HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2002

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

Friday, May 31, 2002

Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff had called University of Texas assistant coach Brian Cousins recently on a number of occasions and hadn't heard back from him, so when Grandstaff called yesterday and still couldn't reach Cousins, he asked if Cousins still worked there?  And you can bet Grandstaff was surprised when the answer was no.  Apparently Cousins resigned yesterday and plans to pursue another career.  Obviously that's too bad for University of Texas head coach Rick Barnes, because Cousins was one of the best recruiters in the business.  It's also too bad for the game, because Cousins is a class act, as well as one of the best people in the business.  So suddenly the question becomes who do you hire if you're Rick Barnes?  Your guess is a good as mine, but there are some excellent people who are currently available, like Wayne Morgan, who has the West Coast ties from his days as head coach at Long Beach State, East Coast ties from his days as an assistant coach at Syracuse, and Midwest ties from his days as an assistant coach Xavier; former University of Louisville assistant coach Pat Rafferty, who has strong Texas ties dating back to when he was the head coach at Midland (JC) TX; former East Carolina head coach Joe Dooley, who did a terrific job during the last three years at New Mexico; and former DePaul assistant coach Tracy Didly, who has tremendous contacts in Chicago, IL.  We also are still waiting to see who University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith is going to hire as an assistant coach to replace Mike Sutton, who got the head coaching job at Tennessee Tech in mid-April.  One person Smith won't be hiring is G.J. Smith.  Did you know that Sutton hired Smith's oldest son at Tennessee Tech?  Some of the names we've heard for the University of Kentucky assistant coaching job are former Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo head coach Jeff Schneider, Dayton assistant coach Ron Jirsa, Marquette assistant coach Darrin Horn, Tulsa assistant coach Pooh Richardson, and former Long Beach State assistant coach Reggie Warford, but this one appears to be far from done.  We also have confirmed that former Army assistant coach Robert Brickey, who played at Duke in the late '80s, has gotten an assistant coaching at position at SMU.  Speaking of Army, it looks like new head coach Jim Crews has assembled one of the best young staffs in the nation with Mark Sembrowich, who was ranked #16 among assistant coaches at the lower Division I level by the HOOP SCOOP in February; St. Anthony Crawford, who previously was at Wayne State, Akron, and Western Michigan; Chris Hollender, who played for Crews at Evansville; and Clay Nunley, who has spent the last four years working for Ed Schilling at Wright State.  We also don't believe that Iona head coach Jeff Ruland has any plans to move onto the Phoenix Suns.  If you will recall, we raised this as a possibility several weeks ago when Frank Johnson, who is one of Ruland's best friends, got the head coaching job with the Suns.  However, Ruland appears to be reinvigorated after the excellent recruiting class the Gaels finished up with this spring.   Remember, Iona's recruiting class, which includes 6'5 Steve Smith from Coffeyville (JC) KS, 6'2 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'0 Marvin McCullough from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'8 Kiril Wachsmann from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, and 6'1 Steve Burtt from New York (Rice) NY, is tied Dayton, George Washington, and Temple at #45 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  Ohio State finally filled the spot previously held by Dave Spiller, who took a leave of absence last fall and is now pursuing a career outside of basketball, earlier this week by hiring LaMont Stone, who previously was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan and head coach at River Rouge (H.S.) MI.  Not only was Stone the high school of Buckeyes point guard Brent Darby, but he also has all the contacts necessary for the Buckeyes to keep getting players out of Michigan when Paul Biancardi gets a head coaching job next spring.  Speaking of Biancardi, he was ranked as the #6 assistant coach on list of the top assistants in the game in February.  However, since Jay John got the head coaching job at Oregon State, Neil Dougherty got the head coaching job at Texas Christian, and Dave Leitao got the head coaching job at DePaul, he's #3 on our list on our list behind Louisville's Mick Cronin and Richmond's Mike Wilson.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also has a pair of early commitments to pass along.  Stanford has gotten 6'5 Jr Tim Morris from Smyrna (Whitfield) GA, who is ranked as high as #67 nationally by the Recruiter's Handbook, and Purdue has landed 6'7 Jr Ije Nwankwo from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, who is ranked #191 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who is a least 100 spots higher than that based on his performance at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN last weekend.  

Thursday, May 30, 2002

We have now confirmed that 6'2 Soph DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Duke.  If you will recall, we've been hearing rumors for the last several days that this happened on Sunday, but, according to our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, it was officially announced today.  We also have confirmed that Duane John has transferred from Missouri to New Mexico State, but it appears that Wesley Stokes, who was considering transferring from Missouri, may not be leaving after all.  And if that happens, the Tigers will be extremely deep at the point guard spot, because 5'11 Ricky Clemons from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who signed with Missouri this spring, was one of the top point guards in the junior college ranks last year and 6'4 Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, who signed with Missouri last fall, showed that he can play some point guard last summer at the NIKE All-American Camp.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jesse Pinegar has transferred from Brigham Young to Pepperdine.  However, we suspect Pinegar will count with next year's recruiting class in terms of the 5-4 rule, whereby, you can only sign five players one year and four the next.   Remember, Pepperdine's current recruiting class, which includes 6'3 Chase Griffin from Redmond (Eastlake) WA, 6'10 Derrick Grubb from Colleyville (Heritage) TX, 6'8 Cody Horning from Longmont (H.S.) CO, 6'9 David Patten from from Placentia (El Dorado) CA, and 6'4 Marvin Lee from Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA, is ranked #57 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Brooks McKowen from Wapse Valley (H.S.) IA, who is ranked #150 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Northern Iowa.   Apparently this one slipped throught he cracks, as it happened over a month ago, but, when McKowen made the announcement, he picked Panthers over Iowa, Iowa State, and Marquette.  McKowen joins 6'2 Jr Adam Viet from Ackley (H.S.) IA and 6'0 Jr Jared Josten from Webster City (H.S.) IA, both of whom also made early verbal commitments to Northern Iowa this spring.  An early verbal commitment that won't be holding up is 6'3 Jr Robert McIver from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown.  McIver, who appears to have gotten worse since getting kicked off the Archbishop Carroll High School Team last winter (he wasn't very good over the weekend when we saw him at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic), also appears to be looking for a new high school to attend.  However, at this point we have no idea where he plans to enroll next fall and, as a result, we will continue to list him at Archbishop Carroll until we hear otherwise. 

