TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Monday, March 31, 2003

Since the mid-80's, the HOOP SCOOP has been second to none in terms of evaluating the top high school players in Memphis, TN.  But it wasn't until we added Andre Whitehead to our staff a year ago that we had the entire state covered like a blanket.  Whitehead not only is one of the hardest working guys in the business, but he is an excellent evaluator of talent and he has tremendous contacts in Eastern part of the state, which means he's the perfect complement to our Tennessee Editor Jim Rothman, who not only is one of the best in the business, but also the big reason why we've always been so strong in the Mid-South.  Obviously this explains why our Tennessee Report, which was published today, is second to none.  Rothman provides his expert analysis about each the top players in the state and together Whitehead and Rothman provide us with a list that includes the top 107 seniors, top 88 juniors, top 61 sophomores, and top 30 freshmen all ranked in order, which can be found by clicking on Whitehead & Rothman Rank 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Tennessee.  We also are very close to publishing our California Report; we're still waiting for our  Linzy Davis to make some final changes to his Georgia Report, and during the NCAA Final Four we expect to receive a finalized copy of the latest New York City Report from Ron Naclerio, which means that report should be published within the next two weeks.  We also have published reports from Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio earlier this year and from Washington, DC Area and North Carolina/South Carolina last fall and we plan to publish New England, Florida, Louisiana/Alabama/Mississippi, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa/Kansas/Missouri/Nebraska/Oklahoma, and Texas Reports between now and the start of the summer.  And, if that weren't enough, we also plan to attend either the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament in Hampton, VA, April 11th-13th, or the Executive Inn East/West All-Star Game in Louisville, KY, April 12th; the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV, April 17th-20th; the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 25th-27th; Spiece Run'N Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN, May 1st-3rd; the IS8 Playoffs in Jamaica, NY, May 15th-16th; Five-Star Hoop Classic in Boston, MA, May 17th-18th; Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC, May 23rd-24th; the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN, May 25th-26th; Pangos All-American Camp in Los Angeles, CA, May 30th-June 1st; Five-Star Basketball Camp at Hampden-Sidney College in Hampden-Sidney, VA, June 15th-16th; and the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA, June 17th-21st.  Obviously this is subject to change, but this is just our what we have in store prior to the start of the Summer Evaluation Period in July.  In other words, while most of the people watching the NCAA Tournament are turning their attention to other things, we're getting a head start on the future.  Maybe we should even write a book.  We could call it "A Real Season Inside."  If you will recall, John Feinstein wrote "A Season Inside," which starts off with Danny Manning getting the rebound in the final seconds of the 1988 NCAA Championship Game and retraces the entire season.  The book that I may write somebody will also begin the night of the NCAA Championship, but the season I plan to focus on will begin the next day and eight months will go by before a college basketball game is played.  Instead, the focus will be on recruiting, the camps and tournaments, and the all the other behind the scenes things that annually give us such incredible insight and, as a result, allow us to start way out in front of most of our competition.  

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'10 Justin Williams from Kankakee (JC) IL, who was ranked as the #3 Center by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, has verbally committed to Kansas State.  Not only does this give Wildcats head coach Jim Woolridge a pair of outstanding junior college players who are capable of stepping in and filling the void that will be created by the graduation of 6'9 Sr Pervis Pasco and 6'8 Sr Matt Siebrandt this spring, but it moves Kansas State's recruiting class up to #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Remember, the Wildcats landed their third consecutive top 20-ranked recruiting class last fall when they signed 5'7 Dez Willingham from DeSota (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jeremiah Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'8 Cartier Martin from Aldine (Nimitz) TX, 6'4 Lance Harris from Columbia (Hickman) MO, and 6'10 Tyler Hughes from Olathe (North Olathe) KS.  And Willingham, who is ranked #35 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, promises to be the perfect back-up to 6'2 Jr Frank Richards next year and then has the talent to emerge into one of the best point guards in the league after Richards graduates.  And the Wildcats also should be excellent out on the perimeter, as 6'3 Jr Tim Ellis, 6'4 Jr Jarrett Hart, and 6'6 Jr Janerio Spurlock all return, plus 6'8 Cartier Martin from Aldine (Nimitz) KS, who is ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has the talent, athleticism, and outside shooting necessary to challenge for a starting spot as a freshman and 6'7 Marques Hayden, who averaged 7.0 ppg and 4.5 rpg as a freshman this year, should contribute even more inside next year.  Sure, Kansas State finished only 13-17 overall and 4-12 in the league this season, but they lost 10 of those games by eight points or less and they did this against teams in the toughest league in college basketball.  In other words, next year is put up or shut up time for the Wildcats, because their top eight players are good enough to play for almost anybody in the country and, as a result, we should be talking about one of the most improved teams in college basketball at this time a year from now.  One of the biggest sleepers to emerge in college basketball this year was Butler, which knocked off Mississippi State and Louisville in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, and it looks like this trend will likely continue, because the Bulldogs landed three players in 6'5 Nick Brooks from Robinson (H.S.) IL, 6'11 James Smalligan form Grand Rapids (East) MI, and 6'5 Brandon Crone from Frankfort (H.S.) IN last fall and now they have gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Brian Ligon from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL.  In other words, we're talking about four players who figure to make an immediate impact next year, including Brooks, who is ranked #71 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is overlooked by most of our competitors, because he's an undersized slasher/athlete who puts up prolific numbers in transition.  Ligon also is a little on the undersized side, but we're talking about a skilled power forward who can score around the basket and is tough on the boards.   Thus, explains why Butler's recruiting class has moved into a tie at #57, along with Princeton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   It also explains why Butler assistant coach Jeff Meyer is ranked #11 on our list of the top assistant coaches at the mid-to-low Division I level.  And just like Kansas State assistant coach Charles Baker, who has played a pivotal role in landing all the players we've mentioned above, you can bet that Meyer's star will continue to rise.

We are starting to hear Marquette head coach Tom Crean's name being mentioned for Georgia, but our guess is that he will hold out in case something better opens, like Kentucky, Illinois, or Michigan State.   Remember, Crean really likes it at Marquette and, as a result, he's not just going to take any job.  However, Crean already is extremely well connected in terms of recruiting in Illinois, we already mentioned his qualifications for Kentucky on Saturday, and he was an assistant coach at Michigan State when the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA Championship. And that's always been Crean's dream job.  The other top candidates for Georgia appear to be Indiana University head coach Mike Davis, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger, and Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton.  It appears that Floyd has turned down Clemson and, as a result, that list has started to expand, as the latest names we're hearing to replace Larry Shyatt at the helm of the Tigers are Davis, Chattanooga head coach Jeff Lebo, and Richmond head coach Jerry Wainwright.  However, we still think the smart money is on Oklahoma State assistant coach Sean Sutton.  We also hear that the NCAA is looking to alleged recruiting violations at Rhode Island that date back to the Jim Harrick era and, as a result, current Rams head coach Jim Baron suddenly is the leading candidate for the Virginia Tech job.  As a matter of fact, we hear that Barron could be named as the head coach of the Hokies as soon as tomorrow.  And, if that happens, the two obvious names for Rhode Island are Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard and Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff.  But we think they both can do better, if they are patient.  The two leading candidates for Wright State appear to be Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi and Pittsburgh assistant coach Jamie Dixon, but we're also starting to hear Winthrop head coach Gregg Marshall and North Carolina assistant coach Doug Wojcik.  We're still believe that Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory is the leading candidate for Illinois State, but they ultimately will do just as well, if they hire Biancardi, Dixon, or Michigan assistant coach Charles Ramsey, who now appear to be the leading candidates for job. Remember, Gregory already makes comparable money at Michigan State.  Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland interviewed for UCLA yesterday and, by all indications, it's his job, if he wants it.  And assuming we're right, our guess is that Pittsburgh will be N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek's job if he wants it, which could cause a ripple effect, whereby, Providence head coach Tim Welch takes N.C. State and Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez takes Providence.  However, if Sendek doesn't want to return to his hometown, then Gonzalez will probably become the next head coach of the Panthers.  We're also hearing that Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy is the leading candidate for Penn State and we think that would be a perfect fit.  Not only is Dunphy a great coach, but he portrays the Ivy League-like image that makes him attractive to Nittany Lion fans and he has proven he not only can recruit in the Philadelphia area, but also nationally.  Former NBA star Kareem Abdul Jabbar, former Duke All-American, and Catholic University head coach Mike Lonergan have already interviewed for the Columbia job, but Iona assistant coach Tony Chiles, Pennsylvania assistant coach Gil Jackson, George Mason assistant coach Mike Gillian, Northwestern assistant coach Paul Lee, and former Rutgers head coach Kevin Bannon are also on the list. 

