TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Saturday, June 28, 2008, Sunday, June 29, 2008, & Monday, June 30, 2008

Sometimes it's ironic how things turn out.  In this case we're talking about what started out as a minor problem at the 2008 Phenom Top 150 Camp in  San Diego, CA.  The story begins with the fact that 5'10 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston, TX copped an attitude with his remarks about learning to play well while playing against bad players in the essay that all players were required to write about their experiences and what they had learned at this camp.  So, when the powers-that-be who run the camp didn't like Fields' reaction when they asked him to re-write something a little more appropriate, they replaced his name on the roster of the 10th Grade All-Star Game with another player.  And that should have been the end of the story.  However, 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Humble, TX, 6'5 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Pearland, TX, and 5'11 Frosh Deion Jackson-Houston from Grand Prairie, TX, all three of whom also had been named to play in the 10th Grade All-Star Game, decided to show their support for their friend and not play in the all-star game.  And, while we understand their desire to show support for Fields, we also have to give Joe Keller, who is the President and CEO of the Camp, and Dave Taylor, who is the head coach of the camp, a lot of credit for not backing down and letting the inmates run the asylum.  Not only did Branch, McClellan, and Jackson-Houston cast themselves in a very negative light, but they also cost themselves a spot in our ranking of the very elite players in camp.  And, in the case of Branch, who clearly was the best player in camp in the HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the Phenom Top 150 Camp, he cost himself the #1-ranking in the camp.  Thus, explains why Branch, McClelland, Jackson-Houston, and Fields are not included in our ranking of the top players overall and at their respective positions in camp and why we do not plan to give them any breaks when we do rankings in the future.  But, while these four players took their toys and went home, very few people at the camp the knew the difference, as the 10th Grade All-Star Game was arguably the best all-star game played in the history of the camp.  Both teams were very extremely well balanced, the game went right down to the wire, and each team had a great point guard - 6'1 Frosh Joey Gripper from Elkins Park, PA and 6'0 Frosh Chandler Fraser-Pauls from Hopewell, NJ - who did an outstanding job of making everybody in the game better.  And Gripper is another example of the irony of the way things sometimes turn out, as, in three of his four previous appearances at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp and the Phenom Top 150 Camp in SanDiego, CA, he just missed being named to play in the all-star game.  However, this time around Gripper was one of the best players in camp, as is evident the fact that he finished ranked #5 overall and ranked #1 at the point guard spot in this age group.  We also were very impressed with the way 6'4 Frosh Robert Selmon from Phoenix, AZ, who is like a young left-handed Carmelo Anthony, scored both inside and outside en route to 21 points and game MVP honors.  And how about 6'4 Frosh Frankie Smalls from Philadelphia, PA, who did most of the dirty work inside and, as a result, more than offset the fact that 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo, NY did not take advantage of his size and strength to be a force down on the block?  Instead, Coleman spent most of his time in the high post and out on the perimeter, which played right into the hands of 6'8 Frosh Khem Birch from Ottawa (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON.  Speaking of Birch, he was physically overmatched and only had four points in the 10th Grade All-Star Game.  However, thanks to his great hands, incredible wing span, willingness to run the court, ability to score and rebound around the basket, and incredible shot blocking ability, Birch was the other player (along with Branch) that everybody was talking about in camp.  So it should come as no surprise that Birch takes home our #1-ranking in this age group.  Another guy that everybody talking about was 6'1 Frosh Alex Miller from Claremore, OK, who is a great shooter whether he's hitting or missing.  We say that because Miller was absolutely on fire with his outside shooting in several camp games, but also took more than his share of bad shots from as far away as 25 to 30 feet and, as a result, did not shoot well in the all-star game.  We also have to mention 5'11 Frosh Patrick Lucas-Perry from Grand Blanc, MI and 6'1 Frosh Derrick Wilson from Anchorage, AK, but we refuse to rank them at the point guard spot due to the fact that they both have a scorer's mentality.  The best player and the MVP in the 9th Grade All-Star Game clearly was 6'0 7th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Happy Valley, OR, who is now three-for-three at national camps (the Junior All-American and the adidas Junior Phenom camps last summer and the Top 150 Phenom Camp, which concluded yesterday) when it comes to taking home our #1-ranking in camp.  And Williams-Goss, who finished with 15 points in the all-star game and is just as good a kid as he his a basketball player, was playing up a year in class, as he's just a rising 8th Grader.  And so is 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, who impressed us with his incredible athleticism and excellent outside shooting and ball handling and passing while matched up against some of the best point guard in camp, including 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX and 5'6 7th Grader Isaiah Taylor from Oakland, CA, in the all-star game.  Speaking of all of the good point guards in this game, we were disappointed that we didn't get to see a match-up in the all-star game between 5'8 8th Grader Tyler Lewis from Statesboro, NC, who was one of the smartest players in camp, and Taylor, who was one of the quickest players in camp, due the fact that they were one opposite units.  However, for our purposes Lewis definitely gets the nod in our rankings, because he did a great job of running the show when the spotlight was on and the outside shot wasn't going down for Taylor, who had to play out of position in the all-star game.  Another guy who just gets better and better every time we see him is 5'10 8th Grader Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston, TX, who finished with 13 points and impressed us with both his ability to get to the basket and outside shooting.  We also can't stay enough good things about 6'0 8th Grader Nate Bucher from Lawrenceville, GA, who was one of the most versatile and most competitive players in camp.  We also have to mention 6'7 8th Grader Darien Nelson-Henry from Kirkland, WA, because he reminds us of a poor man version of Kevin Love.  And one of the unsung heroes of the camp was 6'3 8th Grader Omar Calhoun from Brooklyn, NY, who was the only really good player on his team's second unit, but ended up being one of the best players in the 9th Grade All-Star Game with 13 points.  Also deserving special mention are the players that received awards for their Defense, Hustle, and Fundamentals/Playmaking.  The award winners for Defense were 5'10 Frosh Marcus Whitt from Columbia, MO, 5'10 Frosh Darrell Southworth from ?????????, TX, 5'9 Frosh Kumase Desmesma from ???????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Colby Rhodes from ????????,NC, 5'8 Frosh Michael Florin from Port Washington, NY, 5'10 Frosh Dondre Butler from ?????????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Griffin Pittman from Monroe, NC, 5'8 Frosh Justin Bilyk from Celebration, FL, 5'10 Frosh Eric Morrison from ?????????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Kingley Chukwueke from San Diego, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Leodis Wiley from ???????????, CA, 5'5 8th Grader Craig Nicholson from Wichita, KS, 6'0 8th Grader Austin Key-Blackwell from Nashville, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Glenn Baral from Albany, CA, 6'2 8th Grader Alex Stork from Klamath Falls, OR, 5'9 8th Grader Michael Gilmore from Birmingham, AL, 5'7 8th Grade Chass Bryan from Oak Park, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Anthony Martinez from Norwalk, CA, and 5'6 8th Grader Sam Borst-Smith from San Pedro, CA.  The award winners for Hustle were 5'10 Frosh Nick Kearns from Greenfield, MA, 6'4 Frosh Isaac Simmons from San Antonio, TX, 5'10 Frosh Jalen Clark from Acworth, GA, 5'9 Frosh Matthew Tobin from Hopateong, NJ, 5'9 Frosh Torey Burston from ?????????????, VA, 5'10 Frosh David McMillan from ????????????, CA, 6'1 Frosh Jacob Lloyd from ??????????, TN,  5'8 Frosh Trevor Gilliam from ???????????, VA, 5'10 Frosh Jamal Alfred from ?????????, TX, 6'0 Frosh Eli Woodford from Benicia, CA, 5'10 8th Grader Jesse James from Fountain Valley, CA, 6'1 8th Grader Tracey Underwood from Brentwood, CA, 5'6  8th Grader Corey Eggleston from New Castle, PA, 5'11 8th Grader Kurt Parker from Carmichael, PA, 5'8  8th Grader DeVante Brooks from Columbia, GA, 5'11 8th Grader Leron Tooles from Coatesville, PA, 5'11 8th Grader Andrew Jarman from Portland, OR, 5'6 8th Grader Alexander Anderson from Memphis, TN, 4'10 8th Grader Angel Vasquez from Danbury, CT, 5'9 8th Grader Carl Culbertson from Pearland, TX, 6'0 8th Grader Preston Padgett from Lansing, KS, and 6'2 8th Grader Avery Schwab from Arlington, TX.  The award winners for Fundamentals/Playmaking were 6'4 Frosh Desmond McCosar from ??????????, OK, 5'0 Frosh Orlando Rosa from Walkersville, MD, 6'0 Frosh Carlin Bremmer from Davidson, NC, 5'5 Frosh Joshua Linson from San Antonio, TX, 6'0 Frosh Spencer Dinwiddle from Los Angeles, CA, 6'3 Frosh Jeremiah Espinoza from Uvaldes, TX, 5'7 Frosh Chris Fernandez from Hermosa Beach, CA, 6'0 Frosh Casey Wilmath from Searcy, AR, and 5'2 Frosh Ethan Blackwell from ?????????, MI, 5'4 8th Grader Garrett Galvin from San Diego, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Dion Page from Suisun, CA, 5'10 8th Grader David Travers from Carlsbad, CA, 5'7 8th Grader James Aikens from Jacksonville, AR, and 5'3 8th Grader Ausar Madison from ??????????, CA. 

Friday, June 27, 2008

Providing the perfect complement to our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors), which was published exclusively in the Members Section yesterday, is our Final Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players in the Class of 2008, which was published right here earlier today.  And since we last updated this list on February 21st, the most significant change that we have made was to move 6'9 Isaiah Rusher from Jackson (Mississippi Elite Christian Academy) MS up from #51 to #9 on our list.  We also have added 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton (H.S.) CA and 6'10 Nikola Vucevic from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, both of whom were late additions to USC, onto the list at #7 and #26 respectively.  So now I can turn my complete focus onto covering the Phenom Top 150 Camp, which is already under way in San Diego, CA and next week we plan to publish our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes on Wednesday, July, 2nd; our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference on Thursday, July 3rd; and our Different Way to look at Recruiting on Friday, July 4th.  So, with this in mind, now is a great to let me know about any signings or commitments that may have flown under our radar screen and, as a result, are not yet on our list.  The best way to do this is by emailing me at hoopscooponline@msn.com.  But make sure you do so by early next week, because all this has to get done before the start of the Summer Evaluation Period, which for us will begin with the LaBron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH on Sunday, July 6th; Monday, July 7th; and Tuesday, July 8th.  Then, I will be off to Philadelphia, PA to cover the Reebok All-Americam Camp on Wednesday, July 9th and Thursday, July 10th and, once again, we plan to provide you with daily updates with rankings of the top players overall and at each position in both camps exclusively right here in the Members Section.  And right after the two big camps are over, I am planning on doing something different this year.  Instead of going to the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC, which has been an annual stop on my summer tour in recent years, I will going West to cover all of the camps that Dinos Trigonis, the Pumps and Joe Keller will be running during a five-day time span.  We're talking about the Double Pump Boys West Coast All-Star Camp at Cal State Dominuquez Hills, CA in Carson, CA on July 10th-13th; Full Court Press All-West Camp at the Hanger in Hawthorne, CA on July 11th-13th; the Phenom Elite Camp in San Diego, CA on July 11th-13th; Double Pump Three Stripes Tournament in Carson, CA on July 13th-15th; and the Full Court Press Cream of the Crop Challenge at the Hanger in Hawthorne, CA on July 14th-15th.  I also once again will be at the three major tournaments in Las Vegas, NV (the Reebok Summer Championship, the adidas Super 64 Tournament, and the Main Event) on July 22nd-26th and will make stops at Jeff Schneider's Desert Dual Tournament in Phoenix, AZ on July 27th-29th and the Double Pump Best of the Summer Tournament in Los Angeles, CA on July 27th-31st prior to flying to Orlando, FL for the AAU 14-Under National Tournament in Lake Buena Vista, FL on August 1st-8th.  And finally it will be back to San Diego, CA on August 8th for the Junior Phenom Camp, which once again will give us a great head start on the future.  Getting back to the Phenom Top 150 Camp that we're attending right now, the player who impressed us the most in the first round of action earlier today was 6'8 Frosh Khem Birch from Pierrefonds, QU.  We're talking about a long lanky athletic big man who runs the court, is tough on the boards, has good moves around the basket, and is such a great shot blocker that Alonzo Mourning comparisons have already been made.  However, before we get too carried away about this sleeper who plays for the Montreal United AAU program, it will be important to see him on Sunday against the other good big man in camp - 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo, NY, who is emerging as one of the other big stories of the camp.  However, the early favorite to be the #1-ranked player in camp is 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #12 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP and has been on our radar screen since he was ranked #2 at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp as a rising 6th Grader in 2004.  As for the 2008 NBA Draft that took place last night, only time will tell whether the Chicago Bulls were right to take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley.  However, we do find our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio's comments interesting about the players like Keith Braumbaugh from Hillsborough (JC) FL, Shawn James and Kojo Mensah both from Duquesne, Oregon State's C.J. Giles, Missouri's Kalen Grimes, UAB's Reggie Huffman, Tennessee State Bruce Price, Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon, and USC's Davon Jefferson, all of whom were early entries into the NBA Draft, but didn't get drafted.  "Obviously all of these guys made a major mistake," says Naclerio.  "And with another year of college, players like Donte Green, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Billy Walker, and Richard Hendrix might have been lottery picks, instead of late first round and second round picks."  If you will recall, Green was selected #28 by Memphis, Jordan was selected #35 by the Los Angeles Clippers, Douglas-Roberts was selected #40 by the New Jersey Nets, Walker was selected #47 by Washington, and Hendrix was selected #49 by Golden State.  We also were impressed with the trade that Minnesota Timberwolves General Manager Kevin McKale made to get Kevin Love, who was drafted #5 in the NBA Draft by Memphis.  Remember, we've never brought into the theory about Love not being mobile enough and athletic enough to be a great player in the NBA.  As a matter of fact, we think Love, who we had ranked as the #1 high school player in the nation a year ago, may turn out to be even better in "The League" than in college due to the fact that they will play in straight up in the pros, instead of double and triple teaming him, which was usually the case this past season at UCLA.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Unless otherwise denoted, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP  to move each player in every class up a year in class on July 1st.  So, with this in mind and knowing that our complete focus will be on covering the adidas Phenom Top 150 Camp in San Diego, CA during the next three days, today was the drop dead date for publishing our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors).  And, quite honestly, this is one of the best lists that we've ever published.  Not only have we been working on this list off and on for the better part of three months, but we've been following this class dating all the way back to when a lot of the top players where in middle school.  And, ironically we discovered 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA and 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA at the 14-Under Nationals in Orlando, FL four years ago by accident when we decided to take a quick look on Court #5 and Court #6 at Disney's Wide World of Sports to see if anybody passed the look test.  In other words, we knew about Monroe earlier than anybody in the business, except for maybe Ron Brisco, who lives in Louisiana.  But, unlike a lot of our competition, we never bought into the hype about Monroe being the #1-ranked player in the class.  We also were never very high on 6'10 Auri Allen, who was last seen by us sitting on the bench of Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in December at the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, CA.  If you will recall, Allen had a big rep early, but was so out of shape as a rising freshman that he had hard time running up and down the court more than once or twice at the 14-Under Nationals.  And soon after that he dropped out of sight altogether, as he was home schooled and later moved to Las Vegas, NV, as he now has the dubious distinction of being one of the earliest busts ever.  We also remember 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA being one of the best players in the class in 8th Grade.  But we had no idea at the time that Jennings had all of the ingredients necessary to be our #1-ranked player in this class for three straight years.  And there appears to be no end in sight, as nobody in the class has stepped to challenge Jennings for the top spot.  It's also hard to forget the debates that I had with people for Philly, Jersey, and NYC about who was better - Brandon Jennings or 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA.  Evans is still our #2-ranked player in the class, but nobody, not even our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, thinks Evans is the best player in the class today.  Speaking of Jennings, isn't this about the time that he's supposed to find out if he got the score necessary on the SAT to be eligible to play as a freshman next year at the Division I college level?  However,, if Jennings doesn't make it, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for him, because the #1-ranked high school player in the nation with his incredible speed, quickness, athleticism and charisma should be able to command big money playing overseas while he grooms himself to be a superstar someday in the NBA a year from now.  And that brings us to a very interesting question that was posed to by me several days ago by our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio about where Jennings will drafted a year from now in the NBA Draft?  My first response was that it would depend upon how Jennings played next year at the University of Arizona or in Europe, depending upon what happens with his SAT score.  However, upon further reflection, I think Jennings should be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft next year due to the fact that teams in the NBA draft primarily on potential.  Remember, Jennings has all the ingredients necessary with his Allen Iverson-like speed, quickness, and explosiveness to the basket; incredible heart, desire, and work ethic; and tremendous ball handling and passing skills, high basketball IQ, and ability to lock his man up defensively to be one of the top five point guards in the history of the game.  And, if someday Jennngs does turn out to be that good, not only remember where you heard it first, but also don't forget our good friends in the business from the West Coast (i.e. Tracy Pierson, Greg Hicks, Joel Francisco, and Frank Burlison)  who continue to put their reputation and credibility on the line by telling us that Jennings has a bad attitude and really isn't as good as the hype.  In sharp contrast, just about everybody else in the business nationally has come around to our way of thinking and decided that Jennings really is that good.  However, you can't get them all right and the argument can be made that one that we missed on is 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  Sure, Samuels has gotten a lot better under the tutorage and great coaching of Danny Hurley.  But we never dreamed he'd end up being  our #4-ranked player in the class, behind Jennings, Evans, and 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA and ahead of 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) CA, 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'8 JaMychal Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, and 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY.  And Samuels deserves a lot of credit, because he's a beast inside and he's work hard to get where is is today.  However, we hope that he doesn't attempt to be a one and done guy, because the longer Samuels stays in college and plays for Rick Pitino the more money he should be able to eventually make playing the game someday at the highest level.  Moral to the story, Samuels is not a big enough to be a center in the NBA and he's still a long way away from having the mid-range skills and quickness, coordination, and agility necessary to a be four in the NBA.  As for our ranking of Samuels #49 in the class two years ago, I have not problem with it.  Remember, sometimes it's important to make a guy earn and, as is usually the case, it's not where you start out, but where you finish.  As for the Class of 2008 in general, it's not very good and the since of entitlement that a number of the players in the class have achieved is at an all time high.   However, as always, we're still sorry to see it go.  There have been some great stories, a lot of great memories, and it will be interesting to see how all of these guys turn out.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'8 Quincy Acy from Mesquite (Horne) TX has decided to attend Baylor and it looks like he will enroll in the school this fall.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, we will have to include Acy pretty high in our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Graduating Seniors Nationally, which is due out tomorrow.  Second, the Bears' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX and 6'9 Artem Valov from Three Rivers (JC) MO, moves into a tie at #31, along with Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  Third, Acy is a very good player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #6 on the list of graduating seniors that Miller sent me today.  Speaking of his list of the Top Players in Texas in the Class of 2008, it includes 1) 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 2) 6'10 Jamisen Morgan from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 3) 6'3 J'Covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX, 4) 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 5) 6'5 Phillip McDonald from Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'8 Quincy Acy from Mesquite (Horne) TX, 7) 6'3 Jeremy Green from Austin (Bowie) TX, 8) 7'0 Ian Markolf from San Antonio (Churchill) TX, 9) 6'4 Elston Turner from Missouri City (Elkins) TX, 10) 5'11 Demetri Goodson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 11) 5'11 Demetri Goodson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 12) 6'5 Chris Babbs from Arlington (Oakridge) TX, 13) 5'9 Darius Jones from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 14) 6'4 Damarius Jones from Dallas (Pinkston) TX, 15) 6'5 Kendall Timmons from Ft. Worth (Southwest) TX, 16) 6'3 Garland Judkins from Houston (Heritage Christian) TX, 17) 6'2 David Kyles from Dallas (Kimball) TX, 18) 6'7 Courtney Jackson from Paris (H.S.) TX, 19) 6'8 Corbin Ray from Katy (Taylor) TX, 20) 6'5 Dmarrio Kendrick from Houston (Stafford) TX, 21) 6'5 Kevin Butler from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 22) 6'5 Zach Williams from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 23) 6'7 Antwon Bootle from Houston (St. Thomas) TX, 24) 6'3 Tim Meadows from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 25) 6'8 Brion Stafford from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 26) 6'3 Dailon Wilson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 27) London Giles from Dallas (Kimball) TX, 28) 6'2 Trent Rodgers from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 29) 6'2 Brad Hambrick from Sherman, TX, and 30) 6'2 Torre Murray from Houston (Klein Forest) TX.  Miller also included his List of the Top 20 Rising Seniors (Class of 2009) in Texas and it includes 1) 6'10 Jr John Henson from Round Rock (H.S.) TX, 2) 6'7 Jr Erik Williams from Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX, 3) 6'6 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'4 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 5'10 Jr Tommy Griffin-Mason from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'5 Jr Nick Russell from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 8) 6'9 Jr Ray Jones from Houston (Jones) TX, 9) 6'9 Jr Cory Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX, 10) 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Dallas (North) TX, 11) 6'2 Jr Tim Frazier from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 12) 6'9 Jr Augustine Rubit from Houston (Smiley) TX, 13) 6'5 Jr Joey Brooks from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 14) 5'10 Jr Javaris Willis from Dallas (Pinston) TX, 15) 6'8 Jr Matt Staff from Houston (Memorial) TX, 16) 6'6 Jr Shawn Glover from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 17) 6'0 Jr G.J. Vilarino from McKinney (H.S.) TX, 18) 5'11 Jr Jamal Fenton from Houston (Chavez) TX, 19) 6'7 Jr Garlon Green from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, and 20) 6'3 Jr Brandon Regis from Dallas (White) TX.  It comes as no surprise that Miller has his son right at the top of his List of the Top 20 Rising Juniors (Class of 2010) in Texas, as that list includes 1) 6'0 Soph K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 2) 6'7 Soph Michael Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 3) 6'10 Soph Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'7 Soph Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 6'6 Soph Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'3 Soph T.J. Taylor from Denison (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'8 Soph Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'1 Soph DeCarlos Frank from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 9) 6'5 Soph Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 10) 6'0 Soph Brandon Peters from Houston (Yates) TX, 11) 6'9 Soph John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 12) 6'0 Soph Jamisen Stern from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 13) 6'8 Soph Steven Baird from San Antonio (MacArthur) TX, 14) 5'8 Jr Dre Evans from Dallas (Carter) TX, 15) 6'3 Soph Elton Roy from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 16) 6'4 Soph Darius White from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 17)  6'7 Soph Titus Rubbles from Dallas (North) TX, 18) 6'4 Soph Ricky Scott from Irving (MacArthur) TX, 19) 6'5 Soph Desmond Henry from Irving (H.S.) TX, and 20) 6'5 Soph Randy Collins from LaPorte (H.S.) TX.  Miller's List of the Top 15 Rising Sophomores (Class of 2011) in Texas includes 1) 6'7 Frosh LaBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 2) 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, 3) 6'5 Frosh Keaton Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 4) 6'3 Frosh Julian Lewis from Galveston (Ball) TX, 5) 6'8 Frosh Thomas Gibson from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'3 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 7) 6'6 Frosh Jordan Williams from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 8) 6'5 Frosh Jerry Singleton from Garland (Sexshe) TX, 9) 6'0 Frosh Anthony Collins from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 10) 5'8 Frosh Deion Houston from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 11) 5'7 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston (Lutheran South) TX, 12) 6'4 Frosh Jaquarius Daniels from Austin (Reagan) TX, 13) 6'6 Frosh Alex Cooper from Houston (Second Baptist) TX, 14 5'10 Frosh Kyan Anderson from Fort Worth (North Crowley) TX, and 15) 6'5 Frosh Devonte Anderson from Dallas (Spruce) TX.  Miller and I will have to agree to disagree about who the #1-ranked player is in the Class of 2012, as he still has 6'8 8th Grader Zach Peters from Plano, TX, ranked ahead of 5'11 8th Grader J'Michal Reese from Bryan, TX on his List of the Top 10 Rising Freshmen (Class of 2012) in Texas.  The rest of that list includes 3) 6'6 8th Grader Winston Sheppard from Houston, TX, 4) 6'2 8th Grader Lyndon Rose from Houston, TX, 5) 6'10 8th Grader Isaiah Austin from Mansfield, TX, 6) 6'5 8th Grader Devonte Green from Dallas, TX, 7) 6'1 8th Grader Jordan Mason from Irving, TX, 8) 6'5 8th Grader Michael Curry from Houston, TX, 9) 6'7 8th Grader Waanah Bell from Houston, TX, and 10) 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX.  Miller's top five ranked players on his List of the Top Rising 8th Graders (Class of 2013) in Texas are 1) 6'5 7th Grader Julius Randle from Richardson, TX, 2) 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, 3) 6'3 7th Grader Andrew Harrison from Houston, TX, 4) 6'3 7th Grader Aaron Harrison from Houston, TX, and 5) 5'9 7th Grader Travon Landry from San Antonio, TX. 

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

It's almost ready!  I'm talking about our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008, which will be published exclusively in the Members Section the day after tomorrow.  However, right now it's time to turn our attention back to the steady stream of late signings, transfers, and early verbal commitments that have recently occurred.  And right at the top of the list is the fact that 6'10 Soph Brian Carlwell is transferring from the University of Illinois to San Diego State, where he promises to be the next in a long line of players who started their college career elsewhere, but came in, sat out a year, and eventually turned out to be one of the better players in the program.  This list already includes Lorrenzo Wade (from Louisville), Ryan Amoroso (from Marquette), Mohamad Abukar (from Florida), Tony Bland (from Syracuse), Wesley Stokes (from Missouri), and DeAndre Moore (from Vanderbilt) and Carlwell has the size, athleticism, and potential necessary to be as good as any of them.  Remember, this is a guy who was ranked among the top 50 high school seniors in the nation by a lot of people two years ago, but was slowed by injuries this past season, as he played in only three games early in the season for the Fighting Illini.  And Carlwell isn't the only transfer that San Diego State has landed this spring.  If you will recall, 6'6 Frosh Tyrone Shelley and 6'8 Frosh Malcolm Thomas, both of whom are originally from San Diego, CA and were the two leading scorers this past season for Pepperdine, have both decided to return home and also will be waiting in the wings next year along with Carlwell.  And, if that weren't enough, the Aztecs also recently got an early verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Alec Williams from San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA, who was ranked #27 at the Pangos All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  Williams is an undersized power forward with the athleticism, skills, and toughness around the basket necessary to have a chance to step in and make an immediate impact year after next.  When you also remember that 6'9 Mehdi Cheriet from Arizona Western (JC) AZ and 6'5 Tim Island from  Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA are both apart of San Diego State's current recruiting class, it's easy to see why a lot of people think that Aztecs assistant coach Justin Hutson is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business and why Aztecs assistant coach Brian Dutcher hasn't lost his touch as a recruiter.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'6 David Imes from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY has picked Hofstra.   But this athletic combo forward is first expected to go the prep school route and, as a result, will not count with this year's recruiting class.  The same also can be said about 6'2 Yves Jules from Brooklyn (Canarsie) NY, which means that the Pride now already has three players in the fold for next year in Imes, Jules, and 5'8 Jr Chaz Williams from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, who is ranked #5 in the junior class in the New York City by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this comes on the heels of Hofstra's current recruiting class, which includes three talented junior college players in 6'9 Miklos Szabo from Broward (JC) FL, 6'2 Tony Dennison from Broward (JC) FL, and 6'2 Cornelius Vines from Iowa Lake (JC) IA.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 7'0 James Blasczyk from Friendswood (H.S.) TX, who originally signed with Texas Christian last fall, but was planning on going the prep school route, has changed his mind again and is now heading to Texas A&M.  Blasczyk does need to get bigger and strong physically, but he does run the court, have good agility and coordination for somebody his size, and has a big upside, which explains why their is talk about his red-shirting next year.  Blasczyk also promises to be a good complement to 6'0 Dash Harris from Montverde (Academy) FL and 6'7 David Loubau from Davie (Westlake Prep) FL in a recruiting class that is now tied at #81, along with Hofstra, Marquette, Kansas, and North Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.   Our other West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that the University of Arizona has landed 6'8 Greg Smith from Vallejo (Bethel) CA and 6'5 Malik Story from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA has finally found a home at Indiana University, where he is expected to be apart of the quick fix for the new regime.  Remember, the Hoosiers only have three players (Jordan Crawford, Kyle Tabor, and Brandon McGee) in the program who will return next year.  So the battle should be on for playing time among all of the players in Indiana's current recruiting class, which is ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008  and also includes 6'5 Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'2 Devon Dumes from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'8 Tom Pritchard from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'3 Matt Roth from Washington (H.S.) IL, 6'4 Verdell Jones from Champaign (Central) IL, and 6'11 Tijan Jobe from Olney Central (JC) IL.  Smith is ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally by some of our competitors and was being recruited by schools like UCLA, USC, California, Memphis, Kansas, and Florida.  However, this strong athletic power forward lacks the skills and motor necessary to be ranked that high by us.  In other words, Smith passes the look test, but not the play test, as he's currently a member of our All-Airport Team.  But, then again, Wildcats head coach Lute Olson does have a long history of developing guys like this, which makes it conceivable that he turn out to be a good complement at the power forward spot to 7'0 Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, who is a very skilled center.  We also are intrigued by the fact that 6'1 Jr Cully Payne from Schaumburg (H.S.) IL has picked the University of Alabama.  This is a guy made one of the earliest verbal commitments ever recorded when he was a freshman and, when he backed out of that commitment to DePaul this spring, we thought he might actually get it right the second go around.  However, we suspect that Payne will be even further down on the depth chart at Alabama than he would have been at DePaul, because the Crimson Tide already have 6'2 Frosh Senario Hillman and 6'4 Frosh Rico Pickett in the program; 5'9 Anthony Brock from Itawamba (JC) MS and 6'3 Andrew Steele from Birmingham (John Carroll)) AL in their current recruiting class; and 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Duncanville (H.S.) TX in next year's recruiting class.  Moral to the story, Payne belongs in the Missouri Valley Conference, instead of the SEC, unless he wants to be just a solid role player.  And how about the two verbal commitments that UAB received from 6'4 David Murray from Leeds (H.S.) AL and 6'4 Casey Mitchell from Chipola (JC) FL?  Not only does this bring the number of early commitments that Blazers have in the fold for next year to five, but it also moves their recruiting class up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.   If you will recall, they also already have 6'10) DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'2 Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'8 Maurice Bolden from Marion Military (JC) AL in the fold.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that 6'4 Lance Brown from Paterson (Catholic) NJ has picked Fordham and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'11 Jr Justin Crosgile from Wayne (DePaul Catholic) NJ has caste his lot with St. Joseph's.  Crosgile is the smart heady point guard that Hawks head coach Phil Martelli and his staff were looking for to complement all of the players - 6'10 Temidayo Adebayo from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'6 A.J. Rodgers from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 6'1 Chris Prescott from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, and 6'7 Bryant Irwin from Bridgeport (H.S.) WV - that they landed at the other four positions in this year's recruiting class.  Brown is a tough hardnosed athletic slashing wing forward who picked the Rams over George Mason, Rhode Island, and Richmond. 

