HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR JUNE 2004

Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Two down and two to go might be what the coaching staff at Oklahoma State is thinking right now after receiving two big early verbal commitments from 6'7 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who is ranked #45 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 Jr Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX,   who is ranked #61 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  They both also bring things like athleticism and outside shooting to the table, but, even more important, they may be the entrée for even better players yet to come.  We're talking about 5'11 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was Green's teammate on the Houston Elite team when we saw them several weeks ago at the Rumble in the Bronx, and 6'6 Jr C.J.Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who is ranked #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is Harris' teammate on Team Texas.  These two additions move Oklahoma State's recruiting class, which already includes 6'2 Jr Antonio Hanson from Liberal (H.S.) KS, up to #6, behind Louisville, Notre Dame, Georgia, Duke, and North Carolina, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, if they really hit the jackpot by getting Miles and/or Eaton (they lead with Eaton, but they're in pretty fast company, along with schools like Texas, Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina, for Miles), then their recruiting class would move up to #2 behind Louisville and it would ensure that the Cowboys remain one of the premier teams in college basketball for a long time.  These two additions also mean that five of our top 13-ranked rising seniors, 21 of our top 50-ranked rising seniors, and 36 of our top 100-ranked rising seniors nationally have already verbally committed and the first day of the Fall Signing Period is still four-and-a-half months away.  That's the bad news!  The good news is that this time a year ago six of our top 13-ranked rising seniors, 23 of our top 50-ranked rising seniors, and 48 of our top 100-ranked rising seniors nationally were already off the board even before the Summer Evaluation Period for College Coaches began.  In other words, the recruiting process for this class appears to have been slowed down quite a bit, as just over a third of the top players are gone, instead of nearly half, as was the case a year ago.  It's also time to say goodbye to the great Class of 2004, as we have finalized and are ready to publish our Final Ranking of the Top 600 Players in the Class of 2004, which for the sake of posterity should go nicely with all the other final rankings from over the last 20 years that can be found by clicking on National Player Rankings.  And providing the perfect complement to this list is our Final Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players for the Class of 2004, which was published yesterday.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that once a player reaches his senior year it is the now the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to reclassify him.  So 6'11 Andray Blatche, who will be going the prep school route next year at South Kent (Prep) CT, checks in at #2, right behind 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA.   While this may come as a major surprise to many, it's similar to a year ago when 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT exploded onto the national scene during the spring of 2003.  If you will recall, we ranked Wright #4 in our final rankings a year ago and he ended up going #19 in the NBA Draft to the Miami Heat a week ago.  However, a year from now we think Blatche will go a lot higher than that.   As a matter of fact, if Blatche had decided to enter his name into the NBA Draft this spring, instead of going to prep school, the smart move would have been to take him third in the draft right behind Howard and Emeka Okafor.   Yes, Blatche, who just gets better and better every time we see him, is that good right now!  As for Howard not always playing hard, are Jay Bilas, Andy Katz, and the people at ESPN really that clueless?  I've seen Howard play over 50 times in every setting imaginable and he always plays hard!  I've even done some checking and I can't find anybody who has ever seen him not play hard.   As a matter of fact, Howard's the guy that you hold up as the model for consistency, playing hard, and doing things the right way.  He not only is a great role model, but he'll also be a great ambassador for the game.

Tuesday, June 29, 2004

Earlier this month we received word that 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA had reneged on the verbal commitment that he made almost a year ago to the USC and, as a result, we adjusted the Trojans recruiting class accordingly.  However, now it appears that he has reaffirmed his commitment and this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, we're talking about an incredible athlete with a prototypical NBA-like game.  Second, Young is one of the fastest rising players in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he's gone from relative obscurity a year ago all the way up to #7 in our Final Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players for the Class of 2004, which was published earlier today.  Third, the addition of Young moves USC's recruiting class back into the top 10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  As things stand now, we have their recruiting class, which also includes 6'1 Dwayne Shackleford from Allegany (JC) MD, 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, tied at #7, along with Florida, and, ironically, ranked just ahead of UCLA on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Young; Shackleford, who is one of the top junior college point guards in the nation last year; and Pruitt, who will be ranked #22 when we publish our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2004 tomorrow, are every bit as good as the three perimeter players - 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who will be ranked #23; 6'5 Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, who will be ranked #24; and 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who will be ranked #46; that UCLA has in their current recruiting class.  They also have to rank right up there with 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, and, 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who are the three great guards that Kentucky has landed in their recruiting class.  In other words, it looks like USC has done as good as anybody this year at filling their needs at the one, two, and three spots.  And, they would have also done the same thing inside, if 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, who was drafted #12 in the NBA Draft last week by the Seattle Supersonics, hadn't decided to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft.  As a matter of fact, if we counted Swift with USC's current recruiting class, they'd have the #1-ranked class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And it wouldn't even be close.  Fourth, it appears that both Young and Pruitt will be academically eligible to play next season, which means that you should disregard any rumors you've heard about either one them going the prep school route.  We also have confirmed via our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that 6'9 Eric Davis has transferred from Seton Hall to Virginia Commonwealth and that 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is a fourth year junior and, as a result, has to go the prep school route next year, will be going to to Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  So will 6'5 Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who originally signed with Siena last fall, but now is attempting to get recruited at higher level.  And you can rest assured that both Clark and Benn will be ranked on our list of the Top 5th Year Players next year.  Remember, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to rank players who have entered their 9th semester of high school separately due to the fact that they have a huge age advantage.  Speaking of our Final Ranking of the Top 100 5th Year Players for the Class of 2004, we have completed this list just in time, because day after tomorrow is July 1st and that's the day we annually advance class up by a year.  We also plan to publish our Final Ranking of the 600 Top Players in the Class of 2004 tomorrow, our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 on Thursday, Ron Naclerio's updated New York City Report on Friday, our Conference-by-Conference Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 on Saturday, our in-depth look at Different Ways to Look at Recruiting Classes on Sunday, and our Pre-Summer Ranking of the 500 Top Players in the Class of 2005 on Monday or Tuesday.  In other words, I'm going to be very busy during the next week.  However, I better be, because one week from tomorrow I will be in Indianapolis, IN to cover the  NIKE All-American Camp on July 7th and July 8th.  Then, on July 9th, I will fly to Atlanta, GA to cover the adidas Superstar All-American Camp at the Suwanne Sports Complex in Suwanee, GA and the next day I will fly to Newark, NJ to cover the Reebok ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ on July 10th-11th.  We also plan to cover the tournament that Rob Kennedy is hosting right after the Reebok ABCD Camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University, the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC, the adidas Showtime National Championships at the Suwanne Sports Complex in Suwanee, GA, the three big tournament in Las Vegas, NV, the 17-Under and 14-Under AAU Nationals in Orlando, FL, and the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA. 

Saturday, June 26, 2004, Sunday, June 27, 2004, & Monday, June 28, 2004

It looks like the University of Cincinnati basketball program has not missed a beat when it comes to recruiting, because 6'3 Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, who is ranked #130 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, made a verbal commitment to the Bearcats earlier today.  We're talking about a big time athlete and prolific scorer, as is evident by the fact that Evans is ranked third on the all-time Virginia High School League scoring list behind Allan Iverson and Moses Malone with 2,251 points.  Evans is great in transition, but he's also a lights out 3-point shooter, which makes him exactly what the doctor order for the Bearcats.  If you will recall, Cincinnati is known for their aggressive hardnosed style of play, whereby, they beat you with defense, transition, and athleticism, but, more often than not, don't shoot it as well as their opponent does.   However, the Bearcats will have to wait another year to get Evans, because he's scheduled to attend prep school next year at Winchendon (School) MA.  In other words, it looks like they landed the replacement for Nick Williams year after next, plus Evans should fit in perfectly with 6'0 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, all of whom are part of their current recruiting class, which is ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And they may not be done yet this year, because the word on the street is that Cincinnati is close to landing a foreign big man with NBA-like talent, athleticism, and potential.  We also have confirmed that San Diego State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Kyle Spain from Newark (Memorial) CA and we think this is big was well.  Not only is Spain strong enough and physical enough to play inside, but he also has the finesse, athleticism, and shooting range necessary to play out on the perimeter, which means he's ideally suited to complement 6'11 Mohamed Camara from Riverside (JC) CA, 6'10 Jabbar Young from San Bernardino (JC) CA, 6'4 Matthew Thomas from from Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA, and 6'2 Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA, all of who are part of San Deigo State's currently recruiting class and are all good enough to step in and make an immediate impact next year.  Spain, who currently is ranked #102 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also has a huge upside, but he probably won't show up on a lot of people's radar screen   this summer, because he's been slowed by a stress fractute to his shin, which sidelined him most of last season and all of this spring.  So makes sense that Spain will probably take the summer off.  Spain, who averaged 19.1 ppg, 8.2 rpg, and 3.8 apg last season, picked the Aztecs over the University of Washington and, while San Diego State assistant coach Brian Dutcher is second to none as a recruiter, it appears that all the credit on this one should to go to Gregg Gottlieb, who is one the top up-and-coming and hardest working assistant coaches in the business.  It also looks like another one has slipped past our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis.  If you will recall, neither 6'3 Jr Louis Clinch from Cordele (Crisp County) GA, who first made a national name for himself at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions a month ago, nor 6'7 Jr Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who established himself as one of the top power forwards in the nation in the Class of 2005 at the NBA Players Association Camp a week ago, even made the list when Davis came out with his rankings of the top players in the state in February.  This time we're talking about 6'7 Brandin Bivins from McDonough (Union Grove) GA, who is one of the biggest sleepers in the senior class nationally.  And, if you don't believe it, just try and find him in anybody else's national rankings.  However, the word we get is that Bivins, who is long, athletic, and multi-dimensional, is like a poor man's Tracy McGrady.  He also is good enough to be ranked among our top 250 nationally and to have attracted interest from schools like UAB, St. Bonaventure, and Robert Morris.  The addition of Bivins also appears to be the missing piece to the puzzle for Colonels head coach Travis Ford, who already is well stocked both inside with 6'10 Alonzo Hird from Santa Fe (JC) FL, 6'6 Ryan Wiersma from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'9 Darnell Dials from Lexington (Lafayette) KY and outside with 6'3 Zack Ingles from Pasco-Hernando (JC) FL, 6'2 Jason McLeish from Westchester (JC) NY, and 6'4 Stephen Gabbard from McKee (Jackson County) KY in a recruiting class that now is ranked #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Oumar Sylla, who is recently decided to transfer from Valparaiso, has decided to transfer to the University of Richmond.  And this too is a major steal, because Sylla not only is a big time athlete, great defender, and excellent 3-point shooter, but he also was good enough to be ranked #54 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003 when he was a senior a year ago at Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  Unfortunately for the Spiders, we don't include transfers when ranking recruiting classes, but, if we did the addition of Sylla would move their recruiting class, which already includes 6'2 Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'6 A.D. Vassallo from Hurt (Faith Christian) VA, 6'9 Jarhon Giddings from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, 6'9 Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA, and 6'6 Monty Sanders from Raleigh (Cardinal Gibbons) NC.  Apparently Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare was able to take advantage the strong New York City ties that Richmond has with Deon Merritt and himself already in the program and Nelson already signed, sealed, and delivered for next year.  However, the fact that Sylla and a number of the players who are already in the program or will be in the program have a lot in common in terms of language and background also helped make this an easy choice.  It also appears that 6'6 Michael Beasley, who is the #2-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, is transferring from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL to Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD.  And, if this holds up once school starts in the fall, Riverdale Baptist could emerge into one of the perennial powers in high school basketball for years to come.  Did you know that 5'8 Chad Wilson, who is the #2-ranked 7th Grader in the nation, already goes to Riverdale Baptist?  Did you also know that there have been rumors about 6'3 Frosh Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC, who is the #4-ranked freshman by the HOOP SCOOP, transferring to Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, so he can play on the same team with his good friend and DC Assault teammate Michael Beasley?  So it makes sense that this will change to Riverdale Baptist, assuming that Beasley enrolls in school this fall.  We also understand that former Miami (Senior) FL and Florida International head coach Shakey Rodriquez has taken the head coaching at Miami (Dr. Michael Krop) FL.  And this is extremely important in terms of the balance of power in high school basketball and the recruitment of players in South Florida. 

Friday, June 25, 2004

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'2 Jr Travis Walton from Lima (Senior) OH has made an early verbal commitment to Michigan State and, as a result, it appears that the Spartans have found the perfect back-up to 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI at point guard for the next three years. "Walton is like a poor man's Eric Snow," says Johnson.  "He's not as strong Snow, but he's a tough hardnosed athlete who plays great defense and is working on his outside shooting.  He's also an old school prototypical Tom Izzo type player who works hard and isn't worried about where he's ranked or will go in the draft someday."  We also thought it was big several days ago when 6'7 Jr Marco Killingsworth decided to transfer from Auburn to Indiana.  We're talking about a strong explosive athletic power foward who is a real physical specimen inside.  In other words, Killingsworth, who was ranked #40 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2001, will be exactly what the doctored ordered for Hoosiers season after next, because that's when Bracey Wright and Marshall Strickland will be seniors and the players in their current recruiting class will have a year of experience under their belts.  The addition of Killingsworth also give Indiana the best recruiting class in the nation, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  Remember, their current recruiting class already includes 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosas (Hillcrest) AL, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, and 7'1 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA and is ranked #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA has reneged on USC and apparently has UCLA and Louisville at the top of his list.  It also looks like we were right on the money several days ago when we told you that Louisville would probably make a strong push for 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA.  If you will recall, we also mentioned that Marcus Williams is best friends with 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who made an early verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week.  And this is important, because it appears that Marcus and Terrance have already talked about going to the same college together.  And, if the Cardinals pull this off, everybody makes it academically, and nobody decides to by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft a year from now, they would have the second best recruiting class, behind the Duke Class of 2002, 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, and 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, in the last six years.  And a full year in advance of when we'll publish our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005, Louisville's class, which already includes 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, and 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, would be tied at #3, along with Kentucky, if we included it on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  This also comes on the heels of their current recruiting class, which is ranked #14 nationally on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and includes 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY.  We also already reported earlier this spring that Loyola-Maryland had landed 6'5 Fred Stanback from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA and 6'4 Brad Ferrell from Herndon (H.S.) VA and that 6'9 Andre Collins had decided to follow former Maryland assistant coach Jimmy Patsos to Loyola-Maryland.  However, we didn't tell you that the Greyhounds also have landed 6'5 George Bouindas from Greece.  And the word we get is that this is a major steal, because Bouindas knows how to play, is good with the ball, and like a jack-of-all-trades, as he does a little bit of everything.  Bouindas also is good enough for schools like George Mason, St. Joseph's, and Maryland to have shown interest.  But when Patsos got the Loyola-Maryland job earlier this spring, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion.  We also are very impressed with Gardner-Webb's recruiting class, thanks primarily to the fact that they landed not one, not two, but three of the better players from the Florida junior college ranks this spring in 6'3 Tim Jennings from Pensacola (JC) FL, 6'1 T.J. McCullough from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, and 6'8 Zoran Jelinic from Pensacola (JC) FL.  Jennings, who is a terrific athlete, fierce competitor, and excellent scorer both in transition and from long range, and Jelinic, who can score both in the post and on the perimeter and is a hard worker both on and off the court (he was an Academic All-Conference Selection each of the last two seasons) both played last year for one of the top junior college coaches in the nation in Paul Swanson and helped Pensacola Junior College to a 20-10 record.  McCullough averaged 10 ppg, six assists, and three steals per game last season and was a first team all-league selection, as he led his team to a runner-up finish at the FCCAA State Tournament.  Gardner-Webb also landed a pair of high school players last fall in 6'5 Jake Didion from Garrett (H.S.) IN and 6'9 Clint Graham from Campbellsville (Taylor County) KY and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #88, along with Georgia Southern, Cornell, Jackson State, and Wisconsin-Green Bay, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, suddenly it now appears that Gardner-Webb has the best recruiting class in the Atlantic Sun Conference, as well as three players (Jennings, McCullough, and Jelinic) who are are capable of stepping in and immediately challenging for starting positions next season.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'1 Albert Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, who signed last fall with James Madison, has been released from his National Letter-of-Intent and now plans to attend Siena.  Apparently he's the replacement for 6'6 Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who signed with Siena last fall, but now appears to be heading to prep school and hopes to sign with a higher level school next fall. 