Sunday, March 30, 2003

It is being reported that the University of Georgia plans to deny the requests from 6'9 Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA, who is ranked #62 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 Jordan Howell from Madison (Jones) AL, who is ranked #238 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both of whom are seeking their releases from the National Letters-of-Intent that they signed with the Bulldogs last fall.  Normally this would mean that Abukar and Howell would both have to sit out two years, if they transferred to another Division I school.  However, due to the fact that Georgia head coach Jim Harrick was forced to resign amid allegations of illegal payments and academic fraud, the smart money says that when these players make an appeal to the Southeastern Conference office, which administers the National Letter-of-Intent, they will win and, as a result, be allowed to transfer to any school in the nation and be eligible to play immediately.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that one of the schools right at the top of Abukar's list is the University of Kentucky.  And, if the Wildcats were to get Abukar and 6'11 Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who is ranked #60 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then we think it would be a lot more difficult for Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith to take either the Charlotte Hornets job or the Philadelphia 76ers job, if either are both are offered to him this spring.  Remember, if 6'9 Sr Marquis Estill, who was a Prop 48 casuality his first year at Kentucky, doesn't graduate on time this spring and petition for another year of eligibility, as things stand now, the tallest players the Wildcats will have in the program next year will be 6'8 Jr Erik Daniels, 6'6 Soph Chuck Hayes, 6'8 Sheray Thomas from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, and 6'7 Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillcrest) NC.  Kentucky also is still being mentioned for 6'10 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and 6'11 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, but we don't think the Wildcats will sign either player this spring.   The word we're getting is that the Southeastern Conference has ruled that no school in the league can take Johnson due to questions regarding his transcript.  So obviously that would eliminate both Georgia and Kentucky.  We've thought for months that Lang wouldn't make it academically and, as a result, would probably just end up putting his name into the NBA Draft this spring.  And his 15-point/10-rebound/7-8 field goal performance four days ago in the McDonald's All-American Game probably propelled him in that direction even further.  We also understand that 6'8 Dennis Latimore, who is transferring from Arizona, is planning on enrolling at the University of Minnesota.  Apparently at least part of the connection is the friendship that Latimore developed with Golden Gophers star Rick Rickert when they were both in high school and being recruited by the Arizona.  This also is worth noting, because it probably means that Rickert, who is expected to be the best player in the Big-10 Conference next year, if he doesn't go hardship into the NBA Draft this spring, will probably be back for at least another year.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report tells us that 6'5 Florentino Valencia from Chicago (Crane) IL, who has made a verbal commitment to the University of Toledo.  What a steal!  Sure, Valencia is a 6'5 undersized power forward, but he's one of our favorite players, because he doesn't take any prisoners inside and everytime we see him he outplays his bigger and supposedly more talented teammate - 6'8 Lorenzo Thompson, who signed last fall with DePaul.  Thus, explains why we have Valencia ranked #9 versus Thompson, who checks in at #13 in our rankings of the top seniors in the state, which can be found by clicking on Illinois Report.   Schmidt also tells us that the leading candidates for the Illinois State job appear to be Weber State head coach Joe Cravens, Pittsburgh assistant coach Jamie Dixon, Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory, and Brian James, who is an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards and was Chris Collins' high school coach.  Our guess is that Schmidt is pushing Gregory for the job.  We also understand that University of Florida assistant coach Donnie Jones may now be the leader for the Murray State job and that former UAB head coach Murry Bartow and UNLV assistant coach Derek Thomas are the leading candidates for the Western Illinois job.  We also believe Thomas is one of the favorites for the Cleveland State job, along with Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor, Michigan assistant coach Charles Ramsey, Michigan State assistant coach Mike Garland, and Rutgers assistant coach Kevin Heck.  Heck's name is especially interesting, because it appears he has a connection with the athletic director at Cleveland State dating back to the Gary Waters era at Eastern Michigan and, thus, explains the strong Michigan ties in terms of who might get hired as the next head coach of the Vikings. 

Saturday, March 29, 2003

A quick look at the HOOP SCOOP's 2002-2003 Pre-Season Top 30 College Teams shows that our #1-ranked pre-season college team (Arizona), our #2-ranked pre-season college team (Oklahoma), our #3-ranked pre-season college team (Kansas), our #4-ranked pre-season college team (Michigan State), and our #5-ranked pre-season college team (Texas) are all still playing in the Elite Eight of this year's NCAA Tournament.  We also had Kentucky ranked higher than anybody, except Basketball News, which had the Wildcats ranked #9 pre-season, and we had Marquette ranked higher than anybody in our 2002-2003 Pre-Season College Team Ranking Comparison, which included the HOOP SCOOP, the Associated Press, USA Today/EPSN, the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, Basketball Times, Street & Smith, Lindy's, the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, and Basketball News.  We did miss on Syracuse, but so did most people, as the highest the Orangemen were ranked was #26 by the Sporting News.  We also had Louisville, which was the hottest team in the nation during a month-and-a-half of the regular season, ranked #10; Connecticut, which took Texas right to the wire in the Sweet 16 last night, ranked #11; and Oklahoma State, which had one of the longest winning streaks in the nation earlier in the season and got knocked off by Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, ranked #19; all higher than anybody else.  A quick look at the HOOP SCOOP's 2002-2003 Pre-Season College All-American Teams also shows that our pre-season National Player-of-the-Year choice was Texas' T.J. Ford.   We also look pretty good on our Sweet 16 picks that we made on this web site on Selection Sunday two weeks ago, as we got all four teams (Texas Connecticut, Michigan State, and Maryland) right in the South Regional and three of the four teams right in both Midwest Regional and the West Regional and we might have been four-for-four in both, if we hadn't gone out on a limb and picked Holy Cross to upset Marquette in the Midwest Regional and Wisconsin-Milwaukee to upset Notre Dame in the West Regional.  All four of our NCAA Final Four teams (Kentucky, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas) also are still alive, but just think about the possibilities for Marquette head coach Tom Crean, if the Golden Eagles knock off the Wildcats later today.  Up until now Crean's name hasn't been mentioned for any jobs this spring, but a good showing today might just make Crean one of the leading candidates for the Kentucky job, if Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith moves onto the NBA.  Remember, Crean, who used to be assistant coach at Western Kentucky, has roots in the Bluegrass, as is evident by the fact that his father-in-law is former Western Kentucky head football coach Jack Harbaugh, plus Crean has beaten Louisville four of the five times he's gone head-to-head against Rick Pitino.  Getting back to Smith, who was named National Coach-of-the-Year by the HOOP SCOOP earlier this week, we continue to hear his name mentioned for the Philadelphia 76ers, if Larry Brown gets the North Carolina job, but the smart money appears to be on the new franchise in Charlotte, NC.  If you will recall, Smith was raised on a small farm in rural Southern Maryland, which means that would be like going home for Smith.  However, regardless of whether Smith stays at Kentucky or takes a pro job, he obviously is the hottest coach in the business at any level in the game today.  As a matter of fact, our "Question of the Day" from Wednesday, March 19th, shows that 31% of those responding think that Smith is the best college coach in the country, ahead of Duke's Mike Krzyzewski with 22% of the vote, Louisville's Rick Pitino with 19% of the vote, and Texas Tech's Bob Knight with 11%.  However, if Brown takes the North Carolina job, he'd be my choice.  As a matter of fact, I think Brown has been the best coach in basketball at any level for a number of years now.   In other words, if Brown gets the North Carolina job, that not only would be great for the Tar Heels, but it would be great for college basketball general!

