HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR JUNE 2003

Saturday, June 28, 2003, Sunday, June 29, 2003, & Monday, June 30, 2003

A year ago at this time we ran out of time and, as a result, never finished our Conference-by-Conference Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting reports for the Class of 2002.  However, this year history will not be repeating itself, because we are already finished with our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the Class of 2003 and we should have our Different Ways to Look at Recruiting Report finished by the end of the week.  But just to get to the point where we are now is almost mind-boggling, because we already have accumulated 29-pages of nothing but signings and commitments, which can be found by clicking on National Commitments and 14-pages listing our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes from 2003, which is 200 teams deep and goes along nicely our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the Class of 2003, which is a total of 22 pages.  That's 65 pages already finished and ready for publication and obviously this is one of the many things that sets us far ahead of our competition.   And there is no doubt that we'll create some controversy with Kansas State right at the top of the list with their seven-man recruiting class that includes 6'10 Justin Williams from Kankakee (JC) IL, 5'7 Dez Willingham from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jeremiah Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'8 Cartier Martin from Aldine (Nimitz) TX, 6'9 Dramane Diarra from Cloud (JC) KS, 6'4 Lance Harris from Columbia (Hickman) MO, and 6'10 Tyler Hughes from Olathe (North Olathe) KS.  No, Kansas State doesn't have any McDonald's All-American's, but every one of these players is ranked in the 30-200 range nationally and, as a result, we expect the Wildcats to be one of the most improved teams in college basketball next year.  Actually, it wasn't even close on our rating scale, whereby, we assign every player a ranking on a scale of 1-10 based on where each player is ranked coming out of high school or the equivalent of where that if they are in prep school or junior college.  In other words, we can argue all day on where a player should be ranked, but the actually rankings are all pretty scientific and subject to debate as a top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point.   Junior college and prep school are factored in as if they were the equivalent of a high school senior.  In most cases, we've eliminated walk-on's and transfers and it has always been the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to include transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  We also do not plan on making any changes to any of our rankings, because we have to get on with the Class of 2004 and the summer camp season, which is upon us.  In other words, if we don't know about it by now, it must not have been too important!  We also find it interesting that the Western Athletic Conference is ranked disporotionatley high at #5 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference from the Class of 2003, but this does not come as much of a surprise when we see that the league has three teams ranked among the top 30 recruiting classes.  However, the big winner is the Big-12 Conference, which features six teams among our top 30 in Kansas State, Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa State, Missouri, and Texas Tech, followed by the Southeastern Conference with LSU, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Florida, and South Carolina; the Atlantic Coast Confernce with Florida State, Maryland, Virginia, and Wake Forest; Conference USA with Cincinnati, Louisville, Charlotte, and Marquette; the Big East with Miami-FL, Connecticut, and Syracuse; the Western Athletic Conference with Louisiana Tech, UTEP, and Hawaii; the Mountain West with UNLV and Utah, the Pacific-10 with California; the Big-10 with Michigan State, the Sun Belt with Middle Tennessee State, and the Mid-Continent with Valparaiso.

Friday, June 27, 2003

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman has confirmed that 6'9 Jr Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN, who is ranked #82 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Mississippi State.  Believe it or not, Houston reminds us of 6'10 Travis Outlaw, who signed with Mississippi State last fall, but entered his name into the NBA Draft this spring and was picked #23 in the first round by the Portland Trailblazers.  Obviously Houston is not nearly as good as Outlaw, but they have that same type of game, whereby, they both would rather play out on the perimeter, instead of take care of business inside.  They also both have an incredible wing span, tremendous athleticism, and the ability to the shoot the three, plus they both have a tendency to be very inconsistent and thrive in a more uptempo setting, which explains why Houston has been so mediocre while playing for his high school team, but excellent when we've seen him while playing in camp and AAU-like settings.  The commitment by Houston moves Mississippi State's recruiting class up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, Missisissippi State also recently landed 5'11 Jr Charles White from Jackson (Provine) MS and 6'8 Jr Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS.  And this comes on the heels of their current recruiting class, which is ranked #12 in our Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003 and includes 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Wojciech Barycz from Poland, and 6'3 Detrick Slater from Waynesboro (Wayne County) MS.   We also have confirmed that 6'7 Romuald Augustin is transferring from Providence to Bryant College, which is a Division II where former Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and UNLV head coach Max Good is in the process of turning the program around in a hurry, as is evident by the fact that his team has gone 7-19 and 17-14 in his first two seasons.  Normally that might not seem all that impressive, but it is when one finds out that last year was only the third winning season the school has had in the last 21 years.  And Augustin, who started 16 games for the Friars last year and averaged 6.9 ppg and 2.7 rpg, will be eligible immediately, although he has already graduated from college and plans to attend graduate school while playing his senior season at Bryant College.  Augustin is the terrific 3-point shooter that Good needs to replace his only non-returning starter - Jon Wallace, who was named to the Northeast-10 Conference's Second Team All-Conference Team last season.  Augustin also should provide the perfect complement to Mike Williams, who was named to the third team all-conference team, and John Williams, who was named to the league's all-rookie team, as well as make Good the favorite to win Northeast-10 Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors again.  We also have confirmed that Wyoming assistant coach Joe Dooley, who also previously was the right hand man for Fran Fraschilla at New Mexico and the head coach at East Carolina, has been named the new assistant coach at Kansas.  Obviously this is huge for new Jayhawks head coach Bill Self, because it gives him two of the top 15 assistant coaches in the college basketball.  If you will recall, when we last updated our list of the top assistant coaches in January, Kansas assistant Norm Roberts was ranked #7 and Dooley was ranked #20, but since that time Paul Biancardi, who was ranked #1, has become the head coach Wright State; Mick Cronin, who was ranked #2, has become the head coach at Murray State; Brian Gregory, who was ranked #4, has become the head coach at Dayton; Jamie Dixon, who was ranked #9, has become the head coach at Pittsburgh; and Wayne Morgan, who was ranked #15, has become the head coach at Iowa State.  In other words, assuming that we don't move anybody ahead of Dooley the next time we update our rankings of the top assistant coaches, he would be ranked #15 on the list.  And right behind Dooley on our list of the top assistant coaches is Syracuse's Troy Weaver, who is rumored to be in line for a similar position with the Denver Nuggets in the NBA.  We also are starting to hear former North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty's name being mentioned as a possible replacement for St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis, if he doesn't get a contract extension and takes a NBA job next spring.  However, our guess is that Jarvis will be around for a while, because the Red Storm already have an early verbal commitment from 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and are in great shape with players, like 6'3 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Jr A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'1 Jr Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY, 6'2 Jr Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Jr John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT, 6'1 Clifford Clinksdale from Ocala (S  hore Christian) FL, and 6'9 Shawn James from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also has some updates on schools and what camps certain players are planning on attending.   Scheduled to attend the adidas ABCD Camp are 6'9 Jr Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'6 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guibunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 6'6 Jr Marcus Monk from Lepanto (East Poinsett) AR,  6'10 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH,  6'7 Jr Glen Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'5 Jr Jose Garcia from Lynchburg (Holy Cross) VA.  Davis' list of schools includes LSU, Miami-FL, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Georgia.   Cerasoli likes Ohio State, Auburn, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Memphis, and Villanova.   Galindo's favorite schools are Connecticut, Miami-FL, UTEP, Seton Hall, Rutgers, N.C. State, St. John's, Villanova, Virginia, and Virginia Tech.  Lowry has Connecticut, Kansas, Pittsburgh, Xavier, and Syracuse on his list.  Jones' list includes Arizona, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina, Tech Texas, and Texas A&M.  Virginia, Miami-FL, Bosotn College, Virginia Tech, Villanova, Richmond, and Tennessee are the favorites for Guibunda.  We still think Arkansas is the school you have to beat for Monk, but he also has Oklahoma, Connecticut, Florida, and Marquette on his list.  Agnew's list seems to change dramatically every time he gives a new list.  This time Agnew mentioned Duquesne, Ohio State, Louisville, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Michigan, and Michigan State.  Danridge mentioned Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Richmond, Charlotte, Virginia Commonwealth, Texas, Clemson, and Nebraska.  Garcia likes N.C. State, Florida State, UCLA, Wake Forest, Richmond, and Penn State.  Scheduled to attend the NIKE All-American Camp are 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'4 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'6 Jr DeAaron Williams from Bartonville (Limestone) IL, 6'1 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'9 Jr Darnell Jackson from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'9 Jr Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'2 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 6'2 Jr Justin Hare from Cleveland (Bradley) TN.  Hairston's list includes Arizona, UCLA, Ohio State, Michigan State, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana.  Gray is already verbally committed to Michigan State, but he tells us Johnson that he plans to play for The Family club team this summer, along with Hairston, 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, and 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI, which means they suddenly will have a strong inside presence to complement their incredible perimeter game.  Florida, Kansas, Tennessee, N.C. State, Georgia, and Kentucky are on Brewer's list.  Williams likes DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Michigan State.  Tucker mentions Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee, San Diego, San Francisco, Gonzaga, Missouri, Arizona State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.   The favorites for Grimes are Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois.  Jackson's list includes Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Purdue.  The list for Pruitt includes Indiana, Wisconsin, Marquette, Arizona, and Illinois.  Ratliff mentions Iowa, Purdue, Marquette, Indiana, Memphis, and Connecticut.  Clemson, Miami-FL, UT-Chattanooga, Davidson, and Richmond are all in the hunt for Hare.  Johnson also tells us that Wisconsin-bound 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, who went to NIKE last year, plans to attend the adidas ABCD Camp, along with 6'2 Jr Michael Flowers from Madison (La Follette) WI and 5'11 Jr Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI.  It also appears that 7'0 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, who attended the adidas ABCD Camp a year ago, is still undecided on which camp he plans to attend (he'd better make up his mind fast or he may be out of luck).  The list for 6'7 Jr David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA includes Tulane, Georgia, Vanderbilt, LSU, Kentucky, and Miami-FL, but they probably will have to watch him elsewhere this summer, because, as things stand now, Gomez, who also is an excellent student with a 3.5 gpa and 25 ACT, is not scheduled to attend either camp.  Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria, and 6'8 Soph Laurynas Mikalouskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA are not scheduled to attend either camp.  Odia, who plans to go to Greece to play on the Nigerian National Team, will probably end up in the Atlantic Coast Conference at someplace like North Carolina.  The list for Adedoju includes Florida, Wyoming, and Boston University.  The early favorites for Mikalouskas are Virginia, West Virginia, Clemson, and Virginia Tech.  We also aren't sure which camp 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX will attend, but rumor has it that adidas may provide Horton's father with the sponsorship of a team this summer, so it wouldn't be a major surprise if Horton, whose list of schools includes Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Florida, Arizona, surfaces at the adidas ABCD Camp. 

Thursday, June 26, 2003

It really is the closest thing we're probably ever going to get to a high school basketball national championship!  We're talking about the 2003 And1 High School Basketball Championship Finals, which will be held this weekend, June 28th-29th, at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA and will feature the winners of the eight regionals from around the nation in Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, Alpharetta (Chattahoochee) GA, Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN, Canton (McKinley) OH, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, Lake Forest (El Toro) CA, and Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA.  And, to set the stage of this event, some pretty interesting things happened a long the way in the East Regional at Seton Hall University last weekend, where our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin were both in attendance.  The best player in the tournament was 6'7 Soph Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, who finally lived up to his #36-ranking in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and even drew some Elton Brand comparisons.  Not only has Biggs lost weight, but suddenly is playing with a new level of energy.  This, combined with the fact that Biggs has great hands and excellent post moves, makes him almost unstoppable in the low post, as he finished just about everything over the weekend.  Unfortunately Biggs didn't have the guard help necessary for his team to advance past West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ in the quarterfinals.  And that wasn't the only surprise in the quarterfinals round, as Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA beat Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY knocked off Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  St. Raymond's featured 6'6 Jr Brian Lainge, 6'5 Jr Gavin Grant, and a vastly improved 6'8 Soph Frank Elegar, but Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY countered that with 6'10 Soph Franklin Jones, 5'10 Soph Robert Garrison, and 6'4 Soph Paul Harris.  Jones promises to be one of the better big men in the Class of 2005, because he has great size, blocks shots, and is phyiscal in the low post.  Garrison is a quick point guard who runs the show, makes good decisions, and shoots the three.  Harris is a scoring 2-guard out of the same mold as Dwayne Wade, as he uses his athleticism to slash to the basket, create havoc defensively, and rebound well for his size.  Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA got its usual strong performance from 6'4 Jr Charron Fisher, but Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ head coach Danny Hurley probably had more to do with the lopsided outcome of the game than anything Fisher did.   As a matter of fact, Hurley was mad that his team was placed on the same side of the bracket as his father's team - Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ - and, as a result, refused to play his two star players - 6'5 Jr Earl "J.R." Smith and 6'6 Jr Alex Galindo, both of whom had just returned from the NBA Players Association Camp, but remained on the bench in street clothes the entire game.  So, when Seton Hall Prep jumped out to a 34-7 lead and coasted to 61-31 victory, the much anticipated St. Anthony-St. Benedict's match-up in the semi-finals never materalized.  Instead, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ beat Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) NJ, 72-66, in the semi-finals and West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 66-55, in the championship game.  And what St. Anthony's lacked in height, it more than made up for with it's great guard play, as 6'2 Jr Otis Campbell, 5'9 Soph Derrick Mercer, 6'1 Jr Marcus Williams, and 6'1 Soph Sean McCardy combined for 52 of their 66 points 15 of their 32 rebounds.  Campbell, who was the leading scorer in both the quarterfinals with 28 points and the championship game with 19 points, was the unsung hero for St. Anthony's, as he's developed into an excellent mid-range shooter and, as a result, is now the go-to-guy for his teammates.  Mercer has improved his ball handling skills, outside shooting, and confidence and, as a result, did an excellent job of running the show.  Williams hasn't grown nor has he lived up to the incredible hype dating back to his junior high school days, due to the fact he can't shoot and hasn't developed perimeter skills and, as a result, has no true position.  However, Williams does fit into Bob Hurley's system and he was the leading rebounder in the championship game with six boards.  The leading scorer in the championship game for West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ was 6'2 Soph Andrew Pusar, who finished with 23 points, but the player that Schultz and Rubin were raving about was 6'7 Soph Brandon Costner.   As a matter of fact, they think this combo forward, who rebounds (eight boards in the championship game) and shoots the three, has the talent and potential to be a lot better than his father who, at 6'9, was a pretty good player in his day at St. Joseph's.   Also playing well and deserving a special mention were 6'2 Jr Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'2 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Jr Cedric Jackson from Columbus (Northern Burlington) NJ, and 6'8 Frosh Casiem Drummond from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ.  In the other East Regional 6'7 Jr Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD scored 14 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, but that was not enough to overcome the efforts of 6'0 Jr William Gill, 6'5 Jr Gerald Franklin, and 6'4 Jr Jeremy Johnson, who combined for 39 points, as they lead Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD to a 56-51 victory over Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD in the championship game.  Also worth noting in the other East Regional, which was played in District Heights, MD and included most of the top teams from the Washington, DC area, was 6'8 Frosh Jeffrey Allen, who not only promises to become the next great one from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, but already is starting to draw comparisons to 6'9 Frosh Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, who is the #2-ranked freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and already is being compared to Kevin Garnett.  Alpharetta (Chattahoochee) GA beat Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 77-56, and Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN beat Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 66-41, in the championship games of the Southeast Regionals in Atlanta, GA and Memphis, TN; Canton (McKinley) OH beat North Canton (H.S.) OH, 55-53, and Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK beat Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM, 53-48, in the championship games of the Midwest Regionals in South Bend, IN and Fort Worth, TX; and Lake Forest (El Toro) CA beat Thousand Oaks (H.S.) CA, 86-59, and Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA beat Portland (Jefferson) OR, 55-41, in the championship games of the West Regionals in Los Angeles, CA and Olympia, WA.  This sets up the match-ups this weekend in the 2003 And1 High School Basketball Championship Finals in Philadelphia, PA, which will begin on Saturday, June 28th, with Alpharetta (Chattahoochee) GA versus Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ at 9:00 AM, Canton (McKinley) OH versus Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD at 10:30 PM, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK versus Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA at Noon, Lake Forest (El Toro) CA versus Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN, 2:00 PM, the Loser of Game #1 versus the Loser of Game #2 at 3:30 PM, the Winner of Game #1 versus the Winner of Game #2 at 5:00 PM, the Loser of Game #3 versus the Loser of Game #4 at 7:00 PM, the Winner of Game #3 versus the Winner of Game #4 at 8:30 PM.  The championship game will be played on Sunday, June 29th,at Noon and will televised live on Fox Sports Net. 