It seems that 7'5 Yao Ming from China continues to be the flavor of the day, as almost every mock draft I've seen has him going #1 in this year's NBA Draft.  I call it the "herd mentality" and it is extremely predictable.  Size is everything and it doesn't matter if you're wrong, because everybody else is going to wrong as well.  The perfect example came when the Philadelphia 76ers drafted 7'6 Shawn Bradley #2 in the NBA Draft in 1993.  Remember, we thought it was ridiculous when some of our competitors ranked Bradley as the #1 high school player in the nation based on his size and potential.  Another great example came 18 years ago when the Houston Rockets had the #1 pick and took Akeem Olajuwon.  I had no problem with that, but then I would have traded Ralph Sampson to Portland for the #2 pick and taken Michael Jordan.  However, at the time, people told me I was nuts.  "You couldn't take Jordan over Sam Bowie," is what I was told consistently.  "Bowie is 7'1!" And since that time people have tried to justify the Trailblazers taking Bowie over Jordan by saying that nobody had any idea how good Jordan would be at that point in his career.  But I never bought it, because in high school Jordan was named co-MVP at the Five-Star Basketball Camp and was the MVP in the McDonald's All-American Game.  Speaking of the McDonald's All-American Game, Jordan's 28 points in that game stood as the scoring record for 18 years.  And, if that weren't enough, Brick Oettinger of the Recruiter's Handbook and PrepStars.com still maintains in print that Jordan was the best 2-guard prospect he'd ever seen at the high school level.  In college Jordan hit the game winning shot in the NCAA Title Game against Georgetown in 1982, was named the college player-of-the-year by those who were ahead of the curve in 1983, and was the consensus college player-of-the-year in 1984.  In my book size has never trumped great players, but, even when they had a great one with size in 1995, most of the "so-called" experts and NBA scouts couldn't figure it out.   But I did when I wrote in Basketball Times that the Chicago Bulls should consider trading Scottie Pippen to whoever had the #1 pick so they could take Kevin Garnett.  "That way the Bulls would have still had the #1 player in the league when Jordan retired," was what I wrote at the time.   But what do I now?  At the time people told me I was nuts.  Now those same people tell me I look like a genius, because if Garnett was with the Bulls now, instead of the Timberwolves, they wouldn't have been one of the worse team's in the league with no end in sight since Jordan retired.  I also was the guy who said on this very web site that then Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino should trade up to get Dirk Nowitzki.  "We understand that Pitino loves Nowitzki, but it would be a major surprise if Nowitzki was still available when the Celtics pick at #10.  So obviously they'd have to trade up to have a shot to get him.  We also understand that Denver has interest in picking Nowitzki #3 and Vancouver is thinking about trading their #2 pick, which brings us to two very interesting questions.  Does Boston have anybody that they could trade besides Ron Mercer to get the #2 pick?  If you were Vancouver, would you trade the #2 to pick to the Celtics for Mercer?"  I wrote that on June 13, 1998, but Chris Monter of the Monter Draft News is good a barking the party line when he says today that nobody had any idea how good Nowitzki would become.  Obviously we did!  But just to keep me in line, Monter also reminds me that like everybody else, I miss one on occasion.  Perhaps the worse one is Weber State's Harold Arceneaux.  If you will recall, Arceneaux had that monster game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, as he singlehandedly helped his team upset North Carolina in the first round in 1999.  Based on that game we thought Arceneaux was a major sleeper and were touting him as a potential lottery pick, if he came out early.  Unfortunately Arceneaux, who was never drafted, didn't have the work ethic necessary to become a great player at the highest level and has never been heard from since.  But four out of five isn't bad!  In other words, it's better to draft the best player, instead of the player with the most size.  Do you agree or disagree?  You can tell us by answering today's "Question of the Day."   If you answered the best player, I want to know how anybody can take somebody other than Dajuan Wagner #1 in this draft?  He's the only player in the draft who has a chance to be a truly special player down the road.  As a matter of fact, I think he'll be a better pro player than he was a high school or college player.  I also think people will get a chance to see what a great passer Wagner is once he's gets a chance to play with great players and isn't forced to do too much all by himself.  Wagner also is a lot tougher right now than Ming is inside.  All the pro scouts and general managers seem to be enamored with Ming's skills and outside shooting, but I want my big man to dominate inside like Shaquille O'Neal, instead of being the next Ralph Sampson.  So, if I was a NBA general manager and I had the #1 pick and I absolutely had to take a big man #1, I would go with Maryland's Chris Wilcox.  Not only is he a physical specimen with athleticism and tremendous potential, but I'm confident he'll still be in the league in five years.  With Ming I'm not so sure.  And apparently Matt Ramker, who is the selection chairman for the Hooters Holiday Shooutout in St. Petersburg, FL, and a coach of the Tallahassee Wildcats AAU team, agrees with me.  As a matter of fact, Ramker has come out with the only mock draft that doesn't just bark the party line of what NBA general managers and scouts are already saying.  In other words, Ramker has some new and fresh ideas and the one we like the best has the Houston Rockets possibly trading the #1 pick, which Ramker says will be Duke's Jason Williams, to the Los Angeles Clippers for #8 and #12 picks.   And if they do that, according to Ramker, the Rockets, ironically, would get Wilcox.  Ramker also has Wagner going #2 to the Bulls and, if that happens, it will be interesting to see if Chicago Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause can't make an even dumber move than trading Elton Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers last June for Tyson Chandler.  Our suggestion would be for Krause to trade Wagner to the New York Knicks.  Remember, the Knicks have a bunch of overpaid guards and they'd love to dump some salary.  The rest of Ramker's draft has Ming going to Golden State at #3, Duke's Michael Dunleavy going to Memphis at #4, Connecticut's Caron Butler to Denver at #5, Kansas' Drew Gooden going to Cleveland at #6, 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS going to New York at #7, Wilcox going to the Los Angeles Clippers at #8, Nickoloz Tskitschvili from Russia to Phoenix at #9, Indiana's Jared Jeffries to Miami at #10, Stanford's Curtis Borchardt to Washington at #11, Bostjan Nachbar from Slovenia to the Los Angeles Clippers at #12, 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL to Milwaukee at #13, Maybyner Hilario from Brazil to Indiana at #14, Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus to Houston at #15, Fresno State's Melvin Ely to Philadelphia at #16, Missouri's Kareem Rush to New Orleans at #17, Tennessee's Marcus Haislip to Orlando at #18, Virginia's Roger Mason to Utah at #19, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince to Toronto at #20, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau to Portland at #21, Jiri Welsch from the Czech Republic to Phoenix at #22, Fatih Solak from Turkey to Detroit at #23, Duke's Carlos Boozer to New Jersey at #24, Illinois' Frank Williams to Denver at #25, David Andersen from Australia to San Antonio at #26, Fresno State's Tito Maddox to the Los Angeles Lakers at #27, and Alabama's Rod Grizzard to Sacramento at #28.

Wednesday, May 29, 2002

The word on the street is that 6'2 Soph DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who is better than that based on how he played over the weekend at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, has committed to Duke.   However, we can't confirm that, even though we've heard that Nelson gave a verbal commitment to Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski on Sunday.  Apparently the Duke coaching staff didn't want Nelson to make an official announcement until July, but somehow the cat got out of the bag.  We've also heard that this won't effect Duke's recruitment of 6'6 Soph Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, who is ranked #7 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Livingston, who also has schools like Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Arizona, Fresno State, North Carolina, and Kentucky on his list, is another one of Duke's top priorities in the Class of 2004.  Speaking of Duke's top priorities in the sophomore class, we know that another one of their prime targets - 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP - made an unofficial visit to Duke on Friday prior to the start of the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions.  In other words, there appears to be no end in sight with regards to Duke's ability to continue to bring in the top players in the nation.  If you will recall, Duke currently has the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation with 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, plus they already have a verbal commitment for next year's class from 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, they appear to be on the verge of landing 6'7 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they are the favorite for 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Speaking of Ebi, we asked him at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN on Monday if it would effect his decision if Duke already had commitments from Humphries and Deng.  Not only did Ebi say no, but he added that Humphries and Deng should be the ones worried about their playing time.  In other words, Ebi seemed pretty confident, but at the same time we liked his attitude, because he wasn't trying to be a jerk about it.  He just wasn't worried about it.  Our guess is that Ebi has already decided to attend Duke, but Arizona, Texas, and Indiana are also on his list.  Other players we talked with at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic include 6'11 Jr Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, 6'9 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'1 Jr T. J. Banninster from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'8 Jr Chris Richard from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'8 Jr Emmanuel Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS, and 6'8 Jr Dan Coleman from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN.  Coleman said he's getting the most attention from Boston College, Marquette, Creighton, and UNLV.   Mississippi, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Miami-FL, Alabama, and Cincinnati were mentioned by Willis.  Florida State, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Auburn are all in the hunt for Richard.  Bannister likes Duke, Miami-FL, Georgetown, Maryland, Indiana, Alabama, but in the end Florida is going to be tough to beat on this one.   Jefferson says Alabama is the early favorite, but he also mentions Cincinnati, Duke, Kentucky, Maryland, Florida, Mississippi, and Mississippi State.  Adkins is getting the most attention from Connecticut, Alabama, N.C. State, Florida State, and Wake Forest.  We also got a list for 6'0 Soph Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who is ranked #9 nationally in the great sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  It includes Cincinnati, North Carolina, Kentucky, Clemson, Miami-FL, and South Florida.  However, it already appears that Florida will be tough to beat and Florida State will be right there as well.  We also understand that Maryland and N.C. State are the co-favorites for 6'1 Jr Michael Nardi from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Duquesne has gotten an early commitment from 6'9 Jr Sean McKeon from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA.  It also appears that Delaware assistant coach Josh Oppeinheimer, who at one time was ranked among our top 50 nationally in the Class of 1987, is continuing to move up the ladder.  As a matter of fact, he'll be named as an assistant coach at DePaul tomorrow and we think this is a great move.  Not only does he have the contacts both on the West Coast and the East Coast to help the Blue Demons recruit nationally, but he's one of the bright young guys in the business, as is evident by the fact that he is currently listed among the top five assistant coaches at the lower Division I level by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also suspect it's only a matter of time before Oppeinheimer has a similar ranking among the top assistant coaches at the high Division I level. 

