TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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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