TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

Hot Recruiting Information available from previous months - June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001 June 2001 July 2001 August 2001 September 2001 October 2001 November 2001 December 2001 January 2002 February 2002 March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Last summer we predicted that 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA would end up being the best player in the senior class nationally and, once again it looks like we were right on the money.  Not only has he fully recovered from a series of injuries that sidelined him for the better part of year, but Webster also was the #6 pick in the NBA Draft earlier this week and is the #1-ranked senior in our Final Ranking of the Top 800 Players in the Class of 2005, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier tonight.  And joining Webster in the NBA Draft were five other high school seniors in 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, and 6'11 Ricky Sanchez from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and two 5th Year Players in 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX.  However, it looks likes years of scouting and watching these players play on numerous occasions was irrelevant with regards to where to draft the rest of the field went in the draft, as the next three best players (Blatche, Ellis, and Williams) were all late second round picks and Bynum, Green Miles, Johnson, and Sanchez were picked based primarily upon the potential that they now will probably ever come closed to ever realizing.  But, then again, what do I know?  I'm the same person who thought Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, and Eddy Curry had no business by-passing college and entering the NBA  Draft four years ago.  Speaking of the Class of 2001, it has turned out to be a total bust when one also remembers that Dajuan Wagner and Kelvin Tolbert were ranked #1 and #2 in that class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also find it ironic that, if all of those players had stayed in college for four years, that they not only would be getting drafted in the current draft, but they would much better prepared to walk in and immediately become a star in the NBA.  This also was the first class where high school players starting going to the NBA in epidemic proportion.  However, the Class of 2005 still will turn out to a lot better than the Class of 2005, which might be the worst class since we started keeping track in the early 80's.  Not only does the Class of 2005 lack great players, but it also doesn't have a lot of depth and size and it doesn't have very many good point guards.  Nobody also stepped up and really separated himself from the rest of the pack, as Webster only slightly edged out 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN and 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS for top players honors and it's been almost impossible to separate 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, and 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL.  We have the nod to Hansbrough, because he just plays so darn hard.  And rounding out our top 10 is 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who was the best player recently at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and plans to got the 5th year route, and 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who, in the end, appears to have  been one of few high school players who was smart enough to have pulled his name out of the NBA Draft.  Or maybe the fact that he got snubbed in the voting for McDonald's All-American Game just turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it now appears that Brumbaugh may be heading to the University of Nebraska, where he'll get the time and coaching that he needs to normally develop into an outstanding player.  We also think it is important to note that Jefferson, 6'5 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, 6'9 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, and 6'0 Marcus Walker from Kansas City (O'Hara) MO are among the players who have risen the most dramatically since we last updated our rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2005 last September and 6'10 Jonathan Uchendu from Pulaski (Robinson) AL, 6'5 Deilvez Yearby from Detroit (Central) MI, and 6'6 Geoff McDermott from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY not only are three of the biggest sleepers to emerge in the Class of 2005, but all three now ranked among as borderline top 100 seniors or higher.  Our Final Ranking of the Top 800 Players in the Class of 2005 also has been added to our archives, which includes our ranking of the top players in the Class of 2004, Class of 2003, Class of 2002, Class of 2001, Class of 2000, Class of 1999, Class of 1998, Class of 1997, Class of 1996, Class of 1995, Class of 1994, Class of 1993, Class of 1992, Class of 1991, Class of 1990, Class of 1989, Class of 1988, Class of 1987, Class of 1986, Class of 1985, and Class of 1984 and Bob Gibbons' ranking of the top players from the Class of 1983, which were originally published in hisAll-Star Sports Report and several years ago with his permission were reprinted in our National Player Rankings section.  Not only does this provide you with the rankings of the top high school seniors for almost a quarter of a century, but it's also one of the many things that separates the HOOP SCOOP from the rest of our competition. 

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

I've been putting off talking about recruiting for the last several days, because I knew that 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had a press conference scheduled for 1:00 PM today and they both were expected to pick Ohio State over Wake Forest.  Well, it looks like our timing was perfect, because 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also decided to make it official for the University of Connecticut today, which means that three of the top 40-ranked juniors nationally made their college decision today.  Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Oden and Conley did exactly what they were expected to do and, as a result, the Buckeyes recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH and 6'4 Jr Dave Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH, is now drawing comparisons to Michigan's "Fab Five" that consisted of 6'9 Chris Webber from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'9 Juwan Howard from Chicago (Vocational) IL, 6'7 Jalen Rose from Detroit (Southwestern) MI, and 6'4 Jimmy King from Plano (East) TX, and 6'6 Ray Jackson from Austin (Johnson) TX.  However, the Buckeyes are still not guaranteed to be the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Remember, North Carolina also has two top 10-ranked juniors and a top 60-ranked junior in the fold in 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC.  And they also are among the leaders for 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, and 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave) VA.  In other words, if Ohio State doesn't sign anybody else and North Carolina lands any two of the above mentioned players, then the Tar Heels will clearly have the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  We also find it interesting that a lot of people were surprised by the fact that Indiana was not one of the finalists for Oden and Conley, but the Buckeyes were obviously aided by the fact that Ohio State's Thad Matta previously was both the head coach and an assistant coach at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN.  And his stop in-between at Xavier probably helped solidify things with Cook, who is close friends and AAU teammates with Oden and Conley.  As a matter of fact,  we're wondering what took so long.  If you will recall, when Cook verbally committed to Ohio State on Wednesday, March 23rd, we said "this also doesn't hurt the Buckeyes' chances with Conley and Oden, if they put an age limit in when they renegotiate the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement this summer.  Remember, Cook, Conley, and Oden have developed a close friendship while playing for the Indy Spiece Heat club team and, as a result, there already has been speculation about Cook and Conley going to the same school as a package.  And assuming that Cook does pick Ohio State, he would be the perfect complement to 6'0 Sylvester Mays from Redlands (JC) OK, who is widely regarded as the best point guard in the junior college ranks this year and picked the Buckeyes last fall, when he arrives on campus year after next.  Ohio State also signed 6'10 Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT during the Fall Signing Period, which means that Thad Matta and his staff appear to be well on their way towards resurrecting the Ohio State basketball program."  So it looks like the Buckeyes will have two outstanding point guards in Conley and Mays, two terrific perimeter players in Cook and Lighty, and an incredible shot blocker and rebounder in Oden and a skilled big man in Bell to anchor things inside year after next.  And they aren't done yet, as the Buckeyes also are still heavily involved with players like 6'9 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Elizabeth (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'8 Jr Luke Harangody from Gary (Andrean) IN, 6'7 Jr Raymar Morgan from Canton (McKinley) OH, 6'9 Jr Jamil Tucker from Gary (West Side) IN.  And, if, by some chance, they get Young, who is ranked #8 on our list of the top juniors nationally and is being recruited by just about everybody, then we really would be talking about another "Fab Five."  Getting back to Kelly, our New York City Ron Naclerio tells us that the Huskies have beaten Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Texas, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina and he adds that we should simply throw out the sub par five days that he had last week at the NBA Players Association Camp.  "Athletically he's as good as the come," says Naclerio.  "And he does a little bit of everything.  If he ever worked, hard and put it all together, he could be one of the best players in the class.  He's also a lot closer to being ready to step in and make an major impact at the University of Connecticut year after next than 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, who signed with the Huskies last fall, but entered his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  Speaking of the draft, we found it interesting that only three high school/5th Year players - 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, who went #6 to the Portand Trailblazer, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, who went #10 to the Los Angeles Lakers, and 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who went #18 to the Boston Celtics - were picked in the first round.  That's in sharp contrast to a year ago when 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA was the #1 pick to the Orlando Magic, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL was the #4 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA was the #12 pick to the Seattle Supersonics, 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY was the #13 pick to the Portland Trailblazers, 6'8 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS was the #15 pick to the Boston Celtics, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was the #17 pick to the Atlanta Hawks, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ was the #18 pick to the New Orleans Hornets, and 6'6 Dorell Wright from South Kent Prep) CT was the #19 pick to the Miami Heat.  We also were surprised that 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX and 6'11 Ricky Sanchez from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL were taken in the second round with the #34 and #35 picks by Utah and Portland, because neither player is the same class with 6'3 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS and 6'1 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, and 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, all of whom were picked even lower, but are ranked much higher in most of the post-season high school rankings.  And they didn't have any business filing for early entry into the NBA Draft either.  We also find it interesting that 17 of the 60 players drafted in this year's NBA Draft completed four years of college.  We're talking about Arizona's 6'11 Channing Frye, Oklahoma State's 6'7 Joey Graham, New Mexico's 6'8 Danny Granger, Syracuse's 6'8 Hakim Warrick, N.C. State's 6'7 Julius Hodge, Illinois' 6'3 Luther Head, Cincinnati's 6'7 Jason Maxiell, Kansas' 6'9 Wayne Simien, Arizona's 6'1 Salim Stoudamire, Duke's 6'3 Daniel Ewing, Marquette's 6'1 Travis Diener, Gonzaga's 6'10 Ronny Turiaf, Providence's 6'7 Ryan Gomes, Walsh's '6'10 Robert Whaley, Louisiana-Lafayette's 6'4 Orien Greene, UCLA's 6'7 Dijon Thompson, and Mississippi State's 6'9 Lawrence Roberts.  There also were 14 foreign players (four in the first round and 10 in the second round) and nine high school/5th year players taken in this year's draft, which means that there were only 20 spots remaining for the 58 college players who filed for early entry into the NBA Draft.  Fortunately 23 of the 58 college players who filed for early entry into the draft a month ago withdraw their name.  And the biggest mistake of all was probably made by Kentucky's 6'11 Randolph Morris, who would have been a guaranteed First Round pick a year ago.  Not only was Randolph light year's ahead of Bynum at the same stage, but he always got the best of 6'11 Dwight Howard when the scared off in head-to-head match-ups.  I guess the NBA scouts just weren't impressed with his 8.8 ppg and 4.2 rpg this past season.  We also have several other early verbal commitments to pass along, as 6'7 Jr Jeff Allen from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has picked Virginia Tech and 6'3 Jr Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ has verbally committed to Arizona State.  The commitment by Allen to the Hokies is big for a number of reasons.  First, he's ranked #87 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, he's a big time athlete, is capable of playing either forward spot, and has a huge upside.  Third, the addition of Allen continues Virginia Tech's recruiting onslaught in the Washington, DC area.  If you will recall, the Hokies also already have a verbal commitment from Allen's high school teammate - 6'3 Jr Nigel Munson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  Fourth, the addition Allen moves Virginia Tech's recruiting class, which also already includes Munson and 6'8 Lewis Witcher from Rocky Mount (Franklin County) VA, up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Polk, who is ranked #123 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is an important catch for the Sun Devils, because he's a big time athlete and it's always good to keep the top local players at home.  We also mentioned yesterday that 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #10 nationally in the senior class and is the only player ranked among our top 150 seniors that is still available, may be heading to the University of Nebraska.  But it hasn't happened yet.  However, according to our Nebraska Editor Herb Welling, it may be more a matter of when it's going to happen than whether it's going to happen.  So perhaps the bigger question is how the Cornhuskers are going to find another scholarship?  Apparently their last available scholarship that was originally supposed to be used by 6'5 Will Harris from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who earlier this spring reneged on the Cornhuskers, recently was give to 6'2 Michael Smith from Bronx (Regional) NY.  And, if you've never heard of Smith, you're not the only one.  As a matter of fact, Smith is such a sleeper that even our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio doesn't know who he is.  However, that's just a side note to the real story, which is Nebraska's recruiting class will move up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, if Brumbaugh picks the Cornhuskers.  That's the good news!  The bad news is that this won't be reflected in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005, which will be finalized day after tomorrow.  And one of the last additions that we expect to have to make to these rankings involves Alabama A&M's recruiting class, which includes 6'8 Michael Ford from Bevill State (JC) AL, 6'4 Andrew Williams from Taskegee (H.S.) AL, 6'8 Julian Gladness from Shelton State (JC) AL, 6'10 Mickell Gladness from Lawson State (JC) AL, and 6'3 Evan Hilton from Oak Park (Oak Park & River Forest) IL.  The prize of the class is Ford, who averaged 17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 7.0 apg last year in the junior college ranks and picked Alabama A&M over schools like SMU,  UAB, USC, Jacksonville State and Alabama State.  Ford also should be the perfect complement to 6'1 Jr Obie Trotter, who was the Southwestern Conference Player-of-the-Year this past season, 6'2 Jr Joe Martin, who also was named to the All-Conference Team, and Marcus Jones, who was the Freshman-of-the-Year in the league, in what promises to be Alabama A&M's best recruiting class ever. 

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

I have to give our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley a lot of credit, because, despite the fact the level of talent in the state is at an all time low, his article talking about the top players, teams, and coaches in the state is extremely interesting.  Not only does he make you feel like you missed out if you didn't get to see London (South Laurel) KY win the state championship and6'0 JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY help his team win big game after big game down the stretch, but he probably also has holiday tournament directors like Donnie Wilkie of the City of Palms Classic and John Rhodes of the Beach Ball Classic really paying attention to the fact that London (South Laurel) KY will return four starters from a state championship team, including 6'5 Jr Walt Allen, who is the #6-ranked junior in the state and was the MVP in the  state tournament, and 6'3 Soph Ty Proffitt, 6'8 Soph Trey Smith, and 6'5 Soph Jordan Hammonds, who are the #1, #7, and #9-ranked sophomores in the state.  You can also get Kihnley's three five-man all-state teams, which features the top 15 players in the state regardless of class and position, by clicking onto Kentucky Report and his ranking of the top 60 seniors, top 40 seniors, top 38 sophomores, top 22 freshmen, top seven 8th graders, top two 7th graders, and one six grader by clicking onto Kihnley Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Kentucky.  And, while Kihnley did a great job of wrapping up the Class of 2005 and previewing what's on the horizon in the Class of 2006 and Class of 2007, he did not mention that there is light at the end of the tunnel with regards to what appears to be a three-year drought in terms of high Division I talent in the state.  Yes, it looks like the Class of 2008, which features 6'3 Frosh Bud Mackey from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 6'4 Frosh Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY, 6'3 Frosh Aaron Boyd from Lexington (Henry Clay) KY, 6'1 Frosh Taylor Stewart from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'1 Frosh Matt Thomas from Ashland (Paul Blazer) KY, 6'2 Frosh Shelvin Mack from Lexington (Bryan Station) KY, 5'11 Frosh Adam Decker from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, 6'6 Frosh Jordan Lee from Georgetown (Scott County) KY, and 6'6 Frosh Allen Murray from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, all of whom have a chance to be really good, could once again really make things interesting again in the state of Kentucky.  But really only time will tell.  The publication of our Kentucky Report comes just in the nick of time, because Friday, July 1st, is graduation day, whereby, we move every player up a year in class.  In other words, we're done with the graduating seniors, juniors will become rising seniors, sophomores will become rising juniors, and freshmen will become rising sophomores, and so on.  And cutting it even closer will be our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005, which is scheduled to be published on Thursday.  Tomorrow we will be dealing with the expected verbal commitments by 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN; the fact that 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL appears to be heading to the University of Nebraska; and anything else that is breaking, including our thoughts about where all of the high school players went in the NBA Draft.  Then, on Friday we will publish our 30-plus page list of signings and commitments, which will be the beginning of what we will do to wrap-up the Spring Signing Period.  That will be followed by our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005 on Saturday; our Conference-by-Conference Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005 on Sunday; and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting, which will include what schools have the highest talent rating average per recruit, the best two players, the best three players, and the best four players over a two-year period.  In other words, if we don't get all of this done in the next six days, it's never going to get done, because the first playing day at the adidas Superstar All-American Camp will be a week from today on Tuesday, July 5th.  I'll also be at the adidas Camp on July 6th, at the NIKE All-American Camp on July 7th, and the Reebok ABCD Camp on July 8th-9th.  And, as always, our coverage of these three camps will be way ahead of the curve, as we'll publish player rankings daily exclusively in the Members Section.  Getting back to our Kentucky Report, it comes out right on the heels of our Ohio Report, which was published on June 9th, and our New York City Report, which was published on June 17th.  However, the publication of Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report, Dennis Marshall's Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia Report, Tim Miller's Texas Report, and our Illinois Report will have to wait until August or September, because the busiest time of year is already upon us. 