Tuesday, May 28, 2002

Believe it nor not, I was right when I said the semi-finals game yesterday between the Houston Hoops and the Illinois Warriors was for the championship at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN.   That's right!  Louisiana Select, which was the winner of the other semi-finals game in the 17-Under Division, had a flight to catch, so they forfeited the championship game.  However, watching the Illinois Warriors upset the Houston Hoops was more than enough compensation, as 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL took home tournament MVP honors.  Brown also showed why he easily is one of the top five players in the junior class nationally.  Not only did he hit three tough 3-pointers early, but he scored 14 of his team's first 20 points en route to 18 points at the intermission and 35 points for the game.  And just as impressive for the Houston Hoops was 5'11 Jr Tauren Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, who also finished with 35 points.  Minor also matched Brown 3-pointer for 3-pointer (who says he can't shoot?), drove to the basket seemingly at will, and even found time to try and recruit Brown to go to Cincinnati.  In other words, Minor not only appears to be a lock for the Bearcats, but suddenly he appears to be their best recruiter.  And Minor appears to be doing a good job, because Cincinnati appears to be the co-favorite for Brown, along Illinois.  Maybe we should make that the tri-favorite, along with Michigan State, because we hear the Spartans are making a strong push, plus Kansas, Iowa, DePaul, and UNLV are also on Brown's list.  Also playing extremely well for the Houston Hoops were 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX and 6'3 Soph Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX.  However, down the stretch the fact that the Houston Hoops didn't make one substitution in their final two games may have been a factor.  Another factor may have been the fact that head coach Larry Butler and the Illinois Warriors have been in this type of situation so many times before.  So when Brown hit two free throws in the final seconds to put his team four points up, that was just the icing on the cake.  Brown was complemented by 6'3 Jr Colin Falls from Wilmette (Loyola Academy) IL, who hit a number of big 3-pointers of his own en route to 18 points, 5'8 Jr Charles Richardson from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, and 6'6 Jr Marcus Heard from Springfield (Southeast) IL.  We also were extremely impressed by 6'9 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #3 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  At 6'9, 27 lbs., Jefferson is a man-child with surpring mobility and athleticism and he doesn't take any prisoners inside.  So naturally there will be people who will try and make the case that Jefferson should be the #1 player in the class, ahead of 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who didn't play well in this tournament.  We also were impressed by Jefferson's team (the Jackson Tigers), which promise to be one of the best AAU teams in the nation a year from now with Jefferson, 6'3 Soph Bobby Clark from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'7 Soph Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Provine) MS, 6'7 Soph Charles Thomas from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'0 Frosh Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, all of whom have to be ranked among the top 100 nationally in their respective classes.  However, White wasn't the best freshman from Mississippi in the tournament.  Instead, that honor went to 6'2 Frosh Monte Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who is ranked #3 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP.   I didn't see Ellis play, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson did and he tells us Ellis clearly won the head-to-head battle against 6'1 Frosh Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who is currently the #1 ranked freshman in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  And if that weren't enough, another top five freshman in the nation - 6'1 Frosh Eric Price from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD - also was extremely impressive in the 17-Under Division.  Price, along with 6'9 Soph Brian Johnson from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'2 Soph Isaiah Swann from Rockville (Magruder) MD, and 6'8 Ryan Lambert from Germantown (Northwest) MD - led Potomac Valley to an upset over Boo Williams, which featured 6'9 Jr Darian Townes from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 6'2 Mario Taybron from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, and 6'3 Marquis Cooke from Sulfolk (Nansemond River) VA, in the first round of the playoffs.  However, Potomac Valley ran into a major road block in the second round when they had to face the Illinois Warriors.   Another youngster who really impressed us in the 17-Under Division was 6'7 Soph Brandon Rush from Kansas City (Westport) MO.  He hasn't developed the consistency and toughness to be as good as his two brothers (JaRon Rush and Kareem Rush) yet, but Eric Bossi of PrepStars.com tells us Rush had 21 points, 11 blocks, and 10 rebounds versus The Family.  In other words, we appear to have him ranked to low at #40 in the Class of 2004.  Speaking of The Family, we told our buddy Vince Baldwin of the Michigan Prep Spotlight that the player we were most impressed with this weekend from the state of Michigan was 6'7 Jr Ije Nwankwo from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, who currently is ranked #191 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Nwankwo will be listed among our top 100 when update our national rankings again in mid-June.  We're talking about a more athletic version of 6'8 Jr Mario Boggan from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  We also liked 6'1 Jr Jeremy Case from McAllister (H.S.) OK, but phyiscally he's not big enough and strong enough to be more than a role player at the University of Kansas, which is where he's verbally committed.  One of the biggest disappointments in the tournament was 6'10 Jr Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL, but we still love his upside and potential.  Remember, Adkins is still learning the American game.  Instead, the two players who impressed us the most for the Tallahassee Wildcats were 6'0 Soph Alex Gordon from Peninsula (H.S.) FL and 6'8 Jr Chris Richard from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL.   If you will recall, we didn't like Richard's lack of intensity at the City of Palms Classic back in December, but all that has changed as he uses his size and athleticism to dominate on the boards and score inside.  Gordon, who shared the ballhandling duties with 6'1 Jr T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, is a lights out shooter.  Add 6'3 Soph Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, who was missing in action for this tournament, to the equation and, if 6'8 Renaldo Balkman from Bradenton Pendleton School) FL is as good as they say he is (we still don't see it), then the Tallahassee Wildcats could be especially dangerous by the time summer roles around.   We also liked a lot of players in the 16-Under Division and right at the top of our list is 6'8 Derrick Character from Scotch Plains, NJ.  Not only is Character the #1-ranked 8th grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's a younger version of Al Jefferson and both are so big, mobile, athletic, and skilled that it wouldn't be a major surprise if they never saw a day of college and, instead, went straight to the NBA right out of high school.  However, Character's mother said that she would like to see him attend college first.  She also told us the two schools that her son likes the best are St. John's and Maryland.  And Character wasn't the only player we really liked on Riverside Church's 16-Under team.  6'1 Soph A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY has improved dramatically since we saw him Christmas time, 6'8 Frosh Terrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ is a physical specimen out of the same mold as Character, and 6'7 Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon, NY is another 8th grader just oozing with potential.   We also were impressed with The Family's 16-Under team, which includes 6'6 Soph Ronald Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Soph Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'7 Soph Jamal Locke from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'6 Soph Malik Harriston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, and 6'2 Frosh Jerrett Smith from Westland (John Glenn) MI, all of whom are ranked among the top players in their respective class in the state by our Michigan Editor Steve Bell.   And how about the Arkansas Wings with 6'7 Soph Jamal Anderson from Little Rock (Parkview) AR, 6'0 Soph Brad Jones from Marked Tree (H.S.) AR, and 6'8 Jeremy Parnell from Blytheville (Gosnell) AR, all three of whom should project as big time players?  Anderson is an active shot blocker with big time athleticism and a great nose for the ball, which makes him a force on the boards.   Jones made some big 3-pointers down the stretch in their semi-finals loss to Riverside Church, but he's best when he uses his quickness to either get to the hole or dish and creating havoc on defense.  Parnell isn't as athletic as Anderson, but he's stronger inside.  So just imagine how good Ron Crawford's team can be if they have 6'11 Soph Stephen Hill from Branson (H.S.) MO, who normally plays with the Wings, but was missing in action for this tournament, and a prolific shooter/scorer, like 6'5 Jr Vakeaton Wafer from Pineville (H.S.) LA, who plays with the Wings' 17-Under Team.  Especially impressive in the 15-Under Division were the two teams that met in the championship - the Wisconsin Playground Runnin Rebels, which featured 6'5 Frosh Breon Allen from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI, 5'9 Frosh Billy Mimis from Milwaukee (Tech) WI, and 6'5 Frosh Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, and the Hoosier Hoops, which featured 6'6 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN.  Allen is a multi-dimensional athlete who is extremely active inside at this level, but he also showed he can also play on the perimeter while also playing up in the 17-Under Division.  Mims is extremely quick off the dribble and deadly 3-point shooter.  Landry is a warrior in the paint who blocks shots and dominates on the boards.  McRoberts has incredible skills and agility for somebody so young and, as a result, is almost impossible to stop at this level when he gets the ball inside. 