Wednesday, June 25, 2003

The University of Florida lost out to UCLA a month ago for 6'2 Jr Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, but now it appears the Gators have landed somebody just as good in 6'1 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  The verbal commitment, which came last night, is important for a number of reasons.  First, Green is a legitimate top 50 junior nationally and he has a great basketball pedigree.  Remember, his father is Florida Atlantic head coach and former NBA and UNLV star Sidney Green.   Second, Green gives the Gators the perfect complement to the two less athletic guards - 6'3 Ryan Appleby from Stanwood (H.S.) WA and 6'2 Lee Humphrey from Maryville (H.S.) TN - that they landed in their current recruiting class.  Third, Green should be a four-year player, which means they already have replaced Anthony Roberson, who may declare hardship and enter the NBA Draft, if he has a great year next season, with somebody who will be around for the long haul.  Foruth, Green is an excellent 3-point shooter, which means he will fit into Florida's wide open system extremely well.  Fifth, Green helps reestablish the Gators' presence with future potential recruits in the state of Florida.  Remember, Florida will only have two in-state scholarship players on the team next year in Bonell Colas and 6'8 Chris Richard from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL and having more in-state players on the team could be important, as Billy Donovan and his staff go head-to-head against both Florida State and Miami-FL for the top players in the state in the future.  Sixth, getting Green gives the Gators an entree' into one of the top high school/prep school programs in the nation in Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  Seventh, this may be a sign that Florida is not going to get 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL.  If you will recall, Livingston's top three school were believed to be Illinois, Duke, and Florida, but, while we don't think Green or any of the current guards in the program will be much of a concern when Livingston makes his decision, the Gators are already pretty well stocked with guards as Roberson, Matt Walsh, and Rashid Al-Kaleem are will be sophomores and Appleby and Humphrey will be freshmen next year and Green now counts as part of next year's recruiting class.  We also still believe 6'3 Soph Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY is a near lock for Syracuse, but that could change, if the Orangemen land one the top point guards in next year's recruiting class, like 6'0 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'2 Jr A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, or 6'1 Jr Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY.  If this does happen, then North Carolina would probably become the favorite over schools like Connecticut, Seton Hall, and Georgia Tech.  And the same thing could happen to Mayben if he doesn't make up his mind about following in the footsteps of his club team teammate and good friend - 6'7 Jr Dayshawn Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY, who will be transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this fall.  Remember, Oak Hill already has one point guard for next year in the fold in 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY and our guess is that Steve Smith will take either Mayben or 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, depending upon who makes up his mind first.  We also think the Orangemen will be tough to beat for Wright, but that doesn't means schools like Villanova, Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Memphis Florida State, Michigan State, and Georgia aren't still in the hunt.  The list for 6'7 Jr Will Daniels from Poughkeepsie (Roosevelt) NY includes Providence, Dayton, Richmond, Rhode Island, Marist, Seton Hall, Villanova, Boston College, St. Joseph's, and Fordham.  Our guess is that 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ is wide open, but the schools he mentioned were West Virginia, Providence, St. Joseph's, N.C. State, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Richmond, and Massachusetts.  We also have heard that 6'1 Frosh Jawan Carter from Wilimington (Tatnall) DE, who is ranked #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in the Class of 2006, and 5'9 Soph Eugene Harvey from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY, who is the #13-ranked sophomore in New York City on Ron Naclerio's updated list that we plan to publish either late this week or early next week, both are transferring to Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, where they will join 6'5 Jr Earl Smith, 6'7 Jr Stanley Branch, 6'6 Jr Alex Galindo, et al. to form one of the most powerful high school/prep school teams in the nation.  Providence, Boston College, St. John's, Seton Hall, Charlotte, and Georgia Tech are the schools showing the most interest in 6'5 Jr John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT.  We also have confirmed via our New England Editor Wayne Simone that 6'1 Ricardo Freeman from Seward County (JC) KS, who originally signed with South Florida, but was released from his National Letter-of-Intent this spring, has signed with Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which means that Bruce Pearl continues to build the Panthers into one of the powerhouse mid-major programs in the nation.  If you will recall, Wisconsin-Milwaukee landed 6'3 Ed McCants from Paris (JC) TX, who was ranked as the #2 Shooting Guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and 6'0 Andre White from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL, who is ranked #19 in the state of Illinois by the HOOP SCOOP, last fall and, with the addition of Freeman, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #49, along with UAB, Wisconsin, and USC, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Speaking of USC, we're hearing that the Trojans are now the leader for 6'9 Jr Sean Phaler from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who was offered his release earlier this spring by UCLA.   And, if this does indeed happen, UCLA's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, would drop to #140 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003, while USC's class, which also includes 6'4 Rodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'4, Lodrick Stewart from  Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and 6'0 Quentin Day from Kansas City (Paseo) MO, would move into a tie at #36 with Pittsburgh.  However, even more important, you bet that Phaler will be extremely motivated every time USC plays UCLA during the next four or five years, depending upon whether Phaler red-shirts next year, and, as fate would have it, he'll probably, more often than not, have a career-like game.

Tuesday, June 24, 2003

After our radio show late Sunday night we learned that 6'7 Jr Eric Vierneisel from Algonquin (Jacobs) IL had made a verbal commitment to the University of California, but were unable to write about it yesterday, because we spent entire day driving home from the Rumble in the Bronx.   However, that does not diminish the importance of the commitment, which, by the way, we predicted would happen a month ago.  If you will recall, on Thursday, May 29th, we reported "Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and California are the three finalists for Vierneisel, but we think the smart money is on California.  As a matter of fact, don't be surprised if the Golden Bears get a verbal commitment from Vierneisel within the next week."  In other words, the only thing that was surprising to us is that it took so long.  Vierneisel does not have incredible quickness and athleticism, but he is skilled enough to be ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally when we update our national rankings next week.  Vierneisel also should provide the perfect to the other two wing players - 6'5 Marquise Kately from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who is a big time athlete, and 6'6 Dominic McGuire from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, who promises to be an excellent role player - that the Golden Bears landed in their current recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA and 6'1 Ayinde Ubaka from Oakland (H.S.) CA.   And when you also add 6'9 Jr Devon Hardin from Newark (Memorial) CA and 6'11 Jr Sam Rayburn from Portland (Sunset) OR, both of whom have already made verbal commitments in the current recruiting class, it is easy to see why a lot of people think California will be one of the teams to beat in the Pacific-10 Conference for years to come.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jr Josh Heytvelt from Clarkston (H.S.) WA had verbally committed to Gonzaga, which means that Zags' recruiting class moves into a tie at #12 with Mississippi State and right behind California on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, Gonzaga also got an early commitment last fall from 6'5 Jr David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA and, as a result, Zags head coach Mark Few now has two players who will be ranked in the 40-70 range nationally in the junior class already in next year's recruiting class.  And both players are ideally suited to perpetuate Gonzaga's tradition of being one of the perennial overachievers in college basketball.  Remember, Pendergraft is a tough hardnosed white kid who can shoot the lights out and Heytvelt is a blue collar banger inside who doesn't take any prisoners.  We also have confirmed that Wisconsin-Green Bay has landed 6'6 Jr DeMarcus Bell from Racine (St. Catharine) WI, who is ranked #7 in the state by one scouting service.  Obviously this is an important catch for second-year head coach Tod Kowalczyk, because it is always important to keep the top players in your own backyard at home.  This comes on the heels of Wisconsin-Green Bay's current recruiting class, which includes 6'8 Tyler Koenig from Fargo (H.S.) ND, 6'7 Josh Lawrence from Ashton (H.S.) IL, and 6'1 Adam Schaeffer from Rochester (Adams) MI.  It also appears that Radford has landed what promises to be the second best recruiting class in the Big South Conference, as second year head coach Byron Samuels has added 6'7 Brandon Jeffers from Howard (JC) MD to a recruiting class that already includes 6'5 Anthony Teague from Shaker Heights (H.S.) OH, 6'5 Reggie McIntyre from Greenville (H.S.) SC, 6'6 Dan Ross from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, and 6'7 Chris Oliver from Kernersville (Glenn) VA.  Not only is Jeffers a big time athlete and the physical presence that the Highlanders need inside, but he also is versatile enough to play the two, three, or four spots, as is evident by the fact that he was a named to the 2003 Maryland Junior College Conference First Team, was ranked 13th in scoring with 21.8 ppg and 20th in rebounding with 10.4 rpg in the junior college ranks last season, also averaged 5.4 apg, and led his team to the league championship.  The addition of Jeffers also moves Radford's recruiting class into a tie at #99, along with Chattanooga, Delaware, and Youngstown State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  We also have confirmed via our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio that 6'9 Shawn James from Brooklyn (Redirection) NY and 6'1 Kojo Mensah from Brooklyn (Redirection) NY are both now supposed to be heading to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA next year.  "Supposed to be might" is the key phrase here, because James previously was thought be heading to Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and Mensah was listed with Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA in the program from the Rumble in the Bronx over the weekend.

Monday, June 23, 2003

Once again 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is ranked as the #1 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was missing in action this spring, as he didn't even bother to make the short trip from Brooklyn to the Bronx to play in the Rumble in the Bronx this weekend at Fordham University.  Sure, it would have been nice to have seen Telfair play, but, as it turned out, the Juice All-Stars didn't need him, because 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and 6'1 Kojo Mensah from Northfield (Mt. Herman) NY combined for 47 points, as they led their team to a 81-71 victory over Coastal Pops in the championship game.  Coastal Pops, which beat New York Riverside Church in the semi-finals and the Long Island Panthers in the quarterfinals, didn't pass the look test, but 6'4 Jr Greg Twomey from Groton (Groton/Dunstable) MA impressed us with his inside/outside game; 6'0 Jr John Mohan from Norwell (H.S.) MA and 6'3 Jr Bryan Wholey from Dorchester (Boston College) MA both shot the lights out; and 6'10 Jr Tim Clifford from Walpole (H.S.) MA is extremely skilled and surprisingly mobile for somebody his size inside.  And apparently schools like Holy Cross, George Mason, George Washington, and William & Mary agree, because they're all recruiting this physical specimen who was extremely effective when he got the ball in the low post.  Another one of the biggest surprises was 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who has improved dramatically since we last saw him at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.   Noah is extremely athletic, a lot tougher and hardnosed than he looks, and excellent offensively out to about 15-feet.  However, what we like most about this long lanky athlete are his potential and the intensity he brings to the table.  So it would be just icing on the cake, if he grows several more inches, as expected.  We also were very impressed by 6'1 Jr Matt Martin from Spearfish (H.S.) SD and 6'6 Soph Joe Krabbenhoft from Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD, both of who played for the Howard Pulley Black team, which lost to the Juice All-Stars in the semi-finals.  Martin is a tough hardnosed white kid who can shoot the lights out.   He's also surprisingly quick and a pretty good ball handler, plus he's a tremendous competitor and extremely savvy.  At least part of this might be explained by the fact that Martin has been attending the Five-Star Basketball Camp since his freshman days, but except for Vanderbilt, Wyoming, and Colorado State it appears that nobody knows about him.  And may remain under the radar screen this summer, because Martin is not scheduled to attend either the adidas ABCD Camp or the NIKE All-American Camp.   Krabbenhoft has been ranked among the top 150 sophomores nationally by at least one of our competitors, so he's not as much of a sleeper as Martin.  And, just like Martin, Krabbenhoft is deceptive athletic, a hardnosed competitor, and good outside shooter.  However, unlike Martin, Krabbenhoft will hav two more year's to hone his skills at the high school level and he is big enough and good enough on the boards to also play some inside at this level.  Another player we didn't know anything about, but who was one of the better players in the tournament was 6'8 Jr Taj Gibson from Brooklyn (Telecommunications) NY, who picked up the slack when 6'8 Soph Mike Davis from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY was benched in the Silver Division championship against the New York Gauchos.  Gibson isn't very strong, but he's so long and athletic and has soft hands, a nice touch, and a good nose for the ball, which make him very effective around the basket.  We also were very impressed by 6'4 Soph Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who put up prolifc numbers in every game for the Wisconsin Playgroud Warriors, but he does most of his damage inside and, as a result, several more inches and/or better perimter skills would do a lot to ensure his future as a big time player.  Speaking of putting up prolific numbers, the best single game performance in the entire tournament was turned by 5'8 Frosh Demond Carter from Laplace (Reserve Christian) LA.   Not only did Carter score 34 points and hit six 3-pointers when we saw him play, but he also handled the ball, made his teammates better, got to the basket, and rebounded extremely well for his size.  In other words, Carter more than justified his ranking as the #3 freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also were very impressed by 6'3 Soph Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who now appears to have taken his game to another level.  Not only does Mayben have great court savvy, outstanding ball handling and passing skills, and excellent speed, quickness, and body control, which gives him the knack for being able to get to a spot and change directions in a hurry, but he's also probably going to grow some more, which means we could be talking about a 6'4 or 6'5 point guard who can shoot.   As a matter of fact, that's another area where Mayben has improved, as is evident by the fact we saw him hit five 3-pointers in one game.  So it should come as no surprise when we move Mayben back into our top five nationally in his class when we update our national rankings a week for now.  We also were very impressed by the outside shooting of 6'3 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who once again showed us why he's the #2-ranked junior in New York City behind 6'0 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, as well as a prime target for schools, like Georgia Tech, St. John's, Connnecticut, Florida State, Notre Dame, Kentucky, Kansas, Florida, and Syracuse.  Also shooting the lights out and playing about as well as we've ever seen him was 6'5 Jr John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT.  Sure, it would be nice if Lucky was a more explosive athlete, but he still gets to the basket, makes great decisions, and is an outstanding ball handler, passer, and floor general at his size, which is why we think he not only is a legitimate top 30 junior nationally, but also the next in what appears to have become a trend, whereby, players in the Connecticut Select program who don't get the respect they deserve at the high school level, but go on to have great careers at the next level (i.e. former Clemson point guard Will Solomon and Providence's Ryan Gomes).  Who do you like better - 6'2 Jr A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY or 6'1 Jr Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY?  We give the nod to Price, because he's such a great 3-point shooter, as well as an excellent ball handler, passer, and floor general.  Currently they both are high priorities for St. John's, but Price tells us that he also likes Connecticut, Syracuse, Kansas, Georgia Tech, and Florida State, while Wright appears to also have a lot of interest in Connecticut, Seton Hall, Boston College, and Syracuse.  We also really liked 6'2 Jr Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who will move into the top 75-100 range nationally when we update our rankings of the top juniors next week.  Not only is Benjamin an athletic slashing 2-guard who gets to the basket, but he also surprised us with how well he shoots the 3-point shot.  He too is a top priority for St. John's and just like with Price and Wright, whichever one commits first (Robinson or Benjamin) will probably get the scholarship at the wing guard spot.  However, Benjamin's list also still includes Kansas, Connecticut, Ohio State, Villanova, Providence, Illinois, and Seton Hall.  We also have to mention 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Not only did he tell us that he plans to return to Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ next year, but he played the best we've seen him play since he made his high school debute last December at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  Also playing well and, as a result, deserving special mention are 6'7 Jr Dayshawn Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY, 6'6 Rashon Clarke from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'1 Jr Blake Young from Orlando (Oak Ridge) FL, 6'3 Kelvin Davis from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT, 6'1 Jr Albert Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Shawn James from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'3 Jr Avery Smith from Milwaukee (Washington) WI, 6'4 Soph Breon Allen from Milwaukee (Messmer) WI, 5'7 Jr Billy Mims from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'7 Barbarcar Thiem from Washington (Spingarn) DC, and 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Kansas City (Westport) KS.   Speaking of Rush, it now appears that he's heading to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC and he's not the only one, as 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara, 6'6 Jr Roy Bright, 6'4 Jr Albert Weber, 6'7 Jr Glen Dandridge, and 6'4 Tashad Carr are all expected to be back next year.  And, if that weren't enough, we also know that 6'4  Jr Santoino Spring plans to enroll at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC this fall, plus we've also heard rumors about 6'4 Jr Glenn Myles from Birmingham (West End) AL, 6'6 Frosh Tracy Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, and 6'2 Frosh Jamar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI transferring to this basketball factory right in the heart of ACC country. 

Saturday, June 21, 2003, & Sunday, June 22, 2003

Our MVP for the week at the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA was 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, but, according to our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who was in attendance until the bitter end, the guy who stole the show on the last day was 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI.  Not only did Hairston lead the Rockets, which were seeded #5 in the playoffs after finishing 5-4 in the regular season, to a 56-42 victory over the #1-seeded Nets in the semi-finals and to a 69-41 victory over the #2-seeded Spurs in the championship, but he also was the leading scorer with 19 points and leading rebounder with seven boards in the championship game en route to MVP honors in the playoffs.  Hairston was complemented in the championship game by 6'9 Jr James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC with 11 points and 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA with 10 points, but, even more important, was the way Morris once again neutralized Howard, who finished with only eight points, and 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI shut down 6'3 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'3 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, both of whom had been getting better and better as the camp wore on.  The leading rebounder in camp, as well as one of the best defensive players in camp was 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  However, Tangara finished ranked no higher than #31 on our list of the top 75 players in camp, because he also was one of the worst finishers in camp.   And another one of the worst finishers in camp - 6'9 Jr James May from Garner (H.S.) NC - didn't make the list at all, despite the fact he was the second leading scorer for his team in the championship game.  The most hardnosed player in camp, as well as the biggest overachiever in camp, was Michigan State-bound 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI.  As a matter of fact, Scott Skiles comparisons are in order.  Another one of the most relentless players, as well as one of the best rebounders in camp was 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL.  The most efficient player and the best playmaker in camp was 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL.  The player with the best physique and one of the biggest surprises to everybody else was 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI.  If you will recall, we have Gray ranked #72 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The biggest surprise to us was 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, who is ranked #225 natonally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   The player with the best attitude and, as a result, the most popular player in camp was 6'5 Soph Jose Garcia from Lynchburg (Holy Cross) VA.  The best athlete was 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria and the worst athlete was 6'9 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN.  The best 3-point shooter was 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX and the biggest disappointment was 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #8 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but finished ranked no higher than #56 in camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  The most overhyped player in camp was 6'4 Jr Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, who never would have gotten a second look, if Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports hadn't ranked him among the top 30 players in his class and if he hadn't signed with Kentucky a year ago.  Speaking of Gibbons, he deserves an A+ for inviting an incredible array of talent, as 62 of the 100-plus players in attendance will be ranked among our top 100 players in their class nationally when we update our national rankings within the next two weeks.  Not only did this provide us with a great preview for the summer, but in terms of the quality of talent from top to bottom in camp, this has to be the best collection of talent that has been assembled in years and a quick look at Johnson's final list of the top 75 players ranked in order based on performance in camp more than illustrates our point.  His list reads like this:   1) 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 2) 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 3) 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 4) 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 5) 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6) 6'5 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 7) 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 8) 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 9) 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 10) 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 11) 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 12) 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria, 13) 6'2 Jr Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 14) 6'6 Jr J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 15) 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 16) 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 17) 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 18) 6'6 Soph Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 19) 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 20) 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 21) 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 22) 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 23) 6'3 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 24) 6'3 Jr Marquie Cook from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, 25) 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 26) 7'1 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 27) 6'3 Jr Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 28) 6'4 Jr Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 29) 6'6 Jr Dwayne Day from Mount Vernon (Montgomery County) GA, 30) 6'9 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC, 31) 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 32) 6'7 Jr Glenn Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 33) 6'3 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 34) 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougerty) PA, 35) 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 36) 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 37) 6'7 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 38) 6'7 Jr Jeremis Smith from Ft Worth (Dunbar) TX, 39) 6'9 Jr Darnell Jackson from Oklahoma City (Northwest Classen) OK, 40) 6'3 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 41) 6'7 Jr Cameron Stanley from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC, 42) 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 43) 6'8 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, 44) 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (Wythe) VA, 45) 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 46) Peter Prowitt from Fairfax (Potomac) VA, 47) 6'8 Jr Alfred Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 48) 6'8 Jr James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 49) 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 50) 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 51) 6'9 Jr Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 52) 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 53) 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI, 54) 6'7 Jr Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 55) 6'8 Jr Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 56) 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 57) 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 58) 6'0 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, 59) 6'3 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA, 60) 6'6 Jr Tommy Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 61) 6'3 Jr Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, 62) 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, 63) 6'7 Jr Bambale Osby from Richmond (Benedictine) VA, 64) 6'6 Jr DeAaron Willams from Bartonville (Limestone Christian) IL, 65) 6'9 Jr Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA, 66) 6'8 Soph Laurynas Mikalouskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA, 67) 6'6 Jr Charlotte (Latin) NC, 68) 6'0 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 69) 6'8 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 70) 6'5 Jr Tom Hammonds from Crestview (H.S.) FL, 71) 6'9 Soph Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 72) 6'9 Jr Jarhon Giddings from Blacksburg (H.S.) VA, 73) 6'5 Soph Jose Garcia from Lynchburg (Holy Cross) VA, 74) 6'10 Jr David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, and 75) 6'6 Jr Marcus Monk from Lepanta (East Poinsett County) AR.  Editor's Note:  6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who is the #2-ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, played only on the first day at the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp and, as a result, was not considered for our ranking of the top 75 players in camp.  The word is that Jefferson had to leave early due to a death in the family.