Thursday, June 24, 2004

With the 2004 NBA Draft scheduled to be held tonight, here are a few comments and observations.  First, we beg to differ with anybody who questions the work ethic of   6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who is expected to be the #1 or #2 player picked in the draft.  But that's exactly what Roscoe Nance did in his column in today's USA Today.  As a matter of fact, it's Howard's size, skills, athleticism, and work ethic that makes him such a no-brainer as the #1 pick in the NBA Draft.  We also have already gone on record saying that Howard is one of the three best players, along with Kevin Garnett and LeBron James, to come out of high school in the last 10 years.  In other words, Howard is better than Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Stephon Marbury, Dajuan Wagner, Kobe Bryant, Zach Randolph, and Darius Miles, who would be our other seven choices, if we had to round it out to a top 10.  Second, we're extremely interested to see who goes first in the draft, Howard or Connecticut's 6'10 Emeka Okafor.  We think Howard is the obvious choice, because he's got the most upside.  Remember, the NBA says it drafts on potential, plus there will be questions about whether Okafor is injury prone until proven otherwise.   However, you really can't go wrong, because they both have the size, potential, and athleticism, necessary to dominate a game at the highest level.  The fact that they're both great kids and, as a result, should be excellent ambassadors for their teams and the game is just an added bonus.  Third, after the first two picks, I'd take Duke's 6'8 Luol Deng and 6'3 Ben Gordon third and fourth, respectively, but we actually think the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers might be smart to trade their pick to Utah, if they can get the #14, #16, and #21 picks; to Boston, if they can get the #15, #24, and #25 picks; Atlanta, if they can get the #6 and #17 picks; or Portland, if they can the #13 and the #23 picks.  Obviously we think it's a crapshoot after the first two and, as a result, two or three picks are worth more than just one, especially for a bad team that is trying to get lucky.  But what do I know?  I'm the same guy who said the Houston Rockets should draft Hakeem Olajuwon #1 and trade Ralph Sampson to the Portland Trailblazers for the #2 pick in order to take Michael Jordan.  Sounds great 20 years later, but unfortunately I still know people who try and justify the Trailblazers drafting Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.  I also wrote in Basketball Times in 1995 that the Chicago Bulls should trade Scottie Pippen to whoever has the #1 pick in order to be sure to get Kevin Garnett.  That way the Bulls would still have the best player in The League when Jordan retired.  And I thought taking Carmelo Anthony over Darko Milicic a year ago was a no-brainer, but most people at the time didn't want to listen to me.  However, just to prove that nobody's perfect, I also would have taken Dajuan Wagner #1 in the 2001 NBA Draft and I would have passed on Yao Ming two years ago.  Fourth, one of the biggest steals and also maybe one of the only sure things (after the first two) in the draft is 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS.  We're talking about somebody who should be able to step in and be a back-up right away and, with his body and athleticism, there is no telling how good we can become.  Fifth, the player who had better have really improved since we last saw him at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV a year ago is 6'10 Andris Biedrins from Latvia.  At the time, we thought Biedrins was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge in the tournament, but we never bought into all the hype about his being the equivalent of one of the best players in the country, if he'd shown up at a high school in the United States last fall.  Instead, someplace in the 30-50 range was more like it.  Fifth, if you're a general manager and you need a point guard to play right away, make a trade, because there isn't a pure point guard in this draft who is ready to step in and help you right away.  However, if you've got time to wait for the player to develop, Shaun Livingston and Sebastian Telfair both are extremely interesting.  Sixth, what you think if I said the Lakers should trade Shaquille O'Neal back to the Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard?  I'm sure it probably won't happen, but it does illustrate just how much I think of Dwight Howard.  And, as an added bonus, I think Howard will make more of an impact his first year in the league than most people expect. 

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Despite the fact that NIKE decided at the last minute to invite 18 of the top players in the nation to an elite skills camp this past weekend in Portland, OR, it appears that for the second consecutive year the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA was a smashing success.  As a matter of fact, we suspect that this camp probably will end up being the best event of the entire year in terms of gathering a large number of the top high school basketball players together and showcasing their skills at one venue.  And we look for this trend to continue in the future for several reasons.  First, the NBA Players Association Camp doesn't have any shoe company affiliation and, as a result, even if somebody like NIKE, decides to be a spoiler, which is what they tried to do this year, they should be able to get an overwhelming number of the top players in the nation.  Second, with the split by adidas and Reebok last winter, there are now three major shoe companies running superstar oriented camps simulanteously and, as a result, all three camps are just that much more watered down in July.  Obviously this is a good recipe for ensuring that your competition doesn't have all the best players, but it's not what you want to do if you want to have the best camp.  Third, it is no longer the dream of every high school basketball player to play in the NCAA Final Four and/or win a NCAA Championship.  Instead, every player's dream now appears to be good enough to able to by-pass college and go straight to the NBA out of high school.  In other words, the NBA Players Association Camp is in the catbird set, because they directed connected to the NBA and that's where all these guys want to end up anyway.  So with this in mind, you can bet that Bob Gibbons, who has invited the players for the camp for the last two years, will use this as a marketing tool to create the perception that the NBA Players Assocation Camp is the camp that all the top high school players will want to attend in the future.  In contrast, all the waqtered down shoe company camps are turning into just one more stop on what is becoming a long spring, summer, and fall tour that for the most part does not include college coaches.  And we hope this happens, because, for our purposes the NBA Players Association Camp is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on the summer, as it provided us with the opportunity to see many of the top players in the nation competiting against one another.  It also provided us with a media friendly atmosphere and gave us a chance to talk with many of the players in camp, as well as get some valuable insight into their recruiting.  The list for 6'6 Jr Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX includes Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Kansas.  The first school mentioned by 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE was UCLA, but he also has Georgetown, Duke, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and Villanova on his list.  Connnecticut, Maryland, Arizona, Texas, Florida, N.C. State, and UCLA are the favorites for 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, but he says he's still wide open and, as a result, it wouldn't surprise us if Louisville tried to get involved.  Remember, 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is one of Williams' best friends, made an early verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week.  Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Georgia Tech are showing the most interest in 6'9 Jr Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON.  Florida, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech are the final three for 6'5 Jr Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL.  Wisconsin, Marquette, and Georgia Tech, and Stanford are the leaders for 6'5 Jr Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, but also showing interest are Connecticut, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky.  Washington, Arizona State, Boston College, Marquette, UNLV, Connecticut, Colorado State, San Diego, San Diego State, and Minnesota are all in the hunt for 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA.    New Mexico appears to be the favorite for 6'7 Jr Shaun Green from Salt Lake City (Olympus) UT, but Utah, Utah State, and San Diego State also must be mentioned.  The list for 6'9 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ includes N.C. State, Connecticut, Seton Hall, UCLA, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and St. Joseph's.  Kentucky is the strong early favorite for 6'11 Soph Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, but North Carolina, Arizona, Wake Forest, and Illinois also in the hunt.  Marquette, Wake Forest, DePaul, Miami-FL, Illinois, Purdue, Minnesota, and Seton Hall were the schools mentioned by 6'1 Jr Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL.   Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Miami-FL,and Alabama were mentioned by 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX.   Syracuse, Connecticut, Arizona, and Louisville are the leaders for 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, but he also mentioned Texas and Georgia Tech.  The favorites for 6'9 Jr Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI appear to be Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, and Dayton.  The final three for 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT are UNLV, Colorado State, and Utah State.   Michigan State, St. John's, Clemson, Nebraska, Hofstra, Kent State, South Florida, Georgia, and Vanderbilt were all mentioned by 6'7 Jr Will Harris from Troy (Redemption) NY.  Louisville and Connecticut are the schools that 6'5 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA says he likes best, but Syracuse, Washington, Oregon State, Arizona, and Kentucky are also on his list.  N.C. State, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Stanford, Cincinnati, Virginia, and Xavier were mentioned by 6'8 Jr Ben McCauley from Pittsburgh (Yough) PA.  Miami-FL, Florida State, Oklahoma State, UNLV, and Texas A&M are in the hunt for 6'0 Jr David Devenzin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX.  The race for 6'6 Jr Larry Gurganious from Berkley (St. Mary's) CA includes Washington, Arizona State, Marquette, Oregon, Oregon State, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State.  He no longer seems to be sure about whether he's interested Louisville due to the fact they've already got so many inside players in the current and next year's recruiting classes, but 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA does like Duke, Georgia Tech, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Kansas, and Georgetown.  The list for 6'10 Jr Yamene Coleman from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL includes Florida State, Miami-FL, Alabama, Tennessee, and Auburn.  The early leaders for 7'0 Soph Tom Heroz from Flint (Powers) FL are Michigan and Michigan State.  Texas, Arizona, Kansas, and North Carolina are the favorites for 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX.  Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, UNLV, Arkansas, Florida, and Boston College appear to be the favorites for 6'1 Jr Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX.  Connecticut, Florida State, Clemson, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Charlotte were mentioned by 6'5 Jr Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC.   It comes as no surprise that the list for 6'9 Jr Cyrus McGowan from Meriidan (H.S.) MS includes Mississippi State, Alabama, Utah, Penn State, Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Mississippi, and Southern Miss.  And the early list for 6'5 Soph Marquis Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN appears to be getting longer all the time, as it now includes Purdue, Notre Dame, Arizona, North Carolina, Louisville, Indiana, UCLA, Michigan, Illinois, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Cincinnati, and Ohio State. 

Tuesday, June 22, 2004

The NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA concluded earlier today, but there still appears to be no consensus as to who was the best player in camp.  Our Ohio International Editor Chris Johnson cast his vote for 6'7 Jr Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who suddenly appears to be the fastest rising player in the junior class nationally.   And, if you don't believe it, Barber didn't even make the list the last time our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis updated his rankings and, prior to emerging at the Houston Kingwood Classic and Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, Barber was being recruited by schools like Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and Furman.   But schools like Tennessee and Georgia have recently entire the picture and last week we ranked Barber #84 nationally in the junior class.  However, based on the way he played the last four days at the NBA Players Association Camp, we might be talking about the best power forward prospect in entire class, as well as one of the top players in the junior class nationally.  My vote for top player honors in camp went to 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH for a number of reasons.  First, Walker was one of the leading scorers and most consistent players in camp from start to finish.  Second, he was unstoppable when he used his incredible athleticism and explosiveness to beat everybody to the hole.  Third, nobody in the camp played any harder than this guy.   As a matter of fact, Walker was so good, we're not sure whether he or 6'4 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH is the best freshman in the nation.   Yes, it's that close!  And Mayo also had a great week, as he too was one of the leading scorers in camp and impressed us with his court savvy, feel for the game, ball handling and passing skills, ability to get his outside shot, and explosiveness to the hole.  We know that some of the other scouts in attendance thought 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI was the best player in camp, but he made a few too many turnovers and forced things into the lane a little too often to get our vote.   However, we still loved Devendorf's intensity, killer instinct, and ability to put up prolific numbers both in off transition and from downtown.  And, of course, there was 7'0 Soph Greg Oden from Indianpolis (Lawrence North) IN, who outscored 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng form Middletown (St. Andrews) DE 10-0 during one stretch in the semi-finals and outplayed 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in the camp championship game.  But, although Oden won the match-up, Johnson's team (the Lakers), which also featured 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Jr Jerry-Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, and 6'6 Jr Roderick Fleming from DeSoto (H.S.) TX, won the game.   Speaking of Fleming, who finished as the leading scorer in camp, he too has to be regarded as one of the biggest sleepers to emerge this week, as he is ranked no higher than #31 in the state of Texas by the HOOP SCOOP and was nowhere to be found on the national radar screen prior to this week.  However, next time we update our national rankings, this world class athletic will be listed among the top 50 players in the Class of 2005.  And, of course, there was 6'2 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, who was both the best point guard and one of the most prolific scorers in camp.  In other words, any way you slice it, Barber, Walker, Mayo, Devendorf, Oden, Fleming, and Chalmers were the seven best players in camp, but coming up with an order is almost impossible.  So we'll just leave it at that and begin our rankings of the top players in camp at #8 with 6'5 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, followed by 9) 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 10) 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 11) 6'9 Jr Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, 12) 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 13) 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 14) 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 15) 6'3 Jr Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, 16) 5'10 Jr A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, 17) 6'7 Jr William Harris from Troy (Redemption) NY, 18) 6'5 Jr Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, 19) 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 20) 6'5 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 21) 6'1 Soph D.J. Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Rice) LA, 22) 6'9 Jr Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 23) 6'6 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 24) 6'7 Jr DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 25) 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 26) 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 27) 6'7 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 28) 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 29) 6'6 Jr Terry Martin from Monroe (Richwood) LA, 30) 6'3 Jr Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL, 31) 6'8 Jr Jerry-Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 32) 6'3 Jr Louis Clinch from Cordele (Crisp County) GA, 33) 6'2 Jr Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE, 34) 6'9 Jr Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, 35) 6'10 Jr David Weaver from Swannanoa (Charles Owen) NC, 36) 6'1 Soph Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 37) 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 38) 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 39) 6'6 Jr J.P.Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, 40) 6'4 Jr Harvey Hale from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM, 41) 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, 42) 6'4 Jr Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 43) 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 44) 6'6 Jr Anthony Mason from Memphis (Fairley) TN, 45) 6'7 Jr Rashad Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA, 46) 6'8 Jr Jamie Skeen from Charlotte (North Mechlenberg) NC, 47) 5'11 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 48) 6'8 Jr Leo Criswell from Kansas City (Piper) KS, 49) 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 50) 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 51) 6'9 Jr Quinton Thornton from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 52) 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 53) 6'9 Jr Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, 54) 6'10 Jr Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, 55) 6'9 Jr Cyrus McGowan from Meridian (H.S.) MS, 56) 6'7 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 57) 6'5 Jr Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC, 58) 6'5 Soph Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 59) 6'10 Soph Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 60) 6'8 Jr Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, 61) 6'5 Jr Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, 62) 6'9 Jr Ben McCauley from Pittsburgh (Yough) PA, 63) 6'4 Jr Maurice Joseph from  Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, 64) 7'0 Jr Ray Hall from Denver (J.K. Mullen) CO, 65) 6'0 Jr David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX, 66) 6'7 Jr Alex Ruoff from Brooksville (H.S.) FL, 67) 6'8 Jr Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 68) 6'5 Jr Jevhon Shephed from Scarbrough (West Hill Collegiate) ON, 69) 7'0 Soph Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, and 70) 6'5 Jr Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN.

Monday, June 21, 2004

The intensity level earlier today picked up dramtically at the NBA Players Association Camp, but the race for top player honors in camp is still almost too call among 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'4 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Jr Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianpolis (Lawrence North) IN.  However, we expect to have a much clearer picture tomorrow once the playoffs begin and we separate the men from the boys.  So, instead of revising yesterday's rankings, we'll focus upon some of the surprises and disappointments after the first three days in camp.  And right at the top of the list of the biggest surprises is Barber, who was the best player we saw all day, as he was unstoppable going to the hole, hit the mid-jumper, was a monster on the boards, and has Dominique Wilkins-like athleticism.  And, if that weren't enough, Barber also was one of the leaders in the camp in scoring and probably was the leader in the camp in 3-point plays the hard way, as he gets fouled a lot and, unlike a lot of inside players, hits a high percentage from the foul line.  Also very much on the rise are 6'6 Jr Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jr Terry Martin from Monroe (Richwood) LA, 6'3 Jr Louis Clinch from Cordele (Crisp County) GA, 6'9 Jr Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, 6'9 Jr Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyala Catholic) ON, 6'7 Jr DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'3 Jr Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL, 6'7 Jr William Harris from Troy (Redemption) NY, and 6'6 Jr J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN.  Fleming is a big-time leaper who can score just as easily off the alley-oop pass as the 3-point shot and, as a result, is currently the leading scorer in camp.  Martin is an excellent athlete and one of the best pure shooters in camp.  Clinch just picked up where he left off at the Bob Gibbons Tournament, where he impressed with his his mid-range game, 3-point shot, and ability to get to the hole.  Sparks is a wide body and doesn't pass test, but he's got surprising and skills around the basket.  Wright, to our surprise, was the best Canadian player in camp due to his explosive athleticism, shot blocking ability to score inside. Thomas has deceptive mobility, great hands, and knack for finding ways score, which made him one of the most impressive impressive players of the evening.  Henry, who also is one of the leading scorers in camp, just keeps putting up prolific numbers (20 points, including 4-3 pointers in a game earlier tonight), despite the fact that most of the scouts (not us) still have him pegged as a mid-major player.  Onobun gets mentioned, because he's one of the hardest working players in camp and we probably had him ranked too low last night.  Kitchen not only is one of the leading scorers in camp, but he also has helped his team's chemistry by picking up some of the slack created by 6'3 Jr Jeremy Pargo's inability to play point guard.  We previously had Harris pegged as an undersized power forward, but he impressed us with his ability to shoot the three and the rock and, as result, think he should be recruited by schools in the Big East, instead of the Atlantic-10.  Prince is an excellent ball handler and passer, has good court awareness, and the ability to play point guard at 6'6, which has caused some scouts to call him a poor man's Penny Hardaway.  Among the top disappointments in camp are 5'11 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'9 Soph Keith Clark from Putnam City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Jr Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'7 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr Jevhon Shepherd from Scarbrough (West Hill Collegiate) ON, 6'7 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng form Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, 6'4 Jr K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jr Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'5 Jr Reggie Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, and 6'8 Jr Jerry-Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA.  Eaton is great getting to the hole, but he forces things, takes bad shots, and has trouble defending quicker and bigger point guards.  Keith Clark has talent, but he's selfish and we don't like his attitude.  Swinton needs to become more aggressive inside in order to live up his reputation as one of the top power forwards in the nation.  Mitchell has a tremendous amount of natural talent, but position is becoming a question, because he's not quick enough to defend a big time athletic wing forward and he's not tall enough to play inside.  Frasor had one great game versus 6'1 Jr D.J. Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA and 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, but otherwise his lack speed, quickness, and athleticism got explosed while playing against the top point guards in camp.  Rush started off the strong the first day against Tasmin Mitchell, but we watched him have a 2-point game and he sat out all of the third day due a questionable knee injury.  Shepherd was touted by Canadian guru Ro Russell as being even better than Connecticut's Denham Brown at the same of his career and, as a result, is currently ranked #31 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, if Shepherd was a stock now might be a good time to sell before he gets explosed to college coaches during the Summer Evalution Period.  Shane Clark has tremendous athleticism and natural talent, but he's not big and strong enough to consistently bang with the big guys inside and, as a result, looks a lot better when he's able to both inside and outside.  We liked Downs' athleticism and deep shooting range when we saw him yesterday, but his lack of strength and inability to guard anybody got explosed when he was matched up tonight against 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ.  Boateng has been rated among the top players in the class based on his size, athleticism, and potential, but he needs to develop some post moves and become less mechanical around the basket, if he wants to live up to the hype and expectations.  Rivers shot the lights out on numerous occasions last year at Oak Hill Academy, but gets lost in the shuffle on a team that features Oden, Barber, 6'7 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA and 6'1 Soph Mike Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  The Delk's have had a terrific spring, but apparently separating them has had the same effect that kryptonite had on Superman.   Jefferson has the talent, athleticism, and skills to be ranked #26 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but his lack of heart, desire, and intensity got explosed in this camp. 

