HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE 2001

Hot Recruiting Information available for previous months June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001 June 2001

Saturday, June 30, 2001

How good is 6'10 Jr Chris Grimm from Brighton (H.S.) MI?  That appears to be the question of the day, as the HOOP SCOOP has learned that Grimm has made a verbal commitment to Marquette University.   I haven't personally seen him yet, but our Michigan Editor Steve Bell thinks Grimm has a major upside and, as a result, could be one a top 100 junior nationally.  Grimm, who had one game last season where he scored 38 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, rebounds well and scores from mid-range and in.  He also is a good student, but still needs to get bigger and stronger.  On the other hand, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin wasn't impressed with Grimm when he saw him last spring at the Charlie Webber Tournament in Philadelphia in April.  He's not that tough inside and is not that mobile and athletic away from the basket. So Rubin also doesn't like his feet and, as a result, thinks he's better suited for the mid-range level.  I guess we'll find out soon enough who is right, because we'll get a chance to see Grimm at the adidas ABCD Camp in a week and with the Michigan Mustangs during the summer.  The rest of the recruiting news we've obtained today comes from players we have talked with at the NBA Players Association Camp.  Especially interesting is the fact that the first school mentioned by both 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK and 6'9 Jr Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA was Duke.   Williams also confirmed that the Blue Devils are in the lead over North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky, Kansas, Syracuse, USC, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.  Francis also mentioned North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Boston College, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.  California, UCLA, Oregon, Missouri, Kansas, Boston College, Seton Hall, and Connecticut are all in the hunt for 6'5 Jr Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.   6'7 Jr Evans Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA says he likes UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Arizona, and Georgetown.  The list for 6'7 Jr Charles Davis from Selma (Southside) AL includes Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Boston College, and Arkansas.  Nothing has changed since we talked to 6'2 Jr Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY two weeks ago at the Rumble in the Bronx, as he mentions Maryland, Villanova, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Seton Hall, and Miami-FL.  UCLA, Stanford, Oregon State, Massachusetts, Kentucky, and Kansas have all shown interest in 6'5 Jr Nate Carter from San Diego (Carter) CA.  Auburn, Georgia Tech, Alabama State, North Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida State, Florida, and Temple are recruiting 7'1 Jr Michael Doe from Fort Walton Beach (Choctawhatchee) FL.  The leaders for 6'8 Jr Ricky Cornett from Homewood (Christian) IL are Illinois, Notre Dame, USC, and Kansas State.  However, Cornett also has Marquette, Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, Michigan, and Minnesota on his list.  Georgia Tech, Texas, Tulane, Mississippi State, Duke, Lamar, and LSU were all mentioned by 6'9 Jr Byron Sanders from Gulfport (Harrison Central) MS.  Kansas, UCLA, Oregon State, New Mexico, and Gonzaga are the favorites for 6'9 Jr Moulaye Niang from San Diego (Christian) CA.   USC, California, Michigan, Utah, UCLA, and Arizona State are all in the hunt for 6'8 Jr David Paris from Modesto (Christian) CA.  Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas, Washington, Tulsa, and Oklahoma State are involved with 6'10 Jr Julius Lampley from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, and Seton Hall have all shown interest in 6'8 Jr Chris Ellis from Marietta (H.S.) GA.  He's first heading to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, but 6'6 Jr David Bell from Philadelphia (Olney) PA told us he likes North Carolina, Syracuse, Miami-FL, Providence, Villanova, and Massachusetts.  The early list for 6'7 Soph Corey Gibbs from Atlanta (Pace) GA includes Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Southern Mississippi, Georgetown, and Miami-FL.   Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Mississippi, and Southern Mississippi are already involved with 6'5 Soph Kenny Hooks from Hurley (East Central) MS.  Eddie Green, the 6'9 sophomore from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, like Clemson, UCLA, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech.  Villanova, Seton Hall, and Maryland were mentioned by 6'9 Soph Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE.   The early favorites for 5'11 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY appear to be Duke, North Carolina, and Michigan State. 

Friday, June 29, 2001

Are you ready for this?  The best player we saw earlier today at the NBA Players Association Camp at American University in Washington, DC was 6'5 Jr Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Previously Adams was ranked among our top 50 nationally, but based on his performance in camp, he should be a McDonald's All-American next spring.   Adams is silky smooth, extremely athletic, and excellent boards for somebody his size.  He also plays too hard to fit the soft laid back Southern California stereotype, plus he's terrific going to hole and from 3-point range.  And Adams wasn't the only player from California who was one of the best players in camp, as 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA also impressed us with his outside shooting, athleticism, and ability to score in transition.  The third player who really stood out was 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX.  Not only was Horton impressive in transition, but he may have moved ahead of 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, as the #1 ranked junior (rising senior) from the Texas.  From there it gets a little more difficult, as we attempt to pick our top five players in camp after the first day that the media could attend.  In the afternoon session 6'6 David Bell from Philadelphia (Olney) PA shot the lights out in his head-to-head match-up against Burns.  Bell, who will be a 5th player next year at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, normally isn't that good an outside shooter, so it will be interesting to see what he does tomorrow morning when the camp playoffs begin.  Hitting a lot of mid-range jumpers and impressing us with his athleticism was 6'4 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK.   The best pure point guard and one of the best defenders camp is 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD.   Nobody seemed to dominate inside, so 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK wins by default.  Others players who played well enough to be mentioned among the better players in camp include 6'8 Jr Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'7 Jr Curtis Withers from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'2 Jr Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'10 Jr Ousmare Konate from France, 7'1 Jr Michael Doe from Choctaw (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'8 Jr Chuck Davis from Selma (Southside) AL, 6'5 Jr Nate Carter from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 6'9 Jr Matt Gorman from Watertown (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Marques Hayden from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA,and 6'8 Soph Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'4 Jr Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO was not ranked among the top players in camp.  However, he played exclusively at the point guard spot.  In other words, this world-class athlete sacrificed his game to make the other players around him (especially Adams) better.  We won't get to talk to the players in camp about their recruiting until tomorrow, but Strickland's parents told us that their son's top five schools are Maryland, Indiana, Illinois, Wake Forest, and Tennessee.  According to his father, Mississippi, Connecticut, Florida State, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Miami-FL, Arkansas, Massachusetts, and Kansas are all showing interest in 6'6 Jr Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN.

We also have two verbal commitments to pass along.  The first one - 6'9 Jr Matt Kiefer from Evansville (Mater Dei) IN - to Purdue comes as no surprise.  As a matter of fact, we've been predicting that Kiefer would pick the Boilermakers for months.  This is perfect fit, because Kiefer is a tough hardnosed white kid who is aggressive on the boards and good around the basket.  However, he also has some finesse to his game, as he is a good outside shooter and surprsingly good ball handler and passer out of the perimeter.  Kiefer also is a great competitor and this was especially evident earlier this spring when Kiefer and 6'3 Jr Dedrick Finn from Newburgh (Castle) IN led their team to the title game of the Spiece Run-n-Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN where thy lost in the championship   The other verbal commitment came last night from 6'2 Jr Donnie McCrath from Somers (John F. Kennedy) NY when he picked Providence.  When we first saw McCrath play two weeks ago at the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University we thought he was getting overrecruited.  But the more we watched him play, the more we realized how good he is.  He too is a tough hardnosed white kid with good athleticism and excellent 3-point shooting range.  However, McCrath does need to get stronger and needs to continue to play for the Bronx Ravens all summer, because he just doesn't get the type of competition night-in and night-out in Westchester County that he needs to be successful down the road in the Big East.  We also are still waiting to see what 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI is going to do.  Apparently his plan to verbally commit to Florida has fallen through.  As a matter of fact, he was making an unofficial visit to Michigan State on Wednesday and Thursday, which was when we thought a verbal commitment would likely be forthcoming to the Gators.  We also have received some new information about 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL.  One source tells us the chances of Dockery making it academically, which is necessary if he wants to go to Duke, are slim and none.  Another source tells us that Dockery will be offered a scholarship by the Blue Devils before the start of the summer camp season next week.  Obviously if that happens, Dockery will jump on it right away.  However, if Dockery doesn't qualify, our guess is the Blue Devils will take 6'4 Jr Jarrett Jack, who is expected to be a 5th year player next year at Worcester (Academy) MA.  Jack has always had a strong interest in Duke, but so far the Blue Devils have held him off as they have waited to see what Roberson and Dockery are going to do academically.  What makes all this even more intriguing is the fact that we regard both sources as very reliable even though it looks like one of those sources is going to be very wrong.  