Friday, June 20, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Jr Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH has picked Ohio State over Cincinnati and this is big for several reasons.  First, the addition of Terwilliger gives the Buckeyes the inside player they were looking to sign in this recruiting class.  Second, this proves that Buckeyes can still go anywhere in Ohio and land one of the top players in the state.  Remember, Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins is extremely tough to beat in both the Northeastern and Southern Part of the state, plus the Bearcats have established strong ties to the Troy High School program over the years.  Third, landing Terwilliger gives the the Buckeyes the momentum they need in their quest to bring in a great recruiting class that could potentially also include players like 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 5'10 Jr Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'8 Jr Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) OH, 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 C.J. Anderson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'7 Norman Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  We also understand that 6'2 Jr Ty Rogers from Eddyville (Lyon County) KY verbally committed to Western Kentucky earlier this week and 6'5 Jason Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH picked the University of Washington yesterday.  Some people may see the commitment by Smith as a sign that Huskies are not going to get 6'8 Jr Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and a top priority for Lorenzo Romar and his staff.  However, we disagree.   Remember, Smith is a perimeter player with good athleticism and 3-point shooting range and Williams is a physical specimen and great athlete out of the same mold as Glenn Robinson.  As a matter of fact, we'd be extremely surprised if the Huskies doesn't get both Williams and 6'5 Jr Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class.  Sure, Williams likes North Carolina head coach Roy Williams a lot, but, when it is all said and done, we'd be surprised if Williams goes to school 3000 miles from home. And, assuming we're right and the Huskies also get both Shipp and Williams, then their recruiting class would move up to #8 behind Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Iowa, Connecticut, Michigan, and Duke and ahead of Indiana, USC, Mississippi State, Louisville, Wisconsin, Memphis, Auburn, and North Carolina on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also would mean that the Huskies would be one of the better teams in league at the two, three, and four spots a year from now, because they also have 6'5 Tre Simmons from Odessa (JC) TX and 6'8 Hakeem Rollins form Mesa (JC) AZ already signed, sealed, and delivered in their current recruiting class.   Getting Rogers is a big catch for Western Kentucky, because he has the potential to develop into the same type of player that Patrick Sparks filled the last two years for the Hilltoppers.  In other words, we're talking about a point guard who is capable of putting up prolific numbers, as is evident by the fact that he's not only a great outside shooter, but also well on his way towards becoming one of the all-time leading scorers in the history of the state.  This is also is a perfect for Rogers, because he doesn't have the athleticism and the size physically to be a prime target of schools at the high major level, like Kentucky or Louisville.  But he does have the ability to play either guard spot, which means he should see plenty of playing time a year from now both along side of and as the back-up to 6'0 Antonio Haynes from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who signed with the Hilltoppers this spring.  We also were glad to see that 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) CT has taken his name out of the NBA Draft, which means that the University of Connecticut remains the team to beat next season in college basketball.   However, 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starksville (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, and 6'10 Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX keeping their names in NBA Draft means that Mississippi State's recruiting class drops to #12, Memphis' class drops to #73, and Arizona's class drops to #83 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  We also have an updated list for 6'9 Jr Walter Sharp from Birmingham (Parker) AL, which includes Auburn, Alabama, Florida State, and Mississippi, and we have confirmed that 6'4 Trey Pearson, who announced earlier this spring that he was transferring from Mississippi, as expected, has picked Murray State over schools like Austin Peay, Boston College, Penn State, and Arkansas State.  Pearson doesn't count with Murray State's recruiting class, because we don't include transfers when ranking recruiting classes, but, if we did the Racers' recruiting class would move up to #23 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Ironically, that's pretty close to the class, which is tied at #14, along with Syracuse and Kansas, that new Murray State head coach Mick Cronin helped Rick Pitino land this year at Louisville.  Also interesting is that fact that since getting the job three months ago Cronin has released 5'11 Dwayne Foreman from Apopka (H.S.) FL and 6'3 Terrick Willoughby from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, both of whom signed last fall with the Racers, from their scholarships and added three new players in Pearson, 6'7 Kelvin Brown from Ft. Scott (JC) KS, and 6'1 Adams Chiles from Vincennes (JC) IN.  However, Pitino has yet to hire somebody to replace Cronin.  

A quick look at the statistics after the first days (six games) at the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA backs up our rankings of the top 25 players in camp from yesterday, as the leading scorers in camp were 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA with 14.2 ppg, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX with 12.2 ppg, 6'8 Jr Michael Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL with 11.7 ppg, 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA with 11.3 ppg, 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA with 11.2 ppg, 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI with 10.7 ppg, 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ with 10.3 ppg, 6'1Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA with 10.2 ppg, 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS with 10.2 ppg, 6'3 Jr Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA with 10.0 ppg, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX with 9.8 ppg, 6'8 Jr James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD with 9.7 pgp, 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (Wythe) VA with 9.5 ppg, 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI with 9.5 ppg, 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS with 9.3 ppg, and 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS with 9.3 ppg and the leading rebounders in camp were 6'8 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC with 8.8 rpg, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX with 8.5 rpg, 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA with 6.7 rpg, 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA with 5.6 rpg, 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI with 4.8 rpg, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL with 4.7 rpg, 6'9 Jr Darnell Jackson from Midwest City (H.S.) OK with 4.7 rpg, 6'7 Jr Bombale Osby from Richmond (Benedictine) VA with 4.5 rpg, 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI with 4.5 rpg, 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS with 4.3 rpg, 6'9 Jr Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA with 4.3 rpg, 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH with 4.2 rpg, 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT with 4.0 rpg, 6'10 Jr Peter Prowitt from Fairfax (Potomac School) VA with 3.8 rpg, and 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO with 3.8 rpg.  In other words, our #1-ranked player (Howard) is the 4th leading scorer and 3rd leading rebounder, our #2-ranked player (Davis) is the leading scorer and 4th leading rebounder, and our #3-ranked player (Gibson) was the second leading scorer in camp.   However, after watching this morning's games, the race for top player honors in camp might be too close to call, as 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL was his usual self and 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA played 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwst Atlanta Christian) GA to a draw.  Also stepping up and playing well this morning were 6'3 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'3 Jr Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA,6'2 Jr Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.

HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis and HOOP SCOOP Ohio Editor Chris Johnson have been at all nine sessions through Friday evening of the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and have compiled a list of the top 65 players in camp ranked in order by position.  The top centers in camp are 1) 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 2) 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 3) 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 4) 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 5) 7'1 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 6) 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 7) 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 8) 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 9) 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 10) Peter Prowitt from Fairfax (Potomac) VA, 11) 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, 12) 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 13) 6'9 Jr Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA, and 14) 6'8 Soph Laurynas Mikalouskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA.  The top power forwards in camp are 1) 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 2) 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 3) 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 4) 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 5) 6'9 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC, 6) 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 7) 6'7 Jr Jeremis Smith from Ft Worth (Dunbar) TX, 8) 6'9 Jr Darnell Jackson from Oklahoma City (Northwest Classen) OK, 9) 6'9 Jr Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 10) 6'8 Jr Alfred Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 11) 6'8 Jr James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, and 12) 6'8 Jr Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL.   The top wing forwards in camp are 1) 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 2) 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 3) 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria, 4) 6'6 Soph Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 5) 6'7 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6) 6'6 Jr Dwayne Day from Mount Vernon (Montgomery County) GA, 7) 6'7 Jr Glenn Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 8) 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI, 9) 6'8 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, 10) 6'7 Jr Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 11) 6'6 Jr Tommy Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, and 12) 6'5 Jr Tom Hammonds from Crestview (H.S.) FL.  The top wing guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 2) 6'3 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 4) 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5) 6'6 Jr J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6) 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 7) 6'4 Jr Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 8) 6'3 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 9) 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (Wythe) VA, 10) 6'3 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA, 11) 6'3 Jr Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, and 12) 6'3 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  The top point guards in camp are 1) 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 2) 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 3) 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 4) 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 5) 6'3 Jr Marquie Cook from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, 6) 6'2 Jr Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 7) 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 8) 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 9) 6'3 Jr Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 10) 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougerty) PA, 11) 6'0 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, 12) 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 13) 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 14) 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, and 15) 6'0 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.

Thursday, June 19, 2003

We're still waiting for somebody to step up and become the dominant force in camp after the first two days at the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, but the top 25 players in camp in order, as ranked by HOOP SCOOP Editor & Publisher Clark Francis and HOOP SCOOP Ohio Editor Chris Johnson are as follows: 1) 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 2) 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 3) 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 4) 6'6 Jr J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5) 6'5 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6) 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7) 6'8 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 8) 6'8 Jr Michael Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 9) 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 10) 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 11) 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 12) 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL,13) 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 14) 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 15) 6'3 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 16) 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 17) 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 18) 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria, 19) 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 20) 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 21) 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (Wythe) VA, 22) 7'1 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 23) 6'6 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 24) 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seagoville) TX, and 25) 6'9 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC.  Most of these players have already well established their national reputations, but Guinbunda has been the surprise of the camp.  Not only does he score around basket and out to 15-feet, but this native of Africa rebounds, blocks shots, and does all the little things effect the game.  In other words, we're talking about a legitimate top 50-100 range junior nationally, as well as one of the biggest sleepers in the Class of 2004, as the summer camp season quickly approaches.  Guinbunda's list includes Virginia, Miami-FL, Boston College, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Villanova, and Vanderbilt, but, instead of being on of many of these schools "B" list, you can bet that he'll become a high priority for anybody looking for a quality inside player in this recruiting class.  Speaking of Africa, the other biggest sleeper in camp in camp is Adedoju, who combines athleticism, great defense, the ability to score both and outside, and great passing skills, as he showed us first hand why he made the all-tournament in the Junior World Championship in Douai, France last weekend.  And when you add Odia, who is one of the best point guards in camp, into the mix, as well as 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is originally from Mali and 6'5 Soph Jose Garcia from Lynchburg (Holy Cross) VA, who is originally from Angola, it easy to see why the strong African presence is one of the big stories in camp after the first two days.  We also find it interesting that the team with the two heaviest players in camp with Davis and 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S) OH, who weigh a combined 700-plus pounds is the only undefeated team in camp after six games.  Some of the biggest disappointments in camp in no particular order include Tangara, 6'7 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'4 Jr Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'9 Jr Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'6 Jr Marcus Monk from Lepanto (East Poinsett County) AR, 6'8 Jr James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'10 Jr Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT, 6'9 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Jr Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'8 Jr Alex Thompson from Ames (H.S.) IA, and 6'9 Soph Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA.  In other words, we aren't playing any favorites, as Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report have had Pruitt ranked as the #1 junior in Illinois for a long time, our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis is Tangara's legal guardian, Kurz had been touted by our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin as the best player in his area until recently, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis ranks Johnson #2 in the state in his class ahead of 5'10 Soph Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, and Williams is flat out just not good enough to play at Kentucky. 

If you know where you want to school, more often than not, it's best to go ahead and get it done.  And if you don't us, just ask our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson about 6'8 Warren Scott from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  If you will recall, Scott almost signed with Ole Miss last fall, but never pulled the trigger, had a mediocre senior season, and now the Rebels are out of scholarships.  As a matter of fact, the Rebels already have six players who count with the current recruiting class in 6'5 Marvin Moore from Southern Union (JC) AL, 6'6 Tommie Eddie from Coffeyville (JC) KS, 6'2, Ed Glass from Kaskaskia (JC) IL, 6'9 Byron Burnett from Southern Union (JC) AL, 6'1 Todd Abernathy from Indianapolis (Heritage Christian) IN, and 6'4 Jara Doyne from Little Rock (Mills) AR and that doesn't include 6'2 Mario Jointer from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, who signed with the Rebels last fall, but has to go back to junior college for another year due to a Southeastern Conference rule that prohibits a player from tranferring from a junior college into the league unless he's been at the same junior college at least three consecutive semesters.  Originally we thought Scott was going to end up as a non-qualifier at Louisiana-Lafayette, but he recently qualified academically and, as a result, now appears to want to go to the school that was his first choice all along.   However, it should come as now surprise that they Rebels no longer have a scholarship to give him, which means Scott must walk-on and pay his own way for at least a year.  But he does count with Mississippi's recruiting class, which now moves up to #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Another program that has done a lot better than most people realize in terms of recruiting this year is St. Peter's, which signed 6'6 Terrance Watkins from Globe Tech (JC) NY last fall and 6'5 Mark Curry from Globe Tech (JC) NY and 6'1 Shane Nichols from Radford (H.S.) VA this spring.  If you will recall, Watkins, who originally signed with Georgia Tech as a senior in high school, played for St. Peter's head coach Bob Leckie at Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY; Curry, who is best described as a undersized power forward at 6'5, 245 lbs, originally signed with Delaware as a high school senior at West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ; and Nichols, whose younger brother - 6'2 Jr Darris Nichols from Radford (H.S.) VA - is already verbally committed to West Virginia, combined with his brother to form one of the best backcourts in the Middle Atlantic States this past season.  And, if that weren't enough, Leckie also has 6'5 Ronald Yates, who transferred to St Peter's a year ago from Maryland-Baltimore County, waiting in the wings, plus a year from now he will also have 6'7 Jamie Sowers, who has transferred from Wichita State to St. Peter's, but must sit out next year season.  In other words, St. Peter's is suddenly becoming the place to go for players who have left the New York Metropolitan area, but later want to return home, as Yates, who is originally from Forest Hills (H.S.) NY, and Watkins are both from New York City and Curry and Sowers, who is originally from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, both played high school basketball at two of the top programs in North Jersey.  This should give Leckie most of the pieces to the puzzle to go along with 5'6 Frosh Keydren Clark, who was one of the top players in the league a year ago, as well become one of the teams to watch in the Metro Atlantic for the next years.  Speaking of St. Peter's and Keydren Clark, the former assistant coach at St. Peter's, Devon Smith, who recruited Clark, is now an administrative assistant at Ohio State and is one of the top young up-and-coming guys in the business.   And this is important, because Smith came in second to David Cason, who was the administrative guy at North Carolina, for one of the assistant coaching positions recently at Manhattan and he now appears to be one of the leading candidates for a similar position at Marshall, where Ron Jirsa was named as the new head coach last week.  We also look for James Madison assistant coach Ron Bradley to move into the spot that Jirsa occupied for several months at Clemson.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also confirms that Kent State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Issac Knight from Detroit (Crockett) MI, who is ranked #39 among power forwards in the junior class on the list that we just sent to Basketball Times and will be the foundation of our rankings of the top juniors nationally, which will be published next week.  What makes Knight so value are his incredible wing span and physical toughness, which he used to lead his high school to three wins (the last one was for the Detroit Public School League City Title) last year against Detroit (Renaissance) MI and the highly touted dynamic duo of 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston and 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford.  Johnson also tells us that the University of Portland has gotten 6'3 Samario Clancy from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH.  We're talking about a guy with a wing span that's almost as long as his older brother's - former USC power forward Sam Clancy, as well as better perimeter skills.  Unfortunately the younger Clancy didn't grow to 6'6 like his older brother and famous father, Sam Clancy, Sr, who is a former defensive lineman in the NFL, as well as a high school and college basketball legend in Pittsburgh, PA in the late 70's. 

