HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR JUNE 2009

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Memphis and Arizona are still in involved with 6'5 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  But, after making an unofficial over the weekend to the University of Cincinnati, it looks like the Bearcats have emerged as the team to beat for this multi-dimensional wing player who is the best player still left on the board in the senior class nationally.  And, if the Bearcats can pull this off, then they could emerge as one of the teams to beat in the Big East Conference next year.  Remember, Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin will have most of his key players back from a team that went 18-14 overall and 8-10 in the league this past season and Stephenson would be the perfect complement to 6'9 Frosh Yancy Gates, who should provide the Bearcats with one of the most powerful inside punches in the conference, and 6'1 Jr Deonte Vaughn, 6'3 Frosh Larry Davis, and 6'3 Frosh Dion Dixon, all of whom should once again be more than adequate in the backcourt.   However, this one will likely drag out for a while longer, as Stephenson has both legal problems and eligibility problems that have yet to be resolved.  Moral to the story, don't be surprised if he ends up following in the footsteps of Brandon Jennings and plays professionally in Europe next season.  Naclerio also tells us that 6'9 Soph Brandon Walters is transferring from Seton Hall to Siena.  And this is important when one remembers that Walters has the size and potential necessary to step in and make an immediate impact year-after-next for the Saints, which appear to be well on their way towards becoming the Gonzaga of the East.  We also have confirmed that Seton Hall has landed 6'5 Jr Fuquan Edwin from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who is ranked #77 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  What Edwin does best at the high school level is rebound and score around the basket.  But his outside shot and perimeter skills continue to get better and, as a result, we're now projecting him a wing forward at the next level.  And the fact that Edwin is a local kid and keeps the pipeline going into one of the premier programs in North Jersey is just an added bonus.  It also looks like the Rutgers head coach Fred Hill got the point guard that he was looking for with the late addition of 6'2 James Beatty from Miami-Dade (JC) FL to a recruiting class that is now ranked #45 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and also includes 6'7 Austin Johnson from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Dane Miller from Henrietta (Rush-Henrietta) NY, and 6'11 Brian Okam from Orlando (Lake Highland) FL.  Beatty is a true combo guard who is ranked #38 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction and averaged 11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.5 apg, and 2.8 spg on one of the best junior college teams in the nation this past season.  He also shot 40.5% from behind the arc, which makes him ideally suited to step in right away and complement 6'3 Frosh Mike Rosario and 6'2 Soph Corey Chandler in the back-court.  And what about the fact that the University of Virginia landed 6'8 Jr Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols School) NY over the weekend?  Regan is ranked #71 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  But we think he's a lot better than that after watching him play earlier this spring at the Hoop Group's Providence Jam Fest in Providence, RI and the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  We also think Regan will be a perfect for new Virginia head coach Tony Bennett's system, as he's extremely skilled, mobile, and active for somebody his size.  As a matter of fact, we think Regan's got some Christian Laettner in him, which is ironic because they both hail from the same high school.  It also looks like we were right on the money last week when we told you that 6'4 Frosh Elliott Williams, who was leaving Duke for a school yet to be determined, would end up at the University of Memphis and can't help but wonder if putting the pieces together quickly doesn't run the family of two head coaches at the high Division I level.  We're talking about the fact that new Kentucky head coach John Calipari and new Arizona head coach Sean Miller are cousins and they both have put together top 10-ranked recruiting classes almost in record time this spring.  The latest addition to Arizona's recruiting class is 6'7 Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, who recently was released from the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with USC.  And the addition of Williams will give the Wildcats a player at every position in this year's recruiting class, which is now ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and also includes 6'6 Solomon Hill from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'5 Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'0 Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'10 Kyryl Natyazhko from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  We also suspect that 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #29 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and recently reneged on his commitment to Louisville, will pick the University of Arizona.  Did you know that Miller did such a great job recruiting Martin a year ago when he was at Xavier that Martin almost made an early verbal commitment to the Musketeers?   However, something happened to sour Martin on attending Xavier when he made his unofficial visit to the school last fall and he soon after verbally committed to the University of Louisville.  Speaking of the Musketeers, they've landed Martin's teammate - 6'9 Jeff Robinson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who recently was denied admission into Purdue for academic reasons.  Robinson is ranked #123 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is ideally suited to step in and right away next year and help new Musketeers head coach Chris Mack replace 6'8 Jr Derrick Brown, who kept his name in the NBA Draft, but did not get drafted last week.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Ge'Lawn Guyn from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, who is ranked #119 nationally in the  junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the University of Charlotte; 6'4 Jr Tim Hardaway from Miami (Palmetto) FL, who is the son of former NBA point guard Tim Hardaway, has picked the University of Michigan; 5'11 Jr Isaiah Grayson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV has picked Virginia Commonwealth; 6'3 Jr Nate Perry from Landisville (Hempfield Area) PA has picked Appalachian State, and 6'6 Kwane Alexander from Irvine Valley (JC) CA, who will have another year in  junior college before being eligible to transfer to a four-year school, has picked Cal State-Fullerton.  And last, but not least, it looks like 6'9 Charlie Garcia from Riverside (JC) CA has decided not attend the University of Washington and, instead, will follow Cameron Dollar, who was the guy that signed him for the Huskies, to Seattle University, which will become a Division I school next year. 

Saturday, June 27, 2009, Sunday, June 28, 2009, & Monday, June 29, 2009

There are four ingredients necessary to make a great camp and the Phenom 150 Camp, which look place over the weekend in San Diego, CA, had the star power, quality inside players, and the overall depth necessary to make this arguably the best camp that Joe Keller, who the President and C.E.O. of Phenom Basketball, has had in the four year's that he's been running a camp for this age group.  As a matter of fact, one of the only things that was missing from were unselfish point guards, like 6'0 Junior Cadugon from Humble (Christian Life) TX or 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop Connell) VA, who led their respective teams to the championship and were ranked among the top players in the camp the last two years at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  Instead, undersized 2-guards who wanted to jack up every shot regardless of how well they were covered was clearly the order of the day.  Also missing for this year camp was 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammed from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, who was ranked #1 nationally in the Class of 2012 when we recently published our our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Muhammed was actually at the camp, but didn't play due to an injury).  But it didn't matter, because 6'5 8th Grader Brian Bridgewater from Baton Rouge, LA simply picked up where left off last summer when he was the best player in his age group at the Junior All-American Camp in Chantilly, VA and was ranked #17 by the HOOP SCOOP at the AAU 14-Under Nationals in Lake Buena Vista, FL while playing up against players a year older.  Bridgewater was like a man among boys in this camp, as he totally dominated around the basket and probably set a record for the most electrifying dunks that we've ever seen in one weekend.  He capped all this off with 14 points in the first half of the all-star game in the Rising Freshman Division, but missed the rest of the game due to the fact that he had to catch a flight.  However, this time around, it didn't matter (he also missed the all-star game a year ago at the Junior All-American Camp and, as a result, was not the #1-ranked player in camp) because Bridgewater was just that much better than every body else.  And this is important, because, until proven otherwise, Bridgewater has to be the best player in the Class of 2013.  Obviously Bridgewater needs to grow some more in order to insure that some somebody doesn't pass him up down the road.  But right now he has such a great motor, such a great combination of size, skills, athleticism, and mobility, and is so far ahead of everybody else in both the camp and the class that it's scary.  However, when Bridgewater at half-time of the all-star game, that left the door open for 6'3 8th Grader Tyrell Robinson from San Diego, CA and 6'3 8th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA to step up and steal the show.  They also were named the MVP's for their respective teams in the all-star game, as it seemed liked they took turns in the second half making one great move after another in transition and to create a shot from beyond the arc.  Tryell finished with 22 points and also had a pair of treys.  But we gave the nod in a close call in our rankings to Tyrell, who had 21 points and three treys, due to the fact that his team won the game.  Also leaving very little doubt about who was the best player in the Rising Sophomore Division was 6'7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land, TX, as he finished with 21 points and was so active and versatile both around the basket and in transition that we started to hear Kevin Garnett/Michael Gilchrist comparisons.  Unfortunately Sheppard doesn't play with this type of effort and intensity all of the time and, as a result, we're not quite ready to start talking about him being the best players nationally in his class.  We also thought 6'0 8th Grader D.J. Griggs from Lake Jackson, TX played so well in the all-star game that we moved him ahead of 6'2 8th Grader Clyde Smith from Houston, TX, who was our #1-ranked player in this age group right up until the all-star game.  We also were very impressed with the number of quality inside players in camp, as the Rising Sophomore Division featured 12 players 6'7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land, TX, 6'5 Frosh Matt Shrigley from Encinitas, CA, 6'5 Frosh Malik Fields from Fayetteville, AR, 6'7 Frosh Romas Marcinkevicius from Avon, CT, 6'5 Frosh Rasean Simpson from San Diego, CA, 6'5 Frosh Najeal McMillian from Milwaukee, WI, 6'7 Frosh Adam Lacey from San Diego, CA, 6'4 Frosh George Sherwood from Kalispell, MT, 6'6 Frosh Austin Roark from Tigeras, NM, 6'2 Frosh Thomas Butler from San Diego, CA, 6'7 Frosh Kenny Kaminski from Medina, OH, and 6'6 Frosh Tyler Holloway from Tomball, TX - at the center position who were ranked among our top 50 players in camp in this age group.  And the Rising Freshman Division was even better, as there are 13 players at the center position who are ranked among the the top 50 players in camp.  This list includes 6'5 8th Grader Brian Bridewater from Baton Rouge, LA, 6'3 8th Grader DeOsic West from Spring, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Dylan Jones from Alameda, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Jeremiah Turner from San Diego, CA, 6'8 8th Grader Parker Callender from Houston, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Dwayne Foreman from Spring Valley, NY, 6'4 8th Grader Jesse Lopez from El Paso, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Devron Kennedy from Wylie, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV, 6'2 8th Grader Marcus Lee from Antioch, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Jamal Aytes from San Diego, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Jeffery Beverly from Richmond, TX, and 6'5 8th Grader Steven Haney from East Lansing, MI.  Now also is a good time to point out that a lot of these players can also play out on the perimeter and, as a result, will project as wing players down the road depending upon how much they grow and what areas they focus on as they continue to develop their game.  However, for our purposes, these ranking are reflective of what we saw in camp and, with only one exception, we required every team in camp to have at least one center.  But that's easy when compared to determining what position to put a lot of the guards and perimeter players.  We also take into account at what position a player might get ranked higher and whether he's a pass first or shoot first kind of guy when putting together these rankings.  Thus, explains why a lot of undersized guys ended up being ranked at the 2-guard spot when they think they're a point guard.  The depth was also the best it's ever been, as the number of bad players at the bottom of the camp were few and far between and there were a lot of good players who didn't make the all-star game in their respective classes.  On the other end of the spectrum 6'11 Frosh Jack Taylor from Lawrenceville, NJ had a tough week.  But before you start to feel too sorry for Taylor, remember you can't teach size and, if you're 7-feet tall and you can catch, pass, shoot, set picks and screens, and are willing to sacrifice your body, you have a chance to play in the NBA.  Also big guys develop later than perimeter players and, as a result, Taylor clearly was one of the guys in the camp with the most potential.  Moral to the story, hopefully Taylor will turn a negative into a positive by going home and continuing to work hard and develop into the good player that we know he can become.  We also think it's important to point out that there were a number of players (i.e. Clyde Smith, Mytaah Crawford, David Travers, Bryan Velasco, Shai Shai Matthews, Cullen Neal, Bryce Alford, and Cameron Epps) that we've seen at this camp and the Junior Phenom Camp in recent years who take what they've learned and go home and getter better every year.  And really that's what all this is about, as where you're ranked and how well you play in an event like this is a nice measuring stick to see where you're at the time.  But really what's important is continuing to work on your game, keep getting better, and hopefully getting a college scholarship down the road.  As for the selfish chemistry killing point guards from hell who were in camp. You know who you are and the day of reckoning is coming, if you don't grow and/or develop more of a pass first and shoot less mentality.  In contrast, a list of the unsung heroes in camp is what comes next.  The Defensive Award Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2013) include 5'4 8th Grader Michael Clemons from El Paso, TX, 5'5 8th Grader Shaquille Townsend from Mt. Vernon, NY, 5'9 8th Grader Cydney Calvin from Frisco, TX, 5'8 8th Grader Zavier Turner from Indianapolis, IN, 5'6 8th Grader Anthony Warwick from Norwalk, CA, 5'6 8th Grader Christian Fleenor from Henderson, NV, 5'7 8th Grader Patrick Hawkins from Oakland, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Marcus Allen from Las Vegas, NV, 5'5 8th Grader Malcolm Allen from Las Vegas, NV, 5'3 8th Grader Marcus McQueen from Bloomfield Hills, MI, 6'3 8th Grader Devon Pflueger from San Juan Capistrano, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Steven Haney from East Lansing, MI, 5'11 8th Grader Jordan Forehand from Bridge Water, NJ, 5'10 8th Grader Tanner Clark from Franklin, KY, 6'5 8th Grader Jeffrey Beverly from Richmond, TX, 5'9 8th Grader Eris Winder from Las Vegas, NV, 5'7 8th Grader Raymond Gonzalvo from ?????????, CA, 5'10 8th Grader Devon Haines from ???????????, NJ, and 5'6 8th Grader Ryan Willison from ??????????, PA.  The Sportsmanship Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2013) include 5'9 8th Grader Winston Stearns from Arroyo Grande, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Kendrick Morris from Houston, TX, 5'10 8th Grader Cody Fowler from Poway, CA, 6'0 8th Grader Alec Harris from Forney, TX, 5'6 8th Grader Cameron Epps from Allen, TX, 5'7 8th Grader Kahlil Andrews from Carson, CA, 5'8 8th Grader Payne Andrews from Waco, TX, 6'0 8th Grader Kevin Carroll from Champaign, IL, 5'8 8th Grader Jase Harrison from California City, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Stephen Domingo from San Francisco, CA, 5'11 8th Grader Kyle De Laveaga from Scottsdale, AZ, 5'8 8th Grader Jonathan Dyer from Bowie, MD, 5'1 8th Grader Xico Casillas from San Diego, CA, 6'2 8th Grader Dwight Richards from Ft. Wayne, IN, 5'9 8th Grader William Ramsey from Lexington, NC, 5'6 8th Grader De'Shar Thomas from Goldsboro, NC, 5'4 8th Grader Robert Lowe from Atlantic City, NJ, 6'1 8th Grader Ariel Watson from Washington, DC, and 6'5 8th Grader Steven Haney from ????????????, MI.  The Defensive Award Winners in the Rising 10th Grade Division (Class of 2012) include 5'10 Frosh Cooper Hamaliuk from Cochrane, AB, 5'8 Frosh Anthony Garcia from Poway, CA, 5'11 Frosh David Travers from Carlsbad, CA, 5'11 Frosh Jabari Evans from Douglasville, GA, 5'10 Frosh Tilgham Dunbar from Dale City, VA, 5'10 Frosh James Aikens from Jacksonville, AR, 5'10 Frosh Nathyas Abdullah from Milwaukee, WI, 5'9 Frosh Quaushawn Branch from Albuquerque, NM, 6'2 Frosh Jonathan Hodge from Bridgewater, NJ, 6'0 Frosh Austin Sims from McAlester, OK, 6'2 Frosh Ryan Whelphey from Olean, NY, 5'11 Frosh Troy Gernhart from Portland, OR, 5'8 Frosh Marlon Wells from ??????????????, CA, 6'1 Frosh Keyon Sayles from ?????????, CA, 5'10 Frosh Isaiah Gray from ????????????, Wisconsin, and 5'9 Frosh George Carter from ????????????, MO.  The Sportsmanship Winners in the Rising 9th Grade Division (Class of 2012) include 5'10 Frosh Cooper Hamaliuk from Cochrane, AB, 5'8 Frosh Anthony Garcia from Poway, CA, 5'8 Frosh Davaughn Wright from Meridan, CT, 6'3 Frosh Mark Winters from Albuquerque, NM, 5'10 Frosh Darrius Dow from Bronx, NY, 5'9 Frosh Eric Mathesan from Ridgeway, PA, 5'8 Frosh Youjay Baird from Fortuna, CA, 5'10 Frosh Sam Borst-Smith from San Pedro, CA, 5'7 Frosh Deron Parks from Portland, OR, 5'6 Frosh Vincent Petties-Wilson from San Diego, CA,  6'1 Frosh Gunner Gomez from Arroyo Grande, CA, 6'0 Frosh Trevor Glassman from Bedford, NH, 5'11 Frosh Ezra Taylor from Mesa, AZ, 6'1 Frosh Andrew Maloney from Bedford, NY, 6'0 Frosh Garrison Holmes from Temecula, CA, 6'7 Frosh Kenny Kaminski from Medina, OH, 6'0 Frosh Dalante Dunklin from ?????????, CA, 6'0 Frosh Daniel Marshall from ???????????, CA, and 6'2 Frosh Thomas Butler from San Diego, CA. 

