (H.S.) AZ, and 6'3 Avner Alkhas from Irvine (Northwood) CA.  The 3rd Annual Midnight Madness will also include three of the best rising 8th Grade teams in the nation in Pangos East, Lloyd Daniels All-Stars, and L.A. Wildcats and some of the top players in the Class of 2011 in Matt Carlino from Tempe, AZ, Damien Cain from Fontana, CA, and Sean Grennan from Seagirt, NJ.  Also on our schedule for tomorrow are stops at the Reebok Big Time Tournament headquarters, which will be located at Foothill High School and will be open from 2:00 PM-10:00 PM; the adidas Super 64 Tournament headquarters, which will be located at Desert Pines High School and will be open from 4:00 PM-8:00 PM, and the Main Event Tournament headquarters, which will be located at Durango High School and will be open from 6:00 PM-10:00 PM.  When the three tournaments begin on Saturday, I plan to spend the entire day at Foothill and Green Valley High Schools, where games will begin at 9:00 AM and run until 11:40 PM, covering the Reebok Big Time Tournament.  And the two must see games are the Michigan Hurricanes versus the D-I Greyhounds at 2:20 PM and the Southern Cal All-Stars versus Mean Streets Express at 3:40 PM in the Main Gym at Foothills High School.  In other words, you have 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'5 Alexander Legion from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, and 6'1 Jr Anthony Crator from Flint (Southwestern) MI all being featured in one game and 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OH, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, and 6'6 Darrington Hobson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA all being featured in the next game.  Next, on Sunday I will spend most of the day at Durango High School, where most of the top teams in the Main Event will go head-to-head, as it will be Friends of Hoop-Seattle versus Team Stat (FL) at 10:20 AM, Team Texas versus Lamar Odom I-Can All-Stars (CA) at 11:30 AM, Phoenix Magic versus the King James Shooting Stars at 12:40 PM, Houston Hoops versus South Florida Heat at 1:50 PM, Indiana Elite versus Team Final (PA) at 3:00 PM, New Orleans Panthers versus Portland Elite Legends at 4:10 PM, Kansas City Keys versus H-Squad at 5:20 PM, Friends of Hoop-Seattle versus Lamar Odom I-Can All-Stars at 6:30 PM, Houston Hoops versus Phoenix Magic at 7:40 PM, and Metro Hawks versus Houston Heat at 8:50 PM.  In other words, we'll get to see players like 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 7'1 Kosta Koufos from Canton (Glenoak) MI, 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'9 Matthew Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'6 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'11 John Roberson from Plano (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 6'0 Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 7'0 Scott Thompson from Meridian (Mountain View) ID, 5'10 Soph Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'9 Steve Toyloy from West Palm Beach (Palm Beach Lakes) FL, 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA, and 6'8 Jr Taylor Rohde from Phoenix (Pinnacle) AZ all in one day.  Then, on Monday I will spend the entire day at the adidas Super 64 Tournament, where the first round of the playoffs will be held at 10:20 AM, 11:40 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:20 PM, 3:40 PM, and 5:00 PM and the second round of the playoffs will be held at 5:00 PM, 6:20 PM, and 7:40 PM.  And you can bet that some of the teams we'll be checking out will include DC Assault, Las Vegas Prospects, Pump N Run Elite, Playaz Basketball Club Gold, Atlanta Celtics, EBO, Team Philly 17's, Double Pump Elite, Indiana Elite, New England Playaz 17's, Illinois Fire, T-Mac All Stars, and Juice All-Stars, Cleveland Basketball Club,  DTA Wisconsin 17's, Seattle Rotary Select, Compton Magic, Utah Pump N Run, and G.C. Ballers.  Some of the top players that we expect to see in this tournament include 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 6'3 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Austin Day from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Beaumont (Kelly) TX, 6'0 B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'10 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'11 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI, 6'6 Jr DeAndre Liggins from Chicago (George Washington) IL, 6'2 Jr Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'0 Jr Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'1 Venoy Overton from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'11 Jr Beas Hamga from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 6'3 P. Allen Stinnett from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Andre McFarland from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'10 Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Mustapha Farrakhan from Harvey (Thornton) IL, 6'2 Jr Khalif Staten from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'2 Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jr Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, 6'6 Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, 6'8 Kenny Bolton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, and 6'4 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  On Tuesday the playoffs will be in full swing in all three tournaments, so my schedule will be dictated by which tournaments have the best match-ups and/or players that we haven't seen before or need to see again.  And, of course, I will be at the championship games on Wednesday, July 26th, for the adidas Super 64 Tournament, which be held at the Cox Pavilion at 11:30 AM; Main Event, which be held at the Cox Pavilion at 1:30 PM; and Reebok Big Time Tournament, which will be held late in the afternoon at Foothills High School after the four quarterfinals games are held in the morning and the semi-finals games are held in the early afternoon.  So obviously we'll have plenty to write about as the opportunity permits during the next week. 

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

While I'm getting ready to attend the three big tournaments in Las Vegas, NV (the Reebok Big Time Tournament, adidas Super 64, and the Main Event), our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood is in route Columbus, OH, were he will be attending Rob Taylor's 3rd Annual Buckeye Prep Report Camp, which will be held tomorrow and Friday and will again attract a number of nationally ranked players in the classes of 2010, 2011, and 2012.  Some of the elite players expected to attend the event include 6'0 9th Grader Nick Kellogg from Westerville, OH, 6'2 9th Grader Zaahir Allen from Philadelphia, PA, 5'11 9th Grader Kevin Gray from Columbus, OH, 5'7 9th Grader Juwan Staten from Dayton, OH, 5'11 9th Grader Preshon Howard from Akron, OH, 5'10 9th Grader Storm Sanders from Canton, OH, 6'4 9th Grader Jarred Sullinger from Columbus, OH, 5'9 9th Grader Karl Madison from Springfield, MO, 5'5 8th Grader Stevie Taylor from Gahanna, OH, 6'1 8th Grader Devin Coleman from Philadelphia, PA, 6'0 8th Grader Juanya Green from Philadelphia, PA, 5'4 8th Grader Alvin Boutte from Indianapolis, IN, 5'7, 8th Grader Joey Gripper from Philadelphia, PA, 5'4 8th Grader Jarvis Threatt from Richmond, VA, 5'0 7th Grader Vincent Miles from Philadelphia, PA, 5'6, 7th Grader Takwell Bailey from Philadelphia, PA, 5'8 7th Grader from Tyler Hubbard from Mitchellville, MD, 5'7 7th Grader Roger Hubbard from Marietta, GA, and 5'5 7th Grader from Zach Riddle from Columbus, OH.  There also will be some nationally ranked players from the Class of 2012 playing up in the 8th Grader Division of the camp, like 5'10 7th Grader D'Vontes Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN, 6'2 7th Grader Chane Behanna from Cincinnati, OH, 5'8 7th Grader Channing Doerman from Westerville, OH, and 4'11 7th Grader Austin Gardner from Bowling Green, OH.  For additional information about the Buckeye Prep Report Camp visit Rob Taylor’s website at BuckeyePrepReport.com.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein also checks in and he tells us that a number of local New England players have played well enough during the first half of this July's live period to really accelerate in the recruiting process .  In Massachusetts underclassmen like 6'8 Soph Alex Oriakhi from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'5 Soph Jamal Coombs from Winchendon (School) MA stole the show, as they helped lead BABC (Boston Amateur Basketball Club) to the 15-Under AAU National Championship this past week in Detroit, MI.  Andrew Van Nest, a 6'10 power forward who will be repeating his junior year at Northfield (Northfield-Mount Hermon) MA, was one of the few underclassmen selected for the all-star game at the prestigious second session of the Eastern Invitational Camp and continued to play well when we saw him at the Reebok Summer Classic East.  The Junior Celtics put in solid team efforts advancing to the semi-finals of the 16-Under Reebok Summer Classic East and the finals of the 16-Under Playaz Ball and 6'7 Jr Andrew McCarthy from Cambridge (Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols) MA and 6'3 Jr Jamal Turner from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA both earned all tournament selections at the Summer Classic.  McCarthy also was selected to play in the junior all-star game during the first week of Eastern Invitational.   In Connecticut the big story is 6'8 Matt Hill.  We're talking about a combo forward who graduated as a full qualifier from Cheshire Academy this Spring and committed to a post graduate year at Tilton (Academy) NH, because he didn't have any division one scholarship offers on the table.  But after displaying his combination of length and skill at Eastern Invitational, Reebok Summer Classic, and the Playaz Ball, Hill has received several scholarship offers from Atlantic-10 schools for both September of 2006 and 2007.  Another Connecticut player who has flown under many people's radar is Tim Abromaitis, a 6'7 small forward from Farmington (H.S.) CT and Connecticut Gold.  Abromaitis is an outstanding student who had several low-to-mid major offers before the live period even began and is bound to attract more after his performance at the Triple S Harley Davidson Tournament in West Virginia due to his size, deep shooting range, and basketball IQ.  6'2 Chris Prescott from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT continues to be one of the best underclassmen guards in the region generating interest from a large variety of mid-to-high major programs.  Vermont native 6'6 Matt Glass from Northfield ((Northfield-Mount Hermon) MA, who was a virtual unknown until Finkelstein saw him play for the Rhode Island Hawks at the Providence JamFest in the spring, continues to play very well.  Finally, the best player on the New England Playaz is Boston College-bound 6'6 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, but last weekend in the Playaz Ball and we couldn't help but notice 5'8 Joey Accaoui from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI doing what he does best.  And that is push the ball, run the team, defend, and get on the floor.  While Accaoui is generating a fair amount of interest from Division I coaches, we are sure whoever pulls the trigger won't be sorry.  All of these players and more have been invited to attend the New England Elite 75 Showcase on August 16^th in Foxboro, MA.  The event is being run by our New England editor Adam Finkelstein and Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports and we have personally invited only the top 75 prospects in the region to attend the event.  Obviously the HOOP SCOOP will bring you complete coverage of the event with news and evaluations leading up to and following what promises to be a must stop for all of the top players in New England regardless of class.  For more information, you can check NewEnglandBasketballServices.com.  Now also is probably a good time to catch up on all of the verbal commitments that occurred during the last several days (we haven't been paying attention until now due to computer problems and then scrambling to catch up with all information that was published in this section during the last several days).  And right at the top of the list are 6'5 Alexander Legion from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA reaffirming his verbal commitment to Michigan, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN following in the footsteps of his club team teammate - 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN - to Purdue, and 6'3 Laval Lucas-Perry from Flint (Powers) MI deciding to go to Arizona.  Obviously the commitment by Lucas-Perry, who is ranked #199 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is insurance in case the Wildcats don't get 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ to reaffirm his verbal commitment.  However, getting Lucas-Perry still is a good catch for Arizona for several reasons.  First, Lucas-Perry has a huge upside and is a big time athlete, which is why there are people out there who are already making Gilbert Arenas comparisons.  Second, the addition of Lucas-Perry moves Arizona's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 7'1 Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'7 Zane Johnson from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ, up to #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And they aren't done yet, as the Wildcats are still in the hunt for two of the top players in the nation in Bayless and 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR.  The Boilermakers getting Hummel, who is ranked #69 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is huge, because we're talking about an athletic white kid with excellent skills, tremendous court savvy, and a great feel for the game.  And, with both Moore and Hummel both now in the fold, you can bet that Purdue head coach Matt Painter will double his efforts to get 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, who suddenly is one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally after he finished ranked #15 in our ranking of the top players at the NIKE All-American Camp and was sensational at the NIKE Peach Jam last week in Augusta, SC.  But Martin had better not wait too long to make a decision, because Purdue only has one remaining scholarship for the Class of 2007 and 6'7 Matt Howard from Connersville (H.S.) IN would be tough to say no to if he called Painter and wanted to verbally commit.  This is the second time that Legion has picked the Wolverines, but he still has a long way to go if he wants to break Jermaine Bell's record for the most times a player has verbally committed to and reneged on the same school.  If you will recall, Bell, who originally was from Rochester, NY and attended prep school at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA in 2004, verbally committed to St. John's three different times, but later reneged each time on the Red Storm.  However, assuming that Legion is a man of his word this time around, Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker has to be happy, because he now has both a skilled and athletic wing player with Legion 6'3 Corperyale Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI 0 and a super quick point guard with 5'11 Kelvin Grady from East Grand Rapids (H.S.) MI all in the fold. 