In addition to helping us cover the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin helped me talk to a number of the top players in the tournament and here is what we found out about their recruiting.  Wisconsin, Marquette, Tennessee, Stanford, Kansas, North Carolina, Iowa, and Arizona appear to be the finalists for 7'0 Jr Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI.  Villanova and Arizona are the favorites for 6'4 Jr Mustafa Shukur from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, but North Carolina, N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Florida, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut, Kansas, Temple, La Salle, and Louisville are also on his list.   The early list for 6'2 Soph Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX includes Texas, Arizona, Michigan, and North Carolina.  Illinois, TCU, Oklahoma, SMU, Tennessee, and Arizona State are all pursuing 6'6 Jr David Fisher from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX.  Mississippi State is believed to be the favorite for 6'10 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, but Memphis, USC, Alabama, Louisville, and Kentucky are also in the hunt.   It appears to be a two-horse race between Louisville and Alabama for 6'11 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, but don't count out LSU and Ole Miss just yet.  The early list for 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL includes Alabama, Florida, Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Mississippi, UCLA, and Arizona.   Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, N.C. State, and Texas are the leaders for 6'8 Jr Cartier Martin from Houston (Nimitz) TX.  Arkansas and Oklahoma State are believed to be the favorites for 6'6 Jr Ronnie Brewer from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, but Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Connecticut, and Mississippi are also mentioned.   North Carolina, Wake Forest, Arkansas, and California are the top four for 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA.  He's listed on the roster as a sophomore, but 6'2 Jr Milton Collins from New Orleans (O.P. Walker) LA says he's a junior.  Actually this is only Collins' second year of high school, but his coach tells us that he's a grade ahead and, as a result, will graduate next year in only three years.  Collins also tells us he his favorite schools are Florida, Miami-FL, North Carolina, and Mississippi State.  It's been reported that LSU has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Darnell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA, but he says LSU leads Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Miami-FL, Louisiana Tech, and Louisiana-Lafyette.  The list for 6'7 Jr Glen Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA includes LSU, Tennessee, Maryland, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Florida, Florida State, Miami-FL, and Kansas.  The favorites for 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA are Cincinnati, LSU, Miami-FL, Mississippi State, Indiana, and USC.  LSU, Duke, and North Carolina comprise the early list for 6'6 Frosh Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA.  However, Mitchell's godfather is LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre.  So guess where he's probably going to end up!  6'10 Jr Hassan Fofana from Worcester (Holy Name) MA is being recruited by Maryland, Ohio State, Wake Forest, Boston College, Purdue, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Holy Cross, Loyola-Chicago, and Kentucky.  Virginia, Maryland, Florida Connecticut, Syracuse, and Villanova were mentioned by 6'8 Jr Terrance Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.   Seton Hall, Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Maryland are the favorites for 6'2 Jr Jamar Nutter from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ.  6'8 Jr Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE has Virginia, Villanova, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Notre Dame, Michigan, and Wake Forest on his list.  Villanova, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut, and Pittsburgh are the frontrunners for 6'11 Jr Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.  6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY is being recruited by North Carolina, Duke, Maryland Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Villanova, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh.  Cincinnati and Alabama lead North Carolina, Georgetown, Clemson, and Georgia for 6'8 Jr Corey Gibbs from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA.  Prep school appears to be in his future first, but 6'6 Elijah Clarke from from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY mentions Illinois, Miami-FL, Syracuse, Connecticut, Texas, and Boston College.   Miami-FL, Providence, Connecticut, N.C. State, Illinois, and Syracuse are all in the hunt for 6'2 Jr Ramel Bradley from New York (Park West) NY.   He's a 4th year junior, but 6'8 Jr Dante Milligan from Pawling (Pawling-Trinity) NY has a 3.5 gpa and, as a result, schools like Stanford, Notre Dame, Connecticut, Providence, Virginia, and Georgetown are showing interest.  Pittsburgh is the leader over Ohio State, Tennessee, East, Carolina, and Masschusetts for 6'3 Jr Jamel Dixon from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA.  Maryland is the strong favorite over Connecticut and Charlotte for 6'6 Jr Mike Jones from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA.  Illinois, Connecticut, DePaul, Arkansas, Syracuse, and Ohio State are all in the hunt for 6'6 Sammy Mejia from Cornwall on the Hudson (Storm King Prep) NY.   South Carolina, Florida State, Delaware, Connecticut, Kansas State, Wake Forest, Syracuse, Massachusetts, and Providence make up what is a very interesting list for 6'3 Jr Gerald Brown from Baltimore (Douglas) MD.   Southern Cal, Pepperdine, UCLA, Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, and Arizona are all showing interest in 6'5 Jr Wendell White from Redondo Union (Redondo Beach) CA.  Connecticut, Missouri, Arizona State, USC, and Boston College were mentioned by 6'9 Jr Marcus Dove from Long Beach (Millikan) CA.  6'10 Jr Longar Longar from Rochester (John Marshall) VA likes Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Boston College, and N.C. State.  Louisville and Pittsburgh are the leaders for 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, but Missouri and Texas are also on his list.  Duke, Louisville, Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan State, Michigan, and Cincinnati were mentioned by 6'6 Jr Olumuyiwa Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI.  Michigan State, Michigan, Marquette, Texas A&M, and USC are the ones to watch for 6'7 Jr James Matthews from Detroit (Denby) MI.