Friday, March 28, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thinks Duquesne has hit the jackpot, because 6'4 Martin Osimani from Miami Dade (JC) FL has verbally committed to the Dukes.  Osimani played in all 28 games and averaged 1.2 ppg at the University of Utah as a freshman during the 2001-02 season, but that doesn't begin to tell the story about this point guard with size who has excelled while playing for the both the Junior National and Senior National teams in Uruguay in recent years.  Osimani, who played in high school at Hiahleah (Champagnat) FL, also was the best player on Team Breakdown, which won the Spiece Run'N-Slam in West Lafayette, IN in May of 2000 and he played high school basketball at Hialeah (Champagnat) FL.  Osimani is a strong physical athlete guard with excellent passing skills, good ball handling skills and the ability to beat his man off the dribble, which means he's tailor made to step in and not only solve Duquesne's point guard problems, but be the piece to the puzzle that Dukes head coach Danny Nee needs to turn things around after going 9-19 and 10-20 during his first two years at this Atlantic-10 school.  In other words, Osimani should provide the perfect complement to the four starters - Jimmy Tricco, Ron Dokes, Elijah Palmer, and Simplice Njoya - who are expected to return next year and, as a result, Duquesne could be one of the most improved teams in the league.  This moves Duquesne's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Sean McKeon from Phoenixville (H.S.) PA and 6'10 Kieron Achara from Pittsfield (Maine Central Instiute) ME, into a tie at #106, along with Lamar, Colorado, Ball State, Hampton, Chattanooga, San Diego, Georgia Southern, Bradley, Bowling Green, and La Salle, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Vince Baldwin of Michigan Prep Spotlight soon will be taking over for Steve Bell as the Michigan Editor of the HOOP SCOOP and, as a result, he provides us with a sneak preview of the way he ranks the top five juniors in the state, as well as something about the recruiting for the two players who are unsigned.  At the top of Baldwin's list is Michigan-bound 6'3 Jr Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, followed in order by 6'7 Jr Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, Michigan State-bound 6'7 Jr Marquise Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, 6'8 Jr Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, and Michigan-bound 6'6 Jr Ron Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI.  Hairston's top three schools are Ohio State, Michigan State, and Pittsburgh, but that last one could change to UCLA, if Panther head coach Ben Howland becomes the next coach of the Bruins.  Horford's list includes Ohio State, Michigan State, Xavier, Marquette, and Miami-FL.  Jim Hicks of the Recruiter's Cheat Sheet tells us that Indiana, St. John's, and Oklahoma are the favorites for 6'9 Tyler Jones from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  In case you've forgotten, Jones, who signed with Colorado a year ago, was ranked #242 nationally as a high school senior at Denver (Manual) CO.  So we're talking about a 5th year player who is a raw physical athlete that is tough on the boards, plays hard, and has a major upside.  Hicks also confirms the fact that 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Wabash Valley (JC) IL is a near lock for Texas A&M and, assuming that he's right, then the Aggies recruiting class, which currently is tied at #62, along with Miami-OH and Western Kentucky, and includes 6'4 LaKeith Blanks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Marlon Pompey from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Acie Law from Dallas (Kimball) TX, and 6'4 Justin Loewe from Caldwell (H.S.) TX, would move into a tie at #28, along with Arizona State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Lavel Johnson, who is the Mississippi Editor for both the HOOP SCOOP and MidSouth-Hoops.Com, provides us with a list for 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, which includes Mississippi State, Alabama, Arkansas, LSU, and Florida State.  Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, and Connecticut are all showing interest in 6'3 Jr Bobby Clark from Jackson (Lanier) MS.  The early favorites for 6'6 Soph Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN appear to be Tennessee, Louisville, and Ohio State.   

Thursday, March 27, 2003

It looks like the inevitable finally happened to Jim Harrick, who was forced to resign today by the University of Georgia, and already, right at the top of the list, which also includes Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, Boston College head coach Al Skinner, Dayton head coach Oliver Purnell, former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd, and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger, to replace Harrick is Indiana University head coach Mike Davis.  Not only would Davis be a much better fit in Athens, GA than he is in Bloomington, IN, but in the Southeastern Conference, he'd be able to recruit like crazy.  And if Davis left Indiana, Iowa head coach Steve Alford, who is one of the all-time favorite players in Indiana basketball history would be a perfect fit for the Hoosiers.  And if that happens, you can almost bet that several things will happen.  First, 6'6 Jr J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN, who made an early verbal commitment to Iowa a year ago, would renege on the Hawkeyes and, instead, follow Alford to Indiana.  Second, 6'11 Soph Zuke Zeiller from Washington (H.S.) IN, who is ranked #10 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, suddenly would become a near lock for Indiana, instead of Iowa.  Did you now that Alford's father, Sam Alford, is from Washington, IN?  Third, Alford will hire former Wright State head coach Ed Schilling.  Not only have the Alford and Schilling families been close for decades, but Schilling used to be the head coach at Logansport (H.S.) IN and, as a result, he knows all the high school coaches in the state.  As a matter of fact, Schilling was able to take advantage of some of those contacts when he landed 6'8 Matt Webster from Westfield (H.S.) IN and 6'1 Todd Abernathy from Indianapolis (Heritage Christian) IN at Wright State last fall.  And, if Alford moves to Indiana, you can almost bet that Creighton head coach Dana Altman, whose dream job is Iowa, will probably become the next head coach of the Hawkeyes and either Arkansas-Little Rock head coach Porter Moser or Creighton assistant coach Greg Grensing will fill the void created by the departure of Altman at Creighton.  However, the hottest rumor we've heard today involves the University of North Carolina, which is supposed to announce next Tuesday that Tar Heels head coach Matt Dougherty will receive a $2.5 millon buy-out on the final four years of his contract and that both Kansas head coach Roy Williams and Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown will accept the job, if it is offered.  If Brown, gets the job, then it will be very interesting to see whether University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith takes the Philadelphia 76ers or remains with the Wildcats.  If Williams gets the North Carolina job, then the leading candidate for Kansas will likely be Illinois head coach Bill Self and you can bet his first recruit will be 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ.  If you will recall, Villanueva verbally committed to Illinois last fall, but he never signed a National Letter-of-Intent.  We also have heard rumors about Villanueva reneging on Illinois and signing with Connecticut in the spring.  Apparently people in New York City still can't believe that Villanueva would want to go that far from home.  Another possible scenerio will be for Georgia to jump back into the Villanueva sweepstakes, if Davis gets the job and Self leaves.  Remember, Indiana finished strong in the Villanueva sweepstakes the first time around.  However, if Self stays at Illinois, we'd be surprised if Villanueva goes anywhere, except maybe the NBA.  As a matter of fact, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks that Villanueva will by-pass college and go straight to The League, if he thinks he's going to be a first round pick.  And, if Self does take another job this spring (you can bet he'll also be on top of the list for Kentucky if Smith leaves), then the obvious candidate for the University of Illinois would be former Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd.  However, earlier this week Floyd interviewed for both the Penn State and Clemson jobs.  Speaking Clemson, we hear that Floyd was offered the job today, but we'd be surprised if he took it.  We also continue to hear Purnell, Felton, Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson, Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Jessie Evans, former North Carolina assistant coach Phil Ford,  mentioned for Clemson, but the smart money is on Oklahoma State assistant coach Sean Sutton.   Not only is Sutton widely regarded as one of the top up-and-coming guys in the business, but his father is extremely close to the athletic director Clemson.  As a matter of fact, Tigers athletic director Terry Don Phillips previously was the athletic director at Oklahoma State.  However, we do think Floyd will think long and hard about taking the Penn State job.  The word we get is that they're talking in the neighborhood of $900,000, plus incentives.  But, if Floyd decides to wait, then Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy, Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron, East Tennessee State head coach Ed DeChellis, and Chattanooga head coach Jeff Lebo would be the leading candidates for Penn State.  Speaking of Lebo, we were right about him not taking Virginia Tech, as earlier this week he turned down the job.  Instead, New Mexico head coach Fran Fraschilla, Western Michigan head coach Rob McCullum, and Northeastern head coach Ron Everhart appear to be the leading candidates to replace Ricky Stokes at the helm of the Hokies.  Fraschilla already has Big East head coaching experience dating back to his days at St. John's, McCullum is tight with the athletic director, and Everhart is a former player and alumnus of the school.  We also were glad to see that Ricardo Patton is getting a four-year extension on his contract at Colorado and that former Wisconsin head coach Dick Bennett appears to be on the verge of getting the Washington State job.  Assuming that this does become official, look for Bennett's son, Wisconsin assistant coach Tony Bennett, to become his top assistant coach, as well as the heir apparent for the job.  We also hear that Michigan State assistant coach Mike Garland is now the leading candidate for Wright State, although he's in pretty fast company as three of the HOOP SCOOP's top 10 assistant coaches (Ohio State's Paul Biancardi, Louisville's Mick Cronin, and Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon) are also in the running for this job.  Biancardi also is believed to be one of the leaders, along with Michigan State assistant coach Brian Gregory, for the Illinois State job.   However, our guess is that Gregory, who is ranked #4 on our list of the top assistant coaches will turn it down, just like he did a year ago with the DePaul and Bradley jobs.  The word we get is that Illinois State only will pay $225,000 per year and Gregory is almost making that now at Michigan State.