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Our Exclusive Mid-Summer Ranking of the Top 100 Players Nationally Regardless of Position is ready for publication and a quick look at the breakdown of players by class reveals that the senior class may not be as bad as everybody thinks it is in terms of depth, as 59 of our top 100-ranked players belong to the Class of 2007.  We also find that seven players on this list will be 5th Year Players next year, which means they will be in their 9th semester of high school when school begins the fall; 23 players on the list will be juniors, and 11 players on the list will be sophomores.  However, this time around there are now rising freshmen on the list, as nobody has stepped up and shown that he is good enough to compete against the top players in the nation, like 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, and 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA did a year ago.  And backing up this reasoning even further is the fact that 6'1 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia, PA is a dominant force when playing against players his own age, but nothing more than a good role player when he plays up against the top juniors and seniors in the nation.   We also expected California with 15 players and Texas with 10 players to have a high number of players ranked among our Exclusive Mid-Summer Ranking of the Top 100 Players Nationally Regardless of Position.  But the fact that Ohio with 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 7'0 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, 7'1 Jr B.J. Mullen from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, and 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH and Georgia with 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinston County) GA, 6'7 Terrell Bell from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Jr Al-Faroug Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA, and 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA both have eight players apiece on this list really illustrates why we think these two areas rank among the best hotbeds of talent in the nation right now.  In contrast, Virginia with 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Alexander Legion from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'11 Julian Vaughn from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and New Jersey with 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Jr Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, and 6'2 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ always seem to have a disproportionate number of players on this list due to the fact both Oak Hill and Hargrave Military Academy get players from all over the country and the basketball factories in North Jersey import a lot of New York City kids and foreign players.  We also think now is a good time to take a look at where the top players in the nation might be heading to college and the perfect place not to start is with 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who likely will by-pass college and end up playing overseas next year, and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is expected to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now since he officially is now a 5th Year Player and, as a result, ineligible to play his senior year this season in Ohio.  We think 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR will pick UCLA over North Carolina, but all bets are off it Love makes an official to Chapel Hill, NC this fall.  Connecticut will be tough to beat for 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA and one of the big connections here is Marcus Williams' dad, who is one of Jennings' club team coaches.  We think 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR will pick Duke, 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ will eventually pick Texas, and 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA will pick either North Carolina or Louisville.  The Cardinals have all the right connections to get this one done, but Evans has always been a Tar Heels fan and they should have some spots open by the time Evans arrives, as 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA and 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA aren't expected to stay around for more than a year or two.   We think 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV will pick Kentucky, Memphis now appears to the favorite for 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, and we'd be surprised if 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC does not pick Georgetown.  Alabama has always been the favorite school of 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, but this one may be too far away and he may be too far away geographically for the Crimson Tide to pull this one off.  We don't know where 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA will end up, but we can tell you where he won't be going to school, as it appears that Hickson eliminated Georgia Tech from his list after they landed 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcoss (H.S.) GA.  We also suspect that 6'11 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX will end up at Memphis and North Carolina is the school to beat for 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY due to the fact that he's always been a Tar Heels fan.  Texas A&M is the team to beat for 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX and we still think USC and Baylor are the favorites for 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  Ohio State will be tough to beat for 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH and 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH and 6'3 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS and 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA will be pretty good consolation prizes, if Kansas State doesn't get 6'5 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  We also suspect that Kentucky will get 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX and Florida State will be tough to beat for 7'1 Solomon Alabi from Montverde (Academy) FL.  It's also probably a matter of time before 6'6 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK joins all of his teammates on the Athletes First club team and picks the University of Oklahoma.  Louisville will probably get 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI and it may be only a matter of time before 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY makes an early commitment to the the University of Florida.  Cincinnati should get 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH and 6'5 James Harden from Lakewood (Artesia) CA is expected to go to Arizona State. 

Monday, July 17, 2006

The two premier events on the West Coast in the middle of July are the Cream of the Crop Classic and the Full Court Press All-West Camp.  And, if you don't believe it, just check out the rosters for the Top 30 All-Star Game for the Full Court Press All-Star Camp, which included 6'1 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'6 Jr Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'6 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'4 Seketoure Henry from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'4 Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Frosh Tyler Lamb from Ontario (Colony) CA, 6'5 Soph Rome Draper from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'5 JuJu Stone from Goleta (Dos Pueblos) CA, 6'3 Soph Xavier Thames from Sacramento (Pleasant Grove) CA, 6'11 Josh Crawford from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'6 Jason Paul Olukemi from La Habra (Sonora) CA, 6'9 Genesis Maciel from South Gate (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Tyreese Breshers from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'5 Colin Chiverton from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'8 Quincy Owens from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'3 Dwight Buycks from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'9 Malcolm Campbell from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'3 Jamelle McGuire from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, 6'5 Larry Anderson from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'6 Tim Island from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'7 Redmond Parker from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'0 Jr Darian Norris from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 6'3 Dominic Stewart from Richwood City (Sequouia) CA, 6'11 Ater Major from Sydney, Australia, 6'3 Brandon Walker from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA, 6'3 Kareem Nitoto from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Nate Florence from Coral Gables (Taravella) CA, and 5'11 Frosh Deonta Burton from Long Beach (Cabrillo) CA.  Unfortunately neither Jennings nor Guillenwater showed up for the Top 30 All-Star Game, which attending by a large number of college coaches and scouts at the Southern California Basketball Academy.  So that opened the door for 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, who had 19 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, and 6'6 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, who had 12 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, to become the big heroes in the Top 30 All-Star Game.  And this was especially good news for new Pepperdine head coach Vance Walberg, who already has a verbal commitment from Thomas and is rumored to be close to getting a verbal commitment from Shelley as well.  Thomas and Shelley were also complemented by Henry with 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists; Chiverton with 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals; Stewart with 13 points, five rebounds, and two steals; Maciel with 10 points and nine rebounds; Lamb with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists; Crawford with four points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots, and Breshers with seven points, 13 rebounds, and six blocked shot; as the Black All-Stars beat the White All-Stars, 110-94.  The White Team was led by Island with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two assists; McGuire with 14 points and four rebounds; Parker with 12 points and 6-11 field goals, Woolridge with 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals; and Norris with 10 points and five assists; and Buycks with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who runs both of these events, also tells us that one of the big stories at the camp was 6'6 Jr Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who has clearly established himself as one of the top juniors in Southern California.  The best players in Top 60 Game were 6'0 John Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA with 12 points, eight assists, and three steals; 6'5 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH with 16 points, six rebounds, and two blocked shots; 6'5 Derrick January from Compton (Dominguez) CA with 15 point, four rebounds, and 7-8 field goals; 6'7 Soph Aaron Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA with 15 points and two rebounds; 6'6 Greg Murray from San Diego (Serra) CA with 15 points, five rebounds, and 7-10 field goals; 6'4 Jr Jarrid Bryant from Corona (Centennial) CA with 14 points and four rebounds; 6'6 Enrique Vasquez from San Diego (H.S.) CA with 11 points and 5-8 field goals; 6'8 Jr Enoch Andoh from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA with 10 points and three rebounds; 6'0 Soph Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA with 11 points and five assists; 6'7 Jr Zane Ma from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA with nine rebounds and seven rebounds; 5'10 Marlon King from Chula Vista (Eastlake) CA with eight points, five assists, and four steals; 6'4 Jr Quamaine Crymes from Los Angeles (Joel John) CA with eight points and five rebounds; and 6'6 Jr Jayson Shreve from Glendale (Mountain Ridge) AZ with eight points, four rebounds, and 4-5 field goals.  The best players in Top 90 Game were 6'7 Andrew Jenkins from San Bernardino (San Gorgonio) CA with 16 points and 8-10 field goals; 6'9 Flynn Clayman from Santa Monica (New Roads) CA with 14 points and six reobunds; 5'9 La'shard Anderson from San Diego (Serra) CA with 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists; 6'3 Jr James Rahon from San Diego (Torrey-Pines) CA with 16 points and 7-12 field goals; 5'9 Tyler Tucker from San Diego (Crawford) CA with nine points and six rebounds; and 6'2 Rashad Lucas from Blue Springs (South) MO with three points, seven assists, and four steals.  Some of the top teams in the Cream of the Crop Classic were H-Squad, Compton Magic, Belmont Shore, Arizona Magic, Nor Cal Elite, Arizona Stars, Branch West-Team Reebok, San Diego Magic, BTI/Team adidas, Los Angeles Rockfish, Team San Diego, Next Level Australia, Sporting Chance, and Utah Swoosh and, according to Trigonis, some of the top players were 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'6 Zane Johnson from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ, 6'11 Ator Major from Sydney, Australia, 6'6 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'4 Carlon Brown from Riverside (King) CA, 6'5 JuJu Stone from Goleta (Dos Pueblos) CA, 6'6 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'3 Dwight Buycks from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'5 Jr DeMar DeRozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Kamyron Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Zarah Zagaryan from Glendale (Hoover) CA, 6'7 George Barbour from Torrance (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Bryan Emanuel from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'7 Jr Tyreese Breshers from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'7 Redmond Parker from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Lorenzo Garcia from San Diego (Army-Navy Academy) CA, 6'4 Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Jr Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA,  6'8 Quincy Owens from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'7 Trent Anderson from Tucson (Ironwood Ridge) AZ, 6'3 Chris Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'2 Cheyne Martin from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Alex English from Phoenix (Paradise Valley) AZ, 6'10 Matt DeWal from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 7'2 Zhaoxu Zhang from China, 6'3 Avner Alkhas from Irvine (Northwood) CA, 6'9 Flynn Clayman from Santa Monica (New Roads) CA, 6'4 Kieran Ramsey from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Zane Ma from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'5 Gabe Adler from Poway (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Bryan Louff from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Derrick January from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Frosh Tyler Lamb from Ontario (Colony) CA, 6'7 Soph Aaron Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA,  6'9 Genesis Maciel from South Gate (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Enrique Vasquez from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Xavier Thames from Sacramento (Pleasant Grove) CA, 6'10 Chris Gabriel from Los Angeles (Murphy) CA, 6'4 Donnell Beverly from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA, 6'5 Soph Rome Draper from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Jacob Ranger from Carpinteria (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Trey Mullen from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'1 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'11 Josh Crawford from Los Angeles (7 West Academy) CA, 6'11 Jr Aru Kok from Syndey, Australia, 6'4 Craig Payne from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Taylor Rohde from Phoenix (Pinnacle) AZ, 6'8 Jr Enoch Andoh from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'7 Jr Noel Hollingsworth from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 6'2 Jr James Dean from Las Vegas (Centennial) NV, 6'0 Hamid Ford from Inglewood (Animo) CA, 6'9 Jr Jeremiah Hazel from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'1 Brian Magann from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'4 Jr Larry Miller from Sandy (Jordan) UT, 6'2 Stedman Merritt from Ontario (Colony) CA, 6'5 Jr Ben Green from Henderson (Foothill) NV, 5'11 La'Shard Anderson from San Diego (Serra) CA, 6'1 A.J. Gasporra from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 5'10 Mark Hall from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'7 Jr Deante Jones from Las Vegas (Valley) NV, 6'3 Jr Tyler Gage from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'4 Soph Justin Sra from Danville (Monte Vista) CA, 6'6 Jr Jayson Shreve from Glendale (Mountain Ridge) AZ, 6'1 Soph Teandre Hubbard from San Francisco (Sacred Heart) CA, 6'1 Jr Michael Elliott from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 6'0 Robert Hayes from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, 6'2 Jr Breen Weeks from San Diego (Cathedral) CA, 6'6 Jr Dalton Groskreutz from Santa Clara (Snow Canyon) UT, 6'2 Soph Dillon Smith from Highland (Lone Peak) UT, and 6'10 Jr Jordan Stone from Smithfield (Skyview) UT.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Usually the month is July is fairly slow with regards to verbal commitments, transfers, and late additions to four-year college and universities.  But that doesn't seem to be the case this year, as earlier this week we have confirmed a number of interesting things.  And right at the top list is the late addition of 6'3 Gal Mekel from Israel picking Wichita State.  Unfortunately this comes too late to count with the Shockers' recruiting class, but we're talking about somebody who might be the best 18-Under player in Europe and recently was named as one of the top five players at the adidas Camp for overseas players.  Mekel also is not only good enough to step in and start next year for most teams at the high Division I level, but he's already on the radar screen of a lot of NBA scouts, because he has excellent point guards skills, the savvy and leadership qualities necessary to run a team, and has gotten it done against the top players his age internationally.  So obviously the fact that Wichita State head coach Mark Turgeon was recently able to add Nebraska associate head coach Scott Spinelli to his staff is already paying off in a big way.  Remember, Spinelli is one of the fastest rising up-and-coming guys in the business and has more than his fair share of both prep school and international contacts, which he obviously took advantage of when it came time to landing Mekel.  We also found out earlier this week that 7'1 Shagari Alleynet, who decided to transfer from the University of Kentucky earlier this spring, has enrolled at Manhattan and 6'5 Cameron Tatum from Tucker (H.S.) GA, who originally signed with Charlotte and was ranked #121 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006, has verbally committed to the University of Tennessee and will attend prep school this year at Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  We also are impressed by the fact that 6'3 Chris Singletary from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, who originally signed with Missouri and was ranked #107 nationally in our Final Ranking of the 1000 Top Players in the Class of 2006, has is now heading to Kent State.  And he's not the only player that the Golden Flashes have stolen recently.  Did you also know that Rashad Woods is transferring from DePaul to Kent State.  But then again, what do you expect from Kent State associate head coach Josh Oppenheimer, who is second to none as a recruiter and is right at the top of the list of assistant coaches at the mid-Division I level?  We also think it's huge that 6'7 Mahamoud Diakite from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who was originally slated to go to UC-Irvine, has ended up at Western Illinois.  And, if that weren't enough good news for Leathernecks head coach Derek Thomas, we also have confirmed that they have landed 6'2 Larry Dumas from Chicago Heights (Bloom Township) IL, who is ranked #259 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Now all Thomas, who has recruited like crazy since taking over as head coach at Western Illinois three years ago, has to do is win some games.  We also understand that the University of Georgia has landed 6'5 Walter Hill from Gainesville (East Hall) GA, who is ranked #294 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  It also appears that Longwood head coach Mike Gillen has stolen one in 6'8 Danny Wilson from Louisburg (JC) NC.  But once again this comes too late to include in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.  We also got an updated list of schools from some of the top players at the NIKE Peach Jam and Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR tells us that UCLA, Duke, Arizona, Kansas, and Washington are all still on his list.  Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Illinois, DePaul, Miami-FL, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are all still in the hunt for 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC.  The top five for 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV are Duke, Florida, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Kentucky.  Our guess is that with Singler it will be Duke, with Wright it will Georgetown, and with Patterson it will be Kentucky.  The list for 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA includes Rutgers, St. John's, Villanova, Clemson, Georgetown, Iowa State, Massachusetts, Texas, Arkansas, and Virginia.  North Carolina, Louisville, Villanova, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, Syracuse, Oklahoma, and Miami-FL were all mentioned by 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Ashton (American Christian) PA, but the word we're getting is that the first three schools on the list are the serious contenders.  And making things even more interesting is the fact that Bronx (Wings) NY head coach Tony Bergeron, who also is the recruiting coordinator for the Five-Star Basketball Camp and has known Louisville assistant coach Steve Masielo most of his life, is the new head coach at Aston (American Christian) PA and Evans is his star player.  Remember, connections are everything in this business and, as a result, Louisville may be tough to beat on this one.  The list for 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL includes Florida, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts, DePaul, and Iowa, but this might be one where a lot of the schools don't offer and, as a result, somebody looking for a player with both size and potential might be able to still get involved and steal one.  Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, LSU, and Maryland are still being mentioned by 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX. 