Saturday, June 21, 2008, Sunday, June 22, & Monday, June 23, 2008

It was a year ago at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA that we first began to realize that the Class of 2009 wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, as the top rising juniors in attendance did not step up and overtake what we already knew was a mediocre group of rising seniors.  So now a year later it doesn't come as the much of a surprise that at the same event we're starting to wonder if the Class of 2009 is even worse than the Class of 2008, which is arguably the worst class in the quarter of century that we've been covering grass roots basketball.  Obviously this not a knock on Tim McCormick , who does a tremendous of running the camp and attempting to teach the players in attendance the skills that they will need and to give back to the game, and Bob Gibbons, who hasn't lost his touch when it comes inviting the players.  But an overwhelming number of the players in the camp seemed to lacked energy and enthusiasm, despite the fact most of the scouts and media people from around the country were in attendance and got an opportunity to see everybody play at least several times due to the user friendly venue and the fact that there were never more than three sets of games going on at any one time.  And, all this is important, because, while this should have been an extremely easy camp to cover, it was extremely difficult due to the fact that the level of play was so mediocre and there wasn't much consistency among the top players in camp.  However, we can't say that about 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, who finished ranked #8 in scoring with 12.0 ppg, #1 in rebounding with 7.7 rpg, and tied for 8th in blocked shot with 1.0 bpg and in the final analys is our choice for the #1-ranked player in camp.  Sullinger did not have a bad game the entire week, as he led his team to the Silver Division Championship with eight points and had seven rebounds in the title game.  And, in the process, Sullinger played the game the way the game is supposed to be played, as he run the court, got easy put-backs and was always a physical presence around the basket.  We also considered 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX for the #1-ranking, because he was the catalyst for a team that went undefeated throughout the both the regular season and the playoffs and was the guy who made everybody on his team better.  We're talking about a group that also included 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, and 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA.  In contrast, the team they beat 93-73 in the Gold Division Championship featured 6'3 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (Heritage) FL, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, and 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, all of whom were ranked among the better players in camp.  In other words, this is a perfect example, whereby, statistics are just part of the story, as Cadougan only had seven points and three assists in the championship game and only averaged 9.7 ppg and 3.9 apg for the entire camp.  In contrast, 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, who finished ranked #3 in scoring with 14.8 ppg and was the camp's official MVP, and 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who averaged 9.6 ppg and 2.4 and was the camp's official Most Promising Prospect, which goes to the top underclassman in camp, were both inconsistent throughout the camp and did not play well enough to even make it respectable in the title game.  As a matter of fact, Boynton, who is ranked #2 nationally in the Class of 2009 and finished with 14 points in the Gold Division championship game, and Knight, who is ranked #1 nationally in the Class of 2010 and had 10 points in the Gold Division Championship, will probably not maintain their current rankings nationally, much less should they have won the top two awards in the camp.  And to illustrate our point about the mediocrity and inconsistency of the camp even further is the fact that 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA dropped from being ranked #1 in camp after the first two-and-a-half days to #11 in our final rankings due to the fact that he missed all the big shots and failed to make his teammates better when his team lost a close one on the third evening of camp.  And Marshall wasn't much better on the final day, although he did hang on to finish ranked #1 in camp in assists with 5.0 apg.  One of the most improved players from start to finish in the camp was 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, who averaged 4.0 ppg in his first four games and 10.8 ppg in his last five games.  Hairston also impressed as the week wore on with his ability to step out and make 3-point shots and added confidence and aggressiveness around the basket.  Also making a major move in our rankings was 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, who finally woke up and had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his final camp game after he finished with two points and three rebounds, 14 points and five rebounds, six points and five rebounds, two points and one rebound, zero points and two rebounds, and 14 points and two rebounds in his previous six games.  In other words, the center position was so bad that Tyler gets ranked #1 at his position based on the fact that he had one really good game in camp.  So, with this in mind it should come as no surprise that Tyler still is on our list, which also includes 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA, 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'6 Jr Dion Sims from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, of players who did not live up to their reputation at this camp.  It also should be pointed out that the top underclassmen in camp really didn't step up and take over like we had hoped, despite the fact that two of our top three ranked players in camp (Sullinger and Knight) are rising juniors.  The HOOP SCOOP's Final Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA are as follows:  1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 3) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 4) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 5) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 7) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 9) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 10) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 14) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 15) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 16) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 17) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 18) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 19) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 20) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 21) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 22) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 23) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 24) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 25) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 26) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 27) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 28) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 29) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 30) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 31) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 32) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 33) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 34) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 35) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 36) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 37) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 38) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 39) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 40) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 41) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 42) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 43) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 44) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 45) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 46) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 47) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 48) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 49) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, and 50) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Centers in Camp were 1) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 2) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 3) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 4) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 5) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 6) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 7) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 8) 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'9 Jr Brennan Cougill from Sioux City (Bishop Heelan) IA, 10) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 11) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA, 12) 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 13) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 14) 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 15) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanne (Collins Hill) GA, and 16) 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Power Forwards in Camp were 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 7) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 8) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 9) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 10) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 11) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 12) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 13) 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 14) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 15) 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 16) 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 17) 6'7 Soph C.J. Leslie from Ra1eigh (Word of God) NC, 18) 6'9 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 19) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 20) 6'7 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, and 21) 6'9 Jr David Chadwick from Charlotte (Latin) NC.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp were 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY,  5) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 7) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 8) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 9) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 10) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 11) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 12) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 13) 6'6 Jr Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 14) 6'7 Frosh Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 15) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 16) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 17) 6'5 Jr Lamar Patterson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 18) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 19) 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, and 20) 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA.  Our Final Ranking of the Top 2-Guards in Camp were 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 4) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 6) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 7) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 8) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 9) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 10) 6'4 Jr Ben Boggs from Roanoke (Hidden Valley) VA, 11) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 12) 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 13) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 14) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 15) 6'3 Jr Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 16) 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Point Guards in Camp were 1) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 4) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 5) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 7) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 8) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 8) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 10) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 11) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 12) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 13) 6'3 Jr C.J. Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 14) 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, and 15) 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Believe it nor not, none of the top-ranked players from a day ago at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA separated themselves from the rest of the pack during last night's evening session and today's morning session and, as a result, the door was opened for 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to step up and obtain the #1-ranking on our list of the top players after the first two-and-a-half days of camp.  Not only did Marshall score 19 points, dish out eight assists, and totally control the game from the point guard position last night, but he also was the leading passer in camp heading into today with 5.0 apg and he has done a great job of balancing being the guy who makes everybody on his team better and keeping the defense honest with his own ability to score.  If you will recall, one of the knocks on Marshall in the past has been that he is almost too unselfish and, in the process, doesn't score enough points and dominate the game like a player of his caliber should.  However, the best individual performance that we've seen during the entire week at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp came last night when 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA knocked down three straight 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the game.  Johnson went on to finish with 18 points and three assists, but his open looks diminished after the first quarter due to the fact that he was being guarded by 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, who is one of the best defensive guards in the nation.  Johnson also finished with only four points, nine points and seven points in his first three games at camp, which explains why we have him ranked no higher than #30 overall in camp and #8 at his position.  In other words, consistency counts.  And so does being a good citizen, which explains why we have 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC ranked no higher than #18 in camp, despite the fact that he turned in one of the best individual performances of the entire week in the first half of last night's game.  The problem is that Johnson had a verbal confrontation with his coach at half-time, which led to his not playing a single minute in the second half of last night's game.  Several other players dramatically on the rise during the last 24 hours are 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY and 6'4 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  And, in both cases, it looks like they've shed their tweener tag, as Scott really impressed us with the form on his jump sot and the confidence that he had in his outside shooting and Franklin has really improved his mid-range game.  Franklin also is without doubt one of the nicest kids in camp and is such a great competitor and incredible physical specimen that we have to wonder if he could turn out to be the next P.J. Tucker, who, despite his lack of size, evolved into one of the best power forwards in college basketball while playing at the University of Texas.  It also should be pointed out that 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA is still the leading scorer in camp.  But he should be because also is one of the leaders in attempts.  Thus, explains why we dropped Hamilton from #1 to #3, behind Marshall and 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, in camp since yesterday.  Also dramatically on the rise is 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, who, at the conclusion of last night's games, one of the leading scorers with 12.5 ppg and rebounders with 4.5 rpg in camp, thanks to his athleticism, rebounding, and ability to slash to the basket.  We also have to reiterate just how bad the center position is in camp, as we really tired to take find somebody besides 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK to anchor the #1 spot.  Some people, like Rob Matera, who is Bob Gibbons' right hand man, are pushing 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA.  But Murray got hurt and didn't play very much this afternoon and right now his status for the rest of the camp is uncertain.  However, the status of 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK and 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ does appear to be etched in stone, as they both are injured and are not expected to play the rest of the week.  And this is important, because neither player can be found in The HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, which were compiled by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis, HOOP SCOOP Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson et al. and are based on performance after the first two-and-a-half days of camp, are as follows:  1) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 3) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 4) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 5) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 7) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 9) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 10) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 11) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 15) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 16) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 17) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 18) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 19) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 20) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 21) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 22) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 23) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 24) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 25) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 26) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 27) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 28) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 29) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 30) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 31) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 32) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 33) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 34) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 35) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 36) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 37) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 38) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 39) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 40) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI.  The Top Centers in Camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 2) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 3) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 4) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 6) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 7) 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 8) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 9) 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA, 10) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 11) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 12) 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 13) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 14) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA, 15) 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 16) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanne (Collins Hill) GA.  The Top Power Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 7) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 8) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 9) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 10) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 11) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 12) 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 13) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 14) 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 15) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 16) 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, and 17) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The Top Wing Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 4) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 7) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 8) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 9) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 10) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 12) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 13) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 14) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 15) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA.  The Top 2-Guards in Camp are 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 4) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 6) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 7) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 8) 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 9) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 10) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 11) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 12) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 13) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 14) 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT, and 15) 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA.  The Top Point Guards in Camp are 1) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 4) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 7) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 8) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 9) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 10) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 11) 6'3 Jr C.J. Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 12) 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 13) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 14) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, and 15) 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The early returns are in and the HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, which were compiled by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis, HOOP SCOOP Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson et al. and are based on performance after the first day-and-a-half of camp, are as follows:  1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 4) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5) 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 7) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 8) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 9) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 10) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 11) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 14) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 15) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 16) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 17) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 18) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 19) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 20) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 21) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 22) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 23) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Majove) NV, 24) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 25) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 26) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 27) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 28) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 29) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 30) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA.  Or to look at this another way, it looks like we were right on the money yesterday when we told you that some of the top underclassmen in camp appeared to be ready to step up and take over, as three of our top four-ranked players and five of our top 15-ranked players in camp are rising juniors.  And the race for the top spot in camp is really up for grabs, as 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ are clearly the four players who have separated themselves into a class by themselves as the top players in camp.  And, as things stand now, 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK also probably deserves to be on that list, although we suspect that he will drop as the week goes due to the fact that he has been sidelined by an injury and is not expected to play the rest of the week.  In contrast, we expect 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who has the talent and athleticism necessary to be one of the best players in camp, but didn't play yesterday, to move up dramatically on our list during the next several days.  We also think it's interesting to point out that the camp is loaded at the wing forward and power forward spots, as 29 of the 58 players that we ranked at their respective positions play one of these two positions.  And the point guard position is also very good, although it does not have the depth of the two forward positions.  The two weakest positions in camp obviously are center and 2-guard, but this is easily explained when one remembers that the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp is competing with two of NIKE's skill academies - the Amare Stoudemire Big Man Camp for Centers and Power Forwards and the Paul Pierce 2G-Guard Camp.  We also want to point out that did not look at any of the statistics from the camp prior to compiling these rankings.  But the fact that 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA was the leading scorer in camp after the first day with 22.0 ppg simply reinforces our believe that he deserves the nod as the #1-ranked player in camp.  We also think it's worth pointing out that 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL was ranked #3 in scoring in camp with 16.5 ppg.  However, we don't put as much value on the fact that 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN with 19.5 ppg, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH with 16.0 ppg, and 6'2 Soph Josh Shelby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD with 15.5 ppg were the other three players who were ranked among the top five in scoring after the first day due to the fact that they were playing on their team's second unit.  But in the case of Shelby, we aren't surprised, because he was hands down the best second unit player in camp yesterday and he was pretty good again today.  We also want to mention that 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH was the leading rebounder in camp with 9.5 rpg and that 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD is arguably one of the players that helped himself the most as he is ranked right there along with all of the heavy hitters and big name players in camp.  The Top Centers in Camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 2) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 3) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 4) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 6) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 7) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 8) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 9) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, and 10) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA.  The Top Power Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 7) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 8) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 9) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 10) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 11) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 12) 6'7 Jr Marshall Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, and 13) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The Top Wing Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 4) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 8) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 9) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 10) 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 11) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 12) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 13) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 14) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 15) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, and 16) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY.  The Top 2-Guards in Camp are 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Majove) NV, 4) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 5) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 7) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, and 8) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA.  The Top Point Guards in Camp are 1) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 3) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 4) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 7) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 8) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 9) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 10) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo fro Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 11) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp tipped off this morning at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA and we were shocked at just how mediocre the level of play was in the opening session of this year's camp, as missed lay-ups, lazy passes, \asical effort, and very poor outside shooting were the order of day in the opening round of games.  And this is a great cause for concern, because the Class of 2009 is continuing to look almost as mediocre as the Class of 2008, although the current rising senior class does have a lot more star power than the graduating senior class, which has 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and really nobody else.  However, unfortunately for this year's camp three of the top five-ranked juniors nationally - 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'10 Jr Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, and 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC - are not in attendance.  And, in the case of Wall, it looks like he ducked the competition, as he is the only player who to our knowledge was on the final roster, but failed to show.  But there also is some good news, as, unlike a year ago at this camp, some of the top underclassmen appear to be ready to step up and take over.  We're talking about 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, all three of whom are consensus top five-ranked sophomores in the nation and today were three of the best players in camp.  Other noteworthy individual performances were turned in by 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, and 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK.  Editor's Note:  As this point I've only seen one-third of the 12 teams in camp and sometimes it takes a session or two for a camp like this before the players develop the right chemistry and recover from the travel.  So be sure to check back each of the next three days to get the highlights and our ranking (both overall and by position) of the top  players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp.  And, in case you were wondering exactly who is at this year's camp, a breakdown of teams is a follows:  The Lakers (Team #1) have 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance) CA, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'3 Jr Austin Carroll from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'4 Jr Nicos Norris from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS; The Celtics (Team #2) have 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook South) IL, 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Eads (Briarcrest Christian) TN, 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'9 Soph Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'5 Jr Lamar Patterson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Jr D.J. Byrd from Crawfordsville (North Montgomery) IN, 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Soph Travis McKee from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, and 5'11 Jr Zenan Robinson from Oakland (H.S.) CA; The Pistons (Team #3) have 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT, 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'9 Jr Brenan Cougill from Sioux City (Bishop Heelan) IA, 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless (Pennsbury) PA, 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 6'4 Jr Soph Cameron Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) MD, 6'6 Jr Dion Sims from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, and 6'0 Frosh Kellen McCormick from Westfield (Notre Dame) MI; The Spurs (Team #4) have 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO, 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 6'8 Jr Glenn Bryant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 6'3 Jr Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Hayes) AL, 6'7 Soph Julian Royal from Apharetta (Milton) GA, and 6'10 Jr D'LDon Smith from Nassau, Bahamas; The Cavaliers (Team #5) have 6'9 Jr DeShawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 5'10 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Isaiah Philmore from Bel Air (John Carroll) MD, 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'4 Jr Ben Boggs from Roanoke (Hidden Valley) VA, 6'3 Jr Erick Green from Winchester (Millbrook) VA, and 6'7 Frosh Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; The Jazz (Team #6) have 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'3 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (Heritage) FL, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'9 Jr Donnovan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'7 Jr Paris Bennett from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'6 Jr Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'4 Jr Christian Webster from Bethesda (Landon School) MD, 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, and 6'2 Soph Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA; The Hornets (Team #7) have 6'10 Jr Shawn Kemp Jr from Canton (Cherokee) GA, 6'7 Jr Marshall Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 6'3 Jr C.J Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanee (Collins Hill) GA, 6'9 Jr David Chadwick from Charlotte (Latin) NC, 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'2 Frosh Shannon Scott from Atlanta (Lovett School) GA, 6'5 Jr Rahlir Jefferson from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 5'11 Jr Brandon Edmondson from Keller (Fossil Ridge) TX; The Rockets (Team #8) have 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 6'0 Soph Eric Atkins from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'3 Jr Justin Hawkins from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, and 5'9 Jr Anthony Bowie from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL; The Suns (Team #9 have 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA, 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'9 Jr Derrick Nix from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, and 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA; and The Magic (Team #10) have 6'9 Soph Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 6'8 Jr Bobby Capobianco from Loveland (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, and 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

During the last five days while we were attempting to solve the problems that we were experiencing with our internet service provider and we were covering the Freshman All-American Camp and the Junior All-American Camp at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA, there was still a steady stream of late signings by players in the Class of 2008 and verbal commitments from players in the Class of 2009 that we need to address.  And right at the top of the list is 6'9 Jr Brendan Lane from Rocklin (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #59 nationally in the junior class and is one of the top power forwards on the West Coast.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis was the first person to tip us off on Saturday about Lane picking the Bruins, but the guy who really thinks Lane is a steal for the Bruins is our other West Coast Editor Alan Utter.  Lane has a great mid-range game, is aggressiveness around the basket, and is very good defensively and at blocking shots," says Utter.  "He does need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's bouncy and athletic, which should make Lane a good complement to Reaves Nelson in year's recruiting class."  Remember, Nelson is a 6'7 force to be reckoned with from Modesto (Christian) CA, but he's really an undersized power forward, who reminds one more of Kevin Love than the Wear twins.  Speaking of the 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, both of whom are already for North Carolina, they're both ranked ahead of Lane in our most recent rankings.  But Utter is willing to go on record and stack his credibility and reputation on the fact that Lane will be the best of the three players, which explains why this addition moves UCLA's recruiting class into a tie at #4, along with Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  Utter also tells us that USC is finally done recruiting with the recent additions of 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA and 6'10 Nikola Vucevic from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA. Washington has committed to and reneged on the Trojans so many times we're tired of talking about it.  But the addition of Vucevic is interesting, because we're talking about a 6'10, 240-pound skilled inside player who can score inside, pass the ball back out to the open man, and run the court surprisingly well for somebody his size.  Vucevic also is only 17-years-old and, up until now, has flown under the radar screen due to the fact that he didn't play any AAU ball and his prep school team played a limited schedule this past season.  In other words, we may be talking about a major sleeper and several people who have seen him play think Vucevic should be ranked among our 100 seniors nationally.  So it should come as no surprise that Southern Cal's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Donte Smith from Mt. San Antonio (JC) CA, and 6'0 Percy Miller from Beverly Hills (H.S.) CA, moves back up into a tie at #7, along with Connecticut and Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  And this is important, because it looks like none of the fallout surrounding the O.J. Mayo controversy has effected the Trojans coaching staff's ability to both recruit and keep the current players they already have in the fold.  Moral to the story, some programs make excuses why they can't get it done and others, like USC, just keep right on getting it done.  Remember, a year ago this also was the program that finished with the #1-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2007 when they landed 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Venice, CA, 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Marion) LA, and 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA.  Utter also tells us that 6'6 Frosh Derrick Jasper is transferring from the University of Kentucky to UNLV and 6'9 Charles Garcia from Riverside (JC) CA has verbally committed to the University of Washington.  And the commitment by Garcia is big, because he is a big strong highly touted power forward who was one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks this past season.  He also should be the perfect replacement for 6'7 Jr Jon Brockman, who is one of the best power forwards in the Pacific-10 Conference and who must be replaced when he graduates after next season.  Another freshman in the junior college ranks who made an early verbal commitment yesterday was 6'3 Dwight Buycks from Indian Hills (JC) IA.  Buycks decided to return home (he's originally from Milwaukee, WI) and attend Marquette, which means the Golden Eagles now already have three players in the fold in next year's recruiting class that also already includes 6'7 Erik Williams from Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX and 6'6 Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI and is now ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And our Wisconsin/Minnesota/Iowa/Illinois/Indiana Editor Antonio Curro thinks this is an excellent catch, because Buycks is versatile and athletic enough to play either guard spot in the Big East and is capable of doing a lot of different things well, as is evident by the fact that he averaged 15.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 2.6 apg this past season in one of the toughest junior college leagues in the nation.  This also comes right on the heels of Marquette's current recruiting class, which includes 6'6 Jimmy Butler from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Tyler (JC) TX, and 6'10 Chris Otule from Ft. Bend (Bush) TX.  However, new Golden Eagles head coach Buzz Williams' best recruit is arguably former Nebraska assistant coach Tony Benford, who is one of the most astute evaluators of talent and best recruiters in the business.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'5 Roburt Sallie from San Francisco City (JC) CA has picked the University of Memphis over schools like Cincinnati and Kentucky.  And this too is significant, because suddenly the Tigers have not one, not two, but three athletic wing players in the fold as they attempt to replace 6'3 Frosh Derrick Rose and 6'6 Jr Chris Douglas-Roberts, both of whom entered their names into the NBA Draft earlier this spring.  We also have confirmed that the University of Tennessee has landed 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and appears to be the final piece to the puzzle in a recruiting class that is now ranked #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and also already includes 6'7 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 6'2 Bobby Maze from Hutchinson (JC) TX, 6'8 Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'11 Phillip Jurrick from Chattanooga (East Ridge) TN, and 6'1 Daniel West from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  Remember, Negedu has a reputation for being a high energy undersized power forward who gets the most of what he has, which makes him ideally suited to step in and play for Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl.  We also think it is impressive just who many different places the Tennessee coaching staff went to put together this year's recruiting class, as they landed one player out of their own backyard (Jurrick), beat the University of Kentucky in their backyard for Hopson, got Maze out of the junior college ranks, went East into the prep school ranks to get Negedu out of the prep school ranks, went into the Midwest to get West out of Michigan, and went West to get Woolridge.  However, none of this should come as much of a surprise when one remembers that Pearl has two of the best, as well as two of the hardest working assistant coaches in the business, in Tony Jones and Steve Forbes.  It also looks like 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has verbally committed to Georgia Tech, 6'1 Chris Bass from Lee (Academy) ME will attend LSU, 6'8 Augustus Gilchrist from Hyattsville (Progressive Christian) MD is now heading to South Florida, 6'8 Joey Cameron from Chipola (JC) FL has become New Orleans' sixth recruit in a recruiting class that is currently ranked #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and also already includes 5'11 Darrion McKinstry from Fullerton (JC) CA, 6'10 Jacoby Pittman from Madison (Central) MS, 6'4 Paul Hagler from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS, 6'8 Ejike Hart from Hillsborough (JC) FL, and 6'0 Destin Damachousa from Polk (JC) KS.  Gilchrist, who originally signed with Virginia Tech as a high school senior at Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD a year ago and then enrolled at the University of Maryland after signing with the Terrapins last fall, was declared ineligible to play for Maryland several week ago.  So now Gilchrist becomes the marquee player in a recruiting class that now appears to be a major step in the right direction, as Bulls head coach Stan Heath and his staff have already have 5'11 Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Eladio Espinosa from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Eugene Teague from Pennsauken (Apex Academies) NJ, 6'3 Gaby Belardo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'9 Alex Rivas-Sanchez from Pratt (JC) KS in the fold in a recruiting class that is now ranked #39 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  Bass is the younger brother of former LSU star Brandon Bass.  But, unlike his older brother, Bass is combo guard player, instead of stud around the basket.  He also promises to be a good role player, instead of one of the stars of the team.  Oliver is ranked #45 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the better 3-point shooter in the junior class nationally. 

