HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2002

Hot Recruiting Information available for previous months June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001 June 2001 July 2001 August 2001 September 2001 October 2001 November 2001 December 2001 January 2002 February 2002 March 2002

Saturday, March 30, 2002, and Sunday, March 31, 2002

After watching Maryland hold off Kansas to win the second NCAA Semi-Finals game, 97-88, last night at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA, I am more convinced than ever that the value of NCAA Final Four experience can not be underestimated.  If you will recall, the last two NCAA Champions (Duke in 2001 and Michigan State in 2000) both got their Final Four experience a year earlier in the 1999 NCAA Final Four in St. Petersburg, FL and the University of Kentucky team that won it in 1998 lost in the title game in 1997.  Going back even further the Kentucky team that won it in 1996 still had a number of players left over with experience from their 1993 NCAA Final team and the great Duke teams that won it in 1991 and 1992 lost a year earlier in the Final Four in 1990 to UNLV.  And one of the things that makes that Duke team in '91 and '92 so special is that fact that no other team has been able to repeat as NCAA Champions since the John Wooden days at UCLA when he won seven in a row between 1967 and 1973.  However, plenty of teams have had the opportunity, as UCLA lost in 1974, but won it again in 1975; North Carolina lost in the title game in 1981, but came back to win it in 1982; Georgetown won the NCAA Championship in 1984, but lost in the title game in 1985; UNLV won the championship in 1990, but lost in the semi-finals in 1991; Arkansas won the championship in 1994, but lost in the championship game in 1995; Kentucky won the championship in 1996, but lost in overtime in championship game in 1997; and Michigan State won it in 2000, but lost in the championship game in 2001.  In other words, if Maryland hadn't blown the big lead a year ago in the semi-finals against Duke and had gone on to win the NCAA Championship, they could be playing for the NCAA Title for a second consecutive time on Monday night.  However, maybe because they did suffer such a disappointing loss a year ago, they never got rattled when Kansas jumped out to a 13-2 lead early in the game and knew how to hold on when the Jayhawks outscored the Terrapins by 15 points during one stretch late in the game.  And we don't think you can underestimate the advantage that will give Maryland over Indiana in the NCAA Championship Game on Monday night.  With the Terrapins anything less than the title will be a major disappointment.  However, another win for Indiana would just be the icing on the cake in what already has been a miracle season.  Speaking of the Hoosiers stunning upset against Duke in the regional semi-finals and their surprising 73-64 upset against Oklahoma yesterday, I would love to really know what Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight is thinking about all this?  Sure, Knight is a great coach and he did lay the foundation for what this team has done, but maybe this is god's way of spending him a message.  Remember, what goes around usually comes around.  Maryland also has the best player in college basketball right now in Juan Dixon, who scored 33 points and was virtually unstoppable last night against Kansas.  The Terrapins also have great balance of inside (Lonny Baxter, Chris Wilcox, Tahj Holden, and Ryan Randle) and outside (Dixon, Steve Blake, Byron Mouton, and Drew Nichols) guys, plus head coach Garry Williams has done a terrific job of substituting and making adjustments throughout the entire tournament.   But all that might not matter if Indiana continues to hit 3-point shots like they did against Kent State and in the second half against Oklahoma.  However, when it is all said and done, we don't think Indiana will get as many uncontested shots against Maryland, as our guess is the Terrapins will put a lot more pressure on the ball in both  the half court and in the full court than Oklahoma did.  So our guess is that Maryland will win by 10 or more in the championship game, plus make Maryland one of the two other three teams to beat in college basketball next year.  Remember, the Terrapins also landed a great recruiting class last fall that includes 6'4 Chris McCray from Capital Heights (Fairmont Heights) MD and 6'8 Travis Garrison form Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, both of whom will be ranked among the top 30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP when we update our national senior rankings later this month.  And the same can be said about Indiana, which signed a tremendous backcourt in 6'2 Marshall Strickland from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD and 6'3 Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX; Oklahoma, which landed 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK and 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK; and Kansas, which will add 6'9 Jeff Graves from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'9 Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA.   In other words, all these teams could be back in the NCAA Final Four again next year depending upon who stays and goes hardship into the NBA Draft later this spring.  

It appears to be a two-horse race between University of Missouri Quin Snyder and University of Minnesota Dan Monson for the University of Washington job and right now it appears to be Snyder's job to turn down.  But, if he does, we don't think there is any doubt that Monson will jump at the opportunity to get out of Minnesota due to the recent NCAA Probation, which puts a major hindrance on their ability to recruit during the next several years.  Remember, they not only are limited by the number of on-campus visits and available scholarships, but the Golden Gophers also will be graduating two of their best inside players in 6'7 Dusty Rychart and 6'7 Travanus Bennett.   So, if they don't think they are going to get 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, now would probably be an excellent time to take the right job, if it comes along.  Currently Humphries claims to be wide-open, as he appears to have just as much interest in schools like Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Louisville, Indiana, and Kentucky, as he does in Minnesota.  And don't forget Monson was the guy who got the ball rolling at Gonzaga four years ago.  We also hear that former Florida State head coach Steve Robinson will replace Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty, who recently took the Texas Christian job.  Ironically, it was Dougherty who replaced Robinson when he left Kansas to take over as the head coach at Tulsa in the mid-90's.  We also believe that Connecticut assistant coach Dave Leitao is now a major player for the DePaul job and, if that happens, and Arizona assistant coach Jay John gets the Oregon State job, three of our top five assistant coaches will have moved into jobs in major conferences this spring.  Boston Celtics assistant coach Lester Connor, who is a former Oregon State All-American, appears to be John's main competition, while Michigan State head coach Brian Gregory, Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers, Florida Atlantic head coach Sidney Green, UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright, and Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez are some of the other names being mentioned for DePaul.  Speaking of Gonzalez, it's only a matter of time before he moves into a better job.  So we are already compiling a list of possible replacements, which includes Villanova assistant coach Fred Hill, Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary DeCesare, Providence assistant coach Steve Demeo, St. John's assistant coach Kevin Clark, and Ohio State head coach Paul Biancardi.  Biancardi, who is ranked #6 on our list of the top assistants, also is being mentioned, along with Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson, and Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion for the College of Charleston job. 

Friday, March 29, 2002

The University of Washington heading coaching job is still up for grabs, but Seattle Post-Intelligencer Columnist Art Thiel appears to have a strange sense of who Huskies athletic director Barbara Hedges should hire.  This was especially evident in his column yesterday when he linked one of the Huskies prime head coaching candidates, Quin Snyder, to Pro-Trust President Bret Bearup.  "Snyder is a longtime friend of one of the more controversial figures in the game, Atlanta attorney Bret Bearup," says Thiel.  "College fans here with long memories may recall that Bearup was a sophomore forward on the Kentucky team that was part of the rousing 1984 Final Four at the Kingdome.  In recent years, Bearup, 38, has become a financial advisor to a number of NBA stars, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, and Nick Van Exel.  He also has created a secondary job for himself as a peddler of top high school talent to high-profile college programs. The dubious enterprise used to be the province of AAU coaches such as the since-jailed Myron Piggie of Kansas City, MO and various shoe-company sleazoids.  But Bearup has no business affiliation with shoe companies.  Neither is he a certified agent nor a booster of a specific school.  So he slips between the cracks of whatever minimal regulation exists in this basketball middle earth."  Thiel also talks about the University of Michigan scandal and tries to lead the reader to the conclusion that the same thing could happen at the University of Washington, if the Huskies hire Bearup's longtime friend, Quin Snyder.  Instead, Thiel says, "if Hedges is prepared to take such risks, it's a little surprising she hasn't shown interest in one of the premier basketball-qualified people for the job - nine-year Sonics assistant Dwane Casey.  It's been 14 years since Casey was the fall guy in allegedly shipping money to a recruit while an assistant at the University of Kentucky."  Obviously anybody who knows Bearup, who is a financial manager whose clients include numerous professional athletes and celebrities, knows that Thiel has absolutely no understanding of the enter issue.  In other words, he's taken 2+2 and come up with 286.  Yes, he's that far off base.  Actually Bearup is one of the best people in the business and most people who know him or have dealt with him either personally or professionally seem to agree.  As a matter of fact, I think he's good for the game.  Don't believe it?  Well, statistically when over half of the players in the NBA retire, they will be broke.  Remember, a mid-first round draft pick gets something like $1.8 million guaranteed in his first year and the IRS gets half right off the top.  The player also will probably buy his mother a house, himself several cars and a house, and more often than not fritter the rest of it away.  Plus, he has to give an agent, if he hired one, and anybody else who got their hooks into him early their piece of the pie.  You get the idea!  It can be all gone before you know it, especially if you've skipped college and have no idea how to budget money and/or be out on your own for the first time your life.  So take away somebody like Bearup, who should be not be confused with agents, pimps, street runners, and all the other slimmy people who are trying to make money at the expense of the players, while giving nothing back to the game, and the one who loses are people who need help the most (the players).   And if you don't believe me, just ask Dan Wetzel, who co-authored the book Sole Influence: Basketball Corporate Greed, and the Corruption of American Youth.  Wetzel, who is one of the most respected people in the business, is the guy who exposed the Myron Piggie mess in the first place.  Wetzel also has spent a lot of time looking into what Bearup does and he's come to a totally different conclusion than Thiel.  However, when you've never met any of the people you're writing about, don't know much about the subject, and have used internet articles that appear to have been several years old and were inaccurate in the first place, it's easy to get confused.