Saturday, May 25, 2002, Sunday, May 26, 2002, & Monday, May 27, 2002

Sunday proved to be a big day for the Tim Thomas Playaz at Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC.   That's right!  The Tim Thomas Playaz Gold beat the Southern California All-Stars, 76-57, in the championship game of the 17-Under National Division and the Tim Thomas Playaz Black beat Baltimore Select, 72-59, in the championship game of the 17-Under Select Division.  And this isn't the first time we've seen the Tim Thomas Playaz win two different divisions of the same tournament.  Remember, last fall at the Charlie Weber Tournament in College Park, MD these same two teams went home with the championship trophy in their respective divisions.  Tournament MVP honors for both divisions went to 6'7 Jr Sean Banks from Ordell (H.S.) NJ.   Also named to the all-tournament team were 6'3 Jr Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Jr Terrance Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'3 Jr Jamal Warren from Holyoke (H.S.) MA, 6'3 Jr Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'0 Jr Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Tyler Smith from Baltimore (Douglas) MD, 6'3 Jr Gerald Brown from Baltimore (Douglas) MD, 6'10 Jr Stefan Zimmerman from Orem (Mountain View) UT, 5'11 Jr Daon Merritt from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'2 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'2 Jr Toney Douglas from Jonesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Jr LaKeith Blanks from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'1 Jr Larry Blair from Camden (Military) SC, 6'3 Jr Anthony Harris from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'6 Soph Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'8 Jr Wilfred Fameni from Amelia Court House (Amelia Academy) VA, 6'10 Soph Mohammed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jr Tyrone Beale from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, 6'2 Shane Nichols from Radford (H.S.) VA, 6'5 Jr Ronnie Brewer from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Jr Anthony Tucker from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, 6'10 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'9 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'2 Jr Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (h.S.) TX, 6'1 Soph Rajon Rondo from Louisville (Eastern) KY, and 6'6 Jr Blake Adams from Aldine (Nimitz) TX.  While Bob Gibbons does a tremendous job in terms of organizing the event and providing accurate rosters, we have to seriously question how a number of players, including 7'0 Jr Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI, 6'3 Jr DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jr Mustafa Shakur fron Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'0 Jr Chris Paul from Clemmons (West Forsyth) NC, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from New Orleans (Capital) LA, 6'2 Soph Milton Collins from New Orleans (O.P. Walker) LA, 6'6 Frosh Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'9 Soph Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA - were left of the 28-man all-tournament.  As a matter of fact, we thought Butch, Nelson, Shakur were three of the top five players based on performance in the entire tournament.  They also finished second, fourth, and 9th in the tournament in scoring.  Speaking of the leading scorers, Blair was the leading scorer in the tournament averaging 33.0 ppg, followed by Butch with 31.7 ppg, Paul with 31.7 ppg, Nelson with 26.7 ppg, Outlaw with 26.7 ppg, Villanueva with 26.5 ppg, Zimmerman with 25.3 ppg, Douglas with 24.7 ppg, and Rondo and Shukur, who were tied with 23.7 ppg.  And Butch did it against several of the top centers in the tournament, as he scored 33 points versus 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 36 points versus 6'10 Jr Hassan Fofana from Worcester (Holy Name) MA.  Butch, who is currently ranked #22 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also convinced us that he's still way too low in our rankings.  In other words, Butch has to be a serious candidate for our top five nationally behind 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, 6'10 Jr Ndudi Edi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 6'7 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, and 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, along with Shakur and 5'11 Jr Tauren Minor from Houston (Washington) TX.  One of the biggest disappointments of the entire tournament was 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, who currently is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Harris is best described as a slasher who uses his quickness and athleticism to get to the basket, but we question his outside shooting, toughness, and desire to play hard, which is very surprising, because our Michigan Editor Steve Bell is usually right on the money.  Also overrated on the Michigan Hurricanes, which lost two of three games in pool play, are 6'4 Jr Brandon Jenkins from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, 6'6 Jr Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, and 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI.  Jenkins is a terrific athlete and he gets to the hole with the best of them, but he's not a point guard.  Famutimi is an even better athlete, but we still question his outside shooting.  Waters isn't athletic enough, but once he gets into better shape and develops more post moves, which he will at Pittsburgh, the sky's the limit.  Another major disappointment was 6'8 Jr Brian Randle from Peoria (Woodruff) IL.   However, his teammate on the Ft. Sooy-No Limit was the second best player we saw in the entire tournament.  We're talking about Shaun Livingston, who currently is ranked #7 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, that's too low!  Livingston looks like a smaller version of Tayshaun Prince, but he's really a toned-down and less flashy version of Anfernee Hardaway.   Not only is Livingston extremely skilled and very efficient with the basketball, but he's also a great ball handler and passer who makes everybody around him better often at his own expense.  He also is unstoppable when he decides to go the basket and is a better outside shooter than most people realize.  The best player in the tournament was 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, who was one of the few high school seniors who was allowed to play (apparently he's young for his class).  Felton not only picked up where he left off at this tournament a year ago, but once again he proved to be Mr. Clutch, as he hit a 3-point shot in the final seconds against Team Texas Elite in his team's final game in pool play.  Not only did he send the game into overtime, but he gave the Tar Heels fans in attendance more to cheer about than anything their team did all last season.  Nelson, Shakur, Horton, and 6'1 Jr Chris Paul were also sensational.  However, the only other scout who saw Nelson put on what might have been the best individual performance of the entire tournament against the Michigan Hurricanes was Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report (maybe that's why he didn't make the all-tournament team).  Nelson, who has a 3.7 gpa, told us that his list includes Duke, Arizona, Kentucky, California, UCLA, Kansas, Cincinnati, Oregon, and North Carolina, but we think it's really a one-horse race.   Did you know that Nelson spent two-and-a-half hours on Friday with Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski while on an unofficial visit to Duke?  Nelson also went back to see Krzyzewski on Sunday and, as a result, there are rumors about a possible early verbal commitment.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who also is the coach of the Belmont Shore/H Squad, was there to pick up Nelson at the conclusion of the meeting between Krzyzewski and Nelson, but he won't confirm nor deny whether Nelson made a verbal commitment.  However, Trigonis does tell us that Krzyzewski seemed to be especially happy about whatever was discussed.  Horton finally has gotten out of the shadow of his older brother - 6'3 Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) MI - and, as a result, has taken his game to another level.  Horton also did more than hold his own against Felton and was the reason why Team Texas Elite beat Beach Ball Select.  Horton used his quickness off the dribble to drive and score almost at will, but he also used his savvy, court sense, and ball handling and passing skills make his teammates better.  Currently we have Horton ranked #21 nationally in the junior class, but, based on his performance here, he's better than that.  Paul is ranked #132 nationally on our list of the top juniors nationally, but that's at least 100 spots too low.  Not only can he shoot the lights out, but he makes excellent decisions, has great ball handling and passing skills, and a knack for finding a way to beat you.  In other words, Wake Forest has an absolute steal!  If you will recall, Paul recently picked the Demon Deacons and, as a result, head coach Skip Prosser will have to take a backseat to nobody in the always tough ACC at the point guard spot for years to come.  Shakur makes great decisions, has great handling and passing skills, rebounds well for his size, and explosive off the dribble.  Combine all that with the fact that he's 6'4 and he continues to just get better and better and it's easy to see why we think he might be top five in the class.  The only problem with that is that this is already his fourth year of high school and, as a result, Shakur will be ranked as a 5th year player by the HOOP SCOOP beginning in July.  Another 5th year player who really impresed us was 6'11 Martin Iti from Winchendon (School) MA.  As a matter of fact, he too finishes ranked among our top players in the tournament.  Let's take a closer look at the order of our top 25 players, which includes 1) Raymond Felton, 2) Shaun Livingston, 3) Brian Butch, 4) DeMarcus Nelson, 5) Mustafa Shakur, 6) Chris Paul, 7) Jason Horton, 8) Tasmin Mitchell, 9) Dwight Howard, 10) Martin Iti, 11) Mike Williams, 12) Tyler Smith; 13) Milton Collins, 14) Daon Merritt, 15) Terrance Roberts, 15) Brandon Bass, 16) Sean Banks, 17) 6'9 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 18) 6'9 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 19) Hassan Fonfana, 20) 6'4 Soph Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, 21) 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 22) Anthony Harris, 23) 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, 24) 6'9 Jr Todd Henley from Sanford (Lee County) NC, and 25) Olu Famutimi.  Editor's Note:  This list includes only the players we saw.  I didn't get to see a number of players, including Stefan Zimmerman, Jamal Warren, Marcus Williams, Rayshawn Reed, Toney Douglas, LaKeith Blanks, Larry Blair, Wilfred Fameni, Mohammed Tangara, Tyrone Beale, Shane Nichols, because their teams didn't play in the Dean E. Smith Center while I was there on Friday night and all day Saturday.  I also didn't get to see Charlie Villanueva, because he didn't show up until Saturday (I saw the Long Island Panthers play only once on Friday night), and 6'3 Jr JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alliance) NC, who played priminarly in the 16-Under Division. Another Editor's Note:  Apparently Bob Gibbons agreed with our assessment above regarding the all-tournament team, because, according to our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, 10 more players (many of who we mentioned above) have been added to the all-tournament team.  