Monday, June 16, 2008

Watching all the good rising freshmen and rising 8th Graders at the Freshman All-American Camp and the Junior All-American Camp at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA was a great head start on the future.  But the real highlight of the camp was getting to see all of the incredible talent that Clay Dade, who is the director of both camps, had assembled in the youngest two age groups.  And right at the top of the list was 5'5 6th Grader Alonzo Trier from Federal Way, WA, who not only was the best player in the Rising 7th Grade Division, but also played up and averaged over 20.0 ppg in two games in the Rising 8th Grade Division and scored seven points while playing in a quarter of game in the Rising Freshman Division.  Thus, explains why we have Trier ranked #12 overall in camp in the Rising 8th Grade Division and why we think he would have been one of the better guards in the Rising Freshman Division, if he'd gotten the opportunity.  Trier is clearly the best player in the nation in his class due to the fact that he has the heart and desire, speed and quickness, ball handling and passing skills, and court savvy and basketball IQ necessary to be a great player.  However, what really sets Trier apart from the rest of his peers is his ability to score.  Not only does Trier have a knack for finding a way to get his shot off against bigger and stronger guys inside, but he also is deadly from beyond the arc, and he has an incredible mid-range game.  Another one of the big reasons why Trier, who reminds us so much of 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, is so far ahead of everybody else in his class is the fact that he's gotten great teaching and skill development at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the camp each of the last two years.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Trier's mother tells us that one of his goals is to go back to Five-Star every summer for the next six years and become the only player in the history of the camp to be named the Most Outstanding Player in his age group eight straight years.  The other player in camp who played up a year in class and was clearly one of the better players in camp was 5'4 5th Grader Perry Dozier from Columbia, SC, who is the son and nephew of former Baltimore (Dunbar) MD and University of South Carolina twin towers Perry and Terry Dozier.  However, Dozier's multi-dimensional game reminds us more of 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is the best 6th Grader we've ever seen and, at the time, when we first saw him six years ago was even then capable of playing any position on the court.  Dozier not only was the second best player on his team in the Rising 7th Grade Division, but he totally dominated the Rising 6th Grade All-Star Game, which lasted only half as long as the other four all-star games, with 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, four steals, 5'7 field goals, and 1-1 3-pointers.  As a matter of fact, Dozier was so good that there is no question in our mind that he gets the nod as the best 5th Grader in the nation, ahead of 5'10 5th Grader Tyler Dorsey from Pasadena, CA and 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey.  We also were totally impressed with 5'2 6th Grader Parker Cartwright from Van Nuys, CA.  Not only was he phenomenal all weekend with his explosiveness, athleticism, and incredible moves to get to the basket, but Cartwright took it right to Trier, who was guarding him in the all-star game, as he was the leading scorer with 13 points and turned in the best performance in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game.  We also were really impressed with the size, athleticism, and ability to block shots and run the court that we saw from 6'4 6th Grader Craig Victor from New Orleans, LA, who finished with four points, six rebounds, three blocked shots, and 2-4 field goals in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game.  However, we have to give 5'6 6th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN the nod as the #3-ranked player in this age group due to the fact that consistency counts and he also was one of the three best players in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game, along with Cartwright and Trier.  We also have to give 5'3 6th Grader James Cunningham from Lexington, KY the nod over 5'2 6th Grader Justin Jenifer from Baltimore, MD as the #2-ranked point guard in camp due to the fact that Jenifer was missing in action the last day-and-a-half of camp due to the fact that he had another tournament to play in.  And it might have been a good thing for Jenifer, who prior to going head-to-head against Trier in the 6th Grade All-Star Game last summer the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA, was the consensus #1-ranked player nationally in his class.  Trier also got the better of Jenifer in the rematch in the scrimmage that took place on the first night of camp, but Jenifer still has to be regarded as one of the premier players in the nation in his class, because he's a strong physical point guard who can flat out score both inside and outside.  We also have high praise for 4'11 6th Grader Jerron Love from Bronx, NY, because he was one of the best defensive players in camp, and this age group also had more than its share of multi-dimensional athletes, like 5'9 6th Grader Anton Beard from North Little Rock, AR and 6'0 6th Grader Dylan Portwood from Georgetown, KY and 6'0 6th Grader Conner McCullough from Stillwell, KS, who were capable of playing both inside and outside.  And Beard, Portwood, and McCullough, who are three of our top four power forwards in camp, provide a classic illustration of how we rank players in camp.  When it doubt go with where a player plays at the defensive end and also remember that in this day-and-age everybody thinks they're a perimeter player.  In other words, it you're the tallest player on your team, you can't defend anybody out on the perimeter, and/or you playing inside at the defensive end in camp, you're probably going to be listed as a power forward or a center.  And a perfect illustration of this is 6'5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA, who brought the ball up the court and knocked down the more than his share of 3-pointers at the offensive end, but was clearly one of the most dominant inside players in camp at the defensive end.  Speaking of Anderson, he edges out 6'6 8th Grader Winston Sheppard from Houston, TX, who also falls into the same category of being a power forward in camp, but will be listed as a wing forward when we rank him among the top 10 players nationally in his class the next time we update our ranking of the top players in this class, for the top spot in the Rising Freshman Division.  However, our favorite player in this age group has to be 6'6 8th Grader Ricardo Gathers from New Orleans, LA, who reminds us Dwight Howard in many ways.  We're talking about somebody who can step outside and hit an occasional three, which he did in the all-star game.  But Gathers also knows what his bread and butter are, as is evident by the fact that he had 14 points and nine rebound in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game.  We also were really impressed with two other players from New Orleans, LA, as 6'3 8th Grader Sydie London finished with nine points and hit the game winning shot in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game and 5'10 8th Grader Javan Felix made some great passes and did a great job of changing speeds when he wanted to get past a defender and/or go to the basket.  And, of course, we liked 6'2 8th Grader D'Vaunte Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN.  But we'd like Smith-Rivera even more if he'd use his size, strength, and athleticism to dominate inside, instead of trying to be a point guard.  But we still rank Smith-Rivera in our top five in the Rising Freshman Division, because 6'8 8th Grader Perry Ellis from Wichita, KS didn't stick around to play in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game, which is a no-no when you're looking for the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being ranked high in camp.  And the best example of this is 6'4 8th Grader Michael Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA, who got out of Dodge as fast as possible after being named to play in the Second 20 Rising Freshman All-Star Game.  Instead, Avery should have attempted suck it up and proven that everybody, including us, missed on him by snubbing him from being in the Top 20 Game.  However, then again Avery had a tough week, as he was matched up against 6'5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA in a game that was televised by a local station featuring the guy who made a verbal commitment to the University of Kentucky in 8th Grade versus the best player in camp.  Needless to say it was ugly, but Avery's lack of speed and quickness were probably saved from getting exposed even further by his not being selected to play in the Top 20 Rising Freshman Game.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'5 7th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA, who finished ranked #4 in the Rising 8th Grader Division, behind 5'11 7th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'3 7th Grader Tarique Thompson from Columbia, SC, and 6'3 7th Grader Jubril Adedkaya from Tinley Park, IL, may have cost himself the #1-ranked in his age group due to the fact that he had to catch a plane.  Moral to the story, it's not a good idea to leave camp early if you're interested in being ranked as high as possible.  And even worse are the guys who indicate that they have an interest in attending the camp, but don't bother to show up at all.  Some of the elite names on this list include 6’8 8th Grader Tony Parker from Lithonia, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL, 6’1 7th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 5’4 7th Grader Ethan Telfair from Brooklyn, NY, and 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey. 

Friday, June 13, 2008, Saturday, June 14, 2008, & Sunday, June 15, 2008

Due to a technical issue with the service provider of the company that hosts our web site, subscribers have been unable to log onto the Members Section off and on since Wednesday, June 11, 2008.  However, this problem now appears to be finally fixed and, as a result, we are now ready to provide you our exclusive Ranking of the Top Players in each class from the Junior All-American Camp and the Freshman All-American Camp, both of which concluded late on Sunday afternoon at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA.  We also plan to provide you tomorrow with all of the highlights from both the camps and the all-star games, as well as some interesting commentary from both Spencer Pulliam, who is both the Editor and Publisher of GenerationNextBasketball.com and an Associate Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, and myself about what we've both seen over the weekend.  Speaking of Pulliam, he deserves a special thanks from everybody at the camp who was able to identify the players, because he went far beyond the call of duty when he assumed the daunting task of compiling the rosters for every team in all three age groups, as well as playing a major role in putting together the rosters for all five of today's all-star games. 

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Due to the fact that I will be covering the Junior All-American Camp and the Freshman All-American Camp this weekend at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA, this will be the first time in years that I will miss the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY.  However, that doesn't mean that the Rumble in the Bronx won't be as good as ever.  As a matter of fact, Jim Hart ,who is the Tournament Director for the Rumble in the Bronx, the President of the Albany City Rocks NIKE-sponsored club team program, and one of the great people in the business, tells us that he expects some of the top high school players in the nation, including 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Jr Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'7 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'9 Jr Kourtney Roberson from Arcadia (H.S.) LA, 6'4 Jr Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Tevin Baskins from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 5'9 Jr Darwin Ellis from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'2 Soph Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Taran Buie from Albany (Bishop Maginn) ) NY, 6'9 Soph Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols) NY, 6'6 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 6'4 Soph Charles Hankerson from Miami (Coral Reef) FL, to be in attendance.  The breakdown of teams in the 17-Under Division is as follows:  Pool A has Rashard Lewis S.E.E., Team Swish CA, V2F Conquerers, and CASW; Pool B has the New York Gauchos, North Carolina Fire, J.B. Hoops, and New Jersey Panthers; Pool C has Louisiana Select, New York Elite, Jersey Shore Warriors, and City Rocks Orange; Pool D has the Playaz Basketball Club, Georgia Elite, You Better Pray (TX), and Westchester Hawks; Pool E has Martin Brothers Select, LBA Seawolves (TX), New York Ravens, and Hoops Excellence; Pool F has the Miami Tropics, New Jersey ABC, New York Pride, and Connecticut Select; Pool G has the Raising Champions, Gardner Road Elite, New Heights, Central Jersey Hawks; Pool H has LD Dream Team, New York Panthers, Gold Coast Florida, and BABC South; Pool I has New England Playaz, South Jersey Jazz, Columbia Ravens, New Jersey Roadrunners; Pool J has Team Final, Squash All Beefs, Jersey Shore Shots, and Massachusetts; Pool K has Juice, Team Power Georgia, New Jersey Stars, and Hoop Magic; and Pool L has DC Assault, CBC, Expressions, and Brooklyn Clippers.  Hart also thinks the 16-Under Division will be really good as the breakdown of teams in that division is as follows:  Pool M has the City Rocks, LBA Seawolves (TX), New Heights White, and CJ Hawks; Pool N has the Playaz, Kansas City Keys, Jersey Shore, and Brooklyn Ball; Pool O has California Supreme, NJ ABC, JB Hoops, and Stud Athletic Broncos; Pool P has New Heights, Expressions, New Jersey Roadrunners, and Connecticut Elite; Pool Q has the New York Gauchos, Garner Road, CBC, and New York City Jaguars; Pool R has Martin Brothers, Raising Champions, CBA, and Jersey Shore Wildcats; Pool S has Metro, Rap-Brady, YABC, and SJ Rising Stars; and Pool T has Louisiana Select, Westchester Hawks, Connecticut Select, and Team Boss.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Several days ago we provided you with a sneak preview of our final ranking of the top 100 seniors, which will be incorporated into our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Graduating Seniors Nationally (Class of 2008) that will be published exclusively in the Members Section before the end of this month.  However, we didn't get a chance at the time to go into any detail about why we have certain players ranked where the are and why some players made major movements up and down since we last published a List of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2008.  So we will do so now and right at the top of the list of things we want to address is the fact that we have moved 6'9 Gregory Echenique from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ into this class due to the fact that he plans to by-pass his senior year in high school and enroll this fall at Rutgers.  And Echenique checks in at #15 in the class, which makes him one of the premier inside players nationally in the Class of 2008, along with 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'8 JaMichael Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'5 William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, and 6'10 Mike Dunigan from Chicago (Farragut) IL, all of whom are ranked among our top 20 seniors nationally.  We also think it's important to point out that Echenique is not the only player ranked among the top 24 players nationally who did not make the prestigious McDonald's All-American Team, as 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH is ranked #9, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS is ranked #14, 6'10 Eloy Vargas from Plantation (American Heritage) FL is ranked #22, 6'7 Tony Mitchell from Swainsboro (H.S.) GA is ranked #23, and 6'8 Wesley Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA is ranked #24, but did not play in the game.  Speaking of the McDonald's American Game, 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX solidified his spot in a close call among himself, 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Ft Worth (North Crowley) TX, and 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA for the final spot in our top five based in primarily on the fact that he finished with 23 points and was the leading scorer in the McDonald's All-American Game.  Warren is a guy who has never seen a shot he didn't like and he doesn't make good enough decisions to be classified as a point guard, but there is no denying that he is an amazing athlete and an incredible talent.  And so is Aminu.  But he hasn't achieved the level of consistency necessary to be ranked in our top five.  However, Aminu does edge out Derozan, who is another phenomenal athlete and has a great motor, but doesn't have as good a skill level as Warren and Aminu.  Thus, explains why Derozan has dropped from #4 on our last list to #7 on our current list.  We also are lower than most of our competitors on 6'6 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, who checks in at #25 on our list.  In other words, Hopson, who has an incredible upset and freaky athleticism, needs to become more consistent and play harder, if he wants to be ranked among the very elite players in the class.  We're also lower than most on 7'0 B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (H.S.) OH and 6'2 Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, but we did move Mullens from #46 to #34 just in case the light does someday click on and he decides to utilize his size inside and we put Anderson at #100 in the class.  However, we still think Anderson is one of the most overrated players in the senior class nationally and we have to laugh when our good friend and former California Editor Joel Francisco, who now writes for ESPN.com, says that Anderson is the most underrated point guard in the nation.  Did you know that the Recruiter's Handbook has Anderson ranked #27, Scout.com has Anderson ranked #31, Rivals.com has Anderson ranked #37, and ESPN.com has Anderson ranked #49?  As for Anderson, we think he's a good player who does a lot of things well, but we question whether he's physically strong enough and talented enough to be one of the better guards in the Pacific-10 Conference.  But, then again, Anderson won't have to be, because 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA and 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, both of whom also are bound for UCLA, are ranked in our top five and top 10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also dropped 6'4 Iman Shumpert from Oak Park (River Forest) IL from #11 to #35 due to the fact that several people that we respect in the Windy City think Shumpert is extremely overrated and he reinforced this several months ago with zero points when matched up against the top players in the nation in the McDonald's All-American Game.  And we're higher than most on 6'2 Michael Rosario from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, who is ranked #19 on our list and should have eliminated any doubts about the fact that he legitimately deserved to be in the McDonald's All-American by scoring 18 points in this year's game.  Some other players who are on the rise since the publication of our last Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008, which was published on December 17th, include 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 6'5 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 6'8 Latavious Williams from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 5'7 Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'6 Dequan Jones from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'3 Kyle Fogg from Brea (Brea Olinda) CA, and 6'7 L.A. Pomlee from Davenport (Central) IA and some of the players who have dropped the most are 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Aleksander Olek Czyz from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'6 DeAndre Liggins from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'5 Matt Humphrey from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'6 Delwan Graham from Dunwood y (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Steve Tchiengang from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'8 Dwight Miller from Houston (St. Puis X) TX, 6'9 Alan Chaney from New London (H.S.) CT, and 6'8 Quintrell Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  I also hate to say that I told you so, but it looks like we were right on the money for the last three years with regards to 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA being ranked as the #1-ranked player in the Class of 2008.  In sharp contrast, for a long time a lot of our competition were touting a guy for the top spot with the size, athleticism, and skills necessary to be a great player, but no little or no heart.  We're talking about 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who finished with only one point and six rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game and is no longer ranked as the #1 player in the Class of 2008 by anybody who has any credibility. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

HOOP SCOOP Associate Editor Patrick Stanwood was the first person to call and make us aware of the fact that 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Eads (Briarcrest) TN has verbally committed to North Carolina.  And this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, McDonald is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was one of the most heavily recruited players nationally in the Class of 2009, as is evident by the fact that the Tar Heels beat schools like Memphis, Tennessee, Georgetown, Duke, and Mississippi for his services.  Second, McDonald has a high basketball IQ, a silky smooth demeanor, and deceptive athleticism.  "He doesn't look that athletic, but then he surprises you with his ability to beat his man off the dribble, rise above defenders, and get himself open for jump shots," says our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman.  "McDonald also has a great mid-range game, is an excellent defender, and is versatile enough to play either wing spot."  Third, McDonald is ideally suited to complement 6'3 Jr Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is such a prolific scorer that he's ideally suited for the 2-guard spot, but also has the skills necessary to play some point guard.  Fourth, the addition of McDonald solidifies North Carolina's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Jr Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'10 Jr John Henson from Round Rock (H.S.) TX, 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, even further into the #1 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  As a matter of fact, the only thing that this class is missing when compared to the great Tar Heels' Class of 2006, which also was ranked #1 by the HOOP SCOOP and included 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'6 William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 6'8 Deon Thompson, 6'8, PF, Torrance (H.S.) CA, are three top five-ranked players like Ellington, Lawson, and Wright.  However, with the exception of Strickland, who currently checks in at #8 on our list of the top juniors nationally, this group may stick together a lot longer.  And that is not good news for everybody in college basketball due to the fact that North Carolina is already one of the most successful programs in the game today.  In other words, it looks like Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams and his staff have totally reloaded, as this group is coming in right on the heels of North Carolina's current recruiting class, which is ranked #20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and includes 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 6'0 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 6'4 Justin Watts from Durham (C.E. Jordan) NC.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Trenton Marshall from Jones County (JC) MS has verbally committed to Oklahoma State.  And this is huge for the new regime, because we're talking about a guy who a lot of people in the know think was the best freshman in the junior college ranks nationally this past season.  Marshall is a big time scorer and a terrific 3-point shooter and his commitment comes right on heels of the verbal commitment that the Cowboys received last week from 6'2 Fred Gulley from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, who also has excellent athleticism and is capable of putting up prolific numbers.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Oklahoma State beat schools like LSU, Mississippi, and Mississippi State for Marshall's services.  So obviously the Cowboys were able to cash in quickly on the fact that new Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford recently hired long time LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who has been recruiting Marshall since his high school days at Lutcher (H.S.) LA and very likely was the guy that stashed Marshall in the junior college ranks in the first place.  We also find it interesting that 6'8 Jr Kourtney Roberson from Arcadia (H.S.) LA, who is the consensus #1-ranked junior in the state, is heading to Texas A&M.  So suddenly it becomes even more important than ever for the new coaching staff at LSU to lock up their share of the top up-and-coming young players in the state, like 6'4 Soph Gary Stewart from Vidalia (H.S.) LA and 6'5 Frosh John Isaac from Leesville (Pickering) LA, who appear to have established themselves as the top sophomore and the top freshman in Louisiana.  Remember, a number of the top players in the Bayou State have gotten away in recent years, including 6'0 D.J. Augustine, who originally was at New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA prior to moving onto to Sugar Land (Hightower) TX and the University of Texas; 5'10 Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA and 6'5 Lacedaris Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, both of whom are now at Baylor; 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who has signed with Georgetown, 6'8 Terrence Henry from Monroe (Carroll) LA, who has signed with Mississippi, and 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA, who has signed with Arkansas. 

Saturday, June 7, 2008, Sunday, June 8, 2008, and Monday, June 9, 2008

One of the things that I'm working on right now is our Final Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors) and, due to the fact that there is not much to talk about in the recruiting world right now, this is a great time to provide you with a sneak preview of who we currently have ranked among our top 100 seniors.  The complete list is as follows:  1) 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 3) 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 4) 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5) 6'4 Willie Warren from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6) 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Ft Worth (North Crowley) TX, 7) 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 8) 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 9) 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 10) 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 11) 6'8 JaMychal Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 12) 6'5 William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, 13) 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY, 14) 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 15) 6'9 Gregory Echenique from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 16) 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 17) 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, 18) 6'10 Mike Dunigan from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 19) 6'2 Michael Rosario from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 20) 6'5 Elliott Williams from Collierville (St. George) TN, 21) 6'8 Chris Singleton from Dunwoody (H.S) GA, 22) 6'10 Eloy Vargas from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 23) 6'7 Tony Mitchell from Swainsboro (H.S.) GA, 24) 6'8 Wesley Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, 25) 6'6 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 26) 6'8 Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 27) 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 28) 6'5 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 29) 6'8 Latavious Williams from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 30) 5'7 Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 31) 6'6 Dequan Jones from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 32) 6'9 Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, 33) 6'3 J'Covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX, 34) 7'0 B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (H.S.) OH, 35) 6'4 Iman Shumpert from Oak Park (River Forest) IL, 36) 7'0 Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 37) 6'8 Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 38) 6'6 Klay Thompson from Rancho Santa (Margarita Santa Margarita) CA, 39) 6'7 Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 40) 6'10 J'misen Morgan from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 41) 6'3 Tyshawn Taylor from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 42) 6'8 Romero Osby from Meridian (Northeast Lauderdale) MS, 43) 6'6 Mookie Jones from Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 44) 6'7 Aleksander Olek Czyz from Reno (H.S.) NV, 45) 6'7 Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 46) 7'1 Kenny Frease from Massillon (Perry) OH, 47) 6'5 Phillip McDonald from Cypress (Community Christian) TX, 48) 6'0 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 49) 6'8 Howard Thompkins from Norcross (Wesleyan) GA, 50) 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 51) 6'6 DeAndre Liggins from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 52) 6'8 Storm Warren from Monroe (Richwood) LA, 53) 6'10 Tony Woods from Rome (H.S.) GA, 54) 6'8 Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 55) 5'11 Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI, 56) 6'0 Rotnei Clarke from Claremore (Verdigris) OK, 57) Ray Shipman from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 58) 6'11 Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 59) 6'4 Elston Turner from Roseville (H.S.) CA, 60) 6'6 Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette (H.S.) PA, 61) 6'4 Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 62) 6'7 Kris Joseph from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 63) 6'11 Roscoe Davis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 64) 6'5 Nasir Robinson from Chester (H.S.) PA, 65) 6'11 Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR, 66) 6'6 Mike Harthun from Medford (South Medford) OR, 67) 6'5 Matt Humphrey from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 68) 6'1 Anthony Crater from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 69) 6'4 Paul Williams from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 70) 6'0 Dashan Harris from Montverde (Academy) FL, 71) 6'10 Kenneth Kadji from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 72) 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA, 73) 6'2 Jason Clark from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 74) 6'8 Terrence Henry from Monroe (Carroll) LA, 75) 6'3 Travis Releford from Shawnee (Bishop Miege) MO, 76) 6'3 Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, 77) 6'4 Sean Mosley from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, 78) 6'5 Matt Gatens from Iowa City (H.S.) IA, 79) 6'7 David Loubeau from Davie (Westlake Prep) FL, 80) 6'9 Miles Plumlee from Arden (Christ School) NC, 81) 6'1 Frank Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 82) 6'8 Chris Braswell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 83) 6'0 Travon Woodall from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 84) 5'9 Lewis Jackson from Decatur (Eisenhower) IL, 85) 6'7 Toby Veal from Savannah (Sol C. Johnson) GA, 86) 6'11 Catalin Baciu from Fletcher (Veritas Academy) NC, 87) 6'2 Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 88) 6'3 Kyle Fogg from Brea (Brea Olinda) CA, 89) 6'9 Colt Iverson from Yankton (H.S.) SD, 90) 5'8 Andre Young from Albany (Deerfield-Windsor) GA, 91) 6'10 Ty Walker from Wilmington (New Hanover) NC, 92) 6'5 Scott Suggs from Washington (H.S.) MO, 93) 6'7 L.A. Pomlee from Davenport (Central) IA, 94) 6'4 Scottie Haralson from Jackson (Provine) MS, 95) 6'0 Antoine Young from Bellevue (West) NE, 96) 6'8 Jared Swopshire from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 97) 6'3 Devoe Joseph from Toronto (Pickering) ON, 98) 6'4 D.J. Seeley from Modesto (Christian) CA, 99) 6'8 Henry Sims from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, and 100) 6'2 Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA. 

Friday, June 6, 2008

After its highly successful 2007 debut, the Junior All-American Camp is back this year with an interesting twist. The flagship camp and its spin-off, the Freshman All-American Camp, also known as Fab Frosh Camp, will both be held at the same time (June 12th-15th) once again at the beautiful Hoop Magic Sports Academy, outside Washington, DC in Chantilly, VA.  In only their second year, both camps will showcase the top middle school players in the nation and be the coming out venues for some major surprises and new discoveries.  Each camp opened to rave reviews last year prompting Generation Next Basketball Publisher Spencer Pulliam, who also is now an Associate Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, to call it "the top exposure camp in the country."  The camp distinguished itself as the first original national middle school elite camp to include college coaches on its staff.  These coaches provide the camp’s players expert individual skill development and teach them the fundamentals necessary to play the game.  To add to its success, the Junior All-American Camp has entered into rare air with the recent agreement of a strategic partnership with the upstart digital media giant MaxxAthlete.  And this is important, because the Junior All-American Camp is now part of the family of the premier grassroots basketball events in the country that are part of MaxxAthlete’s newly launched GrassrootsTV channel.  The network will broadcast games live during the camp on TV on the Internet.  A complete game schedule will be available at www.MaxxAthlete.com and likely at www.jrallamericancamp.com.  This will mark the first time to our knowledge that live games will be shown from any grassroots camp ever (middle school or high school).  The nation’s best rising 9th, 8th, 7th, and 6th graders will be in attendance and some of the 140 players who will attend from the 2012 class include:  6’8 8th Grader Tony Parker from Lithonia, GA; 6’2 8th Grader D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN; 6'4 8th Grader Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL; 6'3 8th Grader Reggie Dillard from Greensboro, NC; 6’3 8th Grader Sydie London from New Orleans, LA; 6’5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Fredericksburg, VA; 6’8 8th Grader Perry Ellis from Wichita, KS; 6’6 8th Grader Winston Shepard from Houston, TX; 6’4 8th Grader Mike Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA; 6’6 8th Grader Tymond Howard from Jackson, MS; 6’7 8th Grader John Crowder from Baltimore, MD; 6’4 8th Grader Savon Goodman from Philadelphia, PA; 6’2 8th Grader Cameron Harvey from Naperville, IL; 6’8 8th Grader Dominique Wilson from Kansas City, MO; 6’4 8th Grader Junior Lomomba from Madison, WI; 6’2 8th Grader Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV; 6’8 8th Grader Shantardrick Hester from Jackson, MS; 6’4 8th Grader Thaddeus Hall from New York, NY; 6’7 8th Grader Ed Seay from Gary, IN; 6’3 8th Grader Julius Hamilton from Charlotte, NC; 6’4 8th Grader Ladarius White from McComb, MS; 6’2 8th Grader Dennis Green from New York, NY; 6’9 8th Grader Iyad Assad from Milwaukee, WI; 6’3 8th Grader Jermaine Meyers from Brampton, ON (Canada); 6’3 8th Grader Kyle Molock from Dublin, OH; 5’9 8th Grader R.J. Hunter from Indianapolis, IN; 5’10 8th Grader Jordan Washington from Irving, TX; 6’4 8th Grader Andre Horne from Wilmington, DE; 6’6 8th Grader Juwan Drescacin from Brampton, ON; 6’8 8th Grader Hanner Perea from Culver, IN; 6’8 8th Grader Stefan Jankovic from Brampton, ON; 6’2 8th Grader Rodney Purvis from Greensboro, NC; 5’9 8th Grader Javan Felix from New Orleans, LA; 5’8 8th Grader Siyani Chambers from Minneapolis, MN; and 6’4 8th Grader Ricardo Gathers from New Orleans, LA.  And, if that weren't enough, a number of the players from the highly-regarded 14-under Dream Vision squad from San Diego, CA, which has already won two of the biggest events (Las Vegas Easter Classic and Kingwood Classic) in their age group this spring, will also be in attendance.  We're also are being told by Clay Dade, who is the driving force being both the Junior All-American Camp and the Fab Frosh Camp, that two 7-footers from Africa who recently arrived to the United States will be make their national debut next week at his camp.  The list of rising 8th Graders who will be in attendance is equally impressive, as it includes 6’1 7th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL; 6’5 7th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA; 6’3 7th Grader Ishmail Wainwright from Kansas City, MO; 5’4 7th Grader Ethan Telfair from Brooklyn, NY; 5’9 7th Grader Charles “Cha Cha” Tucker from Lansing, MI; 5’8 7th Grader Zavier Turner from Indianapolis, IN; 6’1 7th Grader Torlorf Thomas from Montgomery, AL; 5’8 7th Grader Brandon Miller from Sandy, UT; 6’4 7th Grader Vidaunte “Taco” Charlton from Pickerington, OH; 5’9 7th Grader Blake Sanders from Corbin, KY; 5’4 7th Grader James Daniel from Hampton, VA; 6’3 7th Grader Jubril Adekoya from Tinley Park, IL; 5’9 7th Grader Mitchell Franz from Portland, OR; 6’2 7th Grader Nick King from Memphis, TN; 5’8 7th Grader Darian Harris from Springdale, AR; 5’10 7th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft Wayne, IN; 5’10 7th Grader Brent Scott from Ft Wayne, IN; 6’5 7th Grader Tommy Hamilton from Chicago, IL; 5’7 7th Grader Billy Garrett from Corpus Christi, TX; 5’4 7th Grader Kashif Hayes from Minneapolis, MN; 6’2 7th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA; and 6’5 7th Grader Seab Webster from Huntsville, AL.  Some of the rising 7th Graders who will be attendance include 5’2 6th Grader Allonzo Trier from Federal Way, WA; 5’2 6th Grader Justin Jenifer from Baltimore, MD; 5'3 6th Grader James Blackmon from Ft Wayne, IN; 5'8 6th Grader Anton Beard from Little Rock, AR; 5’7 6th Grader Carl “Choo” Brown from Louisville, KY; 6’5 6th Grader Craig Victor from New Orleans, LA; 6’1 6th Grader Dorien Holland from Little Rock, AR; 5’3 6th Grader Jerron Love from New York, NY; 6’0 6th Grader Dylan Portwood from Georgetown, KY; 5’3 6th Grader Parker Cartwright from Van Nuys, CA; 5’3 6th Grader Tyus Mason from Des Moines, IA; 5’6 6th Grader Will Brewster from Birmingham, AL; 5’3 6th Grader Jordan Dembley from Minneapolis, MN; 5’11 6th Grader Connor McCullough from Kansas City, MO; 4’11 6th Grader Press Kampe from Rochester, MI; 4’9 6th Grader Frederick Lee from Springdale, AR; 5’2 6th Grader Kamali Chambers from Minneapolis, MN; and 5’0 6th Grader Charles “Choo Choo” Presley from Philadelphia, PA.  The top rising 6th-grader is expected to be 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey.  Yes, that's the son of former Louisville All-American Pervis Ellison, who was the #1 pick the 1989 NBA Draft and is being touted by those who have seen him as the best player nationally in his class.  Dade also tells us that in addition to the HOOP SCOOP and MaxxAthlete, a number of other people also are expected to be attendance, including Spencer Pulliam of Generation Next Basketball, Mike Melton of BasketballSpotline.com, Chad Weaver of Hoosier Junior Preps, Raphael Chillious from NIKE, Jide Sodipo of MidAtlanticHoops.com, Ron Bailey of I-95Ballerz.com and HoyaReport.com, and  Bob Gibbons of the All-Star Sports Report and ESPN.com, who likely will stop by on his way to the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, VA.  For even more information go to www.jrallamericancamp.com.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