When I first heard that Oregon State head coach Ritchie McKay had gotten the New Mexico job, I was shocked.   As a matter of fact, I just about feel out of my chair.  Remember, we're talking about a guy who had gone 22-37 during his first two years at the helm of the Beavers and, as a result, it appeared to be only a matter of time before McKay got the ax at Oregon State.  Making the story even more shocking was the fact that Arizona State head coach Rob Evans' appeared to be in line for the New Mexico job yesterday and he was the perfect guy for the job.  Not only is Evans one of the most underrated head coaches in college basketball, but he already has on his staff the ideal guy to help him make the transition from Arizona State to New Mexico.  We're talking about Sun Devils assistant coach Tony Benford, who previously was an assistant coach at New Mexico during the Dave Bliss era.  But Evans turned it down and they hired McKay.  In other words, instead of getting one of the sharpest head coaches in the business (Evans), as well as one of the best recruiters (Benford), they hired a guy who is just one step ahead of the posse.  However, this could turn out to be tremendous for the Beavers, because it gives Oregon State athletic director Mitch Barnhart a chance to turn the program around in a hurry, if he hires the right guy.  And, in our opinion, the right guy is Arizona assistant coach Jay John, who is ranked as the #1 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously John is a great recruiter, but he also has excellent ties in both the Pacific-10 Conference, where he was an assistant coach at both Arizona and Oregon, and Midwest, where he helped build Butler into one of the top mid-major powers in college basketball today.  John also interviewed for the job when McKay got hired at Oregon State two years ago and we know that John has a pre-existing relationship with Barnhart.  So the only drawback might be that John doesn't have Division I head coaching experience.  But that's also why so many other athletic directors around the country are having such a hard time filling head coaching positions.   A good example is the University of Arkansas, which hired Kent State head coach Stan Heath yesterday.  Heath is a great guy and a terrific coach, but, when he inherited the job at Kent State a year ago, the cupboard was full.  So we don't have any idea whether Heath can build a program.  Other examples include UAB, DePaul, and Long Beach State.  Speaking of the 49ers, it appears Long Beach State is going to try and steal a head coach out of the Division II ranks in either Cal State-San Bernardino head coach Larry Reynolds or Metro State head coach Mike Dunlap, who has guided his team to the Division II National Championship twice in the last five years.  In contrast, the final two candidates for the Fresno State job are UCLA assistant coach Jim Saia and Oklahoma assistant Ray Lopes.  Saia has all the right connections to get the job, as well as an impressive resume' after landng in three top ranked recruiting classes in recent years at UCLA.  However, Lopes' team is playing in the NCAA Final Four and he was the guy who recruited all their players.   And, believe it or not, former Fresno State assistant coach Danny Tarkanian may be a darkhorse candidate for the DePaul job.  But the word on the street is that former Ohio State head coach and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers appears to be the leader to replace Pat Kennedy at DePaul.  We're also hearing that former Pittsburgh assistant coach and current Kent State assistant coach Jim Christian is the heir apparent to replace Heath at Kent State and Oregon assistant coach Greg Graham already appears to be have gotten the Boise State job.  Getting back to Evans not leaving Arizona State, one of the reasons he may have decided to stay is their recent verbal commitment from 6'6 Jamal Hill from San Jose City (JC) CA, who not only was ranked as the #7 wing forward in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, but also is widely regarded as the top junior college wing player on the West Coast.  And the same source who tipped us off about Hill going to Arizona State tells us that 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ, who made a verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week, isn't as good as the hype.   In other words, we're being told he'll be a good role player for the Cardinals next year, but stepping in as the starting point guard may be a little bit of stretch.   Only time will tell, but often at this time of year the value of unsigned players gets over inflated.  We also understand that the University of Massachusetts has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jeff Viggiano from Suffield (H.S.) CT, who is ranked #9 in New England by the HOOP SCOOP and who recently was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut.

Thursday, March 28, 2002

Despite the fact he's never build a program from the ground up, it looks like Kent State head coach Stan Heath is the hottest guy in the business right now, as he appears to have a choice between the West Virginia and the Arkansas jobs.  The smart money appears to be on Arkansas, because the money is better ($1.1 million is what we've heard).  And the reason Heath will make the big bucks is that he has proven he handle all the pressure associated with big time college basketball, both as an assistant coach at Michigan State, as the Spartans advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1999, 2000, and 2001, and Kent State, as the Golden Flashes advanced all the way to the NCAA Elight Eight early this month.  However, the cupboard was full both places, as the Spartans have been been able to keep most of the top players in their backyard at home in recent years, and the Golden Flashes returned four starters from a team that went 24-10 and knocked off Indiana in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.  So, if Heath gets Arkansas, who gets West Virginia?   Remember, Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins turned it down on Monday and University of Florida assistant coach took his name out of the running when he took South Alabama.  How about Tennessee Tech head coach Jeff Lebo or Bowling Green head coach Dan Dakich?  And, if Dakich, who was a long time assistant coach under Bob Knight at Indiana, gets the Mountaineers job, that would mean the Mid-American Conference would have not one, but two of the best jobs in the league to fill.  It also would create a very interesting predicament for 6'3 Steve Wright from Dayton (Colonel White) OH, who verbally committed to Bowling Green last weekend.  Wright is a long armed athletic wing player who plays great defense, but the fact that he is ranked #22 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP indicates that he would be nothing more than a good role player for the Mountaineers.  But when grouped with 6'4 Ron Lewis from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'3 Raheem Moss from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, both of whom signed with Bowling Green last fall, that's not only one of the best recruiting classes in the Mid-American Conference, but also one of the better recruiting classes in the nation at that level.  In other words, Bowling Green needs to hire a guy who can perpetuate what Jim Larranaga, who previously was the head coach of the Falcons prior to moving to George Mason five years ago, and Dakich have built.  Ironically one of the names we've already heard is Virginia assistant coach Tommy Herrion.  And, if Herrion gets the job we'll have to explore further to find out why University of Virginia athletic director Terry Holland has so much clout at Bowling Green.  Remember, Larranaga also was an assistant coach at Virginia prior to getting the head coaching job at Bowling Green in the late 80's.   And just like Larranaga and Dakich, Herrion, whose brother, Bill Herrion, is the head coach at East Carolina, has a great understanding of the business and, as a result, is an excellent recruiter and one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the game.  

It looks like Jim Crews finally got out of Evansville, but is going to Army really a step up?  Remember, that's the Patriot League!  It's also where Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski got their start as college coaches.  However, all that may not mean a hill of beans.   Instead, the key to Crews' immediate success will likely be whether he retains Mark Sembrowich, who had the Cadets on the verge of landing a great recruiting class this spring.  We also hear that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few has already turned down the University of Washington once, but it looks like Barbara Hedges, who is the Huskies athletic director, is trying to make another run at him while they're all here at the National Association of Basketball Coaches Convention and the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA.  However, Few told us last night it's going to be tough to leave Gonzaga for any job, because his sales pitch to recruits in recent years has been that smaller is better.  He also thinks the Zags will be even better next year than they were this year, despite the graduation of 6'0 Dan Dickau, who is one of the top 10 players in college basketball this year.  Remember, everybody else will be back next year, plus Gonzaga signed 6'8 Sean Mallon from Spokane (Ferris) WA, who is ranked #85 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, last fall.  It also appears that Missouri head coach Quin Snyder is not as strong a candidate for the Washington job as he was a couple of days ago, so now the smart money is on Saint Louis head coach Lorenzo Romar, who also has plenty of ties to the Pacific Northwest.  If you will recall, Romar played at the University of Washington.  Romar also has all his old ties to Southern California, which is important for anybody who wants to win big anywhere in the Pacific-10 Conference.   As a matter of fact, networking and recruiting are what Romar does best.  And that's saying a lot, because Romar is also a heck of a coach.  So is his top assistant, Brad Soderberg, who can have the Wisconsin-Green Bay job if he wants it, but who is waiting to see what Romar does.  Remember, we recently reported that Soderberg is the heir apparent to Romar at Saint Louis.  We also continue to hear  former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, UC-Santa Barbara head coach Bob Williams, and Wyoming head coach Steve McClain all being mentioned for the New Mexico job.  However, they might be smart to go after top level assistant coach.  As a matter of fact, we know that at least one guy who fits that description, Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi, who is ranked #6 by the HOOP SCOOP on our list of the top assistant coaches in the business, is in the mix.  Speaking of the Buckeyes, it looks like J.J. Sullinger plans to transfer from Arkansas to Ohio State?  We've also confirmed several verbal commitments since arriving last night in Atlanta. GA for the NCAA Final Four.  Austin Peay has gotten a steal in 6'2 Maurice Hampton from Russellville (H.S) KY.  Marquette had been looking for another point guard who can complement Travis Diener and it looks like they've found their man in 5'10 Karon Bradley from Houton (Cypress Springs) TX.   We've also been told that 6'0 Clyde Wade from Winchendon (School) MA, who is originally from Memphis, plans to return home upon graduation from prep school this spring and play for John Calipari next season.  It looks like Max Good, who is just finishing his first year at Bryant College, is on the verge of doing the same thing he did for 10 years at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  We're talking about stocking his team with a number of athletes who thrive in an uptempo setting and creating all kinds of havoc defensively and in transiton.  And the two players Good has landed this spring fit that description perfectly.  We're talking about 6'3 Mario Correia from Massasoit (JC) MA and 5'10 John Williams from Longmeadow (H.S.) MA.  Correia, who is a native of Cape Verde, off the West Coast of Africa, is a terrific athlete with a tremendous feel for the game.  He scored 19.9 ppg, 11.4 rpg, 9.1 apg, hit 49% from the field, and 38% from 3-point land.  Correia also was a unanimous first-team All-New England Junior College Selection as a freshman and, as a result, still has three of eligibility remaining at Bryant College.  Williams, who has been widely regarded as the best player in Western Massachusetts for the last several years, averaged 25.1 ppg, 7.7 apg, 3.5 rpg, and 3.4 spg while leading his team to 14-8 season.    Both players are good enough to not only help make Bryant College the most powerful Division II program in New England for years to come, but also are good enough to play at a much higher level. 