It comes as no surprise that 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is the consensus #1-ranked high school player in the nation, as well as one of the best high school players in the history of the game, attracted a record breaking 18,728 crowd for the McDonald's All-American Game last night in Cleveland, OH and he made it look easy with a 27-point, seven-rebound, seven-assist MVP-performance.  And, if James, whose 27 points ties him for 6th behind Jonathan Bender (31 points in 1999), Michael Jordan (30 points in 1981), Eddy Curry (28 points in 2001), Paul Pierce (28 points in 1995), and Chris Webber (28 points in 1991) and along with Jerry Stackhouse (27 and 1993), and John Williams (27 points in 1983) on the game's all-time scoring list, hadn't come up emtpy (0-5 3-pointers) from beyond the arc, there is no question he would have re-written the scoring record.  But James, who also is an incredible passer and team player, had plenty of help, as 6'10 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 5'7 Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'3 Mustafa Shakur from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'9 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, and 6'0 Chris Paul from West Forsyth (Clemmons) NC all made important contributions, as the East Squad jumped out early and never looked back as they coasted to a 122-107 victory over the West Squad, which was led by 6'3 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'8 Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, 6'8 Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, and 6'6 J.R. Giddens from Oklahoma City (John Marshall) OK.   Brown, who easily was the second best player in the game, did a little bit of everything, as he scored 23 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists, hit 9-17 field goals and 2-5 3-pointers, and came up with a pair of steals.  Lang finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and was 7-8 from the field, but he also impressed us with his great hands, passing ability, and mobility for somebody his size.  Villanueva apparently was upset about playing out of position (he thinks he's a three), but he should be thankful that he had James on his team, because he was the recipient of a number of great passes that he used to bring the house down with earth shattering slam dunks.  Powe, who finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds, did most of his damage inside, as he was unstoppable on the offensive boards.  Giddens not only was one of the best athletes in the game, but he was the best 3-point shooter, as he hit 3-6 trifectas en route to 16 points and seven rebounds.  Humphries didn't take any prisoners inside, as he used his athleticism, strength, and skills to score most of his 16 points.  However, 7-16 field goals and six turnovers keeps Humphries from being ranked ahead of James, Brown, Lang, Villanueva, and Powe, who were our top six players in the game.  Lavender got most of his 11 points and five assists early, but he helped set the tone of the game with several big shots and key passes.  The same also can be said about Shakur, as he scored seven of his nine points in the first half.   Paul only scored four points in the game, but 10 assists and four steals made him the unsung hero.  Outlaw also impressed us with his athleticism and highlight film-like dunks in transition.  We also need to mention 6'4 Michael Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA, who finished with 13 points, three assists, and three steals; 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, who apparently was much better during the week in practice, but still managed to score 14 points and block three shots in the game; and 5'10 Aaron Brooks from Seattle (Franklin) WA, who didn't shoot the ball well (2-8 field goals), but impressed us with his floor game, which included four assists and two steals.  The biggest disappointments were 6'10 Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX, and 6'0 Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI.  Ebi, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds, apparently picked up where he left off last summer when he went through the motions at the NIKE All-American Camp.  Perkins, who was a non-factor in the game, as he finished with six points and five rebounds, needs to stop talking about by-passing college and going to straight to the NBA.  Cotton is a scoring point guard, but 0-5 field goals and only one point in the game tells it all.   It was status quo for 6'4 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Chrisitan) TX, who impressed everybody with several impressive dunks and his athleticism.   However, we never got a chance to see what Wafer does best (put up prolific numbers), as he hit only 1-2 3-pointers and finished with eight points.  7'0 Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI hit 3-4 field goals and deserves an "A" for effort, but he's not athletic enough nor big and strong enough to thrive in this type of setting.  We also have to give credit to 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who only had two points, but took care of business inside with eight rebounds.  Which brings us to 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, who was the only player really missing in action in the game, as he went 0-4 from the field en route to zero points and three rebounds.

We have not confirmed whether 6'8 Linas Kleiza from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class, has officially announced that he will sign with the University of Missouri this sign, but we do know that he made the decision on Tuesday and, as a result, Kleiza was supposed to have informed the other schools that were involved yesterday.  In other words, all we're waiting for is the press conference.  This not only is huge, because Kleiza is the top player in the senior class nationally who was still available, but also because it moves Missouri's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Thomas Gardner from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'9 Ousmane Konate from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 6'1 Spencer Laurie from Springfield (Kickapoo) MO, into a tie at #5, along with Oklahoma Arkansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   It also means that the Big-12 Conference, which arguably already is the best conference in college basketball today, has five of the top 13 recruiting classes, as Oklahoma and Missouri are tied at #5, Kansas is #8, Kansas State is #12, and Texas Tech is #13.  However, it doesn't do anything to help Tigers assistant coach Tony Harvey, who is already recognized as one of the best recruiters in the nation.   Instead, the credit on this one goes to assistant coach Lane Odom, as it is obvious that once again the Odom family's Lithuania connections are tough to beat.  Further evidence of this fact is provided by the fact Montrose Christian head coach Stu Vetter has a history of sending his players to Atlantic Coast Conference schools.  But, this time, schools like Virginia, Florida State, and N.C. State, were unable to take advantage of Vetter's strong ACC ties.  We also received word yesterday, while driving to Cleveland, OH to watch the McDonald's All-American Game last night, that Loyola-Illinois had received a verbal commitment from 6'8 Blake Schilb from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #29 nationally on our 5th year list.  And this is big for a number of reasons.  First, Schilb has been one of our favorite players since we first saw him a year ago while playing for the Ft. Sooy AAU team.  Not only does he have the body, athleticism, ability to score around the basket, and toughness on the boards necessary to get it done against bigger guys inside, but he also has the outside shooting touch and versatile necessary to develop into a wing forward down the road.  Second, Schilb had schools like Bradley, Manhattan, College of Charleston, and Southern California on hist list, but he decided to return home,  Originally Schilb is from Rantoul (H.S.) IL, which means that Loyola-Illinois continues to get stronger and stronger in terms of recruiting in their own backyard.  Third, it provides just one more illustration of why we think Ramblers assistant coach Scott Spinelli is one of the bright up-and-coming young guys in the business and, as a result, appears to be ideally suited for a mid-major head coaching job at someplace like Western Illinois or to move into an assistant coaching job at the high Division I level.  This also is reflected in the fact that Loyola-Illinois' recruiting class moves into a tie at #77, along with George Mason, Marquette, Wright State, Hawaii, and Mississippi, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   Fourth, it Loyola-Illinois into an even better position to compete with the top teams in the league like Butler, which knocked off Louisville in the second round of the NCAA last weekend; Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which had a chance to beat Notre Dame in the final second of their game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament a week ago; and Detroit, which is always one of the top teams in the league.  We also have confirmed via our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis that 6'1 Eric Lane from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA has verbally committed to Boise State and 5'10 Kevin Houston from San Bernardino (San Gorgonio) CA has verbally committed to Long Beach State.  Lane, who is ranked #38 in the senior class in California by Trigonis, is an excellent catch, but Houston, who is ranked #100 in the senior by Trigonis, is not good enough to move Long Beach State in the conference standings next year.  Remember, the 49ers were 4-14 in the Big West Conference and 5-22 overall this season.  The legendary Howard Garfinkel was impressed last night when we told him about the verbal commitment that 6'8 Obadiah Toppin from Globe Tech (JC) NY had made to Manhattan yesterday.  "Toppin has a nice touch, runs the court, rebounds, posts-up, faces the basket, and plays hard," says Garfinkel.  We're also talking about the 5th leading scorer in the junior college ranks and somebody who is versatile enough to do it all.  In other words, Toppin is an absolute steal at the mid-major level, plus he would be ranked among our top 100 nationally, if he was a high school senior.  Obviously this explains why schools like Wright State, Cleveland State, Fordham, Drexel, Seton Hall, and Syracuse all had shown varying degrees of interest.  Toppin's commitment moves Manhattan's recruiting class into, which also includes 6'6 Christano Johnson from Laurinburg (Scotland) NC and 6'8 Okty Yilmaz from Winchendon (School) MA, into a tie at #77, along with George Mason, Loyola-Illinois, Marquette, Wright State, Hawaii, and Mississippi, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   However, if Jaspers head coach Bobby Gonzalez moves onto a higher level school, like Pittsburgh, Providence, or Florida, then Toppin would be free to follow the coach, because he has not signed a National Letter-of-Intent. 