We're way behind on reporting signings and commitments, but really the most interesting thing that has happened in the last week is the fact that 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA has reneged on the University of Arizona and is now considering Memphis, Kansas, Texas, Oregon, Gonzaga, Washington, and USC.  And we think the smart money is Memphis for a number of reasons.  First, the Tigers recently hired Wildcats assistant coach Josh Pastner, who was the guy responsible for recruiting Gaddy to Arizona in the first place.  Second, Memphis is one of the hottest programs in college basketball after losing to Kansas in overtime in the NCAA Championship Game.  Third, the Memphis program is ideally suited for Gaddy's style, as the Tigers play a fast-paced up-and-down game.  Fourth, Memphis will likely need to replace 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who, just like Derrick Rose was this year, is expected to be a one-and-done player for the Tigers.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Soph Matt Pilgram, who has decided to transfer from Hampton University, has enrolled in school at the University of Kentucky.  We're talking about a 6'8 athletic power forward who was ranked #32 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players two years ago and averaged 11.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 1.4 spg as a freshman and 7.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg as a sophomore the last two season for the Pirates.  In other words, the Wildcats added valuable depth for the future, as well as an additional practice while he waits in the wings this coming season.  And Kentucky may not be done yet, as they also appear to be the co-favorite, along with Memphis, for 6'5 Roburt Sallie from San Francisco City (JC) CA, who recently was denied admission into school at the University of Nebraska and originally signed with the University of Washington.  It also looks like 6'2 Varez Ward from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC has finally found at home at the University of Texas.  If you will recall, Ward, who is ranked #22 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and is one of the best defensive guards to come down the pike in a long time, originally verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati after first going the prep school route for year.  However, shortly after picking the Bearcats earlier this spring, Ward changed his mind and now it looks like the Longhorns have another steal on their hands.  Not only is Ward good enough to step in play right away, but he is ideally suited to step in and be the quick fix that Texas head coach Rick Barnes needs help to replace 6'0 Soph D.J. Augustine.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'6 C.J. Wilcox from Pleasant Grove (H.S.) UT has picked the University of Washington.  And, in this case, it looks like Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar has found himself a good role player who can beat you with his outside shooting.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with the scoop on 6'0 Jr Nick Groce from Annapolis (St. Mary's) MD, who has made a verbal commitment to Maryland-Baltimore County.  And Rubin thinks this is a good catch, because Groce is a smart player who can both score and defend.  Rubin also tells us that 6'9 Genesis Maciel from Worcester (Academy) MA has made it official for the University of Hartford.  We're talking about somebody with the physical attributes necessary to a force in the paint, but would rather step out to 15-feet and shoot jump shots.  Thus, explains why we had Maciel ranked #376 nationally in the our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007 prior to his going the prep school route this past season.  And, when we saw him last winter in several prep school tournaments, nothing had changed, as Maciel still didn't get much done inside.  But, then again, you can't teach size and, if the light ever clicks on for this skill big man, then Hawks head coach Dan Leibovitz may end up looking like a genius down the road on this one.  We also understand that Oklahoma State has landed 6'3 Jr Fred Gulley from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR and this athletic 2-guard who can beat you with both his outside shot and ability to get to the basket impressed us enough at the Bill Hensley Memorial 2008 Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic to be ranked as the second best player at the entire event.  We're also very impressed with the coaching staff that new Cowboys head coach Travis Ford has assembled.  Did you know that Ford hired long time LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, and Steve Middleton, who helped Ford build the program at Massachusetts the last three years, and retained Chris Ferguson, who proved that he was a terrific recruiter when he was an assistant coach at Tennessee and East Carolina and has a great relationship with all of the current players in the program?  We also have confirmed that two more players - 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA and 6'4 Jr Steven Pledger from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA - from the Boo Williams Summer League program have both made verbal commitments.  Pledger, who is a good athlete and an excellent outside shooter, picked the University of Oklahoma and Powell, who is an undersized power forward that does most of his damage around the basket, picked the University of Arkansas.  We also are intrigued with the fact that Western Kentucky has landed 6'5 Sergio Kerusch from Itawamba (JC) MS.  We're talking about a somebody who can play multiple positions and averaged 18.9 ppg and 9.0 rpg and shot 65.4% from the field this past season.  And Kerusch isn't the only junior college player that new Hilltoppers head coach Ken McDonald and his staff have landed this spring that should step in and make an impact next year.  If you will recall, a month-and-a-half ago Western Kentucky also signed 6'2 Anthony Sally from Motlow (JC) TN, who is ranked #103 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  And what about the fact that St. Joseph's continues to stock up with front-court players?  The latest is 6'10 Temidayo Adebayo from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who has only been in the United States a year, but is an excellent athlete and shot blocker and has a big upside, as he continues to develop his offensive game and become more comfortable with the way the game is played in this country.  It looks like Auburn has squeaked into the top 20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 with the addition of 6'6 Brendon Knox from Spartanburg Methodist (JC) SC, who averaged a double-double last season and was one of the top big men still available in the junior college ranks.  Remember, the Tigers also already have 6'2 Tay Waller from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'1 Frank Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 6'11 Johnnie Lett from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'7 Kenny Gabriel from Kings Mountain (Hope Christian) NC, and 6'9 Frank Aihe from Santa Fe (JC) FL all in the fold and, as a result, Auburn should be one of the most improved teams in the league next year. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

We've been slowed down by computer problems during the last several days, so now is a good time to utilize the rest of the recruiting information that we gathered when our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, and I talked to players a-week-and-a-half ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC.  Villanova Wake Forest, Kansas, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Florida, Connecticut, Texas, and Maryland are the schools being mentioned by 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Stanford, UCLA, N.C. State, Virginia, and Wake Forest are all in the hunt for 6'8 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, who is both an outstanding student and one of the fastest rising players in the nation after a terrific spring.  The race is already on among schools like Memphis, Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Massachusetts for 6'0 Soph Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN.  Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Memphis, LSU, N.C. State, Georgetown, and Charlotte make up the list for 6'7 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Memphis, Marquette, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Texas, and Texas A&M are involved with 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX.  Alabama, Southern Illinois, Miami-FL, and Wake Forest are the leaders for 6'6 Jr Nik Garcia from Niles (West) IL, but he also mentions Georgia Tech, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, and Kentucky.  The list for 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV includes Miami-FL, Virginia, Arizona State, UNLV, Colorado State, Gonzaga, Florida, Marshall, and Nebraska.  Louisville is believed to be the leader, but USC, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Seton Hall, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Auburn are also involved with 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA.   Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Miami-FL, and Pittsburgh are the leaders for 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The schools showing the most interest in 6'6 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX are Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.  The list for 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY includes Memphis, Arizona, West Virginia, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Clemson, and Marquette.  The early list for 6'0 Frosh Sterling Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ includes Seton Hall, Rutgers, Florida, Maryland, and Pittsburgh.  It appears that Texas, UCLA, Baylor, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Florida are the leaders for 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Marquette, Xavier, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Massachusetts, Temple, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Clemson, and Providence make up the list for 6'3 Jr Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  The list for 5'10 Jr Carl Jones from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH includes Texas Tech, Michigan, Virginia, Miami-OH, Bowling Green, Ohio University, Kent State, and Toledo.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Parker) AL are Mississippi, Iowa, Virginia, USC, UAB, and Bradley.  It appears that UCLA, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Xavier, Clemson, and Florida State are all in the hunt for 6'7 Jr Terrance Shannon from Forsyth (Mary Persons) GA.  Mississippi, South Florida, Tulane, Army, Belmont, Murray State, and Jacksonville make up a very interesting list for 6'5 Jr Anthony Nwadigo from Gainesville (H.S.) FL.  Rutgers, St. John's, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Marquette, Providence, Rhode Island, and Xavier are the schools you have to beat for 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, but a year at South Kent (Prep) CT for his senior year in high school is expected to be the first stop in his future.  The list for 6'6 Soph Jalon Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA includes Georgia Tech, Auburn, Xavier, Georgia, Cincinnati, St. Joseph's, Temple, Florida, and Texas.  6'7 Jr Daniel McElroy from Cincinnati (La Salle) OH made an early verbal commitment to the University of Cincinnati a year-and-a-half ago, but he recently re-opened his recruitment and is now considering schools like Virginia, Bowling Green, Kansas, and Miami-OH.  The race for 6'10 Jr Daniel Miller from Logansville (Christian) GA is among Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Harvard, Furman, Minnesota, and UT-Chattanooga.  The list for 6'6 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC includes Princeton, Pennsylvania, Northwestern, and Temple.  The leaders for 6'3 Jr Dominique Langston from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral) CT are Rutgers, Penn State, Quinnipiac, Rider, Niagara, Sacred Heart, and Fairfield.  The five schools mentioned by 6'6 Jr Khalil Murphy from Burlington (Life Center) NJ were Indiana, Texas, Houston, Marquette, and St. Joseph's.  Among those showing interest in 6'7 Jr Jordan Prosser from Eureka (H.S.) IN are Bradley, Baylor, Texas A&M, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

I mentioned last week that I've been to nearly all of the superstar oriented/shoe company sponsored camps since their evolution a quarter of a century ago.  But making the story even more interesting and adding even further to our credibility is the fact that I've also been to all of the adidas Junior Phenon and adidas Phenom 150 camps since they began being held four years ago in San Diego, CA.  Speaking of this year's adidas Phenom 150 Camp, it's just around the corner, as the dates for this year's camp, which once again will be held at Alliant International University in San Diego, are June 26th-29th.  Phenom Camp President and CEO Joe Keller, who also is the middle school editor for the HOOP SCOOP, also thinks that this year's camp will be even better than ever, as it promises to include 360 players from all over the nation in the Class of 2011 (current freshmen/rising sophomores) and the Class of 2012 (current 8th Graders/rising freshmen).  "And it's already almost sold out," says Keller.  "Not only do I expect the level of talent to be at an all time high, but we also expect to have some players come in and make national names for themselves, just like Jason Morris did a year ago."  Ironically the guy who Keller thinks could be this year's version of Morris, who now is ranked #33 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, is his current teammate at Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT.  We're talking about 6'1 Soph Derrick Wilson, who originally is from Alaska, but currently is ranked #4 in the freshmen class in New England by our New England Editor Adam Fingelstein.  However, nobody, including us when we last updated our ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 on October 27, 2007, has this guy ranked nationally (yet).  Several other guys who Keller thinks will explode at his camp are 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo (Burgard) NY, 6'8 8th Grader Brandon Ashley from San Leandro, CA, and 6'4 8th Grader Xavier Johnson from Marietta, CA.  Keller also tells us that 6'0 7th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Happy Valley, OR and 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, who are two of the top five 7th Graders in the  nation, will be at the camp and will be playing up in the Freshman Division.  From there the list of players that Keller has provided us to promote his camp is almost endless, as it includes 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Frosh Juanya Green from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 6'3 Frosh Devin Coleman from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'1 Frosh Karl Cochran from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 5'9 Frosh Deion Houston from Grand Prairie (South Grand Prairie) TX, 6'4 Frosh Aaron Brown from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 5'7 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston (Lutheran South) TX, 5'11 Frosh Patrick Lucas-Perry from Flint Powers) MI, 5'11 Frosh Joey Gripper from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 5'7 Frosh Lamin Fulton from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'2 Frosh Malik Garner from Newtown (The George School) PA, 6'3 Frosh Kori Babineaux from Folsom (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Frosh Lamont McLaurin from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'3 Frosh Marc Brown from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 6'3 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 5'10 Frosh Chandler Fraser-Pauls from Pennington (School) NJ, 6’8 Frosh William Truss from Vestavia Hills (H.S.) AL, 5'11 Frosh Khalid Lewis from Trenton (Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Frosh William Wise from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 6'1 Frosh Alex Miller from Claremont (H.S.) OK, 6'5 Frosh Adrian Dean from Harrisburg (Mercersburg Academy) PA, 6'4 Frosh Chris Freeman from San Antonio (Warren) TX, 6'2 Frosh Christopher Brown from New Orleans (Isadore Newman) LA, 6'7 Frosh David Crawford from San Antonio (Calallen) TX, 6'6 Frosh Donald Teague from Searcy (H.S.) AR, 6'6 Frosh Jake Ediger from Topeka (Washburn Rural) KS, 5'10 Frosh Joseph Moorer from Harbor City (Narbonne)  CA, 6'2 Frosh Tommy Walker from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 5'10 Frosh Nick Freeman from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'3 Frosh Joseph Ferro from Ocala (Trinity Catholic) FL, 6'4 Frosh Spencer Bowman from League City (Clear Brook) TX, 6'0 Frosh Tyrone Thorpe from Durham (C.E. Jordan) NC, 6'4 Frosh Aaron Rauschenberger from Glendale (Mountain Ridge) AZ, 6'8 Frosh Zachery Lord from Keller (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Frosh Ryan Ena from Oceanside (El Camino) CA, 6'3 Frosh Will McConnell from Atherton (Sacred Heart) CA, 5'9 8th Grader Dominic Artis from San Leandro, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Tyler Lewis from Statesville, NC, 5'6 8th Grader Isaiah Taylor from Hayward, CA, 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, 5'10 8th Grader Austin Key-Blackwell from Norcross, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Omar Calhoun from Brooklyn, NY, 5'11 8th Grader Brandon Pye from Mansfield, TX, 6'7 8th Grader Eliot Watts from Nashville, TN, 6'3 8th Grader George Sherwood from Kalispell, MT, 6'4 8th Grader T.J. Flowers from Portland, OR, 6'5 8th Grader Marcel Frazier from Portland, OR, 6'1 8th Grader Glenn Baral from Albany, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Jabril Durham from De Soto, TX, 5'7 8th Grader Jalen Ward from Renton, WA, 5'10 8th Grader Jamall Taylor from Milwaukee, WI, 6'2 8th Grader Jelon Hornbeck from Arlington, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Richard Harris from Atherton, CA, and 5'3 8th Grader Yonel Brown from Duluth, GA.  For even more information about this camp, click onto Phenom 150 Freshman & Sophomore Camp. 

Sunday, June 1, 2008, & Monday, June 2, 2008

It kind of reminded me of a great horse dropping down into a cheap claiming race and running just well enough to win the race.  We're talking about the way 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC played over the weekend at the Pangos All-American Camp at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA.  And, in this case, Wall takes home camp MVP honors and our #1-ranking in camp due to the fact that nobody else in camp was good enough to step up and take it away from him.  In other words, Wall, who recently became the #1-ranked player in his class by Rivals.com and just a week ago was being touted by us as the leading candidate for player-of-the-spring, pretty much just went through the motions most of the weekend.  And, if you don't believe it, just check out the fact that he had 13 points and 15 points in the two games that I watched and 14 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  There also was not an overwhelming number of great guards in this camp and, as a result, Wall should have averaged 30 ppg and totally dominated every game that he played in with his incredible natural talent, skills, and athleticism.  Instead, it looks like Wall played down to the level of competition, instead of living up to the high level of expectations that he's help create every other time we've seen him play this spring.  Also somewhat falling into this trap, although he did have 32 points in his game on Friday night and 22 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game, was 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA, who also will be entering his 6th Year of high school next year, if he doesn't qualify once again academically.  Speaking of Washington, it looks like we may be reporting once again that he's heading to USC, as his people have told me that a verbal commitment by Washington to the Trojans could be forthcoming any day now.  However, we're not sure it means much, because we're also being told that the possibility still exists that Washington could also change his mind, if it looks like USC is going to get hit hard with NCAA sanctions, and end up at someplace like Indiana or Kentucky.  The other three players - 6'5 Jr Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Diamond Ranch) CA, 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX - ranked among our top five in camp were also three of our favorite players in camp.  Snaer, who finished with 24 points and a pair of 3-pointers in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game, also is a world class athlete and an excellent student that his being recruited by schools like Stanford, USC, Miami-FL, Marquette, Missouri, UNLV, and UCLA.  Thompson, who is already bound for Georgetown, really impressed us with his silky smooth demeanor, excellent 3-point shooting, and incredible upside and potential, as it's clear that he's still only just beginning to scratch the surface of becoming a great player.  Franklin, who also gets our vote as the most consistent player that we saw all weekend, is fierce competitor, has a knack for finding ways to score around the basket, and also is showing signs of making the conversion to the wing forward spot at the next level, as he continues to show more confidence in his jump shot and better perimeter skills.  No wonder Franklin's list includes schools like Indiana, Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Florida, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Iowa State, and Kansas.  The Pangos All-American Camp also is known as a staging area for players to establish their national reputations and right at the top of this list has to be 6'5 Guy Landry from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, who finished with 21 points and was named the MVP in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  Landry will probably have to go the prep school route, but this slashing combo forward was one of the most athletic guys in camp and he just got better and better as he gained confidence and the week wore on.  And what about 6'10 Jr Bak Bak from Sun Valley (Village Christian) CA, who finished with 30 points in his first camp game on Friday night and is just oozing with athleticism and potential?  We also were surprised with how much we liked 6'8 Victor Rudd from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, who is an athletic power forward with excellent footwork, an explosive first step, and the ability to step out and keep you honest with his outside shot.  The best shot blocker in camp was easily 6'9 Jr Corey Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX and 6'8 Jr Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA continues to draw Kevin Love comparisons, as he's got excellent offensive skills, is a physical presence inside, and is a much better passer than most people give him credit for being.  The outside shot wasn't going down for 6'3 Jr Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, but we liked the way he adjusted and slashed to the basket.  Believe it nor not, the highest ranked underclassman in camp was 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrel from Burlington (Cummings) NC, who finished with 17 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  We also were impressed with the mid-range game and outside shooting displayed by 6'5 Soph Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA and 6'1 Soph Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA was another guy who got better and better as the week wore on.  And picking up where he left off when we saw him a week ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions was 6'9 Soph Dwight Powell from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, although this long lanky finesse inside guy was not big and strong enough physically to get much done in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  We also are wondering what the politics was with regards to 6'5 Jr Tony Freeland from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA and 6'5 Jr Thurman Woods from Compton (Dominguez) CA both making the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game?  However, in fairness to Freeland, who is pretty much just a slasher/athlete, he did finish with 11 points in the big game.  The three best players in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 50 All-Star Game were 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Lawrenceville (Collins Hill) GA, 6'1 Soph Tyrone Garland from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA, and 6'7 Jr Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, who finished with 14 points, 14 points, and nine points respectively.  Olsen took the game over early and he really impressed us with his long arms, excellent mobility, and willingness to compete around the basket.  Garland has jet-like speed and quickness and he's never seen a shot he didn't like, which makes him an undersized 2-guard all the way.  Williams does most of his damage around the basket, but this athletic 4-man also has a soft touch and the ability to step out and the three.  We didn't rank 6'10 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, because he didn't return on Saturday or Sunday after dominating the camp on Friday night.  And that's too bad, because Tyler would have had a chance to be the guy that edged out Wall as the best player in camp, if he had maintained that same level all weekend.  We also didn't rank 6'3 James Dean from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, although he did have five points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 50 All-Star Game, due to the fact that he was missing in action the first two days of the camp while attending his high school graduation back on the East Coast.  Speaking of Dean, he is supposed to make an official visit to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday.  And, unless something unforeseen happens on the visit, you can pretty much write this one down for the Panthers.  The HOOP SCOOP's ranking of the Top 60 Players at the Pangos All-American Camp are as follows:  1) 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 2) 6'5 Jr Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Diamond Ranch) CA, 3) 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA, 4) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 5) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'5 Guy Landry from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, 7) 6'9 Jr Corey Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'7 Jr Clarence Trent from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'8 Jr Victor Rudd from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, 10) 6'3 Jr Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 11) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrel from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 12) 6'8 Jr Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, 13) 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'10 Jr Bak Bak from Sun Valley (Village Christian) CA, 15) 6'5 Soph Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 16) 6'1 Soph Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA, 17) 6'10 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 18) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 19) 6'1 Soph Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 20) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Lawrenceville (Collins Hill) GA, 21) 6'1 Soph Tyrone Garland from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA, 22) 6'7 Jr Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, 23) 6'2 Jr Tarik Muhammad from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 24) 6'9 Soph Dwight Powell from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 25) 6'5 Soph Tyler Lamb from Ontario (Colony) CA, 26) 5'11 Soph Tyree Johnson from Lansdowne (Pennwood) PA, 27) 6'6 Jr Alec Williams from San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA, 28) 6'7 Jr Michael Calhoun from Kennesaw (Kennesaw Mountain) GA, 29) 6'9 Jr Colin Borchert from  Glendale (Raymond Kellis) AZ, 30) 6'6 Jr Solomon Hill from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 31) 6'9 Soph Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 32) 6'0 Soph Phillip Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 33) 6'3 Jr Brandon Reed from Mableton (Whitfied Academy) GA, 34) 7'1 James Blasczyk from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 35) 6'9 Jr Chris Cunningham from Diamond Bar (Diamond Ranch) CA, 36) 6'8 Jr Devonte Elliott from Paramount (H.S.) CA, 37) 6'8 Soph Kadeem Batts from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 38) 6'8 Soph Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, 39) 6'5 Jr Tony Freeland from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 40) 6'4 Soph Keala King from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 41) 6'7 Soph Clint Bozner from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 42) 6'8 Frosh Kevin Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 43) 6'4 Soph Solomon Singer from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, 44) 6'5 Soph Desmond Simmons from Oakland (Salesian) CA, 45) 6'6 Soph Jalon Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 46) 6'6 Jr Jerry Evans from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA, 47) 6'4 Jr Julius Von Hanzlik from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 48) 6'4 Jr Jordan Finn from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 49) 6'4 Soph Kareem Jamar from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 50) 6'4 Jr Robert Mandingo from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 51) 6'6 Jr Stephon Heard from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 52) 6'0 Jr Shaquil Barber from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 53) 6'0 Jr Robert Smith from Perris (H.S.) CA, 54) 7'0 Jr Matt Pitrowski from Egg Harbor (Atlantic Christian) NJ, 55) 6'3 Jr Gerland Judkins from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 56) 6'2 Frosh Michael Thompson from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 57) 6'6 Soph Jordan Salley from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 58) 6'3 Frosh Quddus Bello from High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC, 59) 6'1 Jr Justin Cobbs from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, and 60) 6'0 Jr Jahmad Saleem from Augusta (Crosscreek) GA. 

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Since today is the day that we move each player in every class up one year in class, the timing is perfect to provide you with an updated list of the top players nationally in each class.  Our ranking of the Top 25 Rising Seniors and 5th Year Players (Class of 2009) is as follows:  1) 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 2) 6'9 Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 3) 6'6 Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 4) 6'2 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 5) 6'2 Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 6) 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL (Committed to UAB), 7) 6'3 Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ (Committed to North Carolina), 8) 6'7 Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 9) 6'7 Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 10) 6'3 Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 11) 6'7 Jr Erik Williams from Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX, 12) 6'8 Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 13) 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 14) 6'5 Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, 15) 6'10 John Henson from Round Rock (H.S.) TX (Committed-North Carolina), 16) 6'8 Christian Watford from Irondale (Shades Valley) AL, 17) 6'6 Reeves Nelson from Modesto (Christian) CA (Committed to UCLA), 18) 6'2 Avery Bradley from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 19) 6'7 Royce White from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN (Committed to Minnesota), 20) 6'4 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 21) 6'0 Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 22) 6'8 Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, 23) 6'8 Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 24) 6'11 Mason Plumlee from Arden (The Christ School) NC (Committed to Duke), and 25) 6'5 Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Our ranking of the Top 25 Rising Juniors (Class of 2010) is as follows:  1) 6'6 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH (Committed to Ohio State), 2) 6'8 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN (Committed to Ohio State), 3) 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ (Committed to Texas), 4) 6'2 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 5) 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 7) 6'4 Jr Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 8) 6'3 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA (Committed to Texas), 9) 6'6 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL (Committed to Texas), 10) 6'7 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA (Committed to USC), 11) 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 12) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Bloomington (South) IN, 13) 6'8 Jr Josh Smith from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 14) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 15) 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN (Committed to Kentucky), 16) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA (Committed to Ohio State), 17) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 18) 6'8 Jr  Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 19) 6'5 Jr Ralston Turner from Florence (Shoals) AL, 20) 6'5 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 21 ) 6'1 Jr Trae Ziegler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 22) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 23) 6'5 Jr Tommy Droney from Sewickley (Academy) PA, 24) 6'9 Jr Adriean Payne from Dayton (Jefferson) OH, and 25) 6'0 Jr K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX (Committed to Kentucky).  Our ranking of the Top 25 Rising Sophomores (Class of 2011) is as follows: 1)  6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 2) 6'7 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St Patrick) NJ, 3) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 4) 5'11 Soph Cezar Guerrero from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 5) 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6) 6'6 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Pulaski Academy) AR, 7) 6'7 Soph Ramone Eaton from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 8) 6'8 Soph Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 9) 6'7 Soph LaBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 10) 6'1 Soph Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, 11) 6’7 Soph Chane Behanan from Cincinnati (Aiken) OH, 12) 6'2 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 13) 6'2 Soph Matt Carlino from Gilbert (Highland) AZ, 14) 6'0 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 15) 6’5 Soph P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 16) 6'0 Soph Marques Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 17) 6'7 Soph Bernard Sullivan from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 18) 5'8 Soph Stevie Taylor from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH, 19) 5'7 Soph Myles Mack from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 20) 6'3 Soph Ashcroft Youcoubou from Aston (American Christian) PA, 21) 6'6 Soph Grandy Glaze from Frederick (St. John's Regional Catholic) MD, 22) 6'9 Soph Hunter Mickelson from Jonesboro (Westside) AR, 23) 6'4 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Curie) IL, 24) 6'8 Soph James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, and 25) 6'8 Soph Khem Birch from Ottawa (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON.  Our ranking of the Top 25 Rising Freshmen (Class of 2012) is as follows: 1) 5'11 Frosh J'Michal Reese from Bryan, TX, 2) 6'8 Frosh Zach Peters from Plano, TX, 3) 6'3 Frosh Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL, 4) 6'5 Frosh Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA, 5) 6'7 Frosh Virgil Tony Parker from Lithonia, GA, 6) 6'4 Frosh Jordan Price from Conyers, GA, 7) 6'6 Frosh Ricardo Gathers from New Orleans, LA, 8) 6'8 Frosh Perry Ellis from Wichita, KS, 9) 6'6 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Houston, TX, 10) 6'3 Frosh Sydie London from New Orleans, LA, 11) 6'2 Frosh DeVante Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN, 12) 6'3 Frosh Kyle Anderson from North Bergen, NJ, 13) 6'4 Frosh Trashaun Carroll from Chicago, IL, 14) 6'5 Frosh Kristopher Jenkins from Upper Marlboro, MD, 15) 6'0 Frosh LeBrent Walker from Jamaica, NY, 16) 5'10 Frosh Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston, TX, 17) 5'10 Frosh Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, 18) 5'8 Frosh Tyler Lewis from Statesville, NC, 19) 5'10 Frosh Javan Felix from New Orleans, LA, 20) 6'3 Frosh Reggie Dillard from Greensboro, NC, 21) 6'1 Frosh Bryan Velasco from Yorba Linda, CA, 22) 6'4 Frosh Savon Goodman form Philadelphia, PA, 23) 6'0 Frosh Nate Bucher from Lawrenceville, GA, 24) 5'6 Frosh Isaiah Taylor from Oakland, CA, and 25) 5'10 Frosh Tony Mayfield from Ft. Washington, PA.  Our ranking of the Top 10 Rising 8th Graders (Class of 2013) is as follows:  1) 6'0 8th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Happy Valley, OR, 2) 6'6 8th Grader Raschon Prince from Carson, CA, 3) 5'11 8th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, 4) 6'1 8th Grader Jabari Parker from Chicago, IL, 5) 6'5 8th Grader Alex Foster from Plainfield, IL, 6) 6'2 8th Grader Donte Simmons from Charlotte, NC, 7) 5'10 8th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 8) 6'4 8th Grader Dre Klayton from Orlando, FL, 9) 6'4 8th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA, and 10) 5'11 8th Grader Byrson Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN.  Our ranking of the Top 10 Rising 7th Graders (Class of 2014) is as follows: 1) 5'5 7th Grader Allonzo Trier from Federal Way, WA, 2) 6'0 7th Grader Tony Upchurch from Houston, TX, 3) 6'5 7th Grader Craig Victor from New Orleans, LA, 4) 6'3 7th Grader Kejuan Johnson from Atlanta, GA, 5) 5'6 7th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6) 5'2 7th Grader Parker Cartwright from Van Nuys, CA, 7) 5'9 7th Grader Anton Beard from North Little Rock, AR, 8) 6' 7th Grader Kendrick Bradford from Houston, TX, 9) 5'2 7th Grader Justin Jenifer from Baltimore, MD, and 10) 6'0 7th Grader Dorien Holland from St. Louis, MO.  Our ranking of the Top Four Rising 6th Graders (Class of 2014) is as follows: 1) 5'10 6th Grader Tyler Dorsey from Pasadena, CA, 2) 5'4 6th Grader Perry Dozier from Columbia, SC, 3) 5’6 6th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey, and 4) 4'11 6th Grader Mikey Dixon from New Castle, DE.