Monday, June 27, 2005

The final results are in and our Final Ranking of the Top 60 Players from the NBA Players Association Camp regardless of class and position and based primarily on performance in camp are as follows: 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 4) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 5) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 7) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 9) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Westlake) TX, 10) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 11) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 12) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 13) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 14) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 15) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 16) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 17) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 18) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 19) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 20) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 21) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 22) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 23) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 24) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 25) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 26) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 27) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 28) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 29) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 30) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 31) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 32) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 33) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 34) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 35) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 36) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 37) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 38) 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX, 39) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 40) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 41) 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 42) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 43) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 44) 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 45) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 46) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 47) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 48) 6'8 Jr Jejuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 49) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 50) 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 51) 6'2 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 52) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 53) 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 54) 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 55) 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Woodbridge) VA, 56) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 57) 6'8 Jr Daniel Deane from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 58) 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 59) 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, and 60) 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA.  Our ranking of the Top 19 Centers in camp are 1) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 2) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 3) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 4) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 5) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX, 7) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 8) 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 9) 6'8 Jr Daniel Deane from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 10) 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 11) 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA, 12) 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, 13) 6'10 Jr Kurt Huelsman from St. Henry (H.S.) OH, 14) 7'1 Jr Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, 15)  6'8 Jr Pierre Niles form Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 16) 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 17) 6'8 Jr Lewis Witcher from Rocky Mount (Franklin County) VA, 18) 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Majorie S. Douglas) FL, and 19) 7'2 Frosh James Tyler from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  Our ranking of the Top 21 Power Forwards in camp are 1) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 2) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Westlake) TX, 3) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 4) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 5) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 7) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 8) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 9) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 10) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 11) 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 12) 6'8 Jr Jejuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 13) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 14) 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 15) 6'8 Jr Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, 16) 6'8 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 17) 6'6 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 18) 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 19) 6'8 Soph Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR, 20) 6'8 Jr Andre Stephens from Heidelberg (H.S.) MS, and 21) 6'8 Jr Jacob Green from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  Our ranking of the Top 20 Wing Forwards in camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 3) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 4) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 5) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 6) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 9) 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 10) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 11) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 12) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 13) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 14) 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 15) 6'5 Jr Jonathan Hall from Miami (Senior) FL, 16)  6'9 Jr Dennis Horner from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ, 17) 6'7 Soph Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC, 18) 6'6 Jr DaSean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 19) 6'4 Jr Jamal Barney from Baltimore (Southwestern) MD, and 20) 6'4 Jr John Peitkiewicz from Winter Park (H.S.) FL. Our ranking of the Top 20 Second Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 2) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 3) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 4) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 5) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 7) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 8) 6'2 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 9) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 10) 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, 11) 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 12) 6'4 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH, 13) 6'5 Jr K'len Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI, 14) 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from  Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 15) 6'5 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, 16) 6'4 Jr Jermaine Beal from DeSoto (H.S.) TX, 17) 6'4 Soph Jeremey Franklin from Sam Leandro (H.S.) CA, 18)  6'3 Jr Heath White from Cincinnati (Taft) OH, 19) 6'3 Jr Marsharee Neely from Greensboro (Page) NC, and 20) 6'3 Soph Blake Hoffarber from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN.  Our ranking of the Top 20 Point Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 3) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 4) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 5) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 7) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 8) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 9) 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 10) 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Woodbridge) VA, 11) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 12) 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 13) 6'0 Deonta Vaughn from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 14) 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 15) 6'0 Jr Isamael Smith from Concord (Central Cabarrus) NC, 16) 6'5 Jr Greivis Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 17) 6'0 Jr Stephen Curry from Charlotte (Christian) NC, 18) 5'11 Jr Taishi Ito from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 19) 6'1 Jr Keegan Bell from Madison (Bob Jones) AL, and 20) 6'1 Jr Lawrence Westbrook from Chandler (H.S.) AZ.  The leading scorers in camp were 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, both whom finished with 17.6 ppg, followed by 8) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA with 18.0 ppg, 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH with 14.9 ppg, 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD with 14.3 ppg, 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA with 13.8 ppg, 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX with 13.3 ppg, 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH with 13.0 ppg, 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD with 12.7 ppg, 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK with 12.7 ppg, 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ with 12.6 ppg, 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA with 12.4 ppg, 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL with 12.1 ppg, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY with 11.7 ppg, 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA with 11.7 ppg, 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN with 11.1 ppg, 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR with 11.1 ppg, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA with 11.1 ppg, 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD with 10.9 ppg, 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD with 10.7 ppg, 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA with 10.7 ppg, 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA with 10.7 ppg, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA with 10.7 ppg, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX with 10.4 ppg,  6'8 Jr Jejuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS with 10.4 ppg, 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO with 10.3 ppg, 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 10.1 ppg, and 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA with 10.0 ppg.  I also want to point out that the above statistics are only through seven games, which means they do not include yesterday's playoff games.  In the playoffs, the Kings beat the Nuggets 88-78 in the Gold Championship Game.  The leading scorers for the Kings were 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA with 26 points and 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN with 19 points and their efforts in the playoffs were the key reason why we moved them both ahead of 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA in our final ranking of the top 2-guards in camp.  The Nuggets were led by 6'8 Jr DaJuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD and 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who finished with 19 points and 16 points apiece.  The semi-finals in the Gold Division also were extremely interesting, because Durant and 6'5 Jr O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH matched up for the second time during the camp.  And this time Mayo left no doubt about who the better player was, as he finished with 26 points compared to only 20 points for Durant.  However, while Mayo won both the battle and the scoring contest, Durant's team won the game.  Durant also outscored Mayo 18 to 16 in their first meeting two days earlier, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who watched that game, still gave the edge to Mayo.  The Pacers beat the Wizards 76-69 in the Silver Championship Game and, once again, 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, showed by he was one of the top three players in camp, as he finished with 21 points.  The leading scorer for the Wizards was 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX with 18 points.  6'0 Jr Willie Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL hit the game winning 3-point shot, as the Rockets beat the Celtics 74-73 in the Bronz Championship Game.  However, the leading scorers for their teams were 6'4 Jr Jermaine Beal from De Soto (H.S.) TX and 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ with 16 points apiece.  We also think it is important to point out the players who helped themselves the most during the week were 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, and 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX.  And Pittman didn't even play the first several days, which really shows just how dominant inside late in the week.  Robinson, who was recently ranked #57 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is this year's version of 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who was ranked among our top 100 nationally at this time a year ago, but left as one of the top five-ranked players in camp and has been a legitimate top 20 player in his class ever since.  And the same can also be said about Robinson, who even plays like Barber in that he's a big time athlete,excellent scorer and rebounder around the basket, and hardnosed competitor.  Crews not only was the best rebounder in camp, along with 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, but he also played with tremendous intensity and finished ranked #12 in camp in scoring.  The best two shot blockers in camp were 7'0 Jr Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI and 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  The best shooters in camp were 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, and 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  The best defender was 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA.  Among the biggest disappointments in camp based on their previous rankings and hype were 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, and 6'6 Soph Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC.  And the two people who helped me cover this camp and compile all this information are Ohio Editor Chris Johnson and Kevin Bays, who is a very astute basketball fan from Cincinnati, OH.  Obviously they both did a great job! 

Sunday, June 26, 2005

One of the most interesting recruiting items that we've picked at the NBA Players Association Camp involves 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, whose list includes Memphis, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Florida, and Kentucky.  However, the word on the street is that Kemp's favorite school is Kentucky and, assuming that this is true, the Wildcats not only are perfectly positioned to get the ideal replacement for 6'2 Frosh Rashon Rondo,  who likely will enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now, but they also will be getting the ideal complement to 6'9 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, who is believed to be favoring the Wildcats  We also found it interesting that 6'8 Jr Pierre Niles from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN says that he wants to get away from home, which explains why school like Tennessee and Memphis aren't on his list.  However, it also appears that Niles doesn't want to go too far away from home, as he listed Arkansas as the leader over Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arizona, and Texas.  And, believe or not, 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA tells us that Arizona is not the lock that everybody thinks they are for his services, as Washington, Oregon, Kansas, Connecticut, Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Memphis, and Memphis also still make list.  We also now believe that 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ will end up at Villanova, because Pondexter and 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (LaCosta Canyon) CA will both beat Thomas to the punch for Arizona's final two scholarships and Thomas prolong his recruitment long enough, whereby, Duke will get somebody else before he's ready to make a decision.  In other words, the sooner Wright makes a decision, the more it favors Duke and North Carolina over Kentucky and the less it favors Thomas, if he wants to become a Blue Devil.  We also think that geographic proximity and the fact that Villanova has an excellent engineering school and he likely will major in engineering in college will be important factors in Thomas' decision.  It also looks like we right on the money with regards to 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN making it official for Ohio State prior to the beginning on the Summer Evaluation Period in early July.  As a matter of fact, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that both players now have a press conference scheduled for 1:00 PM on Wednesday and it would be a major shock, if they select Wake Forest over the Buckeyes.  We also have once again updated our rankings of the players at the NBA Players Association Camp and the Top 50 Players in Camp regardless of position, ranked in order, and based primarily on camp performance after three-and-a-half days include Top 50 Players in Camp are as follows:  1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 4) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 5) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 7) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 9) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 10) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 11) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 12) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 13) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 14) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 15) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 16) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 17) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 18) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 19) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 20) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 21) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 22) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 23) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 24) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 25) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 26) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 27) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 28) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 29) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 30) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 31) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 32) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 33) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 34) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 35) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 36) 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX, 37) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 38) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 39) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 40) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 41) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 42) 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 43) 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 44) 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 45) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 46) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 47) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 48) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 49) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 50) 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA.  Our ranking of the Top Centers in camp are 1) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 4) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 3) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 4) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 5) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX, 7) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 8) 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 9) 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA, 10) 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 11) 6'8 Jr Daniel Deane from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 12) 7'2 Frosh James Tyler from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL; 13) 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Majorie S. Douglas) FL, 14) 6'10 Jr Kurt Huelsman from St. Henry (H.S.) OH, and 15) 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA; our ranking of the Top Power Forwards in camp are 1) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 2) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Westlake) TX, 3) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 4) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 7) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 8) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 8) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 9) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 10) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 11) 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 12) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 13) 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 14) 6'8 Jr Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, 15) 6'8 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 16) 6'6 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 17) 6'8 Jr Jejuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 18) 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 19) 6'8 Soph Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR, and 20) 6'8 Jr Jacob Green from Washington (Gonzaga) DC; our ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 3) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 4) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 5) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 7) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 8) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 9) 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 10) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 11) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 12) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN, 13) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 14) 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 15) 6'5 Jr Jonathan Hall from Miami (Senior) FL, and 6'8 Jr Dennis Horner from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ; our ranking of the Top Second Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 2) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 3) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 4) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA,7) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 8) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 9) 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 10) 6'4 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH, 11) 6'2 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 12) 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) WA, 13) 6'5 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, 14) 6'5 Jr K'len Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI, and 16 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metarie (Archbishop Rummel) LA; and our ranking of the Top Point Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 3) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 4) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 5) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 7) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 8) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 9) 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 10) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 11) 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 12) 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Woodbridge) VA, 13) 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 14) 6'5 Jr Greivis Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 15) 6'0 Deonta Vaughn from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 16) 6'0 Jr Ishmael Smith from Concord (Central Cabarrus NC; and our ranking of the Top Underclassmen in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 3) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 4) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 5) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 7) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 8) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 9) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 10) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 11) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 12) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 13) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 14) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 15) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  We also think it is interesting to note that the best individual performance yesterday was turned in by 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who finished with 13 points, rebounds, and 13 assists in the evening session.  And this was no fluke, as Jennings entered the day ranked #3 at the point guard position and also had 10 points and eight assists in yesterday's morning game.  In other words, a strong case now can be made that this athletic point guard with a great feel for the game, excellent ball handling and passing skills, and an excellent 3-point shot is now the best freshman in the nation.  And it's really not even close, as 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who is the guy who holds that position right now, is ranked #40 in the camp.  Also dramatically increasing the value of their stock as the week has worn on have been 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is one of the leading scorers in the camp and just gets better and better each time we see him; 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.T. Terry) TX, who is a physical specimen inside and surprisingly mobile and agile for his size; 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, who not only is the best rebounder in camp, but also is one of the leading scorers; and 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who has played so well that he is now the #2-ranked 2-guard in camp ahead of 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA.  Speaking of Ellington, he picked up where he left off at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and has not shot the lights out and totally dominated games like he did last winter.  And this is too bad, because it's looking more and more like we're going to have to drop Ellington out of the #1 spot in our rankings of the junior class nationally.  We also have dropped 6'6 Jr Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH all the way down from #2, which is where we had him ranked after the second day, to #10 in camp, because he's injured and, as a result, has not played in any games during the last two days of camp. 