Saturday, July 15, 2006

I finally got a chance to see 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL at his best and the timing couldn't have been any better because he was going head-to-head against 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in the semi-finals of the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC.  Not only did Rose win the match-up, but his team won the game, 71-68, as he made incredible pass after incredible pass, including a short pass in transition to 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN that turned out be the start of one of the most spectacular plays of the entire week.  Rose, who is almost too unselfish for his own good, also impressed us with his ability to create his own shot, willingness to take the mid range shot, and silky smooth demeanor, as he took over the game early and also set up numerous scoring opportunities for Gordon, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds; 6'0 Tony Topps from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who shot the lights out from 3-point land; and 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who beat 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, and 6'9 Jr Ed Davis from Mechanicsville (Hanover) VA on the boards.  And that was another one of the big differences in the game, as Flowers finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Davis and Patterson combined for 27 points and only 10 rebounds.  In other words, Flowers is one of those undersized inside guys that most coaches at the mid-major level dream about landing at signing time.  However, things might have been different if Wright had been hitting his outside shot or if the Boo Williams Summer League Team had another great 3-point shooter like Scottie Reynolds, who teamed with Wright in the backcourt when this team won the championship in this tournament a year ago.  The SYF Players beat the Illinois Warriors, 64-56, in the other semi-finals game at the NIKE Peach Jam to set up tonight's championship game between the Means Streets Express and the SYF Players.  But this game was anticlimactic when compared to the first semi-finals game, as 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN and 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN combined for 34 points and 11 rebounds and nobody for the Illinois Warriors stepped up and played well,  except 5'8 Aaron Johnson from Chicago (Hubbard) IL, who finished with six points, 11 assists, and three steals.  We also were surprised by how much better Martin was than 6'9 Bill Cole from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, who finished with 14 points and seven points, and how little the Illinois Warriors got out of 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL, who had only six points and four rebounds.  Somebody also needs to tell 6'7 Manuel Cass from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, who had 11 points and only one rebound against the SYF Players, that he's a four, not a three, before we drop him some more.  Remember, this is a guy who used to be a monster on the boards and was terrific around the basket, but now drifts too far out on the perimeter and is embarrassingly non-productive.  And, where was 6'0 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who had a good week, but failed to a single point or have any assists in the semi-finals game?  In contrast, the SYF Players also got another good performance from 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, who impressed us with his unselfishness, surprising quickness, mobility, and athleticism, and willingness to do all of the little things that don't show up in the box score.  We also like the way 6'2 Greg Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN does a little bit of everything and the unsung hero for the SYF Players was 6'8 J.R. Floyd from Chicago (Whitney) IL, who provided additional athleticism and scored most of his nine points when the game was on the line.  Several other players that we haven't previously mentioned, but who really impressed us in the NIKE Peach Jam include 6'6 Frosh Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'2 Jr Frankie Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, and 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Peterson doesn't handle the ball well enough to be anything more than power forward who can step out and hit the mid-range jumper, but he's a killer inside and he put up big numbers especially late in the week, as he finished ranked among the top 10 at the NIKE Peach Jam in scoring.  Sullivan is an athletic combo guard who more than justified his top-40 national ranking in the Class of 2008 with his speed, quickness, passing, scoring, and willingness to compete.   At 6'6, Henry, who is legitimately one of the five sophomores in the nation, played point guard with the maturity and court savvy of a senior all the way up until when his team lost in the first round of the playoffs to Mean Streets Express.  Our ranking of the top 50 players at the NIKE Peach Jam prior to the start of the championship game are as follows:  1) 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 2) 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 3) 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 4) 6'9 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 5) 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6) 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 7) 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK, 8) 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 9) 6'3 E'twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IL, 10) 6'5 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Covenant) MI, 11) 6'9 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 12) 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, 13) 6'6 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 14) 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 15) 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 16) 5'9 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 17) 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 18) 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, 19) 6'9 Matthew Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, 20) 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 21) 6'8 Jr Ed Davis from Mechanicsville (Hanover) VA, 22) 5'8 Aaron Johnson from Chicago (Hubbard) IL, 23) 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, 24) 6'5 Dorenzo Hudson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 25) 6'2 Jr Frankie Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 26) 6'6 Corperryale Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 27) 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 28) 6'0 Eduardo Javi Gonzalez from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, 29) 6'6 Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 30) 6'4 Malcolm Delaney from Towson (Catholic) MD, 31) 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, 32) 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, 33) 6'6 Cameron Tatum from Tucker (H.S.) GA, 34) 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 35) 6'2 Greg Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, 36) 6'1 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 37) 6'6 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 38) 6'7 James Anderson from Junction City (H.S.) AR,  39) 6'3 Howard Little from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 40) 6'6 Lance Storrs from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 41) 6'4 Jordan Crawford from Detroit (CMA) MI, 42) 5'10 Soph Tommy Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 43) 6'4 Jr Paul Williams from Detroit (Renassiance) MI, 44) 6'10 Jr Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 45) 6'4 Jr Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 46) 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL, 47) 6'1 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 48) 6'4 Marcus Britt from Forrest City (H.S.) AR, 49) 6'6 Mario Wright from Birmingham (Minor) AL, and 50) 6'9 Jerry Hampton from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN.  I was long gone by the time the championship game tipped off, because I had to catch a flight.  But apparently I didn't miss much as Mean Streets Express jumped out early and never looked back en route to a 72-52 victory against the SYF Players in the title game.  It also comes as no surprise that the leading scorers for Means Streets were 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL with 25 points and 14 points apiece.  However, even more impressive is the fact that 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL finished with 13 points and 21 rebounds, as he took home top rebounding honors in the tournament with 12.4 rpg.  The leading scorer for the SYF Players was 6'2 Greg Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN with 23 points, most of which came in the second half during a stretch when he hit seven straight shots.  However, by that time the game was over.  Also scoring in double digits for the SYF Players were 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN with 12 points and 6'3 E'twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IL with 11 points, although he hit only 4-14 field goals.  We also think it's interesting to note that 6'9 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL finished as the leading scorer in the tournament with 25.4 ppg, followed by 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN with 24.3 ppg, 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA with 23.4 ppg, 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL with 22.8 ppg, 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA with 22.0 ppg, 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX with 21.8 ppg, 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK with 21.3 ppg, 6'9 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA with 20.8 ppg, 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR with 19.8 ppg, and 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA with 19.6 ppg. 

Friday, July 14, 2006

The final four is set the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC and, if the Boo Williams Summer League Team knocks off Mean Streets Express in the 11:30 AM and the SYF Players knocks off the Illinois Warriors at 1:00 PM tomorrow afternoon, then we will have a repeat of the championship game from a year ago when Boo Williams beat the SYF Players in the title game.  Or, if Means Streets meets the Illinois Warriors in the championship game, then we'd be talking about a game that would be for bragging rights in the Windy City.  Also interesting is the fact that three of these four teams are from the Chicago Metropolitan area, as the SYF Players are based in the Northwest Region of Indiana and the Illinois Warriors and Mean Streets are from the city itself.  And picking a favorite to win the tournament tomorrow isn't all that easy, as the Mean Streets Express features two of the best players in the tournament in 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL and the leading rebounder in the tournament with 10.5 rpg in 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL.  The Illinois Warriors have one of the best guard duos in the field with 5'8 Aaron Johnson from Chicago (Hubbard) IL, who is leading the tournament in assists with 6.5 apg, and 6'1 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who has come on gangbusters this summer and, as a result, is one of the fastest rising point guards in the nation, and also are tough inside with 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'7 Manuel Cass from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, and 6'6 Demond Watt from Calumet City (North) IL, and good out on the perimeter with 6'3 Howard Little from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'9 Bill Cole from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, and 6'1 Justin Dehm from Peoria (Richwoods) IL.  Boo Williams might be the best rebounding and shot blocking team in the tournament with 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who is ranked #3 in rebounding with 8.5 rpg and #1 blocked shots with 6.0 bpg, 6'9 Jr Ed Davis from Mechanicsville (Hanover) VA , who is ranked #2 in blocked shots 1.3 bpg, and 6'8 James Scott from Chesapeake (Deep Creek) VA, who is ranked #10 with 5.8 rpg, as well as the one of the quickest teams in the tournament, as is evident by the fact that 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC and 6'5 Ben Finney from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA are ranked #2 and #3, respectively, with 2.7 spg and 1.7 spg.  And the SYF Players have one of the most balanced teams with 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Gregory Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, 6'10 Gary McGhee from Anderson (H.S.) IN, 6'3 Jr Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'2 Antwuan Body from Anderson (H.S.) IN, and 7'0 Evan Schmidt from Chesterton (H.S.) IN.  We also think it's important to note that Moore verbally committed to Purdue University earlier today and Hummel is expected to pick the Boilermakers over the Hoosiers on Monday.  And this is huge, because Moore not only is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was one of the best players that we saw at the NIKE All-American Camp a week ago, but he also is an excellent ball handler and passer, as is evident by the fact that he is averaging 3.5 apg, and a gifted scorer both in transition and from beyond the arc.  Moore joins 6'10 JaJuan Johnson from Indianapolis (Franklin Central) IN in a recruiting class that is now tied at #14, along with USC, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And, if they also get Hummel, then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that would be ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more is the fact that all the hard work and effort that has gone into recruiting these kid who were right in Purdue's backyard has come to fruition for Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter. 