Thursday, June 28, 2001

I'm sure somebody will tell me that I missed on 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, who is tied ranked #10 in our final ranking of the top players in the Class of 2001, but was the #1 pick in the NBA by the Washington Wizards in the NBA Draft yesterday.  And maybe they will also throw in the fact that Brown reminds a lot of pro scouts of Kevin Garnett.  My first reaction will be that this is the opinion of a group of people (NBA general managers and scouts) who over the course of time are proven to be wrong more often than they are proven to be correct.  I will concur that Brown does have some similarities to Garnett in terms of skills, size, and athleticism, but does he have Garnett's incredible work ethic, love for the game, and burning desire to become a great player?  So far the answer is no!   But Brown is the captain of the stock market team (he was the most up and down player in the Class of 2001).  But in fairness to Brown, he also is the most skilled of the four highly touted high school men - Brown, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - who entered their names into the NBA Draft this spring.  Chandler, who got drafted #2 by the Los Angeles Clippers, but was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls, is the most consistent of the four.  However, we'd like him a lot better if he was being projected as a bigger, stronger, meaner, tougher dominating center, instead of a finesse player who wants to play on the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers all day.  In other words, with his incredible athleticism, great passing and shot blocking ability, and tremendous feel for the game, he develop into one of the great big men in the history of the game.  However, an astute general manager will always be able to find better perimter players than Chandler, who is only an average 3-point shooter and ball handler.   Curry, who was drafted #4 by the Chicago Bulls, and Diop, who went #8 in the darft Cleveland, are both great athletes for their size, as well as tremendous physical specimen's.  But we still question whether Curry is willing to do what it takes to achieve greatness, which is one of the things I'd be looking for in a top five pick in the NBA draft.  As for Diop, he didn't even dominate consistently in high school last season and, as a result, I have to question whether he's even ready to be step in and immediately become one of the top centers in the college game.  Yes, Diop got drafted almost exclusively on his size and potential.  The steal of the draft occured when the Clippers unloaded Chandler for 6'9 Elton Brand, who not only was the #1 player picked in the draft two years ago, but now is one of the bright young players in the league, as is evident by the fact that he was co-rookie of the year, along with Steve Francis two yeas ago, and has averaged 20 ppg and 10 rpg with the Bulls.  Brand also was potentially the perfect player to not only help groom Curry, but the head-to-head match-ups in practice between Brand and Curry promises to be extremely interesting.  Remember, Brand is a warrior and some of that probably would have rubbed off on Curry.  Instead, now the Bulls have not one, but two high school players who would get more diaper changes than minutes on any quality team in the league.   Sure, Curry and Chandler will both get more than there share of minutes next year, but our guess is that will also translate into even fewer wins for what already might be the worst team in the NBA.  Only time will tell whether this move eventually gets Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause fired.  But it should!   In other words, if you live in Chicago, IL, have Bulls season tickets, and are already frustrated, now might be a good time to give up your tickets, because the product just got worse for the foreseeable future.  Another one of the big steals in draft was Vancouver getting Shane Battier at #6.  If you will   recall, most of the overachievers in the league last year were not players who came out of college or high school early.  Instead, they were guys who benefitted by the experience of staying all four years in college.  As a matter of fact, many of the teams that need immediate help gambled on high school players (Brown, Chandler, Curry, Diop) who have a lot potential, but still have a long way to go, just somebody with great athleticism like Michigan State's Jason Richardson, who will have to dramatically improve his outside shooting, if he ever wants to justify getting picked #5 in the draft by Golden State.  On the other hand, many of the better teams got players with less long term potential, but who are can step in and make an immediate impact next year.  In other words, the gap between the good teams and the bad teams in the NBA just got bigger.  But look at the bright side!  At least Krause will have some company, if and when he's looking for a job down the road.  Also probably going too low in the draft was Seton Hall's Eddie Griffin, who was drafted #7 by New Jersey.  However, this is understandable, because Griffin's lack of toughness inside and off the court issues were question marks.  We thought Detroit, which drafted UNC-Charlotte's Rodney White #9, Boston, which drafted Arkansas' Joe Johnson #10, and Golden State, which drafted Notre Dame's Troy Murphy at #14 made out like bandits.  Can you believe that Arizona's Loren Woods got drafted no higher than in the middle of the second round at #46?   Sure, his lack of size is a major question mark, but most of the players in this draft have some sort of major question mark.  Also noteworthy is the fact that 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St Jude) AL went no higher than #47.  Obviously out of site out of mind due to an injury that has sidelined him since January was the case here.  But we still think Cisse could be a good role player, because he plays so hard and is shot a good rebounder inside, for the right team.  We also find it interesting that only one player (Richardson) smaller than 6'8 was drafted among the top 20 picks.   Moral to the story, there is a great premium on size and athleticism, but it doesn't seem to matter how good a guy like Omar Cook from St. John's played in pre-draft camps.  In other words, guards and undersized guys at this level are a dime a dozen and, as a result, anybody under 6'5 is best advised to stay in school, unless you're dealing with somebody like Memphis-bound 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ or Duke's Jason Williams, both of whom are better than anybody in this draft.  And that's the most important lesson that hopefully will be learned from this draft.  Just because a player is ranked among the top five high school seniors nationally, doesn't mean that he should is guaranteed to have the same success, as players like Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady, when they by-pass college and go straight to the NBA.  And hopefully when and if Krause gets fired, most people won't learn the wrong lesson again.  We're talking about 6'6 Soph LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who already is the second best high school player in America behind Wagner.  He also is good enough right now to be drafted #1 in this year's draft.  And this isn't the first time we thought a high school player was better than any of the college players.  We said the same thing about Wagner and Garnett.  In Wagner's case, it's too early to tell whether we were right.  However, in Garnett's case, it's too bad Krause wasn't listening six years ago when we made a case for Garnett going #1 in the draft in Basketball Times.  And we felt so strongly about it that we said Krause should trade Scottie Pippin to whoever had the #1 pick.  That way he could make sure he got Garnett.  He'd also would still have the #1 player in the league when Michael Jordan retired.  Well, Jordan retired a little sooner than we expected, but Garnett is one of the top 10 players in the league today and he's still only 24 or 25 years old.  Just think how good he could be when he's 30, especially if he ever gets on a good team!

I am currently working our rankings of the top players in the Class of 2002, but I will not get finished with these rankings until Sunday night or Monday, due to the fact that most of the next two days will be spent covering the NBA Players Association Camp at American University in Washington, DC.  While the Class of 2002 isn't nearly as deep as the Class of 2001, it is extremely good at the top with players, like 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'11 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA.  It also is a lot more fun to watch, at least it has been this spring, because the top players in this class still play like they have something to prove.  Part of the problem with the Class of 2001 stems from the fact that players, like 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunwick (Glynn Academy) GA, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, matured extremely early and, as a result, were already as good or better than the players in the class or two ahead of them when they were sophomores and juniors.  If you will recall, nobody stepped up and grabbed the #1 ranking in the Class of 1999, except Donnell Harvey, who was a relentless warrior, tremendous rebounder, and big-time athlete.  However, Harvey never developed any offensive skills and, as a result, a lot of players in the class will ultimately have more successful college and professional careers.  A year ago Zach Randolph did finally emerge as the #1 player over 6'9 Darius Miles, but this past season Randolph didn't live up the expectations at Michigan State.  As a result, it came as no surprise that he drafted no higher than #19 in the NBA draft yesterday.  So for several years we all were anticipating the coming of the next great high school class (the Class of 2001).  But, as it turns out, they got too much hype too early and, as a result, by this time a year ago Chandler, Curry, and Brown had all lost the hunger to get better.  Chandler got his wake-up call at the NIKE All-American Camp when he got embarrassed by 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL and, as a result, got the better of Curry at the KMOX Shootout in St. Louis, MO and played Cisse to a near draw at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE in last winter.  However, Chandler also didn't play in the all the spring all-stars, because he didn't want to risk injury and/or hurt his draft status.  As for Curry, he was MVP in the McDonald's American Game, but the game when Curry had eight points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots, while 12 NBA scouts sat in the stands, was just as indicative of his senior season.  But Curry still looks very consistent when compared to Brown, who is so up and down that he reminds me of the stock market.  The tragedy is that merit seems to mean very little when you're 7-feet tall, skilled, and athletic.  No matter how bad you play, it's justified by the fact that some NBA General Manager will take a chance based on potential. There also is enormous risk, because most great players have several things in common that Chandler, Curry, and Brown have yet to prove they possess.  We're talking about heart, work ethic, and a burning desire to become the best they can be.  Sure, the guards, like Wagner, Tolbert, 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, turned out to be sensational in the Class of 2001 and there were some warriors inside, like Cisse and 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, that kept things interesting.  However, the lack of work ethic and interest by this trio that ended up accounting for three of the top four spots in the NBA draft yesterday made this class my least favorite in years.  Fortunately this lack of interest and work ethic hasn't trickled down to the Class of 2002.  At least not yet!  And part of the reason is that Stoudemire, Randolph, and Ibrahim, who in my opinion are all every bit as natural talented and have every bit as much potential as Chandler, Curry, and Brown, haven't gotten the notoriety and attention they deserve.  So far they have always been overshadowed by the seniors and, as a result, they haven't been corrupted the same way the Curry, Chandler, and Brown were at such an early age.  It will be interesting to see if this trend continues or, if they too go south once all the pro scouts, agents, and mainstream media make them their #1 focus. 

Wednesday, June 27, 2001

We have confirmed that the University of Florida has landed 6'9 Adrian Moss from Fork Union (Military) VA, but today's expected early verbal commitment by 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI has failed to materialize.  However, we still believe that a commitment by Roberson to the Gators is imminent.  Speaking of verbal commitments that are imminent, we also finally have come up with the name of the player from Slovenian that UCLA appears to be close to getting.  His name is 6'11 Erazem Lorbeck and our International Editor Chris Johnson tells us he's very good.   Johnson also believes that his father is a legendary coach in Slovenia, but he's still checking that out.  When, and if, Lorbeck commits to UCLA, he will count towards next years recruiting class.  A player that somebody can steal right away is 6'6 Bryant Dillon from Indianapolis (Tech) IN, who didn't make our top 450 senior list, but probably should have.  Apparently Dillon, who is a big time athlete and an outstanding defender, was all set to go to a junior college, but then he got the necessary score to be eligible next year as a college freshman.  We also are getting mixed signal with regards to the recruitment of 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN.  Can you believe that two different people have told me within the last 24 hours that May's mother is saying there was no way her son will   go to Indiana?  This is even more interesting when you remember that May's older brother, Scott May, Jr, had recently decided to walk-on at Indiana next season.  Apparently that's not as etched in stone as we originally thought.   And that's the key! Wherever the older May ends up, we believe the younger May will likely follow.  Reggie Tisdale, the editor & publisher of Indiana Basketball News, actually thinks Louisville and Ohio State are the leaders.  We also can't discount Iowa and Texas Tech, especially after Bob Knight landed a recruiting class that was tied for #13-ranked nationally in our final rankings this spring.  However, when it is all said and done, we still will have a hard time betting against the Hoosiers.   Remember, May's father, Scott May Sr, was an All-American at IU on the great 1975 and 1976 teams and, as a result, May has been raised on IU basketball.   Indiana also appears to be the leader for 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX and 6'1 Jr Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, but as we've maintained all along, Indiana isn't going to get 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, despite the Moore family's strong ties with IU head coach Mike Davis.  Instead, Auburn appears to be the heavy favorite and the word we get is that nothing has happened yet to make him change our mind.   Speaking of Auburn, the word on the street is that Tigers assistant coach Mike Wilson, who is widely regarded as one of the top five recruiters in the business, was offered a similar position at the University of Cincinnati earlier this week.   However, it appears that Wilson has decided to stay put.  This is important, because it solidifies the Moore situation even further.  Instead, it looks like Andy Kennedy, who is the top assistant coach at UAB, is the guy that Bearcats head coach Bobby Huggins will likely hire.  Maybe Wilson is using whatever influence he has with Huggins to get Kennedy the job.  Actually that would be pretty smart on Wilson's part, because then Wilson would be rid of one of his top competitors for in-state kids in Alabama.