Friday, June 26, 2009

I'm no expert on the NBA Draft.  However, I do have some very interesting questions about what happened last night at the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.  First, does anybody who watched Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans play throughout their high school careers really think Evans is a better player than Jennings?  Every tells me that it's all about the size.  But Evans also wasn't hurt by the fact that he was tailor made to fit into John Calipari's dribble drive offense, which allowed Evans to make a living taking the ball to the hole and finishing at the rim, this past season at the University of Memphis.  And, while Evans was in the process of earning National College Freshman-of-the-Year honors, Jennings was out-of-sight and out-of-mind playing against men professionally in Spain.  Jennings also did not put up the numbers necessary to knock the socks off of any NBA scouts.  But he did prove that he has the toughness and fortitude necessary to overcome whatever adversity he is sure to face at the highest level.  If you never face adversity, you never improve.  But that didn't seem to matter last night, as the Sacramento Kings picked Evans #4 and the Minnesota Timberwolves picked a pair of points guards (Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn) over the guy (Jennings) who we think has potential necessary to be one of the best point guards in the history of the game.  Second, the Timberwolves drafted both Rubio and Flynn over North Carolina's Ty Lawson, who has all of the ingredients necessary to be other great point guard in this year's draft.  We're talking about somebody with a great combination of strength, athleticism, outside shooting, and understanding of the game.  Lawson also has an incredible basketball IQ and the ability to determine the tempo of the game (i.e. this year's NCAA Championship Game).  Even more incredible is the fact that the Timberwolves turned right around and traded Lawson to the Denver Nuggets for future considerations right after they lucked out and got Lawson with the 18th pick.  Third, I was was totally amazed when Louisville's Earl Clark was drafted #14 by the Phoenix Suns.  Clark could develop into a good player someday if he figures out that he needs to get bigger and stronger and utilizes his length and athleticism at the power forward spot.  But that probably won't happen,, because Clark is more interested in playing out on the perimeter.  Remember, this is a guy whose outside shooting is suspect, tends to be turnover prone, and more often than not has been a no-show in big games this last two years.  Fourth, was Wayne Ellington, who also was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the #28 picked, nothing more than an afterthought by teams in the late first round?  There is no question that Ellington isn't athletic as a his former high school teammate, Gerald Henderson, who was drafted #12 by the Charlotte Bobcats.  But Ellington was always a better player, he can flat out shoot the lights out, and he's a proven winner after being named the MVP in this year NCAA Final Four.  Fifth, there were a lot of guys who left college early only to be drafted in the second round of this year's NBA Draft.  This list includes Pittsburgh's 6'7 Soph DeJuan Blair, Xavier 6'8 Jr Derrick Brown, Arizona's 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger, Florida's 6'6 Soph Nick Calathes, Texas A&M's 6'10 Jr Chinemelu Elonu, Kentucky's 6'4 Jr Jodie Meeks, St. Mary's 6'0 Soph Patrick Mills, and Georgetown's 6'8 Jr DaJuan Summers.  And then there were guys, like UTEP's 7'0 Jr Kareem Cooper, N.C. State's 6'9 Jr Brandon Costner, Syracuse's 6'4 Jr Eric Devendorf, UT-Arlington's 5'11 Jr Roger Guignard, USC's 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett, Syracuse's 6'5 Jr Paul Harris, Tennessee Tech's 6'4 Jr Darnell Lindsay, UAB's 6'6 Soph Terrence Roderick, Memphis 6'10 Jr Shawn Taggart, and DePaul's 6'5 Soph Dar Tucker, who left early, but didn't get drafted at all.  Sixth, can you believe Ohio State's 7'0 Frosh B.J. Mullens, who averaged 8.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 1.1 bpg, but didn't start for the Buckeyes this past season, got drafted #24 by the Dallas Mavericks?  Obviously it really is all about the size and athleticism, if you want somebody to take a chance on you in the first round.  But, then again, that's also way so many mistakes are made. 

Thursday, June 25, 2009

You can always count on the High Potential "Blue Chip" Basketball Camp at Georgetown College in Georgetown, KY to have some surprises and some sleepers.  And this summer should be no exception, as camp director Rick Bolus will host over 700 players from all over the nation and several foreign countries at two sessions (June 28th-July 2nd and July 12th-16th) for the 30th consecutive summer.  Among the top "Rip Van Winkles" that Bolus tells us will be in attendance are 6'5 Jr Andrew Rudakas from Valparaiso (Wheeler) IN, 6'9 Jr Curtis Washington from Elizabethtown (KY), 6'6 Jr Colt Barnhill from Grayson (East Carter) KY, 6'1 Jr Cameron Hall from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, and 6'0 Jr Sean Samsel from Louisville (Manual) KY.  We also will be interested to see if 6'1 Frosh Jordan Brewer from Hodgenville (La Rue County) KY, who is the son of former University of Louisville guard James "Boo" Brewer, is a chip-off-the-old-block, as well as the top young player in camp.  The all-star games will be played at 10:30 PM on Wednesday, July 1st, and Wednesday, July 15th, and there is no admission charge or program charge for visiting college coaches and fans.  The headline speaker at both sessions will be Kenny Davis, the former Olympic captain of the 1972 U.S. team that lost to the Russian in a very controversial ending.  We also think it's important to note that Bolus, who is recognized as one of the foremost authorities on high school basketball in the Midwest, will be starting his 37th season as a basketball scout.  And, as usual, Bolus will send out an email in early August to every college coach in America that will provide a user name and password to his web site so that they can get the complete report from both camps. 

I also have been waiting for a slow day to address the fact that the NCAA is in the process of drafting legislation that will curtail the sale of scouting services that are published by summer club team coaches to Division I colleges and universities.  The problem stems from the fact that college coaches are afraid that if they don't subscribe to certain scouting services they won't be able to recruit the players that play on certain club teams.  Among those named in an article in the Charlotte Observer on Saturday, May 30th, were Double Pump and Fullcourt Press and some of the comments in the article are extremely interesting. "Fullcourt Press editor and Belmont Shore club coach Dinos Trigonis said there has to be a way for the NCAA to differentiate between what he believes are legitimate club-linked services and those that aren't legitimate.  He said it's not right to assume that every club-linked recruiting service charge is a payoff for access to players...Dana Pump said, however, that if recruiting services are doing that, he hasn't heard about it.  He said Pump N Run players absolutely have attended colleges that don't subscribe to his recruiting service."  And, while we're willing to take both Trigonis and Pump at their word, the potential for a major conflict of interest does exist, especially when you're talking about the two most powerful event operators on the West Coast.  Come to my event, play on my team, and get ranked higher.  Don't come to my event, don't play on my team, and don't get ranked as high.  Subconsciously this would be impossible not to do and this potential conflict of interest is one of the big reasons why I have stayed out of the event business and have never had any interest in having a club team."  Now don't get me wrong.  There is nothing wrong with being part of the media, an event operator, or a club team coach.  But when one combines all three together there is the potential for abuse, even if you're talking about the most legitimate of people.  That's why we have to agree at least in principle with the Division I Men's Basketball Issues Committee proposal crafted earlier this month that would establish minimum parameters for recruiting services purchased by college coaches.  According to an article written by Ken Tysiac in the Charlotte Observer on Saturday, June 6th, "schools will be permitted to subscribe to recruiting and video services that:  Disseminate information on at least a quarterly basis.  Make their rates public.  Declare whether they are a local, regional or national service, and then reflect broad-based coverage of that chosen scope.  Incorporate analysis into the report rather than just providing demographical information on players and ranking them.  Make sample reports available prior to purchase.  The proposal was forwarded to the Division I championships/sports management cabinet, which meets this month."  Tysiac also makes note of the fact that a vote could come in January.  He also says "the proposal wouldn't prevent club coaches from making money off scouting services, but is designed to force them to provide useful information in exchange for their fees."  And this is where I have a problem, because it doesn't sound like the NCAA really wants to solve the problem.  Instead, they just want to overregulate scouting services just like they do everything else.  A better idea would be to make people do one or the other (be in the event and club team business or be part of the media).  As for Trigonis and Pumps, they do a great job running their camps, events, and club teams.  But giants in the scouting services business they are not. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

One of the things that got lost in the shuffle last week, as we were finalizing our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 and covering the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, was Ro Russell's ranking of the top 25 pro prospects from The Douai World Tournamnent, which was held on June 8th-14th in Douai, France.  This list, which was compiled with input from pro scouts, coaches, media, et al. at the event, is based on performance, talent, competitiveness, skill, and potential and includes 1) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from 2K Sports USA and Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from 2K Sports USA and Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 3) 7'1 Donatas Motiejunas from Lithuania, 4) 6'7 Christophe Leonard from France, 5) 6'3 Mike Rosario from Puerto Rico and Rutgers University, 6) 6'10 Tautvydas Slezas from Lithuania, 7) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from 2K Sports USA and Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 8) 6'10 Kelly Olynyk from Canada, 9) 6'4 Jr Jordan McRae from 2K Sports USA and Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 10) 6'9 Brock Motum from Australia, 11) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from 2K Sports USA and Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 12) 6'6 Bertasius Gediminas from Lithuania, 13) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from 2G Sports USA and Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 14) 6'5 Manny Arop from Canada, 15) 6'9 Alexis Tanghe from France, 16) 6'8 Mitchell Young from Australia, 17) 6'5 Redikas Dougdas from Lithuania, 18) 6'2 Jio Fontan from Puerto Rico and Fordham University, 19) 5'9 Andrew Albicy from France, 20) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from 2G Sports USA and Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 21) 6'2 Rob Gagliardi from Canada and Toronto (Pickering) ON, 22) 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from 2K Sports USA and Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 23) 6'6 Christian Salecich from Australia, 24) 6'9 Carlos Lopez from Puerto Rico and Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 25) 6'11 Landing Sane from France.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that this list includes no fewer than eight players (Sullinger, Thompson, Joseph, McRae, Selby, Hairston, McCallum, and Golden) who participated on the 2K Spots USA team that finished no higher than 4th in the tournament.  Ironically, it was the Canadian team that won the tournament with a 3-2 record.  The teams from Puerto Rico and France finished second and third respectively and the teams from Australia and Lithuania finished fifth and sixth in what was clearly a very competitive field.  It also looks like Stephen F. Austin has done a great job of replacing 6'9 Sr Matt Kingsley, 6'4 Sr Joe Alexander, and 6'6 Sr Nick Shaw, who were the heart-and-sole of last year's team that finished 24-8 overall and ranked #1 in the league with a 13-3 record.  If you will recall, we already had the Lumberjacks' recruiting class, which includes 6'5 Mark Gomillia from Neosha County (JC) KS, 5'7 Denzel Barnes from Howard (JC) TX, 6'7 Jordan Glynn, from McLennan (JC) TX, 6'8 Corey Garrett from Center (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Lionell Holmes from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, 6'10 Will Reinke from Lawton (H.S.) OK, and 6'5 Orren Tims from McLennan (JC) TX, ranked #41 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And it would be ranked even higher, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  We mentioned this because 6'2 Jr Harrison Smith, who averaged 1.9 ppg and 1.6 rpg this past season at the University of Texas, has decided to transfer to Stephen F. Austin, where he will sit out next year and then have one year to play during the 2010-2011 season.  If you will recall, this is a guy who was a consensus top 100 player nationally when he was a senior in high school four years ago and, as a result, could very well be the final piece to the puzzle to go along with all of the good junior college players who are mentioned above.  However, this does not come as much of a surprise to us, because Stephen F. Austin assistant coach Ulric Maligi is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, as well as one of the best recruiters regardless of level in the Southwest.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jamar Wertz from Suffolk (Kings Fork) VA, who is recognized as a big time shooter, has picked Maryland-Baltimore County and we're impressed with the fact that Prairie View A&M has added 6'6 Courtney Bell from Chicago (Lincoln Park) IL, 6'6 Grady Green from Eastfield (JC) TX, and 6'1 Chris Sights from Mansfield (Summit) TX to a recruiting class that already included 6'6 Brandon Webb from Panola (JC) TX, 6'4 Duwan Kornegay from Ranger (JC) TX, and 6'5 Le'Donte Body from Cincinnati State (JC) OH.  We also will be surprised 6'4 Frosh Elliott Williams, who is leaving Duke for a school yet to be determined due to an illness in the immediate family, doesn't end up at the University of Memphis.  And assuming that we end up being correct and, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting classes, then Memphis' class would be ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  Remember, new Tigers head coach Josh Pastner also has 6'9 Will Coleman from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, 6'8 Latavious Williams from Humble (Christian Life) TX, and 6'8 Martin Ngaloro from Grenoble, France in this year's recruiting class, which is now tied at #28, along with Florida State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And he also has some very talented players, like 6'5 Jr Doneal Mack, 6'8 Frosh Wesley Witherspoon, and 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp, already in the program.  We also understand that Purdue has landed 6'8 Jr Donnie Hale from New Albany (H.S.) IN and this is big for a number of reasons.  First, Hale is one the fastest rising players in the nation and, as a result, is now a legitimate top 50 player in the junior class nationally.  Second, Hale is a skilled tough hardnosed competitor with deceptive athleticism, a high basketball IQ, and a great motor, which makes him ideally suited to fit into the Boilermakers' system.  Third, the addition of Hale moves Purdue's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'3 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'2 Jr Terone Johnson from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 6'11 Jr Travis Carroll from Danville (Community) IN, up to #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Fourth, the Boilermakers went into a traditional stronghold (Southern Indiana) of their biggest rival (Indiana University) to get this one done.  And what about the fact that Oklahoma State assistant coach Butch Pierre has once again gone back to his old stamping grounds to get 6'5 Jr Brian Williams from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA?  Williams is long and athletic, shoots the three, gets to the basket, and rebounds well for his size, which makes him like a jack-of-all-trades with a lot of outside and potential.  And last, but not least, is the fact that 6'0 Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA made it official for the University of Arizona earlier this evening.  Jones is ranked #69 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but what makes this so important is the fact that Jones was one of the highest ranked players still available, can score in bunches, and provides a link into one of the premier high school programs in the nation. 