Thursday, July 13, 2006

The cream has been rising to the top all summer and the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC appears to be no exception, as some of the top individual performances in the tournament after the first two days of action have been turned by 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who had 30 points, five rebounds, two assists, and four steals against The Family; 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, who had 38 points and five rebounds against Team Florida and 29 points and four assists against Team Final; 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, who had 36 points, four rebounds, and six assists against The Family; 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA, who had 28 points against Athletes First; 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, who had 28 points and 11 rebounds against Seattle-Friends of Hoop and 28 points and seven rebounds against the Illinois Warriors; 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK, who had 31 points and 14 rebounds against Seattle-Friends of Hoops; 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, who had 23 points, four rebounds, five assists, and four steals against Alabama Challenge; and 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, who had 29 points and 10 rebounds versus the Boo Williams Summer League Team.  Singler also helped his team pull off a stunning 69-67 upset, as he put on one of the premier performances of the entire summer against Boo Williams.  Not only did Singler shoot the lights out, control the boards, and thrive in transition, but he did some things athletically that we've never seen him do before and he also was very effective around the basket against 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV and 6'9 Jr Ed Davis from Mechanicsville (Hanover) VA, who combine to form one of the best one-two punches inside in grass roots basketball.  In other words, Singler made a strong case for being ranked right up there along with 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA as one of the very elite players in the senior class nationally.  And, as long as we're giving credit where credit is due, 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL played about as well as we've ever seen him play, as he complemented Gordon with nine points and eight assists and is a big reason why a lot of people think that Mean Streets Express might be the team to beat in the tournament.  However, we still aren't convinced that Rose belongs among the top 10 players in the senior class nationally.  Instead, if we had to publish a ranking today, we'd round out the top 10 with 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who was ranked #1 at the NBA Players Association Camp and #2 at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the fastest rising players in the nation, and 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, who finished ranked #7 in our ranking of the top players at the NIKE All-American Camp, despite being sidelined most of June with mononucleosis; and is a much better 3-point shooter and more prolific scorer than Rose.  We also were impressed this morning with 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, who had 30 points versus Team Florida.  And this comes on the heels for his 35-point effort last night against Mean Streets.  If you will recall, Warren is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but had been sidelined most of the spring and, as a result, is only now really coming back into his own.  However, the player who may be helping himself the most in this tournament is 6'8 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, who scored 34 points yesterday morning against Team Texas, 27 points last night against Team Final, 23 points this morning against Mean Streets, 20 points earlier this evening against The Family.  Miami-FL and Arizona State have been there the longest and the strongest, but suddenly Parsons' list appears to be expanding as Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Indiana, LSU, Wisconsin, and Virginia Tech all are trying to get involved.  But we still think Parsons has to be careful about what college he picks, because his game is finesse and he does most of his damage from beyond the arc and in transition.  And this is important, because Parsons gets lost inside when he has to go against athletes his own side and there is no way he can guard a quicker and more athletic player out on the wing at the next level.  But, of course Parsons' teammate 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, who also has been one of the best players and statistical leaders in the tournament with 23.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 6.0 apg after his first four game games, doesn't guard anybody either.  The Family is one of the best balanced and most athletic teams in the tournament, as 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI runs the show, 6'5 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Covenent) MI provides the outside firepower, 6'6 Corperryale Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI is second to none as an athlete and a slasher, and 6'4 Jordan Crawford from Detroit (CMA) MI, 6'4 Jr Paul Williams from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Jr Chris Clark from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, and 6'7 Jon Tassin from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI are all very effective role players.  Another team that fall into this category is the SYF Players, which features 6'3 E'Twaun Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, and 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN and has a great supporting cast with players like 6'10 Gary McGhee from Anderson (H.S.) IN, 6'3 Jr Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'2 Gregory Hill from Merrillville (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Antwuan Body from Anderson (H.S.) IN, and 7'0 Evan Schmidt from Chesterton (H.S.) IN.  However, we saw the SYF Players get knocked off 63-61 earlier today by the Houston Hoops, which got 16 points from 6'6 Mike Singletary from Kingwood (H.S.) TX, 5'10 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, and 5'10 Tommy Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX and 15 points from 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX.  Another one of the highlights of the tournaments was watching 6'8 Jr Christian Morris from South Kent (Prep) CT shattered the backboard when the Metro Hawks were playing the Arkansas Wings and 6'4 Dorenzo Hudson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA simply picked up where he left off at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he made a strong case for being ranked among our top 100 nationally, as he impressed us with his athleticism and ability to create his own shot.  Speaking of Hudson, he told us that Miami-FL, Wake Forest, North Carolina, N.C. State, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia, Virginia, and Virginia Tech are all showing interest, but we suspect that list will get longer before it gets shorter as more big time coaches continue to see him.  We also were impressed earlier tonight with 6'0 Eduardo Javi Gonzalez from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, who we think is comparable to 6'0 Joey Rodriguez from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL in many ways.  They both are up tempo point guards who really like to force transition, but in the final analysis we think Gonzalez makes better decisions and is a little bit bigger and stronger than Rodriguez, who is suddenly back on the board after recently reneging on Massachusetts.  Virginia Commonwealth is the school showing the most interest in Gonzalez, but he's not the only player the Rams are hoping to steal in this tournament.  Did you know that as things stands now, the Rams are the only school showing a lot of interest in 6'6 Lance Kearse from Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, who has not stood out in this tournament, but is just oozing with athleticism and potential?  In other words, it looks like new VCU head coach Anthony Grant's is doing a great job of utilizing his strong Florida connections, as the Rams also already have 6'4 DeLuis Ramirez from Odessa (JC) TX, who is originally from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, in the fold. 

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin and myself returned to Fairleigh Dickinson yesterday for the Reebok Summer Classic East and the biggest story of the day involved the shocking 69-65 upset of the loaded DC Assault team by the South Florida Heat in the first round of the playoffs.  DC Assault featured 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 6'4 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 6'8 Jamar Samuels from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, but they weren't able to shut down 5'11 John Roberson Plano (H.S.) TX, who is a smart up tempo point guard that did a great job of getting everybody involved, and 6'9 Steve Toyloy from West Palm Beach (Palm Beach Lakes) FL, who was active on inside, as he contested Beasley on the boards and emerged as one of the biggest sleepers in the tournament, along with 6'7 Ramon Harris from Anchorage (West Anchorage) AK and 6'7 Lance Goulbourne from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ.  We have no idea who won the tournament, because I left early this morning for the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC and Rubin, who rarely stays to the end of any tournament, left earlier today to go back to Philadelphia, PA.  However, last night we put together a list of the top players that we saw in the tournament ranked in order, which included 1) 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 3) 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 4) 6'1 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ, 5) 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6) 6'5 Terrance Rodrick from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 7) 6'1 Sam Zeglinski from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 8) 6'4 Jeff Jones from Drexel Hills (Monsignor Bonner) PA, 9) 5'11 John Roberson from Plano (H.S.) TX, 10) 6'3 Jahmar Young from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 11) 6'11 Jr Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 12) 6'3 Bradley Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 13) 6'7 Jamar Samuels from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 14) 6'1 Nafis Ricks from Philadelphia (Lamberton) PA, 15) 6'7 Ramon Harris from West Anchorage (H.S.) AK, 16) 6'6 Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, 17) 6'3 Rashad Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 18) 6'9 Steve Toyloy from West Palm Beach (Palm Beach Lakes) FL, 19) 6'4 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 20) 6'7 Jr Lance Goulbourne from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, 21) 6'8 Matt Walden from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 22) Shane Walker from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, 23) 6'6 Matt Hill from Tilton (School) NH, 24) 6'7 Tyrone Nash from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 25) 6'4 Jr David Gibbs from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 25) 6'6 Antonio DiMario from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 26) 5'8 Malik Booth from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 27) 6'8 Josh Owens from Exeter (Phillips Exeter) NH, 28) 5'9 Ray Sims from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 29) 6'0 Anthony Raffa from Wildwood (Catholic) NJ, 30) 6'3 Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 31) 6'8 Kraidon Woods from Pottstown (Hill School) PA, 32) 6'6 Chris Edwards from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 33) 6'9 Cliffer Dixon from Suitland (H.S.) MD, 34) 6'1 Mike Venezia from Westfield (H.S.) NJ, 35) 5'9 Jr Steve Meja from Lexington (Christian) MA, 36) 6'4 Jr Tony Nieves from Waterbury (John F. Kennedy) CT, 37) 6'11 Anthony McClain from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 38) 6'8 Levoy Allen from Fairless Hills ((Pennsbury) PA, 39) 5'11 Jr Khalif Mumford from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, and 40) 6'7 Austin Johnson from Wyncote (Cheltenham) PA.  Another one of the highlights of the day came when 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY hit a 3-pointer to win the game in overtime against the Connecticut Basketball Club yesterday afternoon and we also confirmed that 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA plans to once again sign with Virginia Tech this fall.  If you will recall, Allen signed with the Hokies last fall, but didn't make it academically and, as a result, now is going the prep school route, which has fueled speculation about whether he will re-open his recruitment.  We also have put together a list of the players who helped themselves the most in this tournament and 6'5 Terrance Rodrick from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, who is another guy heading to prep school is  right at the top of the list, which also includes 6'3 Jahmar Young from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Jamar Samuels from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 6'1 Nafis Ricks from Philadelphia (Lamberton) PA, 6'8 Matt Walden from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and 6'1 Mike Venezia from Westfield (H.S.) NJ.  We also have to give 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA credit for picking up where he left off when we saw him last week at the adidas Superstar Camp in terms of effort and intensity and we thought 6'1 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ played a lot better here than he did during the week at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  Speaking of Chandler, one of the more interesting topics of conversation yesterday at the Reebok Summer Classic East was whether he can become the player for Rutgers that Randy Foye became at Villanova.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Rutgers head coach Fred Hill, who previously was an assistant coach at Villanova, is the guy who landed both Foye and Chandler. 

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

I read in the USA Today this morning that 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is ranked #6 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was tied as the #2-ranked player at the Reebok ABCD Camp, has been ruled ineligible by the Ohio High School Athletic Association to play next season at any school in the state due to the fact that he has already completed his fourth year of high school this spring.  And I can attest to the fact that this is correct, because I saw Walker play at Ashland (Rose Hill) KY in December of 2002 when he was a freshman and 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH was an 8th Grader.  However, what really makes this interesting is the fact that, instead of playing high school basketball another year in Ohio, Walker will now have to go to prep school for a year and and then will be able to enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now.  In other words, the rule is very clear about a high school player being one-year removed from when his original high school class is supposed to graduate and 19-years of age in order to qualify for early entry into the NBA Draft.  So obviously the Ohio High School Athletic Association did Walker a giant favor, as, unlike Mayo, he won't have to wait two years before he can take the money and run.  And, despite the fact that Walker needs to continue to work on his outside shooting and improve his perimeter skills, you can bet that some NBA General Manager will take a chance on drafting him high in next year's draft due to the fact that he's a physical specimen, an incredible athlete, and warrior on the court.  As for where both Walker and Mayo will end up next year, the word on the street is that they will enroll at Warren Walker Upper School, which is a new basketball factory that has sprung up in Henderson, NV.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'5 Doneal Mack from Statesville (Christian) NC, who is ranked #17 in our Final Ranking of the Top5th Year Players, has signed with the University of Memphis.  Unfortunately this comes too late to include Mack with the Tigers' recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 that was published 11 days ago.  But Mack, who is a world-class athlete and an excellent 3-pointer with a big upside, should provide the perfect complement to 6'1 Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 6'8 Pierre Niles from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'3 Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, and 6'10 Hashim Bailey from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC, all of whom are already apart of Memphis' incoming class for this fall.  We also have confirmed that the University of Michigan has landed 6'3 Jr Corperryale Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, who is ranked #65 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best athletes nationally in the senior class.  Harris does need to work on his outside shooting and was mediocre at best at the NBA Players Association Camp several weeks ago.  However, he redeemed himself at the NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN, as he finished ranked #21 overall and #4 at the 3-guard position in camp.  Harris also becomes the second in-state player, along with 5'11 Kelvin Grady from East Grand Rapids (H.S.) MI, in the Class of 2007 to have made a verbal commitment to the Wolverines and, unless one of these two players decides to follow in the footsteps of 6'5 Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who reneged on Michigan earlier this year; Eric Devendorf, who reneged on Michigan State and then went to Syracuse a couple of years ago; Joe Crawford, who originally picked Michigan, but ended up at Kentucky in the 2004; and Al Horford, who originally picked Michigan, but ended up at Florida in 2004; then the Wolverines appear to be well on their way towards landing an excellent recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that Hampton has landed 6'0 Chris Tolson from Laurel (H.S.) MD.  But this comes as no surprise, because Pirates assistant coach Brian Merritt has more than his share of contacts in the Washington, DC area.  There also is still nothing official about 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN reneging on his verbal commitment to the University of Illinois.  But we continue to hear that Gordon wants out of his commitment, because he's worried about whether the Fighting Illini will be able to sign any other great players to go with him.  But complicating things even further is the fact that 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL was telling people close to the HOOP SCOOP at the Reebok ABCD Camp that he plans to go to Illinois, which might explain why Gordon is in no big hurry to pull the trigger either way.  We suspect, if Gordon does bail out on Illinois, that Indiana will be tough to beat and, if Rose doesn't go to Illinois, that Memphis might now be the team to beat.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson talked with some of the top players at the NIKE All-American Camp and, after a strong showing at this camp, schools like North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Kansas are trying to get involved with 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH.  Roe also adds that he's the most comfortable with the schools that have been recruiting the longest.  They are Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Florida, and Miami-FL, but all that could change in August when he takes a number of unofficial visits prior to making a decision this fall.  The two finalists for 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN are Purdue and Indiana and we think the smart money is on the Boilermakers.  The list for 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN includes Purdue, Michigan, Arizona State, Northwestern, Valparaiso, Indiana, Oklahoma State, USC, LSU, DePaul, Ball State, and Bowling Green.  Kansas, Baylor, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma State, and Indiana are all in the hunt for 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX.  The list for 5'11 John Roberson from Plano (H.S.) TX includes Oklahoma, Utah, SMU, Arizona State, and Virginia Commonwealth.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'0 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL are Purdue, Iowa State, Marquette, St. John's, Northwestern, Miami-FL, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Saint Louis, Dayton, Xavier, Valparaiso, and Indiana.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also talked with some more players at the Reebok ABCD Camp and the list for 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH includes Kansas State, Connecticut, Syracuse, West Virginia, USC, and Florida.  The early favorites for 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH are Ohio State, Michigan State, Louisville, and Kentucky.  Tennessee, Cincinnati, Miami-FL, Xavier, and Clemson are among those already in the hunt for 6'6 Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY.  Texas, Wake Forest, Florida, Virginia, Texas A&M, and Miami-FL are involved with 6'8 Alexis Wangmene from San Antonio (Central Catholic) TX.  The schools showing the most interest in 6'8 DeJuan Blair from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA are Florida, Wake Forest, Miami-FL, Xavier, Kansas State, Rutgers, and Pittsburgh.  Blair's high school and AAU teammate - 6'5 D.J. Kennedy from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA - likes Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Illinois, Boston College, and Tennessee.  The early favorites for 6'4 Soph Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA includes Arizona, UCLA, Washington, and Ohio State.  6'4 Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA still has Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Arizona, Clemson, Boston College, Charlotte, and Illinois on his list.  Arkansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Florida, and USC are among those showing the most interest in 6'7 Kodi Augustus from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  The list for 6'4 Blake Hoffarber from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN includes Wake Forest, Minnesota, Kansas, Indiana, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.  The leaders for 6'1 Jeff Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN are Indiana, Wake Forest, Michigan, Xavier, and Dayton.  The favorites for 6'0 Steve Thomas from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN are Indiana, Dayton, IUPUI, and Notre Dame.  North Carolina and Maryland are already in the hunt for 6'6 Soph Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  We also got the scoop earlier this evening from our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood about 6'7 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH verbally committing to the University of Florida.  Obviously this is huge for the Gators, because Tyus, who is an incredible athlete and a relentless competitor that can play either forward position, was ranked #13 nationally in the Class of 2007 prior to the start of the summer and was ranked #5 at the Reebok ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  The addition of Tyus also moves the Gators' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'4 Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL, and 6'6 Adam Allen from Milton (H.S.) FL, up to #2, behind Syracuse and ahead of Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Duke, Alabama, Ohio State, Villanova, and Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.