Saturday, June 28, 2008, Sunday, June 29, 2008, & Monday, June 30, 2008

Sometimes it's ironic how things turn out.  In this case we're talking about what started out as a minor problem at the 2008 Phenom Top 150 Camp in  San Diego, CA.  The story begins with the fact that 5'10 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston, TX copped an attitude with his remarks about learning to play well while playing against bad players in the essay that all players were required to write about their experiences and what they had learned at this camp.  So, when the powers-that-be who run the camp didn't like Fields' reaction when they asked him to re-write something a little more appropriate, they replaced his name on the roster of the 10th Grade All-Star Game with another player.  And that should have been the end of the story.  However, 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Humble, TX, 6'5 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Pearland, TX, and 5'11 Frosh Deion Jackson-Houston from Grand Prairie, TX, all three of whom also had been named to play in the 10th Grade All-Star Game, decided to show their support for their friend and not play in the all-star game.  And, while we understand their desire to show support for Fields, we also have to give Joe Keller, who is the President and CEO of the Camp, and Dave Taylor, who is the head coach of the camp, a lot of credit for not backing down and letting the inmates run the asylum.  Not only did Branch, McClellan, and Jackson-Houston cast themselves in a very negative light, but they also cost themselves a spot in our ranking of the very elite players in camp.  And, in the case of Branch, who clearly was the best player in camp in the HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the Phenom Top 150 Camp, he cost himself the #1-ranking in the camp.  Thus, explains why Branch, McClelland, Jackson-Houston, and Fields are not included in our ranking of the top players overall and at their respective positions in camp and why we do not plan to give them any breaks when we do rankings in the future.  But, while these four players took their toys and went home, very few people at the camp the knew the difference, as the 10th Grade All-Star Game was arguably the best all-star game played in the history of the camp.  Both teams were very extremely well balanced, the game went right down to the wire, and each team had a great point guard - 6'1 Frosh Joey Gripper from Elkins Park, PA and 6'0 Frosh Chandler Fraser-Pauls from Hopewell, NJ - who did an outstanding job of making everybody in the game better.  And Gripper is another example of the irony of the way things sometimes turn out, as, in three of his four previous appearances at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp and the Phenom Top 150 Camp in SanDiego, CA, he just missed being named to play in the all-star game.  However, this time around Gripper was one of the best players in camp, as is evident the fact that he finished ranked #5 overall and ranked #1 at the point guard spot in this age group.  We also were very impressed with the way 6'4 Frosh Robert Selmon from Phoenix, AZ, who is like a young left-handed Carmelo Anthony, scored both inside and outside en route to 21 points and game MVP honors.  And how about 6'4 Frosh Frankie Smalls from Philadelphia, PA, who did most of the dirty work inside and, as a result, more than offset the fact that 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo, NY did not take advantage of his size and strength to be a force down on the block?  Instead, Coleman spent most of his time in the high post and out on the perimeter, which played right into the hands of 6'8 Frosh Khem Birch from Ottawa (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON.  Speaking of Birch, he was physically overmatched and only had four points in the 10th Grade All-Star Game.  However, thanks to his great hands, incredible wing span, willingness to run the court, ability to score and rebound around the basket, and incredible shot blocking ability, Birch was the other player (along with Branch) that everybody was talking about in camp.  So it should come as no surprise that Birch takes home our #1-ranking in this age group.  Another guy that everybody talking about was 6'1 Frosh Alex Miller from Claremore, OK, who is a great shooter whether he's hitting or missing.  We say that because Miller was absolutely on fire with his outside shooting in several camp games, but also took more than his share of bad shots from as far away as 25 to 30 feet and, as a result, did not shoot well in the all-star game.  We also have to mention 5'11 Frosh Patrick Lucas-Perry from Grand Blanc, MI and 6'1 Frosh Derrick Wilson from Anchorage, AK, but we refuse to rank them at the point guard spot due to the fact that they both have a scorer's mentality.  The best player and the MVP in the 9th Grade All-Star Game clearly was 6'0 7th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Happy Valley, OR, who is now three-for-three at national camps (the Junior All-American and the adidas Junior Phenom camps last summer and the Top 150 Phenom Camp, which concluded yesterday) when it comes to taking home our #1-ranking in camp.  And Williams-Goss, who finished with 15 points in the all-star game and is just as good a kid as he his a basketball player, was playing up a year in class, as he's just a rising 8th Grader.  And so is 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, who impressed us with his incredible athleticism and excellent outside shooting and ball handling and passing while matched up against some of the best point guard in camp, including 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX and 5'6 7th Grader Isaiah Taylor from Oakland, CA, in the all-star game.  Speaking of all of the good point guards in this game, we were disappointed that we didn't get to see a match-up in the all-star game between 5'8 8th Grader Tyler Lewis from Statesboro, NC, who was one of the smartest players in camp, and Taylor, who was one of the quickest players in camp, due the fact that they were one opposite units.  However, for our purposes Lewis definitely gets the nod in our rankings, because he did a great job of running the show when the spotlight was on and the outside shot wasn't going down for Taylor, who had to play out of position in the all-star game.  Another guy who just gets better and better every time we see him is 5'10 8th Grader Rasheed Sulaimon from Houston, TX, who finished with 13 points and impressed us with both his ability to get to the basket and outside shooting.  We also can't stay enough good things about 6'0 8th Grader Nate Bucher from Lawrenceville, GA, who was one of the most versatile and most competitive players in camp.  We also have to mention 6'7 8th Grader Darien Nelson-Henry from Kirkland, WA, because he reminds us of a poor man version of Kevin Love.  And one of the unsung heroes of the camp was 6'3 8th Grader Omar Calhoun from Brooklyn, NY, who was the only really good player on his team's second unit, but ended up being one of the best players in the 9th Grade All-Star Game with 13 points.  Also deserving special mention are the players that received awards for their Defense, Hustle, and Fundamentals/Playmaking.  The award winners for Defense were 5'10 Frosh Marcus Whitt from Columbia, MO, 5'10 Frosh Darrell Southworth from ?????????, TX, 5'9 Frosh Kumase Desmesma from ???????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Colby Rhodes from ????????,NC, 5'8 Frosh Michael Florin from Port Washington, NY, 5'10 Frosh Dondre Butler from ?????????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Griffin Pittman from Monroe, NC, 5'8 Frosh Justin Bilyk from Celebration, FL, 5'10 Frosh Eric Morrison from ?????????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Kingley Chukwueke from San Diego, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Leodis Wiley from ???????????, CA, 5'5 8th Grader Craig Nicholson from Wichita, KS, 6'0 8th Grader Austin Key-Blackwell from Nashville, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Glenn Baral from Albany, CA, 6'2 8th Grader Alex Stork from Klamath Falls, OR, 5'9 8th Grader Michael Gilmore from Birmingham, AL, 5'7 8th Grade Chass Bryan from Oak Park, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Anthony Martinez from Norwalk, CA, and 5'6 8th Grader Sam Borst-Smith from San Pedro, CA.  The award winners for Hustle were 5'10 Frosh Nick Kearns from Greenfield, MA, 6'4 Frosh Isaac Simmons from San Antonio, TX, 5'10 Frosh Jalen Clark from Acworth, GA, 5'9 Frosh Matthew Tobin from Hopateong, NJ, 5'9 Frosh Torey Burston from ?????????????, VA, 5'10 Frosh David McMillan from ????????????, CA, 6'1 Frosh Jacob Lloyd from ??????????, TN,  5'8 Frosh Trevor Gilliam from ???????????, VA, 5'10 Frosh Jamal Alfred from ?????????, TX, 6'0 Frosh Eli Woodford from Benicia, CA, 5'10 8th Grader Jesse James from Fountain Valley, CA, 6'1 8th Grader Tracey Underwood from Brentwood, CA, 5'6  8th Grader Corey Eggleston from New Castle, PA, 5'11 8th Grader Kurt Parker from Carmichael, PA, 5'8  8th Grader DeVante Brooks from Columbia, GA, 5'11 8th Grader Leron Tooles from Coatesville, PA, 5'11 8th Grader Andrew Jarman from Portland, OR, 5'6 8th Grader Alexander Anderson from Memphis, TN, 4'10 8th Grader Angel Vasquez from Danbury, CT, 5'9 8th Grader Carl Culbertson from Pearland, TX, 6'0 8th Grader Preston Padgett from Lansing, KS, and 6'2 8th Grader Avery Schwab from Arlington, TX.  The award winners for Fundamentals/Playmaking were 6'4 Frosh Desmond McCosar from ??????????, OK, 5'0 Frosh Orlando Rosa from Walkersville, MD, 6'0 Frosh Carlin Bremmer from Davidson, NC, 5'5 Frosh Joshua Linson from San Antonio, TX, 6'0 Frosh Spencer Dinwiddle from Los Angeles, CA, 6'3 Frosh Jeremiah Espinoza from Uvaldes, TX, 5'7 Frosh Chris Fernandez from Hermosa Beach, CA, 6'0 Frosh Casey Wilmath from Searcy, AR, and 5'2 Frosh Ethan Blackwell from ?????????, MI, 5'4 8th Grader Garrett Galvin from San Diego, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Dion Page from Suisun, CA, 5'10 8th Grader David Travers from Carlsbad, CA, 5'7 8th Grader James Aikens from Jacksonville, AR, and 5'3 8th Grader Ausar Madison from ??????????, CA. 

Friday, June 27, 2008

Providing the perfect complement to our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors), which was published exclusively in the Members Section yesterday, is our Final Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players in the Class of 2008, which was published right here earlier today.  And since we last updated this list on February 21st, the most significant change that we have made was to move 6'9 Isaiah Rusher from Jackson (Mississippi Elite Christian Academy) MS up from #51 to #9 on our list.  We also have added 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton (H.S.) CA and 6'10 Nikola Vucevic from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, both of whom were late additions to USC, onto the list at #7 and #26 respectively.  So now I can turn my complete focus onto covering the Phenom Top 150 Camp, which is already under way in San Diego, CA and next week we plan to publish our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes on Wednesday, July, 2nd; our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference on Thursday, July 3rd; and our Different Way to look at Recruiting on Friday, July 4th.  So, with this in mind, now is a great to let me know about any signings or commitments that may have flown under our radar screen and, as a result, are not yet on our list.  The best way to do this is by emailing me at hoopscooponline@msn.com.  But make sure you do so by early next week, because all this has to get done before the start of the Summer Evaluation Period, which for us will begin with the LaBron James Skills Academy in Akron, OH on Sunday, July 6th; Monday, July 7th; and Tuesday, July 8th.  Then, I will be off to Philadelphia, PA to cover the Reebok All-Americam Camp on Wednesday, July 9th and Thursday, July 10th and, once again, we plan to provide you with daily updates with rankings of the top players overall and at each position in both camps exclusively right here in the Members Section.  And right after the two big camps are over, I am planning on doing something different this year.  Instead of going to the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC, which has been an annual stop on my summer tour in recent years, I will going West to cover all of the camps that Dinos Trigonis, the Pumps and Joe Keller will be running during a five-day time span.  We're talking about the Double Pump Boys West Coast All-Star Camp at Cal State Dominuquez Hills, CA in Carson, CA on July 10th-13th; Full Court Press All-West Camp at the Hanger in Hawthorne, CA on July 11th-13th; the Phenom Elite Camp in San Diego, CA on July 11th-13th; Double Pump Three Stripes Tournament in Carson, CA on July 13th-15th; and the Full Court Press Cream of the Crop Challenge at the Hanger in Hawthorne, CA on July 14th-15th.  I also once again will be at the three major tournaments in Las Vegas, NV (the Reebok Summer Championship, the adidas Super 64 Tournament, and the Main Event) on July 22nd-26th and will make stops at Jeff Schneider's Desert Dual Tournament in Phoenix, AZ on July 27th-29th and the Double Pump Best of the Summer Tournament in Los Angeles, CA on July 27th-31st prior to flying to Orlando, FL for the AAU 14-Under National Tournament in Lake Buena Vista, FL on August 1st-8th.  And finally it will be back to San Diego, CA on August 8th for the Junior Phenom Camp, which once again will give us a great head start on the future.  Getting back to the Phenom Top 150 Camp that we're attending right now, the player who impressed us the most in the first round of action earlier today was 6'8 Frosh Khem Birch from Pierrefonds, QU.  We're talking about a long lanky athletic big man who runs the court, is tough on the boards, has good moves around the basket, and is such a great shot blocker that Alonzo Mourning comparisons have already been made.  However, before we get too carried away about this sleeper who plays for the Montreal United AAU program, it will be important to see him on Sunday against the other good big man in camp - 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo, NY, who is emerging as one of the other big stories of the camp.  However, the early favorite to be the #1-ranked player in camp is 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #12 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP and has been on our radar screen since he was ranked #2 at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp as a rising 6th Grader in 2004.  As for the 2008 NBA Draft that took place last night, only time will tell whether the Chicago Bulls were right to take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley.  However, we do find our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio's comments interesting about the players like Keith Braumbaugh from Hillsborough (JC) FL, Shawn James and Kojo Mensah both from Duquesne, Oregon State's C.J. Giles, Missouri's Kalen Grimes, UAB's Reggie Huffman, Tennessee State Bruce Price, Mississippi State's Jamont Gordon, and USC's Davon Jefferson, all of whom were early entries into the NBA Draft, but didn't get drafted.  "Obviously all of these guys made a major mistake," says Naclerio.  "And with another year of college, players like Donte Green, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Billy Walker, and Richard Hendrix might have been lottery picks, instead of late first round and second round picks."  If you will recall, Green was selected #28 by Memphis, Jordan was selected #35 by the Los Angeles Clippers, Douglas-Roberts was selected #40 by the New Jersey Nets, Walker was selected #47 by Washington, and Hendrix was selected #49 by Golden State.  We also were impressed with the trade that Minnesota Timberwolves General Manager Kevin McKale made to get Kevin Love, who was drafted #5 in the NBA Draft by Memphis.  Remember, we've never brought into the theory about Love not being mobile enough and athletic enough to be a great player in the NBA.  As a matter of fact, we think Love, who we had ranked as the #1 high school player in the nation a year ago, may turn out to be even better in "The League" than in college due to the fact that they will play in straight up in the pros, instead of double and triple teaming him, which was usually the case this past season at UCLA.

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Unless otherwise denoted, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP  to move each player in every class up a year in class on July 1st.  So, with this in mind and knowing that our complete focus will be on covering the adidas Phenom Top 150 Camp in San Diego, CA during the next three days, today was the drop dead date for publishing our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors).  And, quite honestly, this is one of the best lists that we've ever published.  Not only have we been working on this list off and on for the better part of three months, but we've been following this class dating all the way back to when a lot of the top players where in middle school.  And, ironically we discovered 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA and 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA at the 14-Under Nationals in Orlando, FL four years ago by accident when we decided to take a quick look on Court #5 and Court #6 at Disney's Wide World of Sports to see if anybody passed the look test.  In other words, we knew about Monroe earlier than anybody in the business, except for maybe Ron Brisco, who lives in Louisiana.  But, unlike a lot of our competition, we never bought into the hype about Monroe being the #1-ranked player in the class.  We also were never very high on 6'10 Auri Allen, who was last seen by us sitting on the bench of Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in December at the Tournament of Champions at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, CA.  If you will recall, Allen had a big rep early, but was so out of shape as a rising freshman that he had hard time running up and down the court more than once or twice at the 14-Under Nationals.  And soon after that he dropped out of sight altogether, as he was home schooled and later moved to Las Vegas, NV, as he now has the dubious distinction of being one of the earliest busts ever.  We also remember 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA being one of the best players in the class in 8th Grade.  But we had no idea at the time that Jennings had all of the ingredients necessary to be our #1-ranked player in this class for three straight years.  And there appears to be no end in sight, as nobody in the class has stepped to challenge Jennings for the top spot.  It's also hard to forget the debates that I had with people for Philly, Jersey, and NYC about who was better - Brandon Jennings or 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA.  Evans is still our #2-ranked player in the class, but nobody, not even our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, thinks Evans is the best player in the class today.  Speaking of Jennings, isn't this about the time that he's supposed to find out if he got the score necessary on the SAT to be eligible to play as a freshman next year at the Division I college level?  However,, if Jennings doesn't make it, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for him, because the #1-ranked high school player in the nation with his incredible speed, quickness, athleticism and charisma should be able to command big money playing overseas while he grooms himself to be a superstar someday in the NBA a year from now.  And that brings us to a very interesting question that was posed to by me several days ago by our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio about where Jennings will drafted a year from now in the NBA Draft?  My first response was that it would depend upon how Jennings played next year at the University of Arizona or in Europe, depending upon what happens with his SAT score.  However, upon further reflection, I think Jennings should be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft next year due to the fact that teams in the NBA draft primarily on potential.  Remember, Jennings has all the ingredients necessary with his Allen Iverson-like speed, quickness, and explosiveness to the basket; incredible heart, desire, and work ethic; and tremendous ball handling and passing skills, high basketball IQ, and ability to lock his man up defensively to be one of the top five point guards in the history of the game.  And, if someday Jennngs does turn out to be that good, not only remember where you heard it first, but also don't forget our good friends in the business from the West Coast (i.e. Tracy Pierson, Greg Hicks, Joel Francisco, and Frank Burlison)  who continue to put their reputation and credibility on the line by telling us that Jennings has a bad attitude and really isn't as good as the hype.  In sharp contrast, just about everybody else in the business nationally has come around to our way of thinking and decided that Jennings really is that good.  However, you can't get them all right and the argument can be made that one that we missed on is 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  Sure, Samuels has gotten a lot better under the tutorage and great coaching of Danny Hurley.  But we never dreamed he'd end up being  our #4-ranked player in the class, behind Jennings, Evans, and 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA and ahead of 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) CA, 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'8 JaMychal Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, and 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY.  And Samuels deserves a lot of credit, because he's a beast inside and he's work hard to get where is is today.  However, we hope that he doesn't attempt to be a one and done guy, because the longer Samuels stays in college and plays for Rick Pitino the more money he should be able to eventually make playing the game someday at the highest level.  Moral to the story, Samuels is not a big enough to be a center in the NBA and he's still a long way away from having the mid-range skills and quickness, coordination, and agility necessary to a be four in the NBA.  As for our ranking of Samuels #49 in the class two years ago, I have not problem with it.  Remember, sometimes it's important to make a guy earn and, as is usually the case, it's not where you start out, but where you finish.  As for the Class of 2008 in general, it's not very good and the since of entitlement that a number of the players in the class have achieved is at an all time high.   However, as always, we're still sorry to see it go.  There have been some great stories, a lot of great memories, and it will be interesting to see how all of these guys turn out.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'8 Quincy Acy from Mesquite (Horne) TX has decided to attend Baylor and it looks like he will enroll in the school this fall.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, we will have to include Acy pretty high in our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Graduating Seniors Nationally, which is due out tomorrow.  Second, the Bears' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX and 6'9 Artem Valov from Three Rivers (JC) MO, moves into a tie at #31, along with Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  Third, Acy is a very good player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #6 on the list of graduating seniors that Miller sent me today.  Speaking of his list of the Top Players in Texas in the Class of 2008, it includes 1) 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 2) 6'10 Jamisen Morgan from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 3) 6'3 J'Covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX, 4) 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 5) 6'5 Phillip McDonald from Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'8 Quincy Acy from Mesquite (Horne) TX, 7) 6'3 Jeremy Green from Austin (Bowie) TX, 8) 7'0 Ian Markolf from San Antonio (Churchill) TX, 9) 6'4 Elston Turner from Missouri City (Elkins) TX, 10) 5'11 Demetri Goodson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 11) 5'11 Demetri Goodson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 12) 6'5 Chris Babbs from Arlington (Oakridge) TX, 13) 5'9 Darius Jones from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 14) 6'4 Damarius Jones from Dallas (Pinkston) TX, 15) 6'5 Kendall Timmons from Ft. Worth (Southwest) TX, 16) 6'3 Garland Judkins from Houston (Heritage Christian) TX, 17) 6'2 David Kyles from Dallas (Kimball) TX, 18) 6'7 Courtney Jackson from Paris (H.S.) TX, 19) 6'8 Corbin Ray from Katy (Taylor) TX, 20) 6'5 Dmarrio Kendrick from Houston (Stafford) TX, 21) 6'5 Kevin Butler from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 22) 6'5 Zach Williams from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 23) 6'7 Antwon Bootle from Houston (St. Thomas) TX, 24) 6'3 Tim Meadows from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 25) 6'8 Brion Stafford from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 26) 6'3 Dailon Wilson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 27) London Giles from Dallas (Kimball) TX, 28) 6'2 Trent Rodgers from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 29) 6'2 Brad Hambrick from Sherman, TX, and 30) 6'2 Torre Murray from Houston (Klein Forest) TX.  Miller also included his List of the Top 20 Rising Seniors (Class of 2009) in Texas and it includes 1) 6'10 Jr John Henson from Round Rock (H.S.) TX, 2) 6'7 Jr Erik Williams from Cypress Springs (H.S.) TX, 3) 6'6 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'4 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 5'10 Jr Tommy Griffin-Mason from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'5 Jr Nick Russell from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 8) 6'9 Jr Ray Jones from Houston (Jones) TX, 9) 6'9 Jr Cory Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX, 10) 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Dallas (North) TX, 11) 6'2 Jr Tim Frazier from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 12) 6'9 Jr Augustine Rubit from Houston (Smiley) TX, 13) 6'5 Jr Joey Brooks from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 14) 5'10 Jr Javaris Willis from Dallas (Pinston) TX, 15) 6'8 Jr Matt Staff from Houston (Memorial) TX, 16) 6'6 Jr Shawn Glover from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 17) 6'0 Jr G.J. Vilarino from McKinney (H.S.) TX, 18) 5'11 Jr Jamal Fenton from Houston (Chavez) TX, 19) 6'7 Jr Garlon Green from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, and 20) 6'3 Jr Brandon Regis from Dallas (White) TX.  It comes as no surprise that Miller has his son right at the top of his List of the Top 20 Rising Juniors (Class of 2010) in Texas, as that list includes 1) 6'0 Soph K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 2) 6'7 Soph Michael Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 3) 6'10 Soph Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'7 Soph Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 6'6 Soph Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'3 Soph T.J. Taylor from Denison (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'8 Soph Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'1 Soph DeCarlos Frank from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 9) 6'5 Soph Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 10) 6'0 Soph Brandon Peters from Houston (Yates) TX, 11) 6'9 Soph John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 12) 6'0 Soph Jamisen Stern from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 13) 6'8 Soph Steven Baird from San Antonio (MacArthur) TX, 14) 5'8 Jr Dre Evans from Dallas (Carter) TX, 15) 6'3 Soph Elton Roy from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 16) 6'4 Soph Darius White from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 17)  6'7 Soph Titus Rubbles from Dallas (North) TX, 18) 6'4 Soph Ricky Scott from Irving (MacArthur) TX, 19) 6'5 Soph Desmond Henry from Irving (H.S.) TX, and 20) 6'5 Soph Randy Collins from LaPorte (H.S.) TX.  Miller's List of the Top 15 Rising Sophomores (Class of 2011) in Texas includes 1) 6'7 Frosh LaBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 2) 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, 3) 6'5 Frosh Keaton Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 4) 6'3 Frosh Julian Lewis from Galveston (Ball) TX, 5) 6'8 Frosh Thomas Gibson from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'3 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 7) 6'6 Frosh Jordan Williams from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 8) 6'5 Frosh Jerry Singleton from Garland (Sexshe) TX, 9) 6'0 Frosh Anthony Collins from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 10) 5'8 Frosh Deion Houston from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 11) 5'7 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston (Lutheran South) TX, 12) 6'4 Frosh Jaquarius Daniels from Austin (Reagan) TX, 13) 6'6 Frosh Alex Cooper from Houston (Second Baptist) TX, 14 5'10 Frosh Kyan Anderson from Fort Worth (North Crowley) TX, and 15) 6'5 Frosh Devonte Anderson from Dallas (Spruce) TX.  Miller and I will have to agree to disagree about who the #1-ranked player is in the Class of 2012, as he still has 6'8 8th Grader Zach Peters from Plano, TX, ranked ahead of 5'11 8th Grader J'Michal Reese from Bryan, TX on his List of the Top 10 Rising Freshmen (Class of 2012) in Texas.  The rest of that list includes 3) 6'6 8th Grader Winston Sheppard from Houston, TX, 4) 6'2 8th Grader Lyndon Rose from Houston, TX, 5) 6'10 8th Grader Isaiah Austin from Mansfield, TX, 6) 6'5 8th Grader Devonte Green from Dallas, TX, 7) 6'1 8th Grader Jordan Mason from Irving, TX, 8) 6'5 8th Grader Michael Curry from Houston, TX, 9) 6'7 8th Grader Waanah Bell from Houston, TX, and 10) 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX.  Miller's top five ranked players on his List of the Top Rising 8th Graders (Class of 2013) in Texas are 1) 6'5 7th Grader Julius Randle from Richardson, TX, 2) 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, 3) 6'3 7th Grader Andrew Harrison from Houston, TX, 4) 6'3 7th Grader Aaron Harrison from Houston, TX, and 5) 5'9 7th Grader Travon Landry from San Antonio, TX. 