It looks like our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis was right on the money when he told us that 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #39 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, would verbally commit to the University of Louisville as soon as his official visit to Kansas was over this past weekend.  Williams, who made the commitment last night, is a big time athlete, physical specimen, and excellent outside shooter, which means the Cardinals are now only one player (another outside shooter) away from having filled all of their recruiting needs for the Class of 2005.  Louisville, which already has 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, and 6'7 Jr Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA in the fold, already had the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And that doesn't even include 6'10 David Padgett, who announced that he was transferring from Kansas to Louisville a week ago.  In other words, it looks like Louisville is in the same boat that Texas was in a year ago when the Longhorns signed all five players in their #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 a year in advance.  However, unlike this past season, when Texas had to worry about whether 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX would go pro and Louisville lost both 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IA to the NBA, none of the players mentioned above have any business thinking about making the jump straight to The League.  Instead, there may be some concerns about whether Johnson, Holloway, and Roberson will make it academically and this explains why the Cardinals continue to recruit more inside players, like 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA.  However, their biggest need now is a replacement for 6'2 Jr Taquan Dean, who will graduate year after next.  How about 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who was ranked #18 at the NBA Players Association Camp after the first two days of camp by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class nationally?  We also have moved Indiana's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne(Elmhurst) IN,  and 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, into a tie at #9, along with UCLA, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, because 7'1 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA wisely took his name of out the NBA Draft before last Thursday's midnight deadline.  And, if 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and signed with the Hoosiers last fall, had done the same thing, their class would be ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that N.C. State has gotten 6'6 Jr Courtney Fells from Shannon (H.S.) MS and Miami-FL has landed 6'7 Jr Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL.  At first glance, the addition of Asbury, who is ranked no higher than #28 in the state in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, doesn't look very impressive.   But, upon doing some research, we think Asbury might turn out to be a major steal, because he has a great feel for the game, good handling and passing skills, an excellent 3-point shot, and the ability to rebound extremely well for his size.  However, most people don't know how good he is, because Asbury missed most of this past season due to an ankle injury.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Asbury has grown almost three inches during the last year and should be the an excellent complement to 6'7 Jr Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, who recently verbally committed to play football at Miami-FL, but also plans to plan to basketball.  These two early commitments also are important, because they give the Hurricanes an important piece to their puzzle from two of their most important recruiting bases (Florida and Texas).  No, Fells is probably not the next Julius Hodge, but physically and athletically that's who he reminds us of.  Fells also shoots it very well and is a big time athlete, but he doesn't have Hodge's ball handling and passing skills nor does he have Hodge's incredible feel for the game.  Instead, we're talking about a much less finished product, but legitimate sleeper who has emerged as the the second best junior in the state of Mississippi this spring, well as the #88-ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also told us late last week that 6'0 Eugene Lawrence from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY signed with St. John's, which means that the Red Storm now have five players in this recruiting class.  Remember, the new regime inherited two recruits in 6'8 Rodney Epperson from Midland (JC) TX and 6'4 Jermaine Maybank from Independence (JC) KS and earlier this spring they landed 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ and 6'6 Dexter Gray from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  But even more interesting are the rumors that the Red Storm are on the verge of putting together a package that includes 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (H.S.) NY and 6'5 Jr Drew Gladstone from Bayside (H.S.) NY and the dual announcement is expected to be forthcoming at the Reebok ABCD Camp in early July.  We also have confirmed via 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, who will be transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this fall, that he too plans to make his college decision known sometime during the week at the adidas ABCD Camp and his final three schools are Syracuse, Florida, and Michigan State.   Marquette, Stanford, Wisconsin, and Georgia Tech are battling it out for 6'4 Jr Wes Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI and Oklahoma State, Georgia Tech, Kansas, and Oklahoma appear to be the favorites for 6'8 Jr Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  The early list for 6'6 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH includes North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, Ohio State,  Cincinnati, Xavier, Texas, Dayton, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, and Illinois.  The list for 6'9 Jr Jerry Mayfield from Irving (MacArthur) TX also is extremely interesting, as he mentions LSU, Portland State, Baylor, North Texas, and Arizona.

Saturday, June 19, 2004, & Sunday, June 20, 2004

Due to the fact that the Class of 2005 is mediocre at best, it comes as no surprise that one of the big stories after the first two days at the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA is the way underclassmen have dominated the camp.  However, we didn't expect two of the top three players in camp to be freshmen (rising sophomores).   We're talking about 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'4 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who also were the leading scorers in camp with 17.5 ppg and 13.0 ppg averages, respectively, after the first day.  Walker also is the guy who turned in the best individual performance we've seen when he scored 24 points on the first night of camp.   Not only did he use his explosiveness and athleticism to bring down the house with a number of highlight film-like dunks, but he also was a dominant force on the boards, made things happen in transition, impressed us with his improved 3-point shooting range, and played with as much intensity as anybody in camp.  In other words, Walker played like he had something to prove.  And maybe he did, because in addition to always having lived in Mayo's shadow, Walker was sidelined the entire regular season last winter with an ACL injury.  And Mayo was almost as good, as he impressed us with his athleticism, court savvy, feel for the game, ability to get to the hole, hit outside shot, and handle and pass the basketball.  Sure, there will be critics who will say that Walker and Mayo both did all this while playing on their team's second unit, but we also think the argument can be made that the only player who was talented enough to not go to war on every possession and not be better than these two guys is 7'0 Soph Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is so big, so athletic, and so naturally talented that he can take plays off and still totally effect the game and make everybody around him better.  Moral to the story, Oden gets our #1 ranking in camp after the first two days almost by default.  The second best individual performance we've seen thus far at the NBA Players Association Camp was an 18-point effort by 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI and we really liked the efforts turned in by guys like 6'7 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, 6'2 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'7 Jr Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'1 Soph D.J. Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 5'10 Jr A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX.   However, after that, we thought there was a big drop-off in terms of level of play and intensity.  Part of this may have to do with the fact that the Class of 2005 isn't that good.  Part of it may have to do with the fact that 16 of the top players who were supposed to have been at this camp decided to attend the elite skills camp that NIKE is running in Portland, OR this weekend.  Part of it may have to do with the fact that a lot of these players have already played in too many events and tournaments this spring to excited about playing in what seems like just another stop on what already has become a long tour.  Part of it may be that there are no college coaches around, despite the fact that this is one of the best and most talent laden events of the entire year.  And part of it may be that a lot of these guys just don't have the drive, determination, and heart necessary to achieve greatness.  Regardless, that doesn't stop us from covering the NBA Players Association Camp with the same zest and zeal that we always have and, as a result, we already have published our ranking of the Top 30 Players in Camp, as well as our ranking of the top players at each position.  Obviously this is subject to change during the next two days, but it does provide an accurate reflection of what our Ohio & International Editor Chris Johnson and myself have seen during the last two days.

Friday, June 18, 2004

When we first head about 6'8 Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN and 5'9 Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN when they were 8th Graders four years ago, we thought that they would be the nucleus of the next great in Tennessee.  Boy, were we wrong, as neither player ever lived up to all the early hype and expectations.  Sure, other players, like 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN and 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, who didn't play this past season and more recently transferred to Laurinburg (Charter) NC, emerged to pick up some of the slack, but, as things turned out, the next two great classes in the state are the Class of 2005 and Class of 2006.  As a matter of fact, no state in the nation has better talent per capita than these two classes.  Don't believe it?  Well, you might be right with the junior class, because the state of Washington, which features five potential McDonald's All-American's in 6'6 Jr Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'8 Jr Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, and 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, is nothing short of spectacular.  However, Tennessee does have three players - 6'4 Jr Jamont Gordon from Nashville (Glencliff) TN, 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN, and 6'5 Jr Reggie Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN - who were ranked among the Top 50 nationally in our Ranking of the Top 100 Players in the Class of 2005, which was published in this section yesterday, and four more players - 6'5 Jr Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, 6'3 Jr J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'9 Jr RouSean Cromwell from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN, and 6'7 Jr Desmond Yates from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN - who have gotten top 100 consideration nationally.  So we think Tennessee is at least a strong second.  But it's the Class of 2006, which features two of the top five sophomores in the nation in 6'8 Soph Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN and 6'8 Soph Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, as well as three other potential McDonald's All-American's in 6'8 Soph Pierre Niles from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'0 Soph Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, and 6'8 Soph Wayne Chism from Jackson (Southside) TN, that really has everybody excited.  So the timing of our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman and our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead couldn't be any better.  We're talking about their latest Tennessee Report, which was finalized and published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  This report contains just over two pages with Rothman's and Whitehead's All-State Teams, which include the top 20 players in the state regardless of position and class, and, believe it or not, 11-pages of nothing but rankings.  In other words, they've listed in numerical order the top 254 seniors, 175 juniors, 109 sophomores, 66 freshmen, three 8th Graders, three 7th Graders, three 6th Graders, one 5th Grader, and one 4th Grader and all this can be found by clicking on Whitehead & Rothman Rank 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Tennessee.

A year ago the NBA Players Associaton Camp, which featured players like 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Christian) GA, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'8 Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'5 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ,  6'5 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'4 Jr Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Jr Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Marquise Cook from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Jordan Farmer from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'10 Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, 6'8 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'3 Ronald Steele from Birmingham (Carroll) AL, 6'4 Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'9 Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC, 6'9 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Glenn Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, and 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougerty) PA, was the easiest, most enjoyable, and probably the best event of the entire year to cover.  In other words, it was just like the old days when there was only one camp with just over a 100 players and everybody got to play against everybody.  Unfortunately this year we don't know quite what to expect, because NIKE has decided run an elite skills camp, which will include several dozen the top players in the nation, including 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Jr Tyler Hanbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'4  Soph Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'8 Jr Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, and 6'8 Jr Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, this weekend in Portand, OR.  Obviously NIKE could have held this camp at any time, but they elected to bring in these players in an attempt to steal some of the thunder from the NBA Players Associaton Camp.  And this is too bad, because it seems like everytime somebody has a great event, one of the major shoe companies (i.e. NIKE and adidas) decides to run their own event and, as a result, dilutes the talent pool.  We also suspect that this was an attempt to get back at Bob Gibbons, who not only invites the players for the NBA Players Associaton Camp, but also recently signed a shoe contract with Reebok, which is now NIKE's biggest rival.  So it should come as no surprise that only one day prior the start of the NBA Players Associaton Camp, that we still don't have a list complete list of who will at the camp.  However, we do know that some of the top players in camp are supposed to include 7'0 Soph Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'7 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'3 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'7 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'7 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, 6'8 Jr Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'2 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'8 Jr Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 5'11 Jr JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Soph Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'1 Soph Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, and 6'7 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  NBA Players Associaton Camp will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University's Siegel Center in Richmond, VA and begin tomorrow morning with a practice session at 11:00 AM, the first set of games at Noon, the second set of games at 6:45 PM, and the third set of games at 7:45 PM.  They also will follow the same schedule on Sunday, June 20th, and Monday, June 21st, with a set of games at Noon and another set of games at 6:45 PM and 7:45 PM and the playoffs will be held on Tuesday, June 22nd, with the Quarterfinal at 10:45 AM, Semi-Finals at 3:00 PM and Championship Game at 4:00 PM.  For more information and details about the camp as the become available, click HoopMasters.com (Van Coleman & Bob Gibbons).  However, for updated daily player rankings and the best coverage of the camp, make sure you come back right here. 

Thursday, June 17, 2004

Two days ago we told you that 29 of the 100 ranked juniors had already made early verbal commitments.  However, now that number has jumped to 32, because we've revised our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005.  Actually there are five new players who have made verbal commitments that have been added to the list in 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, who moves up from #154 to #20 and is going to Kansas; 6'6 Jr Jaron Griffin from Manchester (H.S.) NJ, who was not on the list before, but moves up to #78 and is going to Rutgers; 6'4 Jr Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA,who moves up from #219 to #82 and is going to Stanford; 6'2 Jr Kyle McAlarney from Staten Island (Catholic) NY, who moves up from #340 to #97 and is going to Notre Dame; and 6'9 Jr Laurynas Nikalauskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA, who moves up from #178 to #100 and is going to Virginia.  There also are two players who have dropped out of our top 100 in 6'8 Jr Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph's) NJ, who was ranked #67 and is going to Rutgers, and 6'7 Jr Zach Hillesland from Toledo (St. John's) OH, who was ranked #85 and is going to Notre Dame.  However, Inman and Hillesland both will show up in the 101-125 range when we expand our list later this month and, as a result, will have a chance to play themselves back into the top 100 when we see them this summer.   Other players who have moved down since we published our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005 on February 20, 2004, include 6'11 Jr Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, who drops from #4 to #14; 6'11 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who drops from #5 to #47; 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who drops from #11 to #28; 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who drops from #40 to #93; 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH; who drops from #42 to #77; and 6'7 Jr Kahiem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, who was #41, 6'5 Jr Nate Skinner from Etobicoke (Father Redmond) ON, who was #46, 6'8 Jr Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, who was #58, 6'8 Jr Mike Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA, who was #68, 6'7 Jr Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who was #74, 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, who was #76, 6'4 Jr Gerald Carter from Plymouth (Holderness) NH, who was #81, 6'5 Jr Brandon Smith from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, who was #82, 6'5 Jr Markel Humphrey from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA, who was #83, 6'3 Jr Sean Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, who was #86, 6'2 Jr Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, who was #87, 6'9 Jr Frank Tchuisi from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who was #88, 6'4 Jr Saiquan Stone from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, who was #89, 6'2 Jr Booker Woodfox from Lewisville (H.S.) CA, who was #90, 6'0 Jr Greg Johnson from Plymouth (Holderness) NH, who was #92, 6'0 Jr Tremaine Hawthorne from Steelton (Steelton-Highspire) PA, who was #93, 6'7 Jr Jay Brown from Griffin (H.S.) GA, who was #94, 6'0 Jr Darren Jordan from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, who was #95, 6'5 Jr Chris Knight from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, who was #97, and 6'3 Jr Devon McLendon from Chester (H.S.) PA, who was #98, all of whom have dropped out of our top 100.  It also should be noted that 6'4 Soph Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY drops off the list, because he's been reclassified as a sophomore.  And among those players on the rise are 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who moves from #77 to #10; 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, who moves from #264 to #18; 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, who moves from #48 to #19; 6'8 Jr Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, who moves from #56 to #22; 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, who moves from #51 to #24; 6'8 Jr Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who moves #91 to #26; 6'2 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, who moves from #60 to #32; 6'5 Jr Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who was not on the list before, but is now ranked #41; 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who moves from #72 to #45; 6'4 Jr Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, who moves from #189 to #49; 6'8 Jr Jeffrey Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, who moves from #202 to #51; 6'11 Jr Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, who moves from #144 to #53; 6'3 Jr Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, who moves from #138 to #54; 6'3 Jr Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, who moves from #125 to #66; 5'10 Jr Lavance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who moves from #115 to #70; 6'3 Jr Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, who moves from #177 to #71; 6'4 Jr Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, who was not on the list before, but is now ranked #85; 6'6 Jr Courtney Fells from Shannon (H.S.) MS, who was not on the list before, but is now ranked #88; 6'3 Jr Jessie Sapp from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who moves from #315 to #91; 6'2 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who moves from #314 to #94, and 6'3 Jr Phillip Perry from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who was not on the list before, but is now ranked #98.  In other words, we already had most of the names, but there has been a lot of movement, as we've seen many of these players over and over during the last two-and-half months. We also find it interesting that 23 different states have players represented among our top 40 juniors nationally and, although this class is week nationally, it appears to be extremely strong on the West Coast as 11 of the top 40-ranked players are from California, Alaska, and Washington.  And this might be the best class ever in the history of the state of Washington, was 6'6 Jr Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA is ranked #1, 6'6 Jr Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA is ranked #18, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA is ranked #20, 6'8 Jr Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA is ranked #22; and 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA is ranked #39.  So naturually it will be interesting to see how many of these guys make the McDonald's All-American Game next spring.  It also will be interesting to see whether Webster will remain as the #1-ranked player in the class after being sidelined most of last season and this spring with a broken leg.  And we wonder if there will be any surprises when it comes to the top unsigned juniors, because Webster is supposed to be a near lock for Arizona (his cousin is former Wildcats point guard Jason Terry); 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL is expected to go to either Florida State or the NBA; 6'8 Jr Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL will probably follow numerous family members to Alabama (his aunt was one of the first black students to attend to the school); 6'6 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA won't go anywhere, but LSU, unless his godfather Butch Pierre, who is an assistant coach for the Tigers, gets a similar position at another school; and 6'9 Jr Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO has always been a Missouri fan.  However, this one is at least a little bit interesting, because of the mess the Tigers find themselves in and, as a result, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas all appear to have a legitimate shot.  We also think it is important to note that 6'7 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #13; 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #28; 6'5 Jr Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who is ranked #41; 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Luthern) PA, who is ranked #42; 6'7 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who is ranked #45; and 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #63; are all fourth year juniors and, as a result, will be ranked separately next year on our 5th Year list.   It also should noted that it is now the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to reclassify a player once he becomes a senior in high school.  However, if we did reclassify seniors, 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT easily would be the best player in the class.  Instead, Blatche will be ranked as the #3 senior in nationally, behind 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA and 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and ahead of 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, and 6'9 Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, which will be published later this month exclusively in the Members Section of the HOOP SCOOP. 