 Saturday, June 25, 2005

The cream has really risen to the top at the NBA Players Association Camp, as 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Owego (H.S.) OR have emerged as the three best players in camp after the first two-and-a-half days.  We've already talked about how Mayo is clearly in a class all by himself and Durant, who is averaging 18.2 ppg, is the leading scorer in camp.  However, today was the day that Love established himself as one of the best players in the nation regardless of class, as he scored 18 points in the morning session and had 19 points and 11 rebounds in the evening session.  He also didn't take any prisoners, impressed everybody with his ability to keep you honest with his 3-point shot, and firmly established himself as one of the best passers in the camp.  As a matter of fact, our Ohio and International Editor Chris Johnson describes Love as a white Wes Unseld.  And making the story even more fascinating is the fact that Love's father, Stan Love, not only played professionally on the Baltimore Bullets with Unseld, but he had so much respect for this incredible rebounder and outlet passer that his son's middle name is Wesley.  The other big story of the day at the NBA Players Association Camp are the impending verbal commitments by three of the top 40 juniors in the nation and the expected transfer by the player who is quickly establishing himself as the #1-ranked player in the Class of 2006.  Obviously we're talking about Durant and, yes, the rumors are true about him transferring from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  However, we haven't confirmed whether the rumors are true about 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson also leaving Oak Hill and returning home to play his senior season next winter.  The three juniors who appear to be on the verge of making verbal commitments are 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, who is expected to make it official for Arizona, sometime within the next week, and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, both of whom appear to be on the verge finally making it official for Ohio State.  The Indianapolis Star reported the commitments by Oden and Conley on Friday and, despite the fact that both them have denied that his has happened, Johnson tells us that several players at the camp have confirmed that they have indeed made the decision to attend Ohio State.  So don't be surprised if an official announcement is forthcoming prior to the beginning of the Summer Evaluation Period.  And, assuming that Johnson is correct, this would move Ohio State's recruiting class up to #1, ahead of North Carolina and Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  However, the best recruiting class that might be on the horizon for a  Division I school in the Buckeye may eventually belong to Cincinnati, which very well could be the benefactor of the new age limit in the race for 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, and 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Mayo also told us today that the new age restrictions imposed by the NBA don't bother him a bit, because he's always wanted to college.  He also confirmed that he and Walker plan to go the same school and gave us a list of schools that includes Cincinnati, Louisville, Kentucky, Florida A&M, North Carolina, Texas, Wake Forest, and Indiana.  However, we didn't believe him when he told us that he was wide open and hadn't thought much about schools.  Moral the story, all of these guys (Mayo, Walker, and Ellis) didn't just end up in Cincinnati by coincidence.  We also don't think it's just a coincidence that these two future basketball powerhouses have agreed to start playing one another in a couple of years, renewing a rivalry that ended in 1962 when the Bearcats beat the Buckeyes for the second straight year in the NCAA Championship game.  So the only question that we have is how long University of Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher will last in her present position once Mayo and Walker have made it official for the Bearcats?  Getting back to the camp, 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA finally started hitting his outside shot tonight and, as a result, could make the same type of jump in the rankings tomorrow and Sunday that Love made today.  Other players who really helped themselves today were 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'8 Jr Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) PA, and 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ.  Our Ranking of the Top 40 Players in Camp are as follows:  1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 4) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 5) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 7) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 8) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 9) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 10) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 11) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 12) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 13) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 14) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 15) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 16) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 17) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 18) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 19) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 20) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 21) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 22) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 23) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 24) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 25) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 26) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 27) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 28) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 29) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 30) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 31) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 32) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 33) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 34) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 35) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 36) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 37) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 38) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 39) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, and 40) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK.  Our ranking of the Top Centers in camp are 1) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 2) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 3) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 4) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 5) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 7) 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 8) 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA, 9) 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 10) 6'8 Jr Daniel Deane from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 11) 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Majorie S. Douglas) FL, 12) 6'10 Jr Kurt Huelsman from St. Henry (H.S.) OH, 13) 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, and 14) 7'2 Frosh James Tyler from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL; our ranking of the Top Power Forwards in camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 2) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Westlake) TX, 3) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 4) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 5) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 7) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 8) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 9) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 10) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 11) 6'9 Jr  Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 12) 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 13) 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 14) 6'8 Jr Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, 15) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 16) 6'8 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 17) 6'6 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 18) 6'8 Jr Jejuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 19) 6'8 Soph Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR, and 20) 6'8 Jr Jacob Green from Washington (Gonzaga) DC; our ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in camp are 1) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 2) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 3) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 4) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 5) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 7) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 8) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 10) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 11) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 12) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN, and 13) 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; our ranking of the Top Second Guards in camp are 1) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 2) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 3) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 4) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 5) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 7) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 8) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 9) 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 10) 6'4 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH, and 11) 6'5 Jr K'len Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI; and our ranking of the Top Point Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 4) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 5) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 6) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 7) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 8) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 9) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 10) 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 11) 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 12) 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Woodbridge) VA, and 13) 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA; and our ranking of the Top Underclassmen in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 3) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 4) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 7) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 8) 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 9) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 10) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 11) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 12) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 13) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 14) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 15) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA.  We also have confirmed that final two schools for 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ are Villanova and Louisville.  The top three for 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI are Arkansas Michigan State, and Connecticut.  The list for 6'8 Soph Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR includes Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Miami-FL, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Texas A&M.  Arizona State, Texas, Texas A&M, Florida State, and Miami-FL were mentioned by 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.F. Terry) TX.  Boston College, Marquette, Notre Dame, and Minnesota are the final four for 6'9 Jr Bryce Webster from St Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN.  Arizona leads Syracuse, Kentucky, and Louisville for 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA.

Friday, June 24, 2005

After the first day-and-a-half (Wednesday evening and both sessions on Thursday) of at the NBA Players Association Camp, the HOOP SCOOP's ranking of the top 30 players in camp is as follows:  1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 3) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 4) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 5) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 8) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 9) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 10) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 11) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 12) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 13) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 14) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 15) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 16) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 17) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 18) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 19) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 20) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 21) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 22) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 23) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 24) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 25) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 26) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 27) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 28) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 29) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, and 30) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI.  In other words, the camp is loaded at both forward spots and the point guard spot, as 24 of our top 30-ranked players in camp player one of those three positions.  Or to look at it another way, eight power forwards, eight wing forwards, eight point guards, five 2-guards, and only one center make our list of the top 30 players in camp.  However, the center position should be be strengthened somewhat by the fact that 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who missed the first two sessions of the camp, will have been in camp long enough by tomorrow night at this time to move way up on our list.  As things stand now, our ranking of the Top Centers in camp are 1) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 2) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 3) 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 4) 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 5) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6) 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA, 7) 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley(Stoneridge Prep) CA, 8) 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 9) 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Majorie S. Douglas) FL, and 10) 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA; our ranking of the Top Power Forwards in camp are 1) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Westlake) TX, 2) 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 3) 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 4) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5) 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6) 6'9 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 7) 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 8) 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 9) 6'8 Jr Dajuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 10) 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 11) 6'8 Jr Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, 12) 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, and 13) 6'8 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT; our ranking of the Top Wing Forwards in camp are 1) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 4) 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 5) 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6) 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7) 6'7 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 8) 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 9) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 10) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 11) 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlaman from Braham (H.S.) MN; our ranking of the Top Second Guards in camp are 1) 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 2) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 3) 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 4) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 5) 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6) 6'4 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH, 7) 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 8) 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 9) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, and 10) 6'5 Jr K'len Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI; our ranking of the Top Point Guards in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 3) 6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 4) 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 5) 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 6) 6'0 Jr William Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 7) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 8) 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 9) 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 10) 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Woodbridge) VA, 11) 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, and 12) 6'3 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI; and our ranking of the Top Underclassmen in camp are 1) 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 2) 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 3) 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 4) 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5) 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6) 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 7) 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 8) 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 9) 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 10) 6'6 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 11) 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 12) 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, and 13) 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Also noteworthy is the fact that the top three players in camp are sophomores and five of the top 10 players in camp are sophomores.  And that's without 6'3 Soph Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who left camp after one game due to a family emergency.  Some of the biggest disappointments after the first day-and-a-half of camp have been 6'6 Soph Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC, 6'5 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, 6'0 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, 6'8 Jr Pierre Niles from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'9 Jr Johnnie Lett from Mobile (B.C. Rain) AL, 7'0 Jr Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, 6'2 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) PA, and 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA.  The players who have helped themselves the most are 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, and 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA.   Among those who have not played due to injuries are 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (LaCosta Canyon) CA, 6'10 Frosh Ralph Sampson from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenburg (B.F. Terry) TX, 7'1 Jr Josh Lomers from Boerne (H.S.) TX, and 6'4 Jr P'Allen Stinnett from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV and missing in action are 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, 6'8 Soph Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, and 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

It's still too early rank the top players at the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA, but the best player in camp clearly is 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Not only is Mayo clearly a man among boys, but he runs the show, scores whenever he wants, has a great court demeanor, competitive drive, amazing skills, an incredible basketball IQ, and a tremendous work ethic.  In other words, we're talking about the best player in the nation regardless of class and, despite the fact that he won't be able to make the jump straight to the NBA two years from now after his senior year in high school, he is probably good enough to follow in the footsteps of the Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amare Stoudemire, and Dwight Howard, who are the only players who have had any business thinking about going straight from high school into the NBA, and actually have an impact next year in the league as a rookie.  Instead, the race is on for second best player in camp among players like 6'6 Soph Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6'8 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA.  We also have already talked with a number of the top players in camp about their recruiting and the latest list for 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (Seogoville) TX includes Oklahoma, North Carolina, Kansas, SMU, Texas, Colorado, Illinois, and Baylor.  The early list for 6'11 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN includes Kansas, North Carolina, Michigan State, and Minnesota.  Louisville is believed to be the leader for 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, but he also mentioned Texas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, St. John's, Arizona, and Syracuse.  The final three for 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlman from Braham (H.S.) MN are Michigan State, Minnesota, and Iowa, but he tells us that he plans to wait after the summer before making a decision.  Arizona, Duke, Villanova, Louisville, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Ohio State were mentioned by 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who claims to be still totally wide open.  Georgetown is the leader over North Carolina and Wake Forest for 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Arkansas, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, and UNLV are among those schools showing the most interest in 6'2 Jr Stefan Welsh from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Arizona, Miami-FL, UNLV, Texas, Syracuse, and Connecticut were mentioned by 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO.  The latest list for 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA includes North Carolina, Syracuse, Connecticut, Gonzaga, Villanova, USC, Washington, and Arizona.  The early favorites for 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN are Illinois, Missouri, Indiana, Miami-FL, Notre Dame, and Kentucky.  Cincinnati Indiana, Kentucky, Florida, A&M, and Louisville were mentioned by 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  Pittsburgh, George Washington, Rutgers, Rhode Island, and Arizona are all in the hunt for 6'11 Jr Hamady N'Diaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, but it was no surprise that Baylor was the school that he mentioned first for several reasons.  First, Bears assistant coach Mark Morefield discovered him on a recruiting trip to the Senegal a year ago. Second, N'Diaye is good friends with Mamadou Diene, who was a red-shirt freshman this past season at Baylor,  Third, N'Diaye also is a close friend of Baylor recruit 6'11 Mohamed Kone from Southern Idaho (JC) ID.  And making the story even more interesting the fact that N'Diaye, Diene, and Kone were all brought to the Unites States by former Southern Idaho Junior College assistant coach Babacar Sy, who now is the head coach at Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, which is where N'Diaye plans to transfer next season.  Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Connecticut, Cincinnati, LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Wake Forest, and Florida are all on the list of 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, who is one of the biggest surprises in the camp with his combination of skills, hustle, and athleticism.  Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Texas were mentioned by 6'3 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ.  North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Connecticut, Kansas, and Texas are already in the hunt for 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX.  Connecticut, Arizona, Duke, North Carolina, Washington, and Kansas were mentioned by 6'9 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR.  We also find it interesting that Love no longer is listing the University of Oregon, which is interesting when one remembers that his father is one of the leading scorers in the history of the school.  Syracuse is the leader over Pittsburgh for 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY.  However, even more interesting is the fact that Harris told us that he will likely attend prep school at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  We also continue to hear rumors about 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant transferring from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  And this would make sense, because Durant is from the Washington, DC area.  However, it would not make sense, because Montrose Christian head coach Stu Vetter has a history of pushing his players towards schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Durant is already verbally committed to the University of Texas. 

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Chris Monter of College Basketball News tells that the list of the players from the United States who took their name out of the NBA Draft prior to yesterday's deadline, includes Northeastern's 6'0 Jr Jose Juan Barea, Georgetown's 6'8 Jr Brandon Bowman, Illinois' 5'11 Jr Dee Brown, Alabama's 6'11 Soph Jermareo Davidson, Auburn's 6'1 Soph Toney Douglas, Notre Dame's 6'9 Jr Torin Francis, George Washington's 6'8 Jr Mike Hall, Stanford's 6'2 Jr Chris Hernandez, Long Beach State's 6'2 Jr Jibril Hodges, Vanguard University's (CA) 6'5 Jr Brian Kim, Cincinnati's 6'8 Jr Armein Kirkland, Pittsburgh's 6'2 Jr Carl Krauser, George Washington's 6'8 Jr Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Maryland-Eastern Shore's 6'9 Jr Tim Parham, Northwestern's 6'0 Jr T.J. Parker, West Virginia's 6'11 Jr Kevin Pittsnogle, Arizona's 6'4 Jr Chris Rodgers, San Diego State's 6'8 Soph Marcus Slaughter, La Salle's 6'8 Jr Steve Smith, East Tennessee State's 5'9 Jr Tim Smith, Jacksonville State's 6'4 Jr B.J. Spencer, Wake Forest's 6'8 Jr Eric Williams, and Cincinnati's 6'7 Jr James White.  In other words, of the 23 of the 58 college players who filed for early entry into the draft a month ago have withdrawn their name.  And so have three of the 12 high school and 5th Year Players, as 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, and 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC also have withdrawn their name for the NBA Draft.  This leaves three 5th Year Players in 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, and 6'9 Curtis Brown from Woodstock (Mt. Olive Prep) GA and six high school seniors in 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA, 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, and 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX in next week's NBA Draft.  This also has some important implications when finalizing our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005.  And right at the top of the list is the fact that Texas A&M's recruiting class moves back up to #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also find it interesting that Louisville's class, which for a long time time was ranked #1, has dropped into a tie at #11, along with Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  The Cardinals do have 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL all still in the fold, but 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL has decided to go the prep school route and 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA was one of the above mentioned high school players who kept his name in the draft.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that Louisville might be on the verge of putting together an even better recruiting class for next year.  Currently they only have only one scholarship available, but it's our guess that 6'8 Jr Juan Diego Palacios will enter his name into the NBA Draft a year from now and somebody will end up transferring a year from now due to lack of playing time.  So the Cardinals may be able to sign as many as five players from the Class of 2006.  They already have 6'3 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #39 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both in the fold and it appears they are now the leader for 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who is ranked #6 in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'8 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked #18 in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who will be ranked #8 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005, but is expected to go the prep school route next year and, as a result, will be recruitable.  So, if all this fall together, the Cardinals would have a recruiting class that would move up to #1, ahead of North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, Ohio State, and Florida State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  However, even more important, they would have a 8.6 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit, which would rank right behind North Carolina with a 9.0 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit and ahead Ohio State with a 8.5 Talent Rating Average Per Recruit.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Soph Konimba Darra is transferring from the South Florida to the College of Charleston and he not only should walk in and immediately be one of the best players in the team, but he also is the next in an excellent line of transfers that the Cougars have taken since Tom Herrion took over three years ago.  If you will recall, 6'4 Jr Robert Swann transferred from Connecticut to the College of Charleston three years ago, 6'2 Jr Drew Hall transferred from Georgetown to the College of Charleston two years ago, and 6'9 Jr Phil McCandies transferred from Virginia Tech to the College of Charleston a year ago.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Jr Brian Carlwell from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who is ranked #125 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Illinois.  And this is an important catch for several reasons.  First, Carlwell is one of the best juniors in the state and, if Fighting Illini head coach Bruce Weber and his staff are going to successful in the long term, they have to be able get their share of the top in-state players.  Second, Carlwell has a tremendous amount of potential, as is evident by the fact that some publications (i.e. Recruiter's Handbook) have Carlwell ranked among their top 50 juniors nationally.  Third, Carlwell should be a perfect complement to 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, who verbally committed to Illinois a month ago, and, as a result, the Fighting Illini now appear to be well on their way towards reloading after their impressive NCAA Final Four appearance two-and-a-half months ago.  This also is a great choice for Carlwell, because he needs to get bigger and stronger physical and meaner and tougher in order to live up to the expectations.  And nobody is better equipped to help him do this than Weber.  Remember, in addition is one of the fastest rising coaches in the game today, Weber learned from one of the best in  the business as a long time assistant to Gene Keady at Purdue.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the commitment that 6'5 Saiquon Stone from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY made to Providence may not hold up.  Instead, it looks like Stone may attempt to enroll at Marist as a non-qualifier.  And, if that doesn't work, Stone will go the prep school route.  Naclerio also tells us that 6'3 Jr George Jefferson from Brooklyn (Automotive) NY was found dead yesterday morning.  And this is the third tragedy that we've reported about in the last week.  If you will recall, 6'2 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA was seriously injured in a car accident a week ago and Wallace Prather, who was the driving force behind the Atlanta Celtics and was one of everybody's favorite people in the business, died last Friday night of an apparent heart attack.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Diamon Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #146 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with St. Mary's.  We're not talking about an athletic combo forward with a great nose for the ball, excellent rebounding skills, and a great work ethic.  But, just as important, Simpson also is the second highest ranked senior, behind 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who was still available.  Speaking of St. Mary's, it appears that they need to find a fourth team to play in the Shamrock Office Solution Classic in Moraga, CA on December 21st-22nd.  The other three teams already in the tournament are St. Mary's, Kent State, and Mississippi Valley State and it appears that fourth team would get a nice guarantee, as well as a return game by St. Mary's at their place. 