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

It's almost ready!  I'm talking about our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Players in the Class of 2008, which will be published exclusively in the Members Section the day after tomorrow.  However, right now it's time to turn our attention back to the steady stream of late signings, transfers, and early verbal commitments that have recently occurred.  And right at the top of the list is the fact that 6'10 Soph Brian Carlwell is transferring from the University of Illinois to San Diego State, where he promises to be the next in a long line of players who started their college career elsewhere, but came in, sat out a year, and eventually turned out to be one of the better players in the program.  This list already includes Lorrenzo Wade (from Louisville), Ryan Amoroso (from Marquette), Mohamad Abukar (from Florida), Tony Bland (from Syracuse), Wesley Stokes (from Missouri), and DeAndre Moore (from Vanderbilt) and Carlwell has the size, athleticism, and potential necessary to be as good as any of them.  Remember, this is a guy who was ranked among the top 50 high school seniors in the nation by a lot of people two years ago, but was slowed by injuries this past season, as he played in only three games early in the season for the Fighting Illini.  And Carlwell isn't the only transfer that San Diego State has landed this spring.  If you will recall, 6'6 Frosh Tyrone Shelley and 6'8 Frosh Malcolm Thomas, both of whom are originally from San Diego, CA and were the two leading scorers this past season for Pepperdine, have both decided to return home and also will be waiting in the wings next year along with Carlwell.  And, if that weren't enough, the Aztecs also recently got an early verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Alec Williams from San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA, who was ranked #27 at the Pangos All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  Williams is an undersized power forward with the athleticism, skills, and toughness around the basket necessary to have a chance to step in and make an immediate impact year after next.  When you also remember that 6'9 Mehdi Cheriet from Arizona Western (JC) AZ and 6'5 Tim Island from  Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA are both apart of San Diego State's current recruiting class, it's easy to see why a lot of people think that Aztecs assistant coach Justin Hutson is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business and why Aztecs assistant coach Brian Dutcher hasn't lost his touch as a recruiter.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'6 David Imes from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY has picked Hofstra.   But this athletic combo forward is first expected to go the prep school route and, as a result, will not count with this year's recruiting class.  The same also can be said about 6'2 Yves Jules from Brooklyn (Canarsie) NY, which means that the Pride now already has three players in the fold for next year in Imes, Jules, and 5'8 Jr Chaz Williams from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, who is ranked #5 in the junior class in the New York City by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this comes on the heels of Hofstra's current recruiting class, which includes three talented junior college players in 6'9 Miklos Szabo from Broward (JC) FL, 6'2 Tony Dennison from Broward (JC) FL, and 6'2 Cornelius Vines from Iowa Lake (JC) IA.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 7'0 James Blasczyk from Friendswood (H.S.) TX, who originally signed with Texas Christian last fall, but was planning on going the prep school route, has changed his mind again and is now heading to Texas A&M.  Blasczyk does need to get bigger and strong physically, but he does run the court, have good agility and coordination for somebody his size, and has a big upside, which explains why their is talk about his red-shirting next year.  Blasczyk also promises to be a good complement to 6'0 Dash Harris from Montverde (Academy) FL and 6'7 David Loubau from Davie (Westlake Prep) FL in a recruiting class that is now tied at #81, along with Hofstra, Marquette, Kansas, and North Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.   Our other West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that the University of Arizona has landed 6'8 Greg Smith from Vallejo (Bethel) CA and 6'5 Malik Story from Los Angeles (Ribet Academy) CA has finally found a home at Indiana University, where he is expected to be apart of the quick fix for the new regime.  Remember, the Hoosiers only have three players (Jordan Crawford, Kyle Tabor, and Brandon McGee) in the program who will return next year.  So the battle should be on for playing time among all of the players in Indiana's current recruiting class, which is ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008  and also includes 6'5 Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'2 Devon Dumes from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'8 Tom Pritchard from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'3 Matt Roth from Washington (H.S.) IL, 6'4 Verdell Jones from Champaign (Central) IL, and 6'11 Tijan Jobe from Olney Central (JC) IL.  Smith is ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally by some of our competitors and was being recruited by schools like UCLA, USC, California, Memphis, Kansas, and Florida.  However, this strong athletic power forward lacks the skills and motor necessary to be ranked that high by us.  In other words, Smith passes the look test, but not the play test, as he's currently a member of our All-Airport Team.  But, then again, Wildcats head coach Lute Olson does have a long history of developing guys like this, which makes it conceivable that he turn out to be a good complement at the power forward spot to 7'0 Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, who is a very skilled center.  We also are intrigued by the fact that 6'1 Jr Cully Payne from Schaumburg (H.S.) IL has picked the University of Alabama.  This is a guy made one of the earliest verbal commitments ever recorded when he was a freshman and, when he backed out of that commitment to DePaul this spring, we thought he might actually get it right the second go around.  However, we suspect that Payne will be even further down on the depth chart at Alabama than he would have been at DePaul, because the Crimson Tide already have 6'2 Frosh Senario Hillman and 6'4 Frosh Rico Pickett in the program; 5'9 Anthony Brock from Itawamba (JC) MS and 6'3 Andrew Steele from Birmingham (John Carroll)) AL in their current recruiting class; and 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Duncanville (H.S.) TX in next year's recruiting class.  Moral to the story, Payne belongs in the Missouri Valley Conference, instead of the SEC, unless he wants to be just a solid role player.  And how about the two verbal commitments that UAB received from 6'4 David Murray from Leeds (H.S.) AL and 6'4 Casey Mitchell from Chipola (JC) FL?  Not only does this bring the number of early commitments that Blazers have in the fold for next year to five, but it also moves their recruiting class up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.   If you will recall, they also already have 6'10) DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'2 Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'8 Maurice Bolden from Marion Military (JC) AL in the fold.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that 6'4 Lance Brown from Paterson (Catholic) NJ has picked Fordham and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'11 Jr Justin Crosgile from Wayne (DePaul Catholic) NJ has caste his lot with St. Joseph's.  Crosgile is the smart heady point guard that Hawks head coach Phil Martelli and his staff were looking for to complement all of the players - 6'10 Temidayo Adebayo from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'6 A.J. Rodgers from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 6'1 Chris Prescott from West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, and 6'7 Bryant Irwin from Bridgeport (H.S.) WV - that they landed at the other four positions in this year's recruiting class.  Brown is a tough hardnosed athletic slashing wing forward who picked the Rams over George Mason, Rhode Island, and Richmond. 

Saturday, June 21, 2008, Sunday, June 22, & Monday, June 23, 2008

It was a year ago at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA that we first began to realize that the Class of 2009 wasn't all that it was cracked up to be, as the top rising juniors in attendance did not step up and overtake what we already knew was a mediocre group of rising seniors.  So now a year later it doesn't come as the much of a surprise that at the same event we're starting to wonder if the Class of 2009 is even worse than the Class of 2008, which is arguably the worst class in the quarter of century that we've been covering grass roots basketball.  Obviously this not a knock on Tim McCormick , who does a tremendous of running the camp and attempting to teach the players in attendance the skills that they will need and to give back to the game, and Bob Gibbons, who hasn't lost his touch when it comes inviting the players.  But an overwhelming number of the players in the camp seemed to lacked energy and enthusiasm, despite the fact most of the scouts and media people from around the country were in attendance and got an opportunity to see everybody play at least several times due to the user friendly venue and the fact that there were never more than three sets of games going on at any one time.  And, all this is important, because, while this should have been an extremely easy camp to cover, it was extremely difficult due to the fact that the level of play was so mediocre and there wasn't much consistency among the top players in camp.  However, we can't say that about 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, who finished ranked #8 in scoring with 12.0 ppg, #1 in rebounding with 7.7 rpg, and tied for 8th in blocked shot with 1.0 bpg and in the final analys is our choice for the #1-ranked player in camp.  Sullinger did not have a bad game the entire week, as he led his team to the Silver Division Championship with eight points and had seven rebounds in the title game.  And, in the process, Sullinger played the game the way the game is supposed to be played, as he run the court, got easy put-backs and was always a physical presence around the basket.  We also considered 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX for the #1-ranking, because he was the catalyst for a team that went undefeated throughout the both the regular season and the playoffs and was the guy who made everybody on his team better.  We're talking about a group that also included 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, and 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA.  In contrast, the team they beat 93-73 in the Gold Division Championship featured 6'3 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (Heritage) FL, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY, and 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, all of whom were ranked among the better players in camp.  In other words, this is a perfect example, whereby, statistics are just part of the story, as Cadougan only had seven points and three assists in the championship game and only averaged 9.7 ppg and 3.9 apg for the entire camp.  In contrast, 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, who finished ranked #3 in scoring with 14.8 ppg and was the camp's official MVP, and 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who averaged 9.6 ppg and 2.4 and was the camp's official Most Promising Prospect, which goes to the top underclassman in camp, were both inconsistent throughout the camp and did not play well enough to even make it respectable in the title game.  As a matter of fact, Boynton, who is ranked #2 nationally in the Class of 2009 and finished with 14 points in the Gold Division championship game, and Knight, who is ranked #1 nationally in the Class of 2010 and had 10 points in the Gold Division Championship, will probably not maintain their current rankings nationally, much less should they have won the top two awards in the camp.  And to illustrate our point about the mediocrity and inconsistency of the camp even further is the fact that 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA dropped from being ranked #1 in camp after the first two-and-a-half days to #11 in our final rankings due to the fact that he missed all the big shots and failed to make his teammates better when his team lost a close one on the third evening of camp.  And Marshall wasn't much better on the final day, although he did hang on to finish ranked #1 in camp in assists with 5.0 apg.  One of the most improved players from start to finish in the camp was 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, who averaged 4.0 ppg in his first four games and 10.8 ppg in his last five games.  Hairston also impressed as the week wore on with his ability to step out and make 3-point shots and added confidence and aggressiveness around the basket.  Also making a major move in our rankings was 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, who finally woke up and had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his final camp game after he finished with two points and three rebounds, 14 points and five rebounds, six points and five rebounds, two points and one rebound, zero points and two rebounds, and 14 points and two rebounds in his previous six games.  In other words, the center position was so bad that Tyler gets ranked #1 at his position based on the fact that he had one really good game in camp.  So, with this in mind it should come as no surprise that Tyler still is on our list, which also includes 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA, 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'6 Jr Dion Sims from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, of players who did not live up to their reputation at this camp.  It also should be pointed out that the top underclassmen in camp really didn't step up and take over like we had hoped, despite the fact that two of our top three ranked players in camp (Sullinger and Knight) are rising juniors.  The HOOP SCOOP's Final Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA are as follows:  1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 3) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 4) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 5) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 7) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 9) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 10) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 14) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 15) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 16) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 17) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 18) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 19) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 20) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 21) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 22) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 23) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 24) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 25) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 26) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 27) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 28) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 29) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 30) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 31) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 32) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 33) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 34) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 35) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 36) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 37) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 38) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 39) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 40) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 41) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 42) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 43) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 44) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 45) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 46) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 47) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 48) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 49) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, and 50) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Centers in Camp were 1) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 2) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 3) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 4) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 5) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 6) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 7) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 8) 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'9 Jr Brennan Cougill from Sioux City (Bishop Heelan) IA, 10) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 11) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA, 12) 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 13) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 14) 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 15) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanne (Collins Hill) GA, and 16) 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Power Forwards in Camp were 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 7) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 8) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 9) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 10) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 11) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 12) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 13) 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 14) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 15) 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 16) 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 17) 6'7 Soph C.J. Leslie from Ra1eigh (Word of God) NC, 18) 6'9 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 19) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 20) 6'7 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, and 21) 6'9 Jr David Chadwick from Charlotte (Latin) NC.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp were 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY,  5) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 7) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 8) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 9) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 10) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 11) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 12) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 13) 6'6 Jr Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 14) 6'7 Frosh Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 15) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 16) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 17) 6'5 Jr Lamar Patterson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 18) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 19) 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, and 20) 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA.  Our Final Ranking of the Top 2-Guards in Camp were 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 4) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 6) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 7) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 8) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 9) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 10) 6'4 Jr Ben Boggs from Roanoke (Hidden Valley) VA, 11) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 12) 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 13) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 14) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 15) 6'3 Jr Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 16) 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT.  Our Final Ranking of the Top Point Guards in Camp were 1) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 4) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 5) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 7) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 8) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 8) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 10) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 11) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 12) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 13) 6'3 Jr C.J. Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 14) 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, and 15) 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Believe it nor not, none of the top-ranked players from a day ago at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA separated themselves from the rest of the pack during last night's evening session and today's morning session and, as a result, the door was opened for 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to step up and obtain the #1-ranking on our list of the top players after the first two-and-a-half days of camp.  Not only did Marshall score 19 points, dish out eight assists, and totally control the game from the point guard position last night, but he also was the leading passer in camp heading into today with 5.0 apg and he has done a great job of balancing being the guy who makes everybody on his team better and keeping the defense honest with his own ability to score.  If you will recall, one of the knocks on Marshall in the past has been that he is almost too unselfish and, in the process, doesn't score enough points and dominate the game like a player of his caliber should.  However, the best individual performance that we've seen during the entire week at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp came last night when 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA knocked down three straight 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the first five minutes of the game.  Johnson went on to finish with 18 points and three assists, but his open looks diminished after the first quarter due to the fact that he was being guarded by 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, who is one of the best defensive guards in the nation.  Johnson also finished with only four points, nine points and seven points in his first three games at camp, which explains why we have him ranked no higher than #30 overall in camp and #8 at his position.  In other words, consistency counts.  And so does being a good citizen, which explains why we have 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC ranked no higher than #18 in camp, despite the fact that he turned in one of the best individual performances of the entire week in the first half of last night's game.  The problem is that Johnson had a verbal confrontation with his coach at half-time, which led to his not playing a single minute in the second half of last night's game.  Several other players dramatically on the rise during the last 24 hours are 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY and 6'4 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  And, in both cases, it looks like they've shed their tweener tag, as Scott really impressed us with the form on his jump sot and the confidence that he had in his outside shooting and Franklin has really improved his mid-range game.  Franklin also is without doubt one of the nicest kids in camp and is such a great competitor and incredible physical specimen that we have to wonder if he could turn out to be the next P.J. Tucker, who, despite his lack of size, evolved into one of the best power forwards in college basketball while playing at the University of Texas.  It also should be pointed out that 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA is still the leading scorer in camp.  But he should be because also is one of the leaders in attempts.  Thus, explains why we dropped Hamilton from #1 to #3, behind Marshall and 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, in camp since yesterday.  Also dramatically on the rise is 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, who, at the conclusion of last night's games, one of the leading scorers with 12.5 ppg and rebounders with 4.5 rpg in camp, thanks to his athleticism, rebounding, and ability to slash to the basket.  We also have to reiterate just how bad the center position is in camp, as we really tired to take find somebody besides 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK to anchor the #1 spot.  Some people, like Rob Matera, who is Bob Gibbons' right hand man, are pushing 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA.  But Murray got hurt and didn't play very much this afternoon and right now his status for the rest of the camp is uncertain.  However, the status of 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK and 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ does appear to be etched in stone, as they both are injured and are not expected to play the rest of the week.  And this is important, because neither player can be found in The HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, which were compiled by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis, HOOP SCOOP Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson et al. and are based on performance after the first two-and-a-half days of camp, are as follows:  1) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 3) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 4) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 5) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 7) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 9) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 10) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 11) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 15) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 16) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 17) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 18) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 19) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 20) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 21) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 22) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 23) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 24) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 25) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 26) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 27) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 28) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 29) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 30) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 31) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 32) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 33) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 34) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 35) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 36) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 37) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 38) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 39) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 40) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI.  The Top Centers in Camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 2) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 3) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 4) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 6) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 7) 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 8) 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 9) 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA, 10) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 11) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 12) 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 13) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 14) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA, 15) 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 16) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanne (Collins Hill) GA.  The Top Power Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 7) 6'7 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 8) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 9) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 10) 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 11) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 12) 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 13) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 14) 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 15) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 16) 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, and 17) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The Top Wing Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 4) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 5) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 7) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 8) 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 9) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 10) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 12) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 13) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 14) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 15) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA.  The Top 2-Guards in Camp are 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 4) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 6) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 7) 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 8) 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 9) 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 10) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 11) 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 12) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 13) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 14) 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT, and 15) 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA.  The Top Point Guards in Camp are 1) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 4) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 7) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL, 8) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 9) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 10) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 11) 6'3 Jr C.J. Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 12) 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 13) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 14) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, and 15) 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

The early returns are in and the HOOP SCOOP'S Exclusive Ranking of the Top Players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, which were compiled by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis, HOOP SCOOP Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson et al. and are based on performance after the first day-and-a-half of camp, are as follows:  1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 4) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5) 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 7) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 8) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 9) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 10) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 11) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 12) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 13) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 14) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 15) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 16) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 17) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 18) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 19) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 20) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 21) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 22) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 23) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Majove) NV, 24) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 25) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 26) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 27) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 28) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 29) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 30) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA.  Or to look at this another way, it looks like we were right on the money yesterday when we told you that some of the top underclassmen in camp appeared to be ready to step up and take over, as three of our top four-ranked players and five of our top 15-ranked players in camp are rising juniors.  And the race for the top spot in camp is really up for grabs, as 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ are clearly the four players who have separated themselves into a class by themselves as the top players in camp.  And, as things stand now, 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK also probably deserves to be on that list, although we suspect that he will drop as the week goes due to the fact that he has been sidelined by an injury and is not expected to play the rest of the week.  In contrast, we expect 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who has the talent and athleticism necessary to be one of the best players in camp, but didn't play yesterday, to move up dramatically on our list during the next several days.  We also think it's interesting to point out that the camp is loaded at the wing forward and power forward spots, as 29 of the 58 players that we ranked at their respective positions play one of these two positions.  And the point guard position is also very good, although it does not have the depth of the two forward positions.  The two weakest positions in camp obviously are center and 2-guard, but this is easily explained when one remembers that the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp is competing with two of NIKE's skill academies - the Amare Stoudemire Big Man Camp for Centers and Power Forwards and the Paul Pierce 2G-Guard Camp.  We also want to point out that did not look at any of the statistics from the camp prior to compiling these rankings.  But the fact that 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA was the leading scorer in camp after the first day with 22.0 ppg simply reinforces our believe that he deserves the nod as the #1-ranked player in camp.  We also think it's worth pointing out that 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL was ranked #3 in scoring in camp with 16.5 ppg.  However, we don't put as much value on the fact that 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN with 19.5 ppg, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH with 16.0 ppg, and 6'2 Soph Josh Shelby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD with 15.5 ppg were the other three players who were ranked among the top five in scoring after the first day due to the fact that they were playing on their team's second unit.  But in the case of Shelby, we aren't surprised, because he was hands down the best second unit player in camp yesterday and he was pretty good again today.  We also want to mention that 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH was the leading rebounder in camp with 9.5 rpg and that 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD is arguably one of the players that helped himself the most as he is ranked right there along with all of the heavy hitters and big name players in camp.  The Top Centers in Camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK, 2) 6'9 Jr Deshawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 3) 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 4) 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook North) IL, 6) 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 7) 6'9 Jr Donnavan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 8) 6'9 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 9) 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, and 10) 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance Academy) CA.  The Top Power Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 3) 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 4) 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 5) 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 7) 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 8) 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St Mark's) MA, 9) 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 10) 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 11) 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 12) 6'7 Jr Marshall Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, and 13) 6'8 Jr Glenn Byrant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The Top Wing Forwards in Camp are 1) 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 4) 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 5) 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6) 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 7) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 8) 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 9) 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 10) 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 11) 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 12) 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 13) 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 14) 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 15) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, and 16) 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY.  The Top 2-Guards in Camp are 1) 6'2 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 3) 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Majove) NV, 4) 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 5) 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6) 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 7) 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, and 8) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA.  The Top Point Guards in Camp are 1) 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 2) 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine Prep) WA, 3) 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 4) 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5) 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6) 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 7) 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, 8) 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 9) 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 10) 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo fro Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 11) 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Melton) AL.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp tipped off this morning at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA and we were shocked at just how mediocre the level of play was in the opening session of this year's camp, as missed lay-ups, lazy passes, lacksidasical effort, and very poor outside shooting were the order of day in the opening round of games.  And this is a great cause for concern, because the Class of 2009 is continuing to look almost as mediocre as the Class of 2008, although the current rising senior class does have a lot more star power than the graduating senior class, which has 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and really nobody else.  However, unfortunately for this year's camp three of the top five-ranked juniors nationally - 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'10 Jr Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, and 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC - are not in attendance.  And, in the case of Wall, it looks like he ducked the competition, as he is the only player who to our knowledge was on the final roster, but failed to show.  But there also is some good news, as, unlike a year ago at this camp, some of the top underclassmen appear to be ready to step up and take over.  We're talking about 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, all three of whom are consensus top five-ranked sophomores in the nation and today were three of the best players in camp.  Other noteworthy individual performances were turned in by 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 5'11 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, and 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuinnes) OK.  Editor's Note:  As this point I've only seen one-third of the 12 teams in camp and sometimes it takes a session or two for a camp like this before the players develop the right chemistry and recover from the travel.  So be sure to check back each of the next three days to get the highlights and our ranking (both overall and by position) of the top  players at the 2008 NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp.  And, in case you were wondering exactly who is at this year's camp, a breakdown of teams is a follows:  The Lakers (Team #1) have 6'10 Jr Anthony Stover from La Canada (Renaissance) CA, 6'7 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'4 Jr Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA, 6'11 Jr Rusian Pateev from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'8 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 6'3 Jr Austin Carroll from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'0 Frosh Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'4 Jr Nicos Norris from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS; The Celtics (Team #2) have 6'9 Jr Jack Cooley from Glenview (Glenbrook South) IL, 6'9 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, 6'9 Jr Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Eads (Briarcrest Christian) TN, 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'9 Soph Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Rakeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'5 Jr Lamar Patterson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Jr D.J. Byrd from Crawfordsville (North Montgomery) IN, 6'2 Soph Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Soph Travis McKee from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, and 5'11 Jr Zenan Robinson from Oakland (H.S.) CA; The Pistons (Team #3) have 6'10 Jr Aaric Murray from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Tyler Haws from Highland (Lone Peak) UT, 6'1 Jr Maalik Wayns from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'9 Jr Brenan Cougill from Sioux City (Bishop Heelan) IA, 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'5 Jr Dalton Pepper from Fairless (Pennsbury) PA, 6'5 Jr Rodney McGruder from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 6'4 Jr Soph Cameron Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) MD, 6'6 Jr Dion Sims from Orchard Lake (St. Mary's) MI, and 6'0 Frosh Kellen McCormick from Westfield (Notre Dame) MI; The Spurs (Team #4) have 6'9 Jr Wendell Lewis from Selma (H.S.) AL, 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Christian Watford from Birmingham (Shades Valley) AL, 6'5 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 6'1 Jr Michael Dixon from Lee's Summit (West) MO, 6'10 Jr Garrick Sherman from Kenton (H.S.) OH, 6'8 Jr Glenn Bryant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 6'3 Jr Tamir Jackson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Hayes) AL, 6'7 Soph Julian Royal from Apharetta (Milton) GA, and 6'10 Jr D'LDon Smith from Nassau, Bahamas; The Cavaliers (Team #5) have 6'9 Jr DeShawn Painter from Norfolk (Booker T. Washington) VA, 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Jr Mfon Udofia from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 5'10 Jr Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'9 Jr Jeff Robinson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Isaiah Philmore from Bel Air (John Carroll) MD, 6'8 Soph Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'4 Jr Ben Boggs from Roanoke (Hidden Valley) VA, 6'3 Jr Erick Green from Winchester (Millbrook) VA, and 6'7 Frosh Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ; The Jazz (Team #6) have 6'10 Jr Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, 6'8 Jr Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'3 Jr Kenny Boynton from Plantation (Heritage) FL, 6'3 Soph Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'9 Jr Donnovan Kirk from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'7 Jr Paris Bennett from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'6 Jr Tevin Baskin from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'4 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'4 Jr Christian Webster from Bethesda (Landon School) MD, 6'6 Jr Damon Powell from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, and 6'2 Soph Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA; The Hornets (Team #7) have 6'10 Jr Shawn Kemp Jr from Canton (Cherokee) GA, 6'7 Jr Marshall Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 6'6 Jr Xavier Henry from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA, 6'3 Jr C.J Harris from Winston-Salem (Mount Tabor) NC, 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Suwanee (Collins Hill) GA, 6'9 Jr David Chadwick from Charlotte (Latin) NC, 6'5 Jr John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'2 Frosh Shannon Scott from Atlanta (Lovett School) GA, 6'5 Jr Rahlir Jefferson from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 5'11 Jr Brandon Edmondson from Keller (Fossil Ridge) TX; The Rockets (Team #8) have 6'9 Jr Kyle Hardrick from Norman (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'6 Jr Terrell Vinson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'4 Jr Lorenzo Brown from Roswell (Centennial) GA, 6'0 Soph Eric Atkins from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, 6'11 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Jr Jamil Wilson from Racine (Horlick) WI, 6'5 Jr Trent Lockett from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'3 Jr Justin Hawkins from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, and 5'9 Jr Anthony Bowie from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL; The Suns (Team #9 have 6'9 Jr Cadarian Raines from Petersburg (H.S.) VA, 6'8 Jr Alex Oriakhi from Tilton (School) NH, 6'7 Jr Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'3 Jr Brandon Paul from Gurnee (Warren) IL, 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'9 Jr Derrick Nix from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'8 Jr Richard Howell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Jr Ari Stewart from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, 5'9 Soph Phillip Pressey from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA, and 6'6 Soph Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA; and The Magic (Team #10) have 6'9 Soph Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'0 Jr Peyton Siva from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'9 Jr Jordan Morgan from Detroit (University of Detroit Jesuit) MI, 6'8 Jr Bobby Capobianco from Loveland (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, and 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

During the last five days while we were attempting to solve the problems that we were experiencing with our internet service provider and we were covering the Freshman All-American Camp and the Junior All-American Camp at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA, there was still a steady stream of late signings by players in the Class of 2008 and verbal commitments from players in the Class of 2009 that we need to address.  And right at the top of the list is 6'9 Jr Brendan Lane from Rocklin (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #59 nationally in the junior class and is one of the top power forwards on the West Coast.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis was the first person to tip us off on Saturday about Lane picking the Bruins, but the guy who really thinks Lane is a steal for the Bruins is our other West Coast Editor Alan Utter.  Lane has a great mid-range game, is aggressiveness around the basket, and is very good defensively and at blocking shots," says Utter.  "He does need to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's bouncy and athletic, which should make Lane a good complement to Reaves Nelson in year's recruiting class."  Remember, Nelson is a 6'7 force to be reckoned with from Modesto (Christian) CA, but he's really an undersized power forward, who reminds one more of Kevin Love than the Wear twins.  Speaking of the 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, both of whom are already for North Carolina, they're both ranked ahead of Lane in our most recent rankings.  But Utter is willing to go on record and stack his credibility and reputation on the fact that Lane will be the best of the three players, which explains why this addition moves UCLA's recruiting class into a tie at #4, along with Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  Utter also tells us that USC is finally done recruiting with the recent additions of 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA and 6'10 Nikola Vucevic from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA. Washington has committed to and reneged on the Trojans so many times we're tired of talking about it.  But the addition of Vucevic is interesting, because we're talking about a 6'10, 240-pound skilled inside player who can score inside, pass the ball back out to the open man, and run the court surprisingly well for somebody his size.  Vucevic also is only 17-years-old and, up until now, has flown under the radar screen due to the fact that he didn't play any AAU ball and his prep school team played a limited schedule this past season.  In other words, we may be talking about a major sleeper and several people who have seen him play think Vucevic should be ranked among our 100 seniors nationally.  So it should come as no surprise that Southern Cal's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Donte Smith from Mt. San Antonio (JC) CA, and 6'0 Percy Miller from Beverly Hills (H.S.) CA, moves back up into a tie at #7, along with Connecticut and Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  And this is important, because it looks like none of the fallout surrounding the O.J. Mayo controversy has effected the Trojans coaching staff's ability to both recruit and keep the current players they already have in the fold.  Moral to the story, some programs make excuses why they can't get it done and others, like USC, just keep right on getting it done.  Remember, a year ago this also was the program that finished with the #1-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2007 when they landed 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Venice, CA, 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Marion) LA, and 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA.  Utter also tells us that 6'6 Frosh Derrick Jasper is transferring from the University of Kentucky to UNLV and 6'9 Charles Garcia from Riverside (JC) CA has verbally committed to the University of Washington.  And the commitment by Garcia is big, because he is a big strong highly touted power forward who was one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks this past season.  He also should be the perfect replacement for 6'7 Jr Jon Brockman, who is one of the best power forwards in the Pacific-10 Conference and who must be replaced when he graduates after next season.  Another freshman in the junior college ranks who made an early verbal commitment yesterday was 6'3 Dwight Buycks from Indian Hills (JC) IA.  Buycks decided to return home (he's originally from Milwaukee, WI) and attend Marquette, which means the Golden Eagles now already have three players in the fold in next year's recruiting class that also already includes 6'7 Erik Williams from Cypress (Cypress Springs) TX and 6'6 Jeronne Maymon from Madison (Memorial) WI and is now ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And our Wisconsin/Minnesota/Iowa/Illinois/Indiana Editor Antonio Curro thinks this is an excellent catch, because Buycks is versatile and athletic enough to play either guard spot in the Big East and is capable of doing a lot of different things well, as is evident by the fact that he averaged 15.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, and 2.6 apg this past season in one of the toughest junior college leagues in the nation.  This also comes right on the heels of Marquette's current recruiting class, which includes 6'6 Jimmy Butler from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Tyler (JC) TX, and 6'10 Chris Otule from Ft. Bend (Bush) TX.  However, new Golden Eagles head coach Buzz Williams' best recruit is arguably former Nebraska assistant coach Tony Benford, who is one of the most astute evaluators of talent and best recruiters in the business.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'5 Roburt Sallie from San Francisco City (JC) CA has picked the University of Memphis over schools like Cincinnati and Kentucky.  And this too is significant, because suddenly the Tigers have not one, not two, but three athletic wing players in the fold as they attempt to replace 6'3 Frosh Derrick Rose and 6'6 Jr Chris Douglas-Roberts, both of whom entered their names into the NBA Draft earlier this spring.  We also have confirmed that the University of Tennessee has landed 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and appears to be the final piece to the puzzle in a recruiting class that is now ranked #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and also already includes 6'7 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 6'2 Bobby Maze from Hutchinson (JC) TX, 6'8 Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'11 Phillip Jurrick from Chattanooga (East Ridge) TN, and 6'1 Daniel West from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  Remember, Negedu has a reputation for being a high energy undersized power forward who gets the most of what he has, which makes him ideally suited to step in and play for Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl.  We also think it is impressive just who many different places the Tennessee coaching staff went to put together this year's recruiting class, as they landed one player out of their own backyard (Jurrick), beat the University of Kentucky in their backyard for Hopson, got Maze out of the junior college ranks, went East into the prep school ranks to get Negedu out of the prep school ranks, went into the Midwest to get West out of Michigan, and went West to get Woolridge.  However, none of this should come as much of a surprise when one remembers that Pearl has two of the best, as well as two of the hardest working assistant coaches in the business, in Tony Jones and Steve Forbes.  It also looks like 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has verbally committed to Georgia Tech, 6'1 Chris Bass from Lee (Academy) ME will attend LSU, 6'8 Augustus Gilchrist from Hyattsville (Progressive Christian) MD is now heading to South Florida, 6'8 Joey Cameron from Chipola (JC) FL has become New Orleans' sixth recruit in a recruiting class that is currently ranked #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and also already includes 5'11 Darrion McKinstry from Fullerton (JC) CA, 6'10 Jacoby Pittman from Madison (Central) MS, 6'4 Paul Hagler from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS, 6'8 Ejike Hart from Hillsborough (JC) FL, and 6'0 Destin Damachousa from Polk (JC) KS.  Gilchrist, who originally signed with Virginia Tech as a high school senior at Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD a year ago and then enrolled at the University of Maryland after signing with the Terrapins last fall, was declared ineligible to play for Maryland several week ago.  So now Gilchrist becomes the marquee player in a recruiting class that now appears to be a major step in the right direction, as Bulls head coach Stan Heath and his staff have already have 5'11 Dwan McMillan from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Eladio Espinosa from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Eugene Teague from Pennsauken (Apex Academies) NJ, 6'3 Gaby Belardo from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'9 Alex Rivas-Sanchez from Pratt (JC) KS in the fold in a recruiting class that is now ranked #39 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  Bass is the younger brother of former LSU star Brandon Bass.  But, unlike his older brother, Bass is combo guard player, instead of stud around the basket.  He also promises to be a good role player, instead of one of the stars of the team.  Oliver is ranked #45 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the better 3-point shooter in the junior class nationally. 