Friday, May 24, 2002

For the last several weeks we've been working on our national players rankings and the finished product is pretty impressive.  We're talking about our list of the top 100 5th year players, top 400 seniors, top 250 juniors, top 200 sophomores, top 90 freshmen, top 50 8th graders, top 20 7th graders, top 15 6th graders, and top six 5th graders.  Not only is that over 1100 names all ranked in order within their class, but it's by far and away the most accurate list we've ever published.   And you can get it in its entirety exclusively in the Members Section of the HOOP SCOOP, which is necessary, if you are going to answer today's "Question of the Day".  "Which class do you think is the best?"  To take a look at each class, as well as our previous final national player rankings for each year dating all the way back to 1984, click on National Rankings.  Speaking of previous rankings, I'm going to ask Bob Gibbons for his permission to reprint his final rankings for the Class of 1983 and Bill Cronauer of the B/C Scouting Service for his permission to reprint his final rankings for the Class of 1977, Class of 1978, Class of 1979, Class of 1980, Class of 1981, and Class of 1982, all of which I have a copy in hand.  And I hope they both argee to let me do it, because then we'd have an archive of where the top high school players in the nation rank that would span 26 years. 

Thursday, May 23, 2002

Hampton University currently has the #34 ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date with 6'9 Bakary Konate from Cincinnati State (JC) OH, 6'7 Rodney Hughes from Owens (JC) OH, 6'3,Jeff Granger from Creedmore (Faith Christian) NC, 6'2 Dewayne Spencer from Harrisburg (Susquehanna Township) PA, 6'7 Troy Washington from Denmark (Denmark-Olar) SC, 6'11 Bruce Brown from Richmond (Henrico) VA, and 6'10 Frank Russell, 6'10, C, Fayetteville (Pine Forest) NC all in the fold.  However, another school in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference has cleaned up this spring.  We're talking about Howard University, which has landed 6'5 Bilal Russell from Fresno City (JC) CA, 6'9 Quadir Habeeb from Erie (JC) NY, and 5'7 Louis Ford from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  Ford is ranked 100 nationally on our list of the top 5th year players.  Habeeb, who played as a freshman year at Duquesne, is a strong low-post player at 6'9, 280 lbs and has the potential to get a double/double every night.   Russell, who is the nephew of Cassie Russell, has three years of eligibility left and is a lights out 3-point shooter (averaged 44% from beyond the arc).   If that weren't enough, 6'8 Mac Wilkinson, who transferred from the University of Louisville in December, is also waiting in the wings and will be eligible beginning second semester next year.  And they aren't done!  If you will recall, Howard University head coach Frankie Allen has already proven he's a great recruiter dating back to his days at Virginia Tech.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that USC appears to be making a push in the sweepstakes for Wesley Stokes, who recently announced he's transferring from Missouri.  And, if this happens, that's not good new for UCLA.   Remember, Stokes has always been a UCLA fan, but when it came time to be recruited, the Bruins weren't interested.  Stokes also is a very popular player and, as a result, this should help whichever school he picks get players in the future out of the Los Angeles, CA area.  One player who won't be following Stokes this time around is Travon Bryant, who appears to be happy and content to stay put at Missouri.   Trigonis also tells us that 6'7 Jr Ruben Boykin from Los Angeles (University) CA is a major sleeper and uses the fact that Colorado State, Wyoming Loyola-Marymount, San Diego State, Yale, and Pepperdine are all recruiting him.  And sure enough, Boykin will be playing for Trigonis this weekend at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC.  However, the older Boykin may not get all that much playing time, because Trigonis' and Rick Isaacs' Belmont Shore/H-Squad, which also includes 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, 6'3 Soph DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Jr Wendell White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'9 Jr Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Frosh Jamaal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'3 Michael Hubbard from Bellflower (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Marcus Dove from Long Beach (Millikan) CA, and 6'3 Jr Mark Bradford from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA team is absolutely loaded. 

Chris Monter of the Monter Draft News has come out with his predictions of where each player will go in the first round of the NBA Draft and they are as follows:  1) Houston will take Yao Ming from China; 2) Chicago will take Duke's Jason Williams; 3) Golden State will take Duke's Michael Dunleavy; 4) Memphis will take Connecticut's Caron Butler; 5) Denver will take Memphis' Dajuan Wagner; 6) Cleveland will take Kansas' Drew Gooden; 7) New York Knicks will take Stanford's Curtis Borchardt; 8) Los Angeles Clippers will take Nikoloz Takitishcki from Italy; 9) Phoenix will take Maryland's Chris Wilcox; 10) Miami will take Qyntel Woods from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS; 11) Washington will take Indiana's Jared Jeffries; 12) Los Angeles Clippers will take Western Kentucky's Chris Marcus; 13) Milwaukee will take Mayerner Hilario from Brazil; 15) Houston will take Bostjan Nachbar from Slovenia; 16) Philadelphia will take Fresno State's Melvin Ely; 17) Charlotte will take Frank Williams; 18) Orlando will take 6'9 Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL; 19) Utah will take Tennessee' Marcus Haislip; 20) Toronto will take Gonzaga's Dan Dickau; 21) Portland will take Giri Welsch from Czeck Republic; 22) Phoenix will take UCLA's Dan Gadzuric; 23) Detroit will take Fresno State's Tito Maddox; 24) New Jersey Nets will take Virginia's Roger Mason; 25) Denver will take Boris Niaw from France; 26) San Antonio will take Alabama's Rod Grizzard; 27) Los Angeles Lakers will take Carloz Boozer; and 28) Sacramento will take Sam Clancy.  Well, I guess I'm a lot higher on Wagner than all the NBA scouts and general managers and apparently our reader argue, as 24% of the people responding to "Question of the Day" from May 13th picked Wagner.  The question was "of you were a NBA general manager and you had the first pick in the NBA Draft and your team needed somebody good at every position, who would you pick?"  As a matter of fact, the only player who got more votes was Duke's Jason Williams, who currently has 25% of the vote.  We also find Drew Gooden going to Cleveland interesting, because that could have a direct impact on 6'7 Jr LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, who is the #1 player in the nation regardless of class, down the road.  Did you know that Calvin Andrews, who used to be Gooden's AAU coach with the Oakland Soldiers, is now working for NBA agent Bill Duffy?  Did you also know that Duffy currently has three of the top six picks (Ming, Williams, and Gooden), according to Monter, in the draft as his clients?   This connection is very important, because Andrews likely will move to Cleveland, so he can continue to be close to Gooden and, as a result, would be perfectly positioned to line up James for Duffy a year from now. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has no idea about the top 5th, 6th, and 7th graders in the New York Metropolitan area, so we got an assist from Stu Lash, who is the recruiting coordinator and director of scouting for the Five-Star Basketball Camp, with regards to the top young players in the area.  Lash's list of 10 of the 7th graders, which he has compiled from watching players at venues like the Five-Star Junior Camp, IS8, and UDC City Wide, in no particular order includes 5'8 Clayvon Givens from Brooklyn, NY, 5'6 Marcus Matthews from Queens, NY, 5'6 Derrick Price from Willingboro, NJ, 5'6 Malcolm Pope from New York, NY, 5'3 Dewan McMillan from Brooklyn, NY, 5'6 Jamaal Green from Brooklyn, NY, 5'8 Derek Ballard from Brooklyn, NY, 5'5 Bernie Dingle from Brooklyn, NY, 5'7 Eric Kessler from Sewell, NJ, and 5'10 Ricco Oliver from Brooklyn, NY.  The top 6th grader is 5'2 Irving Walker from Brooklyn, NY, who potentially could be the next Stephon Marbury or Sebastian Telfair.  Ten more outstanding 6th graders in no particular order are 6'0 Mike Nelson from Bronx, NY, 6'2 Ian Umpire from Bronx, NY, 5'6 Sylven Landesberger from Queens, NY, 5'7 Dorvel Carter from Bronx, NY, 5'2 Shasha Brown from Bronx, NY, 5'8 Lymel Ratliff from Brooklyn, NY, 5'5 Lamont Middleton from Bronx, NY and 5'10 Andre Avant from Brooklyn, NY, 5'10 Regulus Hoyte from Brooklyn, NY, and 5'6 Kenneth Gustus from Brooklyn, NY.  Lash's list of 10 of the top 5th graders in no particular order includes 5'7 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn, NY, 5'6 Josh Malone from Long Island, NY, 6'2 Brian Jones from Queens, NY, 6'4 Rashaun Stores from Bronx, NY, 6'4 Troy Collins from New York, NY, 5'3 Devon McMillan from Brooklyn, NY, 5'3 Daniel McFadden from Queens, NY, 6'4 Chaz Williams from Brooklyn, NY, 5'2 Richard Williams from Queens, NY, and 5'3 Devande Cutler from Brooklyn, NY.  Lash also tells us that Five-Star's Hampden-Sydney session, June 8th-13th; Pittsburgh III session, July 15th-20th; and Honesdale II session, August 23rd-28th, should all be outstanding.  As a matter of fact, the Hampden-Sydney session promises to be their best camp ever in Virginia.  Remember, this week always draws heavily from the Washington, DC area and the sophomore and freshman classes in that area are absolutely loaded.  So it shouldn't come as a major surprise that the coaches from many of the traditional powers, like Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, Washington (Gonzaga) DC, Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, and Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, not only will be working the camp, but also bringing their players.  Pittsburgh III had three McDonald's All-American's last year in 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Brad Buckman from Austin (Westlake) TX, 6'1 Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, plus 6'6 Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (North Valley Regional) NJ, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'3 Jarrett Jack from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'2 Robert Hite from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH, 6'6 Kennedy Winston from Pritchard (Blount) AL, 6'5 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'7 Jr Omari Israel from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, and 5'7 Jr Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH are all big name players.  And, if that weren't enough, the Developmental League provided us with our first opportunity to see guys like 6'3 Soph DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Frosh Jamelle Cornley from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'2 Soph Dwight O'Neil from Fresno (Washington Union) CA.  The fact that Pitt III once again has very little competition this year, expect for the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA, should ensure that the same caliber of talent is present that was on hand a year ago.  Not only do we expect Pitt III to get a lot of the adidas players, but NIKE teams that don't get invited to the Peach Jam will also likely send their players to this session.  A good example is might be 6'2 Soph Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY.  In case you didn't know, Robinson plays for the New York Gauchos and the only tournament they'll be playing in this summer is the 17-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL, which runs July 27th-31st.  Five-Star's Honesdale II session always is good, because school hasn't started in New York City yet and, as a result, they always get most of the top players from the city. 