Monday, July 10, 2006

Now that the three big shoe company camps are over and we already have our published our Final Ranking of the Top Players at the Reebok ABCD Camp, Final Ranking of the Top Players at the NIKE All-American Camp and Final Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Superstar Camp, it's time to put all of the pieces together.  And a great place to start is with an over all list of the top 25 players based on performance from the three camps, which includes 1) 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 2) 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 3) 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 4) 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 5) 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 7) 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 9) 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 10) 7'0 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH, 11) 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 12) 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 13) 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 14) 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 15) 6'9 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 16) 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 17) 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 18) 6'7 Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 19) 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 20) 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) OH, 21) 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 22) 6'5 Kalin Lucas from Dearborn (Redford Covenant Christian) MI, 23) 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 24) 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 25) 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA.  In other words the top players in the nation really did live up to their press clippings, as the top four-ranked players at the Reebok ABCD Camp (Kevin Love, O.J. Mayo, Billy Walker, and Brandon Jennings) are ranked #2, #1, and #6 nationally in the senior class and #1 nationally in the junior class respectively by the HOOP SCOOP; the top player at the NIKE All-American Camp (Donte Green) is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and the #1, #2, and #3-ranked players at the adidas Superstar Camp (Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley, and Lance Stephenson) are ranked #5 and #7 nationally in the senior class and #2 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And to toot our horn even a little bit louder, to our knowledge the HOOP SCOOP is the only one that had 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD ranked among the top five nationally in the Class of 2007 and we also were one of only a select few to have 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN ranked among the top five in his class nationally when we published our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007 on June 20th.  As a matter of fact, a quick look at our ranking of the top seven seniors, top two juniors, and top two sophomores shows that only two players in this very elite group were not included in our ranking of the top four players at the Reebok, the top three players at adidas, and the top player at NIKE.  However, 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who did end up at the NIKE All-American Camp (it was reported to us last week by our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that Bayless might pull a surprise and attend the Reebok ABCD Camp), did not play most of the week due to an injury and 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA was still good enough to get ranked #10 in our rankings at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  Another big question that we always get is who won the shoe company battle in terms of who had the best camp?  Well, this year everybody should be happy, as the Reebok ABCD Camp had an incredible amount of star power, the NIKE All-American Camp had the best depth of talent, as well as the fewest number of players, and the adidas Superstar Camp not only was surprisingly strong at the top of the camp, but also had an excellent array of good young players who promise to help make this camp be even stronger in the future.  But in the final analysis, we have to once again give the Reebok ABCD Camp the edge in a very close call over the NIKE All-American Camp and once again the adidas Superstar Camp finished third primarily due to the fact that it lacked the depth of talent of the other two camps and it was over too fast as the camp only latest three days compared to four days for the other two camps.  As for some of the highlights at each of the three camps, 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR made a strong case for national player of the year honors, as he finished with 19.1 ppg and 9.3 rpg for the week and had 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in the Senior All-Star Game at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  So picking Love, who is one of the best big men we've ever seen at the high school level, thanks to his incredible outlet passing ability, high skill level, total unselfishness, and competitive nature, as the #1 in the camp was easy.  However, deciding whether 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, or 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH should be ranked #2 in camp was next to impossible.  So we made it a three-way tie.  Walker, who was the MVP in the all-star game with 24 points and five rebounds, also finished ranked #5 in the camp in scoring with 12.9 ppg and he played all week like he's a man with something to prove.  And he does have something to prove, as this is the guy who has always lived in the shadow of O.J. Mayo.  And it now looks like Walker wants to establish his own identity, as he's been telling people at the camp that the Mayo-Walker package that everybody expects isn't likely to materialize.  Instead, the smart money now appears to be on Walker going to Kansas State and Mayo going to USC, although there is still nothing official that has happened yet.  Jennings finished tied for #1 in assists with 4.6 apg, but what really solidified his spot in this elite group was his performance in the all-star game, which included 14 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists, five steals, and two blocked shots.  Mayo, who finished ranked #4 in the camp in scoring with 13.3 ppg, tied for #6 in steals with 1.6 spg, and #6 in field goal percentage (52%), was somewhat of a disappointment the first time we saw him, but he also had the best single-game individual performance of the entire camp in the morning session on the final day.  It also was difficult picking 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH over 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, but consistency counts and nobody in camp plays any harder than Tyus, who finished ranked #10 in scoring camp with 12.3 ppg and was one of the best players in the camp from start to finish.  In contrast, Smith, who finished ranked #7 in camp in scoring with 12.6 rpg, was ranked as high as #3 in camp on the first day, but dropped to #5 and #9 after the second and third days, before moving back up to #6 in the final rankings, thanks primarily to a stellar 22-point/8-rebound performance in the Senior All-Star Game.  Also enhancing the value of their stock in our final rankings in the all-star games were 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, who had 23 points and seven assists in the Senior All-Star Game; 6'7 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, who had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Underclassmen All-Star Game; 6'4 Jr Dante Anderson from Gainesville (Eastside) FL, who had 22 points and hit 5-10 3-pointers in the Underclassmen All-Star Game; and 6'0 Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who had 13 assists in the Underclassmen All-Star Game.  And making this story even more interesting is the fact that McMillan is listed as a rising senior by the HOOP SCOOP.  Apparently he has decided to reclassify, but it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not reclassify players if we find out about it after they have reached their senior year of high school.  So, thus explains why we have McMillan listed as a senior, but why he played in the Underclassmen All-Star Game.  We also have to give Jennings and McMillan a lot of the credit, despite the fact they both had a lot of turnovers, for their unselfishness and willingness to make their teammates better, which is one of the primary reasons why this was one of the all-time great all-star games in ABCD Camp history.  We also have to mention 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who finished tied for #8 in scoring with 12.4 ppg and #3 in camp in rebounding with 6.7 rpg and was one of the four senior MVP's in the camp, as selected by the people who run the camp.  However, picking King over a number of other people, including 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, for this prestigious honor was totally ridiculous.  Not only did King get abused by Walker in their head-to-head match-up early in the week, but we moved him up to #19 in our final rankings, because he played hard and always gave it 110%, as he struggled through what was a very tough week.  In other words, King's statistics are very deceptive, because he played on a team that was short-handed and, as a result, got almost twice as much playing time as anybody else in camp.  In contrast, we moved 6'10 Elijah Holman from Richmond (H.S.) CA all the way up to #14 in our final rankings based primarily on the statistics, which show that the second leading rebounder in camp with 7.0 rpg and leader in the camp in blocked shots with 3.4 bpg.  We also want to give 6'4 Blake Hoffarber from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN special mention, because he was the best 3-point shooter in camp, as was evident by the fact he hit 58.8% from beyond the arc and even more of his misses were pretty close to being right on target.  The big story at the NIKE All-American Camp, who is not only just as good as Rudy Gay was at the same stage, but he also is starting to draw Kevin Garnett comparisons, as he is now arguably one of the three best players in the senior class nationally, along with 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR and 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Green was easily the best player in the camp from start to finish and he capped off the week with 12 points, as he hit 4-6 from the field, 1-3 from beyond the arc, and 3-3 from the line and took home co-MVP honors in the top all-star game.  The other co-MVP in the top all-star game was 6'8 James Johnson from Cheyenne (East) WY, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds and was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge all week at the NIKE All-America Camp.  And really that's the other big story of this camp, as 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who also was our #1-ranked player several weeks ago at the NBA Players Association Camp, played well enough to make a strong argument that he should be ranked among our top 10 seniors nationally.  Also falling into this category is 7'0 Kosta Koufos from Canton (Glenoak) OH, who has improved dramatically since we first saw him this spring at the Spiece Run'N Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN.  Remember, this is a guy who was sidelined all of last winter with an injury and, as a result, is just now coming into his own.  We also have to mention 6'8 Robbie Hummel from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN and 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN, both of whom finished ranked among the top 15 in camp.  We knew they were good, but we didn't ever dream that these Ted Kitchell and Steve Bouchie play-alikes would turn out to be this good.  We also were glad to see that 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who has been slowed by an ACL injury this spring, stepped up and scored 19 points and was 8-9 from the field in the top all-star game.  And, of course we have to mention 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OH, who arrived late and played only during the last two days of camp, but still manage to finish ranked #18 in camp.  Also starting off slow, but really coming on as the week wore on were 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, 6'5 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Redford Covenant Christian) MI, 6'8 Blake Griffin from Oklahoma City (Oklahoma Christian) OK, 6'0 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, and 5'11 John Roberson from Plano (H.S.) TX, who in the final analysis finished ranked #4, #5, #6, #12, #14, and #22 in camp.   This also is a good place to note that our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thinks is was an absolute joke that Roberson was not named to play in either all-star game.  Instead, the leading scorer and the co-MVP, along with 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, in the other all-star game was 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (Crowley) TX.  However, Warren, who has been sidelined since April with an injury, was not somebody that caught our eye until the last day of camp.  Warren, did score 22 points and hit 8-13 field goals and 4-7 3-pointers in the all-star game, but that still was not enough to get him ranked among the top 50 players in camp.  Also not making this list is 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who was ranked #5 in camp after our first rankings came out on the second day.  However, Evans did finish ranked #10 at his position.  We also think it's noteworthy once again mention that 6'10 Soph DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL, 6'4 E'Twuan Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone) TX, and 6'4 Jr Sean Mosley from Baltimore (St. France) MD, who were ranked #2, #6, #7, #12, and #13 on the first day we ranked the players in camp, all dropped like dramatically, in the final rankings and, as a result, the final rankings from this camp differ dramatically from the one day when I was in attendance at the NIKE All-American Camp.  The race between 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was the highlight of the week at the adidas Superstar Camp, as they finished as the co-MVP's in camp and Gordon finished as the MVP in the Upperclassmen All-Star with 22 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.  However, unlike the NIKE All-American Camp, there were not a lot of major changes after I left this camp on the first day.  As a matter of fact, 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 6'3 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'3 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS were the five elite players who dropped the most, as they started out at #1, #3, #8, #9, and #10 and finished at #9, #10, #16, #22, and out of the top 30, respectively.  I also find it interesting that 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY dropped from #8 to #14 between the first and second day of the camp and was not moved up, despite the fact he was a missed 3-point shot away from being MVP for his team in the Underclassmen All-Star Game, until I made an editorial decision to move him up #7 in the rankings at his position.  But that was the only change that I made to either the final NIKE All-American Camp or the adidas Superstar Camp rankings.  As for Walker, I have plenty of experience with certain people's obvious biases against undersized point guards.  Not only was Walker the second leading scorer for his team in the Underclassmen All-Star Game with 15 points, but he also had two rebounds and five assists in that game and was ranked among the leaders in camp in both scoring and passing after I left on the first day.  Moral to the story, Walker's probably still too low, but at least where he's ranked now isn't totally a joke.  Instead, the MVP in the Underclassmen All-Star Game was 6'5 Jr Travis Releford from Kansas City (Bishop Miege) MO, who had 17 points and six rebounds in the all-star game, but was a major disappointment earlier in the week.  Also playing well in the Underclassmen All-Star Game were 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, who finished with 11 points and nine rebounds; 6'1 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) OH, who finished with six points and six assists; 6'8 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, who finished with 15 points and three rebounds; 6'9 Soph Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, who finished with 16 points and three rebounds; and 7'1 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (H.S.) CA, who finished with 15 points and six rebounds.  That last one is especially interesting, because Mullens also played great in this camp a year ago, but had a mediocre high school season this past year, as he failed to show the intensity and aggressiveness to make people think he's ready for prime time.  We also think it's important to point out that 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY had only four points, three rebounds, and three assists in the Underclassmen All-Star Game, but was the third best player in camp, behind 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  And this is important, because from this point on the fact the Stephenson is the best player in New York City regardless of class and position is undisputable.  In other words, Stephenson is right on track to become the next great player to come out of New York City, as his game is just as advanced as Stephon Marbury's and Sebastian Telfair's at the same stage.  The leading scorer in the Upperclassmen All-Star Game was 6'3 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, who finished with 24 points and six rebounds, and 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA chipped in with 22 points and eight rebounds.  However, Horne finished ranked no higher than #27 in our ranking of the top players in camp, which illustrates just how little value our people put into what happened in the all-stars games.  But this is understandable, because two years ago 6'2 Luis Guzman from Paramus (Catholic) NJ went from total obscurity to #2 in camp based on his performance in the all-star game when Patrick Stanwood was the only person that we had at the camp on the final day.  And that lady's and gentlemen appears to have been one of the great misses of all time in the history of the HOOP SCOOP. 