I got a call yesterday from Mitch Malone, who is the head coach and director of the Texas Blue Chip AAU program, and he wanted to make sure we watched his team this summer.  Currently they are undefeated and that's saying a lot, because they beat  the Michigan Hurricanes, which won the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, in the Texas Classic and they won Jayhawk Invitational in Lawrence, KS earlier this spring.   "This is the best group of kids I've ever coached both on and off the court," says Malone.  "They all know their roles, they know who the go-to guys are, and they know they will get Division I scholarships."  The go-to guys are obviously 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX and 6'10 Jr Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  Horton, who is a legitimate top 15 player in his class nationally, made an early verbal commitment last weekend to Michigan.   Bosh, who will rank in the 30-40 range nationally when we publish our rankings later this week, likes Florida, Missouri, Miami-FL, and Georgia.  Malone also will go to war this summer in the Three Stripes Classic at Hoftra University in Hempstead, NY, the adidas Big-Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV, and the Pump-n-Run Best of the Summer Classic in Los Angeles, CA with 6'9 Jr Ike Niogu from Garland (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Jr Allen Morrill from Arlington (Sam Houston) TX,   6'1 Frosh Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'0 Jr Kevis Shipman from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'0 Jr Jessie Richardson from Mexia (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Evan Patterson from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'9 Jr John Ofogebu from San Antonio (Taft) TX, and 6'10 Frosh Lemarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seagoville) TX.  Niogu isn't currently ranked on any of the pre-summer top 100 lists that we've seen, but Arizona State, which is way out in front of Seton Hall, Miami-FL, and Baylor, knows a player when they see one.  Morrill, who also is being Seton Hall, Arizona State, Miami-FL, and New Mexico State, impressed us last summer with his athleticism and toughness inside.  The younger Horton, Shipman, and Richardson provide depth, plus they give Texas Blue Chip the ability to really turn the heat up against uptempo teams.  Patterson is an excellent role player at the 2-spot and Ofogebu provides valuable depth inside.  The future also is bright for Texas Blue Chip, because Malone believes he has two of the best freshmen in the nation in Horton and Aldridge.  As a matter of fact, both Horton and Aldridge are expected to be at the adidas ABCD Camp this summer.

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Our final ranking of the top 450 players in the Class of 2001 are finished and we have a major interesting surprise.  No, we're not talking about the fact that all four of the highly touted big men in the class - 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunwick (Glynn Academy) GA, and 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - will likely go higher in the NBA draft in two days than they are ranked in the HOOP SCOOP.  Instead, we're talking about 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX being ranked among our top five. Unlike the four players named above, Ford gets his ranking the old-fashioned way.  By earning it! Ford, who signed last fall with the University of Texas, his led team to both the state championship in Texas and the championship at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE each of the last two years.  He also had 14 assists in the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic and probably should have been in the MVP in the McDonald's All-American Game, where his unselfish play helped make this year's game the best one in years.  Ford has Allen Iverson-like speed and quickness, but it his great decision-making, excellent defense, and willingness to sacrifice for the good of his team by always getting his teammates involved, that sets him apart from the other point guards in the class.  I'd be surprised if anybody else has Ford ranked among their top five nationally, but I've already gotten great feedback from a number of people I ran this past today.  The rest of the top five, which includes 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, is not a surprise.  However, we also decided to move 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY into a tie with Hodge at #5, because Hurt had a great spring, as he played well in the McDonald's All-American Game and had 14 assists and 20 points in the Derby Classic.  We also have a tie at #10 among 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, 6'1 Maurice Jackson from Jackson (Murrah) MS, and 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR; a tie at #40 among 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, 6'8 Mario Killingsworth from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, and 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA; a tie at #70 among 6'9 Terence Dials from Youngstown (Boardman) OH, 6'6 Duane John from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, and 6'11 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY; a tie at #100 among 6'6 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA, 6'4 Nile Murry from Houston (Klein Forest) TX, 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA, 6'3 Luther Head from Chicago (Manley) IL, 6'4 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, 6'2 Randy Pulley from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'6 Kelvin Brown from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL, 6'7 Anthony Vasser from Birmingham (Woodlawn) AL, and 6'7 Rafael Luis from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL; and a tie at #300 among 60 players.   This was done to accurately reflect our how we have ranked these players in our rankings of the top recruiting classes.  It also illustrates the quality of depth in this class.  As a matter of fact, players in the top 300 range nationally would be ranked among the top 200 in a normal year.  The perfect example is 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, who is ranked #299.  If you will recall, we recently called him a top 200 player nationally. 

Tuesday, June 26, 2001

Our final ranking of the top 450 players in the Class of 2001 are finished and we have a major interesting surprise.  No, we're not talking about the fact that all four of the highly touted big men in the class - 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunwick (Glynn Academy) GA, and 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - will likely go higher in the NBA draft in two days than they are ranked in the HOOP SCOOP.  Instead, we're talking about 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX being ranked among our top five. Unlike the four players named above, Ford gets his ranking the old-fashioned way.  By earning it! Ford, who signed last fall with the University of Texas, his led team to both the state championship in Texas and the championship at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE each of the last two years.  He also had 14 assists in the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic and probably should have been in the MVP in the McDonald's All-American Game, where his unselfish play helped make this year's game the best one in years.  Ford has Allen Iverson-like speed and quickness, but it his great decision-making, excellent defense, and willingness to sacrifice for the good of his team by always getting his teammates involved, that sets him apart from the other point guards in the class.  I'd be surprised if anybody else has Ford ranked among their top five nationally, but I've already gotten great feedback from a number of people I ran this past today.  The rest of the top five, which includes 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, is not a surprise.  However, we also decided to move 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY into a tie with Hodge at #5, because Hurt had a great spring, as he played well in the McDonald's All-American Game and had 14 assists and 20 points in the Derby Classic.  We also have a tie at #10 among 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, 6'1 Maurice Jackson from Jackson (Murrah) MS, and 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR; a tie at #40 among 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, 6'8 Mario Killingsworth from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, and 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA; a tie at #70 among 6'9 Terence Dials from Youngstown (Boardman) OH, 6'6 Duane John from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, and 6'11 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY; a tie at #100 among 6'6 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA, 6'4 Nile Murry from Houston (Klein Forest) TX, 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA, 6'3 Luther Head from Chicago (Manley) IL, 6'4 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, 6'2 Randy Pulley from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'6 Kelvin Brown from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL, 6'7 Anthony Vasser from Birmingham (Woodlawn) AL, and 6'7 Rafael Luis from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL; and a tie at #300 among 60 players.   This was done to accurately reflect our how we have ranked these players in our rankings of the top recruiting classes.  It also illustrates the quality of depth in this class.  As a matter of fact, players in the top 300 range nationally would be ranked among the top 200 in a normal year.  The perfect example is 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, who is ranked #299.  If you will recall, we recently called him a top 200 player nationally. 

Monday, June 25, 2001

We are just about finished with our Final Ranking of the Top 500 seniors Nationally in the Class of 2001, but before we publish these rankings we want to first provide you with our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players in the Class of 2001.  That way there will be no confusion as to way certain players, like 6'7 James White from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 Brandon Robinson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'9 Sharrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Taurance Ford from Philadelphia (Christian) PA, 6'2 Jermaine Watson from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'10 Deng Gai from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'3 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Drew Schifino from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'2 Adrian Walton from Bronx (Regional) NY, 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'1 Eric Ferguson from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'6 Ali Berdiel from Gary (Andrean) IN, 6'1 Carl Krauser from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Ryan Williams from Troy (Redemption) NY, 6'8 Ryan Gomes from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Sean Swann from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'6 Darrio Scott from Lynchburg (Episcopal) VA, 6'6 Demario Eddin from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'6 Eric King from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'6 Kareem Grant from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'2 Solomon Brown from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 6'6 Brennan Martin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, are not included on our senior list.  However, the 25 players mentioned above are all good enough to be ranked among our top 100 nationally. 