Wednesday, May 22, 2002

We are gearing up to attend both the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions and the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN, both of which will tip-off this weekend.  We'll start at Gibbons' Tournament, which will run from 5:00 PM EST on Friday until late Sunday afternoon (the championship game is scheduled to begin at 4:00 PM).  And, as always, it looks like the field is loaded, as the National Tournament field includes Michigan Hurricanes, Houston Select, Belmont Shore, and Miami Tropics in Pool A; Beach Ball Select, North Carolina Gaters, Team Texas Elite, and Gary Payton Seattle All-Stars in Pool B; the Atlanta Celtics, Los Angeles (Rockfish, Derek Smith All-Stars, and Jackson Panthers in Pool C; Southern California All-Stars, Illinois Fire, North Carolina Red Storm, and New Jersey Celtics in Pool D; Tim Thomas Playaz Gold, Southeast Pump 'N Run, Fox Valley Skillz, and Middlesex Magic in Pool E; Alabama Ice, Kappa Magic, Tennessee Travelers, and New Orleans Jazz in Pool F; Long Island Panthers, Georgia Stars, DC Team Assault, and Topp Sports in Pool G; and Ft. Sooy No Limit, New York Ravens, Cleveland Basketball Club, and Coast-to-Coast in Pool H.  The Select Tournament Field includes Worldwide Renegades, Seattle Team Yes, Warriors Elite, and Columbus Blazers in Pool I; Baltimore Select, Mississippi Rise and Shine, Copper State All Stars (AZ), Cleveland Basketball 16 in Pool J; Atlanta Celtics Gold Fairfax Stars, Raleigh's Finest, and Seattle Team Yes 16 in Pool K; Ft. Worth Lions East Coast Eagles, Pittsburgh Jots, and Atlanta Prep Stars in Pool L; Tim Thomas Playaz Black, Raleigh Heat, Team Minnesota, and Champion Sports (UT) in Pool M; Hunting Park, Georgia Elite, Charlotte Nets, and North Greenville in Pool N; NOVA United, Texas Top Prospects, South Carolina Hoopsters, and West Virginia Mohawks in Pool O; and Springfield Heat, Central Florida Force, Team Richmond, and Ontario Wildhawks in Pool P.  The complete schedule for both of the 17-Under Divisions, as well as the 16-Under and 15-Under Divisons, can be found on Gibbons' web site at www.BobGibbons.net/secure.  As things stand now, I'll be the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions, along with our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, on Friday night and all day on Saturday.  Rubin will also be there on Sunday, but I plan to drive most of the night to Bloomington, IN and help our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who also will be in Bloomington on Saturday, cover the NIKE Memorial Day Classic on Sunday and Monday.  This tournament also appears to be loaded, as the 17-Under Division has the Alabama Lasers, Portland Legends, DC Blue Devils, and Louisiana Select in Pool A; Boo Williams, California Team Select, Magnolia Stars, and Albany City Rocks in Pool B; Baltimore Blue, Bloomington Black, The Family, and Team Florida in Pool C; The Illinois Warriors, Howard Pulley Blue, Charlotte Royals, and Bloomington Red in Pool D; Memphis, Tallahassee Wildcats, Arizona Stars, and Arkansas Wings in Pool E; New York Gauchos, Athletes First, Howard Pulley White, and Wisconsin Playground in Pool F; New York Riverside Church, TABA Team Illinois, Martin Brothers Select, and St. Louis Eagles in Pool G; and the Jackson Tiger, Bloomington White, Kentucky Hoop Stars, and Houston Hoops in Pool H.  The complete schedule for all three divisions (17-Under, 16-Under, and 15-Under) of the NIKE Memorial Day Classic, which is being hosted for the second consecutive year by Bob Pryor and the Bloomington AAU Program at the Bloomington SportsPlex, can be found at www.hoopsfuture.com.