Wednesday, March 27, 2002

One of the big stories in the mainstream media this morning was that Arkansas athletic director Frank Broyles had received permission from Kent State to talk with head coach Stan Heath, who is one of the hottest guys in the business after guiding his team to the NCAA Elite Eight.   However, the word we got last night at the EA Sports Roundball Classic was that Heath is already a done deal for West Virginia.  Obviously the Mountaineers wanted to move fast now that Bobby Huggins has announced that he will remain at the University of Cincinnati and University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey has made it clear that he will honor his commitment to South Alabama.   Assuming that we're correct about Heath, that opens the door for somebody to walk into a great situation at Kent State.  One name we're already heard is Hartford head coach Larry Harrison.  If you will recall, Harrison has done an excellent job of turning the Hawks program around in just two years, plus he's got great Midwest ties from his days at both Cincinnati and DePaul.  It also looks like Michigan State point guard Marcus Taylor will test the waters by entering his name into the NBA Draft, but not signing with an agent.  Hopefully he will find out sooner than later what 6'1 Omar Cook found a year ago when he kept his name in the draft and became a second round pick.  Remember, 19 of the top 20 picks in last year's draft were 6'8 or bigger and the lone expection was Michigan State's Jason Richardson, who had something else NBA scouts are looking for (incredible athleticism).

It is a common practice for college coaches to lobby Sonny Vaccaro to get the players they have signed into the Roundball Classic.  However, now it appears the exact opposite has occurred on at least several occasions.  In other words, we know of at least one Division I coach who specificially has asked Vacarro not to put any of the players he has signed during the last two years into the game.  Apparently the coach is worried that the cesspool of street agents, runners, and other slimmy people who have been showing up to these type of events in recent years will have a negative effect on his players.  Remember, this street-like eliminate is ruining the game at every level and to expose a player to this type of environment can make it almost impossible to ever get his attention again.  And after watching last night's EA Sports Roundball Classic at the United Center in Chicago, IL, we have to agree.  I'm not sure if it was the worst all-star game I've ever attended, but, if it wasn't, it had to have been close.   Evidence of this comes from the fact that only two players in the game - 6'9 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY and 6'10 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI -  didn't do anything to hurt the value of their stock.  And one of those two players (Davis) didn't even play (he's hurt).  Fraser only had 10 points, but 13 rebounds, five blocks, and a great effort at both ends the court ensured him co-MVP honors, along with 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, for the East All-Stars, which held on to win 115-103.  Felton's stats, which included 21 points, six assists, four steals, and one block, were equally impressive.   However, his stats didn't seem to be indicative of what he actually accomplished in the game.  The same also can be said for 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, who finished with 14 points, 10 assists, five steals, five rebounds, and helped his team, which was down by as many as 22 early in the third quarter, cut the lead to only one late in the game.  We're not saying Dockery didn't deserve MVP honors for his team (we voted for him), but we have to question whether somebody was padding his assists, especially in light of the fact that Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report, who is an extremely accurate statistician, was sitting next to us last night and only had Dockery with five assists.  Tying Felton for top scoring honors with 21 points was 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, but six turnovers and 2-6 free throws shooting probably cost him from sharing in game MVP honors.  Speaking of free throw shooting, all these guys have delusions of going straight to the NBA right out of high school, but collectively only hit 33-63 free throws of the game.  And the outside shooting wasn't much better, if you exclude Felton (2-5), 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI (2-4), 6'0 Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ (3-5), and 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK (2-3).   Yes, the other 16 players in the game hit only 5-36 3-pointers.  Among the worst was 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, who hit only 1-11 field goals and was 0-5 from beyond the arc all by himself.  Even worse was 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who shot 3-15 from the field and hit 0-7 3-pointers.  Other major disappointments were 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, who hit 2-9 field goals en route to only four points, and 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who finished with 4-12 field goals, 0-3 3-pointers, and nine points.  However, we do have to give Wright credit for rebounding well from the wing forward spot, as he was his team's third leading rebounder with seven boards, behind Williams, who had 10, and 6'10 Chris Bosh, who had eight.  The game was too unstructured for 6'10 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'9 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, neither of whom scored big numbers (they combined for 17 points), but we did like their willingness to get it done on the boards, as they combined for 17 rebounds.  6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson was the leading rebounder in the game with 14 boards, but he too was not a major force at the offensive end, as he scored most of his 10 points off garbage inside.  6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY got most of his points off transition and 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY had five assists, but missed all his outside shots (0-3 3-pointers).  Inside 6'8 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL did what he always does (shows flashes, but underachieves) en route to a 10-point and six-rebound effort.  That leaves 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who didn't score or rebound enough, as he finished with 11 points (5-16 field goals and 1-3 3-pointers) and only five rebounds.   I guess Collins still hasn't figured out that he's not going to get drafted for his 3-point shooting.  But he does have a chance to make the big bucks, because he can be an animal inside.  But that's what happens when all the street agents, pimps, and hustlers start getting into your head.  All this is unfortunate, because the Roundball Classic has been a great event over the last 38 years.  However, many of the players who played in this game appeared to be more concerned about impressing the scouts and improving their draft status than continuing to build upon what has become a tremendous tradition over the years.   Yes, it really was that ugly!

Tuesday, March 26, 2002

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Bowling Green got a verbal commitment over the weekend from 6'3 Steve Wright from Dayton (Colonel White) OH, who is ranked #22 in the state of Ohio among seniors by the HOOP SCOOP.  Wright has long arms, is a terrific athlete, and a great defender, so he should fit in perfectly with the two players - 6'4 Ron Lewis from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'3 Raheem Moss from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH - that Bowling Green signed last fall.  As a matter of fact, Johnson thinks this is a recruiting class out of the Kent State mold.  Speaking of Brookhaven, Moss, 6'1 Soph Denzel Lyles, and 6'6 Jr Brandon Foust combined for 39 points to lead their team to the Ohio State Division I Championship over the weekend.  Columbus (Brookhaven) OH beat Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 66-49, and Moss was the leading scorer for his team en route to tournament MVP honors.  However, the leading scorer and rebounder in the game was Miami-FL-bound 6'2 Robert Hite, who finished with had 16 points and 11 rebounds for Winton Woods.  The underrated and uncommitted 6'2 Byron Fields also chipped in 14 points for Winton Woods.  In addition to Moss, the Division I All-Tournament Team also included Hite, Foust, 5'7 Jr Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 6'2 Jr Samario Clancy from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, who had 24 points and 14 rebounds in his team's semi-final loss to Brookhaven.   Clancy, who is the younger brother of USC star Sam Clancy, was so impressive that Johnson thinks he's might be the fastest rising players in the state (currently Clancy is ranked #74 in the junior class in Ohio by the HOOP SCOOP).   Akron (St Vincent-St. Mary) OH did not win the Ohio State Division II Championship for the third straight year, but 6'7 Jr LeBron James, who had 32 points in both the semi-final and championship games, didn't disappoint the two boys state tournament record setting crowds at the Value City Arena in Columbus, OH.  James, who pulled a muscle in his back on Friday night in a practice and, as a result, was not 100% in the championship game, still hit 14-21 field goals and had six assists.  6'6 Jr Romeo Travis also chipped in with 19 points and nine rebounds, but nobody else stepped   up for Irish, as other three starters had a combined 12 points.  And that left the door open for Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH to pull off a 71-63 upset in the title game.   MVP honors went to 6'3 Josh Hausfeld, who led Roger Bacon with 23 points and seven rebounds.  Also playing well for Roger Bacon were 6'9 Jr Monte St. Clair, who had 15 points, and 6'6 Beckham Wyrick, who had 14 points.  In addition to Hausfeld, the Division II All-Tournament Team also included James, St. Clair, Wyrick, and 6'3 Frank Phillips from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH.  Johnson also tells us that Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez interviewed today for the DePaul job and, as a result, it appears that Gonzalez is one of the serious candidates for the job, along with Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Randy Ayers and UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright.   Among that group, we think it's a no-brainer that Gonzalez, who reminds us of a young Rick Pitino due his high energy level, ability to recruit, and success everyplace he's been at an early age, should get the job.  We also have started a new list for the West Virginia job that includes Richmond head coach John Beilein, Dayton head coach Oliver Purnell, and George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga.  However, we don't think you should rule out Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey just yet.  We also continue to hear rumors about LSU head coach John Brady being in trouble at LSU.   However, that appears to be false and assuming it is, Brady could be one of the guys up for coach-of-the-year honors next year, because the Tigers should be one of the most improved teams in college basketball with the addition 6'8 Jaime Lloreda from Dixie (JC) UT, who one of the top five junior college players in the nation, and the return of 6'9 Shawnson Johnson, who was academically this year season. 