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Imagine not only to having to follow in the footsteps of a legend, but then having the legend come back and coach at the program that is your biggest rival.  Well, that's exactly what happened to University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith two years ago.  And that's not the only adversity that Smith has had to overcome.  If you will recall, Smith got a lot of heat from Kentucky fans when he started his son, Saul Smith, during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons and a year ago was the toughest season of Smith's career, as there were numerous player suspensions, the team lacked chemistry, and they underachieved (at least by Kentucky fans' standards), as the Wildcats finished 22-10. Gone from that team are Tayshaun Prince and J.P. Blevins via graduation and Rashaad Carruth and Adam Chiles, both of whom were encouraged to transfer last spring.  Jason Parker also was forced to leave last fall and Antwain Barbour was injured prior to the start of the season, which explains why the Wildcats got off to such a slow start this season, as they lost an exhibition game to Team NIKE, to Virginia in the Maui Invitational, to Michigan State at home in early December, and Louisville on the road in late December.  However, since that 18-point loss to the Cardinals, the Wildcats have been nothing short of spectacular.  Not only did they go undefeated (16-0) during the regular season in the Southeastern Conference, but they have coasted through the Southeastern Conference Post-Season Tournament and the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.  As things stand now, Kentucky has won 25 straight games, they are 31-3 on the season, and they are the odds-on-favorite to win the NCAA Championship 12 days from now.  We're talking about a team that has developed outstanding chemistry, plays great defense, and shoots the ball surpringly well.  We're also talking about a team with only one McDonald's All-American in Keith Bogans and a talent rating that ranks #10 nationally among all Division I schools.  In other words, the Wildcats were good to start with, but they still have more than lived up to expectations, as they've emerged as perhaps the most dominant college basketball teams we've seen since the 1996 Kentucky team.  Obviously the players deserve a lot of credit for this unbelieveable turnaround, but there is no question that it wouldn't have been possible if they hadn't bought into Smith's system.  So, with all this in mind, we think it is safe to say that few coaches in college basketball history are more deserving of National Coach-of-the-Year honors than Tubby Smith does this year.  As a matter of fact, regardless of whether the Wildcats win or lose the rest of the way, Smith is the HOOP SCOOP's choice for National Coach-of-the-Year.  And, if the trend continues, it could be the unanimous (so far Smith has won every National Coach-of-the-Year award that's been given to-date and only somebody who is totally out-to-lunch or with a political agenda would pick somebody else for this prestigious honor).  And win or loss in his quest to win his second NCAA Championship during his six-year stint at the University of Kentucky, Smith appears to be well on his towards becoming on of the legendary coaches in the history of the game.  Smith not only has one NCAA Championship and the longest winning streak in college basketball in years, but no active coach today has more wins in less time than Smith does (287 wins in 12 years as a head coach).  And, if Kentucky does win the NCAA Championship, Smith would join some pretty fast company, that includes John Wooden with 10 NCAA Championships, Adolph Rupp with four NCAA Championships, Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski with three NCAA Championships, and Denny Crum, Dean Smith, Henry Iba, Ed Jucker, Branch McCracken, and Phil Woolpert with two NCAA Championships.  However, just two months ago, despite the fact that Smith's team's had overachieved during his last two years at Tulsa (1994 and 1995), both two years at Georgia (1996 and 1997), and his first year at Kentucky (1998), Smith was ranked no higher than #11 on our list of the top head coaches in the game today, behind Krzyzewski, Rick Pitino, Knight, Lute Olson, Roy Williams, Bobby Huggins, Gary Williams, Tom  Izzo, Jim Calhoun, and Billy Donovan and ahead of Rick Majerus, Eddie Sutton, Kelvin Sampson, and Jim O'Brien, when we published this list on January 8th.  Ironically, at the time, we actually thought we might take some heat for ranking Smith too high.  But now we're a little embarrassed, because this obviously was too low, as Smith gets 26% of the vote when looking at the results from our "Question of the Day" from Wednesday, March 19th, which asks who do you think is the best head coach in the game today?  That means Smith finished at the top of the list ahead of Krzyzewski and Pitino, who are tied with 22% of the vote, Knight with 11%, Olson with 9%, and Roy Williams with 4%.  And it couldn't happen to a better person.   Not only is Tubby Smith a class act, a tremendous role model, and an excellent basketball coach, but he's one of the people you'll ever meet.  And so is our choice for our National Player-of-the-Year.  They only list him at 5'10, but no player in college basketball has a bigger heart or means more to his team than T.J. Ford.  Ford, who has led the University of Texas this year in scoring (15.0 ppg), assists (7.4 apg), steals (1.7 spg), and free throw percentage (81%) and he already ranks second on the Longhorns all-time career assist list with 495, already has been named the Naismith National Player-of-the-Year and appears to be in line for a number of other major awards this spring.  While it may come as a surprise to many that a small undersized point guard would be the most dominant player in college basketball, it's no surprise to us.  Did you know that we were the only one in our business to rank Ford among the top five high school seniors two years ago and, to our knowledge, were we the only one to name Ford as the pre-season National Player of the Year this year?  What makes Ford so special is the fact that he doesn't have to score a point to dominate a game, because he's as quick as Allen Iverson, as unselfish as Jason Kidd, and as good defensively as Gary Payton.  He's also a winner in the true sense of the word.  If you will recall, this is the guy who, along with Duke's Daniel Ewing, led Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX to two National Championships in high school and the University of Texas to a 22-12 record a year ago.  However, the best may still be yet to come, as the Lornhorns have a 14-0 home record, 13-3 Big-12 Conference Record, 24-6 overall record to-date, a #1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and appear to be well on their way towards advancing to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in school history. 

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

Our Ohio Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH edged out 6'4 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and 6'3 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL to win the Slam Dunk Contest and 6'4 Michael Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA beat out 5'10 Aaron Brooks from Seattle (Franklin) WA to win the 3-point shooting contest, both of which were held last night in conjunction with the McDonald's All-American Game at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, OH.  Johnson also has the recruiting scoop on 6'7 Jr Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, who is ranked #164 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and he informs us that 6'11 Soph Chad Bell has announced that he is transferring from New Mexico and 6'7 Soph Chuck Bailey is transferring from the University of Michigan.  Obviously Bailey sees the writing on the wall with the Wolverines, as 6'6 Frosh Lester Abram, who averaged 10.6 ppg and 4.4 rpg while playing 32.1 minutes per game this season, already is playing ahead of him, plus 6'4 Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, who is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was named Mr. Basketball in Michigan last week, is expected to compete for play playing time with Abram at the 2-guard spot next year.   And, if that weren't enough, 6'6 Jr Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI and 6'3 Jr Joseph Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who are the top two-ranked juniors in the state and already are verbally committed to the Wolverines, are expected to step in and play ahead of Bailey during the 2004-05 season.  Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Louisville, Arizona, and Arizona State are showing the most interest in Morrison, who is the top ranked junior in the state.  However, Johnson tells us that Morrison has been quoted as saying in one of the Phoenix newspapers that Louisville, Arizona, and Arizona State are the leaders.  And, if this is true, Arizona State could win this one by default.  Remember, Arizona only has two scholarships available in next year's recruiting class and, assuming that Louisville gets 5'11 Jr Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'5 Jr Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, the Cardinals two remaining scholarships will no doubt go to inside players.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis has finally gotten around to telling us that 5'9 Jr Enrico Tucker from San Diego (The Bishop's) CA has reneged on his early verbal commitment to San Diego and, as a result, he becomes the third player in this class who has given his word to a school, but later taken it back.  The other two are 6'10 Jr Jermaine Bell from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA and 6'5 Cheyenne Moore from Colora (West Nottingham) MD.  Moore originally committed to Georgetown, but now the Hoyas appear to be out.  Instead, his list includes schools like Villanova, Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, LSU, and Louisville.  Bell actually has reneged on St. John's twice, but each time he has later reaffirmed his commitment to the Red Storm.   In other words, he's like the little boy who cried wolf and, as a result, if Belll reneges again on the Red Storm, we probably won't even bother to report it.  Instead, at least according to Jerry Cornwell of http://www.StruttingWolf.com, the leader for Tucker now appears to be N.C. State.  As a matter of fact, Cornwell has quotes from Tucker's father saying "no one is more athletic" and "N.C. State is looking for some point guard help to counter the outstanding freshman play of Raymond Felton, Jarrett Jack, and future ACC baller Chris Paul."  However, we think Tucker got it right the first time, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked no higher than #21 in the state's junior class by Trigonis, who is now finished with his rankings of the top seniors and juniors in the state (his complete report hopefully will be published within the next three or four days).  In other words, the evidence indicates that Tucker was a steal for San Diego, but he'll probably be nothing more than a good role player at N.C. State.  We also have received word from our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis about 6'3 Jr Trammel Wooten from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA being even better than he originally thought.  Wooten, who ran the point for Davis' Georgia Elite Team over the weekend, has excellent passing skills, intensity at the defensive end, the ability to break you down off the dribble, and beat you with his jump shot.  Davis even goes so far as to say that Wooten could be the best point guard he's ever coached.  And that is a very strong statement when one remembers that Davis has previously had William Avery and Ricky Moore both in his program.  And, if Wooten is as good as advertised, he's probably a near lock for the University of Kentucky.  Remember, we've already reported that his top three schools are Kentucky, Kentucky, and Kentucky.  However, we'd be surprised if a scholarship offer is forthcoming prior to when the Wildcats coaching staff gets a chance to see Wooten play in the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX, April 26th-27th.  