Wednesday, June 18, 2003

The only no-shows at the NBA Players Association Top 100 High School Basketball Camp this week at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA were 6'2 Soph Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'8 Jr Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 5'11 Jr Charles White from Jackson (Provine) MS, and 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY and, as a result, this camp has the potential to be the best camp we've attended since the old days before Sonny Vaccaro and NIKE went separate ways and there was only one superstar oriented camp with most of the top players in the nation gathered in one place for almost a week.  Unfortunately the competitiveness that was present at the old NIKE ABCD Camp in Princeton, NJ is non-existent (at least in the opening day of camp) for several reasons.  First, back then the NIKE Camp was the only show in town and players weren't overexposed at as early a stage in their career, which meant the NIKE Camp was their big opportunity to earn their stripes, showcase their wares, and establish their national reputations.  Second, the NBA Players Association Camp puts more of emphasis on teaching than playing.  Third, a running clock and complete unit changes break-up the continuity  of the games and, as a result, make it more difficult for a player to get hot and play well for an extended period of time.  However, some players, like 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Jr Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'4 Soph Monte Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 7'0 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'8 Jr Michael Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'8 Jr Marquis Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 6'10 Jr Cornelio Guibunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'5 Jr Tom Hammond from Crestview (H.S.) FL, did play well enough to separate themselves from the rest of the players on the first day of camp earlier today.  Also of interest is the all recruiting information for the uncommitted players in camp, which was published in the media guide.  The list for 6'10 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH includes Dayton, Duquesne, Florida State, Miami-OH, North Carolina, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Wake Forest, and Xavier.  Villanova, Maryland, Charlotte, Georgia Tech, and La Salle are the top five for 6'6 Jr Dwayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC.  Princeton, Miami-FL, Davidson, and Tulane are the schools you have to beat for 6'6 Jr Jack Berry from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  Kansas, Tennessee, Memphis, N.C. State, Georgia, and Kentucky are the favorites for 6'7 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN.  David Burgess, the 6'10 junior center from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, likes UCLA, Louisville, Oregon, Gonzaga, Brigham Young, and Utah.  N.C. State, Ohio State, Auburn, Connecticut, and Seton Hall were mentioned by 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL.  The top schools for 6'3 Jr Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA are Duke, Florida State, Georgetown, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan State, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Virginia.  UNC-Wilmington, Richmond, James Madison, Old Dominion are the favorites for 6'9 Jr Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA.  A source who works with Squirebball.com tells us that 6'7 Jr Glen Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC is close to making a verbal commitment to Missouri.  However, the Tigers weren't on the list that Dandridge provided for the camp.  Instead, Dandridge's list included Wisconsin, Indiana, Richmond, Arkansas, and Charlotte.  LSU and Miami-FL are the two favorites for 6'9 Jr Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, but football probably will be his sport, because he is rated as the nation's best defensive lineman.  Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Mississippi, Mississippi State, and N.C. State are all in the hunt for 6'6 Jr Dwayne Day from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA.  Clemson, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Duke, Florida, and Charlotte are the favorites for 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC.  N.C. State, Cincinnati, Miami-FL, and James Madison lead for 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (Wythe) VA.  It's a six-team race among Clemson, Connecticut, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Stanford for 6'2 Jr Zam Fredrick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC.  Connecticut, Miami-FL, UTEP, Seton Hall, Rutgers, N.C. State, Virginia, Villanova, and St. John's were the schools mentioned by 6'6 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  The early list for 6'5 Soph Jose Garcia from Lynchburg (Holy Cross) VA includes N.C. State, North Carolina, Florida State, and Princeton.  Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and UNC-Wilmington are the favorites for 6'8 Jr Jarhon Giddings from Blacksburg (H.S.) VA.  Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Florida State, and South Carolina are the leaders for 6'1 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  It's really just a two-horse race between Missouri and Illinois for 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florrisant (Hazelwood Central) MO, but he also mentions Kansas, Arkansas, and Illinois.  The leaders for 6'10 Cornelio Guibunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT are Virginia, Miami-FL, Boston College, Georgetown, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Villanova, and Vanderbilt.  Ohio State is believed to be the favorite for 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, but Arizona, UCLA, Michigan State, N.C. State, Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, and Indiana also get mentioned.  Connecticut, Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Georgia Tech are knocking at the door of 6'5 Jr Tom Hammonds from Crestview (H.S.) FL, who is the son of former Georgia Tech All-American Tom Hammonds.  The early list for 6'4 Soph Roy Hinson from Lake Mary (H.S.) FL includes Miami-FL, North Carolina, and Arizona.  Florida State, Michigan, Ohio State, Rutgers, and Xavier were mentioned by 6'8 Jr Alfred Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, but don't rule out Miami-FL.  Remember, Horford's father is a Hurricane alumnus.  Kansas, Missouri, Florida, Florida State, Arizona State, and Arkansas were mentioned by 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX.   N.C. State, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida were on the list provided by 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA.  The favorites for 6'9 Jr Darnell Jackson from Midwest City (H.S.) OK are Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Purdue.  Alabama, Wake Forest, Kentucky, and Birmingham Southern appear to be the ones you have to beat for 6'11 Jr Tomas Janusauka from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  Arizona, Arkansas, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech all are in the hunt for 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX.   Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, Florida State, Georgetown, Duke, and Kansas are the leaders for 6'11 Jr Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL.  Now that 6'3 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA has reneged on San Diego, his three favorites are Minneosta, Kansas State, and Wichita State.  The leaders for 6'9 Jr Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) WA are California, Gonzaga, Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford.  Bradley, Illinois, Kentucky, Oklahoma, St. Louis, and UNLV were mentioned by 6'4 Jr Tommie Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) MO.  Duke, Illinois, Florida, and Arizona are the four finalists for 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL.  The list for 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA includes Connecticut, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Xavier, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Villanova, and Syracuse.  The favorites for 6'1 Jr Troy Mathis from Laurinburg (Charter) NC are Connecticut, Arkansas, Memphis, Xavier, Nebraska, and Missouri.  The tri-favorites 6'8 Jr James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC are Virginia, South Carolina, and N.C. State.  Virginia, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest are on the list of 6'8 Jr Laurynas Mikalouskas from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA.   Brigham Young, Connecticut, Gonzaga, New Mexico, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State, and Wyoming are the ones you have to beat for 6'10 Jr Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT.  Duke, Kentucky, LSU, and UCLA were mentioned for 6'6 Soph Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, but the smart is on LSU because Mitchell's Godfather is Tigers assistant coach Butch Pierre.  Arkansas is the favorite for 6'6 Jr Marcus Monk from Lepanto (East Poinsett County) AR, but he also has Oklahoma, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Stanford, and Boston College on his list.  Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Florida State, and Arizona were the five schools mentioned by 6'11 Jr Randolph Morris from Lilburn (Landmark Christian) GA.   The list for 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ includes Oregon, Arizona State, Louisville, Illinois, and Arizona.  N.C State, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Charlotte are all involved with 6'6 Jr Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC.  The early list for 6'6 Soph Fendi Onobun from Taylor (H.S.) TX includes Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina.  Duke, Michigan State, and Stanford made the early list of 5'10 Soph Chris Parker from Chicago (Latin) IL.  Indiana, Wisconsin, Marquette, Xavier, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa are all in the hunt for 6'2 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  Louisville, Kentucky, and Indiana were mentioned by 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY.  The three favorites of 6'2 Jr Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC are North Carolina, Connecticut, and Syracuse.  The final four for 6'9 Jr Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL appear to be Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and UAB.   Louisville is no longer believed to be involved with 6'6 Jr Earl Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, but the Cardinals head a list that includes Pittsburgh, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Duke.  The early favorites for 6'6 Soph Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN are Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and Duke.  Arizona, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Florida, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, Maryland, Tennessee, and Virginia are all in the hunt for 6'2 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  The list for 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC includes Arizona, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Duke, Michigan, Louisville, USC, and Memphis.  The four finalist for 6'5 Jr Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA includes Oregon, USC, Indiana, and Connecticut.  Charles Thomas, the 6'8 junior power forward from Jackson (Lanier) MS, likes LSU, Oklahoma, and Florida State.  After reneging on San Diego, it looks like 6'1 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA is wide open again, as he mentions Kansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, San Francisco, San Diego, UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, Missouri, and Tulsa.  Indiana, Charlotte, Georgia, La Salle, and Pittsburgh are showing in interest in 6'7 Jr Deron Williams from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  Indiana is believed to be a near lock for 6'8 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, but he also mentions Florida, Mississippi State, Alabama, Auburn, and North Carolina.   DePaul, Illinois, Indiana, Marquette, Missouri, and Wisconsin make up the list for 6'6 Jr DeAaron Williams from Bartonville (Limestone) IL.   The early favorites for 6'2 Soph Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA are Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State. 

Tuesday, June 17, 2003

It's a good thing the University of Minnesota does not subscribe to the HOOP SCOOP, because, if they did, they probably would cancel their subscription due to the fact we've been amazingly inaccurate in terms of what we thought would happen with their recruiting.  If you will recall, we didn't think there was any way that Minnesota would beat Arizona two years ago for Rick Rickert.   Rickert did orginally verbally commit to the Wildcats, but, in the end, he changed his mind and instantly became one of the top players in the Big-10, as well as the go-to-guy for the Golden Gophers.  We also said last fall that there was no way 6'3 Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who originally verbally committed to California, but later found out he didn't have the necessary grades to get into school, sign with Minnesota.  However, that's exactly what happened.  Even more recently we reported that 6'8 Dennis Latimore, who was transferring from Arizona this spring, was pretty much a done deal for the Golden Gophers, but that didn't happened either, as Latimore instead picked Notre Dame.  So with all this in mind it should come as no surprise that 6'8 Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN picked Minnesota yesterday.  Remember, when it was announced about a month ago that Humphries had reneged on his commitment to Duke, we thought he was a near lock to attend Indiana.  However, it appears that Humphries wanted to remain close to home, plus he wanted to be able to walk in and be the star right away.  And, with Rickert already have signed with an agent and having entered his name into the NBA Draft, this appears to be a perfect fit, because  Humphries is not only a great players, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he also should provide the same type of inside/outside game that Rickert has given the Golden Gophers during the last two years.  This late addition also moves the Golden Gophers recruiting class into at tie at #44, along with Minnesota, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And more help is on the way in the future, as they also have 6'9 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN and 6'3 Jr Miles Webb from Brooklyn Park (Park-Center) MN, who are the top two juniors in the state, already verbally committed in next year's recruiting class.  So suddenly any doubts about whether Minnesota head coach Dan Monson and his staff can keep the top talent at home have been put to rest.  In sharp contrast to our poor track record with regards to Minnesota's recruiting, it looks like we were right on the money about the early verbal commitment that 6'1 Soph Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ made to Memphis three weeks ago not holding up.  However, we didn't expect Price to take it back so soon.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jr Josh Smith from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'7 Jr DayShaun Wright from Syracuse Fowler) NY, 6'2 Jr Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'5 Soph Casey Rivers from Charlotte (Independence) NC, and a 6'11 sophomore from the Senegal are all supposed to enroll at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this fall.  If the sophomore from the Senegal is as good as 6'11 Jules Camara, 6'9 Abdou Diame, and 7'0 DeSagana Diop, all three of whose footsteps he's following in, then Steve Smith, who has been the head coach Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA since the mid-80's, could have potentially his best team ever.  He also would have a recruiting class that is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And Smith isn't done yet, as 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA and 6'1 Soph Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY also are thinking about transferring to Oak Hill.   One player who won't be attending Oak Hill is 6'5 Soph Brandon Rush from Kansas City (Westport) MO and part of this probably has to do with the fact that Rush has been reclassified as a sophomore and, as a result, won't be able to attend Oak Hill when he's a 5th year senior two years from now.  Remember, Smith doesn't allow 5th year players on his team in order to comply with the National High School Association rules and regulations, which is a must if he wants his team to be eligible to compete for the high school national championship every year.  Getting back to Rivers, don't be surprised if this lefty who can shoot the lights out make an early verbal commitment fairly soon to Wake Forest.  And, if this happens, the Demon Deacons will have nine freshmen and sophomores in the program with Justin Gray, Eric Williams, Trent Strickland, Chris Ellis, and Richard Joyce, 6'0 Chris Paul from Clemmons (West Forsyth) NC, 6'3 Jeremy Ingram from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'9 Todd Hendley from Sanford (Lee County) NC, and 6'11 Kyle Visser from Grand Rapids (Forest Hills Central) MI; 6'6 Jr Cameron Stanley from Raleigh (Milbrook) NC already verbally committed for next year; and Rivers and 6'7 Soph Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC already on boards in the Class of 2005.   In other words, Wake Forest would only have one more scholarship available during the next two years, which means the Demon Deacons are exclusively recruiting freshmen and sophomores. 

Saturday, June 14, 2003, Sunday, June 15, 2003, & Monday, June 16, 2003

Have you ever heard of 6'4 Jr Santonio Spring from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC?  Neither had we until last night when we saw him score 23 points in the Orange-White All-Star Classic at Five-Star's Hampden-Sydney, VA.  However, Spring was one of the most impressive players in the game, along with 6'2 Jr Brian Roberts from Toledo (St. John's) OH, 6'8 Soph Lauris Mikalauskas from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 5'11 Jr D.J. Fritz from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'2 Jr Houston Power from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'6 Frosh DeJuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Soph Zach Hillesland from Toledo (St. John) OH, 6'4 Jr Chase Kosterlitz from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, and 6'8 Jr David Weaver from Swannanga (Charles D. Owens) NC.  Spring looks like a big time slasher/athlete, but he's more like a deer learning to run when he tries to take somebody off the dribble, as he's extremely raw and limited in terms of his understanding the game.  However, that doesn't stop him from being a pretty good outside shooter, as was evident by the fact that his shot looks good and he hit three trifectas in the all-star game.  Also scoring 23 points and taking home all-star game MVP honors was 6'0 Jr Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, but that doesn't mean we're sold on him yet.  Sure, Jalloh is tough to stop when he decides to go the hole and he did hit several 3-pointers last night, but he's also extremely inconsistent and more often than not doesn't make good decisions.  Instead, the point guard that we liked best was Roberts.  Not only does he have good ball handling and passing skills, an excellent feel for the game, great body control, explosive quickness and athleticism, and a silky smooth demeanor, but he can shoot the three and is a tremendous competitor.   In other words, his #10 ranking in the state by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson and his #290 national ranking by the HOOP SCOOP are both way too low.  As a matter of fact, Roberts has the talent and potential necessary to be a legitimate top 100 player nationally in the junior class, if he gets bigger and stronger.   Mikalauskas scored 19 points and got his share of rebounds in the all-star game, but he still wasn't a dominant force inside.  But that should come in time once he becomes more comfortable with the American Game.  We especially liked the way Mikalauskas competes, plus he's mobile enough and a good enough 3-point shooter to step out and play some way from the basket.  Fritz apparently ran the show and made his better teammates all week.  However, he impressed us with his reckless abandon, ability to shoot the three, and get to the hole in the all-star game.  Power is a lefty who can shoot the lights out, but he's too slow to play very high at the Division I level.  Brown is a tweener right now, but he has excellent hands, huge feet, surprisingly mobility, and several more years to grow.  And, if that happens, look out, because he's already a warrior inside.  Hillesland needs to get a lot stronger physically, but we're talking about an athletic white kid with long arms, a soft shooting touch, and nice moves to the hole.  Kosterlitz also is a great competitor with a great nose for the ball, the ability to rebound well for his size, and do more than just keep you honest from beyond the arc.   Weaver doesn't have the strength and the skills necessary to put up prolific numbers right now, but he's an excellent shot blocker, good rebounder and defender, and quick off his feet around the basket.  The two players who did not live up expectations in the Orange-White All-Star Classic were 6'4 Jr Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and 6'2 Jr Jr Stanley Hodge form Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  But it appears that Hodge has an excuse, because he's out of shape.  Hurd was simply a lot better when we saw him playing for the Houston Westside All-Stars on numerous occasions earlier this spring.   We also have to mention the Orange-White Classic MVP's from the NCAA and the NIT Divisions, because in both cases 6'4 Frosh Omar Carter from Charlotte (Phillip O'Berry) NC and 5'10 8th Grader Jeffrey Peterson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD were playing against guys a year older.   In addition to Carter, some of the other top players in the NCAA were 6'4 Soph Darrell Johnson from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'3 Soph Damion Dias from Kissimmee (Osceola) FL, 6'4 Soph Pat McCandies from Winston-Salem (Parkland) NC, and 6'4 Frosh Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  The best players, along with Peterson, in the NIT were 5'9 Frosh D'Juan Thurmond from North Augusta (H.S.) GA, 5'9 Frosh Devon Barnett from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'5 7th Grader Martez Walker from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, and 5'8 7th Grader Kevin Whaley from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Jr Albert Weber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior class nationally, has made a verbal commitment to the University of Alabama, which means the Crimson Tide is loading up on perimeter players in next year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, Alabama already has landed 6'7 John Felix from Bevill State (JC) AL, who is expected to be one of the top five junior college players in the nation next year,  and 6'2 Jr Ronald Steele from Birmingham (John Carroll) AL, who is one of the top point guards in the South, and, as a result, the Crimson Tide's recruiting class currently is ranked #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And we think it's only a matter of time before Alabama also lands 6'4 Jr Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, which would move their recruiting class up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, unless Arkansas, which currently has the #2-ranked class, gets 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX.  Speaking of Horton, who is ranked #8 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, .he made an official visit over the weekend to Fayetteville, AR and we believe the Razorbacks are one of the top three schools on his list, along with Missouri and Florida.  And the race for top the top recruiting class in the Southeastern Conference next year may continue to be almost too close to call for some time, because Arkansas also is going to be tough to beat for 6'7 Jr Marcus Monk from Lapento (East Poinsette) AR and 6'8 Taj Gray from Redland (JC) OK and Alabama should not be counted out for either 6'9 Jr Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL or 6'9 Jr. D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL.  If it's up to White, it's already a done deal for Indiana, as is evident by the fact that he was telling his teammates in Europe last week that the Hoosiers are going to be really good when he arrives on campus a year from now.  However, Alabama still has a shot to turn the tide if Mark Gottfried and his staff can sell White's parents on the importance of staying close to home and seeing their son play all the time.  But, even if they aren't able to pull of the upset and get White, the Alabama program still should in great shape for years to come, as the current recruiting class has plenty of size with 6'10 Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'9 Jemario Davidson from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, and 6'10 Shawn Taylor from Perry (H.S.) GA and the final piece to the puzzle will like be 6'8 Soph Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #8 in the Class of 2005 by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, Hendrix has two older sisters who graduated from Alabama and his father, who also is his high school coach, has been taking Hendrix to Alabama games since he was a little kid.  And the strong ties to the school don't stop there, as Hendrix's aunt (his father's sister) was one of the first black students ever to attend and graduate from the school.   We also have confirmed that 6'7 Andre Patterson is transferring from UCLA to Fresno State and that Tim Doyle is transferring from St. John's to Northwestern, which is a major coup of the Wildcats.  And another major coup would be if the Wildcats could get 6'3 Jr Matt Sargeant from Huntington Beach (Oceanview) CA.  Right now Northwestern appears to be the school to beat for this athletic white who can shoot the lights out and gets better every time we see him, but Stanford, Princeton, UC-Santa Barbara, and Colorado also must be mentioned.  We also think Northwestern would be a perfect fit for 6'3 Soph Bobby Frasur from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'7 Soph Mike Davis from Chicago (Gordon Tech) IL, 6'1 Soph Bryan Mullins from Downers Grove (H.S.) IL, and 6'3 Soph Sead Odfic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, who are the nucleus of that loaded Illinois Wolves 16-under team that won their age group in the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions three weeks ago.  As a matter of fact, the Illinois Wolves are so well coached and fundamentally sound that they remind us of the teams that Northwestern head coach Bill Carmody helped recruit and won with over the years at Princeton.  We also are waiting to see what 6'9 Jr Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH, who is ranked #2 in the state by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, is going to do.  Actually we thought an official annoucement would be forthcoming late last week, but apparently there is some division in the family with regards to where Terwilliger should go.  Terwilliger is leaning towards Cincinnati, but his parents are pushing Ohio State.  So it should come as no surprise that the family decided to put some distance between themselves and the recruiting process by going on vacation for a week.  Perhaps a decision will be forthcoming when they get back later this week, but hopefully they won't be pressured into doing something prematurely.  After all, where you go to college often is one of the most important decisions of your life. 