Monday, March 25, 2002

We tried to tell you on Friday that Bobby Huggins wasn't a lock to take the West Virginia job.  So obviously you weren't too surprised earlier today when Huggins announced that he would remain as the head coach at the University of Cincinnati.  This also could still could effect what University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey does.  If you will recall, on Friday Pelphrey agreed in principle to take the head coaching job at South Alabama.  However, he has yet to sign a written contract, so technically he is still free to take the West Virginia job.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised if that was part of the verbal agreement that Pelphrey made on Friday.  We also continue to hear the rumors about University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith taking the Philadelphia 76ers job, if Larry Brown moves into the front office at the conclusion of the current season.  Obviously that means nothing will probably happen until late May or June, so suddenly the next question becomes whether Wildcats reserve Rashaad Carruth will wait that long to transfer?   Right now we're hearing Carruth's favorite schools are Louisville, Georgia Tech, and Memphis.  However, Louisville has no interest and Carruth's mother is concerned about his going to Georgia Tech, because she wants to keep him away from the rap eliminate in Atlanta, GA.  So right now Memphis looks like a near lock for Carruth.   However, all bets are off if Smith takes another job before Carruth announces he's leaving.  We also find it interesting that Montana head coach Don Holst was fired today, despite the fact that his team won the Big Sky Conference Tournament and, as a result, advanced into the NCAA Tournament.  We also have confirmed that University of Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty has taken the Texas Christian job.  No surprise here, because Dougherty is the #2 ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and played a key role in Kansas' success in recent years (not only are the Jayhawks going to the NCAA Final Four this year, but they were the winningest program in the 90's).  We also have confirmed that the University of Missouri has given the University of Washington permission to talk with Tigers head coach Quin Snyder.  However, our guess is that Snyder won't take it.   Remember, we've already reported that Snyder's ideal job is UCLA (he wants to become the Mike Krzyzewski of the West) and that job may be open, at least if you believe all the UCLA fans who are still whining about head coach Steve Lavin not getting past the NCAA Sweet 16 for the 5th time in six years.  We hear Lavin's name frequently mentioned for the DePaul job, but they'd be better off if they got a bright up-and-coming coach like Southern Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright, Kent State head coach Stan Heath,  Arizona assistant coach Jay John, Houston head coach Ray McCallum, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, Hampton head coach Steve Merfeld, or Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory.  Getting back to Lavin, our guess is that he's going to take the Missouri job.  In other words, we think Lavin has finally realized he made a mistake by not recruiting Wesley Stokes and Travon Bryant and, if he can't beat them, he wants to join them.  Actually we're just kidding about Lavin going to Missouri and we do think there is a distinct possibility that Snyder will take the Washington job.  As a matter of fact, we were among the to first report that powerful alumni and booster in Seattle, WA were planning for this very possibility two months ago.  Getting back to Lavin again, he does have a lot of good young talent in the program, plus our sources tell us that Jason Kapono will likely be back next year.  So we don't think Lavin is going anywhere.   However, Lavin's top assistant coach Jim Saia might not be around next year, because he's one of the leading candidates for the Fresno State job.  We also continue to hear that 6'6 Andre Iguodala from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, who originally signed with Arkansas last fall, has narrowed his list to Kansas and Arizona.  However, unless Iguodala has been denied academic admission to the University of Arkansas or there is some other  factor that we aren't aware of, he will have to sit out next year.  Remember, you are bound by the NCAA's transfer rule once you sign a National Letter-of-Intent, which clearly states on the letter that you are signing with the member insititution and not the head coach.  In other words, a student-athlete has to sit out one year, if granted a release, (Arkansas has Iguodala's case), or two years, if not granted a release.  We also continue to hear that Iowa is the leader for 6'9 Aaron Spears from Chicago (Dunbar) IL.  Did you know that the only person in his family who ever graduated from college is Spears' grandmother and she got her degree from the University of Iowa?

The NCAA Final Four is set with Maryland, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Indiana, so now is a perfect time to make a few predictions, reflect on the past, draw a few parallels, and name our National Coach-of-the-Year and National Player-of-the-Year.  First, let's make our predictions for the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA.  Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma were all very impressive in their regional final wins over the weekend, but we still think the team to beat is Maryland.   Not only have the Terrapins played as well as anybody in college basketball all year, but we think they have the same edge that made Duke tough to beat a year ago and Michigan State the favorite two years ago.  We're talking about NCAA Final Four experience, which in this day-and-age can be huge when one remembers all the hoopla and emotion that have become apart of the event during the last 20 years.  Experiencing the NCAA Final Four for the first time can almost be overwhelming.  But a team returning to play in the NCAA Final Four for the second time is not only much better equipped to deal with all the distractions and the media-like circus, but also is usually more focused on taking care of the unfinished business that goes along with winning a National Championship.  However, if we were going to seed the NCAA Final Four, the #1 (Maryland) and #2 (Kansas) seeded teams and the #3 (Oklahoma) and #4 (Indiana) seeded teams would be playing in the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.  So obviously a lot people will probably conclude that winner of the Kansas-Maryland game will win the NCAA Championship.  If Maryland wins, it would be poetic justice after the Terrapins blew the big lead a year ago against Duke in the semi-finals.  If Kansas wins, it could potentially set up a rematch of the 1988 NCAA Title game in Kansas City, MO when Kansas beat Oklahoma in what has turned out to be Larry Brown's last college game.  However, if you were going to write the script with the most dramatic conclusion, you would do so with Indiana winning it all.  Not only are the Hoosiers the Cinderella team that has already knocked off Duke, which was co-favorite to win the tournament, as well as the depending NCAA Champions, but head coach Mike Davis has never gotten the credit he deserves.  Remember, he's the guy who followed Bob Knight.  Ironically Knight's Texas Tech team, which also had a great season, was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  In contrast, Davis' team is one of the four teams still playing.  You couldn't write a better story, unless one of the truly legendary coaches in the history of the game had announced that he was going to retire earlier in the season and his last hurrah would be to win the NCAA Championship.  And that's exactly what happened the last time the NCAA Final Four was in Atlanta, GA 25 years ago when Marquette upset North Carolina in the title game.   Obviously we're talking about Al McGuire's last game.   Unfortunately McGuire, who died a year ago, won't be in Atlanta, GA to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his team's championship.  However, in spirit he will be, because as both a coach and a television commentator, McGuire was truly one of the game's all time great ambassador's.  And whether Mike Davis likes it or not, win or lose, he's in a position to not just follow a legend, but to become a far better ambassador for the game than his predecessor ever hoped to be.  So could Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson, Oregon's Ernie Kent, and Kent State's Stan Heath.  In addition to guiding their team's deep into the NCAA Tournament this year, all are among the leading candidates for National Coach-of-the-Year and they all are either black or of Indian descent.  This is especially important, because it is much easier to overcome prejudice, discrimination, and ignorance, by including people.  So in contrast to Nolan Richardson, who had wanted to make his ouster at Arkansas a racial issue and had even expressed a desire to call out the troops and relive the 60's in Deep South, these guys have all paved the way for a future generation of coaches to not only achieve at the highest level, but also to help guys at the lower levels in the business move up the ladder and get head coaching jobs.  While college basketball has already come a lot further in this area than most other sports, there is still a disproportionately low number of black head coaches, especially at the top.  However, we think this will change within the next five or 10 years, because there are just as many outstanding black assistant coaches on the rise as there are white assistants on the rise.  This was especially evident a month ago when we were working on our list of the top assistant coaches in college basketball and divided it up according to race so we could get more names onto our lists of assistant coaches in the "Question of the Day " for February 8th and February 9th.  The success that coaches like Davis, Sampson, Kent, and Heath have had this year also is important, because people from all walks of life have been able to jump on the bandwagon of teams like Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Kent State.  And the same can be said about Ben Howland at Pittsburgh, Bruce Weber at Southern Illinois, Bobby Huggins at Cincinnati, Jim Calhoun at Connecticut, and Bob Knight at Texas Tech, all of whom also were seriously considered for National Coach-of-the-Year honors.  Remember, these are white guys coaching predominately black teams.  In other words, any prejudices one might have goes right out the window if you or your team wants to be successful in the game of basketball.  Suddenly all this ties together when you remember that Southern Indiana is still an area of the country where a lot of people continue to get hung up on the color of somebody's skin.  Moral to the story is that IU head coach Mike Davis may become even more of a hero to some of these very people if the Hoosiers win the NCAA Championship a week from today.  But even if Davis and the Hoosiers don't win the NCAA Championship, we still think he is the coach who most deserves National Coach-of-the-Year.  Not only has he had the toughest act to follow, but he also had to overcome the most, considering the Bob Knight eliminate is and probably always will be in Indiana.  Another guy who is up to just about any task is Cincinnati's Steve Logan, who singlehandedley was responsible for the success the University of Cincinnati had this season.  Logan also is a classic overachiever and a testament to what guts, hard work, and determination can accomplish and, as a result, he is our choice for National Player-of-the-Year.  The same also can be said about Maryland's Juan Dixon, who is our Runner-up National Player-of-the-Year.  Ironically neither player was ranked among the top 100 players in the nation by many of our competitors, but we obviously saw something early in both, as we had Logan ranked #63 nationally on our final list of the top players in the Class of 1998 and Dixon ranked on the 18th Team, which means he was in the 85-90 range nationally, in the Class of 1997.  We also seriously considered Duke's Jason Williams for National Player-of-the-Year honors, while Kansas' Andrew Gooden and Connecticut's Caron Butler rounded out our first team.  The HOOP SCOOP's Second Team Post-Season All-American Team includes Indiana's Jared Jeffries, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau, Missouri's Kareem Rush, and Duke's Michael Dunleavy.   The third team includes Marquette's Dwayne Wade, Oregon's Fred Jones, Oregon's Luke Ridnour, Oklahoma's Hollis Price, and Stanford's Casey Jacobsen.  As for our NCAA Final Four predictions, we like Maryland over Kansas by four and Oklahoma over Indiana by a dozen.  I can't help but remember Dick "Hoops' Weiss telling me a month ago that he tought the Sooners would be the pre-season favorite to win the NCAA Championship a year from now.  Well, we think he's going to be a year too late, as Kelvin Sampson does something that another retiring head coach (Billy Tubbs) never did at Oklahoma (win the NCAA Championship).  So make it Oklahoma over Maryland by two in overtime!