Well, it looks like everybody else is now reporting what we told you on Saturday about 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who made a verbal commitment to the Wolverines while making an unofficial visit to Michigan over the weekend.  We also expect to be correct on our prediction about 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI committing to the University of Florida.   However, we don't expect it to happen until Wednesday.  Talk about a recruiting coup for head coach Billy Donovan, who already is widely regarded as one of the top young coaches in the business.  Remember, Florida already has a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA and, despite what you've heard elsewhere, we know for a fact that 6'6 Jr Mario Boggan from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has told the Florida coaching staff that he plans to sign with the Gators in the fall.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Jr Josh Rhodes from Santa Cruz (H.S.) CA has made a verbal commitment to the University of Iowa.  We haven't seen Rhodes play personally and we understand he won't be at either of the two major camps (NIKE All-American Camp or the adidas ABCD Camp) this summer, but sources on the West Coast think he is a legitimate sleeper nationally and, as a result, should be ranked in the 50-100 range nationally.  We also continue to hear that Indiana may be close to getting verbal commitments from 6'1 Jr Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA and 6'[3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX.   As a matter of fact, we think the Gilchrist could make an announcement within the next week, but we don't believe anything with Wright is going to happen the immediate future.  And, if it does, it may not mean a whole lot, because Texas can't afford to let Wright get away.  Don't believe he would verbally commit and later change his mind?  Just remember what happened with 6'4 Keith Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX a year ago at this time when he verbally committed to Ole Miss, but later he changed his mind and signed with Kansas.  In addition to Indiana and Texas, UCLA, Notre Dame, Missouri, and Tennessee are also in the hunt. 

Sunday, June 24, 2001

John Stovall and Vincent Baldwin, who publish the Michigan/Ohio Prep Spotlight Magazine and Scouting Service and  www.prepspotlight.com, which will replace www.midwesthoops.com beginning on July 1st, were at the Nike HOOP Jamboree in St. Louis, MO last week and via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson we have list that includes all the top players in camp.  Let's start with 6'7 Soph Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN and 6'2 Soph Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who were the best two players in camp, according to Stovall and Baldwin.  So they will head a list of 16 players who have been invited to the NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN, July 8th-10th.  Also on the list are 6'8 Frosh Kaylen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, who is a 260-pound manchild, 5'5 Soph Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'7 Soph Patrick Ewing, Jr from Atlanta (Holy Innocence) GA, 6'8 Frosh D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'2 Frosh Isaiah Swann from Rockville (Magruder) MD, 6'8 Soph Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free State) KS, 6'0 Soph Steve Hailey from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'8 Frosh Brian Johnson from Arlington (O'Connell) VA, 6'9 Soph Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Florida) FL, 5'9 Frosh Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN, 6'3 Soph Jeremy Ingram from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 5'10 Soph Matt Causey from Gainesville (East Hall) GA, 6'4 Soph Tim Morris from Atlanta  (Whitfield) GA, and 6'3 Soph Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN.  Also playing well, but apparently not well enough to get invited to the NIKE All-American Camp were 6'7 Soph Eugene Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Frosh Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN, 6'11 Frosh Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Garces) CA, 6'11 Soph Shawn Taylor from Vienna (Dooly County) GA, 6'6 Soph Brandon Foust from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH. 

During the last four or five days we've been concentrating almost exclusively on finishing our Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana Report and finalizing our final rankings of the Class of 2001.  So we've haven't had time to comment on the players who have decided to take their names out of the NBA draft.  However, we will take the opportunity to do so now.  First, we want to congratulate Kentucky's Keith Bogans, USC's Sam Clancy, American University's Patrick Doctor, Central Connecticut State's Corsley Edwards, Arizona's Jason Gardner, Miami-FL's Reo Logan, Fresno State's Tito Maddox, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Jawan Simpson of Puget Sound Christian College, Derick Singleton of St. Paul's College, and Damien Wilkins, who is formerly of N.C. State, all for making a great decision, whereby, they each decided to return to college of another year.  Not only is this imporant in terms of their future develop, both as players and as people, but it also is good for college basketball in general.  Just think how good the University of Kentucky will be with both Bogans and Prince back.   Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith's only problem now will be figuring out how to keep everybody happy.  Remember, 6'11 Jules Camara also will be back after sitting out last year, plus their recruiting class, which includes 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Chuck Hayes from Modesto (Christian) CA, 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, and 6'5 Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY provides the program with tremendous and versatility and depth at every position.   Jason Parker, Marquis Estill, Marvin Stone, Prince, and Camara will all see time inside.  Prince, Camara, Hayes, and Erik Daniels all will be available at the wing forward spot, while Bogans, Carruth, Carrier, Chiles, and Gerald Fitch will battle for time at the two-guard spot.  The point guard spot is expected to belong to Cliff Hawkins, but Fitch, Chiles, and 6'2 J.P. Blevins also are expected to get their share of minutes.  In other words, this appears to be the deepest team in college basketball since Rick Pitino's was at Kentucky in 1996 and 1997.  It also provides us with a glimpse of how much better college basketball would be today, if we didn't have this problem, whereby, most of the top college and high school players leave prematurely for the NBA.  I also wanted to comment on the Damien Wilkins situation.  This is a perfect example of what can happen when a player is overhyped at an early age.  If you will recall, at one point Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports and Tom Konchalski of H.S.B.I. Report both had Wilkins ranked as the #1 high school player in the national and now that appears to be at least part of the reason why Wilkins' father - former NBA star Gerald Wilkins - thinks his son is ready for The League.  It looks like our final of ranking of Wilkins, which was #37 in the Class of 1999, appears to be a lot closer.  So obviously we never bought into all the hype about Wilkins being the best player at N.C. State since David Thompson.  We also have always questioned how effective Wilkins will be out on the perimeter at the college and professional levels.  Actually the guy who looks good in all this is N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek, who deserves a lot of credit for telling Wilkins where to go after he decided to withdraw his name from the draft.  Sendek's job may be on the line next year if he doesn't make the NCAA Tournament, but he will have a lot of good young talent in the program, including 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked as one of the top five high school seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and the last thing he needs is for a prima donna, like Wilkins, whose main purpose for being around next year is to impress the pro scouts, to disrupt the team's chemistry.  Instead, it looks like Wilkins will transfer to Illinois or Georgia, but the we'd be surprised if he ever plays another   college game.  In other words, we just can't see Wilkins waiting two more years before he makes his move into the NBA.  We also want to continue to endorse 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL as our choice for the #1 player in the NBA draft, because he reminds us of another incredible physical specimen who never worked as hard as he should to develop his skills and become the best player he possibly can be.  We're talking about Shaquille O'Neal.  You just can't teach somebody to be that athletic and mobile and 7-feet and 300 lbs.   That doesn't mean we still don't question how hard Curry is willing to work or what kind of sacrifices he's willing to make to become a great player.  However, O'Neal proves that even if you don't have the work ethic or great skills your physical gifts will carry you a long way even at the highest level. 

I received the following email from Gary Charles, who is the head coach and director of the Long Island Panthers AAU program, in response to what was written about the Rumble in the Bronx and the email we published from somebody who was very defensive regarding the New York Riverside Church program.   "Clark,  How are you?   I see you are stirring up trouble again?  (Just a joke).  The person who responded about Riverside had me laughing on the floor !!!  The reason I didn't call
you about what you said about the Panthers is because until we handle our business, we deserve whatever criticism people place on us.  However, after this gentleman from Riverside wrote you I felt compelled to write back.  Keep in mind that Jason Fraser, Curtis Sumpter, and Tim Doyle all played at the Hofstra team camp that weekend.  They played a total of eight games within 24 hourrs!  As a matter of fact, prior to us playing a 5:00 PM game on Saturday, they had already played three games at Hofstra.  If you will recall, Curtis did not play the last 10 minutes againt Tallahasee in the 9:00 PM game because he pulled up with cramps. Lenny Cooke asked to be taken out of the game for five minutes because he was exhausted (when was the last time you ever saw Lenny asked to be taken out of a game?).  Curtis and Tim Doyle both callled me on Sunday morning and informed me that they did not think that they could play on Sunday because they were exhausted.  To compound the situation, Charlie Villanuave did not play after Friday, because he was home sick in bed  from food poisening!!!!.  I was in shock when both Curtis and Tim walked in the gym and said they would give it a try on Sunday.  The truth of the matter is they shouldn't have played, because they didn't have it.  As a matter of fact, I should have stuck with my instinct and not played in the tournament.  But the kids begged me to give them a chance.  Since we had won the Hoop Group JamFest in Pennsylvania the weekend before, they wanted to try to win two in a row, regardless of how much they had to play that weekend.  So I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't.  But you know what, once you step out on the floor, put the excuses away and play ball.  We didn't, so we deserved to lose and get criticized for it.  Having said all of that, the reason we lost was because of exactly what you said , our guard play.  If there is one thing that I have learned, I don't care how good you are, without very good gaurds, you can only go but so far.  As a matter of fact, one year we won six tournaments with nothing but guards (Tavorris Bell, Zach Marbury, Brian Woodward, Matt Fryer, Kenyatta Brown).  I agree with your assessment of Riverside.  This is the least talented team I've ever seen of them, but it doesn't mean that they are not just as good.  Their team is made of guards, like the Bronx Ravens, which makes them dangerous every time they step on the floor.  What makes club-team tournament play so entertaining is that the best team does not always win.  The NCAA format of losing one game and you're history makes it almost impossible to win all your tournaments.  If the format was the best 3-out -of-5, or 4-out-of-7, I would take my chances against anyone.  Ask the Lakers after losing that first game to Philly.  Ask Duke for that matter.  Now, to my buddy from Riverside, I am amazed you would get upset for lack of publicity.  To my knowledge Riverside is the most well known club team in the country.  You should win your share of tournaments considering that you practice three or four times a week and your kids have been playing together since the age of 10.  Personally, I have a family to raise and am lucky enough to get my guys together once a week.  I would prefer that they stay home and study instead of breaking their necks getting from different boroughs to get to a practice.  Long Island Losers?  That's funny!!!!.  I like that, considering we won I.S. 8 last spring and have won that tournament seven times with Riverside being the victim at least three of those times.  I don't think you can call us losers.  Could it be that you are upset because once a week you try to call our players to get them to switch over and they keep telling you NOOOO!!!!!!.  I guess you didn't think I knew that bit of info.  Of course I do.  So when you see me and smile and I smile back, don't think I don't know.  I just choose not to play your pathetic game and get into a war about this.  Again, I have better things to do with my life.  Since you have mention Gary Irvin, WE decided that it was best for Gary to go elsewhere.  I will not go into details because I do not won't to hurt that young man.  As a matter of fact, we suggested that he play with you!!!  By the way, we drove him up to the tournament to play with you after he had asked me for the upteenth time if he could come back to the Panthers (Don't believe me, ask Gary).  The same way we drove Erick Barkley to play with you in Connecticut after he asked to play with us (Don't believe me, ask ERIC).  If that means we will lose tournaments because of it , so be it.  I can't promise that the Panthers will win all their tournaments, but I guaranteee you we will do our best to raise young men.  Clark,  please post this for me.  I would really appreciate it."

