HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR MARCH 1999

Wednesday, March 31, 1999

Big East Briefs is reporting that St. John's has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'3 Sharif Fordham from Gulf Coast (JC) FL and Providence has gotten 6'4 Chris Rodgers from Bossier Parish (H.S.) LA. Big East Briefs is also reporting that 6'3 Desmond Herod, who is leaving UNLV, will likely transfer to Seton Hall. We are also getting reports from another source that UNC-Wilmington has picked up a commitment from 6'3 Brett Blizzard from Tallahassee (Florida) FL.

After a number of interesting coaching hires today, which included Kansas assistant coach Matt Dougherty to Notre Dame, Michigan State assistant coach Tom Crean to Marquette, Drexel head coach Billy Herrion to East Carolina, and former Arkansas All-American and Milwaukee Bucks star Sidney Moncrief to Arkansas-Little Rock. But bigger than all of those hires is Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick to Georgia today, which makes it all the more likely that Rams star 6'9 Lamar Odom will declare hardship for the NBA draft. Which brings us to our next question, who will Rhode Island hire? Maybe they should get former Rhode Island head coach Al Skinner, who is now struggling at Boston College, back. Or maybe they should go after George Washington head coach Tom Penders, who was the head coach at Rhode Island before Skinner. Remember, Penders is from the Northeast and he really liked it at Rhode Island. However, on a more serious note, the early favorite for the Rhode Island job may be Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff, who apparently has the right connections to get the job. Getting back to the four hires of yesterday, we liked Dougherty getting the Notre Dame job, because it is always nice to see a bright young assistant coach who has paid his dues get a job. Also Dougherty should fit in perfectly at Notre Dame, because he's Catholic, he's from New York, and he has that upscale preppie like image. Moncrief, who apparently invested some of the money he made playing professional basketball in a car dealership, but has never coached and, as a result, as never paid any dues. It will be very interesting to see how he does at Arkansas-Little Rock. Hopefully he will hire good assistants who can use his name to recruit. Herrion has had six 20-win seasons at Drexel and, as a result, has been a hot item for the last several years. East Carolina may seem like somewhat of a lateral move for Herrion, but the former head coach, Joe Dooley,did a great job recruiting the last several years and whoever replaced him is stepping into a great situation. As for Crean, Marquette is a tough job, because they expect you to win and the admission standards are tougher than you'd expect. Don't believe it?  Just ask former Marquette head coach Mike Deane, who won over 100 games, had four 20 win seasons, and graduated 80-plus percent of his players in five years.

Some jobs have taken a long time to fill, but not Drexel. Allen Rubin, our Philadelphia Area Editor tells us to write it down, Drexel associate head coach Steve Seymour has already been told that the job is his. And according to our New England Editor Wayne Simone, the final three for the Yale job are Ohio University assistant coach James Jones, Central Connecticut assistant Steve Pikiell , and former Notre Dame assistant coach Fran McCaffery. We are also hearing McCaffery, who is one of the best guys in the business, mentioned for UNC-Greensboro. The leaders for the Pepperdine coaching job are former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Del Harris, current Pepperdine assistant coach Darwin Cook, and UCLA assistant coach Michael Holton. Speaking of UCLA, one of the rumors that we'd heard at the Final Four, but didn't report, because we didn't believe it, was that UCLA head coach Steve Lavin was in trouble and might be fired as soon as this spring. We'd also heard that former New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari would be his replacement. However, we're glad to see that Lavin got a new six year roll over contract that extends currently through the year 2004. He deserved that after landing the #1 ranked recruiting class last spring. Another rumor that we think is totally ridiculous, but worth passing along anyway, is that Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins is on the verge of taking a head coaching job in the NBA. We can't tell you which team, but we can tell you who he is rumored to be working for - Josh Kroenke's dad, Stan Kroenke, who is thinking about buying an NBA team. Kroenke already owns part interest in the St. Louis Rams, but his first love is basketball, which is why we see him everywhere we go.

A rumor that does have some basis is that former Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan is interested in buying half interest in the Charlotte Hornets. If that happens, don't be surprised if he names former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith as the president of operations and former Chicago Bulls head coach Phil Jackson as the head coach. And don't be surprised if Jordan comes out of retirement for the second time. We also continue to hear the rumor about Duke sub Chris Burgess transferring back home to UCLA. According Los Angeles Daily News, Burgess said he's not thinking about it right now. "I can understand where those rumors come from, because my best friend is a student manager on the UCLA basketball team and my girl friend goes there," says Burgess. Don't be surprised if Burgess takes a two-year mission and then decides whether to return to Duke or transfer to UCLA or Utah. As for Duke star and consensus Player of the Year, we still think Elton Brand will declare hardship for the NBA draft. But after Duke's surprising upset by Connecticut on Monday night, we don't it's as sure a thing as it would have been if Duke had won. One that is a sure thing is Maryland star Steve Francis, who announced yesterday that he plans to enter his name into the draft.

Tuesday, March 30, 1999

When the University of Connecticut upset Duke last night, it dramatically changed the outcome of our NCAA Pool. The winner with 85 points was John Patrick, who had Connecticut beating Duke for the national championship. He gets a lifetime subscription to our web site. Patrick edges out Paul Hewitt, who should not be confused with the coach from Siena (this guy is from the Philadelphia Area), and Graig Roberts, both of whom were tied with 84 points. They'll both get one year's access our web site. Next was Greg Perry with 33 points and he'll get a three months subscription. Bob Foster, Joe Dreyer, and Dan Brue all have 82 points, followed by Jeff Cope with 81 points and Chris Ivany with 80 points. They will all get a month subscription. We will email a user ID and password to all the winners. However, if they already subscribe to our web site and want to extend their current subscription or give what they have won to somebody else, call us at 1-800-253-DUNK and we will take care of it. Congratulations to the winners. As for the rest of us, better luck next year.

While most people in the basketball world were in Tampa, FL and St. Petersburg, FL over the weekend for the NCAA Final Four, Wayne Simone of the HOOP SCOOP was at the Tim Thomas Playazz Invitational at Paterson Catholic High School in New Jersey. In the championship game on Sunday afternoon, 6'7 Jr Scott Hazelton from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA had 32 points for the Massachusetts Wildcats, but his team lost to the Tim Thomas Playazz, 105-96. Instead, MVP honors went to 6'8 Jr Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who had 30 points of his own in the title game, as he reinforced his top five national ranking in the Class of 2000 by the HOOP SCOOP. In the 17-Under Division 6'2 Jr Rasheed Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, 5'10 Jr Del Bethea from Camden (Wilson) NJ, and 5'11 Anthony Anderson from Boston (English) MA were also named to the All-Tournament. In our New England report, which we published two weeks ago, we talked about how good the young talent is in New England. So it comes as no surprise that Wayne Simone's Connecticut Select team won the 16-Under Division of this tournament. They beat Philly Airbourne, 79-78, thanks to 6'6 Jr Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, who grabbed an offensive rebound and put in the basket with one second left to win the game. Gomes, who was named the tournament MVP, had 16 points. He was joined on the all-tournament team by 6'2 Soph Richardo Freeman from Hartford (Weaver) CT, 6'1 Soph Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT, 6'2 Soph Robert Taylor from Philadelphia (Neumann) PA, and 6'5 Soph Tamal Forchion from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.

Also over the weekend our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson was at the Ohio State Tournament and he provides these highlights: In Division I, Shaker Heights (H.S.) OH, which was ranked #9 in the state, was knocked off by Cincinnati (Moeller) OH. The player for Moeller with the biggest reputation is 6'4 Mike Monserez, who signed with Notre Dame last fall, but it was 6'6 Soph Matt Sylvester who hit the game tying shot with 30 seconds left. Sylvester, whose father was a star at Dayton in the '70s and a professional basketball player for 17 years, is already being recruited by Ohio State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Xavier, Dayton, and Indiana. In Division II, long time coaching legend Joe Petrocelli won his second state championship when Kettering (Alter) OH beat Philo (H.S.) OH, 49-47, in what was their 4th consecutive overtime win. Dayton signee 6'9 Keith Waleskowski hit a five foot jumper with one second left to win the game, but the star of the game for Alter was Waleskowski's younger brother - 6'8 Soph Adam Waleskowski, who is ranked as one of the top five sophomores in Ohio by Johnson. Waleskowski's early list is similar to that of Sylvester, but it also includes a number of ACC schools. In Class III, Bedford (Chanel) OH beat Coldwater (H.S.) OH,72-54, thanks to the effort of 5'10 Brian Swift, who had 22 points in the championship game. In Division IV, Worthington (Chrisitan) OH beat Fort Recovery (H.S.) OH, as 6'4 Jr Sammy Smith, who recently made an early verbal commitment to Dayton, went for 28 points.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also tells us that Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI beat Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI, 54-47, for the Class A State Championship in Michigan. This is especially important, because 6'5 Jason Richardson from Saginaw (Buena Vista) MI earlier was named Mr. Basketball over the more highly rated 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI. And Blanchard showed why he is #9 on our national list, as well as the #1 ranked player in Michigan, by scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Richardson, who ranks #17 nationally and #2 in Michigan, was slowed by foul trouble, but did have 16 points, nine rebounds, and six steals. Speaking of Blanchard, we still think Michigan is the school you have to beat, but don't look for anything to happen until at least after April 17th, which is when he is scheduled to visit Penn State. In Class B, River Rouge (H.S.) MI pounded Cheboygan (H.S.) MI, 74-54, behind a 32 point effort by Ohio State signee 6'1 Brent Darby, who hit 6-8 3-pointers. In Class C, 6'7 Aloyius Anagonye led Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI past Bath (H.S.) MI, 58-44.

Monday, March 29, 1999

I talked with a number of people who thought Saturday's NCAA Semi-Finals games were good games, but I have to agree with CBS Television analyst Billy Packer. The games were "ugly" and the feeling among Duke fans who I talked with after the game was "we played bad and survived." However, we still think Duke will win big tonight, because you aren't going to beat the Blue Devils, unless you can successful control tempo, like Michigan State did on Saturday. Instead, Connecticut is expected to run with Duke and that could spell disaster, unless the Huskies play a flawless game. Our prediction is a double digit win for the Blue Devils, although personally I will be pulling for the upset. Whatever happens tonight, it marks the end of the 1998-99 college basketball season. And while there won't be another college basketball game until next November, tonight marks both an end and a beginning. For us, next year starts tomorrow. As a matter of fact, one of the most important times of the year is just around the corner. The spring signing period begins in only 10 days on April 7th and the next several weeks will be filled with numerous AAU Tournaments, all-stars games, and work-outs for unsigned players. The plan is to update our Georgia and Michigan Reports on Wednesday and Thursday and then head onto the Boo Williams Tournament in Hampton, VA on Friday.

The best player in the NIKE Hoop Summit yesterday was 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA. Not only did he hit almost everything in sight, as was evident by his 10-14 field goals and 6-8 3-pointers, but he was a key reason why the USA Team beat the World Team, 107-95. So was 6'4 Kevin Gaines from Las Vegas (Clark) NV, who also made a number of big shots off the dribble and impressed the overwhelming number of college coaches in attendance with his quickness, versatility, and ability to get his shot with a hand in his face. Gaines finished with 20 points and reinforced our belief that he belongs among the top 10 seniors nationally. However, getting back to Jacobsen, we had him too low ranked at #30. He definitely cuts that number at least in half with his performance yesterday and in the McDonald's Game last week. Also playing well for the USA Team was 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA. He started strong, as he scored six of his teams first 10 points and finished even stronger with what was the dunk of the day. Watson had 13 points and nine rebounds, but just as important ,he provided the USA Team with a powerful presence inside. So did 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, but he only showed flashes, which is why we have him ranked #18 in the class, instead of in the top five or 10. However, with more consistency, he could become the next Elton Brand. Also deserving a mention was 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ. However, despite the fact that Williamshad seven assists, he shot the ball too much and forced things, as was evident by his 4-13 field goals and six turnovers. As a result, he was a little disappointing. The leading scorer for the World Team was 6'3 Valado Ilijevski from Yugolsavia, but it was 6'11 Jesse Young from Petersborough (Collegiate) ON, who drew the most praise. He got most of his 14 points early, but he was also his team's leading rebounder with eight, as well as a force to be reckoned with inside. He signed early with George Mason, which already has nearly everybody back from a team that lost to Cincinnati in the first round of the NCAA several week ago. We also liked Antonio Fotsis from Greece, because he's an excellent 3-point shooter at 6'8, and 6'11 Olumide Oyedeji from Nigeria. Remember him! Oyedeji is the player Rutgers signed a year ago, but he had visa problems, so they never got him into school. Oyedeji didn't do much offensively, but he tied Young for top rebounding honors for the World Team and he was a very active defender and shot blocker. We also liked Alexander Miloserdov from Russia, 6'7 Liberto Tetmadinger from France, and 6'8 Guilherme Joanoni from Brazil. Joanoni looks big and slow, but he's got a great move to the basket. Joanoni only played 12 minutes, but that was enough to get a taste of his big-time athleticism, explosive speed and quickness, and ability to handle the ball well enough to play some point guard. Miloserdov is a slasher who is surprisingly athletic, as he beats everybody to the hole.