Friday, June 13, 2003

We finally caught up with our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis whose team, which included 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'9 Jr Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jr Daniel Northern from Warner Robins (Houston County) GA, 6'6 Jr Jawaan McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 5'9 Frosh Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, and 6'3 Jr Tramel Wooten from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA, finished a disappointing third place in the Junior World Championship in Douai, France last weekend.  Believe it or not White and Gibson were running neck-and-neck in the race for tournament MVP honors, but they both were lost for the remainder of the tournament on separate plays due to injuries early in the United State's 103-101 semi-finals lost to Nigeria.  Instead, McClellan and Boone were named to the five-man all-tournament team, but the guy who really almost stepped up and save the day was 5'9 Frosh Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, as he led the United States team in scoring with 19 points versus Nigeria.  Wise was brought as insurance in case something happened to Gibson, but he made big shots and played great throughout the tournament.  As a matter of fact, Wise played such an important role that Davis isn't sure that his team would have finished any higher than 7th in the touranment without him.  The United States won their first game agaisnt Slovenia, 59-46, thanks primarily to the efforts of Harris and Gibson, who combined for 38 of their team's 59 points.  They also won their second game against Belguim, 91-62, as Gibson took home high scoring honors with 21 points, followed by White with 19 points, Mike Crane with 15 points, Dozier with 12 points and Boone with 10 points, and their third game against Venezuela, 62-52, as White was the leading scorer with 17 points, followed by Aldridge with 14 points and 12 points.  Complementing Wise in the semi-finals loss to Nigeria were McClellan with 18 points, Harris with 16 points, Aldridge with 12 points, and Boone with 12 points.  McClellan also came up big in their third place 99-97 win against Poland, as he was the leading scorer with 28 points, followed by Wise with 25 points, Aldridge with 16 points, and Dozier with 10 points.  In addition to McClellan and Boone, the five-man all-tournament team included 6'4 Adepoju Nurudeen from Nigeria, who finished with 29 points in their game against the United States; 5'10 Jure Mocnik from Slovenia, who reminds Davis of former Duke All-American Bobby Hurley; and 6'8 Wojciech Barycz from Poland, who appears to be the combination forward that is ideally suited to fill the needs of Rick Stansbury at Mississippi State.  And it's funny we mention this, because Davis also is telling us that Barycz is already slatted to be the replacement for 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, if Outlaw doesn't take his name out of the NBA Draft by June 19th.  In other words, it looks like Stansbury has been able to keep this one under the radio screen until now, as to our knowledge nobody else in the business has reprorted this, which makes the fact that Barycz counts with the Bulldogs current recruiting class and plans to enroll at Mississippi State this fall a major scoop.  However, the connection is obvious, because 6'9 Michal Ignerski, who graduated from Mississippi State this spring, is also originally from Poland.  Davis tells us that Barycz isn't as athletic as Outlaw, but he shoots it just as well from outside, is tougher inside, and potentially almost as good.  So it should come as no surprise that Mississippi State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Detrick Slater from Waynesboro (Wayne County) MS, moves up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And, if Outlaw doesn't take his name out of the NBA Draft, the Bulldogs' recruiting class won't drop any further than where it previously was ranked at #12 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   Not only did Mocnik lead Slovenia to the championship over Nigeria, but he helped his team beat the United States team in an exhibition game, which didn't count, on the first day of the tournament.  We're talking about one of the best defensive point guards Davis has ever seen, as he used his incredible footwork to get in front of any guard who decided to penetrate.  And, if you don't believe it just ask Wise, who fouled out twice, and Gibson, who had four fouls both times he played against him.  Davis also points out that this would have been his best team ever if 6'10 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, who as a no-show, had made the trip.   "If we'd had Johnson, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have won the tournament," says Davis.  We also find it interesting that 6'11 Amadou Traore, who is the next in a long line of players that Davis has helped come to the United States, plans to enroll at Southern Idaho (JC) ID this fall and then at Lamar University as part of the Class of 2005.  In other words, it didn't take new Lamar assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, who is expected be the heir apparent to new Cardinal head coach Billy Tubbs in two years, to land his first recruit.  Obviously the connection here is the fact that 6'4 Anthony Rice and 6'10 Almamy Thiero, both of whom are currently at Memphis, both played for Davis in the Georgia Elite club team program and, as a result, there obviously has been a lot of trust built up in recent years between Roccaforte and Davis.   And this is pretty big, because we're talking about a 6'11, 235 lbs center who averaged 19 ppg and 15 rpg while playing for his country's 19-Under National Team, which should make him one of the best incoming junior college freshmen in the nation next year, as well as an absolute steal for the Cardinals.  Speaking of Davis' former players, we also understand that 6'4 Rashaad Carruth will be back at Indian Hills (JC) IA next season and then he will have two years to play at four year Division college, if he graduates a year from now.  And, if that happens, it's our guess that Davis will stash Carruth at someplace like the University of Georgia, because it's close to home, but still far enough away from the big city influences that have gotten him into trouble in the past.  We also continue to hear that Alabama and Nebraska are showing the most interest in 6'9 Brandon Bender from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, but to-date we have not heard one word about who is recruiting 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Wabash Valley (JC) IL.  

Thursday, June 12, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Jr Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH, who is the #2-ranked player in the state behind 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, may make his college decision known publicly as soon as tomorrow.  As a matter of fact, Terwilliger made last minute unofficial visits to both Cincinnati and Ohio State earlier this week and, as a result, the smart money is on the Bearcats and the Buckeyes, although Notre Dame should also not be ruled out.  Remember, the Irish recently landed 6'8 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, but they missed out on 6'5 Jr David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT when he recently verbally committed to Duke.  If Terwilliger picks the Bearcats, that would mean that Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins would have both the #1 and the #2-ranked juniors in the state already in the fold, plus it would move their recruiting class into a tie at #10, along with Mississippi State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  In other words, the rebuilding job that Huggins and his staff have been undergoing could be almost complete, as their current recruiting class, which includes 6'10 Robert Whaley from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'4 Nick Williams from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'8 Mike Pilgrim from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'9 Asrangue Souleymane from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, is tied with Florida's class at #19 our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003, plus they also have 6'7 James White, who transferred from Florida to Cincinnati last fall, waiting in the wings.  If Terwilliger picks Ohio State, it could be the beginning of one of the best recruiting classes that Ohio State has ever had, as the Buckeyes appear to be the odds-on-favorite for 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who will be one of the top five juniors in the nation when we update our rankings later in the month; the leader for 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL and 5'10 Jr Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, who are two of the top ranked point guard in the junior class nationally; and one of the favorites for players like 6'8 Jr Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) OH, and 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Ohio State is still very much in the hunt for players like 6'5 C.J. Anderson from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, who is going the prep school route at Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'7 Norman Plummer from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who already was a 5th year player last season, but plans to attend prep school for another year next season at Chatham (Hargrave Miliitary) VA.  Our California Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'5 Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills) CA, who recently reneged on his commitment to USC, is making an official visit to California; that 6'9 Sean Phaler from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who recently was offered his release by UCLA, is considering Oregon, USC, San Diego State, New Mexico, and UC-Irvine; and that 6'5 Jr Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA likes Washington, Stanford, USC, and Louisville.  Our guess is that Shipp will pick the Huskies.  Louisville doesn't have a need for wing player after getting a verbal commitment last week 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, USC is already loaded at the 2-guard spot with the Stewart twins in the current recruiting class and 6'3 Jr Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA already having made an early verbal commitment for next year, and Stanford may prove to be more difficult to get into than Shipp and his family realize. While Shipp will provide Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar will lots of firepower on the perimeter, the big prize for the Huskies would be 6'9 Jr Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA.  Right now it appears to be a three-horse race among Arizona, Washington, and North Carolina, but, if Romar and his staff can pull this one off, it would be one of the biggest recruits coups of the entire year.   Sure, Washington has to beat two of the premier programs in college basketball with two of the top head coaches in the history of the game in Lute Olson and Roy Williams, but nobody does a better job of building a relationship with a player and those close to him than Romar.  Obviously this would give the Washington program the momentum that it needs to get most of the top players in their backyard to stay at home in the future.  It also would instantly make the Huskies one of the better teams in the Pac-10 Conference, because Williams has a great combination of skills, power, drive, and athleticism, which is why he is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and reminds us in many ways of a young Glenn Robinson.   We also were wrong when we assumed that Indiana would not continue to pursue 6'4 Jr Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA after they recently landed both 6'5 Jr Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN and 6'6 Jr James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN.  Apparently the odds are against Vaden and Hardy both making in academically and, as a result, one or both could end up in prep school year after next.  In contrast, Taylor is an excellent student and so is 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI.   In other words, it looks like Indiana head coach Mike Davis is playing it smart by continuing to recruit top level talent, like Taylor, Hairston, 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'9 Jr Josh Smith from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, and not worrying about sorting it all out until later.   Remember, a year ago, Indiana was involved with most of the top players in the Class of 2003, but didn't land any of them, unless 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is currently ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picks the Hoosiers over Iowa State and Minnesota. 

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson has confirmed that Mississippi State has received a verbal commitment from 6'8 Jr Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who will be ranked #4 in the state's loaded junior class behind 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'5 Jr Robert Clark from Jackson (Lanier) MS and ahead of 5'11 Jr Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS and 6'9 Jr Christian Marshall from Jackson (Wingfield) MS when we publish Johnson's rankings of the top players in the state in each class later this month.  This is huge for Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury for a number of reasons.  First, Rhodes will give Mississippi State the versatile athletic inside/outside player to complement 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS and 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, if he's smart enough to take his name out of the NBA Draft within the next week, for years to come.  Second, Rhodes moves the Bulldogs' recruiting class up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   If you will recall, earlier this spring Mississippi State also got an verbal commitment from White and, if Rhodes plays well at the NBA Players Association Camp next week and they both play well this summer, they both may move even higher than the 40-70 range, which is where we will have them both ranked when we update our rankings of the top players in the Class of 2004 later this month.  Third, it once again reaffirms that the fact that Stansbury and his staff, which includes Phil Cunningham and Robert Kirby, do an excellent job of evaluating talent and getting the top players in their backyard.  Fourth, this gives the Bulldogs an even stronger tie into the Jackson (Lanier) MS program, which already has sent several players, including Tang Hamilton and T.J. Billups, to Mississippi State.  And this could be extremely important down the road, because the best player that Lanier head coach Thomas Billups has ever had promises to be 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS.  Currently Ellis is ranked #4 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is a top priority for the Bulldogs, although Johnson tells us that Oklahoma, Auburn, Alabama, Indiana, Connecticut, and Minnesota are also showing a lot of early interest.  And, if Stansbury pulls this off, he also could an incredible backcourt several year from now.  Remember, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who counts towards Mississippi State's current recruiting class, which is ranked #12 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003, is ranked #4 on our list of the top 5th year players and White was named the Player-of-the-Year in Mississippi this spring over Jefferson, Outlaw, Butler, Ellis, et al.  Johnson also tells us that right now it appears that LSU is the favorite for Thomas over schools like Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Connecticut and that Alabama and Ole Miss are the two you have to beat from Clark.  Johnson also tells us that Alcorn State landed 6'8 Juan Wyatt from Fayette (Jefferson County) MS, 6'5 Trey Johnson from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, 6'8 James Kendrick from Terry (H.S.) MS, and 6'4 Patrick Horton from Terry (H.S.) MS, plus he adds four additional players to the one who is already listed with Jackson State on our list of Recent Commitments and Signings.  The player who was already on our list was 6'0 Antonio Parker from San Francisco (JC) CA, who also happens to be the brother of 6'3 Darius Parker from Oakland (H.S.) CA and the junior college teammate of 6'9 Michael Travis from San Francico (JC) CA, both of whom also signed with Jackson State this spring.  And, if Travis' name sounds familar, it should, because he signed with Texas Tech last fall, but later was granted a release, because he was not good enough to play at that level.  However, he should be a steal for Jackson State, as well as an excellent complement inside to 7'2 Shane King from North Lake (JC) TX and 6'7 James Williams from Piney Woods (H.S.) MS, both of whom also signed with the Tigers this spring.  Speaking of King, he not only has good hands and feet, the ability to run the floor and block shots, and decent offensive skills, but he also promises to be the first white player to play basketball at Jackson State, which has been historically a black school. 

Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 5'11 Tony Tate from Globe Tech (JC) NY has made it official for Florida A&M.  His name also probably sounds familiar, because he was ranked among the top players in the nation when he was a freshman and sophomore in high school at Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  However, he didn't improve and blew his knee out as a senior in high school, which explains why he had to go the junior college route.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that he joins a recruiting class that already includes 6'1 Eddie Withers from Seminole (JC) OK, who was the #2-ranked point guard in the nation by the Lindy Pre-Season Basketball Magazine; 6'8 Michael Harper from Tallahassee (JC) FL, and 6'9 Tony Marajo from Palm Beach (JC) FL and, as a result, now moves into a tie at #94, along with Miami-OH on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Simplice Njoya, who averaged 7.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg and started 26 of 30 games last year for Duquesne, is transferring to the University of Memphis.  We find this is interesting, because the Tigers are already extremely well stocked with a lot of good young players.  Sure, 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX will probably keep his name in the NBA Draft, but the Tigers already have 6'5 Soph Billy Richmond, 6'4 Soph Anthony Rice, 6'9 Soph Duane Erwin, 6'8 Soph Arthur Barclay, 6'3 Frosh Jeremy Hunt, 6'7 Frosh Rodney Carney, 6'9 Frosh Almamy Thiero, and 6'0 Frosh Clyde Wade in the program, plus they also have 6'7 Sean Banks from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Ivan Lopez from Norfolk (Ryan Academy) VA, and 6'7 Keena Young from Beaumont (Ozen) TX in their current recruiting class, as well as 6'0 Jr Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who is the #3-ranked junior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, already verbally committed in the Class of 2004.  Wade doesn't count as a scholarship player, but Njoya will, which means the Tigers only have one more scholarship available, unless something unforeseen happens, like Washington follows in the footsteps of Perkins and enters the NBA Draft a year from now or somebody flunks out of school, transfers, or doesn't enroll.  Obviously this puts Memphis into a very enviable position, because they can be very selective with what they do with their last scholarship.  Our guess is that it will go to either 6'8 Jr Shawn Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN or 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, but, if by some chance they can get them both, Tigers head coach John Calipari would be faced with a very tough decision.   We also understand that N.C. State assistant coach and former long time Ohio University head coach Larry Hunter is now the leading candidate for the Marshall job over Kentucky assistant coach David Hobbs and Tulane head coach Shawn Finney.  Ironically, it looked like Finney was going to get the job two days ago, but now that the scare about de-emphasizing the entire Green Wave athletic program has passed, he has no plans to leave Tulane, despite the fact the contract that Marshall was reported to be offering was in the $250,000-$300,000 per year range.  It also appears that Eastern Kentucky assistant coach John Brannen, who is one of the bright young guys in the business, will be hired to round out the new staff at St. Bonaventure, which is potentially one of the best new staffs in college basketball.  Did you know that new Bonnies head coach Anthony Solomon also has hired Marion (Tabor Academy) MA head coach David First and University of Charleston (WV) head coach Jayson Gee?  First compiled an impressive 257-97 record in seven years at Tabor Academy and, as a result, is currently ranked #26 on our list of the top high school/prep school coaches in the nation.   However, the relationship that Solomon established with First while recruiting his star player (Torin Francis) two years ago for Notre Dame probably was the reason why First got hired.  Gee compiled a 160-55 record with six-20-win seasons and four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances at the University of Charleston in Charleston, WV.  We also find it interesting that former Marshall head coach Greg White is moving into the void created by Gee when he left recently to join the staff at St. Bonaventure.  Solomon and his staff also have worked quickly this spring, as they have landed 7'0 Yabuka Camara from Moberly (JC) MO, 6'2 Kern Carter from Toronto, ON, and 6'6 Andy Smith from Henderson (Kerr Vance) NC and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #140 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2003