Sunday, July 9, 2006

Our Ranking of the Top Players at the Reebok ABCD Camp and our Ranking of the Top Players at the NIKE All-American Camp after the first three days of camp and Final Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Superstar Camp are ready for publication and ironically everything appears to have been status quo for most of the week at the adidas and Reebok Camps.  As a matter of fact, five of the top six-ranked players at the Reebok ABCD Camp all week have been 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'1 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and Love was so much better than everybody else in camp that our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis was talking about how unfair it was for Love to be playing against high school players.  "The contrast is as great between Love and all of the rest of the players in this camp, as it is with regards to the HOOP SCOOP and all the of our competition," said Trigonis.  And to illustrate the point even further is the fact that never has a player led the camp from start to finish in both scoring and rebounding and been such a clear-cut #1 choice for top player honors the way Love has this week at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  Heading into the final day of camp, Love currently is averaging 19.0 ppg and 10.0 rpg and he has a 39.3 player rating, which is a combination of all of the statistics categories for each player in camp.  And this is important, because the next highest rating is a 25.4, which belongs to 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who has a 25.4 player rating, is averaging 15.0 ppg, and edges out Jennings as our second highest ranked player in camp.  And the same thing can be said about the adidas Superstar Camp, where 6'4 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North College Hill) IN, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, and 6'3 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA were seven of the top 10 players in camp from start to finish.  However, the same thing can't be said about the NIKE All-American Camp, as it's really striking how dramatic certain players moved up and down between the first and second day that we've been covering the camp.  As a matter of fact, 6'8 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'4 Jr Sean Mosley from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD went from being ranked #7 and #13 on the list the first day to not even being ranked among the top 40 players in camp and ranked no higher than #11 and #9, respectively, at their positions on the second day.  And other players like 7'0 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH moved from #19 to #3, 6'5 Durrell Summers from Dearborn (Redford Covenant Christian) MI moved from #17 to #4, 6'8 Scott Martin from Valparaiso (H.S.) IN moved from #34 to #12, 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX #12 to #34, and 6'7 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH went from not being ranked on the first day to #25 on the second day.  We also suspect that 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who moved from #5 to #19, and 6'10 Soph DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL who moved from being ranked #2 to #5 on the second day, will drop some more, as they are injured and are not expected to play on the final day.  In other words, the NIKE All-American Camp was like the stock market with regards to players moving up and down and, as a result, the rankings that we published a day ago do not reflect the camp that I left 24 hours ago.  And the camp apparently was as bad yesterday as it was good yesterday, as Kevin Bays, Editor & Publisher of PrepHoopsOnline.com, who was one of the two people we will have at the camp from start to finish, tells us that turnovers and ragged play were the order of the day yesterday.  So obviously we're already anxiously anticipating the final results from the NIKE All-American Camp after the all-star games are played later today and we're also looking forward to seeing who steps up and plays well in the all-star games at the Reebok ABCD Camp, which begin in less an a hour.  So stay tuned, as we'll have the final rankings from the Reebok ABCD Camp and NIKE All-American Camp posted on our web site by late tonight and more details about all three camps during the day tomorrow.  

Saturday, July 8, 2006

Not only are we ready to provide you with our Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Superstar Camp and Ranking of the Top Players at the Reebok ABCD Camp for the second consecutive day, but we also are now up to speed with our Ranking of the Top Players at the NIKE All-American Camp.  And the big story at the NIKE All-American Camp has to be the way 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is totally dominating this camp.  We're talking about somebody who is comparable to Rudy Gay and may be just as good at the same stage, as Green doesn't take any prisoners inside, is a big time athlete and excellent physical specimen, and terrific out on the perimeter, where he is great at creating his own shot and knocking down 3-pointer after 3-pointer.  As a matter of fact, with the exception of 6'9 Kevin Love from Oswego (H.S.) OR and 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, we haven't seen anybody play this well so far this year.  The NIKE All-American Camp also appears to have better depth than either the adidas Superstar Camp and the Reebok ABCD Camp and it's really good at the top, as 6'10 Soph DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL, 6'9 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'4 E'Twuan Moore from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA round out an excellent list of the top 10-ranked players in camp.  Cousins, also has to be the biggest sleeper to emerge in the camp, as he previously was unranked nationally in the Class of 2009 by the HOOP SCOOP, but is an absolute beast inside.  We also thought the intensity level was much better than it was a year ago and the NIKE All-American Camp is much more user friendly for scouts, like me, and college coaches who will only be there one day, as there were three sets of games on two courts in both the evening and afternoon and evening sessions.  The fact that there were roughly only a 120 players at the NIKE All-Americn Camp also was a major plus when compared to the other two shoe company camps that both had in the 150 to 160 range.  The cream also appears to have risen to the top at the adidas Superstar Camp, as 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN both scored over 20 points per game yesterday in both the afternoon and evening sessions.  6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV also did not hit shot after shot, like he did the day before when he was ranked as our #1 player in camp.  Instead, Babbitt drops to #9 on our list of the top players at the adidas Superstar Camp, behind 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, and 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA and ahead of 6'3 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA.  We also continue to hear rumors about 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN reneging on his verbal commitment to Illinois, but several sources close to the kid himself tell us that this is false.  We also continue to hear from our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that the reports about 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH picking USC are false.  However, we do know that at least one of the three schools currently being mentioned by Mayo is not actively recruiting him.  And that school is the University of Florida, which means that it really is only a two-horse race between USC and Kansas State for Mayo's services.  As for the Reebok ABCD Camp, it obviously has the most star power, as 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) FL, 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 6'0 Jonathan Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY head our list of the top-10 ranked players in camp.  The camp with the best underclassmen appears to be the NIKE All-American Camp, as six of the top 13 players in camp are in either the Class of 2008 or Class of 2009 and two of the top seven players - 6'10 Soph DeMarcus Cousins from Birmingham (Erwin) AL and 6'3 Soph Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ - are rising sophomores.  The camp with the best group of centers appears to be the Reebok ABCD Camp, while the NIKE All-American Camp appears to have the best group of wing forwards and point guards and adidas Superstar Camps has the best group of 2-guards.  As things stand now, the power forward spot is still too close to call among the three camps, which really are surprisingly balanced in a lot of ways.  The also have been some verbal commits during the last several days, including 6'2 Jr Terrance Oglesby from Cleveland (Bradley-Central) TN, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, to Clemson; 6'6 Michael Glover from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, who first will go the prep school route, to Seton Hall; and 6'7 Darnell Dobson from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD to Pittsburgh. 

Friday, July 7, 2006

The early returns are in and a quick review of our Ranking of the Top Players at the adidas Superstar Camp shows that this camp not only has more than its share of elite players, especially at the 2-guard and power forward positions, but it also has more depth than we originally anticipated and it has an overabundance of good underclassmen.  So it is fitting that 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, who is both an underclassmen and a power forward, has stepped up to edge out 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN and 6'3 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, both of whom are strong athletic 2-guards and are the two leading scorers in camp with 17.0 ppg and 16.0 ppg, respectively, after the first day of action, for top player honors in camp.  And right on the heels of Babbitt, Gordon, and Dunn are 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists in the afternoon session, and 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who not only played point guard for his team, but finished ranked #2, behind 6'3 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, with six assists in the evening session.  Speaking of Jardine, he also was one of the leading scorer's in the evening session with 14 points and the fact he is ranked no higher than #11 in camp really illustrates how much depth there is at this camp.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was 6'3 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS, who is legitimately one of the top 20 or 30 players nationally in the senior class thanks to his speed and quickness, ability to make things happen with his ball handling and passing skills and tough hardnosed defense.  The biggest disappointment in the camp was 6'7 Jr Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, but part of that may have had to do with the fact that he overslept and missed part of the afternoon session.  In sharp contrast, 6'9 Jr Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, who apparently was hurt when he played so bad at the NBA Players Association Camp two weeks ago, redeemed himself with a stellar 15-point effort in the afternoon session and another good effort in the evening session.  The best individual performance of the first day was turned in by 6'3 Lacedarius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, who had 19 points and six assists in the afternoon session.  Some people on our staff of talent evaluators, which includes myself (Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP); Andre Whitehead, HOOP SCOOP Tennessee Correspondent; Rick Staudt, HOOP SCOOP Florida Editor; and Andy Muse, HOOP SCOOP North Carolina Correspondent, didn't like 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (Pius X) WI and 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  However, it's hard to argue with the fact that Lucious is leading the camp in assists with an average of 5.0 apg and Walker led the camp in assists with six in the afternoon session and was one of the leading scorers in the evening sessions with 12 points.  We also were extremely impressed with the athleticism, coordination, agility, and ability to both pass and finds ways to score by 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who clearly was the best big man in camp, and 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who was one of the leading scorers and rebounders in camp.  And, of course, there was 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who not only played with a tremendous amount of intensity in both sessions, but also was engaged in one of the best match-up of the day when he went head-to-head against 6'9 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX.  We also are impressed with the defensive effort turned in by 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA against 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY in the second half of the afternoon session.  If Smith hadn't switch over and guarded Stephenson, he probably would have gone for 30 points and may have ended up being ranked #1 in camp after the first day.  We also have our Ranking of the Top Players at the Reebok ABCD Camp after the first day of camp finished and ready for publication.  However, our people in New Jersey were late getting these rankings to us and, as a result, I was unable to write anything about the camp.  Instead, I am off to the airport to catch the first flight out to Indianapolis, IN to cover the NIKE All-American Camp later today. 