Sunday, March 28, 1999

With the spring signing period just around the corner (the first day players can sign a binding national letter-of-intent in the spring is Wednesday, April 7th), it is time to take a look at what we think some of the top players in the nation will be doing. Our guess is that 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who ranks as our #1 5th year player, will pass up going to college and turn professional right out of high school. Our top ranked high school senior is 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA and we're getting it from too many people who would know not to believe he'll end up at the University of Florida, which would be one of the last pieces to the puzzle for the Gators to make a run at the National Championship within the next several years. Virginia was the favorite for 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI, but when assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez got the head job at Manhattan, it set the Cavaliers back, because Gonzalez was a big reason why UVA was in there so strong. As a result, we now believe that Michigan is a lock for Blanchard. Now that North Carolina has offered 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, the popular consensus is that it's a done deal for the Tar Heels.  It probably is, but don't bet the ranch on it just yet, because UNC-Charlotte and Michigan have both done a great job recruiting him and they've both been in the picture all along. One we don't have a feel for is 6'9 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, who is scheduled to make his intentions know next Saturday at the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic in Auburn Hills, MI. We do think it will either be UCLA or Duke. As a matter of fact, we'd be shocked if he opted for St. John's, although the Red Storm is still on his list.

Yesterday New York (Rice) NY beat Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 93-65, for the New York State Championship, but the game was a lot closer than the final score might indicate. Despite the fact that Rice hit 17-28 field goals (62%) in the first half, they were only up 34-30 with 50 seconds left in the half. Then they outscored Cardozo 5-1 to make it 39-31 at the half-time and never looked back. The Most Valuable Player in the Tournament was 6'2 Kenny Satterfield from New York (Rice) NY, who had 32 points in the championship game. He was complemented by his teammate 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett, who had 19 points and seven assists in the title game. Cardozo was led by 6'3 Brian Woodward and 6'3 Royal Ivey, who combined for 37 points in the championship game. Also making the all-tournament team were 6'3 Drew Nicholas from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY and 6'2 Kareem Washington from White Plains (H.S.) NY.

Yesterday former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla was named as the new head coach at New Mexico and of all the jobs he was being mentioned for, we can't think of a worse fit. Fraschilla is a Northeast and Midwest guy and it will be interesting to see how he fits in and interacts with the people in Albuquerque, NM. We're sure he will recruit well and keep the program on its present course, but the question remains, how long will he stay? Another coach we're asking the same thing about is Northwestern's Kevin O'Neill. ONeill, who is one of the top recruiters in the nation, has been at Northwestern for two years, but he hasn't won enough to think about moving on. He did make major progress this year, but they may have a hard time even duplicating this year's middle of the road finish in the always tough Big 10 due to the graduation of 7'0 Evan Eschmeyer. Another bad fit that we have to question is Duke assistant coach Quin Snyder going to Vanderbilt. It hasn't happened yet, but he continues to be mentioned as one of the leading candidates. Snyder, is the hottest assistant coach in the nation, but Vanderbilit is a tough job. The academic entrance requirements are much higher than normal NCAA standards and, as a result, there is not as much margin for error. And this can be important for a young coach who is learning in his first job.

Saturday, March 27, 1999

Last night New York (Rice)  NY beat Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY, 75-66, and Bayside (Cardozo) NY beat White Plains (H.S.)NY, 59-56, to set up the New York State Championship today. In the first game Cardozo, which overcame a 13 point deficit to win, 6'3 Brian Woodward had 18 points and 10 rebounds and 6'7 Jr Tremayne Singletary had 16 points and 12 rebounds. In the other game, 6'3 Drew Nicholas from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY was the leading scorer, but he didn't have enough to overcome 6'2 Kenny Satterfield and 5'9 Jr Andre Barrett, who combined for 38 points. Earlier this year Rice beat Cardozo, 88-58, in a regular season game. While this time we don't think it will be a 30 point blowout, we still have to make Rice a heavy favorite. They just have too many weapons and their backcourt of Satterfield and Barrett is unbelievable.

Last night at the adidas party at the NCAA Final Four in Tampa, FL we talked with the father of 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH and he does not confirm that his son is a lock for Missouri. While Missouri is high on his list, he also mentioned Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Georgia Tech, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Iowa. That's right! Steve Alford had shown interest in Kroenke when he was at Southwest Missouri State and it now appears that the Hawkeyes are a serious factor.

Another person we talked with last night was Johnny Kelly, who is the head coach at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and he tells us that everybody is recruiting his outstanding junior in 6'10 Modibo Diarra, who ranks #35 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as #3 in New England among juniors by Wayne Simone. But those who have shown the most interest are Kentucky, Villanova, Clemson, Wake Forest, American University, Connecticut, and Georgetown. Kelly also expects North Carolina and Kansas to become major factors very soon. Kelly also tells us that DePaul and Wright State are the leaders for 6'6 Marcus Jefferson., who transferred to Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA from East Chicago (Central) IN last fall. Also still in the hunt for Jefferson are Villanova, Providence, Wisconsin, and Marquette.

With the NCAA Final Four only a few hours away, it is time to give you our predictions. In the first game, Ohio State will upset Connecticut. Remember, Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien always made in interesting against Connecticut when he was at Boston College and the Buckeyes are on a roll. So make it Ohio State by three. In the second game, Duke will beat Michigan State and it may be ugly.  Make it the Blue Devils by 25.  Duke it a great team and this is the first time any of the Michigan State coaches and players have been in the NCAA Final Four. Hopefully they will do better next time. Then, on Monday night, Duke will beat Ohio State, again by as many as the want. Duke is a great team. They are the team of the '90s and the closest thing college basketball has seen to a dynasty since John Wooden retired at UCLA in 1975.

Friday, March 26, 1999

It is common knowledge that Joe Cravens is taking over for Ron Abegglen at Weber State, but something you didn't know is that Cravens is about to hire Ryan Wolf, who is an assistant coach Barton County (JC) KS. Look for Wolf's first recruit to be 6'2 Lamont Roland, who was one of the best junior college players in the nation and a big reason why Barton County was ranked as the #2 junior college in America most of this year. If Weber State gets Roland, 6'6 Harold Arceneaux decides to stay (we're hearing talk about his possibly declaring hardship for the NBA draft), and a few other things fall into place, Weber State could be even better next year than they were this year when the knocked off North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

He hasn't announced for Long Beach State 's yet, but we hear it's just a matter of time before 6'9 James Williams from Dixie (JC) UT, who was named a week ago to the NJCAA Tournament All-Tournament Team, announces for the Beach. And he's not the only player from Dixie Junior College who may be heading to play for head coach Wayne Morgan. We also expect 6'6 Jim Roban from Dixie (JC) UT to pick Long Beach State over Idaho and Wyoming. If Morgan pulls this off and with nearly everybody returning next year, Long Beach State should be one of the most improved teams in the nation next year. And if they aren't, Morgan's days are numbered. If you will recall, Morgan was in the hot seat this year, but only survived. Now it looks like he has the time he needs to get it done with all the good young talent that he has in the program.

We continue to hear that Alabama is the team to beat for 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS, but don't be surprised if it happens. Kentucky, Louisville, and a number of other schools are high on his lsit, but don't be shocked if he ended up at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. And if this happens, remember where you heard it first. University of Missouri-Kansas City head coach Bob Sundvold has to hire not one, but two assistants and the word is that Sundvold is going to hire Butler County head coach Steve Eck. And if this happens, look for Eck will bring Jackson and several other players, including 6'8 Frosh Michael Jackson, who redshirted a year ago and played this year, which means academically he has finished the two years he needs to graduate this spring.

The big topic of conversation among coaches and people in the business at the Final Four is always jobs and things are constantly changing all the time. The perfect example - just yesterday, we thought Xavier head coach Skip Prosser was a lock for Notre Dame.  But now we're hearing that Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker is in the lead to take over in South Bend, IN. And if that happens, would former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla be in line for the Seton Hall? It would definitely be a perfect fit, because Fraschilla already has established a recruiting base in New York, he wouldn't have to move, and he certainly would enjoy playing St. John's twice a year in the Big East (it would be payback time). We are also hearing Fraschilla mentioned for New Mexico and Marquette, but we're hoping Arizona State assistant coach Tony Benford gets to return to New Mexico (he was an assistant there for a long time) and today it looks like Michigan State assistant coach Tom Crean is the leader for the Marquette job. If that happens, would former Marquette head coach Mike Deane be in line for Crean's old job? Remember. Deane was an assistant coach under Judd Heathcote at Michigan State in the 80s before leaving to become the head coach Siena and then Marquette.

We continue to hear Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson for Georgia and Duke assistant coach Quin Snyder appears to be close to taking the Vanderbilt job. We expect St. Louis to hire Pepperdine head coach Lorenzo Romar within the next few days and we continue to hear that former Michigan head coach Steve Fisher will get the San Diego State job. And look for Fisher to hire Brian Dutcher, who was his former top assistant coach at Michigan, immediately. And in case you were wondering what ever happened to Miami (Senior) FL head coach Frank Martin, we can bet he will resurface someplace this spring. One job we've heard him mentioned for is the part-time assistant coaching position at Cincinnati, although Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins first choice is Youngstown State head coach Dan Peters. Peters hasn't been able to recruit well at Youngstown State, but he's a great bench coach and he got his start in coaching with Huggins when he was at Akron.

Among the people we ran into at the NCAA Final Four today in Tampa, FL was Ocala (Vanguard) FL head coach Jim Haley, who is one of the all-time great high school coaches in the nation, as well as one of the best people in the business. He tells us that his star player 6'7 Napolean Rhodes, who ranks #234 nationally, but has the potential and athleticism to move a lot higher if he ever develops perimeter skills and a 3-point shot, will likely have to the junior college route. Among the schools he mentioned were Pensacola (JC) FL, Chipola (JC) FL, Central Florida (JC) FL, Compton (JC) CA, and Tallahassee (JC) FL.

Thursday, March 25, 1999

It isn't official yet, but the biggest rumor right now at the NCAA Final Four is that Xavier head coach Skip Prosser will get the Notre Dame job.  This is no big surprise, because Prosser was perhaps the most obvious candidate all along. We are also hearing that former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla is the leading candidate for the Marquette job, although tonight, when we talked to Fraschilla, he wouldn't tell us much of anything, except that he expects to have a coaching job within the next week to 10 days. We also talked with former New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari and he tells us that he is in no big hurry to get back into coaching. Right now he's happy just counting his money and our guess is that he will do television commentary for a year or two and wait for what he feels is the perfect opportunity to come along. Contrary to reports in Lexington, KY earlier today, University of Kentucky assistant coach Shawn Finney has not been hired yet as the head coach new head coach at Southwest Missouri State, although there is no doubt that he'd like to get the job. The latest candidate for the San Diego State job may be former Michigan head coach Steve Fisher. We're now hearing that it is official that Oklahoma State assistant coach Paul Graham has been hired at Washington State. Apparently he's the coach to be named later. Remember, University of Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson was at Washington State before coming to Oklahoma, which happens to be Oklahoma State's biggest rival.

We have now confirmed that University of Massachuetts head coach James "Bruiser" Flint is on the verge of getting commitments from 6'7 Shon Coleman from Indian Hills (JC) IA and 6'5 DeMarcus Minor from Barton County (JC) KS. This is huge, because they both ranked among the top junior college players in the nation. Getting Minor would be especially big, because UMass needs a point guard and, at 6'5, he does an excellent job of running his team and controlling the tempo.

The East All-Stars had better talent at every position , but last night in Ames, IA in the McDonald's All American Game, the West All-Stars jumped out early and later withheld several second half runs, as they beat the East, 141-128. Obviously, while the East had the talent, the West found the right chemistry, played excellent defense, and had big efforts from 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS and 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA, who combined for 35 points in the first half, and 6'9 Nick Collison from Iowa Falls (H.S.) IA, who did most of his damage early in third quarter when he scored 12 points. Bender, who took home game MVP honors and broke Michael Jordans's McDonald's Game scoring record with 31 points, has tremendous natural talent and athleticism. However, he rarely plays like he did last night. As a matter of fact, the last time we saw him put it all together like this was last spring at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions almost a year ago. But last night, he shot the lights out, blocked shots, and even got 10 rebounds. The East Squad made several runs in the third quarter - thanks mainly to outside shooting by 6'3 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ. But every time the East made a run, somebody from the West stepped up and answered. The Slam Dunk Contest winner was 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, who ranks as the #1 player in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.

Everybody wants to be first when naming their post-season honors. But the most important time of the year is the last three weeks in March, so it seems only fitting that we wait until the eve of the eve of the NCAA Final Four to announce our picks for the three top awards in college basketball. The HOOP SCOOP's choice for National Coach of the Year is Ohio State head coach Jim O'Brien, who in two short years is responsible for one of the great turnarounds in college basketball history. Our choice for National Player of the Year is Duke's Elton Brand. He doesn't have great perimeter skills and he might be a little undersized to play center in the NBA, but he's the ultimate warrior, as well as the big reason why Duke is the best team college basketball has seen in years. Our choice for National Rookie of the Year is Rhode Island's Lamar Odom, who made a major impact for Rhode Island this year, but who will likely declare hardship for the NBA draft in June.

Wednesday, March 24, 1999

We have now confirmed that Providence College has received verbal commitments from 6'3 Abdul Mills from Milford (Academy) CT and 6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH. If you will recall, Mills, who ranks #22 nationally among 5th year, prep school, and foreign players by the HOOP SCOOP, had a great senior year. Augustine, who ranks #204 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP among seniors, is a blue collar banger inside. He also seems to be trying to break the record for most commitments during a senior season (earlier he committed to Duquesne, Toledo, and Notre Dame, but sense has reneged on all three schools).