Monday, June 16, 2008

Watching all the good rising freshmen and rising 8th Graders at the Freshman All-American Camp and the Junior All-American Camp at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA was a great head start on the future.  But the real highlight of the camp was getting to see all of the incredible talent that Clay Dade, who is the director of both camps, had assembled in the youngest two age groups.  And right at the top of the list was 5'5 6th Grader Alonzo Trier from Federal Way, WA, who not only was the best player in the Rising 7th Grade Division, but also played up and averaged over 20.0 ppg in two games in the Rising 8th Grade Division and scored seven points while playing in a quarter of game in the Rising Freshman Division.  Thus, explains why we have Trier ranked #12 overall in camp in the Rising 8th Grade Division and why we think he would have been one of the better guards in the Rising Freshman Division, if he'd gotten the opportunity.  Trier is clearly the best player in the nation in his class due to the fact that he has the heart and desire, speed and quickness, ball handling and passing skills, and court savvy and basketball IQ necessary to be a great player.  However, what really sets Trier apart from the rest of his peers is his ability to score.  Not only does Trier have a knack for finding a way to get his shot off against bigger and stronger guys inside, but he also is deadly from beyond the arc, and he has an incredible mid-range game.  Another one of the big reasons why Trier, who reminds us so much of 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, is so far ahead of everybody else in his class is the fact that he's gotten great teaching and skill development at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player of the camp each of the last two years.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Trier's mother tells us that one of his goals is to go back to Five-Star every summer for the next six years and become the only player in the history of the camp to be named the Most Outstanding Player in his age group eight straight years.  The other player in camp who played up a year in class and was clearly one of the better players in camp was 5'4 5th Grader Perry Dozier from Columbia, SC, who is the son and nephew of former Baltimore (Dunbar) MD and University of South Carolina twin towers Perry and Terry Dozier.  However, Dozier's multi-dimensional game reminds us more of 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is the best 6th Grader we've ever seen and, at the time, when we first saw him six years ago was even then capable of playing any position on the court.  Dozier not only was the second best player on his team in the Rising 7th Grade Division, but he totally dominated the Rising 6th Grade All-Star Game, which lasted only half as long as the other four all-star games, with 11 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, four steals, 5'7 field goals, and 1-1 3-pointers.  As a matter of fact, Dozier was so good that there is no question in our mind that he gets the nod as the best 5th Grader in the nation, ahead of 5'10 5th Grader Tyler Dorsey from Pasadena, CA and 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey.  We also were totally impressed with 5'2 6th Grader Parker Cartwright from Van Nuys, CA.  Not only was he phenomenal all weekend with his explosiveness, athleticism, and incredible moves to get to the basket, but Cartwright took it right to Trier, who was guarding him in the all-star game, as he was the leading scorer with 13 points and turned in the best performance in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game.  We also were really impressed with the size, athleticism, and ability to block shots and run the court that we saw from 6'4 6th Grader Craig Victor from New Orleans, LA, who finished with four points, six rebounds, three blocked shots, and 2-4 field goals in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game.  However, we have to give 5'6 6th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN the nod as the #3-ranked player in this age group due to the fact that consistency counts and he also was one of the three best players in the Rising 7th Grade All-Star Game, along with Cartwright and Trier.  We also have to give 5'3 6th Grader James Cunningham from Lexington, KY the nod over 5'2 6th Grader Justin Jenifer from Baltimore, MD as the #2-ranked point guard in camp due to the fact that Jenifer was missing in action the last day-and-a-half of camp due to the fact that he had another tournament to play in.  And it might have been a good thing for Jenifer, who prior to going head-to-head against Trier in the 6th Grade All-Star Game last summer the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA, was the consensus #1-ranked player nationally in his class.  Trier also got the better of Jenifer in the rematch in the scrimmage that took place on the first night of camp, but Jenifer still has to be regarded as one of the premier players in the nation in his class, because he's a strong physical point guard who can flat out score both inside and outside.  We also have high praise for 4'11 6th Grader Jerron Love from Bronx, NY, because he was one of the best defensive players in camp, and this age group also had more than its share of multi-dimensional athletes, like 5'9 6th Grader Anton Beard from North Little Rock, AR and 6'0 6th Grader Dylan Portwood from Georgetown, KY and 6'0 6th Grader Conner McCullough from Stillwell, KS, who were capable of playing both inside and outside.  And Beard, Portwood, and McCullough, who are three of our top four power forwards in camp, provide a classic illustration of how we rank players in camp.  When it doubt go with where a player plays at the defensive end and also remember that in this day-and-age everybody thinks they're a perimeter player.  In other words, it you're the tallest player on your team, you can't defend anybody out on the perimeter, and/or you playing inside at the defensive end in camp, you're probably going to be listed as a power forward or a center.  And a perfect illustration of this is 6'5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA, who brought the ball up the court and knocked down the more than his share of 3-pointers at the offensive end, but was clearly one of the most dominant inside players in camp at the defensive end.  Speaking of Anderson, he edges out 6'6 8th Grader Winston Sheppard from Houston, TX, who also falls into the same category of being a power forward in camp, but will be listed as a wing forward when we rank him among the top 10 players nationally in his class the next time we update our ranking of the top players in this class, for the top spot in the Rising Freshman Division.  However, our favorite player in this age group has to be 6'6 8th Grader Ricardo Gathers from New Orleans, LA, who reminds us Dwight Howard in many ways.  We're talking about somebody who can step outside and hit an occasional three, which he did in the all-star game.  But Gathers also knows what his bread and butter are, as is evident by the fact that he had 14 points and nine rebound in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game.  We also were really impressed with two other players from New Orleans, LA, as 6'3 8th Grader Sydie London finished with nine points and hit the game winning shot in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game and 5'10 8th Grader Javan Felix made some great passes and did a great job of changing speeds when he wanted to get past a defender and/or go to the basket.  And, of course, we liked 6'2 8th Grader D'Vaunte Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN.  But we'd like Smith-Rivera even more if he'd use his size, strength, and athleticism to dominate inside, instead of trying to be a point guard.  But we still rank Smith-Rivera in our top five in the Rising Freshman Division, because 6'8 8th Grader Perry Ellis from Wichita, KS didn't stick around to play in the Rising Freshman All-Star Game, which is a no-no when you're looking for the benefit of the doubt when it comes to being ranked high in camp.  And the best example of this is 6'4 8th Grader Michael Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA, who got out of Dodge as fast as possible after being named to play in the Second 20 Rising Freshman All-Star Game.  Instead, Avery should have attempted suck it up and proven that everybody, including us, missed on him by snubbing him from being in the Top 20 Game.  However, then again Avery had a tough week, as he was matched up against 6'5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Spotsylvania, VA in a game that was televised by a local station featuring the guy who made a verbal commitment to the University of Kentucky in 8th Grade versus the best player in camp.  Needless to say it was ugly, but Avery's lack of speed and quickness were probably saved from getting exposed even further by his not being selected to play in the Top 20 Rising Freshman Game.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'5 7th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA, who finished ranked #4 in the Rising 8th Grader Division, behind 5'11 7th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'3 7th Grader Tarique Thompson from Columbia, SC, and 6'3 7th Grader Jubril Adedkaya from Tinley Park, IL, may have cost himself the #1-ranked in his age group due to the fact that he had to catch a plane.  Moral to the story, it's not a good idea to leave camp early if you're interested in being ranked as high as possible.  And even worse are the guys who indicate that they have an interest in attending the camp, but don't bother to show up at all.  Some of the elite names on this list include 6’8 8th Grader Tony Parker from Lithonia, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL, 6’1 7th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 5’4 7th Grader Ethan Telfair from Brooklyn, NY, and 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey. 

Friday, June 13, 2008, Saturday, June 14, 2008, & Sunday, June 15, 2008

Due to a technical issue with the service provider of the company that hosts our web site, subscribers have been unable to log onto the Members Section off and on since Wednesday, June 11, 2008.  However, this problem now appears to be finally fixed and, as a result, we are now ready to provide you our exclusive Ranking of the Top Players in each class from the Junior All-American Camp and the Freshman All-American Camp, both of which concluded late on Sunday afternoon at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA.  We also plan to provide you tomorrow with all of the highlights from both the camps and the all-star games, as well as some interesting commentary from both Spencer Pulliam, who is both the Editor and Publisher of GenerationNextBasketball.com and an Associate Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, and myself about what we've both seen over the weekend.  Speaking of Pulliam, he deserves a special thanks from everybody at the camp who was able to identify the players, because he went far beyond the call of duty when he assumed the daunting task of compiling the rosters for every team in all three age groups, as well as playing a major role in putting together the rosters for all five of today's all-star games. 

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Due to the fact that I will be covering the Junior All-American Camp and the Freshman All-American Camp this weekend at the Hoop Magic Sports Academy in Chantilly, VA, this will be the first time in years that I will miss the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY.  However, that doesn't mean that the Rumble in the Bronx won't be as good as ever.  As a matter of fact, Jim Hart ,who is the Tournament Director for the Rumble in the Bronx, the President of the Albany City Rocks NIKE-sponsored club team program, and one of the great people in the business, tells us that he expects some of the top high school players in the nation, including 6'5 Jr Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Jr Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'10 Jr Erik Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'7 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Jr Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'9 Jr Kourtney Roberson from Arcadia (H.S.) LA, 6'4 Jr Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Tevin Baskins from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 5'9 Jr Darwin Ellis from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Soph Doron Lamb from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'2 Soph Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Taran Buie from Albany (Bishop Maginn) ) NY, 6'9 Soph Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols) NY, 6'6 Soph Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 6'4 Soph Charles Hankerson from Miami (Coral Reef) FL, to be in attendance.  The breakdown of teams in the 17-Under Division is as follows:  Pool A has Rashard Lewis S.E.E., Team Swish CA, V2F Conquerers, and CASW; Pool B has the New York Gauchos, North Carolina Fire, J.B. Hoops, and New Jersey Panthers; Pool C has Louisiana Select, New York Elite, Jersey Shore Warriors, and City Rocks Orange; Pool D has the Playaz Basketball Club, Georgia Elite, You Better Pray (TX), and Westchester Hawks; Pool E has Martin Brothers Select, LBA Seawolves (TX), New York Ravens, and Hoops Excellence; Pool F has the Miami Tropics, New Jersey ABC, New York Pride, and Connecticut Select; Pool G has the Raising Champions, Gardner Road Elite, New Heights, Central Jersey Hawks; Pool H has LD Dream Team, New York Panthers, Gold Coast Florida, and BABC South; Pool I has New England Playaz, South Jersey Jazz, Columbia Ravens, New Jersey Roadrunners; Pool J has Team Final, Squash All Beefs, Jersey Shore Shots, and Massachusetts; Pool K has Juice, Team Power Georgia, New Jersey Stars, and Hoop Magic; and Pool L has DC Assault, CBC, Expressions, and Brooklyn Clippers.  Hart also thinks the 16-Under Division will be really good as the breakdown of teams in that division is as follows:  Pool M has the City Rocks, LBA Seawolves (TX), New Heights White, and CJ Hawks; Pool N has the Playaz, Kansas City Keys, Jersey Shore, and Brooklyn Ball; Pool O has California Supreme, NJ ABC, JB Hoops, and Stud Athletic Broncos; Pool P has New Heights, Expressions, New Jersey Roadrunners, and Connecticut Elite; Pool Q has the New York Gauchos, Garner Road, CBC, and New York City Jaguars; Pool R has Martin Brothers, Raising Champions, CBA, and Jersey Shore Wildcats; Pool S has Metro, Rap-Brady, YABC, and SJ Rising Stars; and Pool T has Louisiana Select, Westchester Hawks, Connecticut Select, and Team Boss.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Several days ago we provided you with a sneak preview of our final ranking of the top 100 seniors, which will be incorporated into our Final Ranking of the Top 1000 Graduating Seniors Nationally (Class of 2008) that will be published exclusively in the Members Section before the end of this month.  However, we didn't get a chance at the time to go into any detail about why we have certain players ranked where the are and why some players made major movements up and down since we last published a List of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2008.  So we will do so now and right at the top of the list of things we want to address is the fact that we have moved 6'9 Gregory Echenique from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ into this class due to the fact that he plans to by-pass his senior year in high school and enroll this fall at Rutgers.  And Echenique checks in at #15 in the class, which makes him one of the premier inside players nationally in the Class of 2008, along with 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'8 JaMichael Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'5 William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, and 6'10 Mike Dunigan from Chicago (Farragut) IL, all of whom are ranked among our top 20 seniors nationally.  We also think it's important to point out that Echenique is not the only player ranked among the top 24 players nationally who did not make the prestigious McDonald's All-American Team, as 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH is ranked #9, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS is ranked #14, 6'10 Eloy Vargas from Plantation (American Heritage) FL is ranked #22, 6'7 Tony Mitchell from Swainsboro (H.S.) GA is ranked #23, and 6'8 Wesley Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA is ranked #24, but did not play in the game.  Speaking of the McDonald's American Game, 6'4 Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX solidified his spot in a close call among himself, 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Ft Worth (North Crowley) TX, and 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA for the final spot in our top five based in primarily on the fact that he finished with 23 points and was the leading scorer in the McDonald's All-American Game.  Warren is a guy who has never seen a shot he didn't like and he doesn't make good enough decisions to be classified as a point guard, but there is no denying that he is an amazing athlete and an incredible talent.  And so is Aminu.  But he hasn't achieved the level of consistency necessary to be ranked in our top five.  However, Aminu does edge out Derozan, who is another phenomenal athlete and has a great motor, but doesn't have as good a skill level as Warren and Aminu.  Thus, explains why Derozan has dropped from #4 on our last list to #7 on our current list.  We also are lower than most of our competitors on 6'6 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, who checks in at #25 on our list.  In other words, Hopson, who has an incredible upset and freaky athleticism, needs to become more consistent and play harder, if he wants to be ranked among the very elite players in the class.  We're also lower than most on 7'0 B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (H.S.) OH and 6'2 Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, but we did move Mullens from #46 to #34 just in case the light does someday click on and he decides to utilize his size inside and we put Anderson at #100 in the class.  However, we still think Anderson is one of the most overrated players in the senior class nationally and we have to laugh when our good friend and former California Editor Joel Francisco, who now writes for ESPN.com, says that Anderson is the most underrated point guard in the nation.  Did you know that the Recruiter's Handbook has Anderson ranked #27, Scout.com has Anderson ranked #31, Rivals.com has Anderson ranked #37, and ESPN.com has Anderson ranked #49?  As for Anderson, we think he's a good player who does a lot of things well, but we question whether he's physically strong enough and talented enough to be one of the better guards in the Pacific-10 Conference.  But, then again, Anderson won't have to be, because 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA and 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, both of whom also are bound for UCLA, are ranked in our top five and top 10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also dropped 6'4 Iman Shumpert from Oak Park (River Forest) IL from #11 to #35 due to the fact that several people that we respect in the Windy City think Shumpert is extremely overrated and he reinforced this several months ago with zero points when matched up against the top players in the nation in the McDonald's All-American Game.  And we're higher than most on 6'2 Michael Rosario from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, who is ranked #19 on our list and should have eliminated any doubts about the fact that he legitimately deserved to be in the McDonald's All-American by scoring 18 points in this year's game.  Some other players who are on the rise since the publication of our last Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008, which was published on December 17th, include 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 6'5 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 6'8 Latavious Williams from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 5'7 Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'6 Dequan Jones from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'3 Kyle Fogg from Brea (Brea Olinda) CA, and 6'7 L.A. Pomlee from Davenport (Central) IA and some of the players who have dropped the most are 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Aleksander Olek Czyz from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'6 DeAndre Liggins from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'5 Matt Humphrey from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'6 Delwan Graham from Dunwood y (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Steve Tchiengang from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'8 Dwight Miller from Houston (St. Puis X) TX, 6'9 Alan Chaney from New London (H.S.) CT, and 6'8 Quintrell Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  I also hate to say that I told you so, but it looks like we were right on the money for the last three years with regards to 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA being ranked as the #1-ranked player in the Class of 2008.  In sharp contrast, for a long time a lot of our competition were touting a guy for the top spot with the size, athleticism, and skills necessary to be a great player, but no little or no heart.  We're talking about 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who finished with only one point and six rebounds in the McDonald's All-American Game and is no longer ranked as the #1 player in the Class of 2008 by anybody who has any credibility. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

HOOP SCOOP Associate Editor Patrick Stanwood was the first person to call and make us aware of the fact that 6'4 Jr Leslie McDonald from Eads (Briarcrest) TN has verbally committed to North Carolina.  And this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, McDonald is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was one of the most heavily recruited players nationally in the Class of 2009, as is evident by the fact that the Tar Heels beat schools like Memphis, Tennessee, Georgetown, Duke, and Mississippi for his services.  Second, McDonald has a high basketball IQ, a silky smooth demeanor, and deceptive athleticism.  "He doesn't look that athletic, but then he surprises you with his ability to beat his man off the dribble, rise above defenders, and get himself open for jump shots," says our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman.  "McDonald also has a great mid-range game, is an excellent defender, and is versatile enough to play either wing spot."  Third, McDonald is ideally suited to complement 6'3 Jr Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is such a prolific scorer that he's ideally suited for the 2-guard spot, but also has the skills necessary to play some point guard.  Fourth, the addition of McDonald solidifies North Carolina's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Jr Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'10 Jr John Henson from Round Rock (H.S.) TX, 6'9 Jr Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'9 Jr David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, even further into the #1 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  As a matter of fact, the only thing that this class is missing when compared to the great Tar Heels' Class of 2006, which also was ranked #1 by the HOOP SCOOP and included 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'6 William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 6'8 Deon Thompson, 6'8, PF, Torrance (H.S.) CA, are three top five-ranked players like Ellington, Lawson, and Wright.  However, with the exception of Strickland, who currently checks in at #8 on our list of the top juniors nationally, this group may stick together a lot longer.  And that is not good news for everybody in college basketball due to the fact that North Carolina is already one of the most successful programs in the game today.  In other words, it looks like Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams and his staff have totally reloaded, as this group is coming in right on the heels of North Carolina's current recruiting class, which is ranked #20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 and includes 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 6'0 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 6'4 Justin Watts from Durham (C.E. Jordan) NC.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Trenton Marshall from Jones County (JC) MS has verbally committed to Oklahoma State.  And this is huge for the new regime, because we're talking about a guy who a lot of people in the know think was the best freshman in the junior college ranks nationally this past season.  Marshall is a big time scorer and a terrific 3-point shooter and his commitment comes right on heels of the verbal commitment that the Cowboys received last week from 6'2 Fred Gulley from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, who also has excellent athleticism and is capable of putting up prolific numbers.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Oklahoma State beat schools like LSU, Mississippi, and Mississippi State for Marshall's services.  So obviously the Cowboys were able to cash in quickly on the fact that new Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford recently hired long time LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who has been recruiting Marshall since his high school days at Lutcher (H.S.) LA and very likely was the guy that stashed Marshall in the junior college ranks in the first place.  We also find it interesting that 6'8 Jr Kourtney Roberson from Arcadia (H.S.) LA, who is the consensus #1-ranked junior in the state, is heading to Texas A&M.  So suddenly it becomes even more important than ever for the new coaching staff at LSU to lock up their share of the top up-and-coming young players in the state, like 6'4 Soph Gary Stewart from Vidalia (H.S.) LA and 6'5 Frosh John Isaac from Leesville (Pickering) LA, who appear to have established themselves as the top sophomore and the top freshman in Louisiana.  Remember, a number of the top players in the Bayou State have gotten away in recent years, including 6'0 D.J. Augustine, who originally was at New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA prior to moving onto to Sugar Land (Hightower) TX and the University of Texas; 5'10 Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA and 6'5 Lacedaris Dunn from Monroe (Excelsior Christian) LA, both of whom are now at Baylor; 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who has signed with Georgetown, 6'8 Terrence Henry from Monroe (Carroll) LA, who has signed with Mississippi, and 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA, who has signed with Arkansas. 

Saturday, June 7, 2008, Sunday, June 8, 2008, and Monday, June 9, 2008

One of the things that I'm working on right now is our Final Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2008 (Graduating Seniors) and, due to the fact that there is not much to talk about in the recruiting world right now, this is a great time to provide you with a sneak preview of who we currently have ranked among our top 100 seniors.  The complete list is as follows:  1) 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 3) 6'3 Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 4) 6'9 Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5) 6'4 Willie Warren from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6) 6'9 Al-Farouq Aminu from Ft Worth (North Crowley) TX, 7) 6'6 Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 8) 6'4 Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 9) 6'6 Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 10) 6'10 Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 11) 6'8 JaMychal Green from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 12) 6'5 William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, 13) 5'11 Kemba Walker from New York (Rice) NY, 14) 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Columbus (New Hope) MS, 15) 6'9 Gregory Echenique from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 16) 6'9 Ed Davis from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 17) 7'0 Tyler Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, 18) 6'10 Mike Dunigan from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 19) 6'2 Michael Rosario from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 20) 6'5 Elliott Williams from Collierville (St. George) TN, 21) 6'8 Chris Singleton from Dunwoody (H.S) GA, 22) 6'10 Eloy Vargas from Plantation (American Heritage) FL, 23) 6'7 Tony Mitchell from Swainsboro (H.S.) GA, 24) 6'8 Wesley Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, 25) 6'6 Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 26) 6'8 Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, 27) 6'10 Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 28) 6'5 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 29) 6'8 Latavious Williams from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 30) 5'7 Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 31) 6'6 Dequan Jones from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 32) 6'9 Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, 33) 6'3 J'Covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX, 34) 7'0 B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (H.S.) OH, 35) 6'4 Iman Shumpert from Oak Park (River Forest) IL, 36) 7'0 Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 37) 6'8 Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 38) 6'6 Klay Thompson from Rancho Santa (Margarita Santa Margarita) CA, 39) 6'7 Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 40) 6'10 J'misen Morgan from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 41) 6'3 Tyshawn Taylor from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 42) 6'8 Romero Osby from Meridian (Northeast Lauderdale) MS, 43) 6'6 Mookie Jones from Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 44) 6'7 Aleksander Olek Czyz from Reno (H.S.) NV, 45) 6'7 Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 46) 7'1 Kenny Frease from Massillon (Perry) OH, 47) 6'5 Phillip McDonald from Cypress (Community Christian) TX, 48) 6'0 Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 49) 6'8 Howard Thompkins from Norcross (Wesleyan) GA, 50) 6'7 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 51) 6'6 DeAndre Liggins from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 52) 6'8 Storm Warren from Monroe (Richwood) LA, 53) 6'10 Tony Woods from Rome (H.S.) GA, 54) 6'8 Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 55) 5'11 Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI, 56) 6'0 Rotnei Clarke from Claremore (Verdigris) OK, 57) Ray Shipman from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 58) 6'11 Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 59) 6'4 Elston Turner from Roseville (H.S.) CA, 60) 6'6 Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette (H.S.) PA, 61) 6'4 Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 62) 6'7 Kris Joseph from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 63) 6'11 Roscoe Davis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 64) 6'5 Nasir Robinson from Chester (H.S.) PA, 65) 6'11 Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR, 66) 6'6 Mike Harthun from Medford (South Medford) OR, 67) 6'5 Matt Humphrey from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 68) 6'1 Anthony Crater from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 69) 6'4 Paul Williams from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 70) 6'0 Dashan Harris from Montverde (Academy) FL, 71) 6'10 Kenneth Kadji from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 72) 6'9 Brandon Moore from New Orleans (Holy Cross) LA, 73) 6'2 Jason Clark from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 74) 6'8 Terrence Henry from Monroe (Carroll) LA, 75) 6'3 Travis Releford from Shawnee (Bishop Miege) MO, 76) 6'3 Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, 77) 6'4 Sean Mosley from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, 78) 6'5 Matt Gatens from Iowa City (H.S.) IA, 79) 6'7 David Loubeau from Davie (Westlake Prep) FL, 80) 6'9 Miles Plumlee from Arden (Christ School) NC, 81) 6'1 Frank Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 82) 6'8 Chris Braswell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 83) 6'0 Travon Woodall from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 84) 5'9 Lewis Jackson from Decatur (Eisenhower) IL, 85) 6'7 Toby Veal from Savannah (Sol C. Johnson) GA, 86) 6'11 Catalin Baciu from Fletcher (Veritas Academy) NC, 87) 6'2 Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 88) 6'3 Kyle Fogg from Brea (Brea Olinda) CA, 89) 6'9 Colt Iverson from Yankton (H.S.) SD, 90) 5'8 Andre Young from Albany (Deerfield-Windsor) GA, 91) 6'10 Ty Walker from Wilmington (New Hanover) NC, 92) 6'5 Scott Suggs from Washington (H.S.) MO, 93) 6'7 L.A. Pomlee from Davenport (Central) IA, 94) 6'4 Scottie Haralson from Jackson (Provine) MS, 95) 6'0 Antoine Young from Bellevue (West) NE, 96) 6'8 Jared Swopshire from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 97) 6'3 Devoe Joseph from Toronto (Pickering) ON, 98) 6'4 D.J. Seeley from Modesto (Christian) CA, 99) 6'8 Henry Sims from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, and 100) 6'2 Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA. 