Wednesday, June 16, 2004

With yesterday's announcement by 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX that he has withdrawn his name from the NBA Draft, it now appears that the University of Texas will finish with the #1-ranked recuiting classes in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004.  And maybe this is poetic justice, because the Longhorns jumped into the #1 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 when they landed Aldridge, 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX all over a year ago.  Speaking of our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004, we will be finalizing our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference, and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting, in about two weeks.  So, if you think we're missing something, now is the perfect time to make us aware of it.  The best thing to do is send me an email at hoopscooponline@msn.com.   However, as things stand right now, Texas has a slight edge over Memphis and Kentucky, which are followed in order by Lamar, Oklahoma State, Providence, Florida, Kansas, UCLA, Baylor, Oregon, Southern Miss, USC, Louisville, Missouri, Middle Tennessee State, Arizona State, Murray State, Indiana, and Arkansas.  We also have moved Louisville's recruiting class up to #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, because we have finally confirmed that they have offered 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who, first is expected to spend a year in prep school at Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, a scholarship. Originally we were told by somebody who would know that Roberson had committed to the Cardinals, but that the Louisville coaching staff was not sure about whether they would accept the commtment (maybe another scholarship opened when Nate Daniels decided to transfer earlier this week).   And this doesn't even include 6'10 David Padgett, who announced earlier this spring that he was leaving Kansas and decided last weekend to transfer to Louisville.  Remember, it is the editorial policy not to include transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  So, as things stand now, Louisville already has Roberson, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) CA, and 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL in the fold and, according to our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, may also get 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #38 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, as soon as next week.  As a matter of fact, Trigonis thinks it's already a done deal for the Cardinals, despite the fact Williams is scheduled to visit Kansas this weekend.  But we're not willing to bet against new Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend quite yet.  If you will recall, Townsend landed Jamal Crawford when he was at Michigan, the Stewart twins and Nate Robinson when he was at USC, and 6'10 C.J. Giles, all from Seattle (Rainier Beach) FL, when he was at Miami-FL.  In other words, if Townsend wants Williams, Townsend will probably be able to get Williams.   However, due to the fact that Townsend has not received the most favorable attention lately in an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the timing might not be right for the Jayhawks to take Williams and, as a result, the door may be open for the Cardinals to step in and steal this one.  We're talking about a big time athlete, an incredible physical specimen, and an excellent outside shooter, although he does tend to be streaky from beyond the arc.  Williams also has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard, but he does not have the basketball IQ necessary to run a team.  Trigonis also tells us that Omar Wilkes, who decided several months ago to transfer from Kansas, has finally decided upon the University of California.  This does not guarantee that Wilkes' younger brother - 6'11 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP - will also pick the Golden Bears.  But Trigonis does think it helps their chances.  It also may hurt Stanford's chances, because it might be difficult for the younger Wilkes to go to biggest rival of the school that his older brother is attending.  Trigonis also tells us that 5'10 D.J. Wright from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who is extremely quick and is an excellent on the ball defender, has signed with Austin Peay and 6'2 Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvery Chapel) CA, who is ranked #431 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with AZUSA Pacific, which is a traditional NAIA West Coast power. 

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

While I was traveling home yesterday, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis made us aware of the fact that 6'4 Jr Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA and 6'8 Jr Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ had both made early verbal commitments to Stanford.  And while neither commitment is much of a surprise, it's still big for The Cardinal.   Hill, who is ranked #50 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is an incredible student academically, has the talent and potential to develop into one of the best power forwards in the league.  However, he needs to get bigger and stronger for that to happen.  Goods, who is ranked #219 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, actually is a lot better than that based on the way he played when we saw him this spring.  Not only is he an excellent athlete and a terrific outside shooter, but he also has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play some at the point guard spot.  These two additions also move Stanford's recruiting class up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but, if the Cardinal also gets 6'11 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA and 6'4 Jr Wes Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, both of whom have Stanford high on their list, then we would be talking about the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, new Stanford head coach Trent Johnson may have walked into a gold mine.   The verbal commitment by Hill also is interesting, because he brings the number to 29 in terms of how many top 100 juniors are no longer available.  If you will recall, we've already tracked commitments by 6'2 Jr Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA to Georgia, 6'11 Jr Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN to Notre Dame, 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS to Mississippi State, 6'7 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA to Villanova, 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY to Syracuse, 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN to Duke, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY to Duke, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA to Louisville, 6'5 Jr Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to North Carolina, 6'4 Jr Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA to Georgia, 5'10 Jr A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX to Texas, 6'7 Jr Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC to Wake Forest, 6'4 Jr K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Clemson, 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL to Louisville, 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA to Notre Dame, 6'8 Jr Julius Powell from Newton (Conover) NC to Clemson, 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL to North Carolina, 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX to Arizona, 6'7 Jr Joe Krabbenholt from Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD to Wisconsin, 6'1 Jr Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE to Georgetown, 6'2 Jr Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK to Kansas, 6'6 Jr Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. John's) OH to Xavier, 6'8 Jr Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph's) NJ to Rutgers, 6'2 Jr Jarrett Smith from Romulus (H.S.) MI to Michigan, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to Louisville, 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, 6'7 Jr Zach Hillesland from Toledo (St. John's) OH, and 6'8 Jr Justin Wilkerson from Greenville (H.S.) TX to Texas Tech.  And we wouldn't be surprised if 6'4 Jr Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY made it 29.  Did you know that Torres and his high school coach Oliver Antiqua both missed the Rumble in the Bronx this weekend?  Instead, they were at the University of Pittsburgh on an official visit.   And, like the say, blood is thicker than water.  All this is important, because, St. John's has a great connection with Torres, because Red Storm assistant coach Chuckie Martin was an assistant coach at St. Raymond's back in the Gary DeCesare days.  However, Pittsburgh has an even better connection because Antiqua's brother (Orlando Antiqua) is the Director of Basketball Operations at Pittsburgh.  The final three for 6'6 Chris Berry from Compton (Centennial) CA, who we think is one of the biggest sleepers nationally still available in the senior class, are DePaul, Bowling Green, and Fresno State and it appears that 6'2 Jr Darren Collison from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #299 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to UCLA.  And we think this is an excellent catch for the Bruins, because Collison will provide depth a point guard behind 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, it appears that Greg Hicks of TheInsidersHoops.com has gone way out on a limb on this one when he wrote:  "Collison, the 2nd ranked point guard in the west behind Mario Chalmers, is a quick, pure point guard.  A good shooter, Collison hasn't shown up on many national rankings, but that will likely change once national recruiting experts get a better look at him in July."  Obviously Hicks and Tracy Pierson have forgetten about 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was Louisville's #1 point guard target.  But, then again, maybe they didn't.  After all, they also said 6'3 Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA and 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ were the best point guard and the best 2-guard on the West Coast last fall ahead of players like Farmer, 6'3 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'5 Gabrial Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Arron Afflalo from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'4 Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA.  And, while we think Hicks and Pierson are good guys and we respect the fact that they work hard, that's ridiculous.  We also have to respectfully disagree with their evaluation of 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who we have ranked #24 nationally in the junior class.  In contrast, they don't think Boykin is athletic enough to play the position he needs to play at the high Division I level.  We also probably still disagree on 6'11 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who we had ranked #5 when we published our rankings of the top juniors nationally on February 20th.  But, in the final analysis, I still think we'll be a lot closer on Wilkes than Pierson and Hicks will be. 

Monday, June 14, 2004

This year's Rumble in the Bronx featured teams from all over the country, like the Houston Hoops, Team Texas, Howard Pulley, Louisiana Select, New England Playaz, Kansas City Rocktown, Albany City Rocks, Houston, Elite, National Christian, and Philly MJC, as well as all of the traditional powerhouse teams from New York City, like the Gauchos, Long Island Panthers, Metro Hawks (formerly Riverside Church), and New York Ravens.  But, in the end, it was two local upstart teams that ended up playing in the finals of the Gold Division (the Division for teams that won their pools), as Bounce NYC beat New Heights, 71-57, in the championship.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who finished with 13 points in the championship, took home MVP honors.  No, Davis didn't beat 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Prep (Prep) CT in their head-to-head match-up (Blatche had 22 points versus 12 for Davis in that game), but he play harder and was consistent than when we've seen him in the past and, as a result, was the primary reason why his team won every game.  And, Davis do all this against some pretty good competition, including Team Texas' 6'9 Jr Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Soph Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, and 7'0 Jr Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in their final game in pool play; Blatche in the quarterfinals, and 6'11 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA in the championship.  Speaking of Goodridge, he had an impressive dunk early, but did little else as he was held to only four points by Davis in the championship game.  However, this also was a team effort, as 5'11 Cameron Tyler from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA had 13 points, 5'11 Jr Joe Lindsay from Spring Valley (H.S.) NY had 12 points, 6'6 Jr Lamont Ulmer from Hamden (H.S.) CT had 10 points, 6'2 Jr Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) NY had nine points, and 6'5 Jr Drew Gladstone from Bayside (Cardozo) NY proved to be a valuable role player for Bounce NYC in the championship game.  Ulmer also deserves special mention, because he helped set the tone early, as he hit some big shots and got some key rebounds in the championship game.   New Heights also featured 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NY and 6'5 Junior Bernal, who appears to be bound for a prep school yet to be determined, but both players were none factors in the championship game.   Instead, the player who really stepped up and played well for New Heights was 5'11 Jr Terrance Grier from Cranford (H.S.) NJ.  Not only did Grier hit some big outside shots, use his body and athleticism to get to the hole, and finish with 17 points, but he also reminds us of a poor man's 5'9 Jr Lavance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who has emerged this spring as one of the top juniors in New York City.  In other words, Grier could be a steal for the mid-major school.   The other big story in the tournament was the fact that most of the top players in the tournament simply reinforced what we already knew.  Like Blatche, who easily was the best player in the tournament.  Not only are we talking about an incredible athlete with quick hands, great moves, incredible timing, and the ability to totally dominate the game around the basket, but also somebody with amazing ball handling and passing skills, excellent court vision, and an excellent shooting touch from mid-range.   In other words, we are talking about one of the top five players in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2004 (it is not the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to reclassify players once they become seniors in high school), as well as one of the top players in the 2005 NBA Draft.  As a matter of fact, we think Blatche is so good that if he came out this year, he should be the #3 pick in this year's NBA Draft only behind 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA and Connecticut's Emeka Okafor.  Like, 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who finished with 23 points in the Silver Championship Game against the Northeast Playaz.  Miles is a big time athlete and great outside shooter with an incredible upside, but he also has a tendancy to take plays off.  However, we can't say that about his teammate - 6'3 Jr Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, who plays every possession like it might be his last.   In addition to being an excellent athlete, hardnosed defender, and good outside shooter, Johnson also has good ball handling and passing skills and a knack for being in the right place at the right time, which makes him a terrific intangibles guy.  It also explains why schools like Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Kansas, USC, and Texas A&M are recruiting him.  Like 5'11 Jr A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, who flat out was the best 3-point shooter and prolific scorer in the tournament, as is evident by the fact that he had one game when he scored 43 points and hit eight trifectas.  But sometimes when live by the sword, you die by the sword, and that's exactly what happened in the semi-finals when Abrams missed most of his outside shoots and the Houston Hoops were upset by New Heights.  Like 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, who is a strong physical athlete who always goes to war inside, but also continuesto improve his shooting range and ability to play on the away from the basket.  Like 6'5 Jr Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who, at 6'5, makes good decisions, can run a team, is explosive in transition, and can get to the basket with the best of them.   So obviously this explains why we think Anderson is one of the fastest rising juniors nationally and is being recruited by schools like Connecticut, Clemson, Memphis, St. John's, and Marquettte.  Like 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who always seems to come up with the big play (he hit several big 3-pointers to help his team win the quarterfinals) and plays well when we're watching his game.  Like 6'9 Soph Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, who is the best young big man in the New York City, thanks to his combination of size, athleticism, and high skill level.   Like 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who never seems to play well, except in spurts, when we're in the gym.  Like 6'6 Jr Danny Green from Manhassett (St. Mary's) NY and 6'7 Jr Kahiem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, both of whom we're still trying to figure what all the hype is all about.  Remember, based on our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio's recommendation, we had Green currently ranked #33 and Seawright #41 in our most recent rankings of the top players nationally in the Class of 2005.  Green, who also is ranked by some as the best junior in the New York City area, is a good all around player, but we question his toughness and we've never seem him take over a game.  Seawright is an undersized power forward who needs to get a bigger and stronger in order to play inside at the top level.  Instead, the best player when we saw the Panthers was 6'5 Jr Tyrone Johnson from Manhasset (Uniondale) NY, who shot the lights out and, as a result, convinced us he has the ability to make the transformation to the wing forward spot at the next level.  Like 6'0 Jr Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who simply picked up where he left off last time we saw him when we were in the area three weeks ago for the championship at ISA and the Youth Activities Basketball City Classic at Basketball City.  However, we were a little bit surprised at the level Lowe is being recruited, as the list he gave us included St. John's, UNLV, Illinois, Clemson, Rhode Island, and Hofstra (in our opinion, Lowe is perfect for the Atlantic-10).  Like 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who impressed us with his outside shooting and ability to fit in with the all the good players - Anderson, 6'8 Travis George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Jr Collin McKintosh from Mt. Herman (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, and 6'3 Soph Alexander Zampierce from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY - on the Northeast Playaz team.  We also were impressed with all the good young players on the Howard Pulley Panther-Black team.  We're talking about 6'6 Soph Isiah Dahlman form Brahm (H.S.) MN, 6'9 Soph Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas) MN 6'7 Jr Cory Johnson from Duluth (East) MN, and 5'11 Soph Angelo Johnson from Minneapolis (North) MN.  Dahlman needs to get bigger and stronger, but this multi-dimensional athletic white kid who rebounds well for his size, shoots the three, and has good ball handling and passing skills, is a legitimate top 50 sophomore nationally.  Johnson also is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, but what we liked the most about him was his blue collar work ethic, willingness to get after it on the boards, and ability to score around the basket.  Webster doesn't play as hard nor does he get as much done as either Dahlman and Webster, but he's got more size and athleticism and, as a result, probably has the most potential.   Johnson is the small quick point guard who runs the show.  The player who helped himself the most nationally at the Rumble in the Bronx was 6'8 John Garcia from Brentwood (H.S.) NY, who provided the perfect complement inside to 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY on the New York Elite.  Garcia is a physical specimen who scores around the basket, rebounds, blocks shots, and has a killer instinct.   And this may be good news for St. John's, because he tells us that the Red Storm is the strong favorite right now.  However, it appears the word is starting to get out that Garcia is pretty good, because he also has Hofstra, Villanova, Rutgers, Connecticut, Virginia Tech, Providence, Cincinnati, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh on his list.  We also got a chance to attend the Team Next Tournament on Saturday night at Westbury High School in Westbury, NY and the highlight was watching 6'3 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (IS #267) NY, who might just be the best 7th Grader I've ever seen.  We're talking about an incredible athlete who blocks shots, rebounds, scores inside and outside, handles, passes, and has a great feel for the game.   Stephenson also is a tremendous competitor, as was a evident by his intensity level, the way he totally dominated the game in every way, and the fact that he came right back in the game and was less than 100% after going down for several minutes with a leg injury.  And he was doing all this against darn good competition, because Team Baltimore featured 5'5 Kendall Marshall from Woodbridge (Rippen Middle) VA, who is the #1-ranked 6th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, and 5'8 Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who is the #2-ranked 7th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  And they both more than lived up to their billing.  Marshall not only is a great ball handler, passer, and floor general, but also he also makes everybody around him better, has tremendous poise and court savvy, and an incredible feel for the game.  As a matter of fact, we've never seen a point guard this young with this good of an understanding of the game.  Wilson also has an excellent feel for the game, as well as pretty good handling and passing skills, but he also is an excellent 3-point shooter, rebounds well for his size, and seems to have knack for always being in the right spot to make the big play.  However, Wilson will drop to #3 in our rankings, because Stephenson has to move up to the top of the list, along with 6'4 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle) CA.  We also were really impressed by the way 5'1 6th Grader Tevon Sledge from Rockland, NY used his speed and quickness to more than handle the pressure that was put on his by Team Baltimore' s great guards.  And we also thought 5'3 8th Grader William Robinson from Buffalo, NY did a good job when matched up against 5'4 8th Grader Erving Walker from Brooklyn (PS #308) NY in the 8th Grade game between Team Next and the Family.  However, Team Next, which also featured 6'6 8th Grader Vincent Rogers from New York, NY, 6'3 8th Grader Leonard McNeil from New York, NY, 5'10 8th Grader Ashton Gibbs from Scotch Plains (Terrell) NJ, and 6'1 8th Grader Kalif Staten from Brooklyn, NY, all of whom are legitimate top 30 8th Graders in the nation, was just too strong for this team from Buffalo, NY.  Rogers uses his athleticism to rebound, blocks shots, and score inside.   McNeil has a big body, is surprisingly mobile, and reminds us in many ways of a young 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ.  Gibbs is an excellent athlete and a good 3-point shooter.  Staten is the defensive specialist, although he's also pretty good at using his quickness and athleticism to get to the hole.   And, of course, Walker is the best 8th Grader in the nation, as well as one of the most poised and skilled point guards we've ever seen at this age.  As a matter of fact, we like Walker's outside shooting and decision making better than Sebastian Telfair's when he was the same age.  We also think Walker is physically a little stronger at the same stage, but Telfair was still more ready to go to the adidas ABCD Camp four years ago than Walker, who may get invited to the Reebok ABCD Camp this summer, is right now.  The big difference being that Telfair was several inches taller and already was getting it done against players 16 and 17-years-old on a consistent basis as a rising freshman.  Making the story even more interesting is the fact that most of the top good young players in New York City play for Team Next and, if head coach Michael Moore can keep most of these guys together, this promises to become the premier AAU program in New York City in the future. 