We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from our Ranking of the Top Coaches that we published several weeks ago, but we failed to mention University of Texas assistant coach Ricky Stokes in our category for assistants ready to move into head jobs. This former Virginia star was a candidate a year ago for the Cavaliers head coaching job before they settled on Pete Gillen. And now it looks like he's at least returning close to home, because we understand that he will be named as the new head coach today at Virginia Tech to replace Bobby Hussey. Speaking of Hussey, we'd heard earlier that he might be in trouble, but more recently thought he'd ride out any storm. New Mexico head coach Dave Bliss taking the Baylor job came as no surprise. Also not a surprise was Majerus turning down Notre Dame, Oklahoma's Kelvin Sampson saying no to Georgia, and Brown hiring Connecticut College head coach Glenn Miller, who was regarded as one of the top Division III coaches in the nation.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is reporting that Bowling Green has picked up a commitment from 6'7 Seth Doliboa from Springboro (H.S.) OH, whose brother, Cain Doliboa, plays for the University of Dayton. Bowling Green also already has two recruits in 6'5 Cory Ryan from Fountain City (Northeastern) IN and 6'9 Kevin Netter from Southeastern (Richland Dole) OH, a transfer in 5'11 Brandon Bradon, who has left Wright State to come to Bowling Green, and a baseball players who plans to play in both sports in 6'5 Kelly Hunt from Toledo (Central Catholic) OH.

Have you ever heard of the Texas A&M at Corpus Christi? You will, because the school will be joining the Division I ranks in 2000-2001. They've already hired former South Alabama and San Jacinto (JC) TX head coach Ron Arrow, who is one of the best recruiters of junior college talent in the nation. So it should come as no surprise that Arrow already has landed three junior college players from Bacone (JC) OK, including 6'5 Michael Hicks, who was named to the all-tournament team a week ago at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, KS. Arrow also has landed 6'9 Johnny Hardwick and 6'7 Brandon Moorer, both from Los Angeles (Manual Arts) CA. However, right now the program is starting from scratch and there are no plans to compete at any level next year. As a result, anybody Arrow signs this year will have to sit out next year.

The all-star game situation involving 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC is especially interesting. Parker is on the roster and his high school coach, Gosnell White, is scheduled to coach in the Dada All-Star Classic (formerly the Eddie Jones All-Star Classic), which will be held on Sunday, April 18th, at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. Dan Owens, who is in charge of recruiting the players for the Derby Classic, which will be held in Louisville,KY, April 17th, thinks Parker will play in the Derby Classic, because he has a signed contract from Parker. Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports tells us that Parker has committed to play in the ACC/SEC Hoops Challenge, which Gibbons is hosting on April 10th in Raleigh, NC at Reynolds Coliseum. The problem is NCAA rules prohibit high school seniors from playing in more than two all-star games before school is out. Parker also plans to play in the Nike Hoop Summit, which matches a group of American players against a foreign all-star team during the weekend of the NCAA Final Four. But that's not a problem, because the NIKE Hoop Summit is exempt from the rule. Getting back to the ACC/SEC Hoops Challenge, Parker will likely sign with North Carolina in soon, so obviously Gibbons has to do whatever it takes to make sure that he plays in this game. Parker, who Gibbons now thinks is the best power forward in the nation, is joined on the ACC All-Stars roster by 6'10 Jason Rogers from Staunton (Robert E. Lee) VA, 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Nick Horvath from St. Paul (Mounds View) MN, 6'8 Will Johnson from Hickory (H.S.) NC, 6'6 Damien Wilkins from Orlando (Dr. Phillip) FL, 6'5 Josh Howard from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Joe Forte from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 David West from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Tony Bobbitt from Daytona Beach (Mainland) FL, 6'2 Stephen Blake from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 5'10 Jon Holmes from Bloomington (South) IN. The SEC All-Stars won't have the inside power that ACC All-Stars have, with Watson and Parker, but 6'3 Tony Robertson from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI is terrific. The supporting cast, which includes 6'9 Kenny Walker from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 7'2 Nathan Popp from Lexington (Catholic) KY, 6'9 Matt Bonner from Concord (H.S.) NH, 6'8 Carl Baker from Palestine (Wheatley) AR, 6'7 Ronald Slay from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Travis Kraft from Mayville (M-P-C-G) ND, 6'7 Ronald Dupree from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Chuck Eidson from Summerville (Pinewood) SC, 6'4 Ezra Williams from Marietta (H.S.) GA, , 6'1 Harris Walker from Chatham (Hargrave Military)VA, and 6'4 Jamison Brewer from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD, should also be pretty good. The game will tipoff at 7:30 PM and is being run by Gibbons and the ACC Today.Com.

Tuesday, March 23, 1999

The University of Texas, which signed three players - 6'6 Chris Ogden from Seminole (H.S) TX, 6'7 William Wyatt from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, and 6'4 Roosevelt Brown from Duncanville (H.S.) TX - last fall, has added a fourth player to its recruiting class. Jerry Scarbrough, the Editor of the True Orange, which is a fan publication that covers the University of Texas athletic, tells us that the Longhorns now have a committed from 6'2 Lawrence Williams from Panola (JC) TX. We have no idea how good Williams is, but apparently he is exactly what the University of Texas coaching staff, which has a good eye for talent, is looking for - Williams averaged 19.5 ppg and shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc this year.

Greg Swaim, the Editor & Publisher of Midwest Basketball tells us that the University of Mississippi is now the strong favorite over Texas Christian, Miami-FL, and Alabama for 6'7 Jason Holmes from Southwest Mississippi (JC) MS. If you will recall, Ole Miss already had a top 30 ranked recruiting class after the fall signing period with 6'10 John Gunn from Oxford (H.S.) MS, 6'3 Aaron Harper from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'7 Josh Hayes from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'7 Richard Kirklin from Pine Bluff (Watson Chapel) AR, and 6'4 Emmanuel Wade from Marianna (Lee) AR. All that was missing was a star upon which to build the class around. Holmes, who is ranked as one of the top junior college players in the nation, could be that guy.

We talked with Vincent Baldwin, the Editor & Publisher of Michigan & Ohio Prep Spotlight, earlier today and tells us about a classic matchup that will take place later today between two of the state's top point guards. It's Ohio State bound 6'1 Brent Darby from River Rouge (H.S.) MI versus 6'2 Jr Maurice Searight from Orchard Lake (St. Mary) MI and the winner goes to the state final four this weekend. Speaking of Searight, Baldwin tells us that Michigan and Cincinnati are the leaders, but that Syracuse, Villanova, California, Kentucky, and Duke are also all on his list. Baldwin also tells us that Kentucky is making a strong push for 6'3 Jr Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who ranks as the #1 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  So strong that they might actually be able to give Michigan State, which has been the leader for Taylor since he was in 6th grade, a run for their money. As long as we're talking about Michigan players, Baldwin tells us that Toledo may be on the verge of beating out Providence and Dayton for 6'8 Delvar Barrett, who is now in prep school in Bridgton (Academy) ME. Also, if 6'6 Jason Richardson from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, who won the coveted Mr. Basketball Award in the state, leads his team to victory tonight, he would be unable to participate tomorrow night in the McDonald's All American Game, because Michigan rules prohibit players from playing in all-star games until after their high school season is over. The same holds true for 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Ann Arbor (Pioneer) MI. As is stands now, if Richardson's team wins, he will at least go to Ames, IA tomorrow and enjoy the festivities, even though he won't be able to play in the game. Word is Blanchard won't even do that, although he may change his mind at the last minute.

Getting our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report done is always a major task, but late last night we finished the task. This time Allen Rubin has provided us with 510 seniors, 435 juniors, 262 sophomores, 154 freshmen, and 31 8th graders all ranked in order. However, the big story in the Philadelphia Area is the growing legend of Dajuan Wagner and the first several paragraphs of our article are worth checking out. You can do so by clicking on Philadelphia Area or go right to the player list by clicking on Rubin Ranks 'Em: The Top Players in Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey.

Monday, March 22, 1999

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Southwest Missouri State head coach Steve Alford will be named as the new head coach at Iowa sometime this afternoon. This comes as no surprise, but it makes the league even that much tougher. If you will recall, several weeks ago when published our ranking of the top coaches in the nation, six of the top 20 - Gene Keady of Purdue, Bob Knight of Indiana, Lon Kruger of Illinois, Jim O'Brien of Ohio State, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, and Dick Bennett of Wisconsin - were from the Big 10 Conference. While Dr. Tom Davis, who is being forced out as the head coach of Iowa, is a terrific X's and O's coach, he has not proved to be a good recruiter in recent years. However, Alford is. Plus, he's the #2 ranked young head coach in the nation, according to the HOOP SCOOP, and he impressed everybody with is coaching and preparation in the NCAA Tournament when Southwest Missouri State beat Tennessee by 30 points in the second round. Great news for Iowa fans! But not such great news for IU fans, many of whom were hoping that Alford would eventually succeed Knight at Indiana.

Greg Swaim of Midwest Basketball tells us that his junior college scout, Jason Mitchum, is reporting that 7'1 Joel Pryzbilla could be transferring from the University of Minnesota to the University of Kansas. This comes as no surprise to us in light of the recent test taking scandal that has errupted at Minnesota. It also seems like poetic justice, because two summers ago Pryzbilla was Kansas head coach Roy Williams #1 recruit. As a matter of fact, Williams saw Pryzbilla play in every game in participated in from July 9th at the adidas ABCD Camp through July 28th in the Las Vegas Grand Finale. On July 29th in Las Vegas, Williams saw Pryzbilla play in the morning, but that afternoon flew to Utah to see a junior college player. However, he next day he is back and in the front row for all four of Pryzbilla's playoff games. Getting back to the rumor, Swaim also tells us that Kansas currently doesn't have any scholarships available, but that Pryzbilla would be willing to pay his own way until a scholarship does become available.  Apparently Kansas was where Pryzbilla wanted to go all the time, but family and local pressure won out and, as a result, he elected to stay home when he signed with Minnesota as a high school senior.

We have thought for some time that Hofstra assistant coach Tom Pecora would get the Wagner job, but apparently Georgia  Tech head coach Bobby Cremins figured he'd use his New York connections to get his assistant coach Dereck Whittenburg the job. Although this is still unconfirmed, we're getting this from a pretty good source and it makes perfect sense. If you will recall, we told you several weeks ago that Cremins might move both of his assistants - Whittenburg into a head coaching position and Kevin Cantwell into an administrative position.

Sunday, March 21, 1999

Middle Village (Christ the King) NY jumped out to a 10-4 lead, but New York (Rice) NY went on a 14-0 run and never looked back, as they won the New York City Catholic League Championship, 85-75. Rice killed Christ the King on the boards 43 to 28, including 19 offensive rebounds, and 6'2 Kenny Satterfield and 6'7 Jr Andre Sweet were nothing less than ridiculous. Satterfield, who hit 10-16 field goals, 2-3 3-pointers, and 10-10 free throws, had 32 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Sweet, who hit 11-15 from the field, finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Christ the King was led by 6'10 Mark McCarroll, who concluded his high school career with 22 points, including 10-14 field goals, but was miserable from the four lime (2-8 free throws). Omar Cook, the 6'1 junior point guard who ranks #8 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, only had eight points, but he dished out 12 assists and only had two turnovers against Rice's relentless pressure. Rice will go on to play in the New York State Championship A Division semi-finals against Long Island (Lutheran) next Friday night. In the other semi-finals game next Friday night, Bayside (Cardozo) NY will meet the winner of the Albany (Colonie) NY versus White Plains (H.S.) NY game that was played earlier today. Then, the two winners (hopefully Rice and Cardozo, which coached by Ron Naclerio, who is also the HOOP SCOOP's New York City Editor) will square off next Saturday night for the championship.

The other day we reported that we had a source who told us that Utah head coach Rick Majerus had turned down Notre Dame, but we have not been able to confirm this. However, we are able to confirm that Duke assistant coach Quin Synder has interviewed for the Notre Dame job tonight following the Blue Devils' impressive win over Temple in the NCAA East finals. Apparently Marquette is also going hard after Snyder, although Michigan State assistant coach Tom Crean, former Marquette All-American Glenn "Doc" Rivers, and Butler head coach Barry Collier have also been mentioned as possible candidates to replace Mike Deane as the head coach of the Golden Eagles. We tend to hear something different on Georgia everyday, but now it looks like Delaware head coach Mike Brey is now the leading candidate, although Buzz Peterson also appears to be very much in the hunt. However, we also have confirmed that Peterson has been offered the St. Louis job and he may be trying to use that as leverage to get a better contract from Georgia.

Last night Indian Hills (JC) IA became the first team ever to win the NJCAA Tournament three consecutive times. They beat Barton County (JC) KS, 108-86, and will probably be the favorite to repeat again next year. That's right!  The tournament MVP 6'6 Corey Hightower is only a freshman and, as a result, will provide Indian Hills with the superstar they will need to build around to make a run at their fourth straight title next March. This year's championship game matched the two top ranked junior college teams all year. Barton County won its first 25 games of the season and was ranked #1 for five weeks when Indian Hills lost for the only time in their last 106 games. Indian Hills moved back into the #1 spot when Barton County's own winning streak came to an end later in the season. Hightower had 15 points the championship game. He was joined on the all-tournament team by 6'6 Terry Black, also from Indian Hills (JC) IA; 7'3 Aleksander Radojevic and 6'4 Lamont Roland, both from Barton County (JC) KS; 6'10 Tajudeen Soloye from Meridian (JC) MS; who signed with Missouri during the fall signing period; 6'2 Paul McPherson from Kennedy-King (JC) IL, who has a 46-inch vertical leap; 6'9 Rudy Williams from Dixie (JC) UT; 6'9 Arturas Javtokas from Western Nebraska (JC) NE; 6'5 Michael Hicks from Bacone (JC) OK; 6'3 Mickey Dennis from North Dakota (Williston) ND; and 6'5 Arunas Drasutis from Weatherford (JC) TX. The player among this group who will probably make the biggest impact next year at the Division I level is Radojevic, who was slowed by foul trouble in the championship game. He signed with Ohio State early and he should provide the Buckeyes with the dominanting presence they don't have this year. As a result, a return appearance in the NCAA Final Four next year could be a distinct possibility.