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Today is the last day that any of the 108 players who filed for early entry in the NBA Draft over a month ago can withdrawal their names from the draft, retain their amateur status, and be eligible to play NCAA Division I college basketball.  However, the big news is the fact that NBA and the NBA Players Association have reached a collective bargaining agreement, which means that any chance of a lock-out by the owners on July 1st been averted.  And this is too bad for college basketball, because right at the top of the list of the things that were agreed upon is a 19-year-old age minimum and a one year out of high school requirement for early entry into the NBA Draft.  "Players who are not 19 by draft night would be ineligible for the draft.  Under current rules American Players are eligible for the draft the year their high school class graduates.  Foreign players must be 18 by draft night."  Obviously this will do little to effect the epidemic that already exists with regards to high school players by-passing college and going straight to the NBA.  As a matter of fact, they just made it easier, because anybody who is thinking about going straight to the league no longer has to worry about passing core classes or worrying about passing the SAT as a senior in high school.  Instead, anybody with academic questions will just go to prep school for a year.  This also ensures that there is no chance that 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'6 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who are ranked #1 and #2 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, will ever see a day of college basketball.  It's also kind of ironic that this would happen today, because I'm already in Richmond, VA to cover the NBA Players Association Camp, which, for our purposes, begins tomorrow night at 7:00 PM and runs through Sunday afternoon.  And a quick look at the list of players who are supposed to be in attendance once again shows that Bob Gibbons, who invites the players for this camp, has lined up what promises to be the best event of the entire year.  That list includes 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (LaCosta Canyon) CA, 6'3 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, 6'8 Jr Pierre Niles from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 7'1 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA,6'2 Jr Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 6'7 Jr Isaiah Dahlman from Braham (Area) MN, 6'3 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Jr An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'5 Jr Obi Muonelo from Edmond (Santa Fe) OK, 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 5'11 Jr Tory Jackson from Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI, 6'1 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, 5'11 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'0 Jr Will Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 6'8 Jr Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, 6'9 Jr Stanley Robinson from Birmingham (Huffman) AL, 6'9 Jr Perry Stevenson from Lafayette (Northside) LA, 6'5 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA, 6'4 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'4 Jr Jermaine Beal from De Soto (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA, 6'8 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklinburg) NC, 6'6 Jr Derrick Jasper from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, 6'8 Jr Dwayne Colllins from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'4 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH, 6'9 Jr Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN, 7'0 Jr Tom Herzog from Flint (Powers) MI, 6'5 Jr Andre Stephens from Heidleberg (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, 6'9 Jr DaJuan Summer from Owings Mills (McDonogh School) MD, 6'5 Jr K'len Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Jr Eric Hayes from Woodbridge (Dumfries) VA, 6'11 Jr N'Diaye Hamady from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Jr Lewis Witcher from Rocky Mount (Franklin County) NC, 6'5 Jr Greivis Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'5 Jr Jonathan Hall from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'9 Jr Johnnie Lett from Mobile (B.C. Rain) AL, 6'6 Jr Dwight Lewis from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA, 7'1 Jr Josh Lomers from Boerne (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'8 Jr JeJuan Brown from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Jr Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (B.F. Terry) TX, 6'10 Jr Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'10 Jr Kurt Huelsman from St. Henry (H.S.) OH, 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Majorie S. Douglas) FL, 6'6 Jr DeSean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'9 Jr Dennis Horner from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ, 6'8 Jr Daniel Deane from Salt Lake City (Judge Memorial) UT, 6'3 Jr Heath White from Cincinnati (Taft) OH, 6'1 Jr Robert Byrd from Nassau, Bahamas, 5'11 Jr Taishi Ito from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'1 Jr Lawrence Westbrook from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 6'4 Jr Adrian Oliver from Modesto (Christian) CA, 6'5 Jr Kenyan Harmon from North Augusta (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jr Ray Hall from Denver (Mullen) CO, 6'8 Jr Matt Shaw from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'5 Jr Jahaziel Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'0 Jr Stephen Curry from Charlotte (Christian) NC, 6'0 Jr Antron Pippen from Suwanee (Collins Hill) GA, 6'2 Jr Matthew Pressey from Waltham (H.S.) MA, 6'4 Jr Alan Bantom from New Brunswick (St. Peter's) NJ, 6'4 Jr John Peitkiewicz from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Jr Marssharee Neely from Greensboro (Page) NC, 6'4 Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'0 Deonta Vaughn from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'6 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'3 Soph Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'8 Soph Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Soph Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'1 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Seniors) FL, 6'4 Soph Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'5 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'11 Soph Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6'5 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Soph Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Robert B. Glenn) NC, 6'10 Soph Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 6'10 Soph Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'4 Soph Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'1 Soph Keegan Bell from Madison (Bob Jones) AL, 6'7 Soph Chase Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'8 Soph Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR, 6'4 Soph Jeremy Franklin from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Blake Hoffarber from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 5'11 Soph John Rinaldi from Lansdale (Christian) PA, 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'10 Frosh Ralph Sampson Jr from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'3 Frosh Jerel Stephenson from Augusta (Glenn Hills) GA.  In other words, this camp is absolutely loaded, as 32 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 50-ranked juniors, all 10 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 10-ranked sophomores, and two of the HOOP SCOOP's top five-ranked freshmen will be in attendance.  And you can get all the highlights, as well as a plethora of recruiting information and rankings of the top players in camp, which will be updated daily as the week goes on, exclusively right here in the Members Section.  So stay tuned! 

Saturday, June 18, 2005, Sunday, June 19, 2005, & Monday, June 20, 2005

Everybody in the basketball world is sadden by the fact that Wallace Prather died of an apparent heart attack Friday night.  Prather had players like Dwight Howard, Josh Smith, Randolph Morris, Donnell Harvey, Dion Glover, Jumaine Jones, Jeffrey Newton, Isma'il Muhammad, and B.J. Elder in his program and the Atlanta Celtics had a reputation for always playing hard and doing things the right way.  However, even more important, Prather was one of the good guys.  As a matter of fact, he never met a stranger and represented all of the positive things that go along with basketball at the grass roots level.  He also was a class act, as well the ultimate success story.  Not only was he able to take advantage of the opportunities that basketball provided to coach one the best club team programs in the nation, but he was able to achieve upward mobility for his family, as is evident by the fact that son went to Cornell, where he got an Ivy League education.  Prather also was a pioneer in the sport, as the Atlanta Celtics were one of the first club teams to get a major shoe contract from Sonny Vaccaro and he was one of the driving forces behind the adidas Superstar All-American Camp and youth basketball in the Atlanta area.  Prather also was a great friend of the HOOP SCOOP and, needless to say, like everybody else, we will miss him very much.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Jr Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA verbally committed to Villanova on Thursday and this is a good catch for the Wildcats for several reasons.  First, Ott is a local kid, which means that Villanova is now getting its share of the top players in its backyard.  Second, Ott, who is ranked #157 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a pretty good player right now.  Third, Ott also has a huge upside.  We're talking about somebody who can score and rebound around the basket and can step out and score out to about 15 feet.  Fourth, the addition of Ott also moves Villanova's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA and 6'8 Kraidon Woods from Swiftwater (Pocono Mountain East) PA, up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  But what really but could make this a great class would be if the Wildcats also land 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, and/or 6'8 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ.  Should they by some chance hit the jackpot and land any two of the three (Caracter, Thomas and Clark), then they would edge out North Carolina with the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Rubin also tells us that Villanova, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest are the leaders for 6'10 Jr Caisem Drummond from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ and that 6'6 Jr DeSean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ is considering Georgetown, Rutgers, DePaul, Seton Hall, and West Virginia.  Speaking of the Mountaineers, did you know that 6'2 Jr Joe Mazzulla from Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI, who is ranked #547 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, recently made an early verbal commitment to West Virginia?   Did you also know that Mazzulla needs to work on his outside shot and those who have seen him question whether he's good enough to play in the Big East:  However, Mazzulla did average 16.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 6.0 apg, and 2.5 spg this past season, has helped his team win the Division I state championship each of the past two years, and was named Mr. Basketball in the state as a junior.  He also apparently has great leadership skills, was being recruited by schools like Vanderbilt, Providence, Rhode Island, Xavier, George Mason, and Pennsylvania, and has a 3.9 gpa and 1400 SAT.  We also have confirmed through Kenny Gillion of BreakDownMagazine.com that 6'4 Jr Dante Curry from Kissimmee (Poinciana) FL has verbally committed to South Florida.  Our Florida Editor Rick Staudt has Curry ranked #22 in the junior class in the state, but, after his performance at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, we suspects his better than that.  Not only did we rank this multi-dimensional athlete as the 51st best player based on performance in the tournament, but he averaged 26.0 ppg and was the 4th leading scorer in the tournament.  It also appears that Miami-FL has landed 6'9 Jr Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, who might turn out to be one of the bigger sleepers in the junior class nationally.  Not only does he have the ability to score inside, rebound, block shots, and run the court, but he's also long, athletic, and good academically.  However, as things stand now, Burney is far from being a finished product, as he needs get stronger physically and continue to develop his game.  Still, the Hurricanes' coaching staff has to be happy, because Burney is a nice complement to 6'3 Jr James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH and 6'7 Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL in a recruiting class that currently is ranked #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  We also have confirmed that Wake Forest has added a pair of early verbal commitments from 6'3 Anthony Gurley from Newtonville (Newton North) MA and 6'3 Dennis Godfrey from Sanford (Lee County) NC.  Gurley is an excellent 3-point shooter and Godfrey is a big time athlete and a major sleeper.  However, even more important, neither plays the point guard spot, which means the way is still clear for the Demon Deacons to take both 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  As things stand now, we think Ohio State is still the leader over Wake Forest for both Conley and Oden, but, if they do pull off the upset, then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that would be ranked #1, ahead of both North Carolina and Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  If you will recall, Wake Forest also already has verbal commitments from 6'7 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC and 6'5 Jr L.D. Williams from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Earlier today we published the new New York City Report exclusively in the Members Section and it includes Ron Naclerio's ranking of the top 296 seniors, top 197 juniors, and top 124 sophomores; Naclerio's and Michael Moore's ranking of the top 69 freshmen; and Moore's ranking of the top 12 8th graders, top 10 7th graders, and top five 6th graders, which can be found by clicking onto Naclerio & Moore Rank 'Em:  The Top High School Players in New York City.  And, as has always been the case, the players ranked in this report are only from  the five boroughs of New York City.  However, just like we did a year ago, our six five-man All-Metro Teams, one five-man All-Metro Freshman Team, and two five-man All-Metro Middle School teams do include the top players from the entire New York City Metropolitan area, which includes North Jersey, Long Island, Westchester County, and even a prep school player in Connecticut.  And, doing it this way, it really illustrates just how dramatic the difference in talent is inside and outside of the city.  So it is must reading for any high school basketball fan and/or college coach looking for a head start on the future when it comes to recruiting.  So, with that in mind, we also think it is important to point out that the biggest sleeper in the junior class in the New York City is 6'8 Jr Austin Wallace from New York (La Salle) NY, who was terrific prior to getting hurt two weeks ago at the Pangos All-American Camp in Cypress, CA, and that the most undervalued player on the list is 6'5 Jr Elijah Whitehead from New York (Rice) NY, who not only is a lot better than where Naclerio has him ranked at #27 in the junior class, but also is the type of undersized athlete who will turn out to be a major steal at the mid-major level.  I also think it's important to point out that I would have ranked 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St Raymond's) NY #2, 6'2 Kyle McAlarney from Staten Island (Moore Catholic) NY #3, and 5'11 Vic Morris #4 in the senior class in New York City (Naclerio had Morris #2, McAlarney #3, and Torres #4); I like 6'8 Soph Devin Eubanks from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, who is the #3-ranked sophomore, better than both Naclerio and Moore; and I would have included 6'3 Frosh Sylvan Landesberger from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY and 5'10 Jr Terrell Holloway from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ on the All-Metro Freshman Team.  In other words, I like the debate and I will get a chance to reflect my opinions when I next update our national rankings in each of these respective classes.  Speaking of our national rankings, it's time for me to start working on our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005, as well as finalizing our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes.  So now is the perfect time get your feedback via email at hoopscooponline@msn.com, especially with regards to players in the Class of 2005 that we might not be aware of who have signed with four-year Division I schools.  If you will recall, every verbal commitment that we've come across since the conclusion of the Fall Signing Period can be found by clicking on Recent Commitments.  Our thoughts and prayers especially go out to one player who will be ranked among the top 20 seniors nationally when we finalize those rankings.  We're talking about 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, who was involved in a serious car accident three days ago and not only is in serious condition, but also has yet to regain consciousness.  Williams, who is one of the most improved players in the senior class nationally and was being recruited by schools like Oklahoma State, USC, Connecticut, and San Diego State, was planning on attending prep school this fall at South Kent (Prep) CT.  However, now he and the people around him, like Rick Issacs, who is the coach of the H-Squad and has always been like a father to the kid, have a lot more important things to worry about than just basketball.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