It looks like Hal Pastner is at it again.  If you will recall, Pastner took over the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV last spring and overnight transformed it from a mediocre tournament into a smashing success, as the field included over 270 teams playing in over 700 games during a five-day period.  The field had a Senior Division for graduating seniors, which is where 6'7 Dorell Wright from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA established his national reputation and 6'9 Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA attracted the attention of Division I coaches like Florida head coach Billy Donovan, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, and Kentucky assistant coach Scott Rigot, as well as 17-Under, 16-Under, 15-Under, 14-Under, 13-Under, 12-Under, and 11-Under Divisions, which gave us a great head start on the future.  Well, immediately following the adidas Big Time Tournament, which is scheduled to run from July 21st-July 26th, in Las Vegas, NV, is the Las Vegas Summer Classic, which actually will be two different tournaments.  The first tournament, which will include a 17-Under and a 16-Under Division, will be July 26th-30th and it will be sanctioned for NCAA Division I college coaches.  Obviously this is important, because you can bet that many of the teams, scouts, and college coaches will stick around, instead of moving on right away to another city.  And right when the tournament for the older players is over on Wednesday, July 20th, Pastner will tip-off a tournament for the younger players, which will include 15-Under, 14-Under, 13-Under, 12-Under, 11-Under, and 10-Under Divisions.  Our guess is that there will be a large number of teams and players from the West Coast, but Pastner also is very excited about the strong interest he's already gotten from teams from all over the nation.  Moral to the story, don't be surprised if the Las Vegas Easter Classic evolves into one of the must stops on everybody's summer tour in the years to come.  Remember, the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX is now nationally the premier event of the spring, the Academy National Invitational Tournament in Houston, TX is widely regarded as the one of the best high school basketball holiday tournaments in the nation, along with the City of Palms Classic, Slam Dunk to the Beach and the Beach Ball Classic, and the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV had some great talent in each age group this spring.   Moral to the story, nobody runs a tournament like Hal Pastner and for more information about each of these events, click onto VisionSports.com.   Another can't miss event promises to be the Second And1 High School Basketball Championship, which will tip-off at eight regional sites around the nation during the next two weeks and cumulate at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA, June 28th-July 1st.  Ironically, one of the problems with summer basketball is that players usually don't get a chance to compete with their high school team and, as a result, it will be interesting to see who plays in what events during the three weeks.  Regardless of which players show or don't show, the East Regional of the And1 High School Basketball Championship, which will be at Seton Hall University, June 21st-22nd, is absolutely loaded, as the list of teams includes Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, Neptune (H.S.) NJ, Oradell (Bergan Catholic) NJ, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NK, Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Morristown (Delbarton) NJ, Denville (Morris Catholic) NJ, Spotswood (H.S.) NJ, Irvington (H.S.) NJ, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, Dickinson (H.S.) NJ, Fresh Meadows (St Francis) NY, Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, Rutherford (H.S.) NJ, Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, Windsor (H.S.) CT, Shawnee (Lenape) NJ, West Milford (H.S.) NJ, Bridgewater-Raritan) NJ, Brooklyn (Poly Prep) NY, Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, Morristown (H.S.) NJ, East Elmhurst (Monsignor McClancy) NY, Staten Island (St. Peter's) NY, Teaneck (H.S.) NJ, Mendham (H.S.) NJ, Montvale (St. Joseph's Regional) NJ, Trenton (McCorriston Catholic) NJ, Jersey City (Hudson Catholic) NJ, Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Camden (Catholic) NJ, Newark (East Side) NJ, Hackensack (H.S.) NJ, Englewood (H.S.) NJ, Linden (H.S.) NJ, Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, Franklin (H.S.) NJ, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) PA, Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, New York (Rice) NY, Mt Vernon (H.S.) NY, Union (H.S.) NJ, Elizabeth (H.S.) NJ, Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, White Plains (H.S.) NY, Charlestown (H.S.) MA, North Burlington (H.S.) NJ, Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, Manasquam (H.S.) NJ, and Cape May Court House (Middle Township) NJ.  The other East Regional, which will be at Run'n Shoot in Washington, DC, June, 21st-22nd, doesn't feature as many teams, but the quality of the field is pretty impressive, as it includes Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, Washington (St. John's College) DC, Silver Spring (Springbrook) MD, Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, Baltimore (Cardinal Gibbons) MD, Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, Aberdeen (H.S.) MD, Chambersburg (H.S.) PA, Largo (H.S.) MD, District Heights (Suitland) MD, Laurel (H.S.) MD, Oxon Hill (Potomac) MD, Brandywine (Gwynn Park) MD, Woodbridge (H.S.) VA, Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, Baltimore (St. Francis) MD, and Towson (Catholic) MD.  The Southeast Regional at Suwanee Sports Academy in Atlanta, GA, June 21st-22nd, will include Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, Lynchburg (Moore County) TN, Raleigh (Ravenscroft) NC, Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, Charlotte (Vance Zebulon) NC, Gainesville (East Hall) GA, Alphaetta (Chattahoochie) GA, Cleveland (White County) GA, Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, and Lilburn (Banneker) GA.  The other Southeast Regional at the University of Memphis in Memphis, TN, June 21st-22nd, will feature Tupelo (H.S.) MS, Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, Ripley (H.S.) TN, Chicago (Hubbard) IL, Memphis (Mitchell) TN, Memphis (Sheffield) TN, and LePanto (East Poinsett County) AR.  The Midwest Regional at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, IN, June 21st-22nd, will include Chicago (Farragut) IL, Maywood (Proviso East) IL, Canton (McKinley) OH, North Canton (Hoover (H.S.) OH, Chicago (Julian) IL, Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, Fennville (H.S) MI, Milwaukee (Marquette University) WI, South Adams (John Adams) IN, Wayne (Memorial) MI, Lansing (Central Catholic) MI, and Monroe (Adams Central) IN.  The other Midwest Regional at Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth, TX, June 21nd-22nd, will include Ft.  Worth (Dunbar) TX, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK, Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, Colleyville (Heritage) TX, Dallas (Lincoln) TX, Dallas (Carter) TX, Coppell (H.S.) TX, and Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM.  The West Regional in conjunction with the S.C.I. B. C.A., June 13th-15th, will include Santa Ana (Century) CA, Cathedral City (H.S.) CA, La Puenta (Bishop Amat) CA, Glendora (H.S.) CA, Murrieta (Murrieta Valley) CA, Palm Desert (H.S.) CA, La Mirada (H.S.) CA, Palmer (Colony) AK, Upland (H.S.) CA, Duarte (H.S.) CA, Agoura (H.S.) CA, Norco (H.S.) CA, North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA, South El Monte (H.S.) CA, La Habra (Whittier) CA, Alta Loma (H.S.) CA, Huntington Beach (Edison) CA, Fullerton (H.S.) CA, Irvine (Northwood) CA, Covina (Charter Oak) CA, Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, Moorpark (H.S.) CA, Huntington Beach (Ocean Beach) CA, Santa Ana (Valley) CA, Lake Elsinore (Temescal Canyon) CA, San Bernardino (Cajon) CA, Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, Beaumont (H.S.) CA, La Canada (H.S.) CA, Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, Saugus (H.S.) CA, La Habra (H.S.) CA, Valenica (H.S.) CA, Fountain Valley (Los Amigos) CA, Thousand Oaks (H.S.) CA, Garden Grove (Pacifica) CA, Manhattan Beach (Mira Costa) CA, Lake Forest (El Tora) CA, Cerritos (Gahr) CA, Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA, Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, Placentia (El Dorado) CA, Aliso Viejo (Aliso Niguel) CA, Huntington Park (H.S.) CA, Costa Mesa (Estancia) CA, Los Altos (H.S.) CA, La Canada (Flintridge Prep) CA, Huntington Beach (Brethren Christian) CA, Riverside (Poly) CA, Wildomar (Elsinore) CA, Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA, Lakewood (Artesia) CA, and Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA.  The other West Regional, which will be held at Evergreen State in Olypmia, WA, June 13th-15th, will include Portland (Jefferon) OR, Seattle (Shorewood) WA, Covington (Kentwood) WA, Tacoma (Mt. Tahoma) WA, Federal Way (H.S.) WA, Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, University Place (Curtis) WA, Hillsboro (H.S.) OR, Gig Harbor (H.S.) WA, Olympia (Capital) WA, Olympia (H.S.) WA, Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, Renton (Lindbergh) WA, and Longview (R.A. Long) WA.  We also are already looking foward to the Marshall County High School Hoopfest, which will be held December 4th-6th at Marshall County High School in Benton, KY and, believe it or not, we'll get a chance to see both Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA on both Friday night and on Saturday.  The tournament tips off on Thursday, December 4th, with Bardwell (Carlisle County) KY versus Cadiz (Trigg County) KY at 7:30 PM and Paducah (Tilghman) KY versus Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO at 9:00 PM.  Then, on Friday, December 5th, it will be Benton (Marshall County) KY versus Ullin (Century) IL at 7:00 PM, Lexington (Catholic) KY versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA at 8:30 PM, and Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA at 10:00 PM.  On Saturday, December 6th, play will resume at 11:00 AM with Eddyville (Lyon County) KY versus Metropolis (Massac County) IL, followed by Louisville (Eastern) KY versus O'Fallon (H.S.) IL at 12:30 PM, Mayfield (Graves County) KY versus Danville (H.S.) KY at 3:30 PM, Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY versus Centralia (H.S.) IL at 5:30 PM, Maysville (Mason County) KY versus Greensboro (Dudley) NC at 7:00 PM, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA versus Peoria (Central) IL at 8:30 PM, and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Jackson (Lanier) MS at 10:00 PM. 

Monday, June 9, 2003

As things stand now, 29 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 100 juniors - 6'8 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS to Arkansas, 6'0 Jr Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL to Memphis, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX to Texas, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL to Texas, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX to Texas, 6'2 Jr DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA to Duke, 6'2 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC to North Carolina, 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) MO to Arkansas, and 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA to UCLA, 6'5 Jr Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN to Indiana, 6'9 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC to N.C. State, 6'3 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH to Cincinnati, 6'6 Jr J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN to Iowa, 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI to Wisconsin, 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI to Michigan, 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI to Michigan, 6'7 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX to Texas, 7'0 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA to USC, 5'11 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA to Virginia, 6'6 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX to Arizona, 6'5 Jr David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA to Gonzaga, 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to St. John's, 6'7 Jr Marquis Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI to Michigan State, 6'5 Jr David McClure from Stanford (Trinity Catholic) CT to Duke, 7'0 Jr Roy Hibbert from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD to Georgetown, 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA to Auburn, 6'3 Jr Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to USC, 6'9 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN to Minnesota, and 6'8 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA to Notre Dame - are already verbally committed.   And that number will grow even higher when we update our ranking of the top players in the Class of 2004 later this month, becaue 5'11 Jr Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS to Mississippi State, 6'1 Jr Jordan Farmer from Woodland Hill (Taft) CA to UCLA, 6'8 Jr James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD to Maryland, and 6'2 Jr Ronnie Steele from Birminghan (John Carroll) AL to Alabama - will also be added to the list.  In other words, about a third of the top 100 juniors nationally have already made their college decision and many of the top junior college players who will be available in the Class of 2004 are also surprisingly far along in the recruiting process.  As a matter of fact, three of the top five junior college freshmen in the nation - 6'7 Jean Felix from Bevill State (JC) AL to Alabama, 5'11 Aking Elting from Southern Idaho (JC) ID to DePaul, and 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL to Louisville - are already off the board.  And the other two consensus top five ranked freshmen in the junior college ranks - 6'8 E.J. Drayton from Colby (JC) KS and 6'8 Taj Gray from Redland (JC) OK - are also have already started to narrow it down.  Louisville, Oklahoma, Connecticut, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Nebraska, and Arkansas are the favorites for Gray, while Drayton's list includes schools like Charlotte, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Clemson, Southwestern Louisiana, Oregon, and Texas A&M.  Speaking of Texas A&M, did you know that a week ago the Aggies got a verbal commitment from 6'2 Jr Kenneth White from Dallas (Molina) TX?  Neither did we until our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson told us about it last night.  We're talking about undersized 2-guard who led the Dallas-Ft. Worth area in scoring last year with 28 ppg.  However, White's biggest claim to fame came when he scored 29 points against 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX earlier this spring.  Unfortunately this undersized 2-guard hasn't done much since.  And making this commitment even more of a surprise if the fact that White is very similar to, but not quite as good as 6'2 Acie Law from Dallas (Kimball) TX, who counts in Texas A&M's current recruiting class.  Getting back to the top junior college players for next year, 6'4 Wilbur Williams from L.A. City (JC) CA recently verbally committed to UNLV, 6'2 Greg Brown from Indian Hills (JC) IA is still expected sign with Miami-FL next fall, and it appears that Auburn, Wisconsin, DePaul, Texas Tech, Marquette, Indiana State, Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, and Illinois State are all being mentioned for 6'9 Justin Williams from Colby (JC) KS, who was a Third Team All-Jawkhawk West Conference Player last season, as he averaged 11 ppg, 10 rpg, and four blocks per game.

Saturday, June 7, 2003, & Sunday, June 8, 2003

We have confirmed that 6'4 Chris Current from Frankfort (H.S.) KY has decided to walk-on next season at the University of Louisville.  This is an interesting addition, because Current, who has a 4.0 gpa and a 24.5 ppg scoring average, moves the Cardinals' recruiting class into a tie at #15, along with Kansas and Syracuse, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  However, we'd be surprised if Current ever gets as much playing time as the other successful walk-on's who played for Pitino at Kentucky (i.e. Cameron Mills and Anthony Epps) and at Louisville (i.e. Bryant Northern and Junior Mohammed), because the cupboard is already full for the Cardinals for years to come at both wing spots.  Remember, Taquan Dean and Francisco Garcia both started last year as freshmen, 6'7 Nate Daniels from Broward County (JC) FL, who was one of the top five ranked junior college players in the nation will be added to the mix next season, and 6'7 Donte Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC IL, who was one of the top five freshmen in the junior college ranks last season, will come on board year after next.  But, this is still a nice catch, because Current, who wants to go onto medical school and become a doctor, wants to play for Pitino and he is pretty good, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #23 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.  He also was the leading scorer in the state this past season.  We also were intriguing by the commitments that were made last week by 6'6 Tynell Dunkley from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 6'2 Levi Stukes from Randallstown (H.S.) MD.  Dunkley is a big time athlete, but he lacked the skills, toughness, consistency necessary to play at a high level.  However, for Norfolk State he's a steal!   Stukes promises to be a solid contributor at Georgia, because he's a good penetrator, excellent defender, and knows how to run a team.  Stukes joins 6'8 Steve Newton from Orlando (The First) FL and 6'8 Marcus Sikes from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, both of whom signed with Georgia earlier this spring, and 6'8 Corey Gibbs from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA, who is the only player from Georgia's #16-ranked recruiting class last fall that didn't change his mind and transfer to another school after Jim Harrick got fired.  If you will recall, that recruiting class included 6'9 Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA, who now plans to enroll at Florida next fall; 6'8 Marcus Jackson from South Plains (JC) TX, who is heading to Marquette; 6'10 Cassiano Matheus from South Plains (JC) TX, who is heading to Utah State, and 6'4 Jr Jordan Howell from Madison (Abbeville) AL, who is heading to Tennessee.  It also appears that the United States is doing extremely well in the Junior World Championship in Douai, France this weekend, as the team that our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis took to France was undefeated in pool play after knocking off Slovenia, 59-46; Venezuela, 62-52; and Poland, 91-62.  Davis tells us that the secret to his team's success is excellent defense, the players buying into his system, and an balanced scoring attack, whereby somebody different steps up every game.  His team includes 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'11 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'9 Jr Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jr Daniel Northern from Warner Robins (Houston County) GA, 6'6 Jr Jawaan McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 5'9 Frosh Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, and 6'3 Jr Tramel Wooten from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA.  For more details and highlights in playoffs as they become available, click on www.tournoi-douai.com.

Two weeks ago University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith took his name out of the running for the Philadelphia 76ers job almost immediately after Larry Brown called it quits as the team's head coach and, as a result, we'd be really surprised if Smith took another one of the NBA jobs that are still available this spring.  However, that doesn't mean that Wildcats assistant coach David Hobbs will follow in Smith's footsteps and return to the Wildcats next year.  Did you know that Hobbs is one of the leading candiates for the Marshall job?  And, with Hobbs' previous heading coaching experience in the Southeastern Conference dating back to his days at Alabama and the incredible success that the Wildcats enjoyed last winter, this one almost seems like a no-brainier.  But Hobbs isn't the only coach with strong Smith ties who is being mentioned for the Marshall job.  As a matter of fact, Indiana Pacers scout George Felton was hired as the head coach at South Carolina when current Marshall athletic director Bob Marcum held the same position at South Carolina in 1986.  We also have heard Tulane head coach Shawn Finney's name mentioned as a potential candidate for the Marshall job, but we'd be surprised if that goes any further, unless the group that is studying the Green Wave's athletic future, which is supposed to make a decision on Tuesday, de-emphasizes athletics at the Conference USA school.  If you will recall, Felton and Finney were two of the three original assistant coaches that Smith hired, along with Tennesee Tech head coach Mike Sutton, when he became the head coach of the Wildcats in the spring of 1997.  We also continue to hear that St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis may become the next head coach of the Washington Wizards, former University of Georgia head coach Jim Harrick is trying to get the Los Angeles Clippers job, former Chicago Bulls and Iowa State head coach Tim Floyd appears to be one of the leading candidates for the New Orleans Hornets job, and Detroit Pistons assistant coach Kevin O'Neill, who has previous college head coaching experience at Marquette, Tennessee, and Northwestern, is trying to get the Toronto Raptors job.  We also are anxiously waiting to see who Louisville head coach Rick Pitino is going to hire to replace Mick Cronin, who left the Cardinals after only two years to become the head coach at Murray State.  Apparently the list is pretty long, but the name we're hearing the strongest right now is former University of Kentucky star Rex Chapman.  And this would make sense, because one of the things Pitino wants to do at Louisville is increase the Cardinals' fan base state-wide.  However, as a general rule we don't think hiring former NBA players is a smart move.  First, they don't have the contacts necessary for recruiting purposes at the college level.  Second, they aren't used to working 16-hours days (with Pitino it probably would be more).  Third, they don't need the money.   Instead, we think the smart move would be to hire Eastern Kentucky head coach Travis Ford.  Not only is Ford a legend in the state, but he would be able to move into his head coaching job just as easily, if he was Pitino's right hand man for two or three years.  Remember, Ford proved he's an excellent coach when he compiled an impressive 67-31 record at Campbellsville prior to taking over at Eastern Kentucky three years ago, plus he's on the verge of transforming the cupboard from being totally empty to when he arrived to nearly full next season.  Remember, Ford already has 6'0 Frosh Matt Whitt, who was named the Rookie-of-the-Year in the Conference last year, and 6'6 Soph Michael Haney in the program and his current recruiting class, which includes 6'7 Michael Brock from Independence (Simon Kenton) KY, 6'3 Brandon Moore from Huntington (Spring Valley) WV, 6'4 Mamadou Diakhate from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'6 Terrez DeWalt from St. Catharine (JC) KY, and 6'5 Julian Mascoll from Clearwater (Countryside) FL, is tied at #68 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Yes, I know about the quotes that Pitino had in today's Louisville Courier-Journal about his next assistant being around for more than a couple of years.  "We knew what we were getting when we hired Mick Cronin," he said. "I knew he would be here a couple of years and move on and we would never get the full benefit of his recruiting.  But Mick knew the conference and was really able to help us.  He's the 17th assistant coach I've had who has moved on, and Kevin Willard and Vince Taylor will probably have that opportunity.  So the next assistant coach I hire I would like to be somebody who will be with me for a while, hopefully until I finish my career."  However, we don't believe that for a second, because it's not consistent with Pitino's relentless drive and incredible work ethic.  As a matter of fact, that's exactly what Pitino doesn't want is some soft guy with no drive and ambition for upward mobility in the business.  Remember,   Pitino takes a tremendous amount of pride in taking bright up-and-coming guys and preparing them to become head coaches.  Ironically, the only thing he might do better than prepare players for the NBA is prepare assistant coaches to move into head jobs.   And, if you don't believe me, just go ask Cronin, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, Florida's Billy Donovan, N.C. State's Herb Sendek, Holy Cross' Ralph Willard, or Jim O'Brien of the Boston Celtics.  We also continue to hear that former Wright State head coach Ed Schilling has the inside track to replace Steve Roccaforte on the staff at Memphis.  If you will recall, Roccaforte, who is currently ranked #8 on our list of the top assistant coaches in the nation, is taking a similar position at Lamar, where he will be the heir apparent to Billy Tubbs as the head coach of the Cardinals after a couple of season.  Also don't forget that Schilling worked for Memphis head coach John Calipari as an assistant coach at Massachusetts and with the New Jersey Nets. 

