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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