We have not yet confirmed what we reported yesterday with regards to the verbal commitment by 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX to the University of Michigan, but I will stand by my source.  And making it even more believeable is something we heard today regarding 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  Before I go any further, I want to remind you of some things.  First, Horton's final three schools were Texas, Florida, and Michigan.   Second, Roberson's final three are Duke, Florida, and Michigan.  Third, Illinois got a verbal commitment last week from 5'11 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL.  Fourth, the favorites for 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL are Duke, Illinois, and Florida.  Complicating things even further is the fact that Roberson and Dockery both want to go to Duke, but the Blue Devils won't accept a verbal commitment from anybody unless they are already academically qualified under NCAA guidelines.  And as things stand now neither Dockery or Roberson has met the criteria.  I also want to remind you that Roberson told us a month ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions that he wanted to make a decision soon (hopefully with the next several weeks).  So it stands to reason that if Duke is holding him (Roberson) off and Michigan just got a player who is ranked among the top 20 nationally (Horton) that plays the same position, Florida might suddenly be looking pretty good.  As a matter of fact, we have a source who thinks Florida could be on the verge of getting a verbal commitment from Roberson at almost any time.  And if that happens, what happens to Dockery, if Duke finds another point guard?  How about 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who right now appears to be totally open in his recruiting?  Obviously the precedent is that Bob Hurley, Sr sent his last great point guard (Bobby Hurley) to Duke.  In other words, the dominos are falling fast and the summer camp season and the fall recruiting period aren't even upon us yet. 

Saturday, June 23, 2001

It's may not be official yet, but we have learned that 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX has made a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan.  He picked the Wolverines over Texas and Florida.  This is huge, because Horton, who came on like gangbusters last winter, is ranked a close second in the state of Texas behind 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX.    He also will be ranked right behind Wright among our top 20 juniors nationally when that list comes out within the next four or five days.  Michigan already has an early commitment from 6'5 Jr Lester Abram from Pontiac (Northern) MI and, if 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, also picks the Wolverines, we could be talking about one of the most exciting backcourts in college basketball a year from now.   Remember, Roberson, who ranks among the top five juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, told us at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC that Duke and Michigan were the top two schools on his list.  Throw in Florida and you have what appears to be Roberson's final three.  Getting back to Horton, just like Roberson and 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, who is the marquee player in their recruiting class this year, he can play either guard spot and he's exciting to watch.   Michigan also is waiting to see if 6'5 JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI, who signed with the Wolverines last fall, makes it academically.  But even if doesn't, Abram is a legitimate top 30 junior nationally and he's versatile enough to play either wing spot.  In other words, new head coach Tommy Amaker already appears to be set for years to come at the point guard and both wing spots.   However, like so many programs today, Michigan needs to find some quality size in order to become one of the elite programs in the nation.  And that's easier said than done.  Sure, the junior class nationally has some big men who might be good enough.   But we're still waiting for most of them to step up and prove it.  Hopefully some of them will change this summer!

Friday, June 22, 2001

One of the toughest areas of the nation to get accurate player rankings, as well as names of players early, is the Deep South.   We're talking specifically about the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana and while we've been combining these three states together for years, I've never been so excited about publishing a report on this area.  First, I think this is the most accurate, in-depth, and comprehensive report that we, or anybody else for that matter, have ever published with regards to the Deep South.  Included are our ranking of the top 100 seniors, top 72 juniors, top 44 sophomores, top 37 freshman, and top seven eighth graders, which can be found by clicking on The HOOP SCOOP Ranks 'Em:  The Top Players in the Deep South (Alabama/Mississippi/ Louisiana).  I especially want to thank Lavel Johnson, who is our Mississippi Editor and also does a great job for MidSouth-Hoops.com; Mark Komara, who is our Alabama Editor, as well as the Director of the Southeast Raptors AAU program, which is one of the top club team programs in the nation; and Chris Johnson, who is our Ohio & International Editor, but also has developed a vast network of contacts who help us thoroughout the entire South.  Second, the sophomore and freshman classes (Class of 2003 and Class of 2004) in the Deep South are absolutely loaded.  As a matter of fact, five sophomores - 6'9 Soph Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Soph Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Soph Jarelle Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, 6'1 Soph Jai Miller from Selma (H.S.) AL, and 6'7 Soph Kenny Hooks from Hurley (East Central) MS - and three freshmen - 6'8 Frosh Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) MS, 6'9 Frosh Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, and 6'4 Frosh Glen Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL - are included among our six five-man teams, which include the top 30 players in Alabama/Mississippi/Louisiana regardless of class and position.  We also provide you with some general comments, as well as some thoughts about the top players, for each class.

Thursday, June 21, 2001

It looks like Brian Merritt from Elitehoops.com has the scoop on 6'6 Cortez Davis from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, who has verbally committed to the University of Maryland.  However, Davis will have to spend a year first in prep school at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  And yes, he will be a 5th year player next year, because he will begin his ninth semester of high school next fall.  Davis picked Maryland over Kentucky, Miami-FL, Tennessee, UNC-Charlotte, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.  Already this is shaping up to be a pretty good recruiting class, because Davis joins 6'4 Jr Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont) MD, who verbally committed to the Terrapins earlier this spring.  However, it could turn into an outstanding recruiting class if the Maryland coaching staff can land 6'9 Jr Travis Garrison from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD and either 6'1 Jr Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA or 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD.  We think Strickland is probably the more likely of the two, because his family now lives in Maryland and his sister is a star for the Terrapins women's team.  And getting Strickland would also likely improve Maryland's chances of getting 6'9 Jr Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who plays with Strickland on Leo Papile's B.A.B.C. (Boston Amateur Basketball Club) AAU team during the summer.  Yes, the University of Maryland could be on the verge of landing a Fab Five recruiting class, but that still might not be enough to keep up with the team (Duke) that beat them in the NCAA Final Four last March.   Remember, the Blue Devils already have verbal commitments from 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA and they also likely will get 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC and either 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI or 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL.   Duke also is one of the favorites for 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, but so is North Carolina.  Speaking of the Tar Heels, they too could be on the verge of a Fab Five recruiting class.  They already have landed 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) NC and 6'5 Jr Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH and they are high on the list of a number of the other elite players in the junior class nationally, including Randolph, Francis, 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN.  In other words, it looks like the rich (powers-that-be in the ACC) are all about to get even richer. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2001

This doesn't come as any big surprise, but the HOOP SCOOP has learned that 6'4 Jr Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and he will make it official the University of Missouri.  This is huge, because McKinney is not only one of the fastest rising juniors in the nation, but we think he could end up just like 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, who achieved consensus top 10 status in the Class of 2001 after a tremendous spring and summer prior to his senior year in high school.  As a result, we believe McKinney could be the most important recruit that Quin Snyder has landed during his two-year stint as head coach of Tigers.  If you will recall, Missouri lost out for Lee a year ago, but now they have proved they can get a probable McDonald's All-American who is right in their own back yard.  McKinney also may turn out to be the best player that Snyder and his staff have signed and that's saying a lot when you recall they've also landed 6'6 Kareem Rush, 6'8 Travon Bryant, 6'9 Arthur Johnson, 6'5 Rickey Paulding, 7'0 Uche Okafor from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'6 Najeeb Echols form Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'9 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'6 Duane John from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, and 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI.  And with the exception of Whaley, who has had more than his share of off the court problems during the last year, they are expected to play major roles next season.  In other words, McKinney promises to be one of the final pieces to their puzzle.  And they aren't done yet.   That's right!  It looks like Tony Harvey, who is Snyder's associate head coach, still has the Michigan connection in place, as the Tigers are right at the top of the list for 6'4 Jr Maurice Agers from Detroit (Crockett) MI, who also has emerged into a top 100 junior nationally this spring.  They also appear to be among the leaders for 6'9 Jeff Graves from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'10 Jr Chris Hunter from Gary (West Side) IN.  Speaking of Hunter, the value of his stock has dropped dramatically this spring, but he's still only 16-years-old and he does have a lot of potential.  Although Hunter is project in the short term, playing against players like Okafor Johnson, and Ferguson should not only make him better, but also should help him realize his potential down the road. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Jamal Nichols from Philadelphia (Neumann) PA had a 2:00 PM press conference this afternoon and he made it official for St. Joseph's.  While this commitment came too late to be included with St. Joseph's recruiting class, it is still huge, because Nichols is already academically qualified and is ranked #7 in the senior class in the area by the HOOP SCOOP.  It also moves St. Joseph's recruiting class up from #10 to #3 in the league, plus it gives the Hawks four players - Nichols, 6'6 Pat Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 6'4 Delonte West from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, and 6'9 Dwayne Jones from Aston (American Christian) PA - who are ranked among our top 200 seniors nationally.  This addition also moves St. Joseph's recruiting class into a tie at #94 with Manhattan, Murray State, Penn State, Oregon State, William & Mary, Tennessee, and Hofstra, all of which have 12 points and four recruits.  Also of significance is the fact that Nichols, Carroll, and Jones are home grown kids, which means the Hawks are especially strong in their back yard.  Nichols also is one of the best rebounders in the area, along with Jones, but he also has the ability to score inside and from mid-range.  He also is one of the most improved players in the area during the course of the last year.  The only other news that we've picked up from the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area involves 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  We've said for several years that Dajuan is already so good that he makes his father - Milt Wagner, who was the go-to guy on Louisville's 1986 NCAA Championship team, look like an ordinary player.  Well, a subscriber saw Wagner go head-to-head against his father last night and it was worse than that.  And apparently Milt, who played professionally in Europe up until two years ago, was the only player that Wagner got the best of.  "It's didn't matter who he was playing against.  He was totally unstoppable.  It didn't matter who he was playing against.  He's score 12 straight and then ask who was next?" 