Saturday, June 12, 2004, & Sunday, June 13, 2004

When 6'10 David Padgett got his release from Kansas to talk to North Carolina on Wednesday, June 9th, the smart money was on the Tar Heels.  Remember, Padgett originally signed with the Jayhawks in order to play for then Kansas head coach Roy Williams.  However, three days after Padgett got his release, his mother confirmed in an article written by Neil Amato in the Durham Herald-Sun that her son had picked Louisville.  Maybe the Tar Heels weren't interested or maybe Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, who has been waiting for over a month and half for Padgett to make up his mind, finally put the screws to him and told him it was now or never.  But, regardless of what happened, this is huge for the Cardinals, because Padgett is exactly what the doctored ordered for the Cardinals for a number of reasons.  First, Padgett is pretty darn good, as is evident by the fact that was a McDonald's All-American, as well as the #15-ranked player nationally in our final rankings of the top players in the Class of 2003.  Second, Padgett will provide the perfect complement inside year after next to 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who are the cornerstones of Louisville's current recruiting class.  Third, Padgett started 19 games and averaged 6.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg this past season as a freshman at Kansas.  And this is important, because Pitino likes to take transfers, because they not only get a year to learn the system, but they also because they bring an added level of intensity to practice everyday.  Fourth, Padgett is the first good white player that Louisville has landed in years and, as a result, that should help broaden their recruiting base even further.  And, if that weren't enough good news for Louisville in one day, what would you think if 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Merino Valley) CA and 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA also both verbally committed to the Cardinals today?  Well, after making official visits to Louisville, KY is this weekend, that's exactly what's happened.  McGee, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was ranked #4 overall last summer as a rising junior at the adidas ABCD Camp, appears to be the final piece to the puzzle.  He's also the great point guard that the Cardinals need to become one of the most dominant teams in college basketball year after next.  As a matter of fact, if they had McGee this coming year, we might still be tempted to rank Louisville as one of the top five teams in the nation, despite the fact 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IA, both of whom signed with Louisville last fall, elected to by-pass college and enter their the NBA Draft this spring.  Johnson, who has emerged as one of the premier big men in the nation this spring, is a phenomenal athlete/shot blocker/defender/rebounder and his offensive game should only get better while playing for Pitino.  These two additions move Louisville's recruiting class, which also includes 7'0 Jr Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, up to #2 on list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if we also included 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Domiguez) CA, who verbally committed to Louisville a-week-and-a-half ago, the Cardinals' recruiting class would be ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, as things stand now, we do not know whether Louisville will ever accept Roberson's commitment.  But, even more important, the Cardinals should have a much power inside   as any team in college basketball for year's to come with Brian Johnson, Palacios, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY in their current recruiting class; Padgett, who will sit out next year as a transfer; and Amir Johnson and Holloway, who are already verbally committed for next year.  That's six inside players who have the talent potential to be better than front-line player they had in the program a year ago, except for Ellis Myles, who sat out last season while recovering from an injury.  And they aren't done yet, as their focus now appears to be land on landing several more wing players, like 6'9 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH, 6'4 Jr David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'2 Jr Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, who can either shoot the lights and/or can excel in an uptempo setting.  Speaking of Marcus Johnson, he too was in Louisville, KY on an official visit over the weekend, but we'd be surprised if he doesn't end up at Syracuse.  And, if that weren't enough news about Louisville for one day, it also appears that 6'7 Nate Daniels is back on the board, because he's decided to transfer from Louisville.  Another transfer that a lot of big time schools should be interested in is 6'6 Oumar Sylla, who recently decided to leave Valparaiso.  If you will recall, Sylla was ranked #54 nationally in our Final Rankings for the Class of 2003 when he was a senior at Centerach (Our Savior New American) NY and he's a big time athlete, terrific defender, and excellent 3-point shooter.  We also have confirmed that DeAngelo Alexander is transferring from Oklahoma to Charlotte, Dan Fitzgerald is transferring from Tulane to Marquette, and Ryan Lambert is transferring from Western Kentucky to Duquesne.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'3 Jr Jarvis Hill from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #213 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Tennessee.  And this is important, because the Volunteers had made Hill a high recruiting priority.  We're talking about a strong physical athlete who appears to be underrated by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, Whitehead thinks Hill deserves to be ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally.  The addition of Hill moves Tennessee's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Starkville (H.S.) MS, has moved into a tie, along with Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, with Hill and Cameron already in fold, it now appears to be two down and two to go for the Volunteers, as they turn all of their attention onto keeping the two top juniors in the state - 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN and 6'4 Jr Jamont Gordon from Nashville (Glencliff) TN - both at home.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Wade Dunston from Iowa Western (JC) IA has signed with St. Bonaventure and this is important, because it gives the Bonnies a lot bit of everything as head coach Anthony Solomon and his staff continue to build the program.  If you will recall, they already have landed a sleeper big man in 6'8 Michael Lee from West Palm Beach (Cardinal Neuman) FL in this recruiting class, plus they will have 6'9 Paul Lee, who transferred from Siena to St. Bonaventure this spring, sitting out next year.  They also will have 6'0 Tyler Relph, who transferred from West Virginia to St. Bonaventure, sitting out next year, and 6'5 Willie Morse from State College (H.S.) PA and 6'1 Isaiah Carson from Springfield (South) OH will battle for playing time in the backcourt next season.  It also appears that 6'7 Soph Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, who is one of the fastest rising sophomores in the state, made an early verbal commitment to Texas A&M recently.  And this is significant for several reasons.  First, Johnson is a versatile athlete with excellent ball skills and huge upside.  Second, Johnson is still growing, as is evident by the fact that he's grown several inches since last summer.  Third, Johnson plays for the Houston Hoops, which gives Texas A&M an important in with all the good young players that are in that program. 

Friday, June 11, 2004

Despite the fact the last weekend that I've been home was the third weekend in March, I'm especially excited about being at the Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY this weekend, because the tournament is absolutely loaded.  As a matter of fact, with the exception of 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, who is playing on the USA Elite Team in the Douai Junior World Basketball Championship in Douai, France, nearly all of the top players in the New York City area, as well as a number of the top players from the around the nation will be in attendance.  We're talking about 6'11 Andre Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'5 Bilah Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'1 Eugene Lawrence from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'7 Will Harris from Troy (Redemption) NY, 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'7 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside Cardozo) NY, 6'11 Jr Ricky Sanchez from Puerto Rico, 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulfshore) TX, 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'7 Jr Joe Krabbenhoft from Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD, 6'8 Jr Julius Powell from Newton (Conover) NC, 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodrich from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Jr Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'4 Jr Terrell Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'3 Jr Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'5 Jr Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'2 Jr Kyle McAlarney from Staten Island (Moore Catholic) NY, 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Jr Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'4 Jr Rickey Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'5 Jr Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'7 Jr Kahiem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Jr Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'3 Devon McClendon from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'2 Jr Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'7 Jr Colin McIntosh from Mt. Herman (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA, 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Leo Criswell from Kansas City (Piper) KS, 6'1 Jr David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX, 6'8 Jr Kendrick Price from Cambridge (Buckingham, Browne & Nichols) MA, 6'8 Jr Mike Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA, 6'6 Jr Chris Bethel from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'0 Jr Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Jr Chris Lutz from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Jr Michael Prince from Plano (West) TX, 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'1 Jr Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulfshore) TX, 6'1 Jr Marcus Walker from Kansas City (O'Hara) MO, 6'1 Jr Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'11 Jr Phillip Jones from Brooklyn (Tilden) NY, 6'9 Jr Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'6 Jr Ashton Hall from Kountze (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Neil Pitt from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'3 Jr Jamell Jackson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'8 Jr Urule Igbavboa from Oakdale (Tartan) MN, 6'4 Jr Travis Brown from Richfield (H.S.) MN, 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 5'11 Soph Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'9 Soph Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'6 Soph Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Soph Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Soph Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Soph Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Soph Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas) MN, 6'8 Soph Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX.6'8 Soph Chris Roquemore from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'2 Soph Rashad Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'7 Soph Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'6 Soph Dale Van Wright from Houston (Bellaire)TX, 5'11 Soph Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'7 Soph Cory Johnson from Duluth (East) MN, 5'11 Soph DeAngelo Johnson from Minneapolis (North) MN, 6'6 Soph Isiah Dahlman form Brahm (H.S.) MN, 5'11 Frosh Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'8 Frosh Albert Turley from Pearland (H.S.) TX, and 6'2 7th Grader Lance Stephensen from Brooklyn (IS #267) NY.  And the list of teams in the Rumble in the Bronx also is very impressive in the 17-Under Division, as Pool A has the Playaz Gold, Metro Hawks, New Heights, and National Christian; Pool B has Team Texas, New York City Bounce, Coast to Coast, and Connecticut Flame; Pool C has the Houston Hoops, New York Panthers, New Jersey Roadrunners, and Howard Pulley White; Pool D has the Albany City Rocks, Kansas City Rocktown, YABC, and Lancaster Elite; Pool E has Howard Pulley Black, NE Playaz, Fairfield Connecticut Stars, and Westchester Hawks; Pool F has Louisiana Select, New York Ravens, Juice All-Stars,and South Jersey Rising Stars; Pool G has Breakdown (FL), Houston Elite, New York Elite, and Rhode Island Breakers; and Pool H has the New York Gauchos, G.C. Ballers, Philly MJC, and Metro Boston.  The Rumble in the Bronx will begin tonight at 6:00 PM with games also scheduled at 7:30 PM and 9:00 PM on eight different courts at Fordham University's Rose Hill Gym and Lombardi Center and Fordham Prep.  Saturday's schedule will begin at 9:00 AM and run no-stop until after 10:00 PM and the playoffs will begin at 8:30 AM on Sunday with the quarterfinals for the Gold Division at 9:50 AM, the semi-finals for the Gold Division at 12:30 PM, and the Championship Game for the Gold Division at 3:00 PM.  And, as an added bonus, the Team Next New York Invitational, which will feature many of the top 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th graders in the East, will be held this weekend at Westbury High School, Westbury Middle School, Wheatly High School, and Willets School on Long Island.  Some of the top players will include 5'4 Erving Walker from Brooklyn (PS #308) NY, who is the #1-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'4 Kendall Marshall from Woodbridge (Rippen Middle) VA, who is the #1-ranked 6th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'8 Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who is the #2-ranked 7th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'3 Lance Stephensen from Brooklyn (IS #267) NY, who is the #5-ranked 7th Grader in the nation; 5'3 Corey Edwards from Queens (IS 231) NY, who is the #11-ranked 6th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'1 Leonard McNeil from New York, NY, who is the #17-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'10 Ashton Gibbs from Scotch Plains (Terrell) NJ, who is the #19-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 5'1 Sterling Gibbs from Scotch Plains, NJ, who is the #19-ranked 5th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Some of the top teams will include Team Next, Prince William Thunder, and the Cory Erving All-Stars in the 11-Under Division; Team Next, the Cory Ervin All-Stars, Unique All-Stars, and the New Jersey Thunder in the 12-Under Division; Team Maryland, Philly Raiders, Team Next, Team New Jersey, and Aneesa Sports in the 13-Under Division; Team Next and the Philly Raiders in the 14-Under Division; and the Long Island Lightning/Williams, Baltimore Stars, Aneesa Sports, and New Jersey Tornadoes in the 15-Under Division.  One of the best times to be at the Team Next New York Invitational will be when Team Next meets Team Maryland, which is the defending AAU National Champions in their age group for three of the last four years, at 7:00 PM on Saturday night at Westbury High School.  In that game alone we'll get to see Marshall, Wilson, and Stephenson.  And on the same court in the following game, which will feature Team Next versus Family, at 8:15 PM tomorrow night, we'll also get to see Walker, McNeil, Ashton Gibbs, and 6'6 Vincent Rogers from New York, NY, who currently is not ranked on our list of the top 8th Graders, but will be next time we update our rankings.  For the complete schedule for the Team Next New York Invitational, go to www.nyhoops.com.

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Now that Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight has agreed in principle to a 3-year contract extension that will make him the coach of the Red Raiders through the 2008-2009 season, the two names that we're hearing the most for the Ohio State job are Xavier head coach Thad Matta and N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek.  Matta would be a great hire because his team is coming off an Elite Eight finish in the NCAA Tournament, he's been one of the hottest head coaches in college basketball, as is evident by the fact that he's got a 102-31 record during his four years as a head coach, and he's recruited like he's in the Big East, the Big-10, or Atlantic Coast Conference , instead, of the Atlantic-10.  So, if he can do this well at Xavier, just imagine what he'll be able to do at state school like Ohio State and in a conference like the Big-10.  Sendek would also be a great choice, as is evident by the fact that his team's have finished second with a 11-5 record a year ago and fourth with a  9-7 record two years ago while going head-to-head against some of the top programs, like Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland, in the toughest basketball conference in the nation.  Sendek, who is ranked #27 on our list of the Top Head Coaches in College Basketball, also has strong regional ties (he's originally from Pittsburgh, PA and was an assistant coach at Kentucky and the head coach at Miami-OH).   And making story even more interesting would be the potential ripple effect, if either Matta or Sendek gets the Ohio State job.  If it turns out to be Matta, it would be a crime if the Musketeers don't hand the reins over to his top assistant coach Sean Miller, who ironically held a similar position at N.C. State prior to moving to Xavier with Matta three years ago.  And, if Ohio State hires Sendek, that really could make things interesting, as one possible scenario might include Providence head coach Tim Welsh moving to N.C. State, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez moving to Providence, and Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill, Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare, Providence assistant coach Steve DeMeo, and ESPN commentator Fran Fraschilla all potentially battling it out for the Manhattan job as the summer camp season quickly approaches.  We also are getting reports that the University of Kansas has finally granted 6'10 David Padgett, who earlier this spring decided to transfer, a release to talk to the University of North Carolina and, as a result, this could have major implications in terms of the balance of power in college basketball.  Obviously, if Padgett, who originally signed with Kansas when Roy Williams was still the coach, picks North Carolina, he would be the perfect complement inside year after next to 6'8 Soph Sean May and 6'9 Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA.  And the year after that Padgett would be the perfect replacement for May after he has graduated.  Padgett opting for the Tar Heels also would probably be enough to tip the balance in the sweepstakes for 6'9 Jr Tyler Hansborough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas, and North Carolina at the top of his list.  And maybe that is the school of thought with regards to Kansas' changing its mind about releasing Padgett.  As a matter of fact, there is still so much animosity towards North Carolina and the Tar Heels getting their coach a year ago that Dean Smith was treated very rudely recently when he called the athletic department at Kansas in an attempt to facilitate Padgett's release to North Carolina.  However, may Kansas has gotten figured out that if Padgett goes to North Carolina, then that could increase their chances of getting Hansborough.  However, when it's all said and done, we'd be surprised if Hansborough, who has been a Missouri fan all his life, went to one of their biggest rivals.  Instead, if Padgett goes to North Carolina and Missouri can't get this one done, the smart money is probably on Kentucky, which will need a replacement for 6'6 Jr Chuck Hayes at the power forward spot after next season.  Padgett getting a release to talk to North Carolina also can't be good news for Louisville, which previously appeared to be the heavy favorite over UCLA for his services.  Speaking of bad news, this has not been a good spring for the Cardinals, as 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is the #5-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern (JC) IA, who was the consensus #1-ranked junoir college player this past season, both decided to by-pass college and enter their names into the NBA Draft; 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who earlier this spring appeared to be a near lock to go to Louisville, decided to honor his original commitment to Xavier; and now it appears to be only a matter of time before Padgett picks North Carolina.   In other words, it's not done, but, if Padgett was going to go to Louisville, why didn't he do it after he made a second visit to the campus recently?  We also are waiting to see what happens with 6'4 Frosh Omar Wilkes, who also decided to transfer from Kansas this spring and was at California this past weekend on an unofficial visit.  Wilkes also is considering Stanford and Washington, but, even more important, he probably will be the entrée that helps one of those schools get his younger brother - 6'11 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, who is one of the top big men in the junior class nationally.  We also have learned that 5'10 Frosh Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ will transfer to Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY next year and 5'10 Soph Mark Meadows, who started his high school career as a freshman at Tempe (H.S.) AZ and this past season was at Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, will transfer to Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  And so may 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ.  Yes, that rumor is still alive and well, although right now it may be tough to confirm or deny, because Caracter is playing with the USA Elite team in the Douai Junior World Basketball Championship in Douai, France. 