Monday, March 24, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'1 Mike Green from Philadelphia (Franklin Learning Center) PA, who is ranked #14 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the Towson and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Justin Jonas from Douglas (H.S.) AL has decided to walk-on at Alabama, instead of getting a scholarship from someplace like Saint Louis, South Alabama, or West Virginia.  So we will count Jonas with Alabama's current recruiting class, which now moves into a tie at #35, along with Texas Christian, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  If you will recall, last fall the Crimson Tide signed 6'10 Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'9 Jemario Davidson from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, and 6'10 Shawn Taylor from Perry (H.S.) GA, but the icing the cake would be if they win the sweepstakes for 6'11 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, who also still has Louisville, UAB, and Kentucky on his list.  However, our guess is that Lang will probably not make it academically and, as a result, ready or not, declare for the NBA Draft this spring.  But let's say that Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried and his staff do hit the jackpot and sign Lang in April.  This would move the Crimson's Tide's recruiting class up to #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003, behind Florida State and ahead of Louisville and Mississippi State.  Alabama also already has a head start on landing a great recruiting class next year.  As a matter of fact, it looks like it's just a matter of time before the Crimson Tide gets an early commitment from 6'4 Jr Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, who is ranked #30 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they should be tough to beat for 6'8 Jr Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, who is ranked #10 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, although Florida, Louisville, Mississippi State, and Duke all promise to make this one interesting.  Another program whose recruiting class could rise dramatically this spring is Middle Tennessee State, which currently is ranked #37 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   However, if the Raiders also add 6'3 JueMichael Young from Chipola (JC) FL, who was ranked #6 among shooting guards by the Sportings News Pre-Season Yearbook, to a class that already includes 6'8 Alex Weeks from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, 6'2 Montrell Crittendon from Newbern (Dyer County) TN, 6'8 Kenyatta Swader from Smyrna (H.S.) TN, 5'11 Bryan Smithson from Kennesaw (North Cobb) GA and 6'4 Ben Britt from Chattanooga (Red Bank) TN, then their class would move up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  We suspect that Swader will enroll at Middle Tennessee State next year as a Prop 48 casualty, which explains how head coach Kermit Davis will finesse the five scholarship limit in any one recruiting class and the limit to eight scholarships over a two-year period.  And this won't be the first player that Davis has stolen and then propped since taking over the program a year ago, as is evident by the fact that 6'8 Keith Christmas from Gary (West Side) IN currently is waiting in the wings.  This also won't be the first time that Middle Tennessee State assistant coach Donnie Tyndell has been connected with what turned out to be a great recruiting class.   Did you know that Tyndell was at Idaho a year ago, where he helped land the #15-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP?  No wonder Tyndell is ranked as the #6 assistant coach at the mid-to-low Division I level, and, if he helps the Raiders land Young, who is expected to sign with either Middle Tennessee State or Louisiana Tech this spring, he will have to move even higher.  So it should not come as a major surprise that Tyndell is one of the names we're hearing for the Murray State job, along with Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin, Indiana assistant coach John Treloar, Memphis assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, UAB assistant coach Scott Edgar, and Murray State assistant coach Jim Hatfield.  In other words, if Murray State decides to bring in an assistant coach who is a top notch recruiter, they can't go wrong with Tyndell; Cronin, who is ranked #2 on our list of the top assistant coaches at the high Division I level; or Roccaforte, who is ranked #8 on our list of the top assistant coaches at the high Division I level and has played a major role in Memphis' recruiting success during the John Calipari era.  And, if you want to go with somebody with proven head coaching experience, Treloar is a CBA veteran, Edgar was extremely successful at Murray State the first time around, and Hatfield re-built the program at Southwestern Louisiana and had a successful stint at Mississippi State.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead was at the Tennessee High School State Tournament in Murfreesboro, TN last week and he tells us that the best player in the tournament was 6'7 Jr Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, who is ranked #192 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but will move up dramatically next time we update our national junior rankings.  Brewer, who scored 35 points and 28 points in his two state tournament games, needs to get bigger and stronger, but we're talking about a slasher/athlete who can handle, shoot, and get to the basket.  And apparently Whitehead isn't the only person who is impressed with Brewer, who has been attracting serious interest from schools like Florida, Mississippi State, Arizona, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt.  As a matter of fact, those last three schools were all in attendance at the Tennessee State Tournament specifically to watch Brewer.  Whitehead also tells us that 6'4 Dane Bradshaw led Memphis (White Station) TN to the 3-A State Championship, 6'6 Soph Tyler Smith led Pulaski (Giles County) TN to the 2-A State Championship, 6'5 Jake Skogen led Chattanooga (Tennessee Temple) TN to the 1-A State Championship, and 6'9 Frosh Brandon Wright led Brentwood (Academy) TN to the Private School State Championship.   Whitehead was especially impressed with Wright, who more than lived up to his #12 ranking nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, as he was totally dominant against 7'0 Marc Gasol from Memphis (Lasanne) TN.  Also playing well at the Tennessee State Tournament and, as a result, deserving a special mention from Whitehead were 6'8 Jr Shane Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'6 Carlos Suggs from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, and 6'2 Jr Justin Hare from Cleveland (Bradley Central) AL.  Our Alabama Editor Mark Komara called me today specificially to tell me about Andre Stephens from Heidelberg (H.S.) MS.  We're talking about a 6'8 athletic 14-year-old freshman who dunks everything and is supposed to be better than 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS and 6'9 Jr Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS at the same stage.  We're also talking about a sleeper who is so well hidden that even our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson hasn't heard about him yet.   And we suspect the same is true with regards to Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried and Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury.   But before it's over, we'd be willing to bet that Stephens will be the next in a long line of intense recruiting battles that have been waged between these two rival Southeastern Conference coaches. 

Sunday, March 23, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Mike Cook from New Hampton (Prep) NH has verbally committed to East Carolina and we think this is a major steal!  Not only is Cook a tremendous scorer in terms of getting to the basket, finishing, drawing fouls, and pulling up from mid-range, but he's strong, physical, and athletic.  Sure, Cook isn't going to beat you with his outside shooting, but he has the natural talent, nose for the ball, and the Philadelphia toughness necessary to help head coach Bill Herrion's program take the next step in their quest to become one of the better teams in Conference USA.  Remember, Cook was the teammate of Mustafa Shakur at Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA and on the Hunting Park Club team, which advanced all the way to the final four at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV two years ago.  Cook joins another player - 6'8 Keith Foster from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC - to give the Pirates two immediate impact players in this year's recruiting class, which moves into a tie at #114, along with Clemson, Gonzaga, Texas, Purdue, Tennessee, Kentucky, New Orleans, George Washington, Old Dominion, and Hartford, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Rubin also tells us that 6'6 Jr Roosevelt Lee, who has been reclassified and transferred from New Britain (H.S.) CT to Milford (Academy) CT and then to Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA this year, has made a complete circle, as he has returned to New Britain (H.S.) CT for the remainder of the year.  And our New England Editor Wayne Simone tells us that Lee plans to attend Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA next year.  Rubin also has the scoop on his #2-ranked freshman - 6'3 Frosh Wayne Ellington from Birdsboro (H.S.) PA.  Apparently his parents plan to move into the Philadelphia Area next year and, as a result, Ellington is expected to enroll at Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, where he will team with 6'4 Frosh Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the area by Rubin, to form one of the best young one-two punches in the nation.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Donte Minter from Fork Union (Military Academy) VA did indeed verbally commit to the University of Virginia.  If you will recall, we told you on Thursday that Minter was at the Virginia-Brown game that night before and that we thought a verbal commitment to the Cavaliers was eminent.  This moves Virginia's recruiting class into a tie at #18, along with Wake Forest, California, and Iowa State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003 and, if they also get somebody like 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, who tied at #100 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then their recruiting class would move up to #9 behind LSU, Maryland, Miami-FL, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, and Florida State and ahead of  Mississippi State, Louisville, Kansas State, Texas Tech, Arizona, Memphis, and Michigan State.  If you will recall, Cain still appears to be wide open as Virginia, Indiana, Utah, Penn State, Miami-FL, Seton Hall, UNC-Greensboro, Villanova, Temple, and Richmond are all still on his list. 

Saturday, March 22, 2003

It appears that the Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson and former North Carolina assistant Phil Ford are the two leading candidates to replace Larry Shyatt, who stepped down earlier this week at Clemson.  And, if Ford doesn't get the Clemson job and Tar Heels head coach Matt Doherty doesn't survive this spring, then you can bet former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith will use his influence to get Ford his old job back with the Tar Heels.  Currently Ford has an administrative job at the University of North Carolina, but we know he's itching to get back into coaching.   And one of the first things that the new head coach at Clemson will have to do is decide whether to get keep 6'10 John Reynolds, who recently verbally committed to the Tigers.  If you will recall, Clemson signed 5'11 Vern Hamilton from Richmond (Benedictine) VA and 6'3 Jimmy Hudson from Eustis (H.S.) FL last fall and, as a result, if either or both wants to transfer, then they would have to sit out a year, unless they can come up with a reason other than the head coach resigning to get out of their National Letter-of-Intent.  Remember, it says in bold print on the National Letter-of-Intent that a student-athlete is signing with the member institution and not the coach.  In other words, if the school releases a player and he transfers, he has to sit out one year.  If the school doesn't release the player and he transfers, he has to sit out two years.  However, in the case of Reynolds, who hasn't signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent, he apparently wants to honor his commitment.  But unfortunately he might not be good enough.  As a matter of fact, it's our guess that the new coach will want to use his scholarship to sign the best available player he can find this spring.  We also think Dayton head coach Oliver Purnell would be perfect for either Clemson or Georgia, but we haven't heard his name officially in connection with either job.  At least not yet!  Another ideal fit and a name we are hearing for the Georgia job is Indiana University head coach Mike Davis.  Not only would Davis be more appreciated by the fans at Georgia, but he would be able to recruit like crazy in the Deep South.  Not only does Davis have tremendous contacts with all the local AAU programs, but two of his current players (Jeffrey Newton and A.J. Moye) both played for the Atlanta Celtics and the Georgia Elite club team programs.  Whether Davis will be able to overcome all the strong ties that Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt has to the Atlanta Celtics program is subject to debate, but I guarantee you that if Davis got the Bulldogs jobs, he would at least make things interesting in the hunt for 6'9 Jr Josh Smith from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'10 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Atlanta Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'9 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark) GA, all of whom are believed to be a near lock for the Yellowjackets.  We also hear UT-Chattanooga head coach Jeff Lebo's name being mentioned for the Virginia Tech job.  However, unless the Hokies increase their budget dramatically for men's basketball, we'd be surprised if Lebo takes it.  Not only is it not currently in their budget to subscribe the HOOP SCOOP, but the word we get is that Ricky Stokes, who was fired last week, was making only $200,000 per year, while Lebo is currently gets $350,000 per year at Chattanooga.   Instead, we think think Lebo ultimately can do better, perhaps even North Carolina, if the big name candidates, like Kansas head coach Roy Williams, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown, Illinois head coach Bill Self, and Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson don't take the Tar Heels job.  Instead, we think the Hokies would be smart to go after an assistant coach who can recruit like crazy.  So obviously Louisville assistant coach Mick Cronin, who is the #2-ranked assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, would be right at the top of our list.  But they probably won't be able to afford him either, unless they take some of the money they make from football and put more of an emphasis on basketball. 