Friday, June 6, 2008

After its highly successful 2007 debut, the Junior All-American Camp is back this year with an interesting twist. The flagship camp and its spin-off, the Freshman All-American Camp, also known as Fab Frosh Camp, will both be held at the same time (June 12th-15th) once again at the beautiful Hoop Magic Sports Academy, outside Washington, DC in Chantilly, VA.  In only their second year, both camps will showcase the top middle school players in the nation and be the coming out venues for some major surprises and new discoveries.  Each camp opened to rave reviews last year prompting Generation Next Basketball Publisher Spencer Pulliam, who also is now an Associate Editor for the HOOP SCOOP, to call it "the top exposure camp in the country."  The camp distinguished itself as the first original national middle school elite camp to include college coaches on its staff.  These coaches provide the camp’s players expert individual skill development and teach them the fundamentals necessary to play the game.  To add to its success, the Junior All-American Camp has entered into rare air with the recent agreement of a strategic partnership with the upstart digital media giant MaxxAthlete.  And this is important, because the Junior All-American Camp is now part of the family of the premier grassroots basketball events in the country that are part of MaxxAthlete’s newly launched GrassrootsTV channel.  The network will broadcast games live during the camp on TV on the Internet.  A complete game schedule will be available at www.MaxxAthlete.com and likely at www.jrallamericancamp.com.  This will mark the first time to our knowledge that live games will be shown from any grassroots camp ever (middle school or high school).  The nation’s best rising 9th, 8th, 7th, and 6th graders will be in attendance and some of the 140 players who will attend from the 2012 class include:  6’8 8th Grader Tony Parker from Lithonia, GA; 6’2 8th Grader D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera from Indianapolis, IN; 6'4 8th Grader Reggie Ragland from Huntsville, AL; 6'3 8th Grader Reggie Dillard from Greensboro, NC; 6’3 8th Grader Sydie London from New Orleans, LA; 6’5 8th Grader Justin Anderson from Fredericksburg, VA; 6’8 8th Grader Perry Ellis from Wichita, KS; 6’6 8th Grader Winston Shepard from Houston, TX; 6’4 8th Grader Mike Avery from Lake Sherwood, CA; 6’6 8th Grader Tymond Howard from Jackson, MS; 6’7 8th Grader John Crowder from Baltimore, MD; 6’4 8th Grader Savon Goodman from Philadelphia, PA; 6’2 8th Grader Cameron Harvey from Naperville, IL; 6’8 8th Grader Dominique Wilson from Kansas City, MO; 6’4 8th Grader Junior Lomomba from Madison, WI; 6’2 8th Grader Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV; 6’8 8th Grader Shantardrick Hester from Jackson, MS; 6’4 8th Grader Thaddeus Hall from New York, NY; 6’7 8th Grader Ed Seay from Gary, IN; 6’3 8th Grader Julius Hamilton from Charlotte, NC; 6’4 8th Grader Ladarius White from McComb, MS; 6’2 8th Grader Dennis Green from New York, NY; 6’9 8th Grader Iyad Assad from Milwaukee, WI; 6’3 8th Grader Jermaine Meyers from Brampton, ON (Canada); 6’3 8th Grader Kyle Molock from Dublin, OH; 5’9 8th Grader R.J. Hunter from Indianapolis, IN; 5’10 8th Grader Jordan Washington from Irving, TX; 6’4 8th Grader Andre Horne from Wilmington, DE; 6’6 8th Grader Juwan Drescacin from Brampton, ON; 6’8 8th Grader Hanner Perea from Culver, IN; 6’8 8th Grader Stefan Jankovic from Brampton, ON; 6’2 8th Grader Rodney Purvis from Greensboro, NC; 5’9 8th Grader Javan Felix from New Orleans, LA; 5’8 8th Grader Siyani Chambers from Minneapolis, MN; and 6’4 8th Grader Ricardo Gathers from New Orleans, LA.  And, if that weren't enough, a number of the players from the highly-regarded 14-under Dream Vision squad from San Diego, CA, which has already won two of the biggest events (Las Vegas Easter Classic and Kingwood Classic) in their age group this spring, will also be in attendance.  We're also are being told by Clay Dade, who is the driving force being both the Junior All-American Camp and the Fab Frosh Camp, that two 7-footers from Africa who recently arrived to the United States will be make their national debut next week at his camp.  The list of rising 8th Graders who will be in attendance is equally impressive, as it includes 6’1 7th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL; 6’5 7th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA; 6’3 7th Grader Ishmail Wainwright from Kansas City, MO; 5’4 7th Grader Ethan Telfair from Brooklyn, NY; 5’9 7th Grader Charles “Cha Cha” Tucker from Lansing, MI; 5’8 7th Grader Zavier Turner from Indianapolis, IN; 6’1 7th Grader Torlorf Thomas from Montgomery, AL; 5’8 7th Grader Brandon Miller from Sandy, UT; 6’4 7th Grader Vidaunte “Taco” Charlton from Pickerington, OH; 5’9 7th Grader Blake Sanders from Corbin, KY; 5’4 7th Grader James Daniel from Hampton, VA; 6’3 7th Grader Jubril Adekoya from Tinley Park, IL; 5’9 7th Grader Mitchell Franz from Portland, OR; 6’2 7th Grader Nick King from Memphis, TN; 5’8 7th Grader Darian Harris from Springdale, AR; 5’10 7th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft Wayne, IN; 5’10 7th Grader Brent Scott from Ft Wayne, IN; 6’5 7th Grader Tommy Hamilton from Chicago, IL; 5’7 7th Grader Billy Garrett from Corpus Christi, TX; 5’4 7th Grader Kashif Hayes from Minneapolis, MN; 6’2 7th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA; and 6’5 7th Grader Seab Webster from Huntsville, AL.  Some of the rising 7th Graders who will be attendance include 5’2 6th Grader Allonzo Trier from Federal Way, WA; 5’2 6th Grader Justin Jenifer from Baltimore, MD; 5'3 6th Grader James Blackmon from Ft Wayne, IN; 5'8 6th Grader Anton Beard from Little Rock, AR; 5’7 6th Grader Carl “Choo” Brown from Louisville, KY; 6’5 6th Grader Craig Victor from New Orleans, LA; 6’1 6th Grader Dorien Holland from Little Rock, AR; 5’3 6th Grader Jerron Love from New York, NY; 6’0 6th Grader Dylan Portwood from Georgetown, KY; 5’3 6th Grader Parker Cartwright from Van Nuys, CA; 5’3 6th Grader Tyus Mason from Des Moines, IA; 5’6 6th Grader Will Brewster from Birmingham, AL; 5’3 6th Grader Jordan Dembley from Minneapolis, MN; 5’11 6th Grader Connor McCullough from Kansas City, MO; 4’11 6th Grader Press Kampe from Rochester, MI; 4’9 6th Grader Frederick Lee from Springdale, AR; 5’2 6th Grader Kamali Chambers from Minneapolis, MN; and 5’0 6th Grader Charles “Choo Choo” Presley from Philadelphia, PA.  The top rising 6th-grader is expected to be 5’6 5th Grader Malik Ellison from New Jersey.  Yes, that's the son of former Louisville All-American Pervis Ellison, who was the #1 pick the 1989 NBA Draft and is being touted by those who have seen him as the best player nationally in his class.  Dade also tells us that in addition to the HOOP SCOOP and MaxxAthlete, a number of other people also are expected to be attendance, including Spencer Pulliam of Generation Next Basketball, Mike Melton of BasketballSpotline.com, Chad Weaver of Hoosier Junior Preps, Raphael Chillious from NIKE, Jide Sodipo of MidAtlanticHoops.com, Ron Bailey of I-95Ballerz.com and HoyaReport.com, and  Bob Gibbons of the All-Star Sports Report and ESPN.com, who likely will stop by on his way to the NBA Players Association Top 100 camp in Charlottesville, VA.  For even more information go to www.jrallamericancamp.com.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

We're way behind on reporting signings and commitments, but really the most interesting thing that has happened in the last week is the fact that 6'3 Jr Abdul Gaddy from Tacoma (Bellarmine) WA has reneged on the University of Arizona and is now considering Memphis, Kansas, Texas, Oregon, Gonzaga, Washington, and USC.  And we think the smart money is Memphis for a number of reasons.  First, the Tigers recently hired Wildcats assistant coach Josh Pastner, who was the guy responsible for recruiting Gaddy to Arizona in the first place.  Second, Memphis is one of the hottest programs in college basketball after losing to Kansas in overtime in the NCAA Championship Game.  Third, the Memphis program is ideally suited for Gaddy's style, as the Tigers play a fast-paced up-and-down game.  Fourth, Memphis will likely need to replace 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who, just like Derrick Rose was this year, is expected to be a one-and-done player for the Tigers.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Soph Matt Pilgram, who has decided to transfer from Hampton University, has enrolled in school at the University of Kentucky.  We're talking about a 6'8 athletic power forward who was ranked #32 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players two years ago and averaged 11.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 1.4 spg as a freshman and 7.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg as a sophomore the last two season for the Pirates.  In other words, the Wildcats added valuable depth for the future, as well as an additional practice while he waits in the wings this coming season.  And Kentucky may not be done yet, as they also appear to be the co-favorite, along with Memphis, for 6'5 Roburt Sallie from San Francisco City (JC) CA, who recently was denied admission into school at the University of Nebraska and originally signed with the University of Washington.  It also looks like 6'2 Varez Ward from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC has finally found at home at the University of Texas.  If you will recall, Ward, who is ranked #22 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and is one of the best defensive guards to come down the pike in a long time, originally verbally committed to the University of Cincinnati after first going the prep school route for year.  However, shortly after picking the Bearcats earlier this spring, Ward changed his mind and now it looks like the Longhorns have another steal on their hands.  Not only is Ward good enough to step in play right away, but he is ideally suited to step in and be the quick fix that Texas head coach Rick Barnes needs help to replace 6'0 Soph D.J. Augustine.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'6 C.J. Wilcox from Pleasant Grove (H.S.) UT has picked the University of Washington.  And, in this case, it looks like Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar has found himself a good role player who can beat you with his outside shooting.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin provides us with the scoop on 6'0 Jr Nick Groce from Annapolis (St. Mary's) MD, who has made a verbal commitment to Maryland-Baltimore County.  And Rubin thinks this is a good catch, because Groce is a smart player who can both score and defend.  Rubin also tells us that 6'9 Genesis Maciel from Worcester (Academy) MA has made it official for the University of Hartford.  We're talking about somebody with the physical attributes necessary to a force in the paint, but would rather step out to 15-feet and shoot jump shots.  Thus, explains why we had Maciel ranked #376 nationally in the our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007 prior to his going the prep school route this past season.  And, when we saw him last winter in several prep school tournaments, nothing had changed, as Maciel still didn't get much done inside.  But, then again, you can't teach size and, if the light ever clicks on for this skill big man, then Hawks head coach Dan Leibovitz may end up looking like a genius down the road on this one.  We also understand that Oklahoma State has landed 6'3 Jr Fred Gulley from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR and this athletic 2-guard who can beat you with both his outside shot and ability to get to the basket impressed us enough at the Bill Hensley Memorial 2008 Run 'N Slam All-Star Classic to be ranked as the second best player at the entire event.  We're also very impressed with the coaching staff that new Cowboys head coach Travis Ford has assembled.  Did you know that Ford hired long time LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, and Steve Middleton, who helped Ford build the program at Massachusetts the last three years, and retained Chris Ferguson, who proved that he was a terrific recruiter when he was an assistant coach at Tennessee and East Carolina and has a great relationship with all of the current players in the program?  We also have confirmed that two more players - 6'7 Jr Marshawn Powell from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA and 6'4 Jr Steven Pledger from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA - from the Boo Williams Summer League program have both made verbal commitments.  Pledger, who is a good athlete and an excellent outside shooter, picked the University of Oklahoma and Powell, who is an undersized power forward that does most of his damage around the basket, picked the University of Arkansas.  We also are intrigued with the fact that Western Kentucky has landed 6'5 Sergio Kerusch from Itawamba (JC) MS.  We're talking about a somebody who can play multiple positions and averaged 18.9 ppg and 9.0 rpg and shot 65.4% from the field this past season.  And Kerusch isn't the only junior college player that new Hilltoppers head coach Ken McDonald and his staff have landed this spring that should step in and make an impact next year.  If you will recall, a month-and-a-half ago Western Kentucky also signed 6'2 Anthony Sally from Motlow (JC) TN, who is ranked #103 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  And what about the fact that St. Joseph's continues to stock up with front-court players?  The latest is 6'10 Temidayo Adebayo from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who has only been in the United States a year, but is an excellent athlete and shot blocker and has a big upside, as he continues to develop his offensive game and become more comfortable with the way the game is played in this country.  It looks like Auburn has squeaked into the top 20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008 with the addition of 6'6 Brendon Knox from Spartanburg Methodist (JC) SC, who averaged a double-double last season and was one of the top big men still available in the junior college ranks.  Remember, the Tigers also already have 6'2 Tay Waller from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'1 Frank Sullivan from Uniontown (R.C. Hatch) AL, 6'11 Johnnie Lett from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 6'7 Kenny Gabriel from Kings Mountain (Hope Christian) NC, and 6'9 Frank Aihe from Santa Fe (JC) FL all in the fold and, as a result, Auburn should be one of the most improved teams in the league next year. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

We've been slowed down by computer problems during the last several days, so now is a good time to utilize the rest of the recruiting information that we gathered when our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, and I talked to players a-week-and-a-half ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC.  Villanova Wake Forest, Kansas, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Florida, Connecticut, Texas, and Maryland are the schools being mentioned by 6'6 Jr Dominic Cheek from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Stanford, UCLA, N.C. State, Virginia, and Wake Forest are all in the hunt for 6'8 Jr Ryan Kelly from Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, who is both an outstanding student and one of the fastest rising players in the nation after a terrific spring.  The race is already on among schools like Memphis, Tennessee, Mississippi, Mississippi State, and Massachusetts for 6'0 Soph Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN.  Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Memphis, LSU, N.C. State, Georgetown, and Charlotte make up the list for 6'7 Jr Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Memphis, Marquette, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Texas, and Texas A&M are involved with 6'0 Jr Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX.  Alabama, Southern Illinois, Miami-FL, and Wake Forest are the leaders for 6'6 Jr Nik Garcia from Niles (West) IL, but he also mentions Georgia Tech, Michigan, Purdue, Iowa, and Kentucky.  The list for 6'3 Jr Anthony Marshall from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV includes Miami-FL, Virginia, Arizona State, UNLV, Colorado State, Gonzaga, Florida, Marshall, and Nebraska.  Louisville is believed to be the leader, but USC, Georgia Tech, UCLA, Seton Hall, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Auburn are also involved with 6'7 Jr Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA.   Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, Miami-FL, and Pittsburgh are the leaders for 6'6 Jr Brian Oliver from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The schools showing the most interest in 6'6 Jr Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX are Memphis, North Carolina, Texas, Kansas, Texas A&M, and UCLA.  The list for 6'4 Jr Omari Lawrence from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY includes Memphis, Arizona, West Virginia, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Clemson, and Marquette.  The early list for 6'0 Frosh Sterling Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ includes Seton Hall, Rutgers, Florida, Maryland, and Pittsburgh.  It appears that Texas, UCLA, Baylor, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Florida are the leaders for 6'7 Jr Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Marquette, Xavier, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Massachusetts, Temple, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Clemson, and Providence make up the list for 6'3 Jr Sherrod Wright from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  The list for 5'10 Jr Carl Jones from Garfield Heights (H.S.) OH includes Texas Tech, Michigan, Virginia, Miami-OH, Bowling Green, Ohio University, Kent State, and Toledo.  Among those showing the most interest in 6'1 Jr Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Parker) AL are Mississippi, Iowa, Virginia, USC, UAB, and Bradley.  It appears that UCLA, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, Kentucky, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Xavier, Clemson, and Florida State are all in the hunt for 6'7 Jr Terrance Shannon from Forsyth (Mary Persons) GA.  Mississippi, South Florida, Tulane, Army, Belmont, Murray State, and Jacksonville make up a very interesting list for 6'5 Jr Anthony Nwadigo from Gainesville (H.S.) FL.  Rutgers, St. John's, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Marquette, Providence, Rhode Island, and Xavier are the schools you have to beat for 6'6 Jr Kevin Parrom from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, but a year at South Kent (Prep) CT for his senior year in high school is expected to be the first stop in his future.  The list for 6'6 Soph Jalon Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA includes Georgia Tech, Auburn, Xavier, Georgia, Cincinnati, St. Joseph's, Temple, Florida, and Texas.  6'7 Jr Daniel McElroy from Cincinnati (La Salle) OH made an early verbal commitment to the University of Cincinnati a year-and-a-half ago, but he recently re-opened his recruitment and is now considering schools like Virginia, Bowling Green, Kansas, and Miami-OH.  The race for 6'10 Jr Daniel Miller from Logansville (Christian) GA is among Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Harvard, Furman, Minnesota, and UT-Chattanooga.  The list for 6'6 Jr Ian Hummer from Washington (Gonzaga) DC includes Princeton, Pennsylvania, Northwestern, and Temple.  The leaders for 6'3 Jr Dominique Langston from Bridgeport (Kolbe Cathedral) CT are Rutgers, Penn State, Quinnipiac, Rider, Niagara, Sacred Heart, and Fairfield.  The five schools mentioned by 6'6 Jr Khalil Murphy from Burlington (Life Center) NJ were Indiana, Texas, Houston, Marquette, and St. Joseph's.  Among those showing interest in 6'7 Jr Jordan Prosser from Eureka (H.S.) IN are Bradley, Baylor, Texas A&M, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

I mentioned last week that I've been to nearly all of the superstar oriented/shoe company sponsored camps since their evolution a quarter of a century ago.  But making the story even more interesting and adding even further to our credibility is the fact that I've also been to all of the adidas Junior Phenon and adidas Phenom 150 camps since they began being held four years ago in San Diego, CA.  Speaking of this year's adidas Phenom 150 Camp, it's just around the corner, as the dates for this year's camp, which once again will be held at Alliant International University in San Diego, are June 26th-29th.  Phenom Camp President and CEO Joe Keller, who also is the middle school editor for the HOOP SCOOP, also thinks that this year's camp will be even better than ever, as it promises to include 360 players from all over the nation in the Class of 2011 (current freshmen/rising sophomores) and the Class of 2012 (current 8th Graders/rising freshmen).  "And it's already almost sold out," says Keller.  "Not only do I expect the level of talent to be at an all time high, but we also expect to have some players come in and make national names for themselves, just like Jason Morris did a year ago."  Ironically the guy who Keller thinks could be this year's version of Morris, who now is ranked #33 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, is his current teammate at Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT.  We're talking about 6'1 Soph Derrick Wilson, who originally is from Alaska, but currently is ranked #4 in the freshmen class in New England by our New England Editor Adam Fingelstein.  However, nobody, including us when we last updated our ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 on October 27, 2007, has this guy ranked nationally (yet).  Several other guys who Keller thinks will explode at his camp are 6'10 Frosh Chris Coleman from Buffalo (Burgard) NY, 6'8 8th Grader Brandon Ashley from San Leandro, CA, and 6'4 8th Grader Xavier Johnson from Marietta, CA.  Keller also tells us that 6'0 7th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Happy Valley, OR and 5'11 7th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX, who are two of the top five 7th Graders in the  nation, will be at the camp and will be playing up in the Freshman Division.  From there the list of players that Keller has provided us to promote his camp is almost endless, as it includes 6'2 Frosh Jamal Branch from Atascocita (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Frosh Juanya Green from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 6'3 Frosh Devin Coleman from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'1 Frosh Karl Cochran from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 5'9 Frosh Deion Houston from Grand Prairie (South Grand Prairie) TX, 6'4 Frosh Aaron Brown from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 5'7 Frosh Shai Fields from Galveston (Lutheran South) TX, 5'11 Frosh Patrick Lucas-Perry from Flint Powers) MI, 5'11 Frosh Joey Gripper from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 5'7 Frosh Lamin Fulton from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 6'2 Frosh Malik Garner from Newtown (The George School) PA, 6'3 Frosh Kori Babineaux from Folsom (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Frosh Lamont McLaurin from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'3 Frosh Marc Brown from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 6'3 Frosh Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 5'10 Frosh Chandler Fraser-Pauls from Pennington (School) NJ, 6’8 Frosh William Truss from Vestavia Hills (H.S.) AL, 5'11 Frosh Khalid Lewis from Trenton (Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Frosh William Wise from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 6'1 Frosh Alex Miller from Claremont (H.S.) OK, 6'5 Frosh Adrian Dean from Harrisburg (Mercersburg Academy) PA, 6'4 Frosh Chris Freeman from San Antonio (Warren) TX, 6'2 Frosh Christopher Brown from New Orleans (Isadore Newman) LA, 6'7 Frosh David Crawford from San Antonio (Calallen) TX, 6'6 Frosh Donald Teague from Searcy (H.S.) AR, 6'6 Frosh Jake Ediger from Topeka (Washburn Rural) KS, 5'10 Frosh Joseph Moorer from Harbor City (Narbonne)  CA, 6'2 Frosh Tommy Walker from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 5'10 Frosh Nick Freeman from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'3 Frosh Joseph Ferro from Ocala (Trinity Catholic) FL, 6'4 Frosh Spencer Bowman from League City (Clear Brook) TX, 6'0 Frosh Tyrone Thorpe from Durham (C.E. Jordan) NC, 6'4 Frosh Aaron Rauschenberger from Glendale (Mountain Ridge) AZ, 6'8 Frosh Zachery Lord from Keller (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Frosh Ryan Ena from Oceanside (El Camino) CA, 6'3 Frosh Will McConnell from Atherton (Sacred Heart) CA, 5'9 8th Grader Dominic Artis from San Leandro, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Tyler Lewis from Statesville, NC, 5'6 8th Grader Isaiah Taylor from Hayward, CA, 6'0 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, 5'10 8th Grader Austin Key-Blackwell from Norcross, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Omar Calhoun from Brooklyn, NY, 5'11 8th Grader Brandon Pye from Mansfield, TX, 6'7 8th Grader Eliot Watts from Nashville, TN, 6'3 8th Grader George Sherwood from Kalispell, MT, 6'4 8th Grader T.J. Flowers from Portland, OR, 6'5 8th Grader Marcel Frazier from Portland, OR, 6'1 8th Grader Glenn Baral from Albany, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Jabril Durham from De Soto, TX, 5'7 8th Grader Jalen Ward from Renton, WA, 5'10 8th Grader Jamall Taylor from Milwaukee, WI, 6'2 8th Grader Jelon Hornbeck from Arlington, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Richard Harris from Atherton, CA, and 5'3 8th Grader Yonel Brown from Duluth, GA.  For even more information about this camp, click onto Phenom 150 Freshman & Sophomore Camp. 

Sunday, June 1, 2008, & Monday, June 2, 2008

It kind of reminded me of a great horse dropping down into a cheap claiming race and running just well enough to win the race.  We're talking about the way 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC played over the weekend at the Pangos All-American Camp at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, CA.  And, in this case, Wall takes home camp MVP honors and our #1-ranking in camp due to the fact that nobody else in camp was good enough to step up and take it away from him.  In other words, Wall, who recently became the #1-ranked player in his class by Rivals.com and just a week ago was being touted by us as the leading candidate for player-of-the-spring, pretty much just went through the motions most of the weekend.  And, if you don't believe it, just check out the fact that he had 13 points and 15 points in the two games that I watched and 14 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  There also was not an overwhelming number of great guards in this camp and, as a result, Wall should have averaged 30 ppg and totally dominated every game that he played in with his incredible natural talent, skills, and athleticism.  Instead, it looks like Wall played down to the level of competition, instead of living up to the high level of expectations that he's help create every other time we've seen him play this spring.  Also somewhat falling into this trap, although he did have 32 points in his game on Friday night and 22 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game, was 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA, who also will be entering his 6th Year of high school next year, if he doesn't qualify once again academically.  Speaking of Washington, it looks like we may be reporting once again that he's heading to USC, as his people have told me that a verbal commitment by Washington to the Trojans could be forthcoming any day now.  However, we're not sure it means much, because we're also being told that the possibility still exists that Washington could also change his mind, if it looks like USC is going to get hit hard with NCAA sanctions, and end up at someplace like Indiana or Kentucky.  The other three players - 6'5 Jr Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Diamond Ranch) CA, 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX - ranked among our top five in camp were also three of our favorite players in camp.  Snaer, who finished with 24 points and a pair of 3-pointers in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game, also is a world class athlete and an excellent student that his being recruited by schools like Stanford, USC, Miami-FL, Marquette, Missouri, UNLV, and UCLA.  Thompson, who is already bound for Georgetown, really impressed us with his silky smooth demeanor, excellent 3-point shooting, and incredible upside and potential, as it's clear that he's still only just beginning to scratch the surface of becoming a great player.  Franklin, who also gets our vote as the most consistent player that we saw all weekend, is fierce competitor, has a knack for finding ways to score around the basket, and also is showing signs of making the conversion to the wing forward spot at the next level, as he continues to show more confidence in his jump shot and better perimeter skills.  No wonder Franklin's list includes schools like Indiana, Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech, Florida, Baylor, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Iowa State, and Kansas.  The Pangos All-American Camp also is known as a staging area for players to establish their national reputations and right at the top of this list has to be 6'5 Guy Landry from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, who finished with 21 points and was named the MVP in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  Landry will probably have to go the prep school route, but this slashing combo forward was one of the most athletic guys in camp and he just got better and better as he gained confidence and the week wore on.  And what about 6'10 Jr Bak Bak from Sun Valley (Village Christian) CA, who finished with 30 points in his first camp game on Friday night and is just oozing with athleticism and potential?  We also were surprised with how much we liked 6'8 Victor Rudd from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, who is an athletic power forward with excellent footwork, an explosive first step, and the ability to step out and keep you honest with his outside shot.  The best shot blocker in camp was easily 6'9 Jr Corey Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX and 6'8 Jr Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA continues to draw Kevin Love comparisons, as he's got excellent offensive skills, is a physical presence inside, and is a much better passer than most people give him credit for being.  The outside shot wasn't going down for 6'3 Jr Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, but we liked the way he adjusted and slashed to the basket.  Believe it nor not, the highest ranked underclassman in camp was 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrel from Burlington (Cummings) NC, who finished with 17 points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  We also were impressed with the mid-range game and outside shooting displayed by 6'5 Soph Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA and 6'1 Soph Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA was another guy who got better and better as the week wore on.  And picking up where he left off when we saw him a week ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions was 6'9 Soph Dwight Powell from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, although this long lanky finesse inside guy was not big and strong enough physically to get much done in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game.  We also are wondering what the politics was with regards to 6'5 Jr Tony Freeland from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA and 6'5 Jr Thurman Woods from Compton (Dominguez) CA both making the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 All-Star Game?  However, in fairness to Freeland, who is pretty much just a slasher/athlete, he did finish with 11 points in the big game.  The three best players in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 50 All-Star Game were 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Lawrenceville (Collins Hill) GA, 6'1 Soph Tyrone Garland from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA, and 6'7 Jr Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, who finished with 14 points, 14 points, and nine points respectively.  Olsen took the game over early and he really impressed us with his long arms, excellent mobility, and willingness to compete around the basket.  Garland has jet-like speed and quickness and he's never seen a shot he didn't like, which makes him an undersized 2-guard all the way.  Williams does most of his damage around the basket, but this athletic 4-man also has a soft touch and the ability to step out and the three.  We didn't rank 6'10 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, because he didn't return on Saturday or Sunday after dominating the camp on Friday night.  And that's too bad, because Tyler would have had a chance to be the guy that edged out Wall as the best player in camp, if he had maintained that same level all weekend.  We also didn't rank 6'3 James Dean from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, although he did have five points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 50 All-Star Game, due to the fact that he was missing in action the first two days of the camp while attending his high school graduation back on the East Coast.  Speaking of Dean, he is supposed to make an official visit to Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Wednesday.  And, unless something unforeseen happens on the visit, you can pretty much write this one down for the Panthers.  The HOOP SCOOP's ranking of the Top 60 Players at the Pangos All-American Camp are as follows:  1) 6'3 Jr John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 2) 6'5 Jr Michael Snaer from Moreno Valley (Diamond Ranch) CA, 3) 6'6 Leonard Washington from Compton, CA, 4) 6'6 Jr Hollis Thompson from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 5) 6'5 Jr Roger Franklin from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'5 Guy Landry from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, 7) 6'9 Jr Corey Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'7 Jr Clarence Trent from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'8 Jr Victor Rudd from Van Nuys (H.S.) CA, 10) 6'3 Jr Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 11) 6'3 Soph J.T. Terrel from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 12) 6'8 Jr Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, 13) 6'1 Jr Reger Dowell from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'10 Jr Bak Bak from Sun Valley (Village Christian) CA, 15) 6'5 Soph Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 16) 6'1 Soph Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA, 17) 6'10 Jr Carlos Lopez from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 18) 6'3 Jr Darius Morris from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 19) 6'1 Soph Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 20) 6'10 Jr Jeremy Olsen from Lawrenceville (Collins Hill) GA, 21) 6'1 Soph Tyrone Garland from Philadelphia (Bartram) PA, 22) 6'7 Jr Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, 23) 6'2 Jr Tarik Muhammad from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 24) 6'9 Soph Dwight Powell from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 25) 6'5 Soph Tyler Lamb from Ontario (Colony) CA, 26) 5'11 Soph Tyree Johnson from Lansdowne (Pennwood) PA, 27) 6'6 Jr Alec Williams from San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA, 28) 6'7 Jr Michael Calhoun from Kennesaw (Kennesaw Mountain) GA, 29) 6'9 Jr Colin Borchert from  Glendale (Raymond Kellis) AZ, 30) 6'6 Jr Solomon Hill from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 31) 6'9 Soph Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 32) 6'0 Soph Phillip Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 33) 6'3 Jr Brandon Reed from Mableton (Whitfied Academy) GA, 34) 7'1 James Blasczyk from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 35) 6'9 Jr Chris Cunningham from Diamond Bar (Diamond Ranch) CA, 36) 6'8 Jr Devonte Elliott from Paramount (H.S.) CA, 37) 6'8 Soph Kadeem Batts from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 38) 6'8 Soph Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, 39) 6'5 Jr Tony Freeland from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 40) 6'4 Soph Keala King from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 41) 6'7 Soph Clint Bozner from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 42) 6'8 Frosh Kevin Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 43) 6'4 Soph Solomon Singer from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, 44) 6'5 Soph Desmond Simmons from Oakland (Salesian) CA, 45) 6'6 Soph Jalon Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 46) 6'6 Jr Jerry Evans from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA, 47) 6'4 Jr Julius Von Hanzlik from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 48) 6'4 Jr Jordan Finn from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 49) 6'4 Soph Kareem Jamar from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 50) 6'4 Jr Robert Mandingo from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 51) 6'6 Jr Stephon Heard from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 52) 6'0 Jr Shaquil Barber from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 53) 6'0 Jr Robert Smith from Perris (H.S.) CA, 54) 7'0 Jr Matt Pitrowski from Egg Harbor (Atlantic Christian) NJ, 55) 6'3 Jr Gerland Judkins from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 56) 6'2 Frosh Michael Thompson from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 57) 6'6 Soph Jordan Salley from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 58) 6'3 Frosh Quddus Bello from High Point (Westchester Country Day) NC, 59) 6'1 Jr Justin Cobbs from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, and 60) 6'0 Jr Jahmad Saleem from Augusta (Crosscreek) GA.