Friday, June 6, 2003

Our Philadelphia/South Jersey/Eastern Pennyslvania Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'0 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, who is ranked the #1 ranked junior in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Virginia.   And that's saying a lot, because if he's better than 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is a legitimate top 30 junior nationally, Singletary is a heck of point guard.  He's also a pure point guard who is great at running a team, an excellent on-the-ball defender, and a good 3-point shooter.   Obviously the connection here is Virginia assistant coach Walt Fuller, who is originally from Philadelphia area and is following the footsteps of Seton Hall head coach Louie Orr, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez and College of Charleston head coach Tommy Herrion as Virginia head coach Pete Gillen's ace recruiter.  This comes on the heels of the commitment the Cavaliers got earlier this spring from 6'1 T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, which means Gillen will have not one, but two excellent point guards to go to war with in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference for years to come.  Ironically that also was the plan when 6'0 Jr Todd Billet transferred from Rutgers to Virginia two years, but 6'2 Jr Majestic Mapp missed two years with knee injuries and hasn't been the same player since.  Virginia also landed 6'6 Gary Forbes from Brooklyn (Banneker) NY, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, and 6'8 Donte Minter from Fork Union (Military Academy) VA in their current recruiting class, which means they only have two scholarships still available and they plan to sign one inside player and one perimeter in next year's recruiting class.  Some of the we've heard the Cavaliers mentioned with include 6'9 Jr Brian Johnson, 6'9 Jr Cornelio Guibunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Jr Cheyenne Moore from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'5 Jr DeAaron Williams from Bartonville (Limestone) IL, 6'9 Jr Robbie Simpson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Keith Langford from Crowley (North Crowley) TX, 6'7 Jr Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'8 Jr James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, and 6'7 Jr Eric Vierneisel from Algonquin (Jacobs) IL.  The commitment by Singletary also means that you can scratch 6'1 Jr Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY, 6'2 Jr A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, and 5'8 Jr Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI off Virginia's list.  We also have confirmed that Texas Tech has added a walk-on in 6'6 Mike Milton from Plano (H.S.) TX.  And a pretty good walk-on indeed when one remembers that he's the top unsiged senior still available in the state.  Milton is a scorer who can both catch and shoot and shoot off the dribble, he has big hands, and an excellent upside, which means he could earn a scholarship down the road.  However, right now Texas Tech doesn't have a scholarships available, as 6'8 DeVonne Giles from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'1 Jay Jackson from Monroe Ouachita Parish) LA, 6'4 Drew Coffman from Midland (Lee) TX, 6'6 Joseph Works from Garden City (JC) KS, and 6'6 Curtis Marshall from New Mexico Military (JC) TX count as the five scholarship players in Texas Tech's current recruiting classes.  But, for our purposes Milton does count and, as a result, the Red Raiders move up to #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003. 

Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports and hoopmasters.com is now in charge of inviting the players for the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, which will be in Richmond, VA, June 17th-22nd, and the list of players, which is expected to include 91 juniors, 13 sophomores, and one freshman, is nothing short of spectacular.  As a matter of fact we think this could turn out be the premier event of the entire year.  Also, unlike in past years, the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp will be open to the media, scouting services, and coaches the entire week and the format will be patterned after the adidas ABCD Camp, whereby, there will be stations and teaching in the morning and two sets of games in the early afternoon and evening.  Media credentials can be obtained by fax or mailing Gibbons are 1-(828) 758-2270 or bgibbons@charter.net.   Credentials must be obtained prior to attending the event.  The the list of players who are expected to be in attendance includes 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'6 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Segoville) TX, 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 7'1 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 6'4 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'6 Jr Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia-Ehis from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'3 Jr Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Jr A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palasios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'5 Jr Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'0 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC,6'8 Jr Shawn Pruitt from Aurora (Aurora West) IL, 6'8 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'5 Jr DeAaron Williams from Bartonville (Limestone) IL, 6'2 Jr Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'4 Jr Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'11 Jr Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, 6'11 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'1 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'8 Jr Kalen Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'7 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jr Alex Thompson from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'10 Jr Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC, 6'4 Jr Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, 6'2 Jr Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI, 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 6'2 Jr Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 6'3 Jr Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, 6'8 Jr Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'7 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'8 Jr Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Jr Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'4 Jr Jamarcus Ellis from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL,6'10 Jr Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 6'7 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'8 Jr David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA, 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'3 Jr Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, 6'8 Jr Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Jr Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 5'11 Jr Charles White from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'9 Jr Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'9 Jr Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S) OR, 6'6 Jr Marcus Monk from LePlanto (East Poinsett County) AR, 6'8 Jr Darnell Jackson from Oklahoma City (Northwest Classen) OK, 6'8 Jr James Mays from Garner (Senior) NC, 6'7 Jr Jeremis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 6'3 Jr Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, 6'4 Jr Zam Frederick from St Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, 6'5 Jr Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, 6'6 Jr Tommy Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 6'11 Jr David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'6 Jr Cameron Stanley from Raleigh (Millbrook) NC, 6'10 Jr Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT, 6'10 Jr Peter Prowitt from McLean (Potomac School) VA, 6'6 Jr Dwayne Day from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA, 6'9 Jr Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Jr Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'3 Jr A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'1 Jr Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 6'1 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, 6'3 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Glen Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr Tom Hammonds from Crestview (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Jr Clent Stewart from Broken Arrow (H.S.) OK, 6'2 Jr Justin Hare from Cleveland (Bradley Central) TN, 6'5 Jr Nurudeen Adedoju from Lagos, Nigeria, 6'4 Jr Dewayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'6 Jr Jack Berry from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, 6'9 Jr Jarhon Giddings from Blacksburg (H.S.) VA, 6'1 Jr Stephon Sparrow from Montclair (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Jr Zach Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'6 Soph Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'2 Soph Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'4 Soph Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (H.S.) TN, 6'9 Soph Joey Cameron from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Soph Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'6 Jr Fendi Onobun from Taylor (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Soph Theo Davis from Elizabeth (St Patrick) NJ, 6'1 Soph David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX,  5'10 Soph Nican Robinson from Oakland (Tech) CA, 5'10 Soph Chris Parker from Chicago (Latin) IL, 6'4 Jr Roy Hinson from Lake Mary (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Soph Alan Bantom from Jersey City (St. Peter's) NJ, and 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ. 

Thursday, June 5, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 Soph Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC has made an early verbal commitment to Wake Forest, 7'3 Jr Kenneth George from Chicago (Latin) IL has verbally committed to Valparaiso, and 6'4 Jr Neiman Owens from Houston (Channelview) TX has verbally committed to Oklahoma State.  The commitment by Swinton is the third commitment by a sophomore in the last week, but this also is huge, because we're talking about a legitimate top 20 sophomore, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #14 nationally in his class by the Recruiter's Handbook and #19 nationally in his class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The commitment by Swinton also puts the Demon Deacons that much further ahead of the game in terms of getting a head start on the future.  Remember, they have five freshmen in the program in Justin Gray, Eric Williams, Trent Strickland, Chris Ellis, and Richard Joyce; their current recruiting class includes 6'0 Chris Paul from Clemmons (West Forsyth) NC, 6'3 Jeremy Ingram from Kinston (H.S.) NC, 6'9 Todd Hendley from Sanford (Lee County) NC, and 6'11 Kyle Visser from Grand Rapids (Forest Hills Central) MI; they already have a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Cameron Stanley from Raleigh (Milbrook) NC for next year, and now they have Swinton in the fold for the following year.  This leaves Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser and his staff with only two available scholarships in the Class of 2005.  Wake Forest also should be one of the teams to beat in college basketball year after next, because that's when Vytas Danelius, Jamal Levy, and Taron Downey will be seniors; Gray, Williams, Strickland, Ellis, and Joyce will be juniors; Paul, Ingram, Hendley, and Visser will be sophomores, and Stanley will be freshman.  In other words, unless something unforeseen happens, like somebody transfers, the Demon Deacons don't have a single scholarship left for the Class of 2004.   No wonder Prosser turned down Pittsburgh earlier this spring!  Owens promises to be a good role player for the Cowboys and George is nothing more than a project right now, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked no higher than #66 in the state of Illinois by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, like they say, you can't teach 7-feet and, as a result, Johnson thinks the Crusaders someday could potentially have a front-line, which features both George and 6'9 Kenneth Harris from Griffith (H.S.) IN, that would be very competitive in the tough Big-10 Conference and that is bigger than the front-court of the Chicago Bulls when 7'0 Eddy Curry and 7'0 Tyson Chandler are both in the game.  And Valparaiso isn't done yet, as they the Crusaders are doing their usual excellent job of recruiting players overseas, plus we suspect they will steal a few more players, like 5'10 Jr Jarryd Loyd from Skokie (Niles West) IL, 6'6 Jr Frank Claire from Chicago (Leo) IL, 6'8 Jr Ollie Bailey from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'6 Jr Gordon Watt from Evanston (Township) IL, and 6'1 Jr Jared Haynes from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, out of Chicago.  Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'5 Dominick Osei from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY has become the first recruit for the new staff at Fordham.  And we think this is a good catch, despite the fact Osei, who is an undersized power forward, is ranked no higher than #34 on Naclerio's latest list of the top seniors in New York City, for several reasons.  First, Osei is from New York City and the previous regime had a hard time recruiting in their backyard.  Second, Osei is a great kid.  Third, he's already academically qualified.  Fourth, it's really late and, as a result, quality players who aren't going the junior college and/or prep school route are few and far between.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis annually takes a team to Douai, France this time of year to play in the Junior World Championship and the competition in this year's field should be better than ever, as five of the teams (Venezuela, Slovenia, Nigeria, Croatia, and Lithuania) already have qualified to play in the FIBA 19-Under World Junior Men's Tournament in July in Greece.  However, when play starts today, Davis should not be empty handed, as his team is supposed to include 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'11 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, 6'9 Jr Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jr Daniel Northern from Warner Robins (Houston County) GA, 6'6 Jr Jawaan McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 5'9 Frosh Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, and 6'3 Jr Tramel Wooten from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA. 

Wednesday, June 4, 2003

Former Siena, Marquette, and Lamar head coach Mike Deane is in at Wagner, Greg White is out at Marshall, and we're still waiting to see whether Cal State-Fullerton will hire Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Tom Green, Fresno State assistant coach Robert Burton, Florida Atlantic head coach Sidney Green, or former UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia.  In our opinion it's a no-brainer that you have to go with either Saia or Green.  Remember, Saia also was largely responsible of landing recruiting classes at UCLA that were ranked as high as #1 in the nation in 1998 and 2001 and #2 in 1997, plus he already has had head coaching experience from his days at Columbia (JC) CA in Sonora, CA, where Saia earned Central Valley Conference coach of the honors twice, as his team posted a 61-10 record and won two conference championships in just two seasons.  Green is best known from his playing days at UNLV and in the NBA, where he played for six different teams and some great coaches, like Rick Pitino with the New York Knicks, Larry Brown with the San Antonio Spurs, and Chuck Daly with the Detroit Pistons.  But what really qualifies Green for the job is his head coaching experience at Southampton, North Florida, and Florida Atlantic, where he's gone 2-28, 7-24, 19-12, and 7-21 during the last four years.  However, the best is yet to come, because Florida Atlantic's recruiting class this spring, which is tied at #120 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003 and includes 6'9 Mike Bell from Palm Beach (JC) FL, 6'6 Pierre Tucker from Palm Beach (JC) FL, and 5'10 Darren Dickerson from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, is extremely impressive.  Bell, who was ranked #7 among wing forwards in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, averaged 20.7 ppg, 12.7 rpg, and 3.5 bpg and shot 57.9% and 43.5% for beyond the arc last season.  Tucker was ranked #59 among 5th year players by the HOOP SCOOP when he was at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT in 2000-2001, but we remember him as an undersized power forward who used his athleticism and rebounding skills to get things done around the basket at Baltimore (Dunbar) MD.  Dickerson was the point guard who would penetrate, dish, and make his teammates better on that loaded Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL team that also included 6'8 Damian Staple, 6'5 Lamar Owen, and 6'7 Donta Smith.  We don't have an official of candidates for the Marshall job yet, but Florida assistant coach Donnie Jones might be the perfect fit.  If you will recall, Jones, who was a graduate assistant coach from 1990 to 1992 and an assistant coach at Marshall from 1992 to 1996, was one of the finalists for the Murray State job this spring, plus he is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business.  Another possibility might be Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor.  Remember, Rick Pitino had enough influence to get another one of his former assistants (Florida head coach Billy Donovan) the head coaching job at Marshall in 1994.  We also are impressed by the staff that new UCLA head coach Ben Howland has put together.  If you will recall, Howland already had hired former Pittsburgh assistant coach Ernie Zeigler, who brings with him his strong Midwest contacts dating back to his days as an assistant coach at Detroit (Cody) MI and as the head coach of the Team Detroit AAU team and former Cal-State Fullerton head coach Donny Daniels and now he has hired Tennessee assistant coach Kerry Keating, who is one of the top young coaches in the business.  Ironically, Pat Sandle, who spent the past two years as an assistant coach at UCLA, but now has returned to Pittsburgh, where he previously was a member of Howland's staff, appears to be the-coach-to-be-named-later in the Howland to UCLA deal.  New Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon also has retained Barry Rohrssen as an assistant coach and added Orlando Antigua, who played at Pittsburgh in the early 90's, as director of basketball operations and La Salle assistant coach Joe Lombardi to his staff.   And it looks like Lombardi's strong Philadelphia connections are already paying off, because the Panthers are one of the favorites, along with Pittsburgh, Kansas, Xavier, Connecticut, and St. Joseph's, for 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA.  It also appears that we were right on the money last week when we told you that University of Memphis assistant coach Steve Roccaforte was going to move into a similar position at Lamar, where he will be groomed to be the heir apparent to Billy Tubbs.  It also was announced today that Bill Courtney has been named the associate head coach at George Mason.  Courtney moves up to replace Mike Gillian, who a month ago got the head coaching job at Longwood University, which is a Division II school in the process of going Division I, and moving into Courtney's spot is Scott Cherry, who spent last year as an assistant coach at Tennessee Tech, but was the #3 assistant at George Mason the previous three years.  Another great hire was made last week by West Virginia head coach John Beilein, who hired former Penn State head coach Jerry Dunn to replace Mike Jones, who recently left to take a similar position at Georgia.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez lost his second assistant coach this spring when Travis Lyons accepted an assistant coaching job earlier this week at Fordham.  If you will recall, new Columbia head coach Joe Jones recently added Manhattan assistant coach Mike Bramucci to his staff.   Also noteworthy is the fact that Northern Iowa assistant coach Kyle Green, who played an important role in landing Northern Iowa's current recruiting class, which includes 6'2 Brooks McKowen from Fairbank (Wapsie Valley) IA, 6'0 Jared Josten from Webster City (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Adam Viet from Ackley (AGWSR) IA, and 6'7 Grant Stout from New Sharon (North Mahaska) IA, has been hired by Tom Crean as one of the new assistants at Marquette. 

Just as we suspected, it looks like Pete Thamel of espn.com was right on the money with his story on Saturday when he reported that 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, was going to make an official visit to Arkansas on Tuesday (yesterday) and verbally commit while on the visit.  This moves the Razorbacks' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'11 Jr Steve Hill from Branson (H.S.) MO, up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And they aren't done yet, because Arkansas also is one of the finalists, along with Missouri, Florida, Kansas, Arizona State, and Florida State, for 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX and they are the heavy favorite for 6'7 Jr Marcus Monk from LePanto (East Poinsett County) AR.  Obviously, if Arkansas pulls this off, it would give the Razorbacks two back-to-back top 10-ranked recruiting classes.   Remember, their current recruiting recruiting class, which includes 6'5 Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'4 Ronnie Brewer from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'10 Vincent Hunter from Little Rock (Fair) AR, and 6'6 Preston Crawford from Hebron Springs (H.S.) AR, is tied at #8 with Maryland and Louisiana Tech on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  In other words, Stan Heath and his staff appear to be pretty close to landing five potential McDonald's All-American's (Famutimi is ranked #8 and Brewer is ranked #24 in the Class of 2004 and Jefferson is ranked #2, Horton is ranked #8, and Hill is ranked #23 in the Class of 2004 by the HOOP SCOOP) and eight players with top 100 level talent (Lamptey is ranked #14 on this year's 5th year list, Hunter is tied at #100 in the Class of 2003 and Monk is ranked #92 in the Class of 2004 by the HOOP SCOOP), plus Crawford is a heck of walk-on, because he's one of the top players this year in Arkansas.  We also have confirmed two other big commitments - 6'7 Jr James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN to Indiana and 6'2 Soph Jarrett Smith from Westland (John Glenn) MI to Michigan - that have occurred within the last 24 hours.  The commitment by Hardy not only moves Indiana's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Jr Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, into a tie at #7, along with USC and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it also shows that head coach Mike Davis can get the top players in his backyard, as Vaden and Hardy are the consensus top two juniors in the state.  The commitment by Hardy also probably means that 6'4 Jr Byrce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard Westlake) CA will go to Oregon.  If you will recall, the Hoosiers and the Dukes are believed to be the final two for Taylor and we just can't see Indiana signing another perimeter player in this recruiting class when they need all of the quality size they can get.  As a matter of fact, we believe it's only a matter of time before the Hoosiers get a verbal commitment from 6'9 Jr D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they could hit the jackpot, if they also get 6'10 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA and 6'10 Jr Josh Smith from McEachern (Powder Springs) GA.  However, beating Duke and Georgia Tech for Howard does not promise to be all that easy and Josh Smith, who also has Florida, Duke Miami-FL, Kentucky, Missouri, Florida State, Alabama, Arizona, and UCLA on list list, may need a year in prep school first.  Jarrett Smith, who is the third player nationally in the Class of 2005, along with 6'1 Soph Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and 6'8 Jr Justin Wilkerson from Greenville (H.S.) TX, to have made an early verbal commitment, is a huge catch for the Wolverines for a number of reasons.  First, Smith is ranked #26 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Second, getting Smith this early shows that despite NCAA sanctions, the Wolverines can still get the top players in their backyard.  Third, getting Smith means the Wolervines already have the point guard they will need to replace Daniel Horton in the future.  Fourth, the commitment by Smith means that they Wolverines can concentrated exclusively on big men.  Did you know that the Wolverines only have one more scholarship available for both the Class of 2004 and the Class of 2005?  Remember, a year ago they landed a class that included Horton, Lester Abram, Chris Hunter, Graham Brown, and Amadou Ba; they also added 6'8 J.C. Mathis, who transferred from Virginia and, as a result, will have two years of eligibility remaining beginning next season; their current recruiting class includes 6'4 Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'9 Brent Petway from Griffin (H.S.) GA, and 6'10 Courtney Sims from Dedham (Noble & Greenough) MA; they already have early verbal commitments for next year from 6'4 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI and 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI; and now they have a verbal commitment from Jarrett Smith, who is the highest rated sophomore in the state.  In other words, the top priority now for head coach Tommy Amaker and his staff is another inside player and some of the candidates include 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'11 Jr Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, 6'8 Jr Al Horford from Grand Wedge (H.S.) MI, 6'9 Jr Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'7 Jr Dayshawn Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S) OH, and 6'10 Jr Goran Sutton from Lansing (Everett) MI. 