Saturday, March 23, 2002 & Sunday, March 24, 2002

EA Sports is the new sponsor for the Roundball Classic this year, so, instead of being the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic, they're now calling Vaccaro's game, which is now in its 38th year, the 2002 EA Sports Roundball Classic.  The game will be held on Tuesday, March 26th at 7:00 PM at the United Center in Chicago, IL and each team will feature 10 players.  The East Squad will include 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'9 Torin Francis from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, 6'10 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Sani Ibrahim from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and the West Squad will include 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'10 DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'4 Antonio Lawrence from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Antonie Wright from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA.   And, if you also include, 6'11 Paul Davis from Rochester (H.S.) MI, who is listed on the West Squad, but who is hurt and won't play, the game will feature 11 McDonald's All-American (Felton, Bosh, Collins, Roberson, Fraser, Horton, Buckman, Francis, Dockery, Ingram,and Davis).  Throw in Cooke and Wright, both of whom are easily good enough to have been in the game; Ray, Ibrahim, Alexander, Lawrence, Sumpter and Williams, all whom were borderline good enough to have made the McDonald's All-American Game; and White and Novak, who are ranked in the 50 to 100 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but both have the upside and potential to move much higher.  In other words, the talent level in this year's game has never been better and, as a result, we're looking forward to bringing you all the highlights from the game on Wednesday. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that New York (Rice) NY beat Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 61-53, last at the Civic Center in Glen Falls, NY to win the New York State Championship.  And they did so without 7'2 Jr Shagari Alleyne, 6'7 Soph Arturo Dubois, and 6'1 Kenny Eusey, all three of whom were left at home due to academic troubles.  Instead, 5'7 Keydren Clark, 6'1 Steve Burtt, 6'1 Soph Russell Robinson, and 5'10 Jason Wingate combined for 51 of Rice's 61 points in the title game.   Clark, who is an absolute steal for St. Peter's, was also the Rice's leading scorer in the championship game.  Burtt, who was the leading scorer with 14 points, and Wingate, who had 13 points and hit the game winning shot off the glass with two second left, were also the heroes in the semi-finals on Friday night when Rice knocked off Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 50-48.  However, the best performance in the New York State Final Four belonged to 5'10 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who showed why he is widely regarded as the #1 sophomore in the nation, as well as potentially the best point guard to ever come out of New York City.  Not only did Telfair score 30 of his team's 48 points, but he also had 25 of his team's 30 points in the second half. Syracuse (Henninger) NY beat Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 60-56, on Friday night to set up yesterday's state championship game, but the most intriguing story that Naclerio is following right now involves 6'3 Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY.  If you will recall, Douby signed with Hofstra last fall, but now it looks like he is having second thoughts about playing for the Flying Dutchmen next season.  Apparently Douby, who was the second best senior in New York City this season by behind 6'1 Gary Ervin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, thinks he's made a mistake and now wants to go to a big time school, like Syracuse or Mississippi State.  But to do this, he first will have to either not make it academically and go the prep school route or sit out as a transfer next year.  And if Hofstra doesn't release Douby from his National Letter-Of-Intent, he'd then have to sit out two years.  And we wouldn't blame Hofstra if they didn't grant him the release.   Remember, they did their homework, stole him early, and didn't recruit anybody else at his position.  Now the value of Douby's stock has gone off the Richter Scale and, as a result, people are telling him  the road into the NBA will be easier, if he plays at school in the Big East instead of the Colonial Athletic Association.   However, we're not so sure and a great example was Speedy Claxton, who was a star at Hofstra prior to becoming one of the better young point guards in the NBA.  So is it better to be a big fish in a big pond or a big fish in a small pond?   What would you do if you were in Douby's shoes?  You can tell us by answering tomorrow's "Question of the Day."

Lavel Johnson, who is the Mississippi Editor for both the HOOP SCOOP and MidSouth-Hoops.Com, says the main topic of conversation in his backyard right now is the loaded junior and sophomore classes in Mississippi.  However, this year's senior class does have four high D-1 level players of which Johnson favors 6'3 Jerikus Singleton from Clinton (H.S.) MS.   Singleton is the most complete player of the four," says Johnson.  "He can play point or two guard, handles the ball well, shoots the three, and can post or take his man off the dribble.  He also sees the floor, finds the open man well, and rebounds well for a guard."   The other top players are 6'5 Sam Richardson from Utica (Hinds AHS) MS, 6'4 Jason Forte from Bay Springs (H.S.) MS and 6'9 Byron Sanders from Gulfport (Harrison Central) MS.  "Richardson, a University of Southern Mississippi signee, is a tall, strong, athletic combo guard who excels by attacking the rim," says Johnson.  "Richardson also has a streaky jump shot and good ball handling skills.  Forte, who committed to Boston College in the fall, but has yet to sign, is a sharp shooting two guard with range.  Sanders, who has committed to North Carolina, is a tall long rebounder and shot blocker who has shown an improved offensive game.  None of the four would turn a program around or be a savior, but all have the ability to be solid 4-year contributors."  Two other players in this senior class who Johnson thinks are worth noting are 6'8 Roderick Smith from Canton (H.S.) MS and 6'3 Ricky Hood from Tupelo (H.S.) MS.   "Smith, whose engine never stops running, is a good rebounder and shot blocker, runs the floor well, and can hit the mid-range jumper," says Johnson.   "Hood, who has committed to Tennessee Tech, shoots the ball really well, has range, the ability to put the ball on the floor, and drive. While both are being recruited by mid-to-low D-1 teams, both have the abilities to be solid contributors to a high D-1 program."  Johnson also tells us the junior class has at least 11 or 12 high D-1 players, which is an extremely high number for Mississippi.  At the top of his list are 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS and 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who are both ranked among the top 10 juniors in the nation.  "Butler is a big man with a variety of skills," says Johnson. "While Butler is very good low post scorer, rebounder and shot blocker, part of what makes him so special are his passing and ball handling skills.  Outlaw is a high flyer who attacks the rim, or anything near it, with a vengeance and has a steady but explosive outside game." Other juniors who should be familiar to recruiters are 6'7 Jr Kenny Hooks from Hurley (East Central) MS, 6'7 Jr Emanual Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS and 6'4 Jr Vincent Camper from Oxford (H.S.) MS and prepping to move up on the list are 6'4 Jr Detric Slater from Waynesboro (Wayne County) MS, 6'7 Jr Jason Watson from Pascagoula (H.S.) MS; 6'3 Jr Currye Todd from Holy Springs (H.W. Byers) MS, 6'3 Jr Jeff Webb from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'3 Jr Terrick Willoughby from Biloxi (H.S.) MS; and 6'5 Jr Lamar Sanders from Hickory (Flat) MS.   In the sophomore class the big name - 6'8 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS - is one of the top five sophomores in the nation.  "Jefferson's game is all about power,"says Johnson.  "He is an outstanding scorer on the low blocks, finishing many of his moves with dunks, can hit the short jump shot, and fericely pursues rebounds." Another top prospect is 6'7 Soph Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS.   "Thomas, Jefferson's summer teammate, possesses a nice jump shot with three-point range, can score on the blocks, is a good rebounder, runs the floor and finishes strong," says Johnson.  The sleeper in the sophomore class could well be 6'7 Soph Charles Rhodes from Forest (H.S.) MS.  "Rhodes, who also plays with Jefferson and Thomas in the summer, possesses a nice stroke on his jumper and can shoot it from deep," says Johnson.   "He also shows the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop, plus he is a good rebounder."  Other sophomores with high D-1 potential are 6'5 Soph Bobby Clark from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'4 Soph Henry Salters from Gulfport (H.S.) MS, 5'10 Soph Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'8 Soph Christian Marshall from Jackson (Wingfield) MS and 6'8 Soph Mekel Marshall from Jackson (Callaway) MS.   Johnson also tells us that no report on Mississippi would be complete without a mention of 6'2 Frosh Monte Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS.  "Ellis exploded onto the scene this season leading his Bulldogs to a state title," says Johnson.  "He possess a deadly long range jumper that he seems to be able to get off at any time.  If guarded too closely he is able to blow by most defenders and he does a good job of getting his teammates involved.  Ellis never seems to get rattled and plays the whole game with the same expression.  This young man definitely is one of the five freshmen in the nation." Further evidence of how good Ellis is comes from the fact that he made the Jackson Clarion-Ledger Second Team All-State, which was published today.  The first team included Butler, Outlaw, Forte, Jefferson, and Salters, who led his team to a 37-1 record and 5-A state title.   Butler was also named Mr. Basketball in the state. 

Friday, March 22, 2002

Dan Wetzel of CBS SportLine is reporting that the University of Cincinnati head coach Bubby Huggins is taking the West Virginia job.  However, our sources tell us it's not a done deal yet.  We think it's going to happen, but we also think there is still some eliminate of doubt.   As a matter of fact, we don't think Huggins has totally made up his mind and, even if he has, we still think there is a possibility that he may change his mind.  In other words, we think it's probably about 90% sure he's going to take the West Virginia job, but, if he doesn't, Wetzel, as well as everybody else who is reporting that it's already done, will have egg on his face.  Our guess is that Huggins will take a few days to reflect on things and make an official announcement early next week.  One person who does appear to believe that Huggins is going to West Virginia is University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey, who earlier this afternoon took the South Alabama job.  This comes as somewhat of a surprise, because we thought Pelphrey would wait until Huggins had made an official announcement.  One announcement that did occur earlier today came from the University of Louisville.   Believe it or not Carlos Hurt has been kicked off the team.   Actually we've been hearing for some time that Hurt may not be at Louisville next season, so there was an obvious need for the Cardinals to bring in a quality point guard in this recruiting class.  However, when 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ made a verbal commitment to the Cardinals earlier this week, we didn't look for it to only take four days for Hurt to be out.  Why Hurt is following in the footsteps of Brandon Bender, who was kicked off the team in late January, is a mystery?  But we do know that Hurt had narrowed his list of schools to Arizona and Louisville prior to picking the Cardinals in June during the summer prior to his senior year.  The key as to whether Hurt transfers to Arizona will likely be whether Josh Pastner, who currently has an administrative position with the Wildcats, remains on the staff.   Remember, Pastner is one of the hot young guys in the business and, as a result, is on the fast track in terms of moving up the coaching ladder.   One possibility would be for Pastner to move into a full-time assistant coaching position at Arizona, if Jay John, who is the #1-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, gets a head coaching job this spring.  Another possibility would be if Pastner gets an assistant coaching job at another top level school.  And, if that happens, don't be surprised if Hurt transfers to that school.   A third possibility would be for Pastner to get the head coaching job at Prairie View A&M and, if that happens, Hurt playing for the Panthers isn't as farfetched as you might think.  If you will recall, Hurt, who at the time attended high school at Alief (Elsik-Alief) TX, played the basketball of his life for the Houston Hoops two summers ago.  And the head coach of his team was Josh Pastner!  In other words, wherever Pastner goes, Hurt is likely to follow.  However, there is always the chance that Pastner will remain in his current position for another year or two at Arizona and, if that happens, Texas A&M becomes the odds-on-favorite.  Rememeber, Hurt is close friends with 6'4 Marcus Watkins from College Station (Consolidated) TX, who not only signed with the Aggies last fall, but whose father, Melvin Watkins, is the head coach at Texas A&M. 