We have confirmed that there were no surprises with 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who was expected to verbally commit to the University of Texas today.  However, the big story of the day involves 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who picked the University of Louisville.  And this is a major coup for the Cardinals, because nobody in the junior class nationally is better suited than Smith to step in and replace 6'2 Jr Taquan Dean, who will graduate after next season, at the 2-guard spot and/or become the point guard of the future for the Cardinals, if 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA not able to step in next year and fill the bill at point guard.  In other words, Smith, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, can play either guard spot, because he can shoot the lights out, has excellent ball handling and passing skills, and knows how to run a team.  He also has the athleticism, speed and quickness, and work ethic necessary to thrive in Rick Pitino's system.  So the fact that he's a great kid, excellent student, and comes from a great basketball family is just an added bonus.  Did you know that Smith's father, Terry Smith, who is now his son's coach on the Wisconsin Playground Warriors, is an excellent coach in his own right, as is evident by the fact that he guided DTA-Wisconsin all the way to the title game three years ago when he his son was a rising freshman in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL?  The addition of Smith, who is arguably the best player that Pitino has landed since arriving at Louisville four years ago, also means that the Cardinals' backcourt should be set for years to come, as Smith, McGee and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, who verbally committed to the Cardinals earlier this spring, all should complement one another extremely well, as they're all extremely athletic, versatile enough to play several different positions, and can more than keep you honest from beyond arc.  The addition of Smith also moves Louisville's recruiting class into a tie at #6, along with Stanford, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  So now their biggest problem appears to be finding another scholarship for somebody like 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, and/or 6'9 Tai Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, all of who have Louisville high on their list.  As things stand now, the Cardinals will have 11 scholarship players next year with Dean, Jenkins, 6'11 Soph David Padgett, 6'9 Soph Juan Diego Palacios, 6'10 Soph Terrance Farley, 6'9 Frosh Brian Johnson, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  However, they will have 12, if 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA takes his name out of the NBA Draft prior to next Tuesday's deadline.  And, if that happens, the Cardinals won't have any scholarships currently available, because the only senior on the roster next year will be Dean and 12-1+2=13.  But these things do have a way of working themselves out, so, even if Amir Johnson comes back, don't be surprised if Louisville takes the best available inside player and/or wing forward.  We also think it important to point out that the guy who got this done is Louisville's Vince Taylor, who this spring stepped into an an administrative position and, as a result, now must move right to the top of the list next time we update our Ranking of the Top People who are in an Administrative Position, Like Director of Basketball Operations, Administrative Assistant, or Video Coordinator.  Moral to the story, Taylor hasn't even been on the road this spring and he's still out recruiting most of the top assistant coaches in the nation.  Getting back to Durant making it official for the Longhorns today, his commitment moves Texas' recruiting class up to #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And, if they also can get 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX to pick the Longhorns over Oklahoma, Arizona, Connecticut, Kansas, and North Carolina, then we'd be talking about the #3-ranked recruiting class right behind North Carolina and Duke on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  We aren't sure whether the Longhorns can pull this off, but Wes Grandstaff, who used to be our Texas Editor and still is an important contributor to the HOOP SCOOP, tells us that Durant's commitment will have no effect on Arthur's decision.  And, if this happens and the Longhorns don't land anybody else in next year's recruiting class, they would have what is potentially the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit since we've been ranking recruiting classes.  Remember, Arthur will get 10 points, because he's a top five player nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Durant gets 12 points, because, along with 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IL, he projects as a superstar someday in the NBA.  The addition of Durant also means that 16 of our top 40-ranked juniors have already verbally committed, as 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ have all verbally committed to Duke; 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA and 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA have both already verbally committed to North Carolina; 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY have both already verbally committed to Louisville, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) NJ and 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) NJ have both already verbally committed to Stanford; 6'4 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH has already verbally committed to Ohio  State; 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL has already verbally committed to Georgetown; 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX has already verbally committed to Oklahoma; 5'11 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL has already verbally committed to Florida State; 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA has already verbally committed to Baylor; 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX has already verbally committed to Arizona.  Yes, it looks like four schools (Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, and Stanford) have already landed nine of our top 40-ranked players.  And that list should continue to expand, because North Carolina is among the leaders for 6'10 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY; we expect Arizona to get 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA and/or 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ; and we still think it's only a matter of time before 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN both follow in the footsteps of Cook and pick Ohio State.  However, none of all this may matter if the NBA and the NBA Players Association don't  reach an agreement and they cancel the 2005-2006 season.  Ironically, the big loser, if this happens, will be all the players who filed for early entry and keep their name in the NBA Draft later this month.  Remember, there are at least a dozen players in the Class of 2006 who will get drafted higher than anybody from the Class of 2005 a year from now.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Our Washington, DC Area Editor Dennis Marshall was the first person to call us this morning and tell us that 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and that he is going to pick the University of Texas over North Carolina and Connecticut.  Obviously this is about as big as it gets.  Remember, we're talking about the #2-ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as somebody who has Carmelo Anthony written over him and might be better at the same stage.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Durant won't turn 17-years-old until September, which means that he'll probably be in college not one, but two years, if an age limit is put into the collective bargaining agreement that the NBA and the NBA Players Association hope to have in place this summer.  Also don't forget that the Longhorns have beaten some pretty fast company, as the two teams they have beaten for Durant's services have won three of the last seven NCAA Championships.  And this comes on the heels of Texas's great recruiting class a year ago, which featured 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Connor Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX.  The Longhorns did lose 6'9 Theo Davis from Toronto, ON, who verbally committed to the Longhorns last summer, but reneged last fall, and 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who entered his named into the NBA Draft this spring.  However, they do have three good guards - 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, 6'2 J.D. Lewis from Midland (JC) TX, and 6'2 Craig Winder from Cecil (JC) TX - in this recruiting class who should provide valuable depth in the backcourt next season.  And, if Gibson and Aldridge don't forgo their final two years of college eligibility and enter the NBA Draft next spring, it could be absolutely scary how good the Longhorns could be year after next.  And, while all this is great news for the Longhorns, it has to be a major surprise for the Tar Heels.  Remember, everybody thought Durant would come back from playing in the NIKE Junior World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France and follow in the footsteps of his close friend and teammate - 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - and verbally commit to North Carolina.  Speaking of Lawson and the NIKE Junior World Basketball Tournament, did you know that he led the United States team to the championship and was named the tournament MVP this past weekend?  As a matter of fact, he was so good that our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis, who also was the head coach of the United States Team, thinks that Lawson is the best high school player in the nation regardless of class, as well as the best player that he's coached since he started making this an annual trip to France in 1997.  And that's an extremely strong statement when one remembers that he's had guys like Carmelo Anthony, Dajuan Wagner, and Sheldon Williams.  The United States Team also included Connecticut's 6'9 Frosh Rudy Gay, Oregon's 6'7 Frosh Malik Hairston, 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, all of whom were named to the all-tournament team, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'7 Jr DeShawn Sims from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'10 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 5'10 Soph Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, but Lawson clearly was the best player in the entire tournament, as he dominated the game at both ends of the court.  Lawson also would take the game over when necessary, as he scored 27 points and had nine rebounds in the championship game against Turkey and had 10 points and nine assists in the semi-finals against Lithuania.  Davis also thinks Lawson has a prototypical NBA-like game and expects him to be the best point guard to ever play for the Tar Heels.  So, like everybody else, it's really hard for Davis to imagine that Durant would not be joining his close friend and teammate at North Carolina year after next.  We also are pretty confident that 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD and 6'2 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD both will be transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year, where they will team up with both Durant and Lawson to give Steve Smith what arguably could his best team ever.  In other words, Smith will be going to war next year with four players - Durant and Lawson are ranked #2 and #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and Beasley and Smith are ranked #3 and #8 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP - who are ranked among the top nationally in their respective classes.  And, if that weren't enough, Smith also is expected to have 6'5 Jr Anthony Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA back for another year and we've already confirmed that 6'10 Jr Albert Jackson from Madisonville (Hopkins County Central) KY, and 6'6 Soph Nate Miles from Toledo (Libbey) OH will be transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA next year. 

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

These two commitments both happened last week when we were wrapping up our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 and right before we attended the Rumble in the Bronx, but 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX picking Texas A&M and 6'5 Jr Dale Van Wright from Houston (Bellaire) TX making an early verbal commitment to the University of Colorado are both very noteworthy.  Van Wright is a physical specimen who is versatile enough to play multiple positions, but he has not put the complete package together yet and, as a result, is ranked no higher than #121 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Van Wright does have a huge upside, which makes him ideally suited to step in year after next and complement 6'6 Frosh Richard Roby and 6'1 Soph Marcus Hall, who were two of Colorado's three leading scorers this past season, and 6'4 Dominique Coleman from Hillsborough (JC) FL, who averaged 27.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg, and 3.8 spg and led his team to the championship game of Florida's junior college tournament.  Van Wright also gives the Buffaloes an important head start towards landing what has to be a big recruiting class.  Did you know that the Buffaloes will have to replace 10 seniors after next season?  Flowers is a big catch, because this athletic power forward who scores around the basket, blocks shots, and rebounds inside is the highest ranked senior that is still available.  However, it looks they will have to wait a year for Flowers' services, because he first plans to go the prep school route next year.  So we will include Flowers on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and rank him as a 5th Year Player next year.  And this moves the Aggies' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX and 6'6 Jr Joseph Fulce from Plano (H.S.) TX, up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And this comes right on the heels of Texas A&M's recruiting class, which is tied at #38, along with Nebraska and Missouri, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and already includes 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'3 Eddie Smith from Moberly (JC) MO, 6'10 Antanas Kavaliauskas from Barton County (JC) KS, 5'11 David Devezin from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, 6'6 Jamar Finley from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highlands (H.S.) TX.  And, if 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, comes to his senses and takes his name out of the NBA Draft prior to the June 21st deadline, then Texas A&M's recruiting class would move back up to #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if Bennett comes back and we also included Flowers with the current recruiting class, we'd be the #8-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Or to even better illustrate just how well Aggies head coach Billy Gillispie and his staff are getting it done, Bennett might be the best senior in the state in both football and basketball; Smith was a First Team Junior College All-American; Flowers is ranked #77 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP;  Kavaliauskas was named First Team All-Jayhawk West and led his team in scoring with 17.4 ppg and rebounding with 10.0 rpg; Johnson is ranked #93 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Fulce is ranked #133 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and Devezin, Finley, and Carter all promise to be excellent role players.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, who is ranked #45 nationally in the junior class, has verbally committed to Tennessee, and 6'7 Jr Dwayne Collins from Miami (Senior) FL, who is ranked #89 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Miami-FL.  The only surprise here is what took Collins so long.  As a matter of fact, we were surprised that a verbal commitment by Collins to the Hurricanes was not forthcoming when 6'0 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL made it official for Miami-FL a month-and-a-half ago.  Not only are Rios and Collins best friends, but they are so close that we expected Collins to follow, if Rios decided to transfer from Miami Senior to another high school.  The addition of Collins also continues the recruiting bonanza that Frank Haith and his staff have put together in the last year.  If you will recall, they landed 6'7 Adrian Thomas from Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL, 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa) FL, and 6'5 Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, who are three of the top dozen seniors in the state, last fall and they already have early verbal commitments from Rios, Collins, and 6'3 Jr James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH.  In other words, it looks like Haith is recruiting almost as well as he did when he was an assistant coach at the University of Texas and was largely responsible for landing the #1-ranked recruiting class, which included 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Connor Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX, a year ago.  It also looks like new Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl has gotten a great head start on the future, because, in addition to getting Johnson, the Volunteers also already have an extremely early verbal commitment from 6'3 Frosh Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, who is ranked #37 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if everything goes as planned three-and-a-half years from now when Johnson is a junior and Passley is a freshman, this could turn out to be one of the best backcourts in the Southeastern Conference.  Remember, Johnson has a tremendous upside, as well as the ball handling and passing skills necessary to project as a point guard, and there is no telling how much Passley will grow and/or improve during the next three years of high school.  We also got the latest lists of schools for 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Will Harris from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 7'0 Jr Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL,at the Rumble in the Bronx over the weekend.  Villanova appears to lead St. John's and Miami-FL for Pena's services.  Kelly mentioned Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, North Carolina, Texas, Florida, Georgia Tech, St. John's, and Louisville.  Harris has no idea what he wants to do, but he likes Connecticut, Miami-FL, Louisville, Seton Hall, St. John's, North Carolina, Duke, South Florida, Syracuse, Providence, Arizona State, DePaul, and UCLA.  Bennett confirms that Cincinnati leads Miami-FL and Arizona.

Saturday, June 11, 2005, Sunday, June 12, 2005, & Monday, June 13, 2005

With 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ,  and 6'4 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ all at the USA Basketball Men's Youth Development Festival in San Diego, CA; Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ and the rest of the Playaz Basketball Club participating in an eight team tournament in Portland, OR; and 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY both at an individual instruction camp in Louisville, KY, it's not hard to see why the 17-Under Division at the The Rumble in the Bronx at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY was down this year.  However, the 15-Under Division more than made up for it.  As a matter of fact, the highlight of the entire tournament was the 15-Under Championship Game, which matched 5'5 Frosh Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who is ranked #3 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP and promises to be the next great point guard from New York City, against 6'4 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (IS 96) NY, who is the ranked #2 nationally among 8th Graders by the HOOP SCOOP and is capable of playing any position on the basketball court.  And making the story even more interesting and the rivalry even more intense is the fact that Stephenson came up through the ranks playing for Team Next, but now is the best player on the New York Panthers.  Team Next led 15-10 and 22-14 thanks primarily to the efforts of Walker, who hit a pair of threes early and had several drives early en route to 17 points at half-time.  But, by that time Stephenson, who had 15 points of his own in the first half, had taken over the game and the Panthers had 38-36 lead at intermission.  Walker only had five points and Stephenson only had four points in the second half, but Stephenson hit the game winning free throw to make the final score 69-68.  He also really impressed us with his ability to follow his shot, quickness to the ball, excellent ball handling and passing skills, and ability to make everything look so easy.  Stephenson also got a lot of help from 6'8 Soph Devin Ebanks from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY with 25 points, 5'10 Frosh Terrell Holloway from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ with 10 points, and 7'2 Frosh James Tyler from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL with seven points in the championship game.  Yes, Tyler is a 7'2 9th Grader and this guy who they call "Baby Shaq" has good great hands, excellent skills, and surprising mobility for his size.  He also has an incredible upside, but there is no way Tyler should have been named the MVP in the 15-Under Division.  Maybe somebody was trying to pay Tony Squire back for letting Tyler play with the New York Panthers this weekend, but giving the MVP to anybody other than Stephenson was really ridiculous.  Also stepping up and complementing Walker was 6'2 Frosh Ashton Gibbs from West Orange (Seton Hall) NJ, who not only made a number of big shots down the stretch, but scored most of his 24 points in the second half when the game was on the line.  However, Walker wasn't hitting his shot in the second half and ultimately that proved to be the difference in the game.  We also were extremely impressed by 6'2 Frosh Willie Warren from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who scored 33 points and 23 points in the quarterfinals against the Westchester Hawks and in the semi-finals against Team Next.  Not only are were talking about an incredible athlete who had one of the most impressive dunks that we saw all weekend, but Warren also can shoot the lights out from 3-point range and has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to run the show and make the other people, like 5'9 Frosh Rodney Clark from Catoosa (H.S.) OK, around him better.  We mention Clark, because he was easily one of the best 3-point shooters that we saw all weekend.  As for Warren, who currently is ranked #10 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, we're talking about one of the two best players, along with 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, to have ever played in for Wes Grandstaff in the Team Texas program, as well as a serious candidate for national player-of-the-year honors in the Class of 2008.   We also were impressed by 6'6 Frosh Mookie Jones from Peekskill (H.S.) NY and 6'7 Frosh Kevin Jones from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who combined for 42 points when the Westchester Hawks lost to Team Texas in double-overtime in the quarterfinals, and all of the good young players, including 6'3 Frosh Paul Williams from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'4 Soph Martell Webb from Pontiac (Northern) MI, 6'3 Soph Corperryal Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'9 Frosh Eric Evans from Detroit (Rogers) MI, and 6'2 Soph Alvin Storrs from Northville (H.S.) MI, on the Tri County Cobras.  Jim Hart, who runs the Rumble in the Bronx and the Albany City Rocks club team program, was thrilled with the fact that his team beat the Utrah Swoosh in the championship game and that 6'4 8th Grader Mike Goodman from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who promises to be the next great players in this program, and 6'1 Soph Jimmer Fredette from Glens Falls (H.S.) NY were named the co-MVP's in the 16-Under Division.  We also found it extremely interesting that Gary Charles, who runs the New York Panthers program, decided not to play 6'4 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (IS 96) NY in the semi-finals of the 17-Under Division, because Charles wanted Stephenson to be fresh for the championship game that immediately followed in the 15-Under Division.  And this decision probably cost the Panthers the championship in the 17-Under bracket, because they lost 85-79 in the semi-finals against the GC Ballers.  The GC Ballers also went on to beat the Juice All-Stars, 74-63, in the championship game of the 17-Under Division and 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Buffalo (Traditional) NY took home tournament MVP honors with 16 points in the championship game.  However, the leading scorer for the GC Ballers was 6'1 Jr Robert Garrison from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, who was one of the best 3-pointers in the tournament.  The Juice All-Stars, which upset a loaded Louisiana Select team, in the semi-finals, were led by 6'1 Jr Malcolm Grant from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY and 6'8 Soph Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who combined for 33 points in the championship game.  Speaking of Louisiana Select, it appears that 6'7 Soph Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington-Marion) LA, who is now arguably the best sophomore in Louisiana, ran out of gas in that semi-finals game, as he finished with only two points and was not his aggressive self inside.  And 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, who normally is a prolific scoring point guard, only had 10 points in that game.  Instead, the leading scorer for Louisiana Select was 6'0 Soph Zack Lewis from Glenmora (H.S.) LA, who had 22 points and four 3-pointers.  We also once again were very impressed with 6'0 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, who now has to be regarded as one of the premier point guards in the junior class nationally and is an absolute steal for St. John's, and we were not impressed by the lack of chemistry displayed by the New York Gauchos, which featured 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Soph Terrell McKenzie from Paramus (Catholic) NJ, 6'5 Jr Elijah Whitehead from New York (Rice) NY, 6'4 Jr Kashif Pratt from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Frosh Nasir Robinson from Aston (American Christian) PA, and 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Some other players who played well and/or must be mentioned include 6'0 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 7'2 Jr Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'7 Jr Cory Johnson from Duluth (East) MN, 6'0 Jr Paul Hill from Minneapolis (North) MN, 6'1 Soph Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr Justin Burrell from Bronx (Our Savior Lutheran) NY, 6'0 Soph Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'5 Jr Donell Mack from Statesville (Christian) NC, 6'8 Mike Davis from Brooklyn (Banneker) FL, 6'5 Tyrone Hanson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Soph Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, 6'7 Jr Tyler Roche from Manchester (Central) NH, 6'5 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA, 6'7 Jr Danny Werner from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, 6'6 Edwin Ubiles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'0 Soph Taylor Battle from Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY, 6'2 Jr Chauncey Hardy from Middletown (Xavier) CT, 6'6 Jr Lamont Ulmer from Hamden (H.S.) CT, 6'1 Travis King from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 5'10 James Moore from Waterbury (Crosby) CT.