Tuesday, June 3, 2003

If you snooze, sometimes you lose!  And that appears to be what has happened to 6'5 Jr Earl "J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, if he was planning on going to Louisville.  If you will recall, the Cardinals emerged as the heavy favorite for Smith's services this spring, but, after making an unofficial visit to Louisville today, 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern (JC) IL has verbally committed to the University of Louisville.  In other words, the one available scholarship that the Cardinals had for a wing player is suddenly gone and, as a result, North Carolina and N.C. State now appear to be the favorites for J.R. Smith and 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Military Academy) VA, who was supposed to visit Louisville later this week, will also now be looking elsewhere.  Donta Smith was ranked #11 in the state as a high school senior at Buckner (Oldham County) KY a year ago by our Kentucky editor Larry Kihnley, but he's grown an inch, gotten bigger and stronger physically, and dramatically improved his outside shooting and ball handling skills.  We're talking about one of the top five junior college freshmen in the nation, as well as somebody who is compared by those who have seen him to former Marquette All-American Dwayne Wade, although Smith has three more inches.  Smith, who picked Louisville over schools like Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma, also can lock you up defensively, has an incredible wing span, which spans almost 7-feet, rebounds and blocks shots extremely well for size, and is capable of playing just about any position on the court.  Not only does this move Louisville's recruiting class into a tie at #8, along with Wisconsin, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it puts the Cardinals into a position, whereby, they can concentrate on two more big men and 6'0 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is believed to be leaning towards Louisville, but wants to go through the recruiting process.  Louisville also has 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY in the fold and, if they also land Telfair and a pair of big men, like 6'10 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, or 6'8 Taj Gray from Redlands (JC) OK, who also is ranked among the top 10 junior college freshmen by the Recruiter's Handbook, then their recruiting class would move into a tie with the University of Texas' class, which already includes 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'11 Jr LeMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Jr Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX and is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  So, if all this falls into place, Louisville would have Telfair and Brandon Jenkins at the point; Taquan Dean, Francisco Garcia, 6'7 Nate Daniels from Broward (JC) FL, and Donta Smith battling it out for the two wing spots; Ellie Myles, who is expected to red-shirt next year, and whoever they bring in at the power forward spot in next year's recruiting class battling for the power forward spot; and Nauha Diakite from Barton County (JC) KS and whoever they land at center in next year's recruiting class battling for the center spot.  And, if that weren't enough, their 11th, 12th and 13th men should will likely be 6'10 Jr Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, Larry O'Bannon, and Otis George.   Moral to the story, the Cardinals not only will have the same type of depth that Pitino had when he was at Kentucky during the 1995-96 season, but they also should be on of the teams to beat in college basketball year after next.

In a story that was written Saturday night by Pete Thamel, it was reported on espn.com that 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS was planning on making a verbal commitment to the University of Arkansas while making an official visit to Fayetteville on Tuesday, which is today.  However, since that report was filed, Jefferson has denied the story, which kind of makes him look like an idiot.  Remember, the reporter has quotes from Jefferson in the story.  "Coach Heath, it's just his second year there and he's trying to build the team.  I want to help build it up.  I've always been an Arkansas fan."  So assuming that Thamel doesn't have a track record of making up quotes and getting things wrong, it's hard not to believe the report.  It also appears that Jefferson has found it easier to change his story after the fact than to just come out and say he jumped the gun and wasn't quiet ready to make his intentions public.  We also have confirmed that Wyoming has added another player to their recruiting class in 6'5 Tim Henry from Salt Lake City (JC) UT, which means their recruiting class moves into a tie at #53, along with Rutgers and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Remember, the Cowboys had already signed 6'4 Dion Sherrell from Mesa (JC) AZ, 6'11 Jarrod Boswell from Lakeside (El Capitan) CA, and 6'0 Mikel Watson from Oceanside (El Camino) CA, which means they have two excellent junior college players (Sherrell was ranked 4 among shooting guards by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and Henry was a Honorable Mention Junior College All-American, as well as the Player-of-the-Year in his conference), a big man with a big upside down the road, and nice role player in this recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Jr Dave McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, who is ranked #74 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Duke.  However, after watching McClure play 10 days ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, it is obvious that he's better than we originally thought and, as result, he gets six points, instead of just four, which makes him the equivalent of a player in the 41-70 range nationally in our rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  So this moves Duke's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Jr DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and, if they also get 6'11 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Jr Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, and another top 100 player, their recruiting class would not only move ahead of Texas, which currently has the #1-ranked class, but they also would have the best recruiting class in the nation for the second time in three years.  Remember, a year ago Duke's class, which included 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  Obviously a lot of this is due to the success of the program, the quality of the school and the league, and the fact that Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski is one of the top three head coaches in the history of the game, along with John Wooden and Adolph Rupp.   However, also don't forget that Duke's coaching staff, which includes Steve Wojciechowski, Chris Collins, and Johnny Dawkins, is second to none in college basketball.  As a matter of fact, only one other staff at the Division I level (Syracuse with Mike Hopkins, Troy Weaver, and Bernie Fine) has all three assistant coaches included on our list of the top assistant coaches. 

Notre Dame may be close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'2 Soph Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY and, if this happens, you can bet that 6'2 Soph Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #9 nationally in the sophmore class by the HOOP SCOOP, will become Syracuse's top priority at point guard in the Class of 2005.  And speaking of Mayben, Albany City Rocks program director Jim Hart tells us that Mayben will likely transfer to someplace, like Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, or Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ in an attempt to improve both his academics and quality of competition.  Our guess is that Mayben will following in the footsteps of his Albany City Rocks teammate - 6'7 Jr Dayshawn Wright, who already has decided to transfer from Syracuse (Fowler) NY to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year.  And Mayben also may follow Wright back home to attend Syracuse, as the Orangemen not only appear to be one of the favorites for both players, but the defending NCAA Champions are the only common denominator.   As things stand now, Syracuse, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Michigan, and Seton Hall lead Florida State, St. John's, and Connecticut for Wright's services, while the early favorites for Mayben are Syracuse and North Carolina.  And, as long as we're talking about the Albany City Rocks, we need to mention both 6'7 Jr Will Daniels from Poughkeepsie (Franklin D. Roosevelt) NY, who is getting a lot of interest from schools like Seton Hall, Richmond, Providence, and Dayton, and The Rumble in the Bronx, which will be held, June 20th-22nd at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY.   Not only does The Rumble in the Bronx promise to be one of the premier events prior to the start of the summer, but it is a must stop for us right after we attend Five-Star's camp in Hampden-Sidney, VA and the NBA Players Associaton Camp in Richmond, VA.  And, as usual, the 17-Under Division in this year's Rumble in the Bronx is loaded as the field includes the Tim Thomas Playaz, Albany City Rocks, Howard Pulley, Wisconsin Playground Warriors, New York Riverside Church, Dajuan Wagner Rising Stars, Coastal Pops, Louisiana Select, New York Ravens, 4D Stars Califorina., LPAC, Philly MJC, Westchester Hawks, Kings Court Ohio, Juice All Stars, New York Gauchos, Team Florida, GC Ballers, Long Island Panthers, Team Texas, Jersey Cyclones, CAS Warriors, South Florida Heat, Lancaster Elite, New York Elite, and National Christian (DC).  Some of  the top players in attendance will be Wright, Mayben, 6'0 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'0 Jr Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'11 Jr LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Segoville) TX, 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Demond Carter from Laplace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'7 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 5'11 Jr Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Jr Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Jr Sandiata Gaines from Briarwood (Archbisho Molloy) NY, 6'1 Jr Ron Ramon from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'5 Jr J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Jr John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 6'7 Jr Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'0 Jr Taurean Green from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Jr David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'5 Jr Roosevelt Lee from New Britain (H.S.) CT, 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'6 Jr Gavin Grant from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Jr Brian Laing from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'1 Jr Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY and 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'1 Jr Jamual Warren from Fitchubury (Notre Dame) MA, 5'11 Jr Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'8 Jr Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'5 Jr Brandon Rush from Kansas City (Westport) MO.   Speaking of Rush, he plans to reclassify as a sophomore and transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  However, Rush will only be able to attend Oak Hill for two years, because Steve Smith does not allow 5th year players in his program.

Monday, June 2, 2003

The cream rose to the top over the weekend at the Pangos All-American Camp at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA, as the top seven players in camp - 7'1 Jr Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Highland) CA, 6'4 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'6 Jr Jawaan McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'7 Jr Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC - all are legitimate McDonald's All-American candidates next year, as well as legitimate top 40 players nationally in the Class of 2004.  Swift was the best player in camp, as his offensive skills, coordination, agility, and mobility have dramatically improved.  And so have his confidence, intensity level, and ability to dominant around the basket with his quickness, athleticism, and shot blocking ability.  Sure, Swift needs to continue getting bigger and stronger, but there is no question that he is a legitimate top 20 junior nationally, as well as the best white player in the Class of 2004, which is important when one remembers the politics that always is involved with the selection process of the McDonald's All-American Game, ahead of both 6'11 Jr Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) MO and 6'11 Jr Greg Steimsma from Randolph (H.S) WI.  Lowry and Cerasoli were easily the two best guards in camp, but their games are very different.   Lowry is a tough hardnosed point guard who combines speed and quickness with a powerful body, as he outside with his terrific outside shooting and inside as he grinds it out to the hole.  In contrast, Cerasoli's game is totally finesse, as he uses his quickness and athleticism to get his shot on the perimeter, beat his man to the hole, and make his teammates better.  We also thought Afflalo took his game to another level, as Paul Pierce comparisons are in order.  Afflalo is not a phenomenal athlete, but he has excellent skills, is a tremendous competitor, and he knows how to use his size and body, as he always seems to put put prolific numbers.  McClellan, who was the leading scorer in the Top 20 All-Star Game, with 14 points, is a big time athlete with the versatility to beat you both outside with his deep 3-point shooting range and excellent ball handling and passing skills and inside with his explosive quickness and knack for finding ways to get to the basket.  Dowell is stronger than McClellan, which means he's a combo forward instead of just a pure wing player, but he shoots the three just as well and he's almost as athletic.  Tangara, who played the best we've ever seen him play, is still very limited at the offensive end, but at the defensive end he's a force to be reckoned with, as he controls the boards, blocks shots, and uses his body to make his presence felt in the paint.  Also living up to their press clipping were 6'6 Soph Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 8th Grader Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'7 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA.  Boykin may not have the quickness and athleticism necessary to make the transition to the big time college level, but, as usual at this level, he was one of the leading scorers and leading rebounders in camp.  Boykin also is one of the smartest and most competitive players around, as was evident in the Top 20 All-Star game when he adjusted his game to the tune of a dozen points after getting his shot blocked and beaten athletically several times early in the game.  King, who finished with 13 points of his own in the Top 20 All-Star Game, is money from beyond the arc, but he also is a tough hardnosed competitor around the basket, which makes it scary, if he grows the projected three or four more inches.  Clark didn't make the Top 20 All-Star Game, but he should have, because we're talking about one of the best athletes in camp, as well as an excellent outside shooter, a good rebounder, despite his thin frame, and one of the most exciting dunkers and finishers in the nation.  And this was especially evident in the Top 40 All-Star Game, as he finished with 12 points.  However not all of the top players in camp rose to the top, as 6'7 Dorell Wright from Lawndale (Leuzinger) CA and 6'1 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX both failed to live up to expectations.  Wright, who played in only one game of the entire camp, had an excuse on Saturday, because he had to go to his prom on Saturday night, but the great ones don't duck the competition that was available in the Top 20 All-Star Game early Sunday afternoon.  Horton, who missed his flight and, as a result, didn't arrive until late Friday night, never seemed to get into the flow, excect in one game on Saturday afternoon.  The biggest sleeper to emerge in camp, as well as the guy who defensively frustrated Wright on Saturday afternoon, was 6'6 Jr Gordon Watt from Evanston (Township) IL, who currently is ranked no higher than #28 in the state of Illinois by the HOOP SCOOP.  We're still not sure what position Watt plays at the next level, but there is no doubt in our mind that this powerful athlete who tied McClellan for top scoring honors in the Top 20 All-Star Game, has a great future.   Also on the undersized side is 6'7 Soph Rashad Austin from Claremont (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #9 in the sophomore class in California by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, this big time athlete is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder and he doesn't take any prisoners inside.  As a matter of fact, Austin was so good that he finished ranked #10 in our final ranking of the top players in camp behind 1) Swift, 2) Lowry, 3) Cerasoli, 4) Afflalo, 5) McClellan, 6) Dowell, 7) Tangara and 8) Watt, and 9) Boykin, and ahead of 11) King, 12) Clark, 13) 6'7 Soph Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, 14) Horton, 15) 6'4 Jr Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 16) 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 17) 6'7 Jr Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 18) 6'5 Soph Brian Harvey from Carson (H.S.) CA, 19) 6'9 Soph Theo Davis from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 20) 6'4 Jr Draelan Burns from Milwaukee (Custer) WI, 21) 6'3 Jr Robert McIver from Winchendon (School) MA, 22) 6'6 Jr Chris Berry from Compton (Centennial) CA, 23) Wright, 24) 6'1 Jr Clifford Clinksdale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL, 25) 6'6 Soph Sammy Hernandez from Miami (Christian) FL, 26) 6'9 Jr Lorenzo Mata from South Gate (H.S.) CA, 27) 6'3 Frosh Chrisitan Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 28) 6'8 Soph Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 29) 6'6 Soph Titus Shelton from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 30) 6'11 Jr Todd Follmer from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 31) 5'9 Frosh Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX; 32) 6'4 Jr Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills Prep) CA, 33) 6'6 Jr Jabari Samuels from Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 34) 5'9 Jr Perick Robinson from Chicago (Prosser) IL, 35) 6'9 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, 36) 6'1 Jr Antonio Kellogg from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 37) 6'4 Jr Matthew Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, 38) 6'3 Jr Matt Sargeant from Huntington Beach (Oceanview) CA, 39) 6'4 Jr Kyle Weaver from Beliot (Memorial) WI, 40) 6'1 Jr Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA, 41) 6'2 Jr Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvery Chapel) CA, 42) 6'3 Jr Davon Lloyd from Compton (Dominguez) CA,  43) 6'5 Frosh Jervaugn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 44) 5'9 8th Grader Jay Dee Luster from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 45) 6'2 Jr Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA, 46) 6'7 Jr Tai Wesley from Provo (H.S.) UT, 47) 6'10 Soph Brett Hoerner from Fulleron (H.S.) CA, 48) 5'10 8th Grader Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 49) 6'7 Jr Xavier Kirby from Phoenix (Desert Visa) AZ, and 50) 6'4 Jr Marcus Malone from Compton (Dominguez) CA. We also have to give a special thanks to Pangos All-American Camp director Dinos Trigonis, who made this one of the most enjoyable events we've attended in years.  Not only was the intensity level and effort extremely high, thanks at least in part to the great job that Dave Miller, formerly an assistant coach at USC and now with www.mvpcamp.com and Fox Sports, did running stations and working as the head coach of the camp, but this camp also was a throwback to the old days when we attended most of the sessions of the B/C All-Star and Five-Star camps.  It also reminded us of the AFBE (Athletes For Better Education) Camp in 1983 in Princeton, NJ, which soon after evolved into the NIKE All-American Camp. 

Sunday, June 1, 2003

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has confirmed that 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is the #1-ranked 5th year player in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Connecticut.  This may come as a surprise to many, but not to us, as we've been hinting around for months about the possibility of Villanueva reneging his verbal commitment to the University of Illinois, which is where he committed last fall, and picking a school closer to home, like Connecticut.  However, it did become obvious when Bill Self left Illinois for Kansas in April that Villanueva's commitment to the Fighting Illini wasn't going to hold up.  But most people thought Villanueva would just by-pass college altogether and go straight to the NBA.  And he still might (he has until June 19th to pull his name out).   Right now those in the know think it's about 50-50 that Villanueva will ever play a game of college basketball, but if he does, he's just the icing on the cake for the Huskies.  As a matter of fact, we plan to rank Connecticut as the pre-season #1-ranked college team in the nation next fall.  Not only will they have the senior point guard in Taliek Brown necessary to win the NCAA Championship, but they also will have the best defensive presence inside with 6'9 Emeka Okafor, plus everybody else of significance, including 6'2 Ben Gordon, will be back as well.  The commitment by Villanueva moves Connecticut's recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Marcus Williams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham Prep) MD, 6'7 Ryan Thompson from Western Nebraska (JC) NE, up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  However, even that doesn't begin to tell the story of just how good a shape this program is in, because they'd be ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  If you will recall, 6'9 Ed Nelson, who was the ACC Rookie-of-the-Year two years ago, transferred from Georgia Tech to Connecticut a month ago.  This also is important, because with Villanueva's commitment today and 6'8 Linas Kleiza from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD deciding to make it official for Missouri last Thursday, there is only one more major thing we're waiting on to occur before we finalize our ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003.  In other words, we're waiting on 6'8 Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who verbally committed to Duke at this time a year ago, but recently reneged on that commitment, to make up his mind.  We continue to hear schools like Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa State being mentioned, but we still think the smart money is on Indiana.  We also have an updated list of schools on players like 5'11 Jr Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'5 Jr Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'9 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'10 Jr Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S) OH.  Lowry likes Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Xavier, Connecticut, and St. Joseph's.  Cerasoli's list includes Ohio State, Memphis, Connecticut, and Auburn.  Tangara mentioned Louisville, Arizona, Memphis, Miami-FL, Ohio State, Michigan, and UCLA.  Agnew likes Kentucky, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Xavier, Cincinnati, Duquesne, West Virginia, Michigan, and Michigan State.  The early favorites for 6'7 Soph Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA are Syracuse, Xavier, Rhode Island, Villanova, La Salle, Temple, and St. Joseph's.  The leaders for 6'1 Jr Clifford Clinksdale from Ocala (Shore Christian) FL are Providence, Connecticut, St. John's, Florida State, Siena, and Rider.  Washington appears to be the heavy favorite for 6'5 Jr Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA.  The Huskies also appear to be making a strong push for 6'9 Jr Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Speaking of Williams, he currently is visiting Arizona this weekend, will be Washington next weekend, and North Carolina the following the weekend.