Wednesday, June 9, 2004

It appears that our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin jumped the gun last Friday when he told us that 6'8 Jr Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI had made an early verbal commitment to Providence.  The reason we know this is that St. Andrews head coach Mike Hart called us yesterday to tell us that it was finally official.  Apparently Rubin doesn't know the difference between something that is coming to happen and something that already has happened.  Hart also tells us that Kale, who is 6'8, 250 pounds, has dramatically improved since we saw him last summer.  Kale not only has excellent low post moves, a nice touch out to 15-feet, and is an excellent rebounder, but he also is a hard worker and he's gotten into terrific shape, as is evident by the fact that he's lost 40 pounds in the last nine months.  Providence beat schools like Richmond, George Mason, and Kent State for Kale's services, which also leads us to believe that he's a lot better than where he have him ranked at #300 nationally in the junior class.  And Kale isn't the only player that Providence has stolen this spring.  We're talking about 6'7 Quinten Hosley from Lamar (JC) CO and 6'6 Charles Burch from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and this is pretty darn important, because it means that the Friars' recruiting class has moved up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Remember, they already had 6'7 DeSean White form Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'2 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Randall Hanke from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, 6'9 Anthony Ivory from Washington (Marriott) DC, and 6'0 Jajuan Robinson from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC in the fold.  However, Hosley, who was the #3-ranked junior college wing forward by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and a First Team Junior College All-American at the end of the season, is easily the best player in the class.  Hosley averaged 19.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg, is excellent at both ends of the court, and is versatile enough to play either forward spot, which means he should be an ideal complement to White, who falls into the same category, and Burch, who is best described as an undersized power forward and a warrior around the basket.  In other words, it looks like Providence will not only be able to replace Ryan Gomes, if he doesn't take his name of the NBA Draft by the June 17th deadline, but they should have even more depth than they did a year at both forward spots.  Another school that continues to climb on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 is Murray State.   If you will recall, the Racers already had 6'6 Issian Redding from South Plains (JC) TX, 6'9 Reggie Jackson from Lamar (JC) CO, 6'5 Shane Dansby from Harpeth (Kingston Springs) TN, 6'7 Mike McCoy from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'7 Charles Johnson from South Plains (JC) TX, and 6'6 Justin Orr from Cincinnati (La Salle) OH.  And, with the addition of 6'2 Darnell Hopkins from San Jacinto (JC) TX, their recruiting class moves up to #18.  However, even this doesn't tell how much talent Racers head coach Mick Cronin will have in the program next year.  If you will recall, 6'10 Pearson Griffin from Murray State (JC) OK, who signed with the Racers a year ago, sat out this past season as a red-shirt and 6'4 Trey Pearson, who started as a freshman at Mississippi State during the 2002-2003 season, and 6'3 Keith Jenifer, who was a part-time starter at Virginia during the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons, sat out after transferring to Murray State last spring.  That's 10 new players, although our guess is that one or two of the recruits will red-shirt.  And signing even more junior college players and, as a result, moving even higher in our rankings than Murray State, is Southern Mississippi, which now is ranked #12 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We already reported that the Golden Eagles had landed 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'9 Shakiem Mitchell from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'8 Dwayne Brown from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, and 6'4 Henry Salter from Gulfport (JC) MS.  However, we haven't told you about their other two recruits - 6'1 Michael Ford from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA and 6'2 Solomon Brown from L.A. City (JC) CA.  Ford not only led his team to the second round of the Southern California Regional Tournament, but he also was named the Southern California Junior College Player and was the #3-ranked junior college point guard by Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook.  Brown started as freshman at Iona after attending prep school at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and prior to attending L.A. City (JC) CA, where he averaged 5.1 apg and 1.9 spg last year.  And, if that weren't enough firepower in the backcourt, Carruth, who played his freshman year at Kentucky and was ranked as the #1 Shooting Guard in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, can flat out shoot the lights out.  We also are very impressed with the recruiting class that North Texas has landed.  As a matter of fact, we look for 6'0 Isaac Hines form Collin County (JC) TX, 6'6 Chris White from Moberly (JC) MO and 6'8 Jeffrey Simpson from Eastern Oklahoma State (JC) OK to step in right away for the Mean Green.  Did you know that Hines, who was the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Year, led his team to a 29-3 record  and a #2-ranking in the final National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Poll?  He also averaged 11.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.1 agp, and 3.4 spg and, as a result, appears to be ideally suited to step in and run the show immediately for head coach Johnny Jones.  White has always been undersized dating back to his high school days at Huntsville (Grissom) AL, but he's always been a force to be reckoned with around the basket.  Simpson, who averaged 10.1 ppg and 5'8 rpg last season and was recruited by schools like Texas Christian, Houston, New Mexico State, and IUPUI, will provide needed size inside, as he helps White to replace 6'9 Sr Shawnson Johnson, 6'8 Sr Michael DeGrate, and 6'7 Sr Will Smith, all of whom will graduate this spring, inside.   And rounding out this class are 6'4 Michael Sturns from Ft. Worth (Crowley) TX, who is like a jack-of-all-trades, as he shoots the three, rebounds well for his size, has good ball handling and passing skills, and the athleticism, quickness, and anticipation to be an excellent defender, and 6'8 Quincy Williams from Midwest City (Carl Albert) OK, whose biggest claim to fame is that he's Duke All-American Shelden Williams little brother.  However, Williams is an good shot blocker and rebounder and he's got an excellent upside in his own right.  So it should come as no surprise that we have North Texas' recruiting class tied at #79, along with Missouri-Kansas City, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting classes, their recruiting class would move into a tie #47, along with the College of Charleston, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, because they also will have 6'3 Kendrick Davis, who transferred from Arkansas to North Texas this spring.  If you will recall, before Davis was recruited over a year ago, he scored in double digits 18 times, had a pair of 20-point performances, and led Arkansas in assists five times when he was a freshman.

Tuesday, June 8, 2004

It's a sad day in college basketball!  We're talking about the fact that Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien was fired today for alleged NCAA violations that took place over five years ago.  "I am advised that my firing is because I was asked to and tried to give assistance to a young man's family who was in dire financial straits.  The assistance in no way influenced the young man in his decision to attend Ohio State, and, indeed, the young man did not enroll at Ohio State."  Obviously O'Brien is talking about 7'3 Aleksander Radojevic, who, at the time was at Barton County (JC) KS.  If you will recall, this is the guy who signed a National Letter-of-Intent with Ohio State in the fall of 1999, but the NCAA ruled him ineligible to play at a Division I school, because they deemed him to be a professional athlete.  Making the story even more ironic is the fact that O'Brien has always been one of the most legitimate guys in college basketball.  He also is an excellent coach, as is evident by the fact that he guided the Buckeyes to a NCAA Final Four appearance in 1998, had a 133-88 record in seven season at Ohio State, and a 368-305 career head coaching record.  However, more recently the program fell onto tough times when the Buckeyes finished 14-16 a year ago and didn't land their prime recruiting target - 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, this spring.  Some of the names that have already been tossed around as likely replacements for O'Brien include Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins, Xavier head coach Thad Matta, Rutgers head coach Gary Waters, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings, N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek, Marquette head coach Tom Crean, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, California head coach Ben Braun, and Dayton head coach Brian Gregory, but we think Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight is the perfect fit.  Remember, O'Brien is being fired for alleged recruiting violations and, regardless of whether you like Knight or not, he's always been portrayed as the model for running a clean program and doing things the right way.  And, if the job was offered, our guess is that Knight would jump at it for a number of reasons.  First, Knight doesn't get along with Texas Tech Chancellor Dr. David Smith, who he had well publicized an encounter with at lunch earlier this year.  Second, Knight is originally from Orrville, OH, played basketball for the Buckeyes, and graduated from Ohio State in 1962.  Third, Knight was the head coach at Indiana University for almost 30 years and, as a result, he not only knows what it takes to win in the Big-10 Conference, but it also would the perfect opportunity for Knight to be the thorn in the side of the very people who didn't stand by him when he was fired due to the zero tolerance policy that then Indiana University President Myles Brand had instituted after the Neil Reid videotape was made public in the spring of 2000.  Fourth, it would be easier for Knight to go out on top at Ohio State than at Texas Tech.  Remember, Knight now ranks #3 on the all-time win list in college basketball with 832 wins, behind Dean Smith (879 wins) and Adolph Rupp (876 wins) and, as a result, needs only 48 more victories to become the all-time winningest coach in the history of the game.  Another NCAA Final Four appearance also would move Knight up to #4, behind John Wooden (12), Dean Smith (11), and Mike Krzyzewski (10) and into a tie with Denny Crum (6) and Adolph Rupp (6), on the list of coaches with the most NCAA Final Four appearnces.  And another National Championship would move Knight into a tie at #2, behind John Wooden (10) and tied with Adolph Rupp (4), on the list of coaches with the most NCAA Championships.  And, if Knight were to get the Ohio State job, who do you think would be in line to get the Texas Tech job?  Obviously Texas Tech assistant coach Pat Knight.  Not only has the younger Knight done a great job of helping his father transforming the Texas Tech program from an also-ran into one of the better team in one of college basketball's toughes conferences, but he also is a chip off the old block as a coach, as is evident by the fact that he's ranked #42 on our list of the top assistant coaches.   And making this almost a slam dunk is the fact that Knight and Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers are extremely close friends and the father would be going out on good terms, after a 23-11 season and a second round finish in the NCAA Tournament three months ago.  We also have confirmed that Clemson has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'4 Jr K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and this is huge several reasons.  First, Rivers is a big time athlete, as well as one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior class nationally.  Second, he is ranked #37 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Third, he provides a link for Clemson to what is arguably the premier high school program in the nation.  Fourth, the addition of Rivers moves Clemson's recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Jr Julius Powell from Newtown (Conover) NC, into a tie at #6, along with Kansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this comes on the heels of this year's recruiting class, which is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and includes 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, 6'9 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, 6'3 Cliff Hammonds from Cairo (H.S.) GA, and 6'2 Troy Mathis from Laurinburg (Charter) NC.  In other words, since Oliver Purnell and his staff took over a little over a year ago, they have signed three players who are ranked among our top 50 nationally in their respective classes and four others who are good enough to have been ranked among somebody's top 100 nationally.  It also looks like new coaching staff at Georgetown has landed its first player in the Class of 2005 with today's verbal commitment from 6'1 Jr Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE, who is ranked #57 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, this also is a great catch, because Thornton has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard and the outside shooting necessary to play the 2-guard.  But, even more important, Thornton also could be the entrée that the Georgetown coaching staff needs to land 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, who is currently ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Boateng currently has UCLA, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Villanova, Michigan, and Georgetown on his list, but with Thornton, who is close friends with Boateng, already in the fold, you suddenly have to think the Hoyas chances are greatly enhanced now in the Boateng sweepstakes.  And, if the new regime pulls this off, it not only would Georgetown's recruiting class up into a tie at #6, along with Kansas and Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but it also probably would be a harbinger of things to come.  And just as important as landing Thornton is the fact that new Georgetown head coach John Thompson III has brought his top assistant coach Robert Burke, who not only was Thompson's right hand man at Princeton, but also served as an assistant coach for three years at Siena with current Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt, with him from Princeton, and has hired George Washington assistant coach Kevin Broadus, who has spent most of life playing and coaching in the DC Area.  Moral to the story, don't be surprised when suddenly the Hoyas become the early favorite for a lot of the great young players in their backyard. 

Monday, June 7, 2004

We expected 6'8 Jr Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA to make an early verbal commitment to the University of Washington today, but, according to the Seattle Times, he made the verbal commitment yesterday to the Huskies.  Wallace is best described as a blue collar power forward who scores inside and does the dirty work on the boards and, as a result, we think this is a nice pick-up for Lorenzo Romar and his staff.  This is a guy who has lost 20 pounds this spring, which shows that he's got the dedictation and discipline necessary to continue to get better, although he does need to get bigger and stronger physically in order to be more than just a good role player for the Huskies.  This commitment also is important because Wallace is local, he's white, and he gives Washington an important head start on next year's recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Tihon Johnson from Mt. St. Jacinto (JC) CA has signed with Idaho and this is a huge catch for the Vandals because we're talking about the Most Valuable Player in the Foothill Athletic Conference.  Last night 6'4 Jr Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA made a official visit to Stanford, but Washington, California, and Georgia Tech are also still on his list.  And what would you think if 6'7Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA doesn't end up at Virginia Tech, which is where he signed last fall after originally signing with Oregon State has a high school senior two years ago and Iowa State a year ago?  We mention this, because we hear that this is on the verge of happening.  We also hear that 6'8 Jr Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph Regional) NJ, who teams with 6'4 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'8 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'0 Soph Jawan Carter from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE, 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'4 Jr Jordan Farmer from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA on the Playaz, has made an early verbal commitment to Rutgers.  Inman is ranked #67 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but that's based primarily on potential, because he needs to get bigger and stronger in order to play inside and/or develop better ball handling and outside shooting skills to play on the perimeter at the next level.  The verbal commitment also moves Rutgers' recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Jr Jaron Griffin from Manchester (H.S.) NJ, who verbally committed to the Scarlet Knights last week,  up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And we look for Rutgers to continue to recruiting like crazy in New Jersey and New York City, because Scarlet Knights head coach Gary Waters has decided to move Jim Carr, who was the Director of Basketball of Operations this past year, into the open full-time recruiting position that a lot of people assumed would go to Richmond assistant coach Gary DeCesare.  And we think this is a great move, because Carr, who is ranked #6 on our list of people who served in an administrative position last season and is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, also was the Director of Basketball Operations at Rutgers during the Kevin Bannon era and was an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson for two years prior to returning to his old job a year ago with the Scarlet Knights.  In other words, Carr not only has paid his dues, but he knows all the right people, which is extremely important in the recruiting game.