Friday, June 10, 2005

A couple of month ago John Akers, who is the managing editor of Basketball Times, called and asked me to give him my pick for National High School Player-of-the-Year honors.  And, when he said it was open to anybody regardless of class, I did not hesitate to say 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA.  Well, this created more problems than it solved, because Akers also had gotten votes for 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA from Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com and Rob Harrington of PrepStars.com.  But I did offer Akers the following food for thought.  If you want for the best senior, it is Martell Webster.  If you are looking for a pick that most people will agree with, it is Greg Oden.  However, if you want to look like a genius down the road, the smart money is Wayne Elllington or 6'10 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  I bring this up not just because it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to state the obvious before it becomes obvious, but also because earlier today we published our Ranking of the Top 800 Players in the Class of 2006 exclusively in the Members Section.  And it will probably surprise a lot of people that we have Ellington ranked #1, Durant ranked #2, and Oden ranked #3.  But it shouldn't!  Remember, we rank players the old-fashioned way, whereby, you have to earn it.   I also think it's interesting to point out that I won't be the first person to rank a 6'4 wing guard over a 7-foot center, who had superstar written all over him.  The best example came 24 years ago when Brick Oettinger of the Recruiters Handbook and PrepStars.com ranked Michael Jordan over Patrick Ewing.  And, while Ellington doesn't have Jordan's incredible athleticism, he does have some of the same intangibles (i.e. tremendous competitor, very high basketball IQ, great 3-point shot, and excellent defender) that helped make Jordan the best player in the history of the game.  And, on top of all that, Ellington also had a sensational junior season.  In contrast, Oden doesn't play hard most of the time and this fact was especially evident when we saw him score only six points and allow his team to get upset in the quarterfinals at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC two weeks ago.  However, picking Ellington over Durant is a lot more difficult, because we're not only talking about somebody who reminds us of Carmelo Anthony, but many, including Steve Smith, who is the head coach at Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and is the guy who will have coached them both as high school seniors, tells us that Durant is the better player at the same stage in his career.  Smith also reminds us that Durant will be almost two years younger than Anthony was prior to be the start of his senior year in high school, which makes his upside scary.  In other words, we're not really knocking Oden.  Instead, we're pointing out just how stiff the competition is for top player honors is in this class.  And 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'5 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'8 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Pierre Niles from Memphis (Treadwell) TN, 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'8 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'11 Jr Sherron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcpoal Academy) PA, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, and 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, who are the next 21 players in order on our list of the Top 800 Players in the Class of 2006, make this a class, at least at the top, that will likely surpass the great Class of 2004, which had eight players drafted among the first 20 picks in the NBA Draft a year ago.  If you will recall, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA was the #1 pick to the Orlando Magic, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL was the #4 pick to the Los Angeles Clippers, 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA was the #12 pick to the Seattle Supersonics, 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY was the #13 pick to the Portland Trailblazers, 6'8 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS was the #15 pick to the Boston Celtics, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was the #17 pick to the Atlanta Hawks, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ was the #18 pick to the New Orleans Hornets, and 6'6 Dorell Wright from South Kent Prep) CT was the #19 pick to the Miami Heat. 

Thursday, June 9, 2005

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'9 Jr DaJuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonough) GA has verbally committed to Georgetown and this is big for a number of reasons.  First, Summers has the size, athleticism, and versatility necessary to be ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally.  Second, he was named the Baltimore Player-of-the-Year, which is important for Georgetown as they attempt to get more than their fair share of the top local players, just like they did back in the 80's and 90's when John Thompson III's father was the head coach of the Hoyas.  Third, the addition of Summers give the Hoyas two excellent players in a recruiting class that is now ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and also includes 6'4 Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL.  Fourth, Summers will give the Hoyas the one thing that they didn't get in their current recruiting class, which is tied at #88, along with Tennessee, Georgia Tech, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes 6'1 Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE, 6'3 Jessie Sapp from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'5 Marc Egerson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and 6'7 Octavious Spann from College Park (Banneker) GA. And that's somebody who can play inside.  Fifth, this reinforces that the fact that Georgetown assistant coach Kevin Broadus is one of the best recruiters in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area and that the Thompson name is still big in this neck of the woods.  Sixth, Summers should complement all of the good young players - 6'8 Frosh Jeff Green, 7'2 Frosh Roy Hibbert, 6'1 Frosh Jonathan Wallace, 6'3 Frosh Tyler Crawford, and 6'9 Frosh Cornelio Guibunda - that are already in the program.  And, when you also factor in the fact that 6'8 Soph Patrick Ewing Jr has decided to transfer from Indiana to Georgetown, it's easy not hard to come to the conclusion that the Hoyas don't have many scholarships left for players in both the Class of 2006 and Class of 2007.  In other words, they the cupboard is just about full and, as a result, they can be extremely picky about who they recruit from here on out.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that it's finally official for 5'7 Soph Andrew Lavender, who has decided to transfer from Oklahoma and return home.  No, this jet quick 5'7 point guard is not transferring to Ohio State.  But Xavier does appear to be the next best thing.  As a matter of fact, a quick look at Johnson's Ohio Report, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today, shows that the Musketeers have already landed the top two seniors in the state in 6'6 Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. John's) OH and 6'7 Derrick Brown from Dayton (Chaminade-Julienne) OH, the #9-ranked senior in the state in 6'2 John Wolf from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, and the #6-ranked sophomore in the state in 6'6 Soph Nate Miles from Toledo (Libbey) OH.  So obviously it looks like Xavier head coach Sean Miller has simply picked up where Thad Matta, who left Xavier to take the Ohio State job a year ago, left off in terms of recruiting, as the Musketeers also will have their top seven players back next year in 6'2 Frosh Stanley Burrell, 6'6 Soph Justin Cage, 6'9 Soph Justin Doellman, 6'8 Jr Brian Thornton, 6'1 Jr Dedrick Finn, 6'9 Frosh Josh Duncan, and 6'9 Jr Will Caudle.  And Lavender will be the heir apparent at point guard to Finn when he graduates after next season.  And, if they also get 6'6 Jr William "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Phoebus) VA and/or 6'2 Jr Stefan Welsh from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, then it would be just the icing the cake, because we're talking about two more players who will be ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally when we publish that list tomorrow.  Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Soph Brandon Foust, who was Lavender's old high school, AAU, and college teammate, has overcome his legal problems and is now back on the board and available as a transfer for somebody who is willing to take a chance on him.  Speaking of Johnson's Ohio Report, it includes his ranking of the top 101 seniors, top 107 juniors, top 80 sophomores, top 40 freshmen, top 17 8th graders, top 10 7th graders, and top 10 th graders all ranked in order, as well as his six All-State Teams, which includes his ranking of the top players in the state on five-man teams regardless of class and position, and some interesting comments about each class. 

Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Our Florida Editor Rick Staudt tells us that 6'0 Jr Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington County Day) FL, who will be ranked #31 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP when we publish our updated rankings within the next several days, has verbally committed to Florida State.  And we think this is big, because Soto might be the last piece to the puzzle, as Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton attempts to move his team into the upper echelon of the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.  Remember, despite the fact that 6'5 Soph Von Wafer, who entered his name into the NBA Draft earlier this spring, may not be back next year, the Seminoles still have two of the best young wing guards in the league in 6'3 Frosh Jason Rich and 6'1 Frosh Isaiah Swann.  And they also landed another excellent 2-guard in 6'4 Jerel Allen from Mott (JC) MI this spring in a recruiting class that also already includes 6'9 Jerome Habel from Palm Beach (JC) FL, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Ryan Reid from Lauderdale (Boyd Anderson) FL, and 6'8 Cassan Breeden from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC.  And, of course, they should have 6'10 Soph Alexander Johnson and 6'7 Soph Al Thornton both back for another two years.  So obviously Florida State already has plenty of players to fill all of the inside and perimeter spots.  However, they had not gotten the playmaker that they need to make all of those players better until now.  And, as an added bonus, Soto also can shoot the lights out.  Soto does need to get bigger and stronger and become more consistent, but, at the stage, he reminds us a lot of Jose Juan Barea.  The addition of Soto also puts Florida State into the enviable position, whereby, they can focus exclusively on recruiting players in the Class of 2007, because, by our count, year after next they will have four seniors in Wafer, Allen, Thornton, and Alexander; three sophomores in Rich, Swann, and 6'2 Ralph Mims; four sophomores in Habel, Echefu, Reid; and Breeden, and three freshmen in Soto, 6'4 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, and 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) FL; in the program.  In other words, if Wafer were to surprise us and come back for two more years, somebody else would have to go in order to free up a scholarship for the 2006-2007 season.  The addition of Soto also moves Florida State's recruiting class up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, behind North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, and Ohio State and ahead of Stanford, Arizona, Baylor, California, St. Joseph's, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, N.C. State, Villanova, Wake Forest, Louisville, Georgetown, Charlotte, UCLA, Hofstra, Northern Iowa, Texas A&M, Maryland, Clemson, and Iowa.  Yes, that's eight schools from Atlantic Coast Conference that are ranked among the top 25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  But then again, this should come as no surprise, because the Atlantic Coast Conference not only suffered heavy graduation loses from this past season, but also had the most players (10) file for early entry into the NBA Draft.  The addition of Soto also means that 34 of our top 100 juniors nationally have already verbally committed, as 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA has already gone to North Carolina, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has already gone to North Carolina, 6'5 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH has already gone to Ohio State, 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL has already gone to Duke, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA has already gone to Duke, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ has already gone to Duke, 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL has already gone to Georgetown, 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA has already gone to Stanford, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA has already gone to Stanford, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX has already gone to Oklahoma, 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA has already gone to Baylor, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX has already gone to Arizona, 6'3 Jr Edgar Soso form New York (Rice) NY has already gone to Louisville, 6'3 Jr Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY has already gone to N.C. State, 6'4 Jr David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph's) OH has already gone to Ohio State, 6'9 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA has already gone to California, 6'3 Jr Nigel Munson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has already gone to Virginia Tech, 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC has already gone to North Carolina, 6'7 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC has already gone to Wake Forest, 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA has already gone to Oklahoma, 6'4 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) PA has already gone to Villanova, 6'0 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT has already gone to St. John's, 6'4 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL has already gone to Florida State, 6'9 Jr Jordan Hill from Atlanta (North Springs) GA has already gone to Arizona, 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA has already gone to California, 6'8 Jr Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK has already gone to Oklahoma, 6'3 Jr James Dews from Liberty Township (Lakota East) OH has already gone to Miami-FL, 6'4 Jr Carlos Morias from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA has already gone to Kansas State, 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA had already gone to UCLA, 6'2 Darrin Govens from Chester (H.S.) PA has already gone to St. Joseph's, 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX has already gone to Texas A&M, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH has already gone to Illinois, and 6'4 Jr K'lein Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI has already gone to Michigan.   In other words, one-third of our top 100-ranked juniors nationally have already made an early verbal commitment and the beginning of the Summer Evaluation of Period for College Coaches is still just over a month away and the beginning of the Fall Signing Period, which will be Wednesday, November 9th, is still over five month away. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that there were no surprises today, as 6'4 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA made it official for Villanova.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, Redding will be ranked among the top 70 juniors nationally on our list of the Top Players in the Class of 2006, which is tentatively scheduled to be published on Friday, June 10th.  Second, Redding is the third Philly kid that the Wildcats have landed in the last year-and-a-half.  If you will recall, 5'11 Kyle Lowery from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA was the big prize in last year's recruiting class and, after a year in prep school, 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is one of five players in their current recruiting class, is returning home.  Third, in addition to being a highly skilled basketball player, Redding also is a terrific kid and an outstanding student who goes to one of the best Catholic schools in the nation.  Fourth, the addition of Redding moves Villanova's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'8 Kraidon Woods from Swiftwater (Pocono Mountain East) PA into a tie at #9, along with Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Florida State, N.C. State, and Wake Forest on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Fifth, getting Redding should give the Wildcats coaching staff the momentum that they will need as they attempt to replace 6'9 Jr Jason Frasor, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter, 6'3 Jr Randy Foye, and 6'2 Jr Allen Ray, who have been the heart-and-sole of this team for the last three years, but will graduate after next season.  Obviously 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'9 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ are right at the top of their wish list, but they also are strong with players like 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Jr Jabari-Henley Edwards from Brooklyn (Poly Prep) NY, 6'9 Jr Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, and 6'3 Jr Luis Guzman from Paramus (Catholic) NJ.  Rubin also still thinks 6'2 Jr Derrick Rivera from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA will verbally commit to St. Joseph's tomorrow, but now he's telling us that he does not think the Hawks will get 6'6 Jr DeSean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ.  The problems appears to be that they St. Joseph's only has four scholarships available in next year's recruiting class and, assuming that Rivera does the expected tomorrow, then the Hawks coaching staff will focus exclusively on getting a big man.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'3 Akeem Gooding from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY has signed with Quinnipiac and 6'5 Saiquon Stone from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY will be going to Providence.  But that's contingent upon his making it academically.  And, just like so many of the other players that the Friars have landed in recent years, Stone is not a finished product, but he has a tremendous upside.  However, he's also has not improved at the rate we expected nor has he developed a jump shot after being highly touted back when we saw him in his middle school days.  The addition of Stone moves Providence's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'4 Weyinimu Efejuku from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Geoff McDermott from New Rochelle (H.S.) NY, and 5'10 Sharaud Curry from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, into a tie at #46, along with South Carolina, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Gooding is an absolute steal for the Bobcats, because he not only will be ranked #15 in the senior class in the New York City by Naclerio when we publish this report sometime within the next week, but he also comes from one of the premier high school programs in the nation.  We previously reported that 6'0 Keilon Fortune from Compton (JC) CA had decided to attend New Mexico State, but now it appears that Fortune can't get into school academically and, as a result, new New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus will only be bringing in eight players next year.  We're talking about four transfers in 6'5 Soph Justin Hawkins, who is transferring from Utah, 6'4 Soph Fred Peete, who transferring from Kansas State, 7'0 Soph Martin Iti, who is transferring from Charlotte, and 6'7 Soph Trei Steward, who is transferring from Northern Colorado and four recruits in 6'8 Supo Jegede from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, 6'8 Kevin Ford from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'6 David Fisher from Arkansas-Ft. Smith (JC) AR, and 6'9 Chinemelu Elonu from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX.  We also have confirmed that Louisiana-Monroe has added another player to a recruiting class that already includes 5'11 Tony Hooper from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'7 David Garrison from Mendenhall (Genesis I) MS, 6'3 James Perkins from St. Catharine (JC) KY, 6'6 Wesley Johnson from Corsicana (H.S.) TX, 5'11 Brandon Roberts from Van (H.S.) TX, and 6'1 Drew Meyerchick from Varnado (H.S.) LA.  We're talking about 6'9 Dalky Melendez from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL and, despite the fact that he averaged 15.0 rpg last season, he projects as wing forward, because he can handle, shoot, and defend out on the perimeter.  He also is potentially the best player to ever play for Steve Rodriguez at Florida Prep, as is evident by the fact that he also averaged 17.7 ppg and led his team all the way to the Class 1A state final this past season.  The addition of Melendez also moves Louisiana-Monroe's recruiting class into a tie at #72, along with Chattanooga and High Point, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, Melendez promises to be the player around which new head coach Orlando Early and his staff can build the program, as their recruiting class now is ranked #2 in the league, right behind Stephen F. Austin and just ahead of Nicholls State and McNeese State.  It also appears that 6'5 Andrew Lyell from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA has signed with Bryant College.  And this too appears to be a major steal, because we're talking about somebody who can play anywhere from point guard to power forward and has an excellent understand of the game.  And this isn't the first player that Bryant College head coach Max Good has stolen since taking over a program that prior to his arrival four years ago had only had two winning seasons in the entire school's history.  They won only seven games the year after Good arrived, but since then he has transformed Bryant College into a Division II power, as his teams have gone 17-14, 23-10, and 25-9 the last three years.  They also advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II finals where they lost to Virginia Union in the championship game three months ago.  And this just reinforces our belief that Good is one of the best coaches in the game at any level.  As a matter of fact, what he's done at the Division II level is like somebody taking over at Northwestern and guiding the Wildcats to the NCAA Final Four in only four years.  However, instead of being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, which is what would happen, if somebody accomplished a feat like this at the Division I level, the average fan has never hear of Max Good, much less has any idea how good a coach he is. 