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The order of the day right now appears to be early verbal commitments by players in the Class of 2011, as within the last 24 hours 6'3 Soph Julien Lewis from Galveston (La Marque) TX has decided on the University of Texas, 6'10 Soph Richard Peters from Weston (Sagemont) FL has cast his lot with the University of Oklahoma, and 5'10 Soph Darwin Davis from Bloomington (South) IN has picked Xavier.   The commitment by Lewis is especially noteworthy, because this athletic wing can play multiple positions and is ranked #72 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Lewis also can shoot the three and has the quick hands and feet necessary to be an excellent defender.  But what Lewis does best is explode to the basket, which makes him ideally suited to complement 6'1 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and 6'4 Soph Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX, both of whom are also already in the fold in what is now clearly the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  And that's coming right on the heels of Texas's current recruiting class, which is ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and includes 6'2 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'7 Shawn Williams from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, and next year's recruiting class, which is ranked #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and includes 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV and 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ.   Davis is the jet quick point guard on the Indiana Elite Team Indiana team who really impressed us with his ball handling and passing skills and ability to score en route to the championship in the Juniors-To-Be Division earlier this spring at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N' Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne, IN.  Peters is more of a project than a finished product right.  But he is a physical specimen inside and and does have a lot of upside and potential.  It also looks like Clemson pulled off a major coup when the Tigers landed 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA late last week when we were covering the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  Johnson, who is ranked #54 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has the size, athleticism, ability to shoot the lights out, and a terrific bloodline ( father, Lynbert "Cheese" Johnson, was a playground legend from New York City who played at Wichita State from 1976 to 1979, as well as one season in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors) necessary to evolve into one of the better players in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball.  Johnson also could end up being the final piece to the puzzle for the Tigers next year, as the only key player from last year's team that Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell must replace is 6'6 Sr K.C. Rivers.  Johnson also provides the perfect complement to 6'9 Milton Jennings from Summerville (Pinewood Prep) SC, 6'8 Devin Booker from Union (H.S.) SC, and 6'4 Donte Hill from Norfolk (Collegiate) VA in a recruiting class that is now tied at #30, along with Connecticut, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And what about the fact that St. Joseph's has landed a pair of players within the last week who are ranked in the 101-125 range nationally and have the potential to move a lot higher?  We're talking about 6'9 Jr C.J. Aiken from Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Whitemarsh) PA and 6'3 Jr Langston Galloway from Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA, both of whom join 6'6 Jr Daryus Quarles from Burlington (Life Center) NJ in a recruiting class that is now ranked #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Quarles is ranked #152 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has an incredible wing span, big time athleticism, and can beat you with both his outside shooting and ability to slash to the basket.  Galloway is an excellent defender and has a knack for finding different ways to score.  Aiken is a face-up 4-man who is long and athletic, blocks shots, and is good at knocking down both the mid-range and outside shot.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Jr Alex Rossi from Winnetka (New Trier) IL has picked the University of California.  And, while Rossi did not make our list of the top 2-guards at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, he did impress us with his outside shooting, willingness to compete, and understanding of the game.  In contrast, the Golden Bears' other 2-guard recruit - 6'4 Jr Allen Crabbe from Los Angeles (Price) CA - in next year's recruiting class is a big athlete who does every well and has a big upside.  It also looks like 6'10 Jr Kevin Noreen from Minnetonka (Minnesota Transitions Charter) MN has picked Boston College, 6'4 Jr Warren Niles from Richmond (New Creations) IN has verbally committed to Oral Roberts, 6'10 Jr Fred Heldring from Winnetka (New Trier) IL is bound for William & Mary, and 6'5 DeMarcus Blunt from Albany Technical (JC) GA and 6'6 Henry White from Hill (JC) TX have made it official for Grambling State.  Those first two are important, because Noreen averaged 28.2 ppg and 13.6 rpg and is capable of playing the three, four, or the five.  Niles helped lead New Creations to a 48-8 record last season and its second straight National Christian School Athletic Association title.  Niles averaged 23.8 ppp, 6.2 rpg, and 3.1 assists apg and was named MVP at the National Christian School Athletic Association Championship, the John A. Logan College Classic, and the Guy Vetrie Memorial Tournament.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Clay Dade has released the list of players that he expects to be in attendance at the Freshmen All-American Camp in Lexington, KY, which will tip-off in the Joe Craft Center Practice Facility in Lexington, KY on Thursday, June 25th, at 6:00 PM, and it includes 6'4 8th Grader Jubril Adekoya from Tinley Park, IL, 6'7 8th Grader Agau Akoy from Omaha, NE, 6'5 8th Grader Jamal Aytes from San Diego, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Payton Bank from Aliso Viejo, CA, 6'8 8th Grader TreShawn Bolden from Jackson, MS, 5'8 8th Grader Marquan Botley from Plano, TX, 5'1 8th Grader Lawrence Briggs from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grade Carlos Burse from Alpharetta, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Deonte Burton from Milwaukee, WI, 5'11 8th Grader Cliff Bussey from Toledo, OH, 6'8 8th Grader Akil Carr from Baltimore, MD, 6'1 8th Grader Anthony Carroll from Wauwatosa, WI, 6'6 8th Grader Taco Charlton from Pickerington, OH, 6'6 8th Grader Christian Bradley from Melbourne, FL, 5'7 8th Grader Stevie Clark from Oklahoma City, OK, 6'5 8th Grader Clayton Drekalo from Orlando, FL, 6'8 8th Grader Coger Tyrek from Raleigh, NC, 6'8 8th Grader Austin Colbert from Chesepeake, VA, 6'1 8th Grader Markell Crawford from Memphis, TN, 6'5 8th Grader Deontaye Curtis from Birmingham, AL, 6'3 8th Grader Justin Dotson from Central, SC, 6'3 8th Grader Dyson Demetrius from Covington, TN, 6'1 8th Grader Royal Ewing from Chicago, IL, 6'6 8th Grader Tony Farmer from East Cleveland, OH, 6'5 8th Grader D.J. Fenner from Springdale, MD, 6'4 8th Grader Isaiah Flowers from Chicago, IL, 6'6 8th Grader Jackson Forbes from Plano, TX, 6'7 8th Grader Alex Foster from Plainfield, IL, 6'4 8th Grader Keith Frazier from Irving, TX, 5'6 8th Grader Jarvis Garrett from Milwaukee, WI, 6'5 8th Grader Gladden Byron from Charlotte, NC, 5'8 8th Grader Colten Gober from Colleyville, TX, 5'9 8th Grader Grant Matthew from Los Angeles, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Derrick Griffin from Richmond, TX, 6'8 8th Grader Tommy Hamilton from Chicago, IL, 6'1 8th Grader Kendal Harris from Dallas, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Aaron Harrison from Richmond, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Andrew Harrison from Richmond, TX, 6'6 8th Grader Collin Hartman from Fishers, IN, 6'6 8th Grader Nigel Hayes from Toledo, OH, 6'3 8th Grader Darryl Hicks from Shelbyville, KY, 6'2 8th Grader Kasey Hill from Eustis, FL, 5'11 8th Grader Matt Hillman from Gaithersburg, MD, 6'8 8th Grader Kuran Iverson from West Hartford, CT, 6'5 8th Grader Arshad Jackson from Hampton, GA, 6'1 8th Grader Tadric Jackson from Ashburn, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Alfonso Johnson from Harvest, AL, 6'3 8th Grader Eric Johnson from Garland, TX, 6'2 8th Grader Matt Jones from DeSoto, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Ron Jones from Augusta, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Vequan Jones from Wylie, TX, 6'6 8th Grader Will Jones from Augusta, GA, 6'3 8th Grader Dakota Jongebloed from Powhatan, VA, 6'1 8th Grader Tyler Jordan from Ballwin, MO, 5'10 8th Grader from Keith Marvie from Sauk Village, IL, 6'5 8th Grader Nick King from Memphis, TN, 5'11 8th Grader Travon Landry from San Antonio, TX, 6'4 8th Grader Keith Langston from Chicago, IL, 6'2 8th Grader Lewis Devin from Riverdale, GA, 5'8 8th Grader Dre'Sean Looney from Memphis, TN, 6'6 8th Grader Marc Loving from Toledo, OH, 6'0 8th Grader John Marshall from Phoenix, AZ, 6'6 8th Grader Jordan Martin from Florissant, MO, 6'5 8th Grader Greg McClinton from Winston-Salem, NC, 6'5 8th Grader Justin McCray from Ridgeland, MS, 6'1 8th Grader Danny McGrath from Brentwood, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Demetrius McFadden from Columbia, SC, 6'1 8th Grader L.J. McIntosh from Riverdale, IL, 6'5 8th Grader Kennedy Meeks from Charlotte, NC, 6'4 8th Grader Mickey Jordan from Dallas, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Tory Miller from Lees Summit, MO, 6'7 8th Grader Mike Mills from Canton, MO, 5'11 8th Grader Shelton Mitchell from Waxhaw, NC, 6'3 8th Grader Rashad Muhammad from Las Vegas, NV, 6'5 8th Grader Jordan Neff from Kennesaw, GA, 6'5 8th Grader Austin Nichols from Collierville, TN, 6'7 8th Grader Terrance O'Donohue from Marietta, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Maurice O'Field from Cleveland, OH, 6'7 8th Grader Goodluck Okonoboh from Boston, MA, 6'1 8th Grader Miles Overton from Glen Mill, PA, 6'6 8th Grader Johnny Patterson from Chicago, IL, 6'4 8th Grader Tommie Peoples from Lithonia, GA, 6'4 8th Grader Kendall Pollard from Chicago, IL, 6'8 8th Grader Malik Price-Martin from Miami-FL, 6'3 8th Grader Rodney Purvis from Raleigh, NC, 6'7 8th Grader Julius Randle from McKinney, TX, 6'5 8th Grader Vinay Reddy from San Antonio, TX, 6'0 8th Grader David Robertson from Cary, NC, 6'3 8th Grader Shaheed Robinson from Sumter, SC, 6'4 8th Grader Tyree Robinson from San Diego, CA, 6'4 8th Grader Tyrell Robinson from San Diego, CA, 6'5 8th Grader Zach Rogers from Tulsa, OK, 6'0 8th Grader Brett Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'0 8th Grader Bryson Scott from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'5 8th Grade LaDerrick Scott from Forest, MS, 5'11 8th Grader Jaaron Simmons from Dayton, OH, 6'0 8th Grader Tre' Smith from Simpsonville, SC, 6'0 8th Grader Jaren Sina from Lake Hopatcong, NJ, 6'4 8th Grader Jordan Swopshire from O'Fallon, MO, 6'0 8th Grader Jahmal Taylor from Los Angeles, CA, 6'8 8th Grader Xavier Taylor from Chicago, IL, 6'1 8th Grader Tanner Tepe from Piedmont, OK, 6'2 8th Grader Shirmane Thomas from Dallas, TX, 6'3 8th Grader Torlorf "Tee" Thomas from Montgomery, AL, 6'6 8th Grader Malik Thompson from Orlando, FL, 6'4 8th Grader Tarique Thompson from Raeford, NC, 5'9 8th Grader Preston Troutt from Dallas, TX, 5'7 8th Grader Anthony Virdure from St. Louis, MO, 6'5 8th Grader Ishmael Wainwright from Overland Park, KS, 5'10 8th Grader Manuale Watkins from Columbia, MO, 6'6 8th Grader Seab Webster from Gurley, AL, 6'5 8th Grader Nick Wells from Akron, OH, 6'8 8th Grader Jonathan Williams from Memphis, TN, 6'2 8th Grader Nigel Williams-Goss from Henderson, NV, 6'0 8th Grader Xavier Williams from San Diego, CA, 6'1 8th Grader C.J. Wilson from Conyers, GA, 5'9 8th Grader Jordan Wilson from Los Angeles, CA, 6'6 8th Grader Kyle Wilson from Dallas, TX, 5'9 8th Grader Eris Winder from Las Vegas, NV, 6'5 8th Grader Allen Winford from Jackson, MS, and 6'3 8th Grader Dontonio Wingfield from Cincinnati, OH.  Unfortunately I will not be among the scouts in attendance at this year's Freshmen All-American Camp.  Instead, for the fourth consecutive year I will be covering the Phenom Top 150 Camp, which will be held at Alliant University in San Diego, CA on June 25th-28th.  And, as always, we expect this camp to have more than its share of the top rising freshmen (Class of 2013) and sophomores (Class of 2012) in the nation. 

Sunday, June 21, 2009

It's ironic that our top three-ranked players in the camp -  6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, and 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA - not only took home the three most important awards (Marshall was the MVP, Gilchrist was the Most Promising Prospect, and Sullinger got the Leadership Award), but their teams (the Rockets and the Hornets) also were the two teams still playing in the championship game.  Marshall averaged only 7.0 ppg, but he led his team to an undefeated record and a 79-74 win in the championship game.  He also did a great job of making his teammates better, as he had close to double-digit assists in every game and provided the leadership necessary for his team to continue to win after Gilchrist got hurt, missed one game, and was slowed in his final three games of the camp with a sprained ankle.  However, when it is all said and done, nobody in the camp or the country is a good as Gilchrist.  And his team always seems to win (we also watched Gilchrist lead his team to the championship in the Hoop Group Pittsburgh Jam Fest, Hoop Group Providence Jam Fest, and the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions earlier this spring).  The same also can be said about Sullinger, whose All-Ohio Red team has totally dominated its age group on the AAU circuit for the last three years and knocked off the Team Final team for which Gilchrist plays in the Championship Game at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in early April.  In other words, we're talking about two of the best players in the nation, both of whom are winners in every since of the word.  As for Gilchrist, he not only played hurt in the playoffs, but he also wanted to play in the game that he didn't play in (the people running the camp decided not to let him play as precaution).  One of the other big stories of the camp was the way 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL was more like the stock market (up-and-down) than a model of consistency, as he had three great games, but was very mediocre the rest of the time.  Still, Knight impressed us so much with his explosiveness and athleticism, ability to create his own shot, and untapped upside and potential that he gets our vote as the #1-ranked player nationally in the Class of 2010.  Obviously we're not looking at how well Knight played in this camp or where his game is right now.  Instead, it's what Knight can be, which is a Dwayne Wade, but with a better jump shot, and a superstar in the NBA, that gets us excited.  And the fact that Knight is such a smart kid and has such a great  motor makes the likelihood of this happening even more probable once he gets a coach who can tone him down, take better shots, and do a better job of changing speeds.  In other words, we think Knight's potential is off the chart when compared to the other players in the class, like 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, all of whom are a lot closer to have reaching their potential.  Speaking of Barnes, he did not live up to expectations in this camp.  But we're not going to penalize him due to the fact that he had flu like symptoms, but still managed to finish ranked eighth in the camp in scoring with 12.7 ppg and was a model of consistency in every game, as he finished with 14 points, 10 points, 14 points, 16 points, 13 points, and nine points in the six games in which he played.  We also have to give 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD his just due, as he got better and better as the week wore on and ended up being the leading scorer in camp with 16.2 ppg.  The biggest surprises in camp were 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, who was totally unknown prior to the start of the camp, but also appears to be prime prep school or junior college material due to the fact that his academics are a question and he is just a raw talent who needs somebody to teach him how to play and help refine his game.  Another major surprise was 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL.  But given the choice we would rather he be a little more unselfish than ranked #2 in the camp in scoring with 15.8 ppg.  And what about 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, who was the leading scorer with 19 points in the championship game, and 6'8 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, who scored the final two baskets in the championship game to seal the deal for the Rockets?  We also have to mention the championship game wouldn't have been nearly as close as it was without the deadly 3-point shooting by 6'7 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, who knocked down five straight treys for the Hornets in the title game.  Our list of the biggest disappointments in the camp includes 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Jr Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 6'9 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'8 Jr Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 6'8 Jr Tobi Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, and 6'2 Jr Markel Starks from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD.  However, in the case of Ross, we're willing to give him a pass due to the fact that he's been slowed this spring by an injury.  Speaking of Ross, his list of schools includes Kentucky, Mississippi State, Baylor, N.C. State, Syracuse, Duke, Georgetown, Connecticut, Arkansas, Alabama, and Tennessee.  We also have got a list of schools for 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, which includes Louisville, Syracuse, Connecticut, Florida, Florida State, and Miami-FL, and 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who has not yet officially opted out of his commitment to USC, but now is getting interest from schools like Washington, Connecticut, Oklahoma, Arizona, Baylor, California, Stanford, Texas A&M, and Utah.  The leading scorers at this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp were 1) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD with 16.2 ppg, 2) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL with 15.8 ppg, 3) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL with 15.3 ppg, 4) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 14.6 ppg, 5) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC with 13.6 ppg, 6) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY with 13.3 ppg, 7) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA with 13.0 ppg, 8) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA with 12.7 ppg, 9) 6'6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 12.6 ppg, 10) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI with 12.0 ppg, 10) 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN with 12.0 ppg, 10) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA with 12.0 ppg, 13) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC with 11.8 ppg, 14) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 11.7 ppg, 15) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL with 11.6 ppg, 16) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN with 11.4 ppg, 17) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH with 11.7 ppg, 18) 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 11.2 ppg, 19) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD with 11.0 ppg, 20) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV with 10.8 ppg, 21) 6'7 Jr Jarell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC with 10.6 ppg, 22) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA with 10.2 ppg, 23) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV with 10.2 ppg, 23) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 10.2 ppg, 22) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV with 10.2 ppg, 26) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH with 10.2 pgg, 26) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA with 10.2 ppg, 28) 16) 6'6 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT with 9.8 ppg, 28) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA with 9.8 ppg, 28) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA with 9.8 ppg, and 28) 6'5 Jr Jayvaugh Pinkston from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 9.8 ppg.  The top individual single-game scoring performances in the camp were turned in by 1) 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 26 points, 1) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC with 26 points, 3) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL with 24 points, 3) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL with 24 points, 5) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA with 23 points, 6) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD with 22 points, 7) 10) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 21 points, 7) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL with 21 points, 7) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY with 21 points, and 7) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD with 21 points. 

The final ranking of the top 30 players at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA, which was compiled by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, is as follows:  1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 3) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 4) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 5) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 7) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 8) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 9) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 10) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 11) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 12) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 13) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 14) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 15) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 16) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 17) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 18) 6'5 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 19) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 20) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 21) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 22) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 23) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 24) 6'8 Jr Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 25) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 26) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 27) 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 28) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 29) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, and 30) 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN.  Our list final ranking of the Top Centers in Camp based on performance includes 1) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 3) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 4) 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 5) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6) 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 7) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 8) 6'9 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson OH, 9) 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 10) 6'11 Moussa-Keita Baye from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 11) 6'10 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 12) 6'11 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 13) 6'8 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 14) 6'9 Jr Richard Solomon from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 15) 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI, 16) 6'9 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, and 17) 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD.  Our final ranking of the Top Power Forwards in Camp based on performance includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 3) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 4) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 5) 6'8 Jr Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 7) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 8) 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 9) 6'8 Jr Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols School) NY, 10) 6'7 Jr Jarell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 11) 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 12) 6'8 Jr Okara White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 13) 6'11 Jr Tobi Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 14) 6'7 Soph C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA, 15) 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Baltimore (Calvert Hall) MD, and 16) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Our final ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp based on performance includes 1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 3) 6'5 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 4) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 5) 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6) 6'5 Jr Jayvaugh Pinkston from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, 8) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 9) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 10) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 11) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 12) 6'7 Jr Mychal Parker from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA,13) 6''7 Jr Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 14) 6'7 Soph LeBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 15) 6'7 Jr Mychal Parker from Charlottesville (Miller School) VA, 16) 6'8 Jr Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 17) 6'6 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesiam) CA, and 18) 6'7 Jr Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Our final ranking of the Top 2-Guards in Camp based on performance includes 1) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 2) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 3) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 4) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 7) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 9) 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, 10) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 11) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 12) 6'7 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, 13) 6'5 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 14) 6'2 Jr Madracus Wade from Memphis (Mitchell Road) TN, 15) 6'4 Jr Jerian Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 16) 6'6 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, 17) 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ, and 18) 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  Our final ranking of the Top Point Guards in Camp based on performance includes 1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 3) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 4) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 5) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV, 6) 6'0 Jr Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 8) 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 9) 6'2 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 10) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee Mission (Bishop Miege) KS, 11) 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL, 12) 6'0 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 13) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 14) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 15) 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 16) 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, and 17) 6'2 Jr Markel Starks from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD. 

Saturday, June 20, 2009

After turning in one of the worst single-day performances for an elite player yesterday in the history of the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ rallied today with 13 points in the morning session and, believe it or not, 26 points in the evening session.  Not only does this rank Irving in the top 15 in scoring in the camp with 12.0 ppg, but it also ties him with 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC for the top individual single-game scoring performance in the camp.  We also were extremely surprised when 6'9 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC was one of the 20 players picked by the players to play in the all-star game earlier today.  And to reinforce our decision not to include him on our list of the top players in camp at his position, which can be found below, are his statistics, which include six points, eight points, six points, and zero points respectively, in his first four games in camp.  Also not doing much of anything today was 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Westmont (Sagemont) FL, who finished with only two points in the morning session and was injured early in tonight's evening session and, as a result, now appears to be sidelined for the rest of the camp.  Thus, explains why Melo slips from being the #1 center in camp yesterday to #5 on that same list today.  We also continue to rank 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA among the every elite players (yesterday he was #1 and today he is #2) due to the fact that he understands his role, makes his teammates better, and his team was the best team in camp today even after 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ got injured in the morning session.  Speaking of Gilchrist, he's clearly the best player in camp and we're looking forward to his return tomorrow, which will be just in time for the playoffs.  Our ranking of the top 25 players at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp after the first two days of camp (Thursday, June 18th, and Friday, June 19th) is as follows: 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 3) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 4) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 5) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 7) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 8) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 9) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 10) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 11) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 13) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 14) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 15) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 16) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 17) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 18) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 19) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 20) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 21) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 22) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 23) 6'5 Jr Jayvaugh Pinkston from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 24) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, and 25) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV.  Our list of the Top Centers in Camp based on performance after the second day includes 1) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 2) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 3) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 4) 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 5) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6) 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 7) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 8) 6'11 Moussa-Keita Baye from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 9) 6'10 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 10) 6'11 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 11) 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 12) 6'9 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson OH, 13) 6'9 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 14) 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, and 15) 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI.  Our list of the Top Power Forwards in Camp based on performance after the second day includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 3) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 4) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 5) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6) 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 7) 6'8 Jr Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols School) NY, 8) 6'8 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 9) 6'8 Jr Okara White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 10) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 11) 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Baltimore (Calvert Hall) MD, and 12) 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Our list of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp based on performance after the second day includes 1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 3) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 4) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 5) 6'5 Jr Jayvaugh Pinkston from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, 7) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 8) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 9) 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, 10) 6'7 Soph LeBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 11) 6'8 Jr Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 12) 6'8 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 13) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 14) 6'7 Jr Mychal Parker from Charlottesville (Miller School) VA, 15) 6'5 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 16) 6'6 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesiam) CA, and 17) 6'7 Jr Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX.  Our list of the 2-Guards in Camp based on performance after the second day includes 1) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 2) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 3) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 4) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 7) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 8) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 10) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 11) 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 12) 6'2 Jr Madracus Wade from Memphis (Mitchell Road) TN, 13) 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ, 14) 6'5 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 15) 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, 16) 6'7 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, 18) 6'6 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, and 19) 6'4 Jr Jerian Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  Our list of the Point Guards in Camp based on performance after the second day includes 1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 4) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 5) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV, 6) 6'0 Jr Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 8) 6'2 Jr Markel Starks from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, 9) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 10) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee Mission (Bishop Miege) KS, 11) 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 12) 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL, 13) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 14) 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 15) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 16) 6'0 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT.