We ran into Bobby Jacobs a week ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and he tells us that the fields are already set for next winter's the War on the Shore International Prep School Invitational and the Slam Dunk to the Beach  National Holiday Basketball Invitational.  The War on the Shore will be held in November 19th-21st in Milford, DE and will feature Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, Fork Union (Military) VA, Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Burlington (Life Center) NJ, Ft Washington (National Christian) MD, New Hampton (Prep) NH, Middleburg (Notre Dame Academy) VA, Fitchburg (Notre Dame Prep) MA, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, South Kent (Prep) CT, Winchendon (School) MA, and Worcester (Academy) MA.  Obviously a lot of players will be added to the rosters, but, as things stand right now, some of the top players we expect to see at War on the Shore include 6'11 Andre Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'4 Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'1 Justin Dentman from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'6 Jeff Adrien from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Laurinburg (Insititute) NC, 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'1 Jr Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf  Shores) TX, 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'8 Jr Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Jr Chris Lutz fromWolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Jr Maurice Joseph from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON, 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'6 Jr Mike Gore from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Jr Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Soph Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'4 Soph Solomon Tat from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'6 Soph Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'3 Soph Joseph Odugbola from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 5'10 Frosh Malcolm Pope from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 5'9 Frosh Tyrone Bramble from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'6 8th Grader Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, and 6'6 8th Grader Michael Beasley from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.  Slam Dunk to the Beach will be held December 26th-30th and will feature Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, College Park (Banneker) GA, Bayside (Cardozo) NY, Spanaway (Bethel) WA, Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, Bothell (H.S.) WA, Lewes, (Cape Henlopen) DE, Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, Chester (H.S.) PA, Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, West Chester (Lakota East) OH, Laurel (H.S.) DE, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Leeds (H.S.) AL, Memphis (Mitchell) TN, Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, Lafayette (Northside) LA, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC, Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, New York (Rice) NY, Monroe (Richwood) LA, Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, Sacramento (H.S.) CA, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, and Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ.  And, as usual, the talent at Slam Dunk to the Beach should incredible, as the list of top players expected to be in attendance includes 6'4 Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Laurinburg (Insititute) NC, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'8 Jr Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'1 Jr Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf  Shores) TX, 6'9 Jr Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'3 Jr Devon McLendon from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'3 Jr Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'7 Jr Brian Grimes from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'4 Jr Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, 6'5 Jr Brandon Smith from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, 6'9 Jr Frank Tchuisi from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'4 Jr Maurice Joseph from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, 6'5 Jr Octavious Spann from College Park (Banneker) GA, 6'8 Jr Alex Tiefenthalen from Spanaway (Bethel) WA, 6'7 Jr Titus Shelton from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Mike Gore from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Jr Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 5'8 Jr Vinnie Ciecka from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Soph Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'9 Soph Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Soph Damien James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Soph Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 7'0 Soph Brian Zoubeck from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Soph Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'9 Soph Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'0 Soph Tywon Lawson from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'4 Soph James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH, 6'4 Soph Solomon Tat from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'1 Soph Darrin Govens from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Soph Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'6 Soph Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'11 Soph Mitchell Carter from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI,6'8 Soph Keith Cooper from Monroe (Richwood) LA, 6'0 Soph Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Soph Kashif Payne from New York (Rice) NY,   6'3 Soph Joseph Odugbola from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Soph Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 6'3 Frosh Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'10 Frosh Malcolm Pope from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 5'9 Frosh Tyrone Bramble from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'3 Frosh Adrian Bowie from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'5 Frosh Tim Shelton from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, and 6'6 8th Grader Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA.  For more information about Slam Dunk to the Beach, go to their web site at slamdunktothebeach.org or call 1-(302) 430-SLAM.

Saturday, June 5, 2004, & Sunday, June 6, 2004

Listed among the no-shows were 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Merino Valley) CA, 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'9 Soph James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 7'0 Jr Clareance Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'2 Frosh Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'4 Soph Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'8 Jr Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'7 Andrew Green from Perris (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Darris Santee from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'8 Jr Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'2 Soph Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Jr Michael Garrity from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Soph Jerren Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'11 Jr Kellen Lee from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, but their was still plenty of talent to evaluate this weekend at the 2004 Pangos All-American Camp in Cypress, CA.  And, as is normally the case, the cream rose to the top as the four best players in the camp depending upon when you were watching were 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'8 Jr Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA.   Miles didn't do much the first night and he finished with only three points in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game, but in-between he was hands down the best player, as he used his big time athleticism, excellent outside shooting, and incredible natural talent to average over 20 ppg and totally dominate the camp.  As a matter of fact, Miles was so good that Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com was heard saying that he thought Miles could end up being the best player nationally in the Class of 2005.  And, Telep might be right, because we're talking about somebody who came out of nowhere prior to the start of his junior season to now being a top recruiting priority for schools like Texas, North Carolina, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Kansas, and Oklahoma.  However, for Miles, who currently is ranked #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, he needs to become a little more consistent and get meaner and tougher in order to be ranked among our top five nationally in the class.  But that may come in time, as Miles, who only has just begun to scratch the surface, continues to mature.  He has the desire and work ethic necessary to become a great player, as is evident by the fact that he was one of nine players, along with 5'10 Soph Shane Mahoney from Pottstown (Hill School) PA, 5'10 Jr Drew Housman from Calabasas (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Soph David Schneider from Phoenix (Brophy Prep) AZ, 6'2 Jr Lawrence Borah from  Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'2 Jr Calvin Haynes from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'5 Jr Jamil Greenwood from Chino Hills (Don Lugo) CA, 6'8 Soph Matt Shaw from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, and 6'10 Jr Micah Hamilton from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, in camp who attended the option work-out on Saturday evening, which was conducted by former USC assistant coach and current Fox Sports analyst Dave Miller, who is widely regarded as one of the best teachers and motivators in the business.  Boykin was the best player on Friday night, as he dominated the game both inside with his toughness on the boards and ability to score around the basket and outside with his dramatically improved shooting and perimeter skills.  Throw in the fact that Boykin is a tremendous competitor, plays every possession like it will be his last, and off the court is one of the nicest kids you'll ever meet and it's not hard to wonder just how much he's capable of overachieving, despite the fact we're still not convinced he's quick enough to offensively beat an athletic 3-man off the dribble and to defensively guard anybody at the big time college level.  However, that doesn't mean that schools like Louisville, Duke, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Illinois wouldn't love to have Boykin as a face-up four-man.  Thomas, who just picked up where he left off two weeks ago when we saw him at the Youth Activities Basketball City Classic at Basketball City in New York City, also plays with an incredible amount of intensity.   But, unlike Boykin, Thomas is just oozing with athleticism and natural talent and, as a result, if his outside shooting continues to improve, he'll not only be ranked among the best players in the Class of 2006, but he'll also make a lot of money playing the game someday.  And, just like Boykin, he's also a great kid, as well as an excellent student.  Jefferson, who was on the same team with Boykin and 6'2 Jr Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, also was one of the top three players that we saw on the first night, along with Boykin and 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  Jefferson also was one of the most consistent players we saw from start-to-finish, as he used his incredible moves and explosiveness to the basket and excellent shooting range to score both inside and outside, excellent ball handling skills to go coast-to-coast, and great hands and timing to get more than his share of rebounds.  Speaking of Williams, he too picked up where he left off a week ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, as he once again shot the lights out and had more than his fair share of great dunks and moves to the basket, thanks to his incredible timing and athleticism.  However, edging out Williams for the 5th spot among our top five players in camp, behind Miles, Thomas, Boykin, and Jefferson, was 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX.  Not only did Onobun not take any prisoners inside, but he also impressed with his extended mid-range game, passing ability, and combination of both power and finesse.  Next comes Williams in the 6th spot, followed by 6'9 Jr Jeffrey Pendergraph from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'4 Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  Pendergraft, who is currently ranked #202 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was one of the biggest revelations of the weekend.  Sure, he needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he's cat quick on the boards, has excellent hands, good range on his baseline jumper, and a surprising ability to handle the ball in transition.  So it should come as no surprise when the value of Pendergraph's stock goes way up when we update our national rankings at the end of this month.  Davis is the biggest enigma of the group, because he's got the skills, talent, size, athleticism, and potential to write his own ticket.  But he's also one of these guys who takes too many games off, as was evident by the fact that he was great on Friday night, mediocre on Saturday morning, missing in action (sick and didn't play) on Saturday afternoon, pretty good on Saturday night, and gone on Sunday.  Moral to the story, after four or five years of college, Davis should have a nice career in the NBA.  However, he appears to be more on track to end up playing overseas for 10 years, because he just doesn't appear to want it bad enough.  And making the potential story even more tragic is the fact that Davis is an extremely nice kid.  But, then again, maybe he'll suck it up, work his tail off, and prove us wrong.  Remember, Davis has one of the best high school coaches in the game in Ron Naclerio, who coaches the game like he's a man possessed, pushing him every day.  Burns, who is multi-dimensional athlete who rebounds well, gets to the basket, and handles and passes well for his size, would be ranked in our 50-100 range in nationally, but he's already a 4th Year junior and, as a result, plans to go return to prep school next year.  Goodridge, who also is a 4th Year junior who will return to prep school next year, wouldn't be ranked this high, if he hadn't have come up big in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game.  We also knew that he was a shot blocker/rebounder/defender, but he really impressed us with his ability to make mid-range shots while doing it against the best players in camp.  Our list of the second 10 players in camp begins with 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA and followed in order by 6'3 Jr Wes Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'6 Jr Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Stefan Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Dionte Christmas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 5'11 Jr Jonathan Gibson from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'5 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'5 Soph Jarvis Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  Henry is a big time athlete and lights out 3-point shooter, but what he impressed us with the most in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game was his ability and willingness to find the open man in transition.  Matthews didn't play as well as we've seen him play in the past (he's coming off an injury), but he still showed flashes and was just better than most of the other players in the tournament.  Lawhorn gets ranked where #13 based on the fact that he was the leading scorer with 15 points and played well in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game, but we question whether he's got ability to handle it well enough to play out the perimeter.   Instead, we see him as an undersized power forward who can step out and hit the open three, which is great if he picks the right school in the Western Athletic Conference.  Jackson, who is ranked as the #7 5th Year Player in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by Allen Rubin and Christmas, who is ranked as the #23 senior in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by Rubin, provided the perfect complement to one another as they teamed together all weekend.  Jackson is more of a slasher and Christmas is more of a shooter, but they both play with a great deal of intensity and have big time athleticism.   Gibson got our vote, but he still was not named to play in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game.  But he was the best player in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 44 All-Star Game, as he shot the lights out, hitting his first four 3-pointers and connecting on 7-9 3-pointers for the game.  Harvey didn't play well enough to make the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game, but he more than made up for it in the game, as he scored nine points and had a number of assists while playing point guard.  Speaking of Harvey, his high school coach Russell Otis tells us that his recruitment has really picked up, as schools like Washington, Oregon State, Connecticut, UCLA, Texas, Syracuse, USC, Arizona State, Louisville, DePaul, and Kansas are all showing a lot of interest.  Stepheson has all the skills, size, and athleticism to be a great player, but still, something is missing, like a killer instinct.  However, time is still on his side, because he's only just a sophomore.  We also thought Crittenton should have been in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game, but feel vindicated by the fact that he was the leading scorer with 13 points for his team in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 44 All-Star Game. Woods has big time talent, athleticism, and shooting range, but he also could be the Brandon Bender of the class, because he appears to be more concerned about where he's ranked than just going out and showing us how good he is on the court.  Also making the "Cream of the Crop" Top 22 All-Star Game, but not ranked among our top 20 players in camp were 6'4 Soph Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'8 Jr Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, 6'1 Soph Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Jr D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, and 6'8 Jr Taj Gibson from Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  In addition to Gibson and Crittenton, we also thought 6'0 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'7 Frosh Darshawn McClellan from Bakersfield (Edison) CA, 6'4 Jr Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'7 Diamon Simpson from Haywood (H.S.) CA played well enough in the "Cream of the Crop" Top 44 All-Star Game to deserve special mention.  A special thanks to Pangos All-American Camp Director Dinos Trigonis for his hospitality and everything he did to make this a very user friendly event. 

Friday, June 4, 2004

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis and the USA Elite team are getting ready to make his annual pilgrimage to Douai, France to play in the Douai Junior World Basketball Championship, June 10th-13th, and you have to like their chances of winning the tournament.  We're talking about a team that will include players like Michigan State's 6'3 Frosh Shannon Brown, Alabama's 6'10 Frosh Jemareo Davidson, 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'8 Jr Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, and 6'11 Soph Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ and will be coached by former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin and assisted by Davis and former Washington State head coach Kevin Eastman.  Their first game will be a week from today against Nigeria, which is ironic, because that's the same team that beat the USA Elite team in the championship game a year ago.  That's also the game where 6'10 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL and 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX both were sidelined with injuries in the first half and, as a result, that probably cost both players spots on the all-tournament team.  Instead, 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX and Connecticut's 6'9 Frosh Josh Boone were named to the all-tournament team, along with 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 verbally committed to Mississippi State last spring, but ended up playing professionally in Europe last season.  This game between USA Elite and Nigeria also promises to be an absolute war, because playing the USA Elite team in Douai, France is as close as many of the players on the Nigerian Team will ever come to getting to the United States.  As a matter of fact, according to Davis, who has been affiliated with the USA Elite Team in this tournament since 1999, this game is always nothing short of a bloodbath, as well as great learning experience for the American players.  Lithuania and Croatia are the other top teams in the eight-team field, which also includes France, Germany, and the Netherlands.  Two years ago the USA Elite team finished third in the tournament and three years ago they won the tournament.  But looking back on it now, that shouldn't be any big surprise, because that team in 2001 featured Carmelo Anthony.  We also have confirmed that Arizona State has gotten a walk-on in 6'6 DuBois Williams from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ.  And we're talking about a pretty good walk-on, because Williams is ranked #142 nationally in senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Williams wasn't on most people's radar screen, because he missed over half the season with a broken foot and didn't play on a high profile AAU team, which toured the national circuit.  But Williams an excellent athlete and is multi-dimensional enough to play four different positions, because he has good ball handling and passing kills, is a good 3-point shooter, and rebounds well for his size.  In other words, Arizona State has gotten a major steal and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Tyrone Jackson from Fresno City (JC) CA, 6'6 Bryson Krueger from Yavapai (JC) AZ, 6'7 Tim Pierce from Oakland (Hercules) CA, 6'8 Craig Austin from El Camino (H.S.) CA, moves into a tie at #14, along with Middle Tennessee State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And the icing on the cake would be if the Sun Devils also land 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) CA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class.  Right now it looks like Louisville is going to be tough to beat for McGee, but we're also hearing that Texas A&M is making a strong push for this scoring point guard who finished ranked #4 overall by the HOOP SCOOP last summer at the adidas ABCD Camp.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Jr John Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI has made an early verbal commitment to Providence and 6'4 Jason Higgonbottom from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA has made it official for Central Connecticut State.  The commitment by Kale is especially interesting, because Providence assistant coach Steve DeMeo has made a living in recent years finding players, like Ryan Gomes, Sheiku Kabba, Abdul Mills, Donnie McGrath, 6'7 DeSean White from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'2 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, Randall Hanke from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, 6'9 Anthony Ivory from Washington (Marriott) DC, and Jajuan Robinson from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC, all of whom were underrecruited, but had or have a huge amount of upside and potential.  However, we're kind of scratching our head on this one, because we have Kale ranked no higher than #300 in the junior class nationally and project him as a good major player.  Does the Providence coaching staff see something we don't see?.   I guess time will tell, because there is no doubt that suddenly Kale is very much on our radar screen and, as a result, we'll be watching him very closely this summer.

Thursday, June 3, 2004

I am already on the West Coast to cover the 2004 Pangos All-American Camp, which will be held tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA, and, if most of the top players who are on the roster show up, it should be absolutely loaded.  The list who are expected to be in attendance includes 6'7 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Merino Valley) CA, 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'7 Jr Jerry-Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jr Wes Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, 6'0 Jr Kerchel Carter from Toronto (Henry Carr) ON, 6'5 Jr Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'9 Soph James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 7'0 Jr Clareance Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'7 Jr Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodrich from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'2 Frosh Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'4 Soph Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'4 Soph Javaris Crittendon from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'8 Jr Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'4 Soph Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) VA, 6'1 Soph Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'10 Jr Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'9 Jr Jeffrey Pendergraph from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Andrew Green from Perris (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Darris Santee from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'8 Jr Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'6 Soph Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Soph Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'9 Soph Nic Wise from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'6 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA, 6'1 Jr Darren Jordan from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'3 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Jr Josh Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 5'10 Jr Tre Clark from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Jr Michael Garrity from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'8 Soph Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'11 Jr Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Taj Gibson from Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'4 Frosh Kieran Ramey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'6 Jr Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Soph Jerren Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'11 Jr Kellen Lee from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'1 Jr Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'7 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Soph LaShun Watson from Greenville (H.S.) SC, 5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'8 Soph Matt Shaw from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Soph James Cawthorne from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfield) CA, 6'5 Soph A.J. Tolbert from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Jr Davon Lloyd from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'4 Jr Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Soph Donovan White from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 5'11 Soph Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'8 Soph Eugene Crockett from Sacramento (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Jeremiah Bryant from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'1 Ramone Wellington from Vallejo (Bethel) CA, 6'1 Jr Vic Morris from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 5'10 Jr Austin Autry from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'7 Jr Joe Darger from   Riverton (H.S.) UT, 6'10 Soph Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'10 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'5 Soph Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'7 Frosh Darshawn McClellan from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'0 Jr Tyrone Mattisson from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON, 6'1 Jr Ronnie Williams from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON, 6'4 Jr Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Jr Kaleo Kina from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'6 Jr Jarrell Lake from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'3 Jr Dodie Dunson from Bloomington (H.S.) IL, 5'10 Soph Kierre Jordan from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 6'3 Albury Doss from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Jr Mike Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA, 6'4 Jr Edward White from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'2 Soph David Schneider from Phoenix (Brophy Prep) AZ, 6'10 Jr Trey Duty from Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Frosh Tim Shelton from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Titus Shelton from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Jr Ephraim Williams from San Bernardino (Arroyo) CA, 6'6 Soph Kris Douse from Toronto (Emery) ON, 6'6 Soph Chase Buddinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, 6'1 Soph Derek Glasser from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'4 Jr Marcus Carter from Claremont (H.S.) CA,  6'4 Stefan Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Khalil Hartwell from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Dionte Christmas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'3 Frosh Bradley Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'5 Jr Drew Gladstone from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 5'10 Soph Shane Mahoney from Pottstown (Hill School) PA, 6'2 Soph Dezon Otis from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Jr Travis Busch from Mounds View (H.S.) MN, 6'2 Jr Lawrence Borah from Encino (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Jr D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, 6'5 Soph Jamal Beard from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'0 Jr Vinnie Ciecka from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Jr Arin Dunn from Broomfield (H.S.) CO, 6'8 Jr Chris Oakes from Oakland (Castlemont) CA, 6'5 Jr Joe Ford from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'4 Jr Jason Hill from Reseda (Cleveland) CA, 6'5 Jr Gerald Anderson from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Jason Hartnett from Medford (Shawnee) NJ, 6'6 Soph Cedric Latimer from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, 6'2 Jr James Powell from Glendora (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, 6'10 Soph Xavier Crawford from Richfield (H.S.) MN, 6'5 Jr Donald Thomas from Garden Grove (Pacifica) CA, 6'9 Jr Caleb Forrest from Pagosa Springs (H.S.) CO, 6'7 Jr Diamon Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Jason Deutchman from Santa Monica (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Frosh Shane Hanson from Lake Elsinore (Temescal Canyon) CA, 6'6 Jr Justin Jack from Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD, 6'2 Jr Eric Berman from Woodside (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph Jamil Greenwood from Chino Hills (Don Lugo) CA, 6'2 Jr Calvin Haynes from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'5 Soph Kenny Collins from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, 5'9 Jr Mark Hill from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'0 8th Grader Malcolm Lee from Riverside (North) CA, and 6'2 8th Grader Chris Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA.