Monday, June 6, 2005

Sam Albano, who is formerly of Redman.com, tells us that N.C. State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'3 Jr Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  And this is exactly what the doctor ordered, because the Wolfpack have some big holes to fill in the backcourt.  Remember, 6'6 Sr Julius Hodge graduated this spring and 6'2 Jr Tony Bethel will do likewise at this time a year from now.  And it appears that Davis, who was ranked #171 nationally in the junior class when we last updated our list of the Top 575 Juniors Nationally last fall, is one of one of the fastest rising players in the junior class nationally.  As a matter of fact, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Davis now should be ranked #3 among juniors from the New York City area, behind 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY and 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY and ahead of 6'7 Jr Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  Naclerio also tells us that Davis has grown to 6'3 and is one of the best 3-point shooters to come out of New York City in recent years.  So it looks like N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek have more than made up for the fact that 6'4 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL, who verbally committed to the Wolfpack last winter, changed his mind this spring and now appears to be heading to Florida State.  And they aren't done yet, because we also suspect that N.C. State is the leader over schools like Georgia Tech, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, and Purdue for 6'5 Jr Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN.  And, if they also get Johnson, he will provide an excellent complement to Davis, because he has the size, athleticism, passing ability, court awareness, and upside necessary to develop into an outstanding point guard.  And this is important, because, instead of out recruiting Duke and North Carolina for the very elite players in the nation, Sendek and his staff have made living getting good players and developing them to an even higher level.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Jr Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and he is expected to verbally commitment to Villanova.  And, if everything goes as expected, getting Redding will be an excellent consolation prize for the Wildcats, which recently finished second to North Carolina and Duke for 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA and 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, who are the #1 and #2-ranked juniors in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area.  Redding, who would be ranked #4 in the area, if Rubin to update his rankings today, behind Ellington, Henderson, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ and ahead of 6'5 Jr Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'2 Jr Darrin Govens from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'11 Jr Hamady Ndiaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'9 Jr Andrew Ott from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'8 Jr Kraidon Woods from Swiftwater (Pocono Mountain East) PA, 6'7 Jr Dennis Horner from Abescon (Holy Sprint) NJ, 6'2 Jr Derrick Rivera from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 5'11 Jr Malik Alvin from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'4 Jr Rodney Green from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'8 Jr Jason Love from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 6'5 Jr Terrence Rodrick from Allentown (Allen) PA, 6'8 Jr Daniel Geriot from Springfield (H.S.) PA, 6'4 Jr Lewis Leonard from Philadelphia (Frankford) PA, 6'9 Jr Andrew Jones from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 6'5 Jr Brian Morris from Camp Hill (Trinity) PA, and 6'5 Jr Alex Franklin from Reading (Central Catholic) PA, is not the best player in the area, but he's the smartest, according to Rubin. "He's great in a system and is a coach's dream, because he has such a great understand of the game," says Rubin.  "He's got the ability to post up smaller players and can beat you with his mid-range game and outside shooting.  He also is a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led his team to the championship in the Philadelphia Catholic a year ago and a runner-up finish this spring.  Rubin also tells us that Rivera has a press conference scheduled for Wednesday and that a verbal commitment to St. Joseph's is imminent.  We're talking about the best on-the-ball defender in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area, as well as a tremendous competitor who thrives in transition and has a knack for making things happen.  Rubin also thinks that St. Joseph's may also be close to getting verbal commitments from 6'6 Jr DeSean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ and 6'0 Jr Jawan Carter from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE.  And we think this would be an especially good move for Carter, because nobody in the nation does a better job of developing guards than St. Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli.  Remember, Carter was ranked among the top point guards in the nation when he was a freshman in high school, but has been a disappointment ever since.  Editor's Note:  It looks like Rubin was right on the money about Carter being close to making a verbal commitment to St. Joseph's, as it's now being reported as official.  This moves St. Joseph's recruiting class into a tie at #21, along with Texas A&M, Maryland, Clemson, and Iowa, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.   And, if they also get Butler, then their recruiting class would move up to #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, behind North Carolina, Duke, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Stanford, Arizona, Baylor, and California and ahead of Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Florida State, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Louisville, Georgetown, Charlotte, UCLA, Hofstra, Northern Iowa, Texas A&M, Maryland, St. Joseph's, and Clemson. 

Saturday, June 4, 2005, & Sunday, June 5, 2005

Despite an disconcerting number of no shows, the impressive array of underclassmen and unheralded players in attendance at the Pangos All-American Camp,this weekend in Cypress, CA once again not only saved the day, but made the camp one of the more memorable events of the entire spring.  As a matter of fact, this is where 6'10 Soph Anthony Randolph from North Little Rock (H.S.) AR established himself as one of the best players in the sophomore class nationally.  He also might be the best shot blocker in the sophomore class nationally.  This lefty also has big time athleticism, a soft touch around the basket, the ability to handle the ball in the open court, and great timing and anticipation.  However, what really makes Randolph so good is his aggressiveness and willingness to get after it defensively.  Randolph does need to get bigger and physically, but he was one of the top five players in the camp based on performance and he was arguably the best player on his team in the Top 20 All-Star Game, as he finished with 12 points, four blocks, and numerous alters.  We also were very impressed by 6'8 Soph Gani Lawal from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, 6'10 Soph DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX, 6'9 Soph James Hickson from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) TX, 6'7 Soph Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'2 Soph Bryquis Perine from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'6 Soph Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'5 Soph Wendell McKines from Richmond (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Soph Kenyan Harmon from North Augusta (H.S.) SC, 6'6 Soph John Keye from Decatur (Columbia) GA, and 6'8 Soph Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, all of whom are sophomores and really helped themselves in this camp.  Lawal is a scoring machine with incredible athleticism, nice moves to the basket, and the versatility necessary to play both facing the basket and with his back to the basket.  Jordan was terrific earlier in the week, but he struggled in the Top 20 All-Star Game, as he missed a bunch of easy shots and scored only two points.  So the key here has to be the potential, as this long athletic shot blocking center had more than his share of highlight film-like plays (whether he's hitting or missing) and teases with just how good he may become down the road.  Hickson is an aggressive blue collar athlete with a nice turnaround jumper, excellent post-up moves around the basket, and an aggressiveness on the boards.  So it came as no surprise that he finished with 12 points while playing against the top players in camp in the Top 20 All-Star Game.  Horne also finished with 12 points and was the most multi-dimensional player in camp, as he rebounded, blocked shots, hit threes, followed his shot, handled and passed, and played excellent defense.  We'd never heard of Perine prior to the start of the camp, but he has to be one of the fastest rising sophomores in the nation.  Not only does he have the ball handling and passing skills necessary to point guard and the ability to beat you with his 3-point shot off the dribble, but he also was very clever with the ball, has a knack for getting to the basket, and knows how to use his athleticism to make things happen.  Holiday is another multi-dimensional athlete who is versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  However, he was better earlier in the camp, as he the only thing he did in the Top 20 All-Star Game was hit a pair of 3-pointers.  McKines got snubbed from playing in the Top 20 All-Star Game, because he was the odd man out in the political decision, but he's a tough hardnosed undersized power forward who scores around the basket and gets more than his share of rebounds.  McKines does need to grow or improve his perimeter game, but time is on his side, because he's still just a sophomore in high school.  Harmon is more of wing forward than a power forward thanks to his big time athleticism and dangerous 3-point shooting touch.  Keye also shoots it well, but he doesn't have Harmon's size and takes more bad shots, which leads us to believe he's more of slasher than a shooter.  Gant lacks the skills right now, but you have to like his athleticism, potential, and ability to get things done on the boards and inside defensively.  The best two players in camp were 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA and 6'3 Danny Williams from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, but Jefferson only played in one session of the camp on Saturday and, as a result, was not considered for our rankings of the top players in camp.  Instead,Williams, who picked where he left off a week ago at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, edged out 6'10 Soph Anthony Randolph from North Little Rock (H.S.) AR, 6'8 Soph Gani Lawal from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'7 Soph Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'10 Soph DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX, 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'9 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Soph James Hickson form Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'0 Jr Jonathan Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA for top players honors in camp.  However, the most improved player in camp has to be Pondexter!  Not only has he grown from 6'5 to 6'7, but his level of his intensity, athleticism, and confidence have gone through the roof.  And no where was this more evident than in the Top 20 All-Star Game when he scored 21 points against the best players in camp.  He also surprised us by knocking down a trey in the all-star game and, if he can do this consistently and develop more of a shooter's mentality, then he may turn out to be even better than 6'7 Jr Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA and 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that King and Budinger are both ranked among the top dozen players nationally in their respective classes.  And this could be extremely important, because Pondexter could turn out to be a heck of a consolation prize for whoever doesn't get Budinger.  Did you know that Pondexter's father, Roscoe Pondexter, and uncle, Clifton Pondexter, both played for Arizona head coach Lute Olson back in the early 70's at Long Beach State?  So obviously this explains why most people think Pondexter is Arizona's to lose and this will probably happen, if the Wildcats get both Budinger and/or 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  Willis only scored six points in the Top 20 All-Star Game, but he impressed us with his passing, ability to get to the hole, and ability to play either guard spot throughout the entire week.  Harrison was as good as anybody in camp the first night, but he missed all of the second day in order to take the SAT and go to his prom and, as a result, was good, but not great in the two games that he played in on the last day.  But that doesn't diminish the fact that Harrison is extremely skilled, is a tremendous competitor, and is usually always one of the first players up and down the court on every possession.  And Harrison is only just beginning to scratch the surface!  Gibson played well in the Second 20 All-Star game a year ago at this camp, but we still weren't ready for how much he's improved in the last year.  Not only did Gibson impress us with his explosiveness to the basket and ability to knock down the trey, as is evident by the fact that he had three 3-pointers in the Top 20 All-Star game, but he also has improved his decision making and has become more of a point guard.  It also appears that Gibson is already qualified, but he won't turn 18-years-old for another seven months and, as a result, will attend a 5th Year of high school next year at Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  Gibson also tells us that his two favorite school are Illinois and Arizona, but he's a stereotypical Cincinnati player out of the Nick Van Exel mold.  So, with this in mind, don't be surprised when shows up on out list of the Top 100 Juniors Nationally when he published our updated rankings later this week.  We also found the politics when naming the all-star teams among the worst that we've ever seen.  However, it didn't hurt the Top 20 All-Star Game as in our opinion there were 17 players - 5'10 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'3 Jr Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'2 Jr Bryquis Perine from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'6 Soph Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'8 Jr Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Soph Gani Lawal from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Soph James Hickson from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'10 Jr Jordan Hill from Roswell (North Spring) GA, 6'0 Jr Jonathan Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Jr Johntavious Rucker from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'7 Jr Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA,  6'10 Soph DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX, 6'9 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, and 6'10 Soph Anthony Randolph from North Little Rock (H.S.) AR - who belonged in the game and only three players - 6'5 Jr Joe Harden from Merced (H.S.) CA, 6'8 David Jefferson from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, and 6'2 Jr Derek Glasser from Lakewood (Artesia) CA - who were in over their head when matched up against the elite players in camp.  We also think it is important to mention that one of our least favorite players of the week was 6'10 Jr Ray Hall from Denver (Mullen) CO.  But he did play extremely well in the Top 45 Game when matched up against lesser and weaker competition, which included 6'9 Soph Quincy Owens from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'10 Jeffree Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 6'9 Jr Mayson Maynard from Phoenix (Mountain Ridge) AZ, and 6'8 Soph Andrew Zimmerman from Oostburg (H.S.) WI and, as a result, we're looking forward to continuing his progress the rest of the spring and summer.  The leading scorer in the Top 45 Game with 16 points was 6'8 Soph Kenyan Harmon from North Augusta (H.S.) GA.  Others in the Top 45 Game who played well and/or need to be mentioned include 6'5 Soph Wendell McKines from Richmond (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Donald Thomas from Garden Grove (Pacific) CA, 6'6 Soph John Keye from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 6'8 Jr Kenny Lawson from Vista (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Jr Russell Westbrook from Lawndale (Leuziner) CA, 6'3 Soph Jeremy Franklin from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph James Hardin from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, and 6'0 Jordan Regan from Henderson (Green Valley) NV. 