Friday, June 19, 2009

As of yet nobody has stepped up and totally taken over this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville, VA.  However, we suspect that will change when 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who are arguably the best two players in camp, go head-to-head in a game that will tip-off at 10:45 AM this morning.  We also think it will is important to point out that after last night's evening session everybody was singing the praises of 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, who now is the top-ranked big man in camp, and that 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior class nationally, got hot and finished with 26 points in what is now the highest individual scoring performance of the tournament.  We also were even more impressed with the play of 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA when we saw them the second time around.  And it looks like 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA wasn't a one hit wonder the first time around, as he followed up his 23-point performance yesterday morning and with 12 points last night.  The leading scorer in the tournament after the first two sessions is 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who is averaging 19.5 ppg.  Knight also totally shut down 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Newark (St. Patrick) NJ in last night's evening session, as he held Irving to only five points.  And this came right on the heels of Irving's mediocre four-point performance yesterday morning.  As a matter of fact, Irving was so bad that we dropped him off our list of the top players at his position, which can be found below, altogether.  Our ranking of the top 20 players at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp after the first day of camp (Thursday, June 18th) are as follows:  1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 3) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 4) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 5) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 7) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 8) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 9) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 10) 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 11) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 12) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 13) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 14) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 15) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 16) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 17) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 18) 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 19) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, and 20) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL.  Our list of the Top Centers in Camp based on performance after the first day includes 1) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL, 2) 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 3) 6'9 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 4) 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 5) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 7) 6'10 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 8) 6'9 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson OH, 9) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 10) 6'9 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 11) 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 12) 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 13) 6'11 Moussa-Keita Baye from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 14) 6'11 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL.   Our list of the Top Power Forwards in Camp based on performance after the first day includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 3) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 4) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 5) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6) 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 7) 6'8 Jr Okara White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 8) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 9) 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Baltimore (Calvert Hall) MD, and 10) 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Our list of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp based on performance after the first day includes 1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 3) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 4) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 5) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, 6) 6'5 Jr Jayvaugh Pinkston from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 8) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 9) 6'7 Soph LeBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 10) 6'8 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 12) 6'5 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, and 13) 6'6 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesiam) CA.  Our list of the 2-Guards in Camp based on performance after the first day includes 1) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 2) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 3) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 4) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 7) 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 8) 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 10) 6'2 Jr Madracus Wade from Memphis (Mitchell Road) TN, 11) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 12) 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ, 13) 6'5 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 14) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 15) 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 16) 6'6 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT.  Our list of the Point Guards in Camp based on performance after the first day includes 1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 3) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 4) 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 5) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV, 6) 6'0 Jr Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 8) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 9) 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 10) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 11) 6'0 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 12) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee Mission (Bishop Miege) KS, 13) 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 14) 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL, and 15) 6'2 Jr Shannon Scott from Norcross (Milton) GA.

The cream finally rose to the top in the morning session at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and clearly the best player was 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL.  And the big difference between last night and this morning was the fact that Knight's outside shot was going down, as he finished with 21 points and is the leading scorer in camp with 20.0 ppg.  But Knight still takes more than his share of bad shots and still only knows one speed (fast).  And our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson provides the perfect illustration of what we're talking about, as he compared Knight's explosiveness and unharnessed athleticism to Nolan Ryan's 100-mile-an-hour fastball when he would overpower hitters early in his major league pitching career.  However, as Ryan got older and lost some of the velocity, he became a much better pitcher.  The also should hold true with Knight, as he learns the value of changing speeds, playing more under control, and taking better shots.  Johnson also uses 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA as the perfect example of a player who gets the most of his ability and points out that nobody does a better of changing speeds and getting past defenders than this guy.  The other big story in the morning session was the big match-up between 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who in our opinion is the best player in the nation regardless of class, and 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who is widely regarded as the best junior in the nation.  Gilchrist finished with 16 points and Barnes finished with 14 points.  But in the first six minutes it was all Gilchrist, as he made a living going coast-to-coast and outscoring Barnes 11-0.  But then Gilchrist got too caught up in the match-up and playing out on the perimeter, which allowed Barnes to close the gap considerably until early in the 4th Quarter.  That's when Barnes missed a contested lay-up and Gilchrist got the rebound and went 94-feet to score his final basket of the game and maybe the camp after coming down wrong on his ankle and being helped off the court by the trainers.  The word is that Gilchrist may attempt to play tonight and/or tomorrow.  But regardless of whether he does or not, there is no question in our mind that Gilchrist is the best player in the camp.  We also were impressed with the way 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN played in the all-star game that was played this afternoon.  Not only did Jackson hit a pair of contested 3-pointers, but he also finished with 15 points and four assists, which made him both the leading scorer and assist man in the game.  And right behind Jackson was 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, who clearly is the biggest sleepers, as well as one of the best players in camp, with 14 points.  Also worth mentioning is the fact that 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD had 10 points; 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL, 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL all had eight points piece; 6'9 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA had seven points; and 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, and 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH all had six points apiece in the all-star game.  We also find it interesting that the Pistons, which that feature 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrell from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, and 6'8 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, and the Rockets, which feature 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ,  6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'8 Jr Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, are the two undefeated teams in camp after the first three sessions.  We'll have updated rankings and highlights from this evening session posted right in the Members Section in the early hours of the morning.  So stay tuned! 

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The early returns are after this morning's session at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and our Ranking of the Top Players, which include the players on eight of the 10 teams in camp and exclude the players on the Cavs (Brandon Knight, Rakeem Christmas, Roscoe Smith, LeBryan Nash, Rodney Odom, Melvin Tabb, Tobi Oyedeji, Jerian Grant, Lenzelle Smith, and Damontre Harris) and the Hornets (Jared Sullinger, Joe Jackson, James Bell, Will Regan, Markel Starks, Jordan McRae, Mychal Parker, Madracus Wade, Dwight Powell, Russell Byrd, and Jabari Parker) are as follows:  1) 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 3) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 4) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 5) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 6) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 7) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 8) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 9) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 10) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 11) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, and 12) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD.  We also have broken the players on these eight teams down by position and our list of the Top Centers in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'11 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 2) 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 3) 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL, 4) 6'11 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 5) 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon School) FL, 6) 6'9 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson OH, 7) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 8) 6'9 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 9) 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, and 10) 6'11 Moussa-Keita Baye from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  Our list of the Top Power Forwards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 2) 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 3) 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 4) 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 5) 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6) 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 7) 6'9 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 8) 6'8 Jr Okara White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 9) 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Baltimore (Calvert Hall) MD, and 10) 6'8 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Our list of the Top Wing Forwards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 3) 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Beckley (Mountain State) WV, 7) 6'6 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 4) 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 5) 6'6 Jr Michael Gbinije from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 6) 6'8 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 8) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 9) 6'6 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesiam) CA, and 10) 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL.  Our list of the 2-Guards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 2) 6'5 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores) VA, 3) 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, 4) 6'3 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 5) 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6) 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 7) 6'5 Jr Doran Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 9) 6'3 Jr Crandall Head from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 10) 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Our list of the Point Guards in Camp based on performance this morning includes 1) 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 2) 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 3) 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal) TX, 4) 6'2 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 5) 6'3 Jr Noah Cottrill from Beckley (Morgan State) WV, 6) 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 7) 6'0 Jr Juwan Staten from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'3 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 9) 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 10) 6'0 Soph Derrick Wilson from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 11) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee Mission (Bishop Miege) KS, 12) 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 13) 6'2 Jr Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith) NC, and 14) 6'2 Jr Shannon Scott from Norcross (Milton) GA.  It also should be noted that the deepest position in camp is clearly at point guard and, although 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA didn't score a lot of points, he heads this list after doing a great job of threading the needle with some dazzling assists.  We also were surprised by how much better 7'0 Jr Fab Melo fromWeston (Sagemont) FL played after turning in a mediocre performance at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  Melo impressed us with a couple of hook shots, a pair of jumpers from the 15'-20' range, and a dunk.  We also thought 6'9 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH answered any questions that we might have about being athletic enough to get it done against the top players in the nation.  Mark him down as perfect fit for John Beilein's system at Michigan and it wouldn't surprise us on bit if he ended up being even better than Kevin Pittsnogle someday.  We also thought 6'11 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM more than make up for his lack of athleticism with his great hustle, feel for the game, always being in the right place time, and high skill level.   The biggest sleeper in camp has to be 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico County) VA, who shot the ball extremely well and ended up being the second leading scorer in camp with 23 points in today's morning session.   The biggest disappointment was 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who didn't make a single outside shot en route to only four points in his first game. 

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

We've been telling you for a long time that the next great class in high school basketball will be the Class of 2011, which features 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, et al.  However, after working off-and-on for the last month on our Ranking of the Top 500 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today, we're starting to think the Class of 2012 also has a chance to be one of the better classes to come down the pike in a long time.  First, it has plenty of star power.  And, after leading his team to the championship in the 15-Under Division at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions with 35 points on 11-18 field goals and 13-20 free throws in the title game and finishing ranked #13 overall at the Pangos All-American Camp after scoring 10 points and hitting 5-6 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game, 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV has separated himself from the rest of the pack.  We also really like 6'7 Frosh Perry Ellis from Wichita (Wichita Heights) KS, who was the best player last summer at the 14-Under AAU Nationals, and 6'0 Frosh J'Michal Reese from Bryan (H.S.) TX, who has been one of the top players in the class dating all the way back to when he was a rising 5th Grader at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp.  However, Reese hasn't grown in a long time and he's no longer the favor of the day (at least until he does something spectacular at the 17-under age level).  Ellis is capable of playing both inside and outside, although he's much better when he uses his size and athleticism to dominant in the paint, instead of trying to play the position he will need to play someday in the NBA, if he doesn't grow anymore.  The other two players who round out our top five are 6'5 Frosh Justin Anderson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who has made enormous strides and has learned how to play the game this past season while playing for the legendary Stu Vetter, and 6'9 Frosh Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, who is a physical specimen and has soft hands, a nice touch, and surprising mobility for somebody his size.  There also is 6'8 Frosh Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX.  But he reclassified when he was an 8th Grade, which gives Peters an advantage in terms of maturity and makes us wonder what the ceiling is on his upside and potential.  And what about 6'6 Frosh Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who has excellent ball handling and passing skills and great court savvy for somebody his size and age?  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'11 Frosh Isaiah Austin from Mansfield (Arlington Grace Prep) TX is not yet a finished product, but predicts that Austin will end up being the best player in the class.  Our Alabama Editor Mark Komara acknowledges that 6'4 Frosh Reggie Ragland from Huntsville (Bob Jones) AL is a tweener in size and, as a result, is more of a finished product than a guy with unlimited upside and potential.  However, Komara also points out that Ragland is like a man among boys and is just flat out better than anybody he goes head-to-head against when he plays in this age group.  There are also people on the West Coast, including our West Coast Editor Alan Utter, who think 6'6 Frosh Xavier Johnson from Temecula (Chapparal) CA is as good as anybody in the class.  And, of course, there is Linzy Davis, who is telling anybody who will listen that he has the "two best players on the planet" on his 15-Under AAU team in 6'7 Frosh Willie Clayton from Thomasville (H.S.) GA and 6'10 Frosh Joseph Uchebo from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Time will tell who pans out and who is being over hyped.  But the potential is there for a lot of players in this class to achieve greatness.  Second, this class has an overabundance of size with a list of players who are 6'8 or bigger that includes 6'9 Frosh Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'8 Frosh Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'11 Frosh Isaiah Austin from Mayfield (Arlington Grace Prep) TX, 6'10 Frosh Joseph Uchebo from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Frosh Ishamil Douda from Miami (Choice Academy) FL, 6'8 Frosh Wannah Bail from Houston (The Village) TX, 6'9 Frosh Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA, 6'9 Frosh Stefan Jankovic from Erie (North American Academy) PA, 6'8 Frosh Nick Baynard from Arlington (Martin) TX, 6'10 Frosh Aaron Hammonds from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Frosh Jack Flournoy from Mt. Hope (Oak Hill) WA, 6'9 Frosh Jamaree Strickland from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 6'9 Frosh Emmanuel Ochenje from Carbondale (Brehm Prep) IL, 6'11 Frosh Jack Taylor from Pennington (School) NJ, 6'9 Frosh Daniel Ochufu from Wettstown (Friends) PA, 6'9 Frosh Hanner Perea from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Frosh Reginald Jordan from Dallas (Samuel) TX, 6'11 Frosh Robert Upshaw from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'8 Frosh Tyler Bergantino from Tampa (Nature Coast) FL, 6'8 Frosh Marcus Hopper from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 6'8 Frosh Shaquille Claire from Houston (The Village) TX, 6'11 Frosh David Wrighthorn from Egg Harbor Township (Atlantic Christian) NJ, 6'8 Frosh Jermaine Morgan from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 7'0 Frosh Obij Aget from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Frosh Jeremy King from Houston (St. Thomas) TX, 6'8 Frosh Kyle Meyers from Alpharetta (Northview) GA, 6'10 Frosh Mohmaed Rage from Brampton (Sandalwood) ON, and 7'0 Frosh Peter Jurkin from Charlotte (United Faith Christian) NC.  In other words, there are 28 players in this class that are 6'8 or bigger who are ranked among the top 150 nationally.  And a lot of them haven't stopped growing yet, as they all have at least three more years of high school remaining.  Third, the class also has plenty of depth, as there are a lot good players in the 100-200 range.  We also think it's important to point out that our Texas Editor Tim Miller thinks this is potentially the best class ever in the Lone Star State.  And our ranking illustrate his point, as three of top 10, nine of the top 40, and 15 of the top 100-ranked players on our list are from Texas.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