Friday, March 21, 2003

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that Miami-FL has a major steal on their hands in 6'3 Vincent Banks from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA.  Currently we have Banks ranked #261 nationally in the senior class, but Davis ranks Banks #1 in the senior class in the state on his updated Georgia list that we're planning on publishing next week.  Not only did Banks average 33 ppg, 7 rpg, and 5 apg this season, but he also led his team, which lost to Griffin (H.S.) GA in the Class 4-A Championship two weeks ago, to a 57-5 record during the last two years.  "I'd compare Banks to Latrell Sprewell," says Davis.  "Banks is not as big as Sprewell, but he has that smooth-sillky demeanor, incredible athleticism, good ball handling and passing skills, and tremendous scoring abililty.  He can beat you inside with his ability to get the basket and outside with his deep shooting range and he can score all day long, as is evident by the fact he scored 58 points in a game this year.  He also had several other 40-plus point games this year."  Banks, who has grown from being a 5'9 point guard into a 6'3 combo guard, has scored over 2,300 career points during his career and is expected to be named Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia by the Atlanta Constitution on Sunday.  Schools like Arkansas, Auburn, Connecticut, Cincinnati, and N.C. State had also shown interest, but, in the end, the Hurricanes didn't really have much competition.  In other words, it looks like Banks, who is equally good at coming off a screen or creating his shot off the dribble, is that big a sleeper.  Making this even more significant is the fact that Banks' commitment moves Miami-FL's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Lenard Harden from Garden City (JC) KS, 6'6 Eliiah Clark from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'1 Guillermo Diaz from Miami (Christian) FL, and 7'0 Yankuba Camara from Moberly (JC) MO, into a tie at #1, along with LSU and Maryland, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And, if we included 6'2 Greg Brown from Indian Hills (JC) IA with this recruiting class, it wouldn't even be close.  However, the word we get Brown will need two years of junior college, which means he now counts with the Hurricanes recruiting class a year from now, which now is tied at #21, along with Auburn and   Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  This also means that Brown won't be around in time to be part of what potentially could be on the biggest turnaronds in college basketball year from now, assuming that 610 Jr Darius Rice returns next season for his senior year.  Sure, the Hurricanes finished 4-12 in the league and 11-17 overall this season, but they were 3-11 in games that were decided by five points or less and they should be a lot better next year with the addition of Harden, who is one of the top power forward in the junior college ranks, inside and Banks and Diaz in the backcourt, as they are expected to challenge Armondo Surratt, Robert   Hite, and Eric Wilkins, who as freshman were three of Perry Clark's top six players this year, for playing time.  Davis also tells us that Auburn leads Dayton, Memphis, and Alabama for 6'3 Quin Humphrey from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA, plus he tells us about another sleeper - 6'3 Ulrich Mounguiala from Paris France.  We're talking about a big time athlete who down the road is ideally suited for the mid-major level.  However, before that happens, Mounguiala, who only recently arrived in the United States and is currently living in the home of Davis' sister, needs to go the junior college route.  Mounguiala does plan to play on Davis' 19-Under Georgia Elite team, which should be good, but not nearly as good as the Georgia Elite 17-Under traveling team.  Speaking of that team, Davis plans to go to war this spring and summer with a starting line-up that includes 6'3 Jr Trammell Wooten from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA at point guard, 6'4 Jr Archie Miaway from Norcross (H.S.) GA at the 2-guard, 6'9 Jr Daniel Northern from Warner Robins (Houston County) GA at the 3-spot, 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC at power forward, and 6'11 Jr Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC at center.  Compare that with the Atlanta Celtics, which will feature a front-line that will include 6'9 Jr Josh Smith from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, 6'10 Jr Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Atlanta Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'9 Jr Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark) GA and a backcourt that will include 6'5 Jr Dwayne Day from Mt. Vernon (Montgomery County) GA and 6'3 Jr Montavious Waters from Leesburg (Lee County) GA.  In other words, if the Atlanta Celtics and Georgia Elite square off this summer, there will be more talent on the court than when Georgia and Georgia Tech play against one another. 

Thursday, March 20, 2003

The Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament in Washington, DC, April 25th-27th, has been certified by the DC High School Federation and, as a result, is in accordance with NCAA guidelines, which means Division I college coaches can be in attendance.  Not only will this make Charlie Weber's Tournament the premier event of the entire spring in the East, but to our knowledege Washington, DC is one of only three places in the nation where college coaches can attend an event and watch players this spring.  The other two are Texas and Nevada.  For more information contact Weber by writing him at 5902 Mount Eagle Drive, Apt. 705, Alexandria, VA  22303, calling him at 1-(703) 960-0467, faxing him at 1-(703) 960-0417, emailing him at cweber1@cox.net, or going to his web site at www.charlieweberbasketball.com.  Weber also has announced the rosters the Charm City Challenge All-Star Game, which will be held at Towson University in Towson, MD, Sunday, April 13th.  Among the players scheduled to participate on the National Team are 6'10 Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'6 Karron Clarke from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'1 Guillermo Diaz from Miami (Christian) FL, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Patrick Ewing, Jr from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'11 Hassan Fofana from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'5 Gary Forbes from Brooklyn (Banneker) NY, 6'9 Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Michael Nardi from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'4 D.J. Strawberry from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'5 Franklin Young from Tallahassee (Florida) FL.  With Clarke and Diaz both heading to Miami-FL, Young to West Virginia, and Nardi to Villanova; Ervin to Mississippi State and Adkins to Alabama; Forbes to Virginia; and Watkins to Rutgers, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Villanova; it is obvious that the team has a strong Big East, Southeastern, and Atlantic Coast favor.   However, what is really going to sell a lot of tickets is the fact that Ibekwe, Fofana, and Strawberry are all slated for the University of Maryland.  The Baltimore Team also includes a Maryland-signee - 6'11Will Bowers from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, as well as 6'9 Josh Boone from Colora (Severn Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'9 Byron Joynes from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'1 Donte Draper from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, 6'7 Matt Stevenson from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'5 Gerald Brown from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Mike Popoko from McDonough (Owings Mills) MD, 6'7 Taevon Nelson from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'0 Laronja Owens from Annapolis (H.S.) MD, 6'2 Levi Stukes from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, 5'11 Maurice Barksdale from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, 6'8 Lesean Edwards, and 6'7 Holden Plat.   Weber also has a tournaments scheduled at Villanova University in Philadelphia, PA, April 18th-20th; at Penn State University, June 13th-15th; at West Virginia University, July 13th-15th; and at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD, September 26th-28th.  It also appears that 6'5 Jr Cheyenne Moore from Colora (West Nottingham) MD, who is ranked #93 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has reneged on the early verbal commitment he made last spring to Georgetown.  As a matter of fact, Brian Merritt of Elite Scouting tells us that this happened two months ago, but this week was the first time we got wind of it.  Merritt also assures us that this one won't be like 6'10 Jermaine Bell from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who already has verbally committed to St. John's three times and reneged twice.  Instead, Merritt says Moore is now considering schools like Villanova, Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, LSU, and Louisville. 