Thursday, March 21, 2002

For all those people who didn't know when I recently asked where to find an official list of Division I Coaching Changes, you can find one on CNN/SI's web site at http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/college/news/2002/03/12/coaching_changes/.   And upon checking our unofficial tally against the official list it is obvious that the openings at Alcorn State, Bethune-Cookman, Long Island, Prairie View A&M, and Wofford had all slipped through the cracks.  And when you add Washington and Wisconsin-Green Bay, both of which opened yesterday, the number of Division I Coaching Changes that have already occured  is now up to 28 and counting.  And only six (Albany with Will Brown, Florida State with Leonard Hamilton, Liberty with Randy Dunton, Long Island with Jim Ferry, Virginia Commonwealth with Jeff Capel III, and Wofford with Mike Young) of those job has already been filled.  In other words, there are 22 jobs (Alcorn State, Arkansas, Army, Bethune-Cookman, Boise State, Bradley, Chattanooga, College of Charleston, DePaul, Fresno State, Lehigh, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico, Norfolk State, Prairie View A&M, South Alabama, Texas Christian, UAB, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin-Green Bay) that are currently open, which means the ripple effect has hardly even began.  Like, who gets the Southern Illinois job, if Bruce Weber, who was the top assistant coach for Gene Keady at Purdue for 20 years, returns to his old stamping grounds?  Remember, it has been rumored that Keady is going to retire and Weber is now one of the hottest guys in the business after Salukis knocked off Texas Tech and Georgia in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.  Like, who Missouri, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Gonzaga, or Saint Louis will hire if Quin Snyder, Dan Monson, Ben Hawland, Mark Few, or Lorenzo Romar take the University of Washington job?  Like, who would get the Kent State job, if Stan Heath moves onto to someplace like Cincinnati job, if Bobby Huggins takes the West Virginia job?  The Huggins situation is especially interesting, because there is so much speculation out there right now.  If you will recall, we've been predicting for several weeks that Huggins will take the West Virginia job, but several days ago Digger Phelps was heard speculating on ESPN that Huggins was using this as bargaining ploy to get a better deal at Cincinnati.  Then, it seemed to tilt the other way yesterday when we started to hear the rumor that Huggins was going to take the West Virginia job, because he was getting forced out at Cincinnati.  Anybody who believes that Huggins is getting forced out after winning 25 games a year for seven consecutive seasons will probably believe that Tony Yates, who went 70-100 at Cincinnati during the six years prior to when the Huggins era began, is coming back for a second stint at the helm of the Bearcats.  There really are some people who will believe just about anything!  And today there was a story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by Gerry Dulac with headlines saying "Coaching:   Huggins won't return to coach" and "WVU Source:  Cincinnati coach reconsiders after meeting."  You can find the entire story by going to the Post-Gazette's web site, but the first two paragraphs are what is really important. "Bob Huggins, who appeared ready to leave the University of Cincinnati after 13 seasons to return to the town where he was born, played and coached, has apparently changed his mind and likely will not become the new head basketball coach at West Virginia, a source close to Huggins said last night.  After meeting with West Virginia officials the past two days, Huggins apparently decided against returning home and trying to rejuvenate a program that has longed for the glory days since the Jerry West era." We find this especially interesting, because we have several sources who don't think Huggins has decided one way or another.  But for the same reasons (Huggins has never been appreciated the way he should be at Cincinnati, an alumnus of West Virgina, and still maintains strong ties to West Virginia) we originally thought Huggins would leave Cincinnati, we still think it's only a matter of days before he becomes the next head coach of the Mountaineers.  Our guess is that an official announcement will be forthcoming early next week.  That way he will have a chance to tell his players, who will return from spring break on Sunday, and they won't have to hear about it on Sports Center.  We also suspect that Huggins will be able to recruit just as well at West Virginia as he did at Cincinnati.  As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if 6'4 Tony Bobbitt, who is one top junior college players in the nation, and 6'2 Soph Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, who is the best sophomore in the state of Ohio, both don't follow Huggins to West Virginia.  If you will recall, Bobbitt verbally committed to the Bearcats in early January, and Butler made an early commitment several weeks ago.  However, if we're wrong and Huggins remains at Cincinnati, University of Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey would be a tremendous consolation prize for the Mountaineers.  And, if Huggins takes West Virginia, how about Pelphrey for Cincinnati?  Unfortunately that isn't likely to happen, because we don't think the Bearcats will give a top level assistant coach a chance.  So you can probably also rule out Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin, who might be the best candidate for the Cincinnati job, because he understands all the dynamics that make Cincinnati such a tough job, plus they wouldn't have to worry about any of the current players transferring.  Remember, Cronin, who was an assistant coach at Cincinnati prior to moving to Louisville a year ago, recruited all of Cincinnati's current players.  Instead, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd appears to be the name we hear the most, if Huggins leaves.  We're also starting to hear Pelphrey's name for DePaul, but for that to happen he would first have to turn down South Alabama and find out that Huggins isn't taking West Virginia.  Assuming Pelphrey doesn't jump first at South Alabama (it has been offered to him), Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall appears to next in line for the Jaguars.  The latest name we've heard for UAB is Arkansas assistant coach Mike Anderson and former Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Jerry West appears to be in line for the Atlanta Hawks job.  And that could be important for our purposes, because current Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger soon may be another candidate for some of the college coaches positions that will be opening.  We also believe that former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett's may have a lot to say about who gets the Wisconsin-Green Bay job.  The smart money is probably on Bennett's son, Tony Bennett, who is still an assistant coach at Wisconsin.  However, Saint Louis assistant coach Brad Soderberg also has several advantages.  Not only did Soderberg get the interim head coaching job when Bennett retired a year ago at Wisconsin, but we understand the athletic director at Wiscosin-Green Bay has Saint Louis ties.  But all bets are off regarding Soderberg going to Wisconsin-Green Bay, if Romar gets the Washington or Washington State job.  Apparently the Billikens are well aware that Soderberg has an extremely bright future and, as a result, appears to be Romar's heir apparent.  Believe it or not, we also have the perfect candidate for the Prairie View A&M job.  We're talking about Josh Pastner, who is one of the bright young guys in the business.  Pastner is currently in an administrative position at Arizona, but already has head coaching experience from his days with the Houston Hoops AAU team and it's obvious that he knows how to deal with all the egos, travel, and other intragaseies that go hand-in-hand with running a low level Division I program.  Remember, Louisville point guard Carlos Hurt, who finished the summer prior to his senior year ranked among our top five players nationally, has never come close to duplicating the consistency that he achieved while playing for Pastner and the Houston Hoops.

Wednesday, March 20, 2002

We are still waiting for our Linzy Davis to get his updated Georgia Report into our hands and he'd better hurry, because the drop dead date is Sunday, March 24th, unless he wants to wait until May.  Remember, all hell is about to break loose beginning next week, as Tuesday, March 26th, I'll be in Chicago, IL for the Sonny Vaccaro Roundball Classic; Wednesday, March 27th, through Tuesday, April 2nd, I'll be in Atlanta, GA for the NCAA Final Four; Thursday, April 4th, I'll be in New York, NY for the McDonald's All-American Game; Friday, April 5th, through Monday, April 8th, I'll be in Las Vegas, NV for both the Pump and Run Eastern Classic and Las Vegas Desert Shootout; Thursday, April 11th, I'll be in Washington, DC for the Jordan Capital Classic; Friday, April 12th, and Saturday, April 13th, I'll be in Louisville, KY  for the Derby Classic; Friday, April 19th, through Sunday, April 21st, I'll be Louisville, KY for the Hoop Stars Classic; Friday, April 26th, through Sunday, 28th, I'll be in Houston, TX  for the Kingwood Classic; and Friday, May 3rd, through Sunday, May 5th, I'll be in Ft. Wayne, IN for the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic.  In other words, traveling, watching games, and writing about the latest recruiting news and coaching changes are going to occupy almost all of my attention for the next month-and-a-half.  However, we are at least half-way home regarding items that we've had on hold for a long time, as Wayne Simone's New England Report is finally ready for publication.  Included in this report are Simone's six five-man All-New England Teams, which include the top players regardless of class and position, my article: "Keeping Track of Who Belongs Where in New England," and Simone's ranking of the top 60 seniors, top 37 juniors, top 33 sophomores, and top 16 freshman, which can be found either by clicking on the link under the All-New England Teams or by clicking on Simone Ranks 'Em:  The Top High School Players In New England.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002