According to the NBA's official web site, which can be found at nba.com, there are 55 players who had declared as early entry candidates for the 2009 NBA Draft, but withdrew their name from the draft prior to the June 15th deadline.  This list includes 35 players from U.S. colleges and universities in Northern Illinois' 6'2 Soph Darion Anderson, Nebraska's 6'4 Jr Ryan Anderson, South Carolina's 6'7 Jr Dominique Archie, Miami-FL's 6'8 Jr Dwayne Collins, Louisiana Tech's 6'10 Jr Kenneth Cooper, Texas A&M's 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis, South Carolina's 5'9 Jr Devan Downey, Illinois State's 6'3 Jr Osiris Eldridge, Chipola Junior College's 6'8 Soph Gary Flowers, New Mexico State's 6'2 Jr Jonathan Gibson, Louisiana Tech's 6'5 Jr Kyle Gibson, Notre Dame's 6'8 Jr Luke Harangody, Northwest Mississippi Junior College's 5'11 Soph Kevin Harris, Texas' 6'7 Jr Damion James, DePaul's 6'10 Soph Mac Koshwal, Georgia Tech's 6'9 Soph Gani Lawal, Fresno Pacific's 6'4 Jr James Lewis, San Francisco's 6'7 Jr Dior Lowhorn, Connecticut's 6'10 Frosh Ater Majok, LSU's 6'7 Jr Tasmin Mitchell, Kentucky's 6'9 Soph Patrick Patterson, Villanova's 6'2 Soph Scottie Reynolds, Binghamton's 6'4 Jr D.J. Rivera, Louisiana Tech's 6'11 Jr Magnum Rolle, Wofford's 6'1 Jr Junior Salters, Texas A&M's 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan, Tennessee's 6'7 Jr Tyler Smith, Brigham Young's 6'6 Jr Jonathan Tavernari, San Diego State's 6'9 Soph Malcolm Thomas, Mississippi State's 6'9 Jr Jarvis Varnado, Maryland's 6'6 Jr Greivis Vasquez, Riverside Junior College's 6'6 Frosh Martez Walker, Arkansas' 6'9 Jr Michael Washington, Southern Mississippi's 6'2 Jr Jeremy Wise, and Arizona's 5'10 Jr Nic Wise and 20 international players in 7'1 Amadou Aboubakar Zaki from France, 6'10 Nemanja Bjeclica from Serbia, 6'10 Georgios Bogris from Greece, 6'10 Vladimir Dasic from Montenegro, 6'7 Adam Hanga from Hungary, 6'6 Rudy Jomby from France, 6'6 Tanel Kurbas from Estonia, 6'9 Milan Macvan from Serbia, 7'4 Boban Marjanovic from Serbia, 6'11 Tim Ohlbrecht from Germany, 6'1 Carl Ona Embo from Italy, 6'5 Nikolaos Pappas from Spain, 6'10 Anton Ponomarev from Kazakhstan, 6'11 Paulo Prestes from Spain, 7'0 Miroslav Raduljica from Serbia, 6'9 Fernando Raposo from France, 6'5 Evangelos Sakellariou from Greece, 6'7 Alexandros Sigkounas from Greece, 6'9 Ludovic Vaty from France, and 7'1 Artem Zabelin from Russia. That means that there are 39 college players and 10 international prospects who have not taken their name out of the draft and, as a result, will be anxiously anticipating their name being called in the 2009 NBA Draft, which will be held on June 25th in the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden in New York, NY.  The list of college players includes Pittsburgh's 6'7 Soph DeJuan Blair, Xavier 6'8 Jr Derrick Brown, Arizona's 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger, Florida's 6'6 Soph Nick Calathes, Louisville's 6'9 Jr Earl Clark, UTEP's 7'0 Jr Kareem Cooper, N.C. State's 6'9 Jr Brandon Costner, Davidson's 6'3 Jr Stephen Curry, Gonzaga's 6'10 Soph Austin Daye's, USC's 6'7 Frosh DeMar DeRozan, Syracuse's 6'4 Jr Eric Devendorf, North Carolina's 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington, Texas A&M's 6'10 Jr Chinemelu Elonu, Memphis' 6'6 Frosh Tyreke Evans, Syracuse's 6'0 Soph Jonny Flynn, USC's 6'9 Jr Taj Gibson, Oklahoma's 6'10 Soph Blake Griffin, Houston-Tillotson's 6'6 Jr D'mond Grismore, UT-Arlington's 5'11 Jr Roger Guignard, USC's 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett, Arizona State's 6'4 Soph James Harden, Syracuse's 6'5 Jr Paul Harris, Duke's 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson, Arizona's 6'9 Jr Jordan Hill, UCLA's 6'4 Frosh Jrue Holiday, Wake Forest's 6'9 Soph James Johnson, North Carolina's 5'11 Jr Ty Lawson, Tennessee Tech's 6'4 Jr Darnell Lindsay, Kentucky's 6'4 Jr Jodie Meeks, Southern Idaho Junior College's 6'7 Frosh Nate Miles, St. Mary's 6'0 Soph Patrick Mills, Ohio State's 7'0 Frosh B.J. Mullens, Paul Quinn College's 7'0 Jr Ronald Ogoke, UAB's 6'6 Soph Terrence Roderick, Georgetown's 6'8 Jr DaJuan Summers, Memphis 6'10 Jr Shawn Taggart, Wake Forest's 6'2 Soph Jeff Teague, Connecticut's 7'4 Jr Hasheem Thabeet, and DePaul's 6'5 Soph Dar Tucker.  The list of international players includes 6'0 Rodrique Beaubois from France, 6'9 Omri Casspi from Israel, 6'0 Victor Claver from Spain, 6'5 Christian Eyenga from Spain, 6'10 Vitor Faverani from Spain, 6'5 Sergey Gladyr from Ukraine, 6'9 Baris Hersek from Turkey, 6'2 Martin Kolikoli from Tanzania, 6'4 Ricky Rubio from Spain, and 6'3 Ibrahim Yildirim from Turkey.  The biggest surprise is that Kentucky's 6'4 Jr Jodie Meeks did not take his name out of the draft.  If the glass is half empty, then the Wildcat's will miss his leadership and prolific scoring.  If the glass is half full, then this will allow young players like 6'4 Frosh John Wall, 6'1 Frosh Eric Bledsoe, and 6'7 Soph Darius Miller to grow up in a hurry and, as a result, may actually help the team's chemistry.  Remember, Meeks was used to being the star as he averaged 23.7 ppg and almost 16 shots per game this past season.  Speaking of the University of Kentucky's 2009-2010 roster, with the loss of Meeks the Wildcats will be one under the 13 scholarship limit with a group that includes two seniors in 6'7 Ramon Harris and 6'9 Perry Stevenson, two juniors in 6'10 Josh Harrellson and 6'9 Patrick Patterson, three sophomores in 6'7 Darnell Dodson, 6'6 DeAndre Liggins, 6'7 Darius Miller, and five freshmen in 6'9 DeMarcus Cousins, 6'10 Daniel Orton, 6'4 John Wall, 6'1 Eric Bledsoe, and 6'6 Jonathan Hood.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Frosh Elijah Mann from Columbus (Marion-Franklin) OH has made an early verbal commitment to West Virginia.  "People are going to want to compare Mann to former University of Cincinnati star Jason Maxiell," says our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson.  "But he doesn't have as much bounce as Maxiell and he's very active around the basket, aggressive on the boards, plays excellent defense, and has a good mid-range game.  So I liken him more to Arizona's Jordan Hill."  Johnson also tells us that 6'7 Jr Mark Henniger from Massillon (Jackson) OH, who is ranked #325 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Kent State and 6'7 Jr Josh Egner from Massillon (Jackson) OH, who is ranked #539 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the University of Akron.  Henniger is more of a force inside than Egnar, as he uses his tough hardnosed demeanor to score, rebound, and defend in the low post.  In contrast, Enger is a little more athletic and a little more skilled when he moves away from the basket.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein also tells us that 6'3 Jr Gerard Coleman from Tilton (School) NH has verbally committed to Providence.  Currently he have Coleman ranked #114 nationally in the junior class, but Finkelstein thinks he should be a lot higher than that due to the fact that Coleman doesn't play a lot of club team ball and, as a result, get the notoriety that some of the other top players in New England do.  "Coleman is a pure scorer," says Finkelstein.  "And he's also the best player that the current coaching staff has landed in a little over a year on the job."  We also have four more commitments and signings by junior college players, as 6'7 Eric Frederick from Highland (JC) IL has become the 6th recruit this spring for the new regime at Florida International, 6'1 Devin McDonald from San Jacinto (JC) TX has picked New Orleans, 6'7 Marlon Louzerio from Midland (JC) TX is bound for Arkansas-Little Rock, and 6'6 Kahmell Broughton from Kaskaskia (JC) IL has made it official for the University of Houston. 

Saturday, June 13, 2009, Sunday, June 14, 2009, & Monday, June 15, 2009

The best player over the weekend at the 2009 Generation Next All-Stars Camp in Milwaukee, WI clearly was 6'5 8th Grader Jabari Parker from Chicago, IL.  But it was the younger guys who stole the show, as 6'2 7th Grader Jonathan Carson from Milwaukee, WI was like a man among boys, 6'0 7th Grader Eric Austin from Clive, IA played every possession like it might be his last, and 6'1 7th Grader Jake Wright from Minneapolis, MN shot the lights out in the Rising 8th Grade Division and 5'0 6th Grader Kenneth Walton from Indianapolis, IN did everything but sell tickets in the Rising 6th & 7th Grade Division.  Walker is a multi-dimensional athlete with the explosiveness and athleticism necessary to be great in transition and the ability to play any position on the court, thanks to his quick hands and feet, good ball handling and passing skills, and ability to rebound and match-up against bigger guys inside.  Walton also proved that he can get it done against older guys, as he finished ranked #7 on our list below of the top players in the Rising 8th Grade Division.  Wright promises to be the next great 3-point shooter out of Minneapolis, MN and, believe it or not, he hit 19 straight 3-pointers in the skill session on Sunday morning.  Wright also was deadly from beyond the arc every time we watched in the games and he rebound well for his size, played excellent defense, and is a good passer, which made him an excellent complement to 6'0 7th Grader Eric Austin from Clive, IA, who was on the same team and scored in bunches off transition.  However, what made Austin our favorite player was his incredible motor and the fact that ran the floor and got out on the break better than anybody in camp.  He also finished exceptionally well, has a great nose for the ball, is an excellent passer and rebounder, and a better than average 3-point shooter.  Carson was a beast inside with his big body, knack for being the right place to get the rebound, and ability to finish around the basket.  But what makes Carson a can't miss post player with normal growth and development are his great hands, soft touch from mid-range, and excellent agility and coordination for somebody his size.  Normally we wouldn't rank somebody #1 who wasn't there on the final day of camp.  But, in this case, 6'5 8th Grader Jabari Parker from Chicago, IL was so much better than everybody else, we have to do it.  Parker is multi-dimensional enough play any position on the court, his basketball IQ is extremely high, and his bloodline is also very impressive, as his evident by the fact that his father (Sonny Parker) was a high school star at Chicago (Farragut) IL and played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors.  The fact that the Parker has a 3.8 gpa and the possibility that he could grow another three or four inches are just added bonuses, as we're already talking about a legit top 10-ranked player in his class nationally.  Another one of our favorite players in camp was 6'4 6th Grader Brandon Hardesty from Franklin, IN, who finished ranked #2 in the Rising 6th & 7th Grade Division and #8 in the Rising 8th Grade Division.  Hardesty is rail thin, but runs the court, is always around the ball, and has a soft touch, good hands, and an incredible wing span and great timing, which allows him to block a surprising number of shots.  Also playing well enough to get ranked in both the Rising 6th & 7th Grade and the Rising 8th Grade Divisions were 5'9 6th Grader Alex Dykema from Grand Rapids, MI, 6'1 6th Grader Darion King from Racine, WI, 6'7 5th Grader Vijay Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 5'7 6th Grader Kamil Williams from West Palm Beach, FL, 5'2 6th Grader Malik Brown from Milwaukee, WI, 5'4 6th Grader Joseph Binyoti from Milwaukee, WI, 24) 5'10 5th Grader Sebastian Baugh from Pella, IA.  And, just like Walton and Hardesty, Dykema was one of the best players in both age groups.  We're talking about a tough white kid runs the court and gets it done both inside with his rebounding and knack for finding a way to score around the basket and outside with his 3-point shooting and ball handling and passing skills.  We also thought the race between 5'7 6th Grader Kamil Williams from West Palm Beach,  FL and 5'9 6th Grader Sean McGee from Ft. Wayne, IN in the Rising 5th & 6th Grade Division was too close to call, as Williams is a scoring machine, but McGee is a better overall player.  Also noteworthy in the rising 8th Grade Division is the fact that 5'11 7th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN was somewhat of a disappointment, even though he is ranked #4 in this age group.  It's not that he was bad, it's just a case of we know how talented he is and, as a result, we expected more.  The best of the rest in the Rising 9th Grade Division was 6'4 8th Grader R.J. Curington from Dyer, IN, who is another multi-dimensional athlete who can go coast-to-coast, shoot the three, handle ball, and rebounds extremely well for his size.  We also liked the way 6'4 8th Grader Richard Freeman from Indianapolis, IN gets to the basket and blocks shots, 6'4 8th Grader Riley Dearring from Minneapolis, MN creates off the dribble, 6'3 8th Grader Keith Langston from Chicago, IL rebounds, and 6'4 8th Grader V.J. Beachem from Ft. Wayne, IN uses his versatility and athleticism necessary to do a little bit of everything.  We also have to mention the fact that nobody had any more fun at this camp than Antonio Curro, who was the guy running the camp.  Not only did Curro do a great job with the organization and making sure everything ran on time, but he also took a very active role in the teaching and interacting with all of the players.  As a matter of fact, Curro did such a good job that he ought to consider running a seminar that would teach others in the business how to be more organized and how to run a first-class event.  Our ranking of the Top Rising 6th & 7th Graders (Class of 2015 & 2016) in camp includes 1)  5'0 6th Grader Kenneth Walton from Indianapolis, IN, 2) 6'4 6th Grader Brandon Hardesty from Franklin, IN, 3) 5'9 6th Grader Alex Dykema from Grand Rapids, MI, 4) 5'7 6th Grader Kamil Williams from West Palm Beach,  FL, 5) 5'9 6th Grader Sean McGee from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6) 5'7 5th Grader Vijay Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 7) 5'3 6th Grader Darrion Ringo from Indianapolis, IN, 8) 5'1 6th Grader Nic Uhlir from Marion, IA, 9) 5'10 5th Grader Sebastian Baugh from Pella, IA, 10) 6'1 6th Grader Darion King from Racine, WI, 11) 5'4 6th Grader Joseph Binyoti from Milwaukee, WI, 12) 5'8 6th Grader Preston Huckaby from Hudsonville, MI, 13) 5'0 5th Grader Te'Jon Lucas from Milwaukee, WI, 14) 5'2 6th Grader Malik Brown from Milwaukee, WI, 15) 5'8 5th Grader Karthik Reddy from San Antonio, TX, 16) 5'10 6th Grader Joffrey Brown from Burridge, IL, 17) 5'3 6th Grader Byron Harp from Marion, IA, 18) 5'1 6th Grader Thomas Kinley from West Des Moines, IA, 19) 5'4 6th Grader Alex Hammond from Ft. Wayne, IN, 20) 5'0 5th Grader Andrew Ekmark from Phoenix, AZ, 21) 6'0 6th Grader Mitch Rogers from Whitefish Bay, WI, 22) 5'5 5th Grader Spencer Peterson from Grand Rapids, MI, 23) 4'11 6th Grader Jared Joyner from Wake Forest, NC, 24) 5'3 5th Grader Shammond Ivory from Perry, IA, and 25) 5'5 6th Grader Jake Martin from Grand Rapids, MI.  Our ranking of the Top Rising 8th Graders (Class of 2014) in camp includes 1) 6'2 7th Grader Jonathan Carson from Milwaukee, WI, 2) 6'0 7th Grader Eric Austin from Clive, IA, 3) 6'1 7th Grader Jake Wright from Minneapolis, MN, 4) 5'11 7th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 5) 6'4 7th Grader Lamonte Beardon from Milwaukee, WI, 6) 5'6 7th Grader Tyus Mason from West Des Moines, IA, 7) 5'0 6th Grader Kenneth Walton from Indianapolis, IN, 8) 6'4 6th Grader Brandon Hardesty from Franklin, IN, 9) 6'4 7th Grader Dillion Bruxvoort from Mitchellville, IA, 10) 5'8 7th Grader Kamali Chambers from Golden Valley, MN, 11) 5'9 6th Grader Alex Dykema from Grand Rapids, MI, 12) 6'1 6th Grader Darion King from Racine, WI, 13) 5'9 7th Grader Riley LaChance from Brookfield, WI, 14) 6'5 7th Grader Ricky Landers from Wauwatosa, WI, 15) 5'8 7th Grader Pervis Jones from Milwaukee, WI, 16) 5'6 7th Grader Nicholas Cobbins from Milwaukee, WI, 17) 6'7 5th Grader Vijay Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 18) 6'0 7th Grader Jamell Posey from Milwaukee, WI, 19) 5'7 6th Grader Kamil Williams from West Palm Beach, FL, 20) 5'2 6th Grader Malik Brown from Milwaukee, WI, 21) 5'4 7th Grader Jack Green from Urbandale, IA, 22) 5'3 7th Grader Harry Cain from Milwaukee, WI, 23) 5'4 6th Grader Joseph Binyoti from Milwaukee, WI, 24) 5'10 5th Grader Sebastian Baugh from Pella, IA, and 25) 5'7 7th Grader Casey Watters from Rockford, MI.  Our ranking of the Top Rising 9th Graders (Class of 2013) includes 1) 6'5 8th Grader Jabari Parker from Chicago, IL, 2) 6'4 8th Grader R.J. Curington from Dyer, IN, 3) 6'4 8th Grader Richard Freeman from Indianapolis, IN, 4) 6'4 8th Grader Riley Dearring from Minneapolis, MN, 5) 6'3 8th Grader Keith Langston from Chicago, IL, 6) 6'4 8th Grader V.J. Beachem from Ft. Wayne, IN, 7) 6'1 8th Grader Jamal Davis from New Hope, MN, 8) 5'10 8th Grader Nick Allen from Milwaukee, WI, 9) 6'5 8th Grader Vinay Reddy from San Antonio, TX, 10) 6'8 8th Grader RaVonn Bosey from Milwaukee, WI, 11) 5'11 7th Grader James Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 12) 5'11 8th Grader Dontrell Knight from Milwaukee, WI, 13) 6'7 8th Grader Akoy Agau from Omaha, NE, 14) 6'5 8th Grader Diandre Downey from Milwaukee, WI, 15) 5'11 8th Grader Chase Fairchild from Dewitt, MI, 16) 6'0 8th Grader Chance Miller from Wellman, IA, 17) 6'3 8th Grader John Stahl from Ft. Wayne, IN, 18) 6'1 8th Grader Markese McGuire from Elkhart, IN, 19) 5'5 8th Grader Nathaniel Moore from Milwaukee, WI, 20) 6'6 8th Grader Derik Gogg from Marion, IA, 21) 5'11 8th Grader DeAndre Williams from Gary, IN, 22) 5'8 8th Grader Nicholas Gamble from Ft. Wayne, IN, 23) 6'3 8th Grader Robert Harris from Edwardsville, IL, 24) 5'11 8th Grader Kenny Finco from Hartland, WI, and 25) 6'2 8th Grader Jamaar McKay from Milwaukee, WI. 