Thursday, July 6, 2006

I've gotten a number of phone calls telling me that it's being reported by Andy Katz of ESPN that 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who the #1-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to USC.  However, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin talked to Mayo last night at the Reebok ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ and Mayo said any rumors about his committing to USC are not true.  Instead, Mayo gave Rubin a list that included Kansas State, USC, and Florida.  Rubin also talked with a number of other players during the last several days prior to the start of the Reebok ABCD Camp and he tells us that Connecticut, Arizona, Washington, USC, Texas, and Illinois were mentioned by 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The list for 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL includes Kansas, Virginia, Kentucky, Louisville, and Illinois.  UCLA and USC were the only schools mentioned by 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.   The new list for 6'8 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA includes Louisville, Kentucky, Georgia, LSU, Georgetown, Florida, Miami-FL, and Florida State.  The leaders for 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC are Connecticut, Louisville, Virginia, and Florida.  Illinois, USC, Texas, and Xavier make up an interesting list for 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH.  Arizona State, Arizona, Washington, Washington State, and USC are among those showing the most interest in 6'5 James Hardin from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  DePaul, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kentucky, Illinois, and Georgetown were mentioned by 6'8 Mac Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL.  Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Syracuse, St. John's, and Connecticut are the favorites for 6'11 Hamidu Rahman from Aston (American Christian) PA.  Connecticut, Duke, Washington, North Carolina, UCLA, and Arizona are already involved with 6'9 Jr Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA.  The leader strong leader for 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX is Texas A&M, but LSU, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Florida State are also on his list.  Washington, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Arizona State, Texas A&M, and George Washington are all in the hunt for 6'4 Jr Malcolm Lee from Riverside (North) CA.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'6 Jr Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, who, by the way, has a 3.9 gpa, are North Carolina, LSU, Syracuse, Arizona, Georgia Tech, and Stanford.  The list for 6'11 Clint Chapman from Portland (Canby) OR includes California, USC, Texas, Georgetown, UCLA, Washington, and Oregon.  The early favorites for 6'2 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL are Duke, North Carolina, and Florida.  The list for 6'7 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC includes N.C. State, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Louisville, and Charlotte.  The leaders for 6'3 Bradley Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA are Pittsburgh, Temple, George Washington, La Salle, and Virginia.  Villanova, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami-FL, and St. John's already appear to be the schools you have to beat for 6'5 Jr Sylvan Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY.  Syracuse, Connecticut, St. John's, Virginia Tech, and Seton Hall were mentioned by 6'7 Jr James Southerland from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  Illinois, Iowa,  Iowa State, Purdue, and Kentucky are already showing a lot of interest in 6'8 Jr Josh Crittle from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL.  St. John's, Syracuse, DePaul, and Pittsburgh make up the list for 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who now appears to have been reclassified as a junior.  LSU, St. John's, Louisville, Mississippi State, Clemson, South Florida, and Rhode Island are all in the hunt for 6'3 Thomas Manzano from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS.  Pittsburgh, Villanova, St. Joseph's, Virginia, Virginia Tech, George Washington, La Salle, Seton Hall, Penn State, Temple, and Rhode Island were mentioned by 6'9 Michael Earl from Paoli (Church Farm) PA.  Temple, DePaul, Marist, and Pennsylvania are the favorites for 6'2 Rashon Dwight from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ.   The list for 5'9 Rahmon Fletcher from Kansas City (Paseo) MO includes Southern Illinois, Florida International, Loyola-Illinois, and Missouri State.  6'4 Jr Brian Walsh from Coraopolis (Moon) PA, who has a 3.8 gpa, is getting the most attention from Pittsburgh, West Virginia, St. Joseph's, Akron, Delaware, and Stanford.  The race is on among schools like Marquette, Rutgers, St. Joseph's, DePaul, Providence, Wake Forest, and Miami-FL for 6'7 Idris Hilliard from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ.  Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa State, Wake Forest, Indiana, and Iowa are involved with 6'10 John Lauer from Orono (H.S.) MN.  Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Florida, Wake Forest, and USC make up an interesting list for 6'9 Michael Sanchez from Springdale, AR.  The early favorites for 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC are LSU, Memphis, Wake Forest, Miami-Fl, Virginia Tech, and Virginia.  The really early favorites for 6'8 Soph Karron Johnson from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC are LSU, Maryland, Memphis, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Rubin also confirmed via the horse's mouth that 6'3 Demetri McCamey from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, who is ranked #95 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP,  has verbally committed to the University of Illinois.  And we find this extremely interesting, because McCamey thinks he's a point guard and the Fighting Illini already have a tremendous 2-guard in 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN this recruiting class.  So you can bet the  Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and his staff will attempt to sell McCamey on the fact that Gordon, McCamey, and 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is Illinois' prime recruiting target at point guard, will all get plenty of playing time just like Deron Williams, Luther Head, and Dee Brown did two years ago when they ran a three guard offense and went to the NCAA Final Four.  However, there are others who are taking this as a sign that Rose is leaning in another direction and/or that Gordon might re-open his recruitment.  But, as things stand now, Illinois has what is potentially a great recruiting class, as they also already have 6'9 Billy Cole from Peoria (Richwoods) IL and 6'10 Mike Tisdale from Riverton (H.S.) IL in the fold and they have been mentioned with a number of the top players in the senior and junior classes, like 6'8 Mac Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'3 E'Twuan Moore from East Chicago (Central) IN, 6'4 Jr Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Bonner Academy) PA, 5'11 B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal Academy) TX, 6'5 Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 6'5 D.J. Kennedy from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA, 6'3 Jamelle McMillan from Seattle (O'Dea) WA, 6'9 Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'6 Soph DeAndre Liggons from Chicago (Washington) IL, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA,6'8 Jr Josh Crittle from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'8 Jr Harold Thompkins from Norcross (Wesleyan) GA, 6'4 Jr Matt Humphrey from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'1 Jr Anthony Crator from Flint (Southwestern) MI, 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, and 6'8 Soph Will Brown from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 DeLuis Ramirez from Odessa (JC) TX has verbally committed to Virginia Commonwealth and this too is an important catch, because we're talking about an athletic 2-guard and a big time 3-point shooter out the same mold as Connecticut's Denham Brown.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Ramirez, who is originally from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, is also a great passer and, as a result, has the versatility, athleticism, and skills necessary to project as one of the better junior college players in the nation next year.  We also continue to hear that 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley will not be back at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year and that 6'5 O.J. Mayo and 6'6 Billy Walker may end up next season at a new prep school in Henderson, NV. 

Wednesday, July 5, 2006

In addition to providing you with our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 and Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes By Conference for the Class of 2006, we are now ready to publish all of the other Different Ways to Look at Recruiting for the Class of 2006.  And once again the conference with the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit is the Atlantic Coast Conference, which now has won this race each of the the last four years and five of the last eight years.  However, that really doesn't begin to tell how dominant the ACC has been with regards to signing quality recruiting classes, as two of the years this league did not finish first were the two years (1999 and 2002) when we ran out of time and, as a result, did not publish our Different Ways to Look at Recruiting section.  In other words, today is the drop dead date for dealing with recruiting for players in the Class of 2006 and in order to get this out of the way so that we can focus on the adidas Superstar All-American Camp, NIKE All-American Camp, and Reebok ABCD Camp, all of which begin tomorrow, we really do mean it when I say there will be no more changes.  As a matter of fact, I've already ignored some late additions that people have tried to make me aware of, like 6'0 Tim Ambrose from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY picking Albany two weeks ago and 6'1 Reid Baker from Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL reneging on The Citadel and finally settling on the University of Michigan after flirting with a number of other schools.  Getting back to some of the more interesting things that we found in the Different Ways to Look at Recruiting for the Class of 2006, did you know that Louisville finished with the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit?  They also are one of only two schools, along with Duke, which signed more than one player and had all of its recruits ranked among the top 40 higher school players in the nation.  And this is important, because this is the best way to judge both quality and quantity.  The race among Ohio State, and Texas for the school with the Highest Talent Rating Average for the Top Two Recruits really is too close to call, as the Buckeyes with 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'4 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH and the Longhorns with 6'10 Kevin Durant from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and 6'0 D.J. Augustine from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX finish in a tie for first.  However, neither school beats North Carolina with 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN for the Highest Talent Rating Average for the Top Three Recruits.  Remember, the Tar Heels are the first school ever to land three top five-ranked players in the nation in the same recruiting class and they became the first school to ever register a perfect 10 for the top two and three players signed this year and the top four players signed either this year or last year.  And, if that weren't enough, North Carolina also finished ranked #1 a year ago with the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit, Highest Talent Rating Average for the Top Two Recruits, Highest Talent Rating Average for the Top Three Recruits, and the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit for the Top Four Players Signed Over a Two-Year Period.  But, then again, this is not all that surprising when one remembers that the Tar Heels also landed 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) NC, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY a year ago.  Getting back to the comparison between Ohio State and Texas, Oden gets the slight nod over Durant, but Augustine and 6'9 Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX get the slight nod over Cook and 6'1 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  And, if we dig a little deeper, Ohio State's 6'5 David Lighty has a slight edge over 6'10 Dexter Pittman from Rosenburg (Terry) TX and right now 6'9 Othello Hunter from Hillsborough (JC) FL has the edge over 6'10 Matt Hill from Lincoln (Southeast) NE, although we think Hill may have more potential.  But what tips Texas over Ohio State into the #3 spot in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 is the depth of the class, as 6'3 Harrison Smith from Houston (Jesuit) TX and 6'2 Jason Mason from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX both rank in the 100-300 range nationally.  The fact that Big East, ACC, and Big-12 Conferences blow away all the rest of the conferences in college basketball in terms of landing the most players who are the equivalent of a top 100-ranked senior in high school simply reinforces our belief that these are clearly the three best schools in college basketball.  And, with only one major exception, the Southland Conference, which is helped by the fact that Lamar landed two of the top junior college players in the nation in 7'0 James Davis and 6'6 Lamar Sanders from Northwest Mississippi (JC) MS, all of the other conferences in the top half of the list line up true to form on the list of which conferences landed the most top 100-ranked players.  The six high major conferences obviously are the Big East, ACC, Big-12, SEC, Big-10, and Pacific-10, while Conference USA, Atlantic-10, Mountain West, Sun Belt, Missouri Valley, West Athletic, Colonial Athletic Association, and West Coast Conference fall into the next range. 

Tuesday, July 4, 2006

We've already mentioned the fact that 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX verbally committed to Texas yesterday and 6'10 Hernol Hall from Lon Morris (JC) TX signed with Cincinnati the day before, but, believe it or not, there have been a number of other verbal commitments that have occurred during the last several days while we have been focused almost exclusively on publishing our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 and Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes By Conference for the Class of 2006.  And right at the top of the list is 6'6 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, who joins 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glenoak) OH and 6'6 Jon Diebler from Uppers Sandusky (H.S.) OH to become the third player in a recruiting class that is now tied at #5, along with Illinois and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   Turner is a big time athlete, a terrific 3-point shooter, and he's got plenty of upside.  However, he needs to get meaner and tougher to be a star in the Big-10 Conference, which explains why he currently is ranked #87 in our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007.  But, then again, he doesn't have to be a star (just a piece to the puzzle), as the Buckeyes also have 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'1 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'4 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'5 David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH, and 6'9 Othello Hunter from Hillsborough (JC) FL in the fold in their current recruiting class and early verbal commitment from 6'10 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH and 6'3 Jr Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN.  The verbal commitment by Turner also is important, because the Buckeyes are now done recruiting players in the Class of 2007 and can concentrate exclusively on recruiting players in the Class of 2008.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that assuming that Oden goes pro after only season, the Buckeyes will have five scholarships to hand out in the Class of 2008.  The first two are already gone to Mullens and Offutt and, if everything falls right, they'd like to sign either 6'9 Jr Yancey Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH or 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH at the power forward spot, 6'4 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH at the wing forward spot, and 6'1 Jr Anthony Crator from Flint (Southwestern) MI at the point guard spot.  The commitment by Turner also is important, because he comes the 47th player in the Class of 2007 to have already verbally committed and the beginning of the Summer Evaluation Period is still two days away.  The rest of that list includes 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD to Syracuse, 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to Illinois, 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Kansas State, 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to Duke, 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma Christian) OK to Oklahoma, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Duke, 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX to Texas, 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Villanova, 6'7 Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA to Arizona, 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL to Florida, 6'5 Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA to USC, 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, 6'4 Chris Allen from Lawrenceville (Meadowcreek) GA to Michigan State, 6'9 Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA to Gonzaga, 7'1 Kosta Koufos from Canton (Glenoak) OH to Ohio State, 6'2 Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA to Alabama, 6'4 Durrell Summer from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI to Michigan State, 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA to Georgia Tech, 6'2 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ to Rutgers, 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to Syracuse, 6'8 Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD to Maryland, 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL to Alabama, 6'0 Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL to Miami-FL, 6'0 Taylor Battle from Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY to Penn State, 5'8 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA to Washington, 6'2 Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to Syracuse, 6'5 Lacedaris Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA to Baylor, 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY to Syracuse, 6'9 Laron Dendy from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC to Clemson, 6'10 Matthew-Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT to Washington, 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ to Memphis, 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Villanova, 6'7 Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA to California, 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH to Ohio State, 6'7 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Boston College, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC to Charlotte, 6'1 Kalin Lucas from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI to Michigan State, 6'6 Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC to Virginia, 6'6 Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH to Dayton, 6'8 Chace Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA to UCLA, 5'11 Michael Thompson from Chicago (Lincoln Park) IL to Northwestern, 6'7 Raven Johnson from Clarksdale (Coahoma County) MS to Mississippi State, 6'7 Mike Holmes from Bishopville (Lee Central) SC to South Carolina, 6'6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH to Ohio State, 6'9 Shane Walker from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA to Maryland, and 6'1 Sammy Zeglinski from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA to Virginia.  Johnson also tells us that 6'7 Chris Early from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who is ranked #226 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Oklahoma.  Early is a combo forward without a true position (he's not mean enough, tough, and skilled enough to play inside and isn't a good enough 3-point shooter to thrive out on the perimeter), but he still may turn out to be a steal, if his good friend and high school teammates follows in his footsteps to Oklahoma.  Obviously we're talking about 6'8 Jr Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who was our #1-ranked player at the NBA Players Association Camp and is a beast inside.  Just image how good the Sooners will be inside if they get Patterson to complement 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma City) OK, who is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is already committed to Oklahoma.  And so are 6'5 Cade Davis from Elk City (H.S.) OK and 6'8 Soph Kyle Hardrick from Lawton (Eisenhower) OK, both of whom play on the same AAU team with both Blake and 6'7 Soph Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, who is another one of Oklahoma's recruiting priorities.  In other words, it looks like new Oklahoma head coach Jeff Capel and his staff are doing a great job of finding all the right connections and quickly putting the pieces together.  There also is the verbal commitment by 6'7 Zane Johnson from Phoenix (Thunderbird) AZ to the University of Arizona.  Johnson is another one of those guys without a true position, as he isn't big and tough enough to get it done inside and isn't quick enough to defend anybody on the perimeter.  However, Johnson is an excellent 3-point shooter and is very skilled, which makes him ideally suited to be a good role player in Arizona's system.  He's also an in-state kid and plays on the same AAU team with 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who originally was verbally committed to the Wildcats, but re-opened his recruitment a month ago.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Cliff Spiller from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ has verbally committed to Wagner and 6'3 Kevin Perkins from LaPorte (H.S.) TX and 6'5 Isaiah Jackson from New Braunfels (Canyon) TX have both verbally committed to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  Perkins is slasher/athlete/scorer/defender and Jackson is out of the same mold as Chris Mills, because he's got that same silky smooth athleticism and has the ability to shoot the lights out.  Spiller isn't ranked that high in New Jersey, but, like so many of the other players that Wagner head coach Mike Deane and his staff have signed, he's perfect for their system.  We're talking about a good old-fashioned banger inside who is excellent in the low post and knows who to control the boards.  Patrick Stanwood of the HOOP SCOOP also tells us that Arizona State and Miami-FL are now the leaders over Wisconsin, South Florida, and Virginia Tech for 6'8 Chandler Parson from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL and Donnie Wilkie appears to have the scoop on our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis with regards to 6'9 Soph Renardo Sidney from Piney Woods (H.S.) MS transferring to Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  And Wilkie should know, because whichever school Sidney plays at next year will be a top priority for the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL either this year or the following year. 