I received an interesting email today from somebody who didn't like what I'd written with the regards to the Rumble in the Bronx, which we attended over the weekend.  "Clark I was dumfounded about the report you wrote on the Rumble in the Bronx.  Once again the Long Island Panthers received a lengthy report and for what, losing again.  In New York that's their nickname the Long Island Losers.  How you could have been at the tourney and write that this is Riverside's worst team in memory is incredible!! What do you base this on - that we have no glamour names that you guys love to watch?  We are a team and let me give you some facts.  The core of this team Jason Wingate, Ricky Soliver, Bobby Santiago, Alonzo Brown, Petey Nelson, Eric Martin, and Shamar Green (ALL GUYS YOU DID NOT BOTHER TO MENTION IN YOUR REPORT) have played together since they were 12 years old.  As 12-year-olds they won Rucker and UDC.  As 13's they won Citywide twice and finished 2nd in Ohio.  As 14's they were undefeated for the WHOLE YEAR winning Rucker, UDC, NIKE SWOOSH OHIO and BCI in Arizonal.  As 15's they swept Citywide back-to-back, won Rod Strickland's UDC (16--Under mind you),.finished second in Ohio (16-Under).   As 16's they were split as Jason and Ricky were moved to the High School team, but the rest of the group still finished second in UDCand in the Rucker and in the semis at BCI.  As you read their track record maybe you will realize what I already know.  These kids are winners and know how to play together.  Who else with four seconds to go down three with NO TIMEOUTS would run a play to tie the game?   Your beloved Panthers?  I don't think so.  Please, Clark if you can't give my guys the due after watching what they do, leave them off your report.  I am very upset over what I read and don't feel it was warranted based on their play.  You might want to know that the worst team in Riverside history has won the Portchester Tourney (yes, your beloved Panthers were in it and lost), won the Memorial Day Classic, went to the Finals of IS8 (oh yeah, your beloved Panthers lost in the FIRST Round), won the silver division of Boo Williams and now are second here.  They are having a great campaign !!!!!  Also every mid major school in the tri-state area are licking their chops over landing these guys.  One school who I won't name called to tell me they are recruiting all of them cause THEY ARE WINNERS!!!!   Just had to respond, Clark, cause like I said, your report was upsetting.  We may not have the names, but Riverside has the game.  P.S. Think why Gary Irvin made the switch???"  Am I missing something here?  I thought I'd get a phone call from somebody with the Long Island Panthers who would be mad about being compared to the the CMH 76ers of several years when they had JaRon Rush, Korleone Young, and Corey Maggette and the Southern California All-Stars of a year ago with 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Mater Dei) CA.  Both teams were loaded with talent, but were classic underachievers.  I also thought I mentioned how Riverside Church came up big this spring at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic and at IS8.  As a matter of fact, I asked Ernie Lorch, who has been running the Riverside program for almost as long as I've been alive, on Saturday during pool play who he thought Riverside would be playing in the championship game?  In other words, Riverside Church getting to the championship game was no surprise.  It was expected!  Maybe I shouldn't have said that this was "the worst team in Riverside history."  Instead, I should have said it is the least talented.  But as a group they probably have the most heart, which is extremely important in this day and age, as too many players are more concerned about reading their press clipping than proving it every night on the court.   As a result, I have nothing but respect for the entire Riverside Church program in general and this team in particular.  However, that wasn't the story in this tournament.  Instead, the story was the demise of the Long Island Panthers, which did finish second at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions three weeks ago.   As for insinuating that I have some kind of special relationship with or bias towards the Long Island Panthers, I don't think that's true at all.  As a matter of fact, I feel like we have an excellent relationship with all of the top programs the areas, like New York Riverside Church, the Long Island Panthers, the New York Ravens, Brooklyn USA, Brooklyn Bridge, the New Jersey Roadrunners, Newark Rams, et al. 

Tuesday, June 19, 2001

It comes as no surprise that 5'11 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL verbally committed to the University of Illinois over the weekend, but it does come as somewhat of a surprise that Roy Schmidt, the editor and publisher of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report and G.J. King, who is a contributor to the HOOP SCOOP, both believe that Brown has emerged as the #1 junior in the state of Illinois ahead of 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL.  Not only does this mean that Brown is a legitimate top 10 or 15 player nationally in the junior class, but it also is important, because it shows that the Illinois coaching staff, which has only been on the job a little over a year, can get the top player in Chicago, IL.  And believe it or not, Schmidt still thinks Illinois could be the leader for Dockery, if he doesn't qualify academically before 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  If you will recall, Duke is the heavy favorite for both Dockery and Roberson, but neither has qualifed yet academcially and the Blue Devils have a policy of not pulling the trigger on a player unless they know he will eligible as a college freshman.  Getting back to Brown, he was not sensational at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions three weeks ago, he has been everywhere else he's gone this spring.  When he's on, Brown is a deadly 3-pointer shooter.  He also has excellent speed and quickness and is a great ball handler and passer who makes everybody around him better.  But it's the off the court intangibles that make Brown truly special.  Not only is he a great kid, but he's also a leader and, as a result, he's the guy everybody wants on their team.  And that could be a major advantage for the Fighting Illini this summer when Brown is at the adidas ABCD Camp and playing for the Illinois Gold in AAU competition.  In addition to Dockery, Illinois is also still recruiting several other combo guards like 6'4 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX and 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD.  We also know they are in good shape on 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Jr Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT, 6'6 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathhurst) ON, 6'9 Jr Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'10 Jr James Augustine from New Lenox (Lincoln Way) IL, and 6'7 Jr Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL. 