Last night 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, who is ranked #48 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, made an early verbal commitment to the University of North Carolina and this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Frasor has had a terrific spring, as is evident by the fact that the Tar Heels coaching staff was so impressed with him at the Houston Kingwood Classic in late April that they made him a top recruiting priority and he was the 6th best player, according to the HOOP SCOOP, last week at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  In other words, Frasor is a lot better than where we rated him the last time we updated our rankings of the top juniors nationally, which was on February 20, 2004.  Second, Frasor is listed as a 2-guard and he'll probably be compared to Kirk Hinrich, because they're both white and North Carolina head coach Roy Williams coached Hinrich at Kansas.  However, we like the comparison to Syracuse's Gerry McNamara a lot better, because Frasor can shoot the lights out, is pretty athletic for a white kid, has tremendous basketball smarts and court savvy, and can play either guard spot, as is evident by the fact he plays point guard for his high school team and 2-guard for the Illinois Wolves.  Third, landing Frasor will give the Tar Heels an excellent future complement in the backcourt to 6'5 Jr Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, who is ranked #23 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and made an early verbal commitment to the Tar Heels last fall, as well as the probable replacement at point guard when North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton goes to the NBA either after next season or the following season.  Fourth, the addition of Frasor moves North Carolina's recruiting class into a tie at #3, along with Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Fifth, the verbal commitment by Frasor shows that the North Carolina coaching staff is right up there with Duke in terms of being able to getting involved with players outside of their area and closing the deal.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA has verbally committed to the University of Louisville, but the inquiry sign is up on this one, because we a source close to the program tells us that Roberson has not been offered a scholarship by the Cardinals.  In other words, when it's all said and done, Louisville probably will be able to get better six better players than Roberson in next year's recruiting class.  We're talking about somebody who is an excellent rebounder, good shot blocker, big time athlete, and good scorer around the basket, which means Roberson is really an undersized power forward, although he does have good ball handling and passing skills, as is evident by the fact he played some point guard for the Dominguez team last summer.  The problem is that he's never convinced us that he can shoot the three.  So it comes as no surprise that Roberson, who is expected to go the prep school route for a year to Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, is ranked #172 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So what would you do if you're Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and Roberson wants to commit right now and you know that if everything falls into place down the road, you could end up with a recruiting class that includes any combination of six of the following players:  7'0 Jr Clareance Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, who already is verbally committed to the Cardinals and is ranked #39 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'11 David Padgett, who is transferring from Kansas and has Louisville and UCLA at the top of his list; 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Canyon Spring (Moreno Valley) CA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to pick Louisville over Arizona State; 6'7 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is ranked #24 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has a top three that includes Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Duke; 6'9 Jr Chad Milliard from Manchester (Trinity) NH, who is ranked #42 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has Louisville at the top of his list; 6'4 Jr David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who is ranked #63 nationally in the senior by the HOOP SCOOP and has the talent, athleticism, and potential to be ranked a lot higher, if he becomes more consistent; 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #22 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is considering Florida, N.C. State, Louisville, Michigan State, and Syracuse; 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who has the Louisville right at the top of his list and has the athleticism, explosiveness, timing, rebounding, and shot blocking necessary be one of the top players in the class; 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, whose final four includes Syracuse, Connecticut, Louisville, and Arizona; 6'11 Jr Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, who lacks athleticism, but is one of the most skilled big men the junior class; 6'2 Jr Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, who is undersized at the 2-guard spot, but, just like Taquan Dean, can shoot the lights out; and 6'7 Jr Jerry-Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who is one of the fastest rising juniors in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he has Washington, Arizona, UCLA, USC, Louisville, Connecticut, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Washington State, and Arizona State on his list?  That's at least a dozen players who are ranked a lot higher than Roberson who the Cardinals appear to be in great shape on.   As a matter of fact, Roberson was quoted in today's Louisville Courier-Journal saying "I told him (Pitino) a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to commit, and he said to wait a couple of week to make sure everything was in order.  Then I talked to him again (on Tuesday), and he said he was excited to have me."  So obviously this was the smart move from Roberson's part, especially if he is set on going to Louisville, because it puts Louisville into an awkward position.  If Louisville doesn't accept the commitment, they probably will lose a player they want to keep on hold for later.  Remember, you recruit a lot of players in case you don't get the top ones on your wish list.  And, if you do accept the commitment, then you may cost yourself a better player down the road.  So the smart move obviously is for the Louisville coaching staff to remain silent publicly and tell the player privately that they will evaluate his progress in the months ahead and, if everything falls right, they'll offer him a scholarship at the appropriate time.  Moral to the story, players have talked themselves into thinking they will be first round draft picks in the NBA Draft with a lot less less assurance then this and, as a result, it will be interesting to see how this one turns out.  However, until we confirm that a scholarship offer from Louisville is on the table, we will hold off on including Roberson with their recruiting class.  But, if we did count Roberson with Louisville's class, the Cardinals would be ranked #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed via our New York City Editor Allen Rubin that Navy has landed 6'9 Ben Biles from Gastonia (Gaston Day) NC and via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that 6'7 Jr Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX has made an early verbal commitment to Miami-FL for football.   However, Bennett also plans to play basketball in college and, as a result, you can bet that new Miami-FL head coach Frank Haith had a lot to do with getting this one done.  And it probably wasn't too hard for Haith to do, because you can rest assured that Haith was already recruiting Bennett when he was still an assistant coach at Texas prior to taking the head coaching job at Miami-FL two months ago.  Bennett is best described as an undersized power forward, but he's a force inside with his toughness, athleticism, and power around the basket.  He's also a terrific rebounder and a hardnosed competitor, which explains why he's one of our favorite players in the junior class nationally, as well as a big reason why the Houston Hoops won the Las Vegas Spring Showcase in Las Vegas, NV in April.

Wednesday, June 2, 2004

We're still trying to catch up on things after attending the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions over the weekend and there are several early verbal commitments that we need to address, like 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #80 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picking Tennessee and 6'9 Jr Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA, who is ranked #201 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picking Georgia Tech.  The commitment by Aminu is especially interesting, because this long lanky athlete who runs the court, blocks shots, and scores inside does not start for the Georgia Stars AAU team.  But Aminu is a good student, a local kid, and has a pretty good upside.  In other words, Aminu promises to be a good role player for Georgia Tech, plus he might just make the same type of improvement at the college level that 7'1 Jr Luke Schenscher made from the beginning to the end of this past season.  Aminu also probably isn't good enough right now to scare off the next 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who was Georgia Tech's top recruiting priority for the past year and would have made the Yellojacks the team to beat in college basketball next year, if he hadn't, instead, signed with Kentucky  this spring.  Remember, the most of Georgia Tech's players who advanced all the way to the NCAA Title Game two months ago will be seniors next season and, as a result, the Yellow Jackets need another good recruiting class to come in behind their current recruiting class, which includes 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, and 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC.  It also will be interesting to see if the verbal commitment by Cameron holds up this time.  If you will recall, he's already verbally committed once to Clemson, but later changed his mind.  The verbal commitment by Cameron gives Tennessee the big man that they were hoping to get last fall when they signed 6'11 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA.  However, this spring Butler signed with an agent and entered his name into the NBA Draft.  And, while getting Cameron is an important start for the Volunteers for the Class of 2005, their top priorities are 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Jr Jamont Gordon from Nashville (Glencliff) TN, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'3 Jr Jarvis Hill from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #213 nationally in the junior class.  And making Smith and Gordon even more of a priority is the fact Tennessee lost out on getting the last two in-state players - Lee Humphrey and 6'6 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN - that were prime recruiting targets for the Volunteers.  We also have confirmed via our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead that Gordon, 6'8 Jr David Palmer from Antioch (H.S.) TN, and 6''3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (Central) MI have already decided to transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next fall and we continue to hear that 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Soph Tywon Lawson from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'8 Jr Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA, and 6'2 Jr Marcus Walker from Kansas City (O'Hara) MO may also follow in their footsteps.  But we also have heard that Brumbaugh is thinking about transferring to Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  And what would you think if 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ transferred back to Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, along with his teammate 6'8 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ?  Seton Hall, Villanova, Virginia, St. Joseph's, N.C. State, Kansas, UCLA, Indiana, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina are the leaders for 6'9 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ.  The early list for 6'6 Soph Devan Bawinkel from Winnebago (H.S.) IL includes Wisconsin, Marquette, Iowa, Northwestern, Illinois, Notre Dame, N.C. State, Princeton, and Yale.  North Carolina, Stanford, Marquette, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Georgia Tech were mentioned by 6'3 Jr Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL.  Illinois, Stanford, Northwestern, Iowa, and a number of Missouri Valley Conference and Mid-American Conference schools are in the hunt for 6'1 Jr Bryan Mullins from Downers Grove (South) IL.  It appears to be a five horse race among Tennessee, Alabama, Florida State, Kentucky, and Mississippi for 6'8 Jr Rashard Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA.  Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Louisville are early favorites for 6'5 Soph Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA.   Georgia and Auburn are the leaders for 6'3 Jr Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA, who was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge over the weekend at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, but he also is being recruited by Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, Florida State, Furman, and Southern Illinois.  It appears that Auburn, Georgia, Southern Illinois, FLorida State, and Miami-FL are the favorites for 7'0 Jr Rashard Singleton from Campbellton (Graceville) GA.  Auburn is the leader over Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Connecticut, Louisville, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt for 6'8 Jr Charles Jackson from Buena Vista (Tri County) GA.  Georgia Tech, St. Joseph's, Wake Forest, Arkansas, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Miami-FL, and Georgetown comprise the list for 6'2 Jr Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE.  UCLA, Boston College, Duke, Georgia Tech, Villanova, Michigan, and Georgetown are all in the hunt for 6'10 Jr Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE.  Wake Forest, Indiana, Michigan State, Kentucky, and Xavier are the early leaders for 6'1 Soph Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin couldn't get an early list from 7'0 Soph Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, but it probably doesn't matter, because everybody already assumes that Oden, who is the #1-ranked sophomore in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft two years from now.  And the same can be said about 6'4 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, three years from now.  Schools like North Carolina, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Arizona, Clemson, Ohio State, Xavier, and Michigan are already showing a lot of interest in 6'6 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH.   Michigan State, Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Central Michigan, and Western Michigan make up the early list for 6'11 Soph Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004

We still don't know if former Miami-FL assistant coach Curtis Townsend will get a similar position at the University of Kansas, but we have confirmed that Townsend plans to move to Lawrence, KS sometime within the next two weeks and we think it's safe to assume that he's doing so to coach basketball.  So if 2+2 does equal four, then we also think it's only a matter of time before the Jayhawks ago get 6'6 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA and it wouldn't surprise us if they also emerge as one of the favorites for 6'7 Jr Jerry-Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA.  And, if they do get Williams, Kansas' recruiting class would move up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if they get both Williams and Jefferson, their recruiting class would easily be #1, well ahead of Notre Dame, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, as things stand now, Kansas wasn't even on the list that Jefferson gave us over the weekend at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.   Instead, the schools he mentioned were Washington, Arizona, UCLA, USC, Louisville, Connecticut, Oregon, Oregon State, California, Washington State, and Arizona State.   But we still like the Jayhawks chances, because Rick Issacs, who is Jefferson's club team coach, and Townsend are extremely close friends.  Issacs also has had Williams on his team this spring, but the big connection here is the fact that Townsend has landed every good player (i.e. Lodrick Stewart, Rodrick Stewart, and Chester Giles, who recently reneged on Miami-FL after the coaching change took place and now is heading to Kansas) that Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA had produced in recent years.  And, assuming that Townsend, who is ranked #4 on our list of the top assistant coaches, does end up at Kansas, it will mean that Jayhawks head coach Bill Self will be replacing Norm Roberts, who was the #3-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP before he left to become the head coach at St. John's in early April, with somebody just as good.   However, current Kansas assistant coach Joe Dooley also deserves a lot of credit, because currently the Jayhawks have the #5-ranked recruiting classes to-date for both their current recruiting class and next year's recruiting class.  We also have always thought that Louisville was going to be tough to beat for 6'3 Frosh Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC, who is ranked #4 on our list of the top freshmen nationally and is the son of former Louisville All-American Derek Smith.   And reinforcing that belief even further is the fact that Smith's older sister will enroll at the University of Louisville this week and will room with the daughter of Junior Bridgeman, who is another one of the all time great Louisville players.   There also already appears to be an intense recruiting battle going on for 6'3 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (I.S. 96 Junior High School) NY, who is ranked #5 nationally in the 7th Grade by the HOOP SCOOP.  No, we're not talking about colleges.  Instead, we're talking about high school and Stephenson's father confirms that Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY is currently the leader over Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.   Speaking of school that also produced Stephon Marbury and 6'0 Sebastian Telfair, it also wouldn't surprise us that's where 5'4 Erwing Walker from Brooklyn (P.S. #308 Junior High School) NY, who is ranked as the #1 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, enrolls in high school this fall.  Did you know that Walker played for the Juice All-Stars, which was coached by Tiny Morton, who also is the head coach at Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, in the IS8 Tournament this spring in Jamaica, NY?  However, when it's all said and done, the smart money still is on Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.   We also talked to a number of players at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions over the weekend and what we found out was extremely interesting.  6'5 Reginald and Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN both have Michigan State, Louisville, Mississippi, Tennessee, N.C. State, and Arkansas on their list.  Rhode Island, Dayton, Richmond, and Fordham are the leaders for 6'5 Chris Bethel from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, but he also is getting interest from schools like Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, St. John's, and Rutgers.  The final four for 6'5 Jr Wes Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI are Marquette, Wisconsin, Stanford, and Georgia Tech.  The word is that 6'5 Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC has already qualified academically, but it appears that he still plans to go to prep school next, despite the fact that schools like Western Michigan, Creighton, Wisconsin, Marquette, Idaho, Campbell, and Evansville are currently calling.  Cincinnati, Xavier, Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and Kentucky are the early leaders for 6'5 Frosh Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  The early favorites for 6'8 Soph Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH are North Carolina, Syracuse, and Ohio State.  It also already appears to be an interesting race for 6'6 Soph Dave Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph's) OH, as he mentions schools like Ohio State, North Carolina, Kentucky, Michigan, and Syracuse.  6'10 Shawn Taggett from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who played the best we've ever seen him play over the weekend, likes Cincinnati, DePaul, Clemson, Missouri, Memphis, Georgia, Georgia State, Florida, and Wisconsin.  They list 6'6 Soph Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT as a sophomore, but he's already 18-years-old and he's good enough right now to step in and play for Vanderbilt, Ohio State, North Carolina, South Alabama, Connecticut, and Iowa, which are the schools that he says are showing the most interest.   Syracuse is still believed to be the favorite for 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, but he also mentions Connecticut, Louisville, and Arizona.  We also believe that the Orangemen are the team you have to beat for 6'10 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, although he says he also likes St. John's, Connecticut, Georgetown, Miami-FL, Pittsburgh, and UCLA.  The list for 6'7 Andrew Green from Perris (H.S.) CA includes Texas Tech, Pepperdine, Boise State, UC-Santa Barbara, and Cal State-Fullerton, but his next stop is expected to be Winchendon (School) MA.  Wisconsin, leads Baylor, Iowa, Illinois, DePaul, and Bradley in the early race for 6'2 Soph Willie Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL.  Bowling Green, Toledo, Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Seton Hall, and Mississippi were mentioned by 6'4 Jr Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL.  One of the biggest sleepers to emerge at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions was 6'7 Kyle Swanston from Brookville (Hernando) FL and, although it appears that DePaul, St. John's, Nebraska, and Jacksonville have already been in contact, prep school at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME is most likely first in his future.