Monday, July  3, 2006

We aren't surprised that big winner in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes By Conference for the Class of 2006 is the Big East Conference.  After all, this is the only league in college basketball with 16 teams.  However, we are still impressed by the margin between first and second place, as the Big East finishes with 317 points and 69 recruits, which is the most points and the second highest number of recruits that we've tracked any conference with during the last eight years.  As a matter of fact, the only other time a conference has had over 300 points was a year ago when the Big-12 finished with 301 points and the only other times that a conference has signed 60 or more players was in 1998 when the Western Athletic Conference, which at the time also had 16 teams, landed 74 players; 2005 when the Big-12 landed 63 players; 1998 when the Southeastern Conference landed 61 players; 2006 when the Atlantic-10 landed 61 players, and 1999 when the Southeastern Conference landed 60 players.  And, if you only take the top 12-ranked recruiting classes in the Big East and compare them with top 12-ranked recruiting classes in the Big-12 Conference, which is the conference that finished second in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes By Conference for the Class of 2006, we find that the Big East still finishes 31 points ahead of the Big-12 Conference, which has 255 points.  If you will recall, these point totals are arrived at by ranking every recruit at the Division I level on a 1-10 scale based on where he would be if he was a senior in high school right now.  On our rating scale a top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point.  Junior college and prep school are factored in accordingly.  We also think it is worth pointing out that a quick look at our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the Class of 2004 and Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the Class of 2005 shows that the Big-12 Conference was the big winner both years and, as a result, we think an argument can be made that the three best conferences in college basketball today are the Big East, Big-12, and Atlantic Coast Conference, which for four out of the last five years has had the highest talent rating average per recruit.  And one of the big reasons why the Big-12 Conference has done so well is the recruiting success that the University of Texas, Texas A&M, Texas A&M, Kansas, Baylor, and Oklahoma State have had  in recent years.  If you will recall, Oklahoma State had the #4-ranked recruiting class two years ago when they landed Aaron Pettway from Hutchinson (JC) KS, 6'0 Jamal Brown from Dixie (JC) UT, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Stillwater, OK, and 6'2 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC and the #1-ranked recruiting class a year ago when they signed 6'8 Torre Johnson from Garden City (JC) KS, 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'8 Mario Boggan from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX, and 6'11 Kenneth Cooper from Monroe (Richwood) LA.  Baylor had the #10-ranked recruiting class two years ago when they landed 6'11 Mamadous Diene from Senegal, 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, 6'1 Kavis Shipman from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'0 Roscoe Biggers from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'5 Patrick Fields from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'5 Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX; the #17-ranked recruiting class a year ago when they signed 6'11 Mohamed Kone from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'10 Jari Vanttaja from Oulu, Finland, 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'1 Henry Dugat from Dayton (H.S.) TX, and 6'1 Curtis Jerrells from Del Valle (H.S.) TX; and the #62-ranked recruiting class this year with 5'10 Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'9 Djbril Thiam from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, and 7'1 Josh Lomers from Boerne (H.S.) TX.  Kansas had the #14-ranked recruiting class two years ago when they landed 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's)) NJ, 6'8 Darnell Jackson from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA; the #16-ranked recruiting class a year ago when they signed 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'2 Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, and 6'3 C.J. Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK; and the #30-ranked recruiting class this year with 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 5'11 Sherron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 6'3 Brady Morningstar from New Hampton (Prep) NH .  And, if that weren't enough, the Jayhawks also landed 6'7 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC a year ago, although this commitment came too late to be included with their recruiting class.  Texas A&M had the #9-ranked recruiting class a year ago when they signed  6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'3 Eddie Smith from Moberly (JC) MO, 6'10 Antanas Kavaliauskas from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 5'11 David Devezin from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, 6'6 Jamar Finley from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highlands (H.S.) TX and they currently have the #17-ranked recruiting class with 6'2 Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Joseph Fulce from Plano (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Derrick Roland from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 5'11 Bryan Beasley from Pflugerville (H.S.) TX, and 6'3 Bryson Graham from Lon Morris (JC) TX.  Texas Tech currently has the #9-ranked recruiting class with 6'8 Charlie Burgess from Howard (JC) TX, 7'0 Esmir Rizvic from Gulf Coast (JC) FL, 6'6 Rodgrick Craig from San Jose (JC) CA, 6'8 Jay Mitchell from Gulf Coast (JC) FL, 6'4 Darryl Ashford from Cypress Falls (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Decensae White from San Mateo (Serra) CA, 5'7 B.J. Valentine from Howard (JC) TX, and 6'9 Michael Goodwin from Rowlett (H.S.) TX.  Texas had the #1-ranked recruiting class two years ago when they signed 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX and they currently check in with the #3-ranked recruiting class, which includes 6'10 Kevin Durant from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'0 D.J. Augustine from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'8 Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (Terry) TX, 6'2 Justin Mason from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'3 Harrison Smith from Houston (Jones) TX, and 6'10 Matt Hill from Lincoln (Southeast) NE.  In other words, the race is really on for supremacy in the Big-12 Conference.  And, if that weren't enough, Kansas State already has an early verbal commitment for next year from 6'8 Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and they are believed to be among the favorites for 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA; Oklahoma already has an early verbal commitment from 6'8 Blake Griffin from Edmund (Oklahoma City) OK, who is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Baylor already has an early verbal commitment from 6'5 Lace Darius Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, who is just oozing with potential and athleticism; and just today Texas got a verbal commitment from 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who is ranked #15 nationally in the rising senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And the Longhorns are also believed to be one of the leaders for 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ.  Speaking of Bayless and 6'3 Jr Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey editor Allen Rubin is already in Teaneck, NJ for the Reebok ABCD Camp and the word he's getting is that both players will be showing up at that camp tomorrow.  So stay tuned, because all three of the big shoe company camps begin in just a couple of days!

Saturday, July 1, 2006, & Sunday, July 2, 2006

Talk about perfect timing!  Just hours before we wrapped up our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006 we found out that 6'10 Hernol Hall from Lon Morris (JC) TX had picked Cincinnati over South Florida and, as a result, the Bearcats' recruiting class moves up to #5, behind North Carolina, Connecticut, Texas, and Ohio State.  Obviously the strength of this class are the junior college players - 6'4 Marvin Gentry from McLennan (JC) TX, 6'6 John Williamson from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, 6'2 Jamual Warren from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'7 Marcus Sikes from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, 6'2 Tim Crowell from Midland (JC) TX, and 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, all of whom are expected to step in immediately and provide the quick fix that new Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin and his staff needs to win in the Big East Conference next year.  If you will recall, Cincinnati has only three scholarships players returning next year in 6'7 Jr Cedric McGowan, 6'9 Sr Ronald Allen, and 5'11 Soph Domonic Tilford and both McGowan and Allen will graduate after next season.  So the new regime really can sign as many players as they want both this year and next year.  Obviously Hall, who is ranked #4 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com, is the prize of the class.  However, Williamson is ranked #14, Sikes is ranked ##37, and Crowell is ranked #48 by JucoJunction.com; Warren, who is a slasher/athlete that is ideally suited to play in Cincinnati's up tempo systems, was good enough to be ranked #45 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players two years ago; and Warren, who is a strong physical athletic combo guard that is good at getting to the basket; is currently ranked #45 on our list of the Top 45 Year Players.  So, while Hall anchors the middle, Williamson, Sikes, and Gentry will battle for time at the power forward and wing forwards spots and Crowell, and Vaughn, and Warren should be able take care of things in the backcourt.  It's our guess that Hall's commitment has occurred too late for most of our competitors to pick up on and include with their ranking of the top recruiting classes.  But, then again, it probably doesn't matter, because they always seem to undervalue junior college players.  So, with that in mind, if Cincinnati turns out to be one of the surprise teams in the Big East next year, just remember where you heard it first.  Several other programs, including Illinois State, which is now tied #46, along with Maryland, and UTEP, which is now ranked #42 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006, also have moved way up right at the end.  UTEP already had 6'8 Victor Ramalho from South Plains (JC) TX, 6'0 Malik Alvin from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'8 Tavaris Watts from Hillsborough (JC) FL, and 6'10 Jeremy Sampson from Hillsborough (JC) FL in the fold, but the addition this spring of 6'3 Marvin Kilgore from Panola (JC) TX and 6'2 Corey Speight from Central Florida (JC) FL gives the Miners a total of four junior college players to go war with next year in Conference USA.  Illinois State landed two good high school players in 6'3 Osiris Eldridge from Chicago (Phillips0 IL and 6'6 Bobby Hill from St. Louis (Vashon) IL last fall, but the addition of 6'0 Dominitrix Johnson from Three Rivers (JC) MO, 6'7 Anthony Slack from Coffeyville (JC) KS, and 5'9 Keith Richardson from Coffeyville (JC) KS, all three of whom are ranked in the 35 to 63 range nationally by JucoJunction.com, are what makes this best class recruiting class in the Missouri Valley Conference, ahead of Creighton, Evansville, Southern Illinois, and Northern Iowa.  Speaking of Creighton, did you know that the Bluejays landed 6'7 Ty Morrison from Redlands (JC) OK, who is ranked #11 by JucoJunction.com?  Neither did I until I start crosschecking junior college commitments against the signings that we'd already reported.  Some other late surprises that we didn't have on our list until earlier today include 6'8 Takais Brown from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL to Georgia, 5'9 Jamal Smith from Indian Hills (JC) IA to New Mexico, 6'4 James Spencer from L.A. City (JC) CA to Wyoming, 6'3 Tyler Smith from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO to Colorado State, 6'8 Lance Stemler from Southwestern Illinois (JC) IL to Indiana, 5'11 Tyrone Brazelton from SMS-West Plains (JC) MO to Western Kentucky, 6'3 Antwon Harris from Highland (JC) IL to Winthrop, and 6'8 Josh Love from Hill (JC) TX to UT-San Antonio.  However, that's it, as we're suddenly out of time and need the next three days to finalize our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting.  In other words, we've spent the last several year's tracking the recruiting for the Class of 2006 and, if we don't know about it by now, it must not have been very important.  Other possibilities include the fact that some schools do a lousy job with regards to getting the word out about the players they have landed.  Other schools sign players that aren't good enough to even make the radar screen and, as a result, are hard to find when we start crosschecking ours against other lists.  And, of course, some of our area editors and correspondents do a better job than others of letting me know when a Division I signing or commitment has taken place.  But regardless of whether we're missing a player here and there, we still have the most comprehensive list available.  And, if you don't believe it, feel free to email me the list ranked in order that is deeper and more comprehensive than our Final Ranking of the 312 Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.  I won't even bother to provide you with email address, because you can't do it due to the fact that this list doesn't exist.  Moral to the story, this is just one more classic example of just how far ahead of the curve the HOOP SCOOP really is when compared to our competition.