Friday, June 12, 2009

After watching the skill sessions earlier tonight at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI, there is no doubt that it's going to be fun covering the 2009 Generation Next All-Star Camp, which is being run this weekend by NY2LA Sports guru Antonio Curro and will feature some of the best rising 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders in the nation.  The games will begin tomorrow morning when the players in the Class of 2015 and Class of 2016 (current 5th & 6th Graders/rising 6th & 7th Graders) tip things off at 9:00 AM, followed by games featuring the players in the Class of 2014 (current 7th Graders/rising 8th Graders) at 10:00 AM and the players in the Class of 2013 (current 8th Graders/rising 9th Graders) at 11:00 AM.  Then, there will be a break for lunch from Noon-1:00 PM, another set of skill sessions from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM, dinner from 5:00 PM-6:00 PM, and games from 6:00 PM to 8:55 PM with the youngest age group playing first and the oldest age group playing last.  On Sunday, June 14th, things will tip-off at 9:00 AM with a final set of skill sessions from 9:00 AM-Noon, lunch from Noon-1:00 PM, and a final set of games with the youngest age group once again playing first and the oldest age group playing last.  Some of the other things that separate this camp apart from many of the others are the organization, emphasis on skill development, and ability to get the most out of the players.  We're told that some of the top players in attendance will be 6'5 8th Grader Jabari Parker from Chicago, IL, 6'4 8th Grader Riley Dearing from Minneapolis, MN, 6'4 8th Grader R.J. Curington from Dyer, IN, 5'11 8th Grader DeAndre Williams from Gary, IN, 6'3 8th Grader Keith Langston from Chicago, IL, 6'3 8th Grader John Stahl from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'5 8th Grader Vinayy Reddy from San Antonio, TX, 6'1 8th Grader Jamal Davis from New Hope, MN, 5'11 8th Grader Dontrell Knight from Milwaukee, WI, 6'8 8th Grader RaVonn Bosey from Milwaukee, WI, 6'1 8th Grader Markese McGuire from Elkhart, IN, 6'4 8th Grader V.I. Beachern from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'7 8th Grader Akoy Agau from Omaha, NE, 5'8 8th Grader Nicholas Gamble from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'4 8th Grader Richard Freeman from Indianapolis, IN, 6'2 8th Grader Jamaar McKay from Milwaukee, WI, 5'8 7th Grader Kamali Chambers from Gorden Valley, MN, 6'3 7th Grader Dillion Bruxvoort from Mitchellville, IA, 5'6 7th Grader Tyus Mason from West Des Moines, IA, 6'2 7th Grader Jonathan Carson from Milwaukee, WI, 5'7 6th Grader Kamil Williams from West Palm Beach, FL, 5'7 6th Grader Vijay Blackmon from Ft. Wayne, IN, 6'1 6th Grader Darion King from Racine, WI, 5'4 6th Grader Joseph Binyoti from Milwaukee, WI, 5'2 6th Grader Malik Brown from Milwaukee, WI, 6'4 6th Grader Branden Hardesty from Franklin, IN, 4'11 6th Grader Jared Joyner from Wake Forest, NC, 6'3 6th Grader Darrion Ringo from Indianapolis, IN, 5'1 6th Grader Nic Uhlir from Marion, IN, 5'4 6th Grader Alex Hammond from Ft. Wayne, IN, 5'0 6th Grader Kenneth Walton from Indianapolis, IN, 5'3 6th Grader Byron Harp from Marion, IA, 5'10 5th Grader Sebastian Baugh from Pella, IA, and 5'3 5th Grader Shammond Ivory from Perry, IA.  And we're sure there will be some major sleepers from the 2009 Generation Next All-Star Camp when we publish our rankings of the top in each class on Monday.  So stay tuned!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

If anybody had any doubts about whether Rick Pitino would remain the head basketball coach at the University of Louisville, they should have been put to rest yesterday when Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard decided to make what will likely be the final move in what has been a long and successful coaching career and join the Cardinals coaching staff.  Willard, who is now 63-years-old, began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the Merchant Marine Academy during the 1971-1972 season, but then moved onto the high school ranks at Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, where he led his team to the state championship in 1980 and was named coach-of-the-year in the conference five times during a 13-year span.  Willard also made stops as an assistant coach at Hofstra, Syracuse, the New York Knicks, and Kentucky prior to moving on to become the head coach at Western Kentucky, where he guided the Hilltoppers to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and an 81-42 record from 1990 to 1994.  Willard also was the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh from 1994 to 1999 and for the last 11 years has been the boss at Holy Cross, where his teams have posted a 192-117 record and guided the Crusaders to four NCAA Tournament appearances.  Willard also is one of only four head coaches, along with Gonzaga's Mark Few, George Mason's Jim Larranaga, and Davidson's Bob McKillop, who is not at the high major level, but still is ranked among the top 30 head coaches in the game today by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Willard is best known as "a master at teaching the match-up zone defense" and it's probably safe to say that nobody knows more about the Louisville program or Rick Pitino, except for Pitino himself, than Ralph Willard.  Not only has Willard been Pitino's closest friend dating back to the days when they both worked for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, but Willard worked for Pitino when he was with the New York Knicks from 1987 to 1989 and at the University of Kentucky from 1989 to 1990 and his son (Kevin Willard, who is now the head coach at Iona and is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business) worked for Pitino with Boston Celtics from 1997 to 2001 and at Louisville from 2001 to 2007.  Willard also should be the perfect complement to Steve Masiello, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, and Walter McCarty, who is second to none when it comes to communicating with the players and being a great role model, as Pitino needs somebody he can trust to help him run the program and get ready for what promises to be the biggest battle of his career.  No, we're not talking about the off-the-court issues that surfaced earlier this spring.  Instead, we're talking about the fact the University of Kentucky has hired one of Pitino's biggest rivals (John Calipari).  And Calipari's already off to the races with what is arguably the biggest turnaround in the shortest period of time in the history of college basketball.  If you will recall, Kentucky's recruiting class includes 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) AL, 6'3, John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'10 Daniel Orton from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGuiness) OK, 6'7 Darnell Dodson from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, 6'0 Eric Bledsoe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, and 6'7 Jonathan Hood from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY and the Wildcats are also involved with an overwhelming number of the top juniors and sophomores in the nation, including 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is the best player in the nation regardless of class.  It also looks like one of Pitino's former players is turning out to be a chip off the old block as a recruiter now that he's the head coach at Mississippi Valley State.  We're talking about Sean Woods, who in his second year at the helm of the Delta Devils has landed a recruiting class that includes 6'3 Michael Mayo from Cochise (JC) AZ, 6'3 Jason Sabb from Angelina (JC) TX, 6'6 Mark Holmes from River Grove (Guerin College Prep School) IL, 6'9 Jason Holmes from Cochise (JC) AZ, 6'6 Chris Hamblin from Western Nebraska (JC) NE, 6'1 D'Angelo Jackson from Arkansas-Fort Smith (JC) AR, 6'6 Ricky Lamb from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, and 6'5 Darian Donald from East Mississippi (JC) MS.  Mayo and Sabb are the best of the bunch and they should complement one another extremely well due to the fact that the former was one of the best 3-pointers with 134 treys in the junior college ranks this past season and the latter is a tough hardnosed slashing athletic do-it-all type wing who is capable of playing either the two or the three.  Holmes is another multi-dimensional athlete and who can beat you both inside and outside and his brother is a lefty post player who can score on the block, rebound, and run the court like a deer.  Hamlin is a warrior with great hops and freaky athleticism, which allows him to match-up against bigger guys inside, as well as create a match-up problems for guys his own size.  Jackson is a point guard who knows how to run the show, push it in transition, and play excellent defense.  Lamb and Donald are a pair of athletic combo forwards who can shoot the basketball, rebound well for their size, and make things happen in transition.  In other words, it looks like Woods has landed a bunch of interchangeable athletes who can shoot and run and press just like he used to do when he played for Pitino at the University of Kentucky in the early 90's.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

After Louis Johnson went on the record a year ago on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" accusing street agent Rodney Guillory of funneling money from a sports agent to O.J. Mayo, we suspected that it would be only a matter of time before the NCAA caught up with the USC basketball program and its head coach Tim Floyd.  And to add even more fuel to the fire Johnson also came out earlier this spring and said that he had first hand knowledge that Floyd had given Mayo at least $1,000 in cash.  However, it still came as a surprise to us that Floyd resigned yesterday.  Our guess is that Floyd was forced out and that he will be the sacrificial lamb, as Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett attempts to save both the football and basketball programs from being hit with major NCAA sanctions.  And before its done, it could be as devastating as the total overhaul that Indiana University head coach Tom Crean has been forced to deal with during his first year in Bloomington, IN.  If you will recall, earlier this spring 6'9 Renardo Sidney from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA and 6'6 Solomom Hill from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA both reneged on their commitments to the Trojans and 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA asked for and received a release from the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall.  And it wouldn't surprise us one bit if 6'0 Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Derrick Williams from La Mirada (H.S.) CA, and 6'6 Evan Smith from Calabasas (H.S.) CA, who are the three players remaining in this year's recruiting class, and 6'2 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 5'9 Soph Ryan Boatright from Aurora (Aurora East) IL, all of whom have already made early verbal commitments to the Trojans, also follow suit.  When one also remembers that USC does not have a great basketball tradition and UCLA head coach Ben Howland has had the Bruins in the NCAA Final Four three of the last four years, it stands to reason that the chances of somebody like Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon moving to the West Coast or former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy leaving the television booth to become the new boss of the Trojans are slim and none.  Our guess is that former Indiana University and Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight would consider coming out of retirement for this job, but would he not want to have to go through all the recruiting that would be necessary to revamp the program.  Former Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried is another interesting name and he's got the West Coast ties dating back to his days as an assistant coach at UCLA during the Jim Harrick era.  We're also hearing a number of excellent head coaches at the mid-major level being being mentioned for the USC job and this list begins with Gonzaga's Mark Few and also includes St. Mary's Randy Bennett, Long Beach State's Dan Monson, San Diego's Bill Grier, and Santa Clara's Kerry Keating.  However, the perfect guy for the USC job is Reggie Theus.  He's a local guy (originally from Inglewood, CA); was one of the stars on Jerry Tarkanian's first NCAA Final Four team at UNLV in 1977; is only one of seven players in NBA history, along with John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, John Stockton, Gary Payton, Clyde Drexler, and Jerry West, to score at least 19,000 points and dish out more than 6,000 assists during his career; and has head coaching experience at both the college and professional levels.  If you will recall, Theus transformed a New Mexico State program that had gone 6-24 the year before he arrived into a 25-9 team that won the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and advanced into the NCAA Tournament during his second year as head coach of the Aggies in 2006-07.  Theus also had a 38-44 record as head coach of the Sacramento Kings a year ago prior to going 6-18 and getting fired earlier this past season.

It looks like the United States 2K Sports Team, which features 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'2 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'0 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'4 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'5 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, will be tough to beat in the Douai World 19-Under Tournament in Douai France.  The tournament tips off today with Lithuania versus Australia, France versus Canada, and the United States versus Puerto Rico.  Former Memphis assistant coach Ed Schilling, who also is a former high school coach in Indiana, and Ro Russell, who runs the Grassroots Canada club team program, are the coaches of the team.  The team has looked real good in practice," says Russell.  "Tristan is coming off a high ankle sprain and was a little slow at the start of practice.  But, once he got warmed up, he practiced hard and was very effective.  Cory Joseph looked really good, as did Trae Golden.  Josh Shelby reminds one of Kenny Boynton.  He can flat out score and has a great motor.  Ray McCullum has gotten stronger, more athletic, and has grown an inch in the last year.  Ryan Harrow was the biggest surprise.  He has a baby face, but plays like a young adult.  Is athletic too.  Coach Schilling knows what he is doing and is a good X and O's guy who can motivate the team."   Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'8 Jr Tobi Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX has made an early verbal commitment to Texas A&M.  "Oyedeji is ranked #81 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and he should be a perfect complement to 6'9 Jr Daniel Alexander from Dripping Springs (H.S.) TX, who is the other member of the Aggies current 2010 recruiting class.  Alexander is a face-up 4-man who can step out on the perimeter and shoot the lights out.   Oyedeji is a big time athlete with long arms, which he uses to block shots and get more than his share of rebounds.  Our International Editor Chris Johnson provides us with the scoop on 6'10 Dragan Sekelja from Zagreb, Croatia, who recently signed with Baylor.  "Like most European players, Sekelja is very skilled," says Johnson.  "But unlike most European players, Sekelja is 6'10, 245-pounds, and tough inside, which means he should be able to step in and make an immediate impact next year for the Bears"  Sekelja also was a member of the Croatian 16-Under National Team two years ago and currently is trying out with the Croatian 18-Under National Team for which he hopes to play with right up until he enrolls into school this fall in Waco, TX.  Sekelja also promises to be an excellent complement to 6'4 Nolan Dennis from North Richland Hills (Richland) TX, 6'9 Cory Jefferson from Killeen (H.S.) TX, 6'1 A.J. Walton from Little Rock (Hall) AR, 6'7 Givon Crump from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'4 Mark McLaughlin from New Hampton (Prep) NH in a recruiting class that is now tied at #8, along with Texas Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Jr Markel Brown from Alexandria (Peabody) LA has picked Oklahoma State.  Obviously this is a case where Cowboys assistant coach Butch Pierre has taken advantage of his strong ties in his old stamping grounds (he was an assistant coach at LSU for 11 years) to get a slashing athletic 2-guard who averaged 28.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 3.0 bpg this past season.  It also looks like 6'3 Justin Ayers from Reedley (JC) CA has picked Nicholls State and 6'6 Heath Gameren from Hartnell (JC) CA has become the fifth player in UAB's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Adrian Coleman from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA, 6'3 Dexter Fields from Orlando (Olympia) FL, 6'4 Jamarr Sanders from Northwest Florida State (JC) FL, and 6'3 Robert Williams from Greenville (Greenville Weston) MS.  The latest list for 6'2 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV includes Florida, Ohio State, Louisville, Arizona, UCLA, Kansas, Villanova, Connecticut, Minnesota, UNLV, Memphis, Texas, and Texas A&M.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

The rosters were released yesterday for this year's NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, which will be held at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA on June 18th-20th, and it looks like Dave Telep of Scout.com, who is now in charge of inviting the players and putting together the match-ups for this year's camp, deserves an A+ plus for his efforts.  Not only does this promise to be the best event of the entire year, but it also might just be the best camp that we've attended since the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp in 2003, which featured 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'8 Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 7'1 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'8 Alfred Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougerty) PA, 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'2 Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'3 Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'6 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'11 Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 6'3 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, and 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX.  As a matter of fact, the only player ranked among our top 25 juniors nationally who is missing from our list of the 101 players who are expected to be in attendance at this year's camp is 6'8 Jr Joshua Smith from Kentwood (Kent) WA.  And, if that we're enough to illustrate our point, only two of our top seven-ranked sophomores - 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA and 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL - are missing from the list, which is as follows:  6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'1 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'3 Jr Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'7 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'8 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'1 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Dion Waiters from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL, 6'1 Jr Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'8 Jr Josh Hairston from Spotsylvania (Courtland) VA, 6'5 Jr James Bell from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'0 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 6'7 Jr Roscoe Smith from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 6'5 Jr Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'6 Jr Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'8 Jr C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Jr Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Jr Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'4 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Jr Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA, 6'4 Jr Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA, 6'8 Jr Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson) OH, 6'3 Jr Keith Appling from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'4 Jr Crandall Head from Richton Park (Rich South) IL, 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Tobias Harris from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 6'9 Jr Dominique Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Jr Jelan Kendrick from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'5 Jr Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ, 6'8 Jr Nate Lubick from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Jr Will Regan from Buffalo (Nichols) NY, 6'8 Jr Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'8 Jr Patric Young from Jacksonville (Paxon) FL, 6'2 Jr Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (Marshall) VA, 6'1 Jr Markel Starks from Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, 5'8 Jr Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal School of Dallas) TX, 6'7 Jr Jarrell Eddie from Concord (Cannon School) NC, 6'8 Jr Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Jr Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'11 Jr Evan Anderson from Eau Claire (North) WI, 6'8 Jr Markus Kennedy from Cherry Hill (Living Faith Christian) NJ, 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 6'8 Jr Rod Odom from Concord (Middlesex Prep) MA, 6'9 Jr Carson Desrosiers from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 6'2 Jr Noah Cottrell from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, 6'9 Jr Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald) NC, 6'1 Jr Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC,  6'7 Jr Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 5'10 Jr Juwan Staten from Dayton (Thurgood Marshall) OH, 6'5 Jr Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss) CT, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Jr Okaro White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Jr Casey Prather from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'7 Jr Julian Washburn from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'7 Jr Evan Smotrycz from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'4 Jr Anthony Johnson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'8 Jr Tobi Oyedeji from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'8 Jr Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'5 Jr Mychal Parker from Pantego (Terra Ceia Christian) NC, 6'4 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Andrew Jackson) FL, 6'10 Jr Meyers Leonard from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 6'5 Jr Cameron Clark from Sherman (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Russell Byrd from Ft. Wayne (Blackhawk Christian) IN, 6'4 Jr Lenzell Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton Township) IL, 6'9 Jr Richard Solomon from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'10 Jr Dwight Powell from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Jr Kyle Collingsworth from Provo (H.S.) UT, 6'11 Jr Fabricio Melo from Weston (Sagemont) FL, 6'2 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty-Benton) OH, 6'8 Jr Jordan Latham from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'5 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'1 Jr Ian Miller from Charlotte (United Faith Christian Academy) NC, 6'11 Jr Baye Moussa Keita from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr C.J. Fair from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'7 Jr Shaquille Thomas from Montclair (Academy) NJ, 6'7 Jr Desmond Simmons from Richard (Salesian) CA, 6'10 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 6'8 Jr Jonathan Graham from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, 6'4 Jr Justin Coleman from Richmond (Henrico) VA, 6'9 Jr Damontre Harris from Fayetteville (Trinity Christian) NC, 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Soph LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Soph Wayne Blackshear from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'7 Soph Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'1 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Soph LaBryan Nash from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'10 Soph Rakeem Christmas from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, 6'7 Jr C.J. Barksdale from Danville (George Washington) VA, 6'8 Soph Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'6 Soph Michael Gbinije from Midlothian (Christ School) VA, and 6'2 Soph Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA. 