New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla resigned on Sunday, Bob Weltlich got bought out this morning by South Alabama, and Leonard Hamilton was named as the new head coach at Florida State this afternoon, but it's still kind of like the calm before the storm or the eye of the hurricane.  Currently we know of 21 jobs that have already opened (Albany, Arkansas, Army, Boise State, Bradley, College of Charleston, DePaul, Florida State, Fresno State, Lehigh, Liberty, Long Beach State, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico, Norfolk State, South Alabama, Texas Christian, UAB, UT-Chattanooga, Virginia Commonwealth, and West Virginia), but with the ripple effect and the NCAA Final Four just around the corner that number could double and possibly even triple by the end of the spring.  We're already hearing former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd and Creighton head coach Dana Altman being mentioned for New Mexico.   Florida assistant coach John Pelphrey already appears to be a lock for South Alabama.  However, if Pelphrey doesn't take South Alabama, McNeese State head coach Tic Price, Winthrop head coach Greg Marshall, and Auburn assistant coach Mike Wilson appear to be some of the next guys in line.  Getting back to Pelphrey, he may not be in any big hurry to make a decision about South Alabama, because it looks like he's #2 on the list for the West Virginia job behind Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins.  Remember, Huggins not only played at West Virginia, but also was a graduate assistant coach for the Mountaineers.   As a matter of fact, retiring head coach Gale Catlett fired Huggins from his graduate assistant position and, as a result, there has been bad blood between the two ever since.  Making the story even more intriguing is the fact that Huggins eventually followed Catlett at Cincinnati and now he has a chance to replace him at West Virginia.  Talk about poetic justice!  Florida State is the perfect fit for Hamilton.  Not only will he be able to recruit like crazy, but he likely will do what another former University of Kentucky assistant coach, Billy Donovan, has done at the University of Florida with the Gators.  We're talking about not only making the Seminoles one of the perennial powerhouse teams in college basketball, but also giving the fans something to look forward to between fall and spring football.  And Florida State isn't the only program that is on the rise in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.  Did you know that Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt got a two-year contract extension last Friday?  In other words, his job is not only secure, but he's perfectly positioned to be in the same spot a year from now that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek is in right now.  Remember, just about everybody will be back next year for the Tigers and that added year of experience can make a huge difference.  It's also only a matter of time before Paul Hewitt gets it done at Georgia Tech.  Not only did he land a top five player in the nation in 6'10 Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX last fall, but he's been spending a lot of time in New York City laying the groundwork for the future with guys like 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair and 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY.  And don't forget about Wake Forest, which has some excellent young players in the program, like 6'9 Jamal Levy and 6'8 Vytas Danelius, as well as another excellent recruiting class in the fold, and Virginia, which should be dramatically improved with the return of Majestic Mapp, who has been sidelined for two years due to injuries, and the addition of Todd Billet, both at point guard.  In other words, it could be another tough season for North Carolina next year, because the rest of the league is going to get real good real fast.  Sure, the Tar Heels will be as good as anybody at the one, two, and the three spots with 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'4 Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, Melvin Scott, and Jawad Williams.  However, 6'8 Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN promises to be their only quality inside player, plus it's tough to win in the Atlantic Coast Conference when your top six players are all freshmen and sophomores.  Given time we're sure head coach Matt Doherty will get it done in a big way, but we hope Tar Heels fans realize that it may take more than just one more year to totally turn things around.  Speaking of the Tar Heels, we've heard rumors about 6'6 Jackie Manuel wanting to transfer, plus 6'2 Brian Morrison has already asked for and been granted his release to transfer from North Carolina.  Our guess is that Morrison will end up at either Gonzaga or Washington. 

We have confirmed that Jeff McMillan and Adrian Walton both have been granted their releases from Fordham University, plus our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks it's only a matter of time before Fordham's Smush Parker enters his name into the NBA Draft.  If that weren't enough turmoil for the Rams after a disasterous 8-20 season, we also continue to hear rumors about Fordham University head coach Bob Hill taking an assistant coaching position with the Denver Nuggets.  However, sources close to the Fordham program tell us that Hill has no plans to leave.  Instead, the only change appears to be the type of players they're recruiting.  Obviously a big part of the problem has been that the players were more concerned about their future in the NBA than  helping the Rams win basketball games.  So now the coaching staff is targeting players who they think will embrace the all the little things that will help build a strong foundation.  Mark Jarrell-Wright, Glen Batemon, and Michael Haynes, who are already in the program, will provide a good nucleus, plus 6'2 John Blackgrove from Winchendon (School) MA who signed last fall, is a good start in what now promises to be a good five-man recruiting class.  We also understand the Rams are close to getting verbal commitments from 6'8 Manny Messy from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and 6'8 Joe Holmes from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, plus they are targeting a point guard who can make an immediate impact, like 6'1 Jermaine Anderson from Toronto, ON, 6'0 Carl Elliott from Pauling (Trinity Pauling) NY, 5'11 Jose Juan Barea from Miami (Christian) FL, and 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, and a big man, most likely somebody from abroad.  Getting back to the two players who are transferring from Fordham, it looks like Pittsburgh is the leader over Villanova and St. John's for McMillan and Iona has the inside track on Walton.  And Fordham isn't the only school targeting Elliott, as he appears to be the subject of an intense recruiting battle that also includes George Washington, Marquette, and Manhattan.  Another prime target for Manhattan is 6'3 Sheldon Franklin from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and, if head coach Bobby Gonzalez can add both Franklin and Elliott to a recruiting class that already includes 5'8 Kenny Minor from Winchendon (School) MA, he should able to continue the dramatic improvement he's made in the program during his three season as head coach of the Jaspers (during the Gonzalez era Manhattan has gone from losing 20 games a year to winning 20 games a year).  In other words, don't be surprised if Gonzalez  not only is one of the hottest coaches in the nation a year from now, but follows in the footsteps of Villanova head coach Jay Wright, as Gonzalez waits for the right big time job in the Northeast to open.  How about Temple, if Owls head coach John Chaney retires a year from now, St. John's, if Mike Jarvis moves onto the NBA, or Rutgers, if Gary Waters goes back to the Midwest for a job like Purdue or DePaul?  Speaking of DePaul, the latest list seems to include Houston head coach Ray McCallum, Ball State head coach Tim Buckley, and Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory.  However, we continue to hear rumors about Indiana head coach Mike Davis being interested in the Blue Demons job.  We also still think Alabama assistant T.R. Dunn is the leading candidate to replace Murry Bartow at UAB, but Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey, Cincinnati assistant coach Andy Kennedy, and Marquette assistant coach Darin Horn all either have ties to the school or to the Deep South and are ranked among the top assistant coaches in the business by the HOOP SCOOP.   Oklahoma assistant coach Ray Lopes appears to be in line for the Boise State job and Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, and former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson are some of the names we're hearing for the Arkansas job.  Yes, it appears that Richardson may be on the verge of getting his old job back.  At least the president of the school is thinking about and, if he caves in, it is our editorial opinion that he will become just as infamous as Indiana University president Myles Brand after he allowed Bob Knight to remain at IU two years ago once the Neil Reid video tape was made public.  In other words, it would be better for both the University of Arkansas and Richardson, if he moved on and got a chance to make a fresh start.  We also hear that Kansas assistant coach Neil Dougherty has returned for a second interview at Texas Christian, so don't be surprised when Dougherty, who is ranked as the #2 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, gets the TCU job.

It is now official for 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (JC) AZ, who made a verbal commitment to the University of Louisville last night.   Davis is not ranked among the top junior college point guards on any of the lists we've seen, but he has come on like gangbusters this spring and, as a result, was one of the top two junior college point guards still available, along with 5'11 Ricky Clemons from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who appears to be close to making a verbal commitment of his own to the University of Missouri.  This commitment is significant, because it moves Louisville's recruiting class, which also includes 6'10 Kendall Dartez from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, up from #16 into a tie at #8, along with Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  And if you were to count 6'10 Marvin Stone, who transferred from the University of Kentucky to the University of Louisville in January, the Cardinals recruiting class would be tied for #2, along with Iowa State.  However, it has always been the HOOP SCOOP's policy not to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes, even though they do count towards the number of players a school can bring in over a two-year period (five one-year and four the next).  The University of Louisville also is involved with a number of the top juniors in the nation, including 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP on our  updated list of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.  And this came as somewhat of a surprise when Nate Blue of RealScout.com told us this on our radio show Sunday night.  We'd always been told that Villanueva and Garcia, who signed with the Cardinals last fall, were rivals.  However, in this case it looks like blood is thinker than water (both players are from the same country).   Blue also told us that Villanueva is considering Tennessee, Kentucky, St. John's, Syracuse,  Seton Hall, and Villanova.  Speaking of Villanova, it looks like the Wildcats are the leader for Villanueva and this is especially significant coming on the heels of signing four of the top six seniors in the New York Metropolitan area last fall in 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY.  And, if that weren't enough, Blue also tells us that Villanova is very strong with the 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   In other words, Villanova's recruiting incredible dominance in the New York City area continues!