Saturday, June 16, 2001, Sunday, June 17, 2001, and Monday, June 18, 2001

Clearly the most talented team at Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University this weekend was the Long Island Panthers, which featured 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'9 Charlie Villanuava from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, and 5'6 Soph Kendall Provert from New York (Wadleigh) NY.  However, the best team doesn't always win and this was especially evident in the final game of pool play, as the Panthers blew a 14-point lead against Tallahassee, and in the first round of the playoffs when the Panthers were upset, 81-68, by the Bronx Ravens.  Whether the Panthers are adidas' answer to the CMH 76ers, which featured Korleone Young, Corey Maggette, and JaRon Rush a few years ago, but didn't get out of pool play in a major tournament all spring or summer, and the Southern California All-Stars, which didn't win a major tournament all last year with 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, remains to be seen.   However, the Panthers, which finished a strong second at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions three weeks ago, obviously were a major disappointment in this tournament.  Part of the problem may stem  from the fact that the Panthers point guard play was pathetic.  As a matter of fact, two of the guards who previously were playing for the Panthers - 5'11 Jr Gary Irvin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY and 5'8 Jr Marvin McCullough from Bronx (All Hallows) NY - recently switched to other club teams.  Irvin now plays for New York Riverside Church.  McCullough usually plays for the Bronx Gauchos, but made the trip to North Carolina with the Panthers.  And it appears the remaining point guards - 5'6 Soph Kendall Provert from New York (Wadleigh) NY and 5'9 Soph Mike Clayton from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY - aren't good enough and/or experienced enough to get it done at this level  They also didn't do a very good job of getting Cooke the ball when he could score, which was a shame, because in our mind Cooke has emerged as the #1 junior in the nation this spring.  Instead, three other teams from New York City - Riverside Church, the Ravens, and Brooklyn Bridge - advanced into the semi-finals, along with an underrated Howard Pulley team from Minnesota.  Brooklyn Bridge, which featured 5'11 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Soph Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'0 Soph Ramal Bradley from New York (Park West) NY, and 6'3 Jr Muhammed Abdur-Rahim from Marietta (Wheeler) GA - promises to be a team of the future.  However, their lack of depth and inability to make big shots at crunch time allowed Riverside Church, which has their worst team in memory, to once again survive.  So for the third time this spring, Riverside Church, which won the championship at the Nike Memorial Day Tournament in Bloomington, IN, finished second in the IS8 Spring League Tournament Playoffs in Jamaica, NY, and finished second in the Rumble in the Bronx this weekend, was playing for the championship in a major tournament.  But it wasn't meant to be this time for Riverside Church, which lost to Howard Pulley, 79-77, in overtime of the championship game.  Actually the Howard Pulley should have won the game in  regulation, but 5'9 Soph Keydren Clark from New York (Rice) NY, who always seems to make the clutch play at crunch time, hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at the buzzer for Riverside Church and sent the game into overtime.  To our knowledge no MVP or all-tournament team was named, but we think at least four players from Howard Pulley would have been locks for the all-tournament. Their best player, as well as one of the top players in the tournament was 6'7 Soph Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN.  He also has to be one of our favorite players, because he plays every possession like it's going to be his last.  Humphries is already an incredible physical specimen, a force on the boards, and deceptive athleticism, plus he's capable of beating you both inside and outside (he hit several  3-pointers in the championship game).  The guy who always drew the toughest defensive assignment and shut down a number of outstanding players throughout the tournament, including 6'2 Jr Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY in the semi-finals, was 6'3 Jr Terry Rettis from Minneapolis (Henry) MN.  The leading scorer for Howard Pulley with 15 points in the championship game was 6'2 Jr Zerric Knight from Minneapolis (Henry) MN.  Like Rettis, Knight is an explosive athlete who plays hard and takes you to the hole.  However, Knight also showed he can hit the open jumper.  The point guard who ran the show and made all his teammates better was 5'11 Forrest Bryant from Minneapolis (Henry) MN.  Bryant, who is young for his class, also has explosive speed and quickness, plus he has excellent ball handling and passing skills and he's still available.  In other words, we're talking about somebody who could be a major steal for the right mid-to-high major program still looking to land a point guard who is already academically qualified and ready to step in and play next year.  However, Bryant, who is a legitimate sleeper for the Top 200 Nationally in the Class of 2001, might be best advised to go the prep school route and, if he does, he should get more than his share of Big East and Atlantic-10 offers after he gets seen next winter.  Complementing Humphries, Rettis, Knight, and Bryant were 6'6 Jr Jeff Halbert from White Bear Lake (White Bear South) MN, 6'6 Jr Brian Foss from Osseo (H.S.) MN, and 6'2 Jr Steven King from Minneapolis (Holy Angels) MN, and 6'8 Jr Aaron Busack from Redwood Falls (H.S.) MN.   Halbert, Foss, and King all are capable of shooting the lights out and have mid-major futures as perimeter players.  Busack is the least talented of the bunch, but he's makes up for it with his blue collar work ethic and toughness inside.  Certainly there teams with better talent in this tournament, but nobody played harder, had better chemistry, or were better coached.  As a result, we were thrilled to see them win it.  Also really helping themselves at the Rumble in the Bronx were Taft, Ray, 6'5 Jr Rashad Anderson from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shakur from Philadelphia (William Penn) PA, 6'10 Moulaye Niang from San Diego (Christian) CA, 6'8 Jr Akin Akingbala from Greenwich (Brunswick) CT, 6'10 Jr Alou Kane from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'5 Soph J.R. Smith from Lakewood (H.S.) NJ, and 6'5 Frosh Cornlious Ingram from Hawthorne (H.S.) FL.  Taft isn't a dominant force yet, but he did clearly established as the #1 sophomore in New York City.   Anderson and Ray were two of the most prolific scorers in the tournament.   Shakur impressed us with his athleticism and ability to score both inside and outside.  Niang, who will be ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally when we update our list national list later this week, was the biggest sleeper in the tournament.   We're talking about an athletic shot blocker who is an excellent rebounder and surprisingly aggressive inside for a big young foreign player.  He also speaks excellent English and seems like a great kid.  So all he needs to do now is continue to develop his offensive skills and get bigger and stronger.  And when he does, the NBA may be in his future.  Akingbala and Kane are also still raw, but Akingbala is a big time athlete and Kane is a physical specimen.  Smith impressed us with his outside shooting and athleticism, but he needs to get stronger and continue to develop his perimeter skills.  But he too has top 100 potential.  Ingram didn't show it here, but his coaches tell us that he is every bit as good as 6'0 Frosh Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who established his national reputation three weeks at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  But based on what we saw here the only thing that Ingram has over Washington is size.  We also were impressed with the size, athleticism, and potential of 6'10 Soph Akini Adkins form Tallahassee (Florida) FL.  We didn't get to see much of the 16-Under Division, but we were impressed with Team Texas, which knocked off the Bronx Gauchos when we watched them semi-finals.  They have two jets - 5'10 Soph Brett McDade from Denton (Ryan) TX and 5'9 Soph Des Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX - who make things happen with their ability to penetrate, dish, and create havoc defensively.   We also liked 6'6 Soph David Fisher from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, because he's tough on the boards, doesn't take any prisoneers inside, and provides the perfect complement to 6'8 Soph Chris Reay from Plano (West) TX inside.  

Friday, June 15, 2001

We've been telling you for some time now that 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA could end up in prep school next year at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Well, it isn't going to happen, because he has gotten the necessary score on the SAT and, as a result, will be eligible to play next year as a freshman at the University of Virginia.  This is huge for the Cavaliers, because nearly everybody will be back next year, plus their recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'6 Tyree Spinner from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, is tied with LSU ranked #8 nationally.   And if that weren't enough, the Cavaliers will also have 6'10 Nick Vander Laan, who transferred from California, and 6'1 Todd Billet transferred from Rutgers, both sitting out next year.  So we think most of the pieces are already in place for the Virginia to make a serious run at the National Championship year after next, especially if they can find an athletic wing forward to replace Adam Hall and Chris Williams, both of whom will graduate after next season.  At the top of Virginia's list are 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and 6'6 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathhurst) ON.  Obviously the Virginia coaching staff would like to get one of these guys wrapped up sooner than later and, if they do, they would be able to exclusively concentrate on getting an early jump on all the great freshmen and sophomores in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area.  

We are finished with our wrap-up of the spring signing period, but we do have to make one more change to our list of the Top 130 Recruiting Classes, because the University of Hartford, which signed 6'1 Sean Swan from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA and 6'9 Trevor Goode from Virginia Beach (Cape Henry) VA last fall and 6'1 Charles Ford from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 6'8 Junior Amous from Connors State (JC) OK, was accidently left off the list.  So we have inserted the Hawks at #110, which makes them tied with Bradley, George Washington, Houston, Washington State, and Southern Utah.  However, this still doesn't begin to reflect the rebuilding job that head coach Larry Harrison and his staff have done in a little over a year on the job.  The problem is that we don't include transfers.  But if we did, 6'7 Deon Saunders, who transferred to Hartford from American University last fall, and 6'4 Jerell Parker, who transferred to Hartford from Loyola-Chicago this spring, would be enough to get Hartford's class ranked #29 behind USC and Florida International and ahead of Texas, Valparaiso, California, and North Carolina. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it's now official - 6'8 Slobodan Ocokoljic is transferring from Ohio State to Weber State.  Apparently the connection for Ocokoljic, who picked Weber State over San Diego and St. Joseph's, is Weber State assistant coach John Stroia, who has a close relationship with Ocokoljic's high school coach Matt Kreamer at Massillon (Washington) OH.  When Ocokoljic decided to transfer earlier this spring, it freed up a scholarship and, as a result, the Buckeyes signed 6'7 Clark Williams from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA.  As a result, the Buckeyes recruiting class, which would have been tied with Texas, Valparaiso, California, and North Carolina at #29, moved all the way up to #10, where it is tied with UCLA.Johnson also tells us that Ohio State had 6'4 Jr Rashid Al-Kaleem from Charlestown (H.S.) MA on campus for an unofficial visit last weekend.  But that's not the only reason Al-Kaleem was in Columbus, OH.  Johnson also confirms that Scoonie Penn is Al-Kaleem's cousin and he was in town to see Penn graduate from Ohio State last Friday.  Obviously this makes Ohio State one of the early favorites for Al-Kaleem, along with Boston College, Connecticut, Temple, and Florida.  Speaking of Al-Kaleem, those who have seen him tell us that he's very similar to 6'3 Jr Maurice Ager from Detroit (Crockett) MI, who exploded into the national spotlight at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions two weeks ago.  However, Al-Kaleem is supposed to better.  So when he established his national reputation this summer at the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ, remember where you heard it first!

We also still believe that the University of Louisville is the team to beat for 6'4 Frosh Antwain Barbour, who was the MVP in the National Junior College Tournament in March in Hutchinson, KS.   Barbour, who scored 21 points, including 5-6 3-pointers, in the championship game and was the third leading scorer in the tournament averaging 23.0 ppg for 92 points in four games, is widely regarded as one of the top junior college freshmen in the nation.   Barbour, who also has Kentucky high on his list, obviously is a big Rick Pitino fan.  However, he'd better not wait to long to make up his mind, because Gary DeCesare, who is the head coach of Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, as well as the New York Ravens AAU team, tells us that Louisville, Miami-FL, Illinois, and Maryland are the leaders for 6'7 Jr Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT.   If Garcia were to pick the Cardinals first, Barbour could be out of luck.  Remember, Louisville, which already has an early verbal commitment from 6'3 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ and will likely sign only one more perimeter player, needs to sign several quality inside players and two players with whom the Cardinals already have strong connections are 6'9 Jr Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'9 Frosh Jaime Lloreda from Dixie (JC) UT.  The previous staff at Louisville had already shown a lot of interest in Francis, but that's not why we think the Cardinals are in such good shape.  Instead, the connection is Leo Papile, who is Francis' coach on the BABC (Boston Amateur Basketball Club) club team.  If you will recall, Pitino hired Papile as an assistant coach when he was at Boston University in the early 1980's and Papile also worked for Pitino during his four years with the Celtics.  Lloreda, who provided the inside strong presence on a junior college team that was ranked #1 most of last season and finished in the final four in the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS, is from the high school as 6'9 Ottis George in Homestead (Berkshire) FL, who committed to the Cardinals yesterday, and 6'7 Simeon Naydenov, who was a freshman last year at Louisville.  Getting back to DeCesare, he also tells us that he thinks the early favorites for 6'2 Jr Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who has emerged into one of the most prolific scoring combo guard in the junior class nationally this spring, are Villanova, Miami-FL, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Seton Hall, and Memphis.