Saturday, June 6, 2009, Sunday, June 7, 2009, & Monday, June 8, 2009

It took Josh Pastner a while to get going after being named the new head coach at the University of Memphis in early April.  But now it looks like Pastner is more than living up to his reputation as one of the top up-and-coming young head coaches and best recruiters in the business.  If you will recall, two weeks ago the Tigers landed 6'8 Latavious Williams from Humble (Christian Life) TX.  Then, a week ago they also added 6'8 Martin Ngaloro from Grenoble, France to a recruiting class that already included 6'9 Will Coleman from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, who was the one hold-over in this year's recruiting class from the previous regime.  Well, now it looks like the Memphis has pulled off what will likely be remembered as one of the biggest coups of the entire spring after 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD made it official for the Tigers over the weekend.  And so did his brother - 6'2 Jr Antonio Burton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD.  The former is a big time athlete with excellent moves to the basket, a scorer's mentality, a great motor, and the ability to shut his man down defensively.  He also had 19 points, four rebounds, and 8-12 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game and finished ranked #3 by the HOOP SCOOP a week ago at the Pangos All-American Camp in Long Beach, CA.  The former also was at the Pangos All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #54 overall in camp, and he's versatile enough to play either guard spot.  However, right now the younger Barton is probably more of a pure point guard than a 2-guard due to the fact that he's a good ball handler and passer, knows how to get his teammates involved, and his mid-range game is better than his outside shooting.  And Pastner isn't the only one who deserves credit for getting this one done, as Memphis assistant coach Glynn Cyprien also spent a lot of time recruiting both Barton's dating back to when he held a similar position this past season at the University of Kentucky.  These two additions move Memphis' recruiting class into a tie at #15, along with Marquette, Louisiana Tech, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And  their recruiting class would move into a tie #3, along with Illinois, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010, if the Tigers can keep 6'0 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN at home.  Not only is Jackson exactly what the doctor ordered to step in year-after-next and take over right away at point guard, but he also promises to be the next great player to come out of the Mid-South.  So obviously keeping Jackson at home is a top priority for the Memphis coaching staff.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it didn't take long for 6'3 Jr Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty Benton) OH to make up his mind after reneging on the University of Tennessee a couple of weeks ago.  Craft is ranked #133 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he understands what it takes to win after playing with 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH on the Ohio Red AAU team, which has totally dominated its age group each of the last several years.  Craft also is a tough hardnosed competitor who plays excellent defense, has a high basketball IQ, and can keep you honest with his 3-point shot, which makes him potentially and excellent role player of the Buckeyes.  Craft also joins Sullinger, 6'8 Jr DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'4 Jr Jordan Sibert from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH, and 6'4 Jr Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL in what already clearly was the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  We also suspect that the University of Nebraska may have stolen one in 6'0 Jr Kenyon McNeall from Conway (H.S.) AR.  We're talking about an athletic point guard who teamed with 6'5 Jr Preston Purifoy from Conway (H.S.) AR to lead his high school team to the Class 7A state semi-finals and also was being recruited by schools like Arkansas, Baylor, Memphis, Mississippi, Missouri, UAB, and Arkansas-Little Rock.  And how about the fact that Western Kentucky has landed 6'2 Soph Derrick Gordon from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ?  Yes, that's the same guy who had 27 points, four steals, and 12-21 field goals in his first high school game, which was in the City of Palms Classic last December in Ft. Myers, FL, and turned out to be an excellent role player while complementing 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist, 6'3 Dexter Strickland, and 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving on what was one of the best high school teams in the nation this past season.  Currently we have Gordon ranked #191 nationally in the sophomore class, but he could move a lot higher, if he grows and/or continues to develop his perimeter skills and refine his game.  This also comes on the heels of the Hilltoppers' current recruiting class, which is tied at #22, along with Arkansas and Kansas State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and includes 6'10 Cliff Dixon from Hutchinson (JC) KS, 6'5 Terrence Boyd from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 6'6 William Green from Orlando (Olympia) FL, 6'8 Edward Hazlett from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'6 Jordan Swing from Vestavia Hills (H.S.) AL, and 6'4 Caden Dickerson from Argyle (H.S.) TX.  Those first four are especially noteworthy as Dixon is ranked #5 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com, Boyd and Green are ranked #62 and #166 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Hazlett has the size and potential necessary to develop into an excellent player, if the light ever clicks on and he becomes more consistent and gets into better shape.  In other words, Western Kentucky head coach Ken McDonald and his staff are recruiting just like when McDonald was an assistant coach at the University of Texas and the Longhorns cleaned up year-in and year-out.  We also understand that 6'1 Jr Kyle Fuller from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA has verbally committed to Vanderbilt.  And this strong physical athletic point guard who knows how to run the show and make his teammates better should fit in perfectly into the backcourt year after next with 6'3 John Jenkins from Gallatin (Station Camp) TN, who is the prize of this year's recruiting class and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Joe Barkers from Kirkwood (JC) MO has made it official for Hartford, 6'9 Chris Duncan from Wabash Valley (JC) IL has signed with Alabama State, 6'5 Antonio Lofton from Parkland (JC) IL and 5'8 Jamil Harris from Harry S. Truman (JC) IL have both picked Chicago State.  Lofton is a multi-dimensional wing player who scored, passed, and rebounded to the tune of 19.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, and 2.5 apg this past season and Harris is an excellent floor general with good speed and quickness, which should allow him to complement Lofton and 6'5 Tim Flowers from Kennedy-King (JC) IL in what is clearly one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the school.  Duncan averaged 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg this past season and Barkers did the dirty work inside for a team that finished 27-6 and advanced to the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Division II Tournament in Danville, IL.  We also wonder what you would think if Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard rejoined his former boss and best friend (Rick Pitino) and become the top assistant coach at the University of Louisville and if Notre Dame assistant coach Sean Kearney replaced Willard as the head coach at Holy Cross?  People in the know tell us that both of these moves could occur sooner than later.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Late signings and commitments continue to trickle in at a steady pace and the two most interesting things that I've run across during the last several days are the signing of 6'4 Jaquan Parker from Suffolk (King's Fork) VA with the University of Cincinnati and 6'4 Jack Crowder from Cowley County (JC) KS making it official for Southern Illinois.  Crowder is an athletic wing player who averaged 20.6 ppg and 7.1 rpg this past season and is ranked #24 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  He also has a knack for finding ways to score, is a tremendous competitor, and knows what it takes to win, as is evident by the fact that he helped his team go 60-8 during the past two seasons.  Crowder also now appears to be the best player in a recruiting class that is now tied at 44, along with San Francisco and Hofstra, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and also includes 5'9 Kendal Brown-Surles from Evansville (Harrison) IN, 6'8 Eugene Teague from Pennsauken (Apex Academies) NJ, 6'5 John Freeman from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'5 Drew Barham from Memphis (Christian Brothers) TN, and 6'8 Jordan Myers from Forest Park (H.S.) IL.  In other words, it looks like Salukis head coach Chris Lowery and his staff are loading up, as Brown-Surles is one of the best kept secrets in the senior class nationally; Teague is ranked #42 in our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players and has a huge upside, if he can keep the weight off and stay in shape; Freeman is ranked #125 in the in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com; and Barham and Myers check in at #410 and #571 respectively on our list of the top seniors nationally.  In the case of Parker, it looks like Bearcats head coach Mick Cronin got the point guard with size that he was coveting.  Parker is a fierce competitor, a winner, and jack-of-all-trades, as he averaged 18.5 ppg, 10.0 ppg, and 4.5 apg this past season.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Parker originally had verbally committed to Old Dominion, but later changed his mind when he thought he was going to have to spend a year in prep school due to the fact that he was short on the number of classes that he needed to graduate from high school and be eligible at a four-year Division I college or university.  But now it looks like Parker will be able to make up the two classes that he needs in summer school and, as a result, will provide an excellent complement to 6'5 Sean Kilpatrick from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, as Cincinnati continues to stockpile depth in the backcourt and out on the perimeter.  We also are impressed with the fact that Central Michigan has landed 6'4 Jalin Thomas from Pensacola (JC) FL.  We're talking about a strong physical 3-man with a good-mid-range game, the ability to defend, and somebody who was the leading scorer (12.5 ppg) and the second leading rebounder (5.0 rpg) on his team.  Thomas also is an excellent student, as is evident by the fact that he had a 3.6 gpa and was named a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Academic All-American.   The addition of Thomas also moves the Chippewas' recruiting class into a tie at #94, along with Air Force and Valparaiso, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  However, even more important, Central Michigan now is a close second, behind Miami-OH, when we look at the top recruiting classes in the league and Chippewas head coach Ernie Zeigler has the strong nucleus that he needs to help convince his son - 6'5 Jr Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #39 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP - to stay home year after next and play for his father.  We also have added 6'1 Nick Hayward from Ouachita (Monroe) LA, 6'7 Kendrick Washington from Shreveport (Huntington) LA, and 6'9 Kirk Van Slyke from The Woodlands (College Park) TX to the University of Houston's recruiting class, which already included 6'7 Jr Maurice McNeil from San Jacinto (JC) TX and 6'4 Adam Brown from Collin County (JC) TX.  Brown was named a Second Team Junior College All-American, McNeil is ranked #66 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com, Washington was named the 2008 5-A Player-of-the-Year in Louisiana, Hayward was named the 2009 5-A Player-of-the-Year in Louisiana, and Van Slyke has deep range and is a great 3-point shooter.  We're also talking about a great collection of athletes and shooters, which is why this recruiting class is tied at #55, along with Florida International, Fordham, Utah, Texas Christian, and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009 and is being touted as one of the best recruiting classes that Cougars head coach Tom Penders has had during his 35-year tenure as a head coach.  It also looks like 6'1 Jr Gary Winston from Walla Walla (H.S.) WA has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Idaho, 6'10 Cheick Kone from Howard (JC) TX has picked Texas Christian, 6'1 Michael Tuitt from Monroe (JC) NY has picked Hampton, 6'9 Albert Abraham from Indian River (JC) FL has picked Bethune-Cookman, 6'2 Aaron Mitchell from Indian River (JC) FL has picked Longwood, and 5'9 Julian Olubuyi from Northwest (JC) WY and 6'6 Isaiah Jackson from Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS have both made it official for Northern Arizona.  The commitment by Kone to the Horned Frogs is especially noteworthy, because he will provide the presence inside to complement 6'2 Greg Hill from Midland (JC) TX, 6'7 Eric Frederick from Highland (JC) IL, 6'6 Garlon Green from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, and 6'6 Dernodo Eiland from Pratt (JC) KS in this year's recruiting class. 

Thursday, June 4, 2099

One of the many things that separates the HOOP SCOOP from our competition are our innovative ways to look at things in different ways.  And a perfect example is our Exclusive Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  By definition a 5th Year Player is a player who has reached his 9th Semester or more of high school and, as a result, more often than not has an age advantage when compared to the rest of his peers.  And right at the top of the list is Kentucky-bound 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, who is the equivalent of a top five-ranked high school senior nationally.  Next are Pittsburgh-bound 6'8 Dante Taylor from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, Texas-bound 6'7 Jordan Hamilton from Compton (Dominguez) CA, Connecticut-bound 6'9 Alex Oriakhi from Tilfon (School) CT, 6'9 Charlotte-bound Chris Braswell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, Alabama-bound 6'6 Tony Mitchell from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, Memphis-bound 6'8 Latavious Williams from Humble (Christian Life) TX, Oklahoma State-bound 6'7 Karron Johnson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and Mississippi State-bound 7'1 John Riek from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, which means that there are nine players on our list who are the equivalent of a top 40-ranked or higher high school senior nationally.  Falling into the 41-70 range nationally if they were high school seniors are Connecticut-bound 6'7 Jamal Coombs-McDaniel from Tilton (School) NH, West Virginia-bound 6'10 Danny Jennings from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Rutgers-bound 6'7 Austin Johnson from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, Georgia State-bound 6'9 Rashanti Harris from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, Washington-bound 6'7 Clarence Trent from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, Fordham-bound 6'7 Chris Gaston from New Hampton (Prep) NH, and 6'10 Roscoe Davis from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who is the highest ranked player in our Exclusive Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players that is still available.  However, Davis, who committed to West Virginia a year-and-a-half ago, now appears to be junior college-bound as he continues to work on his academics.  Falling into the 71-100 range are Tulane-bound 5'11 Jordan Callahan from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'1 Ryan Salcedo from Newark (Edison Job Corps) NJ, 6'7 Chris Cantino from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, and Baylor-bound 6'7 Givon Grump from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, which means that there are 20 5th Year Players in this year's class who are equivalent of a top 100-ranked high school senior.  And the other 50 players on the list all would fall within the 101-300 range nationally, if they were included on our list of the top high school seniors.  Salcedo also appears to be prime junior college material, but Cantino, who has received varying degrees of interest from schools like Nebraska, Houston, Seton Hall, Southern Miss, Kentucky, Temple, Baylor, Siena, and Rider, appears to have a shot at being declared eligible by the NCAA Clearinghouse and, as a result, may end up enrolling at a four-year Division I school this fall.  It also is important to point out that there are a growing number of players who have transferred to basketball factories and prep schools within the last year who are not 5th Year Players and that list includes Texas-bound 6'2 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Oklahoma-bound 6'8 Keith "Tiny" Gallon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Indiana-bound 6'4 Maurice Creek from Chatham (Hagrave Military) VA, Villanova-bound 6'9 Mouphtaou Yarou from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Kansas State-bound 6'8 Wally Judge from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Illinois-bound 6'3 D.J. Richardson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Kansas-bound 6'8 Thomas Robinson from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, Virginia-bound 6'7 Tristan Spurlock from Springfield (Word of Life) VA, Western Kentucky-bound 6'5 Terrance Boyd from San Diego (H.S.) CA, Arizona-bound 6'5 Kevin Parrom from South Kent (Prep) CT, St. John's-bound 6'5 Omari Lawrence from South Kent (Prep) CT, USC-bound 6'0 Lamont Jones from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Massachusetts-bound, 6'7 Terrell Vinson from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, N.C. State-bound 6'9 DeShawn Painter from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, Kansas State-bound 6'4 Rodney McGruder from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Arizona State-bound Victor Rudd from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Oklahoma-bound 6'8 Andrew Fitzgerald from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, West Virginia-bound 6'9 Deniz Kilichi from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, Providence-bound 5'8 Johnnie Lacey from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

With eight players (Lance Stephenson, DeMarcus Cousin, Kenny Boynton, John Henson, Dexter Strickland, Wally Judge, David Wear, and Travis Wear) who later would be named to play in this year's McDonald's All-American Game; six of the top eight-ranked pre-season teams in the nation; the #1-ranked and the #2-ranked teams in the nation playing in the championship game; and a sophomore (Austin Rivers) taking home tournament MVP honors after leading the tournament in scoring with 30.0 ppg and capping this off with 46 points and a spectacular 8-13 from beyond the arc for the 3rd Place Game, it's hard to imagine a field any better than last year's Bank of America City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  As a matter of fact, Donnie Wilkie, who is the Vice President of the Tournament and invites the teams every year, laughingly says that the only way this year's tournament could be any better than last year's is if he had the Lakers and/or the Cavaliers in the field.  Well, he doesn't.  But in case you were wondering what he's planning on doing for an encore with this year's tournament, which will be held on December 18th-23rd, Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, which will have a lot of its key players back this past season's national championship team, heads the 16-team tournament field that also will include Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Chicago (De La Salle) IL, Greensboro (Dudley) NC, Seattle (Garfield) WA, Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, Alpharetta (Milton) GA, Huntsville (Butler) AL, Winter Park (H.S.) FL, Montverde (Academy) FL, Weston (Sagemont) FL, and Bartow (H.S.) FL, Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL, and Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL.  Wilkie also tells us that there will be three Sunshine Series games that will played in conjunction with this year's tournament.  The first will be played on the first day of the tournament, Friday, December 18th, and will feature Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL against Pembroke Pines (Flannigan) FL.  The second will be played on Saturday, December 19th, between two teams yet to be determined.  The third and final Sunshine Series game will be played on one of the final three days of the tournament and will feature Miami (Dr, Krop) FL, which is coached by one of the legendary coaches in the business (Shaky Rodriquez), versus Jacksonville (Providence Christian) FL, which is expected to get a big time transfer that Wilkie has sworn us to secrecy about.  And, while Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV should once again be as good as anybody in the nation next year, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA will have a lot of the key players back from its state championship team, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ is always one of the premier programs in the nation, and Montverde (Academy) FL, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and Chicago (De Lalle) IL all will be good enough to be nationally ranked, the real plan by Wilkie was to get a head start on the future by inviting teams that featured the elite players nationally in the Class of 2009, which promises to be the next great class in high school basketball.  Unfortunately Wilkie missed out on getting Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, which is expected to be the pre-season #1-ranked team in the nation and features 6'8 Soph Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is arguably the best player in the high school ranks today regardless of class.  However, Wilkie will have three of our top five-ranked sophomores in 6'3 Soph Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'3 Soph Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, and 6'3 Soph Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, as well 6'8 Soph Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'5 Soph Samuel "P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'1 Soph Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Soph Andre Henley from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, and 6'8 Soph Julian Royal from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, all of whom will be serious candidates for the McDonald's All-American Game year after next.  And, if that weren't enough, 5'7 Soph Myles Mack from Paterson (Catholic) NJ was the MVP a week-and-a-half ago in the 16-Under Division at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and 5'9 Soph Tavon Sledge from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Soph Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 6'3 Soph Dai-Jon Parker from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 6'7 Soph Derrick Randall from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'2 Soph Glenn Brooks from Seattle (Garfield) WA are all very good players.  The tournament will also feature an excellent group of seniors that includes 6'9 Jr Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'5 Jr James Bell from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'2 Jr Corey Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'7 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'2 Jr Jordan Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'9 Jr Justin Jackson from  Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'9 Jr Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 7'0 Jr Fab Melo from Westmont (Sagemont) FL, 6'5 Jr Fuquan Edwin from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'9 Jr J.P. Kambola from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Jr Papa Sambo Ndao from Montverde (Academy) FL, and 6'6 Jr Kyle Marshall from Pembroke Pines (Flannigan) FL and one of the premier sophomores in the nation in 6'6 Frosh Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Absolutely nothing has happened since we last thought about what's going on in the recruiting world almost a week ago, except for some late signings and commitments by junior college players, a late commitment by a foreign player, and more players who have reneged their commitments or gotten out of their binding National Letter-of-Intent.  We already have mentioned the fact that 6'7 Noel Johnson from Fayetteville (Fayette County) GA had gotten out of the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with USC.  But we haven't told you that Johnson is currently on an official visit to the University of Charlotte.  And it wouldn't surprise us one bit if the 49ers get this one done sooner than later.  Not only would Johnson be a perfect complement to Charlotte's current recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Chris Braswell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Derrio Green from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, 6'6 K.J. Sherrill from Salisbury (West Rowan) NC, and 6'9 Gokhan Sirin from Leonardtown (St. Mary's Ryken) MD, but a commitment by Johnson would move Charlotte's recruiting class up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  And this is important, because Charlotte would suddenly have the best recruiting class in the league, as well as the best recruiting class in the nation among schools that are not in the six high major conferences (ACC, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, Pacific-10, and Southeastern).  Johnson is currently ranked #54 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but has the potential to be a pro, thanks to his size, athleticism, bloodline, and ability to flat out shoot the basketball.  So obviously this would be a major coup at this late date, if 49ers head coach Bobby Lutz and his staff can get this one done.  The foreign player is 6'8 Martin Ngaloro from Grenoble, France and, by all indications and considering what's left, he's a steal for the University of Memphis.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Ngaloro is a 6'8 athletic wing forward who handles the ball very well for his size and has played against excellent competition at a basketball academy in Spain where he averaged 22.0 ppg this past season.  Ngaloro also is 20-years-old, which means he has both the talent and the maturity necessary to step in an make an immediate impact next season.  The addition of Ngaloro moves Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Will Coleman from Miami-Dade (JC) FL and 6'8 Latavious Williams from Humble (Christian Life) TX, into a tie at #27, along with Florida State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009.  The two guys who have reneged are 6'9 Jr Jordan Dykstra from Rock Valley (H.S.) IA, who is ranked #158 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to Iowa State as a freshman, and 6'7 Jr Justin Martin from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #29 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to the University of Louisville last fall.  And this comes of the heels of the decision by 6'11 Jr Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, who verbally committed to the Cardinals last fall, but now has decided to skip his senior year of high school and play the next two years professionally in Europe.  And, if that weren't bad enough, there also are rumors that the verbal commitment that 6'6 Jr Josh Langford from Huntsville (Johnson) AL made last spring to Louisville might not be as solid as it appears.  At least some of this stems from the uncertainly of the off-the-court legal issues that are in the process of being addressed and the rumors that Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino may bolt the college ranks for the third time in his coaching career to become a head coach in the NBA.  The list of junior college players who have been taken off the board in the last week includes 6'6 Kavon Lytch from Midland (JC) TX to Florida International, 6'2 A.J. Spencer from Cecil (JC) MD to Alabama State, 6'1 Mike Williams from Jackson State (JC) TN to Western Carolina, 6'4 Anthony Phillips from Miami-Dade (JC) FL to Western Carolina, 6'7 Tremayne Johnson from L.A. Southwest (JC) CA to Eastern Washington, 6'8 Laron Griffin from L.A. Southwest (JC) CA to Eastern Washington, and 6'3 Amaurys Fermin from Hagerstown (JC) MD to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.  Especially noteworthy is the commitment by Lytch to the Panthers.  We're talking about a tough hardnosed undersized power forward who averaged 17.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg and was good enough to be named a NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Honorable Mention All-American.  Lytch also promises to be provide the perfect complement to 6'4 Antoine Watson from Redlands (JC) OK, 6'5 Marvin Roberts from Redlands (JC) OK, 6'3 Stephon Weaver from Connors State (JC) OK, and 5'10 Phil Gray from Malcolm X (JC) IL in a recruiting class that is now tied at #54, along with Fordham, Utah, and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2009. 