Friday, June 3, 2005

The word on the street is that when 6'10 Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA gets back from playing in the NIKE Junior World Basketball Tournament in Douai, France, a verbal commitment to North Carolina over Connecticut and Texas is imminent.  And assuming that this is correct, the Tar Heels will be well on their way towards landing what could be the best recruiting class in the history of the game.  Remember, they already have verbal commitments from 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC and they are among the leaders for 6'10 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 7'0 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, and 6'9 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA.  We also expect 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI to pick either Wake Forest or Louisville and the decision could be forthcoming as soon as next week.  Wisconsin and Tennessee also are both still on Smith's list, but the Badgers' chances were greatly diminished when Wisconsin assistant coach Rob Jeter got the head coaching job at Wisconsin-Milwaukee earlier this spring and Tennessee, which is where Smith is visiting this weekend, is on the list out of respect for Volunteers head coach Bruce Pearl.  Did you know that Pearl's son - 6'6 Jr Steve Pearl from Glendale (Nicoliet) WI - has played for Smith's dad for a number of years on the Wisconsin Playground Warriors?  However, we don't expect anything to happen right away with 6'1 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  The smart money says that they both will follow their good friend and AAU teammate - 6'5 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, who picked the Buckeyes earlier this spring - to Ohio State.  But now it appears they are waiting to see what happens with the NCAA's investigation and what kind of penalties they might receive.  In other words, this could drag all the way out to next spring and/or might be enough to turn the tide back into the favor of Wake Forest.  We also understand that 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA will make an official visit to Indiana early next week and Mississippi State also appears to be a late entry on a list that already includes Oklahoma State, Connecticut, USC, and San Diego State.  Prep school also appears to be in the future of 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, but he tells us that UCLA, USC, and Louisville are the favorites.  Obviously the Cardinals' connection is new Louisville assistant coach Marvin Menzies, but the local schools appear to have a big advantage, because Jefferson also says that he wants to stay close to home.  Connecticut, Wake Forest, Washington, Miami-FL, Kansas, and Arizona appear to be the favorites for 6'3 Jr Tre'van Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA and 6'7 Jr Quincy Pondexter from San Joaquin (Memorial) CA likes Arizona, Washington, Georgia Tech, Connecticut, Memphis, Tennessee Illinois, Kansas, and Oregon.  The list for 6'2 Jr Calvin Haynes from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA includes Washington, Oregon, Oregon State, Florida, USC, Utah, Arizona, Washington State.  Showing the most interest in 6'9 Jr Terron Sutton from Los Angeles (Price) CA are Utah, Loyola-Marymount, Florida State, Miami-FL, Minnesota, and Penn State.  California, Oregon, Iowa State, Arizona State, and Louisville appear to be the early favorites for 6'1 Soph Jordan Block from Claremont (H.S.) CA.  The early favorites for 6'8 Soph Gani Lawal from Riverdale (H.S.) GA are North Carolina, Duke, Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Kentucky.  The list for 6'9 Jr Ray Hall from Denver (Mullen) CO includes UCLA, USC, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, and Colorado State.  Memphis is the leader for 6'0 Jr Lawrence Westbrook from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, but he also mentioned USC, Washington, Arizona State, Syracuse, Illinois, Oregon State, Tennessee, Oregon, Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, and Oklahoma.  Iowa State and Texas A&M are #1 and #2 with 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, but his list also includes Arizona State, San Jose State, Pepperdine, and Virginia Tech.  The heavy favorite for 6'3 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA is California due to the fact that the Golden Bears have done a great job recruiting him and 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who made a verbal commitment to California earlier this spring, and Thompson are extremely close friends.  However, Thompson also mentions Arizona State, Texas A&M, and Virginia Tech, which leads us to believe that Johnson and Thompson could go as a package the top choice for both of them falls through.  Iowa State, North Carolina, Kansas, Louisville, Washington, and Stanford appear to be the early favorites for 6'0 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Frosh Chris Berry, who averaged 6.6 ppg and 3.9 rpg and was one of the Fresno State's better players last year, is transferring and it looks like Bowling Green is the leader over Wyoming and Kent State.  And this would make perfect sense, because the Falcons almost got Berry the first time around.  It also would be a major steal, because Berry is an incredible athlete who always plays with great intensity and always surprises you with his production. 

Thursday, June 2, 2005

I am already on the West Coast to cover the Pangos All-American Camp, which will be held tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday at the SCBA Center, Cypress, CA and once again it looks like the camp will be pretty good, as some of the top juniors and seniors who will be in attendance include 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 69 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 59 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'8 Jr Jordan Hill from Kennesaw (Kennesaw Mountain) GA, 6'2 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'3 Jr Chris Singletary from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'0 Jr Lawrence Westbrook from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 6'0 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'10 Jr Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jr Christian Polk from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ, 6'3 Jr Adrian Oliver from Modesto (Christian) CA, 6'5 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, and 7'0 Jr Ray Hall from Denver (J.K. Mullen) CO.  However, it's the list of underclassmen that really have us excited, as 6'7 Soph Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'2 Soph Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'6 Soph Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Soph Anthony Randolph from North Little Rock (H.S.) AR, 6'5 Frosh Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'4 Frosh Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Soph Clint Amberry from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 6'8 Soph Trevor Mbakwe from Mendota Heights (Henry Sibley) MN, 6'4 Soph Eshaunte Jones from Ft. Wayne (Northside) IN, 5'11 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Soph Jamelle Horne from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'9 Soph DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX, 6'8 Soph Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'0 Frosh Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Soph Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'3 Frosh Jrue Holiday from North Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, and 5'9, Soph B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hasting) TX also all are supposed to be in attendance.  We also are looking forward to the Rumble in the Bronx, which will held at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY on June 10th-12th, and, once again it appears to be loaded, as some of the teams that Jim Hart tells us will be in attendance include the Playaz Basketball Club, New York Panthers, DC Assault, New York Gauchos, Metro Hawks, Howard Pulley, Miami Tropics, Houston Hoops, Team Texas, Albany City Rocks, Louisiana Select, Metro Hawks, Connecticut Select, Juice All Stars, Team Odom, Baltimore Stars, Long Island Lightning, South Florida Heat, New Heights, New York Ravens, New York Elite, New Hampshire Playaz, Bounce NYC, Philly MJC, Student Athlete Broncos, Maine Select, Utah Swoosh, Connecticut Flame, Texas Ambassadors, Team Richmond, Stamford Express, South Jersey Rising Stars, Rhode Island Breakers, Jersey Shore Warriors, Lancaster Elite, New Jersey Roadrunners, Rams AAU (VA), Westchester Club, Maine Line Aces (PA), Connecticut Young Gunz, 94 X 50 (California), and Augusta Skillz.  Then, my next stop will be the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA, which will be held on June 22nd through June 26th, and it appears the Bob Gibbons, who is responsible for inviting the players, has just about everybody lined up to go to this camp.  As a matter of fact, we expect this camp to be the best event of the entire year.  In July our first stop will be at the adidas Superstar All-American Camp in Suwanee, GA on July 5th-6th, followed by the NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis, IN on July 7th and Reebok ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ on July 8th-9th.  Yes, it looks like I will only be at the NIKE All-American Camp on day this year, but that shouldn't be a problem, because they are supposed to be only going to have 120 players in attendance this year and I should have plenty of help, as Chris Johnson of the HOOP SCOOP and Roy and Harv of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report will be helping us cover this camp.  And we also should be in good shape this year with the adidas Superstar All-American Camp, because our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead will be there all week and the same will be true with our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin and our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  And right after the three big camps, my next two stops will be at the Reebok Summer Classic Tournament at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ on July 11th-12th and the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC on July 13th-15th.  So obviously I will more than make up for the fact that I will only spent one day at the NIKE All-American Camp by spending three days at the Peach Jam.  Then, it's home for a week and off to Las Vegas, NV for the three big shoe company camps (the Reebok Big Time Tournament, the Main Event) and the adidas 64) from July 22nd to July 26th.  We'll also stay in Las Vegas, NV and attempt to put all of the pieces together in terms of what we've seen in each of these tournaments on July 27th, followed by three days at the Best of the Summer Tournament at Loyola-Marymount on July 28th-30th and five day at the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL from August 1st-5th.  And finally I'll wrap things up in San Diego, CA getting a head start on the future covering the adidas Junior Phenom Camp from August 12th-14th.  And we'll be providing you with all the highlights right here exclusively in the Members Section, so stay tuned!   

Wednesday, June 1, 2005

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'3 Jr James Dews from West Chester (Lakota East) OH has verbally committed to Miami-FL.  And this is big for several reasons.  First, Dews is one of the best 3-point shooters in the junior class nationally, which makes him ideally suited to complement 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa) FL, who signed with the Hurricanes last fall, and 6'0 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, who made an early verbal commitment to the Hurricanes earlier this spring, as Miami-FL head coach Frank Haith and his staff prepare to replace 6'2 Jr Robert Hite after next season and 6'2 Soph Guillermo Diaz and 6'2 Soph Anthony Harris in the backcourt year after next.  Second, getting Dews potentially opens doors in the Midwest for recruiting purposes that might otherwise not be available.  Third, beating schools like Ohio State, Seton Hall, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Dayton, Xavier, Tennessee, and West Virginia for Dews' services is extremely impressive.  Fourth, getting Dews gives the Hurricanes a great head start on the Class of 2006, as they attempt to sign several more inside guys to go along with 6'8 Jimmy Graham from Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC and complement 6'7 Adrian Thomas from Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL and 6'5 Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, all of whom also are apart of their current recruiting class, which is tied at #63, along with Providence, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Fifth, the addition of Dews to Miami-FL brings the number of juniors that will be ranked among our top 100 nationally when we get our updating rankings of the top 100 juniors finished sometime within the next week up to 28, as 6'4 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA has already gone to North Carolina, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has already gone to North Carolina, 6'5 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH has already gone to Ohio State, 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL has already gone to Duke, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA has already gone to Duke, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ has already gone to Duke, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX has aleady gone to Oklahoma, 6'4 Jr Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL has already gone to Georgetown, 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA has already gone to Stanford, 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA has already gone to Stanford, 5'10 Jr Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Chrisitan) LA has already gone to Baylor, 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX has already gone to Arizona, 6'3 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY has already gone to Louisville, 6'4 Jr Dave Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH has already gone to Ohio State, 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA has already gone to UCLA, 6'8 Jr Keith Clark from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK has already gone to Oklahoma, 6'3 Jr Nigel Munson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has already gone to Virginia Tech, 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC has already gone to North Carolina, 6'7 Jr Jamie Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC has already gone to Wake Forest, 6'9 Jr Jordan Hill from Kennesaw (Kennesaw Mountain) GA has already gone to Arizona, 6'0 Jr Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA has already gone to Oklahoma, 6'4 Jr Aaron Holmes from St. Petersburg (Catholic) FL has already gone to Florida State, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH has already gone to Illinois, 6'3 Jr Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) OH has already gone to California, 6'4 Jr Carlos Morias from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA has already gone to Kansas State, 6'0 Jr Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) OH has already gone to St. John's, and 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX has already gone to Texas A&M.  It also looks like William & Mary has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Danny Sumner from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA.  We're talking about a very athletic slashing wing forward with a developing a 3-point shot and a great work ethic and, as a result, the Tribe should be as athletic as anybody in the league at the one, two, and three spots year after next.  In other words, Sumner, who picked William & Mary over schools like St. Bonaventure, Holy Cross, James Madison, and Binghamton, is ideally suited to complement 6'3 Jr Adam Payton, who sat this past season after transferring to William & Mary from Vanderbilt, and 6'1 Calvin Baker from Newport News (Woodside) VA.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Julian Sullinger from Fork Union (Military) VA, who is the younger brother of Ohio State's 6'5 Jr J.J. Sullinger, has signed with Kent State and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Jr David Jackson from Hermitage (Kennedy Catholic) PA made  an early verbal commitment to Penn State.  And Rubin thinks this is a good catch for the Nittany Lions, despite the fact he doesn't have a true position right now.  However, Jackson does have an excellent mid-range game, long arms, good athleticism, a huge upside, and the potential to develop into a wing forward at the next level.  Johnson also tells us that he plans to get us an updated Ohio Report next by sometime next week.  But he'd better not take any longer than that, because I've already running out of time, as I have to get our updated rankings of the top players in the both the Class of 2005 and Class of 2006 finished; wrap-up recruiting; cover the Pangos All-American Camp this weekend, the Rumble in the Bronx the next weekend, and the NBA Players Association Camp from June 22-26th; and publish state-by-state and area reports from places like New York City, Kentucky, and Texas by the end of the month.  Speaking the Long Star State, our new Texas Editor Tim Miller has provided us with a sneak preview of the top five players in each class and, if we allow him to include 6'8 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX in the senior rankings, he is #1 on the list ahead of 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, and 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX.  His list of the top five juniors includes 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'9 Jr Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, and 6'10 Jr Mike Washington from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX; his list of the top five sophomores includes 6'7 Soph Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'2 Soph Brockeith Payne from Dallas (Carter) TX, 6'6 Soph Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 5'11 Soph B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'7 Soph D'Wayln Roberts from Duncanville (H.S.) TX; his list of the top five freshmen includes 6'2 Frosh Willie Warren from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Frosh Jacovan Brown from Beamount (Kelly) TX, 6'4 Frosh Gerayl Sanders from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'0 Frosh Ederin McCain from Alvin (Livingstone Christian) TX, and 6'3 Frosh Jeremy Green from Austin (Bowie) TX; his list of the top five 8th Graders includes G.J. Vilarino from Dallas, TX, Shawn Williams from Duncanville, TX, Steve Rogers from Houston, TX, Roger Franklin from Duncanville, TX, and Tommy Griffin from Houston, TX; his list of the top five 7th Graders includes 6'3 Randy Collins from LaPorte, TX, 6'4 Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano, TX, 5'10 K.C. Ross-Miller from Lewisville, TX, 5'10 Jamisen Stern from De Soto, TX, and 5'8 Marshall Lange from Houston, TX; his list of the top five 6th Graders includes Labryan Nash from Dallas, TX, Justin Brooks from Dallas, TX, Shai Fields from Galveston, TX, Kenyan Anderson from Ft. Worth, TX, and Marcus Hutchinson from De Soto, TX; his list of the top five 5th Graders includes J. Michael Reese from Bryan, TX, 6'4 John Allen from College Station, TX, Rick Roberts from Arlington, TX, Lyndon Rose from Houston, TX, and Jonathan Gray from Ft. Worth, TX and his list of the top five 4th Graders includes Julius Randal from Richardson, TX, Ben Omegue from Grand Prairie, TX, Andrew Harrison from Houston, TX, Eugene Wright from Houston, TX, and Kendall Harris from Plano, TX.