Monday, March 18, 2002

The irony of it all!  A week ago we were speculating on whether the University of Kentucky and UCLA jobs might open this spring.   Well, we still think Kentucky will open, because Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith is expected to land a head coaching job in the NBA, most likely Philadelphia 76ers.  But now Smith, who is a much better coach than most Wildcat fans have recently given him credit for being, will be able to go out on his own terms after what was a very frustrating regular season.  And should Smith, who is ranked #10 on our Exclusive Ranking of the Top 25 Head Coaches in the College Game Today, knock off Maryland in the semi-finals of the NCAA East Regional on Friday night, he would be able to once again write his own ticket.  Remember, Smith already has one NCAA Final Four on his resume and the talent this his Wilcats team is every bit as good as Maryland's.  Instead, the question all season long at Kentucky had been chemistry and off-the-court issues.   UCLA's Steve Lavin is in the same boat.  UCLA fans have been on his case for years, because he loses meaningless games in December against teams like Cal State-Northridge and Pepperdine, but in March he's silenced his critics, as he's gone to the NCAA Sweet 16 five out of his six years as head coach of the Bruins.  Making the story even more intriguing is the fact Missouri's Quin Synder, who also has rebounded from mediocre Big-12 Conference season, has been one of the names that UCLA fans have been tossing around as Lavin's possible successor.  While that should give Lavin and his team plenty of motivation in Thursday night's semi-finals game in the West Regional against Missouri, Synder won't need any extra motivation to get Kareem Rush, Travon Bryant, and Wesley Stokes ready to play.  If you will recall, Lavin didn't make Bryant a recruiting priority until it was too late and he never had any interest in Stokes, whose first choice all along was UCLA, at all.  And Rush's older brother, JaRon Rush, who was disqualified from playing most of his sophomore year due to recruiting violations stemming from his days with the CMH's 76ers and Myron Pigge, played at UCLA prior to going hardship into the NBA Draft following his sophomore season.  In other words, these aren't the typical underdogs that you'd find in the NCAA Sweet 16.  Instead, these are powerhouse teams that have underachieved all season, but suddenly have gotten a chip on their shoulder and appear ready to make a serious run deep into the NCAA Tournament.  While some teams have played their hearts out all season long and don't have much left for a sustained run in March, teams like Kentucky, UCLA, and Missouri suddenly appear to be fresh and rejuvenated again.  Not only is all this ironic, but it presents us with a very interesting "Question of the Day" .  If you are one of the best teams in the nation and you're likely to get into the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens during the regular season, is it better to push your team all season long and attempt to get the highest seed possible in the tournament (i.e. Cincinnati and Alabama)?  Or is it better not to worry too much about the regular season and focus more on getting your team ready for the NCAA Tournament?  Maybe even losing in the first round (i.e. UCLA, and Kentucky) or second round (i.e. Missouri) of your conference tournament would be a good idea, because it would give your team an extra couple of days to rest and prepare for the games that really matter later in the month of March. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on an early verbal commitment that was made to Valparaiso earlier today by 6'2 Jr Jimmy Miles from Homewood (Christian) IL.  Miles, who is ranked #159 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the third player in the Class of 2003 to have made an early verbal commitment to the Crusaders.  If you will recall, 6'8 Jr Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN, who is ranked #22 nationally in the junior class on our updated list of the Top Players in the Class of 2003, made one of the earliest commitments ever when he announced for the Crusaders prior to the start of his sophomore year a-year-and-a-half ago, and 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #89 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, committed to the Valparaiso in December.  In other words, the Crusaders continue to recruit like they are a member of the Big-10 Conference, instead of the Mid-Continent Conference.  Remember, a year ago their recruiting class was ranked #29 nationally with only three recruits - 6'4 Antonio Falu from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'3 Stalin Ortiz from Twin Rivers (JC) IA, and 6'6 Ali Berdiel from Gary (Andrean) IN.  And the Crusaders aren't done yet, because they still have two more scholarships to give, perhaps to foreign players.  Remember, Valparasio assistant coach Scott Drew recruits internationally like Mick Cronin recruits in the United States (he's everywhere).  And with the limitations on events that college coaches can attend domestically, you can bet Drew will be heading to Europe to attend the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany, as well as three other 18-under European qualifying tournaments from which the top teams will advance to the European National Tournament in Germany in July.  Speaking of the Albert Schweitzer Games, which will be held in Manheim, Germany, April 1st-6th, the American Team will include 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA, 6'3 Soph Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, 6'10 Kevin Pittsnogle from Martinsburg (H.S.) WA, 6'6 Jr Elijah Clarke from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'9 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Brandon Bowman from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Jr Joshua Washington from Bay St. Louis (St. Stanislaus) MS, 6'5 Alex Spotts from Lexington (H.S.) SC, 6'2 David Cantor from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and two European dependants (Travis Wesley and Thomas Whinnell.  You get all the highlights from the Albert Schweitzer Games beginning on April 2nd at www.usastteam.com.  Speaking of Cronin and the University of Louisville, rumor has it that 6'4 Prileu Davis from Phoenix (College) AZ has verbally committed to the Cardinals.  However, as was in the case of 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Regional Valley) NJ, this is unconfirmed.  Our guess is that just like Cooke, Davis may have told the Cardinals coaching that he wants to come, but no official announcement has been forthcoming.  So how good is Davis?  Well, Jeff Schneider, who is  now one of the foremost authorities on junior college players in the nation, thinks he's one of the top two unsigned junior point guards available.  Not only can Davis shoot, pass, and handle, but he has been attracting interest from schools like Kansas, Minnesota, and New Mexico after having recenlty having 32, 47, and 49-point games.   So, if this does hold up, it looks like Cardinals have solved their point guard question mark for next year.  If you will recall, 6'2 Carlos Hurt, who has yet to duplicate the way he played for the Houston Hoops prior to the summers before his junior year and senior year in high school, remains a question mark after being lost for the season due to back problems, plus his replacement, Bryant Northern, isn't more than a good role player on a top level college team. 

Sunday, March 17, 2002

Believe it or not, 13 of the top 225 players in the Class of 2003 have already made verbal commitments to four-year Division I schools.  We're talking about 6'8 Jr Kennth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN to Valparaiso, 6'10 Stefan Zimmerman from Orem (Mountain View) UT to Utah, 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA to Virginia, 6'9 Jr Darian Townes from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'8 Jr Ivan Harris from Springfield (South) OH to Ohio State, 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Carolina) VA to St. John's, 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centerreach (Our Savior New American) NY to Valparaiso, 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA to Penn State, 6'3 Jr Robert McIver from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'4 Jr Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN to Tennessee, 6'4 Jr Michael Henderson from Waterloo (East) IA to Iowa State, 6'3 Jr Jordan Howell from Madison (Bob Jones) AL to Georgia, and Phil Tomlinson from Burleson (H.S.) TX to Colorado State.  To find out where each of these players is ranked, as well as all the rest of the players who are on our updated list of the Top 225 Players in the Class of 2003, click on Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.     While there aren't a lot of significant changes from our last ranking of the Top Players in the Class, which came out in November, 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX and 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL are the two who have moved into the top echelon of the class.  Ebi checks in at #2 and McBride is now #12 in the class.   The best position at the top of the class is the center spot, which features eight players - 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Jr Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, 7'3 Jr Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'11 Jr David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, Harris, 6'11 Jr Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'9 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, and Zimmerman - among the top 30 players nationally.  However, the center spot is still the weakest position in terms of depth, as only 31 centers are listed among our top 225 nationally.  The deepest positions are the point guard and the wing forward spots, which both have 50 players listed among  our top 225, followed by the 2-guard spot with 48 players and the power forward spot with 46 players.  In contrast, the point guard spot is clearly the weakest position at the top of the class, as only four players at that position - 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'3 Jr Mustafa Shukar form Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'0 Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, and 5'11 Jr Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX - are ranked among our top 30 nationally.  Three states (Texas, Mississippi, and California) account for two players each among our top 10.   California also has the most players listed among the top 50 (six) and the top 100 (12), but if you combine New Jersey, which nine players, and New York, which has five players listed among our top 100, those two states collectively come out on top.  And the same can be said about the DC/Maryland/Virginia area, which collectively also have 12 players ranked among our top 100.  When looked at separately Maryland and Virginia both have five players each behind (California (12 players), New Jersey (nine players), Texas (seven players) and Michigan (six players).  In contrast, Michigan and Illinois are the only two states with three players ranked among our top 20, while New Jersey is the only state with four players ranked among our top 25. 

Saturday, March 16, 2002

The tentative rosters for the Derby Classic All-Star Game, which will be held in Louisville, KY on Saturday, April 13th, are about to be released and we understand the Purple Team will include 6'1 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'3 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Dan Grunfeld from Glendale (Nicolet) WI, 6'7 Francisco Garcia from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Steve Novak from Brown Deer (H.S.) WI, 6'7 Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'8 Yusef Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, 6'8 Almany Thiero from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'9 Ike Diogu from Garland (H.S.) TX.  The White Team will include 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY, 6'1 C.J. Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'7 Antoine Wright from Groton (Lawrence) MA, 6'3 Anthony Winchester from Austin (H.S.) IN, 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'5 Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Chaplain-St. Lambert) QU, 6'7 Mario Boggan from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK.  While there is not one McDonald's All-American in the game, Shelden Williams is ranked #5, Wright is ranked #16, McNamara was ranked #18, Bookout is ranked #24, Deron Williams is ranked #29, and Diogu is ranked #40 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and Boggan, Garcia, and Thiero are three of the top 5th school players in the nation.  In other words, almost half the players in the game are the equivalent of being ranked among our top 40 nationally or higher.   And the icing on the cake would be if they get 6'2 Marshall Strickand from Sykesville (South Carroll) MD, who is the #3-ranked 5th year player by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as a legit top 20 player nationally, if you include 5th year players with seniors in high school.  What makes getting Strickland so important is the fact that he has signed with Indiana University and that sells tickets, because Bloomington, IN is only a 100 miles away.  The University of Louisville with Dean and Garcia and the University of Kentucky with Stockton and Cote will also have a pair of recruits in game.  In addition to  Dean and Garcia, Conference USA will be represented by four other players in Hicks (Cincinnati) Thiero (Memphis), Novak (Marquette), and Baker (South Florida).  The Southeastern Conference with Stockton and Cote both to Kentucky, Watson to Tennessee, Modica to Arkansas, and Boggan to Florida will have five representatives, while the Big-12 with Bookout to Oklahoma and Wright to Texas A&M and the Pacific-10 with Diogu to Arizona State and Grunfeld to Stanford each have two players and the Big-10 with Deron Williams to Illinois, the Big East with McNamara to Syracuse, Atlantic Coast Conference with Williams to Duke, and the Sun Belt with Winchester to Western Kentucky all will have one player in the game.  The only player in the game who is currently unsigned is Azubuike, but we believe the University of Kentucky is close to getting a verbal commitment.  

Friday, March 15, 2002