Our Florida Editors Rick Staudt and Jim Clark were at the Reebok Headliner Camp in Jacksonville, FL and, with spots in both the Reebok All-American Camp in Philadelphia, PA and the Reebok Underclassmen Breakout Camp in Dallas, TX on the line, the play was at an extremely high level.  But when the dust had cleared the two near-locks going into the camp and one surprise stole the show.  At the top of the list was 5'11 Soph Shane Larkin from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  "Larkin made the all-tournament team at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions last weekend and continued his stellar play here" says Staudt.  "He has great vision, is an excellent outside shooter, and gets into the land and makes plays against any type of defense."  Second on the list was 6'5 Jr Aaron Brown from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL.  "He hurt his shoulder early in the first game on the first day, but fought through the pain and was solid later in the day," says Staudt.  "On the second day he really stood out with his ability to hit the three, as well as slash and finish at the rim."  The third player to make everybody sit up and take notice was 6'7 Jr Charles Griffin from Tallahassee (Leon) FL.  "Very few knew of this kid coming in, "says Staudt.  "He's a solid shooter with range, has ample athleticism to play the wing, and is a great finisher."  The rest of the top 40 players at the event, as ranked by Staudt and Clark, include 4) 6'5 Jr Stacey Poole from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL (he didn't play on Sunday, but was the second best player on Saturday), 5) 6'8 Jr Admir Sahbegovic from Jacksonville (Englewood) FL, 6) 6'1 Frosh Marcus Maye from Melbourne (Holy Trinity) FL, 7) 6'5 Soph Delrojn Summey from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 8) 6'1 Frosh Benji Bell from Gainesville (Eastside) FL, 9) 5'11 Jr Avery Moore from Tallahassee (Rickards) FL, 10) 6'2 Jr Pierre Bland from Jacksonville (Lee) FL, 11) 6'2 Jr Patrick Diop from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 12) 6'4 Soph Robert Brown from Clermont (East Ridge) FL, 13) 6'3 Frosh Shawn Smith from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 14) 6'6 Jr Charles McRoy from Madarin (H.S.) FL, 15) 6'5 Jr Lendward Griffin from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL, 16) 6'5 Jr Luis Jacobo from Winter Springs (H.S.) FL, 17) 6'7 Soph Cornelius Johnson from Jacksonville (First Coast) FL, 18) 6'4 Soph Adonis Burbage from Orlando (Timber Creek) FL, 19) 6'4 Jr Vince Dillard from Altamonte Springs (Lake Brantley) FL, 20) 6'2 Jr Alex Bodney from Jacksonville (Providence) FL, 21) 5'9 Frosh Leroy Santiago from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 22) 6'1 Frosh Alan Connerly from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 23) 5'11 8th Grader Solomon Poole from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 24) 6'3 Jr Ramon Mercado from Ft. Lauderdale (South Broward) FL, 25) 6'5 Soph Deonte Hearns from Viera (H.S.) FL, 26) 6'3 Frosh Justin Chandler from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL, 27) 6'7 Frosh Kampertino Rolle from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 28) 6'8 Soph Darius Andrews from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 29) 6'1 Soph Cornell Gunter from Orlando (Wekiva) FL, 30) 6'9 Jr Greg Dorleus from Ovieda (H.S.) FL, 31) 6'3 Jr Kody Williams from Niceville (H.S.) FL, 32) 5'9 Soph Michael Singleton from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, 33) 6'9 Jr Logan Buckner from St. Augustine (Nease) FL, 34) 6'2 Soph Robert Decosey from Orlando (Olympia) FL, 35) 6'1 Soph D'Andre Bullard from Orlando (Wekiva) FL, 36) 6'0 Jr Chris Blount from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 37) 6'1 Jr Nebby Exantus from Altamonte Springs (Lake Brantley) FL, 38) 5'9 Soph Jerrell  Oxendine from Crescent City (H.S.) FL, 39) 6'4 Frosh Ben Howze from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL, and 40) 5'9 Jr Jeremy Wright from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL.  On the recruiting side, Aaron Bowen reaffirmed his commitment to Marquette and Admir Sahbegovic reaffirmed his commitment to Jacksonville.  Stacey Poole lists offers from Florida State, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia, South Florida, and Miami-FL and also is getting heavy interest from Marquette, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma, Xavier, and Missouri.  Avery Moore is getting interest from Jacksonville, James Madison, Auburn, and Florida State.  Shane Larkin is fielding interest from Central Florida, Marquette, Texas A&M, Miami-FL, Missouri, Memphis, and Kentucky. 

Monday, June 1, 2009

The Pangos All-American Camp, which was held over the weekend at Cabrillo High School in Long Beach, CA, not only provided us with an opportunity to get our first look this spring at 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, but also a chance for other players to reinforce what we already thought about them and a venue in which some unheralded guys could establish their national reputations.  Barnes finished with 26 points, eight rebounds, 8-13 field goals, and 7-7 free throws in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game en route to Camp MVP honors.  However, even more important, we walked away from this year's camp with a good feeling, as this time around our #1-ranked player in camp played hard, made his teammates better, and did the little things necessary to help his team win.  Was Barnes better than 6'2 Jr Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'7 Jr Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH when we saw them early this spring?  The answer is no, as Irving is a better 3-point shooter and more of a prolific scorer than Barnes and Sullinger has totally dominated his peers with his play in the low post this spring.  But we have to give it to Barnes based on size, athleticism, effort, basketball IQ, potential, and the fact that he's not a little bit undersized for his position.  The MVP in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game was Wake Forest-bound 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, who we have ranked #18 nationally in the junior class and is one of the most prolific scoring 2-guards in the nation.  And Terrell picked the right time to step it up, as he finished with 28 points, 10-15 field goals, and six 3-pointers in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.   But this was still the second best 3-point shooting performance of the weekend.  Believe it or not, 6'1 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA hit eight straight 3-pointers and finished with a grand total of 11 treys in his first game on Friday night.  Franklin, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also played well in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game, as he finished with eight points, eight assists, three turnovers, and a pair of 3-pointers.  We also were impressed with 5'11 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and had 19 points, four assists, four rebounds, and 10-18 field goals in Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  But not enough to name Jackson the co-MVP, along with 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  That award should have gone to 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA.  But that's what happens when you want to share the wealth when you're passing out the awards.  Not only did 5'11 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA pick up where he left off when we saw him last week at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, but, with his speed, quickness, and ability to get people the ball and make things happen in transition, he also left little doubt about the fact that he belongs right up there along with the top point guards in the nation in the Class of 2010.  Of the elite players in camp, the guy who helped himself the most was 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, who finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and 8-12 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game and was almost unstoppable with his high flying athleticism, great body control, and excellent moves to the basket.  If he continues to play like he did here, Barton will get my vote for the McDonald's All-American Game, because he also has a good motor, rebounds well for his size, and is more than adequate when it comes down to knocking down the 3-point shot.  Barton tells us that he's still wide open, as his list currently includes Memphis, Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana, Louisville, Oklahoma, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Marquette, Pittsburgh, South Florida, Georgetown, Villanova, and Xavier.  It also will be interesting to see if the rumors are true about 6'2 Jr Josh Selby from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD transferring to Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD for his senior season.  And this makes even more sense when one finds out that Barton and Selby are cousins.  And what about 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, who finished with 10 points and 5-6 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game?  We may be talking about the best freshman in America!  Another guy who if he were a stock now would be a good time to buy is 6'8 Soph Nick Jacobs from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA.  He was good all weekend, but he took it to another level with 14 points, four rebounds, and 7-11 field goals in the Top 50 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  Also in hindsight, 6'5 Jr Dominique Carr from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, who is currently ranked #245 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, should have been in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  This explosive athletic multi-dimensional wing forward who can beat you with his outside shooting and ability to get to the basket also is a great sleeper for the top 100 nationally.  Carr also tells us that he has a 3.5 gpa, which explains why California and Stanford are in the hunt, along with schools like Florida State, South Carolina, Kansas State, and UC-Irvine.  Also on the list of players who came out of the woodwork in this camp were 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 6'3 Jr Ricky Scott from Irving (Macarthur) TX, 6'7 Soph DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'8 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'5 Jr Damien Wilson from Mableton (Pebblebrook) GA, 6'2 Jr Delonte Bishop Daniels from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'10 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 6'7 Jr Doug McDermott from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'7 Jr Jonathan Davis from Simi Valley (H.S.) CA, and 6'7 Jr Alex Tiffin from Thousand Oaks (H.S.) CA.  Johnson is an athletic white kid with quick hands and feet, excellent post moves, and power moves to the basket.  We're talking about a legitimate top 100 senior nationally who is being recruited by schools like Arizona, San Diego, New Mexico State, and UCLA.  However, this list is sure to get longer before it gets shorter, as Johnson also has plenty of upside.  Scott had seven points, two steals, and 3-5 field goals in the Top 50 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game, but we would have liked to have seen him in the top game against the best players in camp due to the fact that this multi-dimensional athlete has an excellent frame, an aggressive demeanor, and the ability to beat you from inside, outside, and mid-range.  Daniels is versatile enough to play either forward spot and he had seven points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  Black is a physical specimen who runs the court, blocks shots, and rebounds, and has the potential to develop into a monster inside.  Wilson didn't make either game, but he had the explosiveness, athleticism, and ability to thrive in transition necessary to be one of the better players in the second game.  The other Daniels is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he too played extremely well in the final set of games and, as a result, should have been in the one of the all-star games.  Kirk scored seven points Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game, but it's his size, willingness to compete, and soft touch around the basket that get people excited.  McDermott has grown five inches in the last year, which means he's got both the size and perimeter skills necessary to evolve into a big time player.  Davis also didn't make either all-star game, but we thought he was one of the bigger sleepers in camp due to the fact that he has the size, athleticism, and skills necessary to play both inside and outside.  Tiffin needs to get bigger and stronger, but his toughness, post moves, and excellent grades (4.0 gpa) make him really a legitimate top 250 junior nationally.  The biggest disappointment in camp was 6'9 Jr Marquez "Luke" Cothron from Red Springs (Flora McDonald) NC, who had two points, five rebounds, and 1-5 field goals in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.  Cothron, who has been ranked among the top centers in the nation by some of our competitors, does run the court and does pass the look test.  But his next post move might be his first, he doesn't finish, and he is amazingly none productive around the basket for somebody with his size and athleticism.  Also not living up to their hype and press clippings were 6'8 Soph Ramon Eaton from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'5 Soph P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Chesapeake (Atlantic Shores Christian) VA, 6'9 Jr John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Jr Keala King from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Jr Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'0 Soph Cezar Guerrero from City of Industry (Workman) CA, and 6'8 Jr C.J. Fair from Baltimore (City College) MD.  However, in the case of Guerrero and Fair, they both get a pass due to the fact that they were playing with injuries. 

The HOOP SCOOP's Exclusive Ranking of the Top 70 Players at the Pangos All-American Camp are as follows:  1) 6'6 Jr Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 2) 6'3 Jr J.T. Terrell from Burlington (Cummings) NC, 3) 6'6 Jr Will Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 4) 6'1 Jr Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5) 5'11 Jr Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6) 5'11 Jr Ryan Harrow from Marietta (Walton) GA, 7) 6'8 Soph Nick Jacobs from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 8) 6'5 Jr Dominique Carr from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 9) 6'4 Jr Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 10) 6'9 Jr Terrence Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 11) 6'9 Jr James Johnson from San Diego (Morse) CA, 12) 6'7 Jr Travis McKie from Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 13) 6'4 Frosh Shabazz Muhammad from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 14) 6'9 Jr Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 15) 6'7 Jr Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 16) 6'3 Jr Ricky Scott from Irving (MacArthur) TX, 17) 6'8 Soph Adonis Thomas from Memphis (Melrose) TN, 18) 6'8 Jr Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 19) 6'3 Jr Pe'Shon Howard from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 20) 6'8 Soph Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 21) 6'8 Jr Melvin Tabb from Raleigh (Enloe) NC, 22) 6'7 Soph DeAndre Daniels from Woodland (Hills Taft) CA, 23) 6'2 Jr Tony Chennault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, 24) 6'7 Soph Delonte Bishop Daniels from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 25) 6'4 Soph Dezmine Wells from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 26) 6'7 Jr Mychal Parker from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, 27) 6'4 Soph Quddus Bello from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 28) 6'6 Jr Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 29) 6'4 Jr Andre Dawkins from Atlanta Shores Christian) VA, 30) 6'7 Soph Jonathan Davis from Simi Valley (H.S.) CA, 31) 6'10 Jr Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM, 32) 6'5 Soph Damien Wilson from Mableton (Pebblebrook) GA, 33) 6'3 Jr Royce Woolridge from Phoenix (Sunnyslope) AZ, 34) 5'8 Jr Phil Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 35) 6'7 Frosh Winston Sheppard from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 36) 6'5 Soph P.J. Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 37) 5'11 Jr Aaron Bright from  Bellevue (H.S.) WA, 38) 5'8 Soph Steve Taylor from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH, 39) 6'6 Jr Shane Southwell from New York (Rice) NY, 40) 5'11 Jr Trevor Releford from Shawnee (Mission Bishop) KS, 41) 6'8 Jr Yannick Attanga from Ojai (Beasant School) CA, 42) 6'4 Soph Darius Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 43) 6'7 Jr Doug McDermott from Ames (H.S.) IA, 44) 6'8 Jr C..J. Fair from Baltimore (City College) MD, 45) 6'3 8th Grader Rodney Purvis from Raleigh (Upper Christian) NC, 46) 6'6 Soph Keaton Miles from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 47) 6'2 Jr LaBradford Franklin from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 48) 6'7 Jr Jordan Salley from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 49) 6'2 Jr Deonte Burton from  Compton (Centennial) CA, 50) 6'8 Soph Ramon Eaton from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 51) 6'2 Jr Michael Thompson from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 52) 6'8 Soph Ronnie Stevens from Gardena (Serra) CA, 53) 6'9 Jr Michael Kyser from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 54) 6'3 Jr Antonio Barton from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 55) 6'0 Soph Cezar Guerrero from City of Industry (Workman) CA, 56) 6'3 Jr Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 57) 6'2 8th Grader Eric Cooper from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 58) 6'4 Jr Avery Johnson from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 59) 6'8 Jr Luke Cothron from Red Springs (Flora McDonald) NC, 60) 6'11 Jr Darrell Haley from Palmdale (H.S.) CA, 61) 6'4 Jr Keala King from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 62) 6'4 Jr Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA, 63) 6'4 Jr Devin Coleman from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 64) 6'3 Jr Will Hankins from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 65) 6'4 Jr Ben Vozzola from Las Vegas (Centennial) NV, 66) 6'9 Jr John Bohannon from Lancaster (H.S.) TX, 67) 6'8 Frosh Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 68) 6'7 Soph Jonathan Davis from Simi Valley (H.S.) CA, 69) 6'6 Jr Jordan Burris from Bakersfield (Stockdale) CA, and 70) 5'11 Jr Keith Shamburger from Gardena (Serra) CA.

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