Thursday, June 14, 2001

I got a call this morning from Homestead (Berkshire) FL head coach Rolando Delabarrera and he confirms that 6'9 Ottis George from Homestead (Berkshire) FL has made a verbal commitment to the University of Louisville.  This comes as no surprise, because George recently got out of his commitment to Florida A&M and, as a result, has been looking at other schools, like Louisville and South Carolina.  He also is fully qualified academically, which means he will be eligible to play next year as a freshman.  Apparently George, who has only been playing organized basketball for two years, continues to just get better and better.  He's still raw, but he's a big time athlete and an excellent 3-point shooter.  We also understand that he is a relentless warrior, which means he should fit in perfectly to Rick Pitino's running and pressing style of play.  We've never seen George play, but sources in Florida tell us that we should rank him among our top 150 nationally.  They also add that he has the potential to move a lot higher down the road.  Normally a late addition like this would effect our Ranking of the 130 Top Recruiting Classes, but in this case we will just insert him into the position occupied by 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN.   Speaking of Coutee, we have finally confirmed what we've suspected for months - he has not qualified academically and, as a result, he will be released from the National Letter-of-Intent he signed with Cardinals last fall.  And if that weren't enough news about the University of Louisville on a slow Thursday in June, the Kentucky State Supreme Court has ruled against 6'11 Muhamed Lasege, who has been fighting the NCAA regarding his eligibility status.  If you will recall, the NCAA ruled him ineligible a year ago, but last winter he won several appeals and, as a result, played most of last season.  Lasege still may still be able to sue the NCAA, but from an eligibility standpoint, this one appears to be over.  Unfortunately we can say we told you so on this one.  If you will recall, we have maintained all along that Lasege was a professional athlete due to the fact that he signed a professional contract and played briefly in Russia several years ago. 

Wednesday, June 13, 2001

We have put everything else aside today to finish Ron Naclerio's latest New York City Report Prep, because we wanted to have it ready when we fly to New York, NY tomorrow to cover the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University over the weekend.   Naclerio's rankings in order of the top 566 seniors, top 453 juniors, top 276 sophomores, top 139 freshmen, top 61 8th graders, and top 11 7th graders, which can be found by clicking on Naclerio Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in New York City, are done.  So are the All-City teams, which include the top 30 players regardless of class and position.  And late tonight we finished his article, which provides fascinating reading about  most of the top young players in city.  As for the Rumble in the Bronx, it appears to be loaded.  Let's take a closer look.  Pool A includes New York Riverside Church, Team Texas, Long Island Lightning, and the Central Jersey Hawks.  Pool B has the Diaper Dan's, New Jersey Rap, PK Rocks, and Keystone Blazers.   Pool C features the Tallahassee, New York Panthers, New Jersey Roadrunners, and Westchester Hawks.  The Albany City Rocks, High Five America, Willie Howie, and Connecticut Flame are in Pool D.  Pool E has the Tim Thomas Playaz Gold, Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn USA, and Swingtown.  Pool F includes the New York Ravens, Bray Center, St. Mikes, and Washington Heights.  Pool G has Howard Pulley I, Philly Elite, Tim Thomas Playaz Black, and Morris County.  Pool H features the New York Gauchos, Brooklyn Beasts, Howard Pulley II, and Newark Rams.  The tournament will tip-off at 6:00 PM and run through 10:30 PM on Friday night.  Then, pool play will resume on Saturday morning at 9:00 AM and run until 10:30 on Saturday night.  We'll also be back in the gym on Sunday morning at 9:00 AM for the quarterfinals of both the 16-Under and 17-Under Tournament.  The semi-finals for the 16-Under Division will be at 11:40 AM and the semi-finals for the 17-Under Division will be at 1:00 PM.  And finally the 16-Under Championship is scheduled for 2:20 PM and the 17-Under Championship will be 3:40 PM.  We plan to cover the tournament from start-to-finish and we will have all the highlights either late Sunday night or during the day on Monday. 

Tuesday, June 12, 2001

Apparently a lot people think that I have some sort of problem with my West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis.  Well, nothing could be further from the truth.  As a matter of fact, I not only have a lot respect for the job that Trigonis does without nearly the resources of his competition, but I appreciate the fact that he was thick-skinned enough to allow me to make a very important point.  I hate it when people have a hidden agenda.  More specifically, I travel all over the nation and track most of the top high school players in numerous different settings.  While I appreciate AAU coaches, who often are among the best sources of information (after you sort their biases), giving me tips and leads on players, I don't need to be told over and over how good a player is, especially after I've already seen him play and formed my own opinion.  Usually the opposite of the desired result occurs, because people like me start over scrutinizing the player in question and, as a result, the player often drops in the rankings.  It also kills the person's credibility who is lobbying for the player.   No, I am not trying to send a message to Trigonis, because I've always been able to be very up front with him.  Instead, I'm trying to send a message to a number of other people who won't take it as well as Trigonis, if I mentioned them by name.  In other words, Trigonis was in the wrong place at the wrong time lobbying for his players.   But he's far from the worst offender.  Speaking of Trigonis, he has several intereting recruiting items to pass along.  First, new Pepperdine head coach Paul Westphal made a great move recently when he hired Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA head coach Jim Nielsen.  Not is Nielsen one of the most respected high school coaches in Southern California, but he also should have the inside track on 6'7 Jr Adam Zahn, 6'11 Jr Paul Mynen, and 6'4' Soph Wendell White, all of whom are from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA and all are important recruiting targets for the new regime at Pepperdine.  Second, 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who recently made an unofficial to Stanford, isn't the only prime target for the The Cardinal coaching staff  in the Class of 2003.  In addition to Schaen, they'd also like to get 6'10 Soph David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV and either 6'5 Soph Richard Cobbs from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA or 6' 3 Soph Omar Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA.  Third, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA has schools like UCLA, USC, Duke, Arizona, and North Carolina on his list, but San Diego State is a major sleeper.  Sure, the Aztecs chances would be enhanced greatly, if Burns doesn't make it academically, because they could still take him as a partial or non-qualifier. But that's not the only connection.  The word we get is that San Diego State assistant coach Marvin Menzies is good friends with Burns' mother.  And that's extremely important, because she's the one who calls the shots in the family.

After watching 6'6 Soph LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH at Mac Irvin's adidas Shoot-out in Chicago, IL on Sunday, Roy Schmidt, Editor and Publisher of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report and a correspondent for All-Star Sports, tells us that he has finally figured who should be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.  Unfortuately James is not eligible, because he's only going to be a junior in high school next year.   "James is so good right now, it's ridiculous," says Schmidt.   "He comes the closest to controlling the entire game of anyone I've seen since Magic Johnson.  He can play any position, has no weaknesses either offensively or defensively, and is so good that opponents just stand back on their heels marvelling at how good he is.  I mean he leaves them in their tracks.  He's also one of top three sophomores I've ever seen, along with Shawn Kemp and Alonzo Mourning."  Also sharing similar sentiments were 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL and Boston Celtics star Antonie Walker.  Brown told Schmidt that James is the best player he's ever played against.  Walker simply made it a point to be at all three of James' games on Sunday.   In the final game James had 35 points and should have been named the tournament MVP regardless of the fact that his team (Northeast Ohio Rising Stars) lost Illinois Gold for championship.  The other big story at adidas Shoot-out was the emergence of Brown as the #1 junior in the state of Illinois, at least according to the Schmidt.   "There are three reasons why I think he's better than Sean Dockery," says Schmidt.  "First, his team consistently wins.  Second, he is a better outside shooter.  Third, he's a better defender.  Brown also has other important intangibles, like a super attitude and his teammates like playing with him.  However, I don't want to take anything away from Dockery, because he also has an excellent attitude and a knack for making everybody around him better."  It comes as no surprise that Schmidt thinks Illinois leads for Brown, but he also warns us not to count out Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa State, and Cincinnati.  Dockery appears to be lock for Duke, unless 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI qualifies and commits to Duke first.  Then, Schmidt thinks that will open the door for either Illinois or Florida to get Dockery.  Also playing extremely well for the Illinois Gold was 6'9 Jr James Augustine from New Lenox (Lincoln-Way) IL, who is emerging into a top 100 player nationally.  In addition to being a great high post threat with good skills facing the basket, Schmidt tells us that Augustine is now showing the ability to mix it up inside and go to war in the paint.  As a result, Scott Padgett comparisons are in order.  Right now Augustine's list includes Purdue, Iowa, Marquette, Illinois, Indiana, and Indiana State, but once college coaches get to see him this summer at the adidas ABCD Camp, the value of his stock should go through the roof.  We also find it interesting that DePaul, which has owned Chicago since Pat Kennedy's arrival four years ago, is not mentioned with any of the top players in the Windy City, except for 6'7 Jr Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL and 6'7 Jr Elliott Poole from Chicago (Farragut) IL.  

Monday, June 11, 2001

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on one of the premier high school jobs in the nation, which is about to open.  Actually it's already a done deal for Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH head coach Keith Dambrot, who is in the process of being hired as an assistant coach at the University of Akron for the second time.  Dambrot was an assistant at Akron from 1982-84 and an assistant at Eastern Michigan from 1986-88, as well as the head coach at Central Michign from 1991-93.   There is certain to be a lot of interest in the St. Vincent-St. Mary's job, because almost everybody is back from a team that was ranked among the top five high school teams nationally most of last years.  However, Johnson believes that one of Dambrot's two assistants - Dru Joyce, Sr or Steve Culp - will get ultimately get the job.  Culp previously was the head coach at Akron (Firestone) OH for five year before moving to St. Vincent -St. Mary a year ago.  He also has worked the Five-Star Basketball Camp for many years and, as a result, is well respected by the legendary Howard Garfinkel.  Joyce, whose son - 5'4 Soph Dru Joyce, Jr - was the starting point guard for St. Vincent-St. Mary last season, as well as the best friend of 6'6 Soph LeBron James, who is widely regarded as the best sophomore in America and the #2-ranked player regardless of class nationally behind 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  Speaking of James, he also is the star player for Drew's AAU team - the Northeast Ohio Shooting Stars, which finished second in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament two years ago.

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