We have posted the latest standings in our NCAA Pool and the leader is Paul Hewitt with 74 points and three of his four NCAAFinal Four teams - Duke, Connecticut, and Ohio State - are still alive. Unless something strange happens, Hewitt, who should not be confused with the head coach at Siena, will win lifetime access to our web page, as well as bragging rights, because he appears to be on the verge of beating a very knowledgable group of basketball fans, which includes 419 entries. The leader until today was Dan Brue, who has now dropped into a second place tie, along with Bob Foster, with 72 points. As it stands now, both of those guys will win a year's free access to the web site. Currently in 4th place is Gary Lowenthal with 71 points. Right now he is in line to win three months of free access to the HOOP SCOOP. Tied for 5th place are Jeff Cope and Clark Francis, but I don't need free access to my own web site. So the next four people, Gary Lemel, John Patrick, Tim Fields, and John Culliane, who are all tied with 69 points, all would win a month's worth of free access, if the tournament were decided today. For all the results, including this afternoon's games, click on Standings.

Saturday, March 20, 1999

It now looks like the top two candidates for the Brown job are former Seton Hall coach George Blaney and Hartford head coach Paul Brazeau. Appearantly Brazeau is in trouble there and wants to get out before he is fired. Also I continue to hear that head coach Art Perry is in trouble at American University and has one more year to make a significant improvement (NCAA tourney) or he is gone. Back to Brown, apparently they are willing now to make a serious commitment to a winnning basketball program. Upon further checking, we find that the athletic director at Brown was formerly at Ohio State when Brazeau was an assistant coach there under Randy Ayers. However, our sources tell us that Brazeau has not interviewed for the Brown job. We're also now hearing that Brazeau's job at Hartford is secure, at least for now, because his team finished 4th in the American East Conference this year.

The rosters for the GTE Wireless Derby Festival Classic All-Star game, which will be held a t Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY have been announced and it looks like this year's game could be the best ini years. The Purple Team is the early favorite, because every player on the squad ranks among our top 100 nationally. The Purple Team includes 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Butler)AL, 6'9 Marquis Estill from Richmond (Madison Central) KY, 6'6 Ron Slay from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Joe Johnson from Little Rock (Central) AR, 6'6 Derek Smith from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, 6'7 Rod Grizzard from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'5 Marshall Williams from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'5 Ezra Williams from Marietta (H.S.) GA, 6'3 Kirk Hinrich from Sioux City (West) IA, and 6'1 Rick Jones from Georgetown (Scott County) KY. Also we are hearing that it is possible that 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA will be added to the Purple Squad. The White Squad will include 6'11 Samuel Dalembert from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'10 Robertas Javotkas from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'9 Joe Sykes from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY, 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'7 George Williams from Sugar Land (Elkins) TX, 6'7 Mikeal Hadiri from Chicago (Lincoln Park) IL, 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Reece Gaines from Madison (West)WI, 6'2 George Baker from Lexington (Dunbar) KY, and 6'4 Jamaal Crawford from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and 6'0 Jon Holmes from Bloomington (South) IN.

Friday, March 19, 1999

The rosters for the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic, which is sponsored by adidas and to be played Saturday, April 3rd, in Auburn Hills, MI, have been announced today. The East All-Stars will feature 6'6 LaVell Blanchard from Pioneer (Ann Arbor) MI, 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyttsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'9 Matt Bonner from Concord (H.S.) NH, 6'6 Matt Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, 6'9 DerMarr Johnson Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'0 Majestic Mapp from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, Tony Robertson from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'11 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, and 6'3 DeShaun Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.  The West All-Stars include 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS, 6'9 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, 6'1 Brent Darby from River Rouge (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Michael Dunleavy from Portand Jesuit) OR, 6'7 Joe Johnson from Little Rock (Central) AR, 6'8 Jason Kapono from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'5 Jason Richardson from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'2 Brett Nelson from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'1 Ken Satterfield from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 George Williams from Sugar Land (Elkins) TX. One of our favorite players and best shooters in the nation - 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH - will be the alternate in the game. Prior to the game, Boozer will hold a press conference to announce his decision. He is expected to pick either Duke or UCLA. But that might not be the only announcement. Don't be surprised if Johnson announces that he will enter his name at the draft while he's in town for this adidas event.

We are now hearing that Utah head coach Rick Majerus has turned down the Notre Dame job. While our source is usually right on the money, this is still unconfirmed. If this is true, that could open the door for former New York Nets head coach John Calipari to get the job. We expect Hofstra assistant coach Tom Pecora to get the Wagner job and it could happen at any time, although former Western Kentucky head coach Matt Kilcullen also still appears to have a shot. A new name from the Vanderbilt job appears to be University of Washington head coach Bob Bender. We also are hearing that Baylor assistant coach Mike Wilson won't be joining Bobby Gonzalez at Manhattan. Instead, Gonzalez will hire Virginia assistant Mike Malone, who is the son of New York Knicks assistant coach Brendan Malone. As for Wilson, he may stay at Baylor, if they hire the right coach, but he also appears to be at the top of the list to get hired by Bobby Huggins at Cincinnati, if the Bearcats have an opening.

One of the big stories of late that we haven't talked about is the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Buckwalter striking down Proposition 16, which mandated that high school athletes attain a minimum standardized test score to play in Division I as a freshman. Buckwalter found that the NCAA requirements are racially and culturally discriminatory. Well, tell us something we don't know! When Prop 48 was first put in as the standard by which players would be eligible in 1983, the SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) people themselves said that their test should not be the sole determining factor as to whether somebody should be admitted into college. What's really amazing is that it took this long to test it in court. So what's going to happen now? Nothing right now, because the NCAA is going to appeal to the 3rd Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. It also plans to seek a stay from the court, which means we can expect things to stay status quo, at least for a while longer, except maybe for some of the high school seniors who have stopped worrying about passing the SAT. But let's say the NCAA loses all of its appeals and eventually has to do something. You can bet they will solve the problem by making all freshmen across the board ineligible to play their first year in college. This would be legal, but instead of penalizing poor kids who come from impoverished backgrounds who haven't been properly prepared to do college work, they would be penalizing smart kids who don't need five years of college to play four. It also would encourage more players than ever in high school to think about skipping college and going right to the NBA. Just another stupid rule to provide window dressing to a far more reaching problem, which once again won't be solved. In the end the NCAA will still achieve its goal of total institutional control, but once against the game will be hurt, as the talent level is diluted even more. If they really want to something radical, the NCAA should tie the amount of money schools get to the number of players who graduate. Also teaching players who have academic problems how to read and write would provide the tools they need to successfully graduate. Remember, the SAT is supposed to determine whether you can successfully do college work. However, all it does now is label the athlete who lacks the basic academic foundation. Often Prop 48 casualties weren't taugh the skills they need to succeed in college, because they were stuck in a bad school system or come from a poor academic background. They are labelled as dummies and have to either go to junior college or sit out a year. But almost without exception all of these Prop 48 casualties still end up at a four-year schools and often are even more poorly prepared than if the four-year school had just put in the proper academic support systems in the first place. All the NCAA cares about is window dressing and across the board control. Make it look like you are solving the problem, while the problem actually gets worse!

Thursday, March 18, 1999

We have heard rumors that 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA has verbally committed to Auburn. However, according to Wallace Prather, who runs the Atlanta Celtics AAU program for which Harvey plays, it hasn't happened yet. Prather does think that Auburn, along with Florida is the leader. Also still on Harvey's list are Kentucky, Clemson, and possibly Georgia, but that will depend upon who is named as the new head coach. Speaking of the Georgia job, the latest coach to interview for the job was Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson. Also, a serious candidate for that job who hasn't been mentioned before appears to Wake Forest head coach Dave Odom.

Over the last three years, no school in the nation has recruited any better than UNLV, but the Runnin' Rebels failed to land a spot in the NCAA Tournament this year and now could be in trouble, as well, for possible NCAA violations. As a result, three UNLV players - Desmond Herod, Chris Richardson, and Greedy Daniels - are talking about transferring and it looks like head coach Bill Bayno could be in trouble. The main allegation is that associate head coach Glynn Cyprien gave a former student manager money to make car payments for Tyrone Nesby, but you never know what might happen when the NCAA starts an investigation, especially when their are people pissed off (i.e. the former student manager whose car was also totaled in an accident involving Kaspar Kambala). We mentioned a week ago that former Georgetown head coach John Thompson could end up as the next head coach at UNLV and we think the odds of that happening are looking better all the time.

Last fall the University of Pennsylvania's recruiting class ranked #48 nationally when the Quakers got commitments from 6'8 Ugonna Onyekwe from Mercersburg (Academy) PA, 5'11 David Klatsky from Holmdale (H.S.) NJ, and 6'7 Koko Archibond from Pasadena (Poly) CA. Now it looks like their recruiting class will move up even more, because the Red and Blue also got a commitment recently from 6'4 Duane King from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY and appear to be on the verge of getting 6'11 Adam Duggins from Greensboro (Page) NC. If the get Duggins, Penn's recruiting class would into the top #30 nationally, but even more important Onyekwe, Klatsky, and King all have the talent and potential to eventually become three of the best players in the Ivy League.

Wednesday, March 17, 1999

The rosters for the Dada All-Star Classic (formerly the Eddie Jones All-Star Classic), which will be held on Sunday, April 18th, at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA have been announced. The West All-Stars 6'10 Brian Jackson from Astoria (Knappa) OR, 6'9 Andrew Gooden from El Cerrito (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Chris Osborne from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Justin Davis from Alameda (St. Joseph's) CA, 6'8 Donnell Knight from Tempe (Corona Del Sol) AZ, 6'5 Joe Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'5 Brian Wethers from Murrieta (Murrieta Valley) CA, 6'5 Keith Kincade from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'5 Jamaal Crawford from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'4 Tito Maddox from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Gilbert Arenas from Van Nuys (Grant) CA, 6'1 Julius Barnes from Rowland Heights (Rowland) CA, and 6'4 Kevin Gaines from Las Vegas (Clark) NV. The United States All-Stars will include 7'1 Josh Moore from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'10 Leon Smith from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, 6'10 Nick Vanderlaan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'7 Chris Ogden from Seminole (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Kareem Rush from Kansas City (Pembroke Hill) MO, 6'5 Marshall Williams from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'5 Josh Kroenke from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'3 John Cox from Philadelphia (Engineering & Science) PA, 6'3 Kirk Hinrich from Sioux City (West) IA, 6'2 Demetrius Hunter from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'1 Brent Darby from River Rouge (H.S.) MI.

Now that Stanford assistant coach Trent Jackson has been hired as the new head coach at the University of Nevada-Reno, it looks like former Stanford assistant and current head coach at the University of New Hampshire will be return to his old stamping grounds and replace Jackson on the Stanford staff. We also understand that Delaware head coach Mike Brey has turned down Vanderbilt and that he the rumors about his possibly going to Virginia Tech are false, because we understand that Bobby Hussey's job is secure. We also are hearing that Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker was in Athens, GA within the last several days and he appears to be the leading candidates for the Georgia job. As a matter of fact, we have heard that he's been offered the job.

We received word that North Carolina is back in the hunt for 6'8 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook not only confirms this, but adds that UNC head coach Bill Guthridge was in Parker's home last night and that the Tar Heels have offered him a scholarship. However, Parker hasn't jumped at it just yet. Apparently he wants to wait at least until after he takes his official visit to UNC-Charlotte this weekend. He may either commit to North Carolina next week or perhaps wait until he takes his official visit to Chapel Hill, NC on April 9th. Currently Parker is ranked #27 nationally by Bob Gibbons in All-Stars Sports, but we're told Gibbons has been quoted saying that Parker is going to move way up, because he now "thinks Parker is the best power forward prospect in the nation." Interesting! Also still on Parker's list are UNC-Charlotte and Michigan. Virginia is out and Syracuse and Georgetown have been out for a long time.

Tuesday, March 16, 1999

The NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) Tournament starts today in Hutchinson, KS when #19 ranked Dixie (JC) UT plays Essex County (JC) NJ at noon. Then at 1:45 PM Indian Hills (JC) IA, which is the #1 ranked junior college in the nation, as well as the two-time defending NJCAA Champion, meets Trinity Valley (JC) TX. Next comes #10 ranked Weatherford (JC) TX versus Arizona Western (JC) AZ at 3:30 PM, followed by #13 ranked Daytona Beach (JC) FL versus Southern Union State (JC) AL at 6:00 PM, #2 ranked Barton County (JC) KS versus #16 ranked Aquinas (JC) TX at 7:45 PM, and #4 ranked Bacone (JC) OK versus #9 ranked Western Nebraska (JC) NE at 9:30 PM. The first round will conclude on Wednesday when #11 ranked Spartanburg Methodist (JC) SC versus Meridian (JC) MS at noon and #18 ranked Kennedy-King (JC) IL versus North Dakota-Williston (JC) ND at 1:45 PM. Also

Finally we have gotten some good Letters to the Editor and you can read them by clicking on Letters. We also want to know what you think about you can recruiting, coaching rumors, and/or the NCAA Tournament. So email us at clark@hoopscooponline.com. We also have posted the up-to-date standings from our NCAA Pool, but don't be in a big rush for the list to appear. It can take as long as 30 seconds to a minute to load. So be patient! For me it was worth waiting for, because I found that I am tied with 10 other people for fourth place only two points behind the leaders. That's good news for me in terms of bragging rights, but bad news because I can't win the pool.

We were talking with a coach today who will remain nameless and he told us that he'd recently gone down the list school by school and that 216 of the 315 Division I head coaching jobs have come open in the last four years. So much for job security! The latest coach to be out is Delaware State head coach James Dubose. We also are now hearing that Utah head coach Rick Majerus is expected to make a decision about the Notre Dame job within the next day or two. Michigan State assistant coach Tom Crean is being mentioned with Marquette job. Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson has interviewed for the St. Louis job and the latest new names being mentioned to replace Ron Jirsa at Georgia are Rhode Island head coach Jim Harrick and Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson. Also, if Southwest Missouri State head coach Steve Alford, as expected, gets the Iowa job, the leading candidate to replace him is University of Kentucky assistant coach Shawn Finney.

We are now finished with our latest New England Prep Report, which includes all the players who need to be ranked in New England who are not past their 8th semester of high school. Those players go on our Prep School, 5th Year, and Foreign Players list. However there are several transfers - 7'0 Josh Moore at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and 6'9 Abraham Keitz at Winchendon (School) MA, as well as a number of fourth year players who are at prep schools - 6'8 Tory Reed from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'6 Marcus Jefferson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Alfred Miller from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'1 Demon Brown from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'7 James Thomas from Milford (Academy) CT - that make the senior class in New England pretty good. However, it's the junior and sophomore classes that are loaded and the focal point of our article. For both the article and Wayne Simone's player rankings, click on New England. Our three five-man All-New England Teams can be found on the first page and our list of the top players by class can be found when you scroll down to the top of the second page or by clicking on Simone Ranks 'Em:  The HOOP SCOOP's Ranking of the Top Players in New England.

Monday, March 15, 1999

Even though it has not been officially announced, we have confirmed that New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari has been fired! As a result, all the rumors about Calipari coming back to college basketball now appear to be totally legit. Does Calipari get the Kansas job, if Roy Williams leaves?  Probably not. Will the University of Massachusetts get rid of James "Bruiser" Flint, which has been something the UMass fans have been screaming for for several months, so Calipari can return. Maybe, but do they really want Calipari back after the Marcus Camby fiasco? And what about Notre Dame?  That's the job we hear Calipari really wants, but we're also hearing that Utah head coach Rick Majerus is a lot closer to getting that job than most people realize. However, all that could change, because the word out of New York is that the Nets are going to throw a lot of money at Majerus. We doubt the Nets will get Majerus, but they do want a big name coach (i.e. Phil Jackson). This is important, especially after the Nets trade for Stephon Marbury. So the speculation is that New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy may be also in trouble, because they will need to hire a big name coach just to keep up with the Nets.

In the New York Catholic League Semi-Finals at St. John's University on Saturday, New York (Rice) NY beat New York (LaSalle) NY, 70-43, and Middle Village (Christ the King) NY beat Archbishop (Molloy) NY by 20. Yesterday in New York City B Public Championship at Madison Square Garden, Queens (Franklin K. Lane) NY beat Ridgewood (Grover Cleveland) NY, 68-50, and in the A Division Bayside (Cardozo) NY beat Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, 57-47, before a crowd of 8,119, which may have been the biggest crowd for a high school basketball tripleheader since the 1960s. The MVP in the A championship was 6'4 Royal Ivey from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who had all 16 of his points in the second half, including a pair three's. In addition, he held 6'5 Jr Willie Shawn from Bronx (John F.Kennedy) NY, who had been averaging 21 ppg to 11 points. The MVP in the B Division was 6'5 Jr Robert Villaneuva from Queens (Franklin K. Lane) NY, who had 19 point and 8 rebounds. Getting back to the Catholic League Semi-Finals, the winners, New York (Rice) NY, which is ranked #3 in the USA Today, and Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, which is ranked #2 in the USA Today, set up what might be the "game of the year" next Sunday at Fordham University.

In case you haven't heard, a week ago Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME won the New England Prep School Tournament again by beating Cheshire (Academy) CT 89-52 in the quarter-finals, New Hampton (Prep) NH 85-54 in the semi-finals, and Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT 83-55 in the championship. It's one thing to beat good teams like that in a close game, but Maine Central Institute once again proved to be the Duke of high school basketball, as they convincingly beat three very good teams to take home the title. The tournament MVP was 6'3 Jaron Brown from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  Brown had 24 points in the championship game, but also was the defensive stopper, as he held his man to 5.3 ppg in the three tournament games. Another candidate for MVP honors was 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, but after scoring 25 points in the first game, 30 points in the second game, and 11 points early in the third game, he sprained his ankle. If Maine Central Institute is so good, how could they lose four games this year? "Easy, if you play 22 games in 35 days against the competition we play," says Maine Central Institute head coach Max Good, "I must have been crazy to schedule it like that." However, there is no doubt that the tough schedule helped get them ready for the New England Prep School Tournament. In case you were wondering, Maine Central Institute's four losses were to Milford (Academy) CT, New Hampton (Prep) NH, Winchendon (School) MA, and North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME.

We have now confirmed that Duke University assistant coach Quin Snyder has turned down the head coaching job at San Diego State. Last week we thought Georgia might be the favorite, but now it looks like the athletic director, Vince Dooley, wants to hire somebody with head coaching experience. Instead, we're hearing that Marquette and Vanderbilt are the two favorites for Snyder. Snyder has also been mentioned for the Washington State job, but we're hearing that Cougars are going hard after University of Kentucky assistant coach George Felton. And if Felton goes anywhere, look for Kentucky to hire Ron Jirsa, who was an assistant coach at both Georgia and Tulsa under Tubby Smith. This could be very important, because Jirsa has been recruiting 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, who ranks as the #1 player in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Kentucky is now looking to bring in another front-line player. However, it might be too late, because Florida and Auburn are way out in front. Getting back to Georgia, the surprise candidate who may have the inside connections necessary to get the job is UNC-Wilmington head coach Jerry Wainwright. The latest candidates for the St. Louis appear to be Kansas assistant coach Matt Doherty and New Mexico head coach Dave Bliss. We also hear that Bliss is interested in the Baylor job.

Over the weekend Dave Schultz of the HOOP SCOOP was saw all the championship games in the different Divisions in New Jersey. Saturday at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, NJ, West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ beat Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, 60-36, to win the Parochial School "A" Division Championship. Jason Williams, the Duke-bound 6'3 point guard, who ranks as the #1 senior point guard in America by the HOOP SCOOP, had 22 points, but otherwise Seton Hall Prep totally shut St. Josephs down. Richland (St. Augustine) NJ beat Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 59-55, to win the Parochial School "B"  Division Championship. Yesterday, Schultz was at the New Atlantic Convention Center in Atlantic City, NJ. Teaneck (H.S.) NJ beat Mt. Holly (Rancocas Valley) NJ, 65-59, in the Group 4 Public League Championship. Parsippany (H.S.) NJ beat Lawrenceville (Lawrence) NJ in the Group 3 Public League Championship. The best performance of the entire day was turned in by University of Pennsylvania signee 5'11 David Klatsky from Holmdale (H.S.) NJ, as he led his team past Mendham (West Morris Mendham) NJ, 55-51, in the Group 2 Championship. The Group 1 Championship was a low scoring affair, as New Providence (H.S.) NJ beat Highland Park (H.S.) NJ, 39-37. Later this week the champions from each class will play. On Thursday at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth, NJ, the #4 seed Holmdale (H.S.) NJ will meet #5 seed Parsippany (H.S.) NJ and the #3 seed Teaneck (H.S.) NJ will meet the #6 seed New Providence (H.S.) NJ. The winner of the first game will play next Saturday at Rutgers against the #1 seed West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ and the winner of the second game will meet Richland (St. Augustine) NJ in the other semi-final game. Then, the winners will play for the championship a week from tomorrow, Tuesday, March 25th, at Rutgers.

Sunday, March 14, 1999

Tonight we talked with Bill Ellis, who publishes the Sports Ticket in Alabama, and he tells us that the early leaders for 6'7 Jr Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL are Auburn and Alabama. "He lives halfway between Auburn and Tuscaloosa," says Ellis. "Kentucky's also involved, but they're clearly #3 on his list." How good is Wallace? Those who have seen him tell us that he's the best player in the South in the junior class nationally.

Another name we're hearing for the East Carolina and UNC-Greensboro jobs is University of Maryland assistant coach Dave Dickerson. Also we're hearing that the head coach at Towson University head coach Mike Jaskulski is in trouble and the school might be looking at Paul Evans, the former head coach at Pittsburgh and Navy who is not an assistant at Washington (Gonzaga) DC, which upset Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD not once, not twice, but three times this year. We've also heard that John Thompson's name has been thrown around for the Notre Dame job and if UNLV head coach Bill Bayno gets fired, that Thompson would be at the top of their list.

We haven't heard Southwest Missouri State head coach Steve Alford mentioned yet for the Notre Dame job, but that would be the perfect fit. Alford would own the state of Indiana in recruiting and he would fit Notre Dame's style and image perfectly. He also can write his own ticket after beating Tennessee earlier today and Wisconsin two days. However, Utah head coach Rick Majerus is still the #1 choice, although sources tell us Notre Dame may not be able to match the money he makes now and his life style may be too controversial for the conversative folks in Indiana. If they can't get Majerus, the next group of coaches on Notre Dame's list, includes Xavier head coach Skip Prosser, Florida head coach Billy Donovan, and Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo. Then there is another drop to Delaware's Mike Brey, Siena's Paul Hewitt, and former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla. Also, New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari has been mentioned, but as of now, Calipari hasn't shown any interest.

Boy, were we wrong on our Kentucky State Tournament Championship game prediction yesterday. It was close for a half, as Louisville (Ballard) KY led Georgetown (Scott County) KY, 31-28, but Ballard went on a 21-4 run the third quarter en route to a 71-47 victory in the championship game. Ballard was led by 6'9 Soph Brandon Bender with 19 points and 12 rebounds, but the MVP for the tournament was 5'11 Will Partin, who is the only important player for Ballard who won't return next year. Partin had 16 points in the title game, while 6'6 Jr Cedric Knight added 13 points and 12 rebounds, and 6'0 Soph Adam Childes scored 12 points. 6'8 Jr Mac Wilkinson, who is former Louisville All-American Felton Spencer's younger brother, had only four points, but grabbed eight rebounds and was a big reason why Ballard beat Henderson (County) KY in the semi-finals earlier in the day. The only player in double digits for Scott County was 6'5 Jr Scott Hundley, although he was only 1-7 from 3-point land. Also cold as ice was Scott County's go-to-guy 6'1 Rick Jones, who was 1-12 from field, including 1-7 from beyond the arc. Scott County hit only 16-64 field goals, 2-24 3-pointers, and got out rebounded 51-33.

Saturday, March 13, 1999

When Georgetown (Scott County) KY and Louisville (Ballard) KY played for the championship in December at the Nations Bank City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, we jokingly said that this was going to be a preview of the Kentucky State High School Basketball Championship in March. Well, we were right, because 6'9 Brandon Bender hit the game winning basket to send into the Ballard into the title game. In the other game, Scott County came back to beat Henderson (County) KY to set up the fourth meeting of the year between the two schools. Scott County won the first two times. In the first meeting in Florida, Scott County won by 20 points. It was closer a week later when Scott County beat Ballard in the quarterfinals of the Fifth Third Bank Holiday Classic in Lexington, KY. Then, several weeks later, Ballard gave Scott County its only loss of the season in the semi-finals of the L.I.T. Who will win tonight?  Our pick is Scott County, because Ballard looked worn out this morning in the semi-finals and Scott County has been there before. Remember, Scott County won the state championship a year ago and Ballard is predominantly a junior and sophomore team. As a result, Ballard will the heavy favorite to win the Kentucky State Championship next year, as well as be one of the likely candidates for the prestigious pre-season #1 high school team in American. Are you listening Dave Krider?

Our Indiana high school editor Jim Kasberg was at the game last night between Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and Bloomington (South) IN when 7'0 John Stewart died. Kasberg sets the stage by telling us that the place was packed. It was the #1 versus the #2 team in the state. It was close throughout the first half and the game was tied at half-time. Stewart scored the first 10 points in the second half for Lawrence North and forced a timeout by Bloomington South coach J.R. Holmes. Stewart walked by one of the assistant coaches and said "man, I'm not feeling too good." The coach told him to sit down and when he did, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he collapsed - he was dead. The game was stopped, the public address announcer asked several times whether there was a doctor was in the house, and Bloomington South returned to the locker room, while the Lawrence North team huddled at the free throw line. At that point, several doctors appeared, but Stewart did not respond to any of the CPR, because he had had a massive heart attack. Stewart was taken to the hospital where the doctors discovered that Stewart's heart was the size of a basketball. Obviously this shows that he had been an accident waiting to happen for a long time, because he had an enlarged heart. As for the game, it eventually was continued, because the Lawrence North players felt like that's the way Stewart would have wanted it. Lawrence North forced the game into overtime before falling 55-50. Reggie Tisdale of Indiana Basketball News already has decided to give an annual award in Stewart's honor to the most improved player over a four-year high school career. Not only has Stewart shown the same time of work ethic and the same type of improvement that former University of Kentucky star Nazr Mohammed did during his career, but he also handled it with grace. "Few players deal with the sudden notoriety and fame with the grace shown by John Stewart," says Kasberg. "He wasn't cocky or pampered or spoiled, like so many kids these days. He was a great kid! It's a real tragedy!"

We are now hearing that hold up with Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary Decesare taking the assistant coaching position at Pittsburgh is money. Decasare's wife has twins on the way and Decasare is having a house built in Westchester County, so the salary he feels he needs is $100,000-plus. The word is they're getting close. Another candidate for an assistant coaching position at Pittsburgh is current UNLV assistant coach Greg "Shoes" Vetrone, who apparently wants to return to the East Coast.

Already the number of coaching changes are occurring at a record pace, so it comes as no surprise that we already have another one that is expected to happen on Monday. That's right! The word on the street is that Yale head coach Dick Kuchen is getting fired. Also, we continue to hear the rumors about Kansas head coach Roy Williams moving to North Carolina, but it looks like New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari won't be going anywhere. Why?  They traded some of the disgruntled Nets players and got Stephon Marbury, who promises to be one of the great point guards in the history of the game, in return. That means that current Kansas assistant coach Matt Doherty gets the job Kansas job, while Kansas' other assistant, Neil Dougherty, is now one of the favorites for the Vanderbilt job. If you will recall, Dougherty he was at Vandy with Eddie Fogler. Last, but not least, we're now hearing that current UNC assistant coach Phil Ford won't remain at North Carolina, because he doesn't get along with Roy Williams. But first, current North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge has to step down and Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook thinks that this is at least another year away from happening. However, we've heard it now from seven or eight different sources (none of which we're willing to take to the bank) that Guthridge will step down this year. Stay tuned!

We have confirmed that 6'8 Will Johnson from Hickory (H.S.) NC has received a Morehead Scholarship, which is one of the most prestigious scholarships you can receive, to North Carolina. However, the reports that Johnson has chosen North Carolina over Davidson, Indiana, and Princeton are premature. Does he want to go to a big time program, like North Carolina or Indiana, and be a role player or does he want to go some place, like Davidson and Princeton, where he would start and get a better education?  That's the question.

We continue to get confirmation that former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla will get the East Carolina head coaching job and that one of his assistants will likely be former Pittsburgh assistant coach Troy Weaver, although we are also hearing that Weaver may be in line for the Bowie State head coaching job (he played college ball there), if the current coach Taft Hickman gets fired. Either way, we are hearing that recently suspended Pittsburgh forward Atilla Cosby will follow Weaver anywhere he goes. Apparently, Cosby blew off the new coach Ben Howland and has told other players that he is leaving Pittsburgh.

Recently we reported the rumor about Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD head coach Morgan Wootten possibly retiring, but now the party line is that he will coach for several more years. Speaking of DC coaching rumors, we're also hearing that the Kensington (Newport Prep) MD job is expected to come open. The leading rumor is head coach Chris Chaney leaving to take the Mercersburg job, although that job hasn't come open yet. Two names have been circulating about filling the opening. Mike Glick, who has had a problematic year at Laurel (St. Vincent Pallotti) MD has been mentioned, but the more reliable rumor has coaching legend Stu Vetter returning to fill the potential opening.

Friday, March 12, 1999

It looks like the Univesity of Kentucky has another scholarship to give next year, but we're sure they would like for it to be under different circumstances. 7'0 John Stewart from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN dropped dead of an apparent heart attack tonight in Columbus, IN while playing against Bloomington (South) IN. Stewart, who ranked #144 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, wasn't there yet, but he had tremendous potential and excellent offensive skills. The only thing holding him back was his size, bulk, and lack of foot speed. Unfortunately, he won't get a chance to show whether he could become the next Nazr Mohammed.

Our man in Georgia, Linzy Davis, already has the scoop on who might succeed Ron Jirsa, who was fired last night as the head coach at the University of Georgia. The overwhelming favorite is Duke assistant coach Quin Snyder and we think he'd take it. Did you know that one of his best friends is Bret Bearup, who is the President of Pro Trust, which is based in Atlanta, GA. Also being mentioned are Appalachian State head coach Buzz Peterson, Delaware head coach Mike Brey, Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker, Miami-FL head coach Leonard Hamilton, and Southwest Missouri State coach Steve Alford, although we think Alford is a done deal to go to Iowa. Speaking of Delaware head coach Mike Brey, we are hearing that head coach Bobby Hussey is going to get forced out at Virginia Tech and that Brey is the coach they are going to go after. So is Vanderbilt! As for Hussey, the word is that he will likely get the head coaching job at UNC-Greensboro.

We have confirmed that former St. John's head coach Fran Fraschilla has interviewed for the St. Louis job, but that isn't the only job that's opened within the last week that he might be interested in. We also think would be a natural for either Notre Dame or Georgia, which came open last night when head coach Ron Jirsa got fired, but we now believe that Fraschilla will get the East Carolina job. Getting back to St. Louis, other possible candidates we've heard mentioned for the job are Illinois State head coach Kevin Stallings, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, St. Louis assistant coach Greg Lakey, and St. Louis assistant coach Derek Thomas. As for Notre Dame, we are hearing that Utah head coach Rick Majerus is the guy they want. Would an annual contract of $850,000 and a million dollars a year from adidas be enough to get Majerus' attention? That's what we've heard!

It is now official! Former University of Virginia assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez is returning home to become the new head coach at Manhattan College. We also understand that Gonzalez will hire Baylor assistant coach Mike Wilson, who is recognized by the HOOP SCOOP as one of the top 10 recruiters in the nation, and Jose "Chuckie" Martin, who works for Eastern Invitational and was formerly an assistant coach to Gary DeCesare at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY. The list for the Brown University job has been narrowed to Ohio State associate head coach Rick Boyages, former Seton Hall head coch George Blaney, Connecticut College head coach Glenn Miller, Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan, and Williams College head coach Harry Sheehy.

No, we didn't predict that Weber State would knock off North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last night. But we did have Weber State's recruiting class ranked #30 nationally a year ago. They signed seven players, including four junior college players. However, only 6'6 Harold Arceneaux from Midland (JC) TX, who had 36 points and was named the MVP in the game last night, was highly touted. Obviously, this just goes to show how important great talent can be and hopefully validates once again our rankings of the top recruiting classes. As for North Carolina, there will be a lot of heat on head coach Bill Guthridge, because the Tar Heels have won in the first round of the NCAA 18 consecutive times before their stunning upset last night. However, we still think Guthridge will be the coach at North Carolina until he is 65 or until he decides to call it quits.

Thursday, March 11, 1999

The press conference is tomorrow and we are 90% certain that Virginia assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez, who is widely regarded as the top assistant coach in the nation, will be named as the new head coach at Manhattan. We also hear that the leading candidate for the Wagner job is Hofstra assistant coach Tom Pecora and it looks like former University of Pittsburgh assistant coach Jim Christian will get the St. Francis-PA job. Several days ago we told you that Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary DeCesare denied being interested in the University of Pittsburgh job, but sources tell us that he may be reconsidering. Also, whether DeCesare takes the job or not, he will likely be important when it comes to Pittsburgh's recruiting. New University of Pittsburgh head coach Ben Howland doesn't seem to be too worried about not having the necessary contacts to recruit in the Northeast, because he thinks his close friendship with DeCesare will be enough to at least get him in the door with most recruits - at least New York City. If DeCesare does take the Pittsburgh assistant coaching job, HOOP SCOOP New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks Oliver Antiqua, who was an assistant coach at Pittsburgh and is Orlando Antiqua's younger brother, will be the new head coach at St. Raymond's.

We have now confirmed that 6'8 Justin Davis from Alameda (St. Joseph) CA, who ranks #81 nationally and #6 in California by the HOOP SCOOP, has committed to Stanford. This is huge for The Cardinal, because Davis, who is a tough blue collar athlete, should provide the perfect complement to 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA and 6'11 Curtis Borchardt from Redmond (Eastlake) WA, both of whom signed with Stanford in the fall.

We are finished with our ranking of the top college and high school coaches, as well as the top high school programs and scouting services/recruiting publications. Anytime you compile a comprehensive list like this, somebody gets left out.  So instead of getting upset because you think somebody is too high, too low, or missing altogether, just jot it down and tell us beginning next week. That's when you'll get your chance to vote on the top five or 10 in each category. To view the complete list, click on top coaches.

Wednesday, March 10, 1999

Last night Notre Dame head coach John MacLeod resigned and today Washington State head coach Kevin Eastman has followed suit. We do not have a list of candidates as of yet for the Washington State job, but already are hearing Utah head coach Rick Majerus, Xavier head coach Skip Prosser, Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, Delaware head coach Mike Brey, and former Notre Dame All-American and Chicago Bulls guard John Paxson as possible successors to MacLeod at Notre Dame. We also are hearing that former Western Kentucky head coach Matt Kilcullen is out of the running for the Manhattan job. Instead, we're hearing it will either be Virginia assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez or Brian Beaury, who is currently the head coach at the College of St. Rose (Division II).

Nebraska just missed making the NCAA Tournament, but head coach Danny Nee doesn't appear to be in any job trouble. As a matter of fact, he may be the big recruiting winner this year in the Big 12 Conference. Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that the Cornhuskers have added two more recruits - 6'8 George Mazyck from Coffeyville (JC) KS and 6'11 Kamani Ffriend from Gulf Coast (JC) FL. Last fall Nebraska's recruiting class ranked #35 nationally when they landed 6'6 Steffon Bradford from Compton (JC) CA, 6'8 Kenny Booker from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and Brian Conklin from Hubbard (H.S.) OH.  Two months ago they added 6'1 Danny Walker from Compton (JC) CA and now with Mazyck and Ffriend, their class moves into the top 10 nationally just above Kansas, which ranked #9 in the fall.

Tuesday, March 9, 1999

Several months ago we sent out over a 100 questionnaires to scouts, coaches, and writers in an attempt to find out who people in the business regard as the top coaches in the business. We also incorporated our own knowledge and had some lively debates with members of our staff. The final results reveal that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is hands down the #1 college coach in America. But after that, take your pick, as Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Temple's John Chaney, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins, Purdue's Gene Keady, Indiana's Bob Knight, Utah's Rick Majerus, Stanford's Mike Montgomery, Arizona's Lute Olson, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, and Kansas' Roy Williams all get a lot of votes. And then there is a big drop to the next group, which includes St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis, retiring St. Louis head coach Charlie Spoonhour, and the legendary Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State. Then there is another drop to the Wisconsin's Dick Bennett, Virginia's Pete Gillen, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, College of Charleston's John Kresse, Illinois' Lon Kruger, and Ohio State's Jim O'Brien. Among the top 20 college coaches, who are listed in alphabetical order in their above group, six of them are from the Big 10, while the ACC, Conference USA, Pac-10, and Big 12 check in with two coaches each. In other categories, Majerus edges out Krzyzewski as the top X's and O's coach, but Krzyzewski edges out Huggins as the best recruiting head coach and Krzyzewski also beats out Majerus and Knight as the best for game preparation. Florida's Billy Donovan is the winner over Southwest Missouri State's Steve Alford and UCLA's Steve Lavin as the best coach with less than five years of Division I head coaching experience. Kresse is the top head coach at the lower Division I level and Virginia's Bobby Gonzalez is both the top assistant who is ready for a head coaching position and the top recruiter among assistant coaches in the nation. North Carolina's Phil Ford is the top assistant in the nation who isn't likely to move, unless he gets a job he simply can' turn down. Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ head coach Bob Hurley, Sr. edges out Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME head coach Max Good as the best high school and/or prep school coach in the nation. Maine Central Institute also finishes second behind Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA as the #1 high school and/or prep school program in the nation. The top scouting service and/or recruiting publication winner (with the HOOP SCOOP excluded from the voting) was All-Star Sports, which is published by Bob Gibbons. All the results, will be published exclusively in the Members Section within the next several days.

The Kentucky State High School Sweet 16 Tournament, which is without a doubt the best state tournament in the nation, begins Wednesday of this week. And it could be the best in years, as Georgetown (Scott County) KY, Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, and Richmond (Madison Central) KY all compete for the title. Who does HOOP SCOOP Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley, who also is the top assistant coach at Pleasure Ridge Park, think will win the tournament? If you will recall, Scott County, which has lost only once all year )to Ballard in January in the L.I.T.) is the defending state champion and they also won the loaded Nations Bank City of Palms Tournament in December. Pleasure Ridge Park has four losses on the season, but they are the clear #1 ranked team in Kentucky based on the polls and what they have done down the stretch. However, Kihnley thinks Richmond (Madison Central) KY is the team to beat. "They have something neither Scott County nor Pleasure Ridge Park has," says Kihnley. "And that's a dominating big man." He's talking about 6'9 Marquis Estill from Richmond (Madison Central) KY, who has emerged as the #1 player in the state, as well as a major force inside. Another team that has the size, depth, and tournament experience to win the Kentucky State Championship later this week is Louisville (Ballard) KY. Remember, Ballard finished second in the Nations Bank City of Palms Tournament in Ft. Myers, FL and is the only team that has knocked off Scott County this year. Ballard also has plenty of size with 6'9 Soph Brandon Bender, 6'8 Jr Mac Wilkinson, and 6'7 Jr Cedric Knight.

We have also heard the rumors about Georgetown head coach Craig Esherick stepping down after only his first season at the helm of the Hoyas, but our sources tell us that there is absolutely no truth to the rumor. However, there appears to be a lot of truth to the rumor that Southwest Missouri State head coach Steve Alford will be the new head coach at the University of Iowa. As a matter of fact, we think you can write it down! And if that's the case, would Alford jump from Iowa to Indiana when Bob Knight retires? Now that Charlie Spoonhour has announced his retirement, who will be the next head coach St. Louis? The early favorite appears to be current assistant Greg Lakey, but we also think Derek Thomas, who was formerly the head school coach at St. Louis (Christian Brothers) MO, has a shot at the job. If Thomas doesn't get the job, he has plenty of other options: 1) he could remain at St. Louis with the new regime; 2) he could get the head coaching job at the University of St. Louis-Missouri; or 3) he could move to Cincinnati as an assistant. We also are now confirming that Northern Arizona head coach Ben Howland, as expected, has taken the Pittsburgh job. We also talked to Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary Decesare and he tells us that he has not talked to Howland or anybody else about becoming an assistant at Pittsburgh.

It is being reported that the University of Louisville has received a secret commitment and there is a lot of speculation about who it might be. It might be 6'10 Robertas Javtokas from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is ranked #8 among seniors in Ohio by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson and #205 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Currently Clemson and Louisville are believed to be the leaders for Javtokas, who has struggled learning the English language this year and, and, as a result, may not meet the necessary standards to be eligible under NCAA standards. The other possibility is 6'5 Reece Gaines from Madison (West) WI, who ranks #43 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Currently Gaines has Louisville,  Maryland, and Wisconsin on his list, but our sources think it is a foregone conclusion that he's going to Louisville. If you will recall, Louisville also has commitments from 6'9 Joe Sykes from North Hardin (Ratcliff) KY, who will likely go to prep school next year, and 6'1 Rashad Brooks from Cecil (JC) MD, whose talent and potential has been the subject of a lot of debate.

Monday, March 8, 1999

We continue to hear rumors that University of North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge will retire and that Kansas head coach Roy Williams will be the next head coach at UNC, but Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook, doesn't expect anything to happen for at least another year. "I think it's Guthridge's job for the next three years, but the rumor going around is that he will only coach one more year and then Williams get the job," says Oettinger. "Williams has always had interest in the North Carolina job. He also is currently building a house in the Governors Club, which is an upscale housing community near Chapel Hill, NC, and the story is that his daughter plans to enroll at North Carolina as a freshman in the fall."  It gets even better. "If Williams takes the North Carolina job, Kansas would hire Williams' top assistant Matt Dougherty and Williams would bring the rest of his staff with him. In that scenario, Phil Ford, who is currently the top assistant at Carolina, remain in his position, but the other coaches on the staff at UNC would move to other jobs." However, the rumor we're hearing is that Williams' successor will be New Jersey Nets head coach John Calipari, who we first knew from Five-Star when he was a young part-time assistant coach at the University of Kansas under Larry Brown in the early '80s. However, Oettinger shoots this rumor down, because Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick, whose son (Brad) is a player at North Carolina, is extremely tight with former North Carolina head coach Dean Smith, Guthridge, and Williams. "Frederick hired Roy Williams at Kansas without any head coaching experience and he has all the North Carolina connections," says Oettinger. "I just don't think Calapari will be his first choice, especially if Dean Smith has anything to say about it, which he probably will." However, other sources from the Northeast are now confirming that Calipari is on the hotset with the Nets and may be ready to move. Others have also told us that they too have heard this rumor. Is this a Denny Crum situation where the rumor is perpetuating itself or is there some validity to it? Stay tuned!

It appears that 6'7 Romeo Augustine from Youngstown (Rayen) OH, who ranks #200 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, just can't make up his mind. He originally committed to Duquesne, but soon after reneged and announced for Toledo. Then he reneged again and later told us personally that he was going to Notre Dame. Now he's done it again. Notre Dame is out! So is Toledo! His final two now appear to be Providence and Duquesne. Duquesne is also close to getting 5'11 Bradley Jackson from Bridgeton (Academy) ME and if 6'9 Gabriel Hughes from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA. This makes perfect sense, because Duquesne assistant coach Josh Oppenheimer coached both Jackson and Hughes the last several years when he was with the L.A. Rockfish program. We also hear that Duquesne is involved with 6'7 Terry Sanders from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who ranks #195 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and this also makes perfect sense, because we remember seeing Oppenheimer at the Hoops to the Loop Preview in December when Milwaukee (Vincent) WI beat Gary (West Side) IN.

Most attention right now appears to be on the NCAA Tournament, but our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin has picked up word on three new commitments. Villanova has gotten 6'3 Gary Buchanan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and San Jose State is gotten a commitment over Notre Dame, Michigan State, Arizona State, and Duquesne from 6'3 Aaron Abraham from Vista (Rancho Buena Vista) CA to San Jose State. Also Rider has gotten 6'5 Howard Williams from Maplewood (Columbia) NJ.

Sunday, March 7, 1999

Let the speculation begin! The NCAA Selection Committee announced the pairings for the 1999 NCAA Tournament several hours ago and we have a number of thoughts and comments we want to pass along. First, the South Regional is the most wide open as Auburn, Maryland, St. John's, Ohio State, UCLA, Indiana, Louisville, and Syracuse are capable of advancing deep into the regional and possibly even the final four. And it is here that we go against the norm and predict that Ohio State will be the last school standing en route to their first final four appearance since the early '60s. We don't see anybody beating Duke in the East and we like Cincinnati a lot, but not against Temple. The same holds true for Miami-FL, because we think Temple will successfully control tempo.  Obviously, for the Owls to win, it has to be a low scoring game and they have to shoot better than they did in the Atlantic 10 tournament. However, Temple is due to make a run in the NCAA Tournament after early exits in recent years. The Midwest Regional is loaded and the best regional final game might prove to be Michigan State against Kentucky. But the place you don't want to be is out West with Connecticut, Stanford, North Carolina, Arkansas, Iowa, and Florida as the top six seeds. However, we look for Arkansas to get knocked off immediately in what would be one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, if it happens. We also like Gonzaga to knock off Minnesota in the West Regional, Rhode Island to beat UNC-Charlotte in the Midwest Regional, for Louisville to get beat by Creighton in the South Regional, and for the #9 seed to beat the #8 seed in all four regionals. Our Final Four consists of Duke, Ohio State, Kentucky, and Stanford with the two teams of the '99s - Duke and Kentucky - playing in the semi-finals. Kentucky can win, but they won't. As a result, it will be Duke over Stanford in the title game. Below are our predictions. We're also interested in yours. We encourage you to enter our NCAA contest where you pick the enter bracket. There is no cost to enter and you can enter once a day beginning tonight all the way up to tip-off of the first games on Thursday. There is no cost and the prizes will include lifetime access to the Members Section of our Web Site for first place, second place gets one year of free access, third place gets six months, fourth place gets three months, and five different people will get a free month for fifth place. To enter click on NCAA TOURNAMENT CONTEST.

First Round___________Second Round_______Regional Semi-Finals____Regional Finals___NCAA Semi-Finals___Championship Game

EAST REGIONAL

Charlotte, NC

(1) Duke__________________________Duke______________________Duke________________________Duke____________________Duke_______________________Duke

(16) Florida A&M

(8) College of Charleston

(9) Tulsa_________________________Tulsa

(5) Wisconsin____________________Wisconsin

(12) SW Missouri

(4) Tennessee____________________Tennessee__________________Tennessee

(13) Delaware

Boston, MA

(2) Miami-FL____________________Miami-FL___________________Miami-FL

(15) Lafayette

(7) Texas________________________Texas

(10) Purdue

(3) Cincinnati___________________Cincinnati

(14) George Mason

(6) Temple______________________Temple______________________Temple_____________________Temple

(11) Kent

First Round___________Second Round_______Regional Semi-Finals____Regional Finals___NCAA Semi-Finals___Championship Game

MIDWEST  REGIONAL

Milwaukee, WI

(1) Michigan State_______________ Michigan State______________Michigan State_____________Michigan State

(16) Mt. St. Mary's

(8) Villanova

(9) Mississippi____________________Mississippi

(5) UNC-Charlotte

(12) Rhode Island________________Rhode Island

(4) Arizona________________________Arizona____________________Arizona

(13) Oklahoma

New Orleans, LA

(2) Utah___________________________Utah_______________________Utah

(15) Arkansas State

(7) Washington__________________Washington

(10) Miami-OH

(3) Kentucky_____________________Kentucky___________________Kentucky__________________Kentucky_________________Kentucky__________________Kentucky

(14) New Mexico State

(6) Kansas________________________Kansas

(11) Evansville

First Round___________Second Round_______Regional Semi-Finals____Regional Finals___NCAA Semi-Finals___Championship Game

SOUTH REGIONAL

Indianapolis, IN

(1) Auburn______________________Auburn____________________Auburn

(16) Winthrop

(8) Syracuse

(9) Oklahoma State_____________Oklahoma State

(5) UCLA________________________UCLA

(12) Detroit

(4) Ohio State____________________Ohio State_________________Ohio State___________________Ohio State________________Ohio State

(13) Murray State

Orlando, FL

(2) Maryland_____________________Maryland__________________Maryland___________________Maryland

(15) Valparaiso

(7) Louisville

(10) Creighton___________________Creighton

(3) St. John's____________________St. John's___________________St.John's

(14) Samford

(6) Indiana______________________ Indiana

(11) George Washington

WEST REGIONAL

First Round___________Second Round_______Regional Semi-Finals____Regional Finals___NCAA Semi-Finals___Championship Game

DENVER, CO

(1) Conneciticut_________________Connecticut________________Connecticut_________________Connecticut

(16) UT-San Antonio

(8) Missouri

(9) New Mexico_________________New Mexico

(5) Iowa_________________________Iowa_______________________Iowa

(12) UAB

(4) Arkansas

(13) Siena_______________________Siena

SEATTLE, WA

(2) Stanford____________________Stanford____________________Stanford__________________Stanford_____________________Stanford

(15) Alcorn State

(7) Minnesota

(10) Gonzaga____________________Gonzaga

(3) North Carolina______________North Carolina_____________North Carolina

(14) Weber State

(6) Florida______________________Florida

(11) Pennsylvania

Saturday, March 6, 1999

Following up Wayne Simone's NCAA predictions from yesterday, Mississippi is out after their loss last night to Kentucky. Tulsa is in, because they took Utah to overtime and finished second in the regular season in WAC. New Mexico also is in, after reaching the conference tournament finals in the WAC. Rhode Island is in, after winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Washington is in, but Oregon and California are both out, despite the fact Oregon beat California today. The teams that Simone thinks just miss making the tournament are N.C.State, California, Oregon, and Rutgers. As a result, the four teams that we think are the last four teams in the tourament - Oklahoma, Purdue, Minnesota, and Evansville - all survive and get bids. Simone still thinks that Auburn will be a #1 seed, despite the fact the Tigers lost to Kentucky today, but HOOP SCOOP editor and publisher Clark Francis doesn't agree. I'd put Stanford as the #1 seed in the West, with Duke #1 in the East, Connecticut #1 in the Southeast, and Michigan State #1 in the Midwest. Simone has Duke #1 in the East, Connecticut #1 in the Southeast, Michigan State #1 in the Midwest, and Auburn #1 in the West. What do think? You can email him Simone at wsimone@lycosmail.com. For the rest of predictions, click on the link below, which will take you to yesterday's information.

We have now confirmed 6'7 Gregory Morton from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY did not sign a national letter-of-intent with Seton Hall in the fall, but the word is that Pirates fans don't have any reason to be alarmed, unless head coach Tommy Amaker takes another job. The word is that St. Raymond's head coach Gary Decasare will not take the assistant coaching job at Pittsburgh, because he has a great situation at St. Raymond's and running the adidas ABCD Camp. He also has twins on the way and will not make a lateral financial move to Pittsburgh. As far as Morton is concerned, he gave a verbal not to explore other options, but didn't sign just in case Amaker was going to move. He is committed to the Pirates and will honor it.

Friday, March 5, 1999

According to our New England Editor Wayne Simone already 60 or the 64 NCAA Tournament spots appear to be secured. Right now 10 teams (Tulsa, Mississippi, California, New Mexico, Nebraska, N.C. State, Washington, Rutgers, Oregon, and SW Missouri State) are still on the bubble. This may be controversial, but Simone thinks the Big 10 has seven teams (Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, and Minnesota) and the Southeastern Conference is next with six and, possibly seven, depending upon whether Mississippi beats Kentucky tonight in the SEC quarterfinals. The six that are sure bets in the SEC are Auburn, Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missisippi State, which got in today with a victory over Tennessee. The top four seeds should be Duke, Auburn, Michigan State, and Connecticut regardless of what happens in the next two days. The tournament field will include Connecticut, St. John's Villanova, Syracuse, and Miami-FL from the Big East; Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State from the Big 12; Cincinnati, Louisville, UAB, and UNC-Charlotte from Conference USA; Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland from the Atlantic Coast Conference; Arizona, UCLA, and Stanford from the Pacific-10; Temple, George Washington, and Xavier from the Atlantic 10; Kent and Miami-OH from the Mid-American; Evansville and Creighton from the Missouri Valley; and Utah from the Western Athletic; and 19 conferences will get only one representative. That leaves 10 teams to fill the final four spots. Rhode Island and Kansas State could also get back onto the bubble with wins tonight. If all 10 of the teams currently on the bubble win and or spots are lost because of upsets, the four teams that stand to lose the most are Oklahoma, Purdue, Minnesota, and Evansville. Simone welcomes your comments. You can email him at wsimone@lycosmail.com. Stay tuned! We'll have more tomorrow.

As all the conference post-season tournaments wind down and with the NCAA pairings due to be announced on Sunday, March, 7th, we've decided to do something fun. Beginning sometime after the tournament pairings are announced Sunday night, you will be able to fill out your own NCAA Tournament bracket on our web site. Just like any other NCAA pool, the object will be to pick as many of the 63 games in the tournament correctly. And the price is right -it's free and anybody can enter! The prizes will be access to the Members Section. The winning entry will get unlimited lifetime access. Second place will be one-year of unlimited access, third place will be six-months access, fourth place will be three-month access, and fifth place will be five one-month subscriptions. If you already subscribe and win, you can add on to your current subscription or give the subscription to somebody else. We plan on posting the results daily throughout the tournament, so you can see exactly where you stand. You can enter only once per day and again this is open to everybody, so make sure you tell your friends.

At half-time of the Florida State-Clemon game last night on ESPN, Sports Analyst Dick Vitale reported a rumor that we first heard and reported a month ago. Vitale said he'd heard that University of Louisville head basketball coach Denny Crum would retire at the end of the season and that the new head coach at Louisville would be Miami-FL head coach Leonard Hamilton. When I reported the rumor about Crum possibly retiring a month ago, Crum publicly lambasted both me and HOOP SCOOP. So when I heard Vitale report this, I about fell out of my chair. I knew it couldn't be true after the big production all the Louisville people made a month ago about Crum being around for another three or four years. "It will be interesting to see if he treats Vitale the same way," was my initial reaction last night. What's really amazing is they did! University of Louisville Sports Information Director Kenny Klein called ESPN headquarters in Bristol, CT last night before the Louisville-St. Louis game and, after eventually getting through, wanted to call Vitale on his cellular phone and let him talk directly to Crum or Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich. Louisville Courier Journal Sports Columnist Rick Bozich quotes Klein saying the "story is ridiculous." What's all this mean?  While the folks at the University of Louisville are overly sensative, at least they are not a bunch of hypocrites. Bozich also made two other very interesting points that need to be addressed. First, he said that by Vitale (or me) running with this rumor, it would hurt Louisville's recruiting. Well, it's not our job to hurt or help Louisville or any other school in recruiting. There are NCAA rules that specificially address this issue. Second, Bozich says that Vitale repeated the retirement tale that he did not believe. "Huh? " asks Bozich. "If you don't believe it, why launch the story into the national hoops grapevine?" A good journalist never reports a story that he doesn't believe has validity, which brings me to the point. When I reported that the rumor was out there a month ago that Crum would retire, I believed it. It turned out to be wrong and I retracted it. However, I have nothing to apologize for, except for having several bad sources and I do not appreciate Louisville fans directly and/or indirectly insinuating that I made this story up just to hurt their recruiting. To reinforce this point further, if that had been my goal, my approach would have been a lot different. So thanks, Dick Vitale! Now all those overly sensative Louisville fans can get off my back and give you a hard time for a while.

We have updated a number of our links to recruiting web sites and also plan to add a list of the major newspapers' sports sections from around the nation within the next day or so. However, there are still a lot of links that we don't know about, so your input would be great appreciated. You can do so by emailing us at clark@hoopscooponline.com or by calling me at 800-253-DUNK. To check out our current list of web sites, click on links. Also I am getting to the point where I am caught up enough to start dealing with Letters to the Editor and we would like to hear from you. So if there is something on your mind, either email us at the address above or write The HOOP SCOOP, P.O. Box 37122, Louisville, KY 40233. Controversy is good. Not signing your name to a letter is bad, because I don't like to print things that are anonymous.

Thursday, March 4, 1999

Last night 6'9 Marquis Estill from Richmond (Madison Central) KY, who was thought to be lost for the season with a knee injury, scored 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 24 minutes, as Madison Central beat Lexington (Dunbar) KY in the 11th Region Semi-Finals. However, we still believe that Estill will either red-shirt next year at Kentucky or wind up in prep school for a year. As a result, Kentucky may decide to bring in another front-court player and at the top of list is 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA, who is ranked as the #1 high school senior in America by the HOOP SCOOP. We also have reason to believe that the University of Cincinnati may make a serious push, if they think 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who is the player the Bearcats are actively seriously recruiting, is going to renounce his amateur status and declare hardship for the NBA draft. Currently the leaders for Harvey are Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and Clemson, but we don't look for anything to be decided anytime soon, because he's still has some work to do to get the necessary score to be eligible under Prop 48 guidelines.

We also have confirmed that Kentucky has offered a scholarship to 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS. But this comes as no surprise to us, because we told you in late January that the Wildcats were serious interested in this combo guard who ranks among the top five junior college players in the nation. We still think that Alabama will tough to beat for Jackson, who is originially from Huntsville, AL, but Jackson is also friends with Kentucky bound 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL and he has family in Louisville, KY, which is also a major connection that the University of Louisville will attempt to utilize.

Seton Hall had an excellent recruiting class in the fall, but it could all fall apart if things don't fall right. For this to happen the University of Pittsburgh would have to hire Northern Arizona head coach Ben Howland, which is expected to happen soon, and he would have to hire Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary DeCesare as his top assistant. We also expect this happen. This is where it gets interesting. Does anybody know if 6'7 Gregory Morton from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks #77 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best defensive forwards in the nation, actually signed with Seton Hall in the fall?  We are getting reports that he not only hasn't, but may renege on his commitment to Pirates. Instead, we are hearing that Morton will follow DeCesare to Pittsburgh. If that wasn't bad enough, we know for sure that Seton Hall's other prize recruit 6'11 Samuel Dalembert from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ did not sign with the Pirates in the fall. That also could fall through if St. Patrick head coach Kevin Boyle gets a college job this spring. The word is the Boyle may be ready to move and he plans to take Dalembert with him.

This comes as no surprise, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 David West from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who ranks #45 nationally on our Prep School, 5th Year, and Foreign Player list, has committed to Xavier University. If you will recall, West visited Xavier the second weekend in February and we thought he would probably commit to the Musketeers soon after the visit. He picked Xavier over Marshall, East Carolina, Providence, Arkansas, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.

Wednesday, March 3, 1999

Dick "Hoops" Weiss is also now reporting in the New York Dailey News that Northern Arizona head coach Ben Howland will be the new head coach at the University of Pittsburgh. "Pitt, which has given Ralph Willard and his staff until Sunday to clear out their office, appears to be moving closer to hiring Ben Howland of Northern Arizona as his replacement," says Weiss. "The 40-year-old Howland, who coached the Lumberjacks to the NIT in 1997 and NCAA tournament last year, has 20-7 record and his team should be one of the favorites in this week's Big Sky Conference tournament in Odgen, Utah. Howland, who visited campus last weekend, said he would take job if offered.We hear he can get the Nevada-Reno post, but the financial package at Pitt — $400,000 — reportedly is double Reno's."  Howland has few contacts in the Northeast but he is prepared to remedy that by offering one of his assistant's job to Gary DeCesare of St. Raymond's High School — who among other things coaches the talent-stocked Bronx Ravens traveling team and helps run Sonny Vaccaro's elite ABCD summer camp." 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that St. John's star Ron Artest is among the players he expects to declare hardship for the NBA draft in June. Also, after getting insight from a number of NBA scouts, Naclerio thinks Rhode Island's Lamar Odom will declare hardship and be the #1 pick in the draft. Next will be Maryland's Steve Francis, followed by Elton Brand of Duke. While Odom, Francis, and Brand are all good players, if I were an NBA general manager and I needed immediate help, I think I'd trade my pick. Moral to the story, the talent level in college basketball isn't what it used to be.

Will Kentucky repeat as NCAA Champions? Most fans would think you're crazy to make a prediction like that, but that's what somebody has already done on our the HOOP SCOOP's Bulletin Board, which was put up earlier this afternoon. And it couldn't come at a better time with March Madness upon us and the spring signing period just around the corner. You can join the debate by clicking on Bulletin Board.

Tuesday, March 2, 1999

Yesterday we reported that Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins was one of the coaches that might be in trouble, but now we are hearing that he has at least another year or two to turn things around. The word is that assistant coach Kevin Cantwell will likely move into an administrative position and assistant coach Dereck Whittenburg will get a head coaching job someplace this spring. That would open the door for Cremins to hire not just one, but perhaps two aggressive hardnosed young assistant coaches who can get it done in a hurry. Among the names we've heard as possible candidates are former Georgia Tech player and current scout for the Toronto Raptors Craig Neal, Cincinnati assistant coach Mick Cronin, and Baylor assistant coach Mike Wilson. Speaking of Wilson, he also could be heading to either Cincinnati, if Cronin goes to Georgia Tech or Bearcats assistant coach Rod Baker gets the Holy Cross job, or Manhattan if Virginia assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez is hired as the head coach. And as long as we're talking about Cincinnati, another likely candidate for one of the possible assistant coaching positions is St. Louis assistant coach Derek Thomas. But that's assuming that Billikens head coach Charlie Spoonhour retires and/or Thomas doesn't get the head coaching job at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Tonight we talked with John "Pony Tail" Reinke, who is widely regarded as the foremost authority on high school basketball in the state of Florida, and he tells us that the best player in the state regardless of class is 6'3 Frosh Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, who is currently ranked as the #1 freshman in America by the HOOP SCOOP. "Id take Lawrence right now over Casey Sanders, Damien Wilkins, Kenny Walker, or anybody else in the state," says Reinke. "Last weekend in the regional finals Tony Bobbit had 17 points in the first half, but at half-time Lawrence told his teammates 'I want him, I got him, and I'll stop him.' And Lawrence did exactly that as he held Bobbit to only two points in the second half. Lawrence still makes freshman mistakes, but the unbelieveable things he does far outweight things that will be corrected with experience and maturity." Reinke also points out the Jacksonville Wolfson wouldn't be in the state finals without Lawrence. "Every time they need a big play down the stretch, he makes it," says Reinke. "A good example came the other night when they were 12 down late in the game. He looked up at the score and decided he needed to take over. The next thing you knew he had made five straight 3-pointers and his team had advanced in the tournament." Speaking of the state tournament in Florida, the final four in each classification begins on Thursday, March 4th, and Pope John Paul High School  meets Cardinal Neumann at 2:00 PM.  This is especially important, because 6'0 Soph Charles Frederick from Boca Raton (Pope John Paul) FL ranks #6 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in the sophomore class and 6'7 Soph Jackie Manuel from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Neumann) FL is right behind him at #9 in our ranking of the top sophomores in the nation. Need I say anymore?

Our New York City Editor HOOP SCOOP Ron Naclerio, who also is the head coach at Bayside (Cardozo) NY, now appears to be the favorite to win New York City Public League Championship, because earlier tonight the top seeded team, Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, was upset by Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, 50-42. Also tonight New York (Wadley) NY, which won the B Division championship a year ago, beat Brooklyn (Canarsie) NY to set up the semi-final matchup on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM against Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY. The other semi-final contest, which will be held on Saturday at 12 Noon, will feature the winners of the Bayside (Cardozo) NY versus Elmhurst (Newtown) NY at 4:00 PM tomorrow and two Division arch rivals Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Brooklyn (New Utrecht) NY at 6:00 PM at tomorrow. Cardozo is seeded #2, Lincoln is #3, Wadley is #4, New Utrecht is #6, Kennedy is #9, and Newtown is #10.

Ron Naclerio of the HOOP SCOOP also tells us that he has a very reliable source who thinks that Northern Arizona head coach Ben Howland will be named as the new head coach at the University of Pittsburgh by the end of the week. He also tells us that Davidson head coach Bob McKillop, St. John's associate head coach Kevin Clark, Virginia assistant coach Bobby Gonzalez, Providence assistant coach Steve DeMeo, and former Western Kentucky head coach and current Manhattan assistant coach Matt Kilcullen are all involved with Manhattan job. Naclerio also hears that former St. Peter's head coach Ted Fiore, who is now the head coach at Montclair State, is involved with the Wagner job. Apparently if Wagner hires Fiore, he will work for no pay and give his salary to his assistants. However, Wagner and St. Peter's, which also will likely come open, would do better if they hired a young a guy, like Naclerio or Elizabeth (St Patrick) NJ head coach Kevin Boyle, who could recruit the five boroughs of New York, Long Island, and North Jersey.

Monday, March 1, 1999

We now have confirmation of what we reported about yesterday about Manhattan head coach John Leonard being out as the head caoch at Manhattan. Our sources tell us that he told his team within the last hour that he has been released as the head coach. Also today we are hearing that Wimp Sanderson is out as the head coach at Arkansas-Little Rock, but the rumors about St. Louis head coach Charlie Spoonhour retiring at St. Louis may be premature, although we think there is a good possibility that this could happen in the near future. Speaking of St. Louis University, assistant coach Derek Thomas, who was also formerly the head high school coach at St. Louis (Christian Brothers) MO, might be the leading candidate for the head coaching job at University of Missouri-St. Louis. Not only does Thomas have all the connections to build the school into a Division II power, but he also is widely regarded as one of the bright young assistant coaches and hardest workers in the business.

We also are hearing that Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins, University of Georgia head coach Ron Jirsa, and Notre Dame head coach John MacLeod all could be gone in the near future. However, in each case it might be worth waiting another year or two before pulling the trigger, because all three have their programs heading in the right direction. Assuming that Dion Glover is back and healthy again, Georgia Tech should be much improved next year. Jirsa may be losing Jumaine Jones, but the Bulldogs landed a top five recruiting class in the fall and they aren't done yet. In the fall MacLeod signed one of his best recruits ever in 6'7 Matt Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA and Notre Dame's freshmen class has come through in a big way for MacLeod this year. Another big name head coach who appears to be looking to move is South Carolina's Eddie Fogler. Among the jobs Fogler might be interested in is Iowa, although we now hear that Southwest Missouri State head coach Steve Alford may have the inside track.

We were surprised when Washington (Gonzaga) DC beat Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD the first time this season. Then they did it again, so by now it shouldn't have been a big surprise the other night in the semi-finals when Gonzaga pulled off the hat trick by beating the nation's pre-season #1 team for the third time this year. However, this might be easier to believe when you find out that McDonald's All-American 6'4 Joe Forte only had four points in DeMatha's 47-46 loss, which eliminated the Staggs from the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Playoffs. If that weren't enough, Gonzaga also knocked off Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 48-45, last night in the championship.

We have good news and bad news. The good news is that Sports America, which puts on the McDonald's All-American Game, has apparently has taken our advise and added another player to the team. The bad news is the player they added is 6'6 Casey Jacobsen from Glendora (H.S.) CA. While we like Jacobsen very much, because he's a lights out 3-point shooter and relentless competitor who gets the most out of his talent, he ranks no higher than #30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. He also doesn't provide the needed rebounding and physical inside play that the West Squad is badly missing. Hopefully, they will add a few more players to the team and if they do we suggest that they put Jacobsen on the East Squad and add 6'9 Jason Parker from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC and 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to the West Squad. To balance it even more, perhaps they should also switch 6'7 Michael Dunleavy to the East Squad and add another guard, like 6'3 Tony Robertson from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI or 6'3 Kirk Hinrich from Sioux City (West) IA, to the West. Robertson wasn't even on the final 30 list, but he's had a great senior year and he's got the size, athleticism, and quickness to help the West Squad in transition. Hinrich would be a political pick, but he'd help sell tickets, because he's from Iowa, and he's good enough to provide the West Squad with a pure point guard with size, quickness, and outside shooting.

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