We have learned that 6'8 Jr Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN has a press conference scheduled for 6:00 PM tonight and we think it's safe to assume that it's going to be Duke.  This doesn't come as much of a surprise, because Humphries was at Duke recently on an official visit, plus when we talked to Humphries' father in March, all he could talk about was how great Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and Kansas head coach Roy Williams are.  This is huge, not just because Humphries is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but because he's skilled enough, athletic enough, and tough enough to play both inside and outside.  He also gets the dominos to start falling.  Remember, the Blue Devils are also believed to be the heavy favorite for 6'8 Jr Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is the #3-ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and they are one of the leaders, along with Texas and Arizona, for 6'10 Jr Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Whether Duke can land all three of these guys is anybody's guess.  However, it wouldn't be the first the time Blue Devils have brought in several great players right on top of each other at the same position.  If you will recall, Duke signed the #1 point guard in the nation two consecutive years when they got Jason Williams from the Class of 1999 and Chris Duhon from the Class of 2000.  So suddenly the question becomes do you try and take Humphries, Deng, and Edi, all three of whom are forwards, or do you attempt to sign another quality point guard as insurance in case Duhon enters his name into the NBA Draft a year from now?  Remember, once Duhon leaves the Blue Devils will only have one point guard - 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL - in the entire program.  Actually Duke has four scholarships available next year, but one is already promised to 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who plans to walk-on and red-shirt next season, and another appears to be going to Humphries.  Obviously this also is a testament to Krzyzewski, who not only has built the best modern day program in college basketball, but who also has one of the best young coaching staffs in the business.  Did you know that Duke with Steve Wojciechowski, Johnny Dawkins, and Chris Collins and Syracuse with Mike Hopkins, Troy Weaver, and Bernie Fine were the only two programs in college basketball where all three assistant coaches on the staff were mentioned on our list of the top assistant coaches?  Getting back to the possibility of Duke getting Humphries, Deng, and Ebi, if this materializes, Duke will have landed three players who are ranked among our top 10 in nationally in the Class of 2003, a year behind a recruiting class, which included 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, Dockery, and Melchionni and was easily ranked #1 in the nation.  Assuming that Humphries does announce for the Blue Devils, he will become the second player ranked among our top 10 juniors to make a verbal commitment.  Digging a little deeper, a commitment by Humphries would make it four out of our top 25, seven out of our top 50, 22 out of our top 100, 31 out of our top 200, and 35 out of our top 300 who are already off the board.   And we look for this trend to count.   As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if 40 or more of the top 100 players in the Class of 2003 are not gone by the beginning of the summer camp season in early July.  If you will recall, 30 of our top 100 players in the Class of 2002 were gone by that time a year ago.   We have confirmed that Humphries has verbally committed to Duke and, as a result, we have a very interesting "Question of the Day."  If you were Mike Krzyzewski, would you take Humphries, Deng, and Ebi, if you could get all three of them, or would you take Humphries, either Deng or Ebi, and use the final scholarship to sign another point guard? 

It comes as no surprise that Rashaad Carruth, who is transferring from the University of Kentucky, has decided to go the University of Oklahoma.  As a matter fact, we told you that this was probably going to happen last week.  This is big for the Sooners, because it means that Sooners head coach Kelvin Sampson is bringing in two excellent wing players.  If you will recall, the Sooners signed 6'5 DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, last fall.  They also signed 6'8 Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, who is ranked a #10 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, this spring and, as a result, have the potential to be as good as they were last season when they advanced all they way to the NCAA Final Four.  And that brings us to our "Question of the Day" for tomorrow.  Who should be the pre-season #1-ranked team in college basketball next season?  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'9 Kamua Canton from Mineral Area (JC) MO plans to walk-on at the University of Memphis next fall and that 6'7 Cortez Davis from Laurinburg (Institute) NC won't become a Tiger after all.  If you will recall, Davis verbally committed recently to Memphis, but it appears that everybody in the program has made it academically and, as a result, there isn't a scholarship available for Davis.  Instead, we understand that Davis will sign with Rutgers.  Canton, who is originally from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, has a reputation for being soft and, as a result, doesn't project as an impact player.  But he did average 10 ppg and 8 rpg and they don't have to give him a scholarship.  However, Canton isn't good enough to offset the loss of Davis, so Memphis' recruiting class drops from #33 to #40 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.   One that slipped past us is 6'7 Chudi Chinwezwe from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, who signed with Texas Christian several weeks ago.  Chinwezwe is ranked #258 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but this is still a pretty good get when you consider what's left.  By our count, only six players who are ranked higher in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP than Chinwezwe are still available.  They are 6'5 Antonio Lawrence from San Joaquin (Memorial) CA, 6'7 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'1 Greg Brown from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 6'3 Darnell Hopkins from Towson Catholic) MD, 6'4 Michael Cook from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, and 6'6 Nick George from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  We also are hear that 6'2 Soph JamesON Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, who is ranked #6 on our list of the Top 200 Players in the Class of 2004, is already a near lock for North Carolina.  

Tuesday, May 21, 2002

We are finished with our rankings of the Top 200 Players in the Class of 2004 and there is only one thing I can say.   Boy, is this class loaded!  Not only does it have more potential than any class we've seen in recent years, but it could turn out to be as good as the Class of 1995, which produced Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Ron Mercer, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim; the Class of 1991, which in produced Glenn Robinson, Chris Weber, Juwan Howard, Alan Henderson, Jalen Rose, Donyell Marshall, and Vashon Lenard; and great Class of 1988, which produced Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp, Billy Ownens, Chris Jackson, Malik Sealy, Don MacLain, and Christian Laettner.   It also appears to have the size, depth, and overabundance of great players to potentially even rival the great Class of 1979, which included Clark Kellogg, Ralph Sampson, James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Sam Bowie, Sidney Green, Antoine Carr, Rodney McCray, Derrick Hord, Raymond McCoy, John Paxon, Steve Stipanovich, Melvin Turpin, Terry Cummings, Dale Ellis, and Rod Foster.   Don't believe it?  Well, 5'11 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'3 Jr Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'9 Soph Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Soph Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'4 Soph Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, 6'2 Soph JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC, 6'6 Soph Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'8 Soph Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'0 Soph Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, and 6'6 Soph Roy Bright from Durham (Northern Durham) NC make up the 10 players in the class and, if you still think somebody in the class is better than Telfair, now is your chance to tell us via our "Question Of The Day" from Friday, May 17th.  And there isn't much of a drop off among the next 15 players - 6'5 Soph Dwayne Day from Vadalia (H.S.) GA, 6'7 Soph DayShaun Wright from Syracuse (Fowler) NY, 6'2 Soph DeMarcus Nelson from Vallejo (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Soph Juan Diego Tellos Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'11 Soph Greg Steinsma from Randolph (H.S.) WI, 6'7 Soph Stanley Branch from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Soph D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'10 Soph Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Soph Brian Johnson from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'7 Soph Josh Smith from Marietta (McEachern) GA, 6'1 Soph Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Soph Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'8 Soph Kaylan Grimes from Florissant (Hazelwood Central) MO, 6'10 Soph LeMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, and 6'3 Soph John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT.  In other words, 5'9 Soph Andre Allen from Memphis (East) TN, who is one of the best players to ever come out Memphis, is ranked no higher than #26 on our list and 5'10 Soph Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, who is arguably the best player in the state of Kentucky right now, is ranked no higher than #28 on our list.  The Class of 2004 is especially loaded in the Deep South, as Georgia has four players (Morris, Day, Howard, and Smith, all of whom play for the Atlanta Celtics) who are ranked among our top 20 players in the class, Alabama has three players (Williams, Miles, and White) who are ranked among the top 20 players in the class, Florida has one player (Washington) who is ranked among our top 10 players in the class, and Mississippi has one player (Jefferson) who is ranked among our top five players in the class.  That's nine of the top 20 players in the Class of 2004 from only four states and, if we expand on this to include the entire South, we find that Texas also has three players (Gibson, Horton, and Aldridge) who are ranked among our 25 players, North Carolina has two players (Curry and Bright) who ranked among our top 10 players, and Virginia has one player (Johnson) who is ranked among our top 20 players in the class.   In other words, 15 of the top 25 players in the Class of 2004 come from a total of seven states in the South.  Ironically, the normal basketball hotbeds like New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Detroit, MI, and Los Angeles, CA are barely even represented at the top of this class.  As a matter of fact, the only player from any of those cities to be ranked among our top 25 players in the Class of 2004 is Telfair, who has been the #1-ranked player in the class since he was in 4th grade.  Nobody from Michigan is ranked among the top 25.  The only player (Nelson) who made the list from from California is from the Northern part of the state and the same also can be said about Illinois, as the only player (Livingston) from that state to make the list is from Peoria.

Well, it looks like we were right on the money when we told you over the weekend that a verbal commitment by 6'7 Jr Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillside) NC, who is ranked #68 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, could be forthcoming sooner than later.  This is appears to be a good catch for the Wildcats, because Perry has a 3.8 gpa and he's good enough to come in and contribute right away, but not so good that they'll have to worry about replacing him right away.  Perry, who picked the Wildcats over Stanford and Wake Forest, averaged 23 ppg