This is not confirmed, but we're getting reports regarding 6'8 Donte Minter from Fork Union (Military Academy) VA, who was at the Virginia-Brown NIT game last night, making a verbal commitment to the University of Virginia.  Once we do confirm this, the Cavaliers recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Gary Forbes from Brooklyn (Banneker) NY, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'1 T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, will move into a tie at #18, along with Wake Forest, California, and Iowa State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And the Cavaliers aren't done yet, because we know they wanted to bring in two inside players as they attempt to try and replace Travis Watson, who will graduate this spring.  We have confirmed that 6'7 Chris Oliver from Kernersville (Glenn) NC has verbally committed to Radford, 6'10 Paulius Joneliunas from Roanoke (Catholic) VA verbally committed to South Carolina and 6'8 Dedric Spooner from Colby (JC) KS has verbally committed to Charlotte.  Obviously Gamecocks head coach Dave Odom once again has taken advantage of his strong Lithuanian contacts to get Joneliunas, who fits the stereotype of a lot of players from Eastern Europe, as he is extremely skilled, but not very athletic.  Joneliunas joins 6'8 Renaldo Balkman from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'9 Brandon Wallace from Aiken (Silver Bluff) SC, and 6'0 Tre Kelly from Washington (Dunbar) DC to move South Carolina's recruiting class into a tie with Boston College are #38 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Spooner, who was ranked among the top 25 junior college players nationally by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook, not only will give the 49ers even more needed immediate help inside, along with 6'11 Martin Iti from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who signed with UNCC last fall, but he also moves their recruiting class into a tie at #32, along with Virginia and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Other recent junior college verbal commitments that we have yet to report, but have confirmed via Big Apple Sports include 6'4 Steve Moore from Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK to Arizona State, 6'1 David Warsaw from El Camino (JC) CA to Cal-State Fullerton, 6'6 Joseph Works from Garden City (JC) KS to Texas Tech, 6'6 Curtis Marshall from New Mexico Military (JC) TX to Texas Tech, 6'7 Larry Owens from Yavapai (JC) AZ to Oral Roberts, 6'4 Norman Prather from Mineral Area (JC) MO to Southeast Missouri State, 5'11 Matt Mitchell from Southern Nevada (JC) NV to South Alabama, 5'10 Ryan Miller from Shasta (JC) CA to San Jose State, 6'0 Tyree Gardner from Diablo Valley (JC) CA to San Jose State, and 6'2 Cedric Ousley from Triton (JC) IL to San Jose State.  The commitment by Moore is especially interesting, because he was ranked as the #5 shooting guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and a top 20 junior college player nationally by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and, as a result, this moves the Sun Devils recruitng class, which also includes 6'3 Tron Smith from Moreno Valley (Canyon Spring) CA, 6'9 Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free State) KS, 6'8 Chris Low from Tyler (Thomas Gorman) TX, and 6'8 Wilfred Famini from Amelia (Academy) VA. up to #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  Moore also will provide Arizona State head coach Rob Evans even more firepower in the backcourt a year from now, as he should provide an excellent complement to Smith, who verbally committed last spring and signed last fall with the Sun Devils, at the 2-guard spot in this recruiting class, plus landing Moore provides just one more illustration of why we think Sun Devils assistant coach Tony Benford is one of the most astute evaluators of talent in the business.  Neither Works nor Marshall can be found ranked among the top junior college players in the nation, but they are good enough to move Texas Tech's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 DeVonne Giles from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'9 Mike Travis from San Francisco (JC) CA, 6'1 Jay Jackson from Monroe (Ouachita Parish) LA, and 6'4 Drew Coffman from Midland (Lee) TX, up to #12 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And this is not the first time that Red Raiders head coach Bob Knight has loaded up with junior college players.  If you will recall, two years ago Knight's first recruiting class, which was ranked #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, at Texas Tech included 6'8 Pawel Storozynski from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'7 Kasib Powell from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'10 Ermal Kugo from Seminole (JC) OK, 5'11 Will Chavis from Panola (JC) TX, 6'6 Nick Valdez from Northeastern (JC) CO, and 7'0 Mickey Michalec from Skitook (H.S.) OK.   And as long as we're talking about the top junior college players, did you know that the final four in the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS will match Dixie (JC) UT versus San Jacinto (JC) TX and Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA versus Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA.  Yesterday Dixie (JC) UT beat Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 65-52, and San Jacinto (JC) TX beat Bronx-Monroe (JC) NY, 74-67, and earlier today Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA beat Southwest Tennessee (JC) TN, 86-63, and Georgia Perimeter beat Oklalooa-Walton (JC) FL, 79-69. 

Wednesday, March 19, 2003

It looks like University of Georgia head coach Jim Harrick does not plan on going quietly into the night, unless the Bulldogs give him a buy-out that is worth in the neighborhood of $2.5 million.  And, if Harrick doesn't get what he wants, he's threatening to tell the entire story, which is exactly what Georgia athletic director Vince Dooley doesn't want.  Not only does Harrick know where all the bodies are buried, but you can bet he probably helped put most of them there.  We also continue to hear that Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton is the leading candidate to replace Harrick after the school and Harrick finally do come to terms.  But how about Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight for the Georgia job?  Not only would Knight be the perfect guy to clean up the program, but the word on the street is that Knight is looking to move.  And now might be the perfect time, because he's probably done all he can do at Texas Tech, plus he's been a model citizen in terms of dealing with the media and the fans the last two years.  And how about Knight for UCLA?  That certainly would fall into the category of being the major surprise to UCLA fans that adidas' Sonny Vaccaro was talking about last week when he was on radio in Los Angeles, CA.  We also hear that Knight's son and top assistant, Pat Knight, is one of the leading candidates for the Wright State job and we think that would be a perfect fit.  Not only has the younger Knight done a marvelous job of dealing with both his father and his critics, including us, over the years, but he is a chip off the old block as a coach.  And that's saying a lot, because a number of former Bob Knight assistant's have done extremely well once they've become head coaches at the Division I level (i.e. Mike Krzyzewski at Duke, Mike Davis at Indiana, Dan Dakich at Bowling Green, and Dave Bliss at Baylor).  We also continue to hear Florida head coach Billy Donovan's name being mentioned for UCLA, but Donovan also appears to be one of the leading candidates for the Orlando Magic job, if Magic head coach Doc Rivers replaces Don Chaney, who may be on his way out as the head coach of the New York Knicks.  And how about former Clemson head coach Larry Shyatt to the Memphis Grizzlies as an assistant coach or a scout?  Did you know that Shyatt was an assistant coach at New Mexico from 1982 to 1988 during the Gary Colson era?  Currently Colson is the special assistant to Grizzlies General Manager Jerry West.  We also are starting to hear East Tennessee State head coach Ed DeChellis and Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff being mentioned for the Virginia Tech job.  We also hear Wolff being mentioned for Manhattan and Fordham and, if he moves, it will be interesting to see who has the most political clout at Boston University.  If you will recall, St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis and Louisville head coach Rick Pitino both got their start as Division I head coaches at Boston University.  Obviously, Jarvis will attempt to get his son, Mike Jarvis, Jr and/or Kevin Clark, both of whom are assistant coaches at St. John's the job, and Pitino will push one of his guys - probably Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor - for the job.   Another interesting rumor involves former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin, who might be in line to replace Purdue head coach Gene Keady, if he were to retire any time soon.  However, the smart money says Keady will be around for a while and, when he finally does hang it up, Southern Illinois head coach Bruce Weber will be the leading candidate for the Boilermakers job.  Remember, Weber, who was an assistant coach at Purdue for 20 years, guided the Salukis to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a year ago and is believed to be one of the top up-and-coming head coaches in the business.  

Tuesday, March 18, 2003

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that George Mason has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'8 Kevin Mickens from Allegany (JC) MD and this is big, because Mickens was one of the top junior college big men nationally still available.  Mickens, who originally is from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, is ideally suited to provide the perfect complement to 6'7 Jai Lewis inside for the Patriots next year, because he's got a good build at 6'8, 230 lbs., can score inside, is a good rebounder, and is fairly athletic.  Add Mickens to George Mason's recruiting class, which already includes 6'0 Tony Skinn from Hagerstown (JC) MD and 6'8 Jesus Urbina from Amelia (Academy) VA and it is easy to see why it has moved into a tie at #77, along with Temple, Marquette, Wright State, Hawaii, and Mississippi, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.  And, if you also included 5'9 Terry Reynolds, who is sitting out this year after transferring from Toledo to George Mason, their recruiting class would move up another 24 spots into a tie at #53, along with Princeton and St. John's, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2003.   If you will recall, Reynolds played in high school at Toledo (Scott) OH, before transferring to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and going the prep school route at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  Reynolds also was named honorable mention All-Mid American Conference as a sophomore while averaging 14.1 ppg, 4.2 apg, and 1.7 spg.   However, it is not the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes nor is it our policy to count players who are sitting out due to an injury (i.e. 6'1 Lamar Butler, who averaged 10.4 ppg as a freshman a year ago for the Patriots).  But, if George Mason adds somebody like 6'8 Nick Stafford from Worcester (Academy) MA, who is ranked #28 on our 5th year list and is the 5th highest ranked 5th year player by the HOOP SCOOP still available, that would be the same as if we counted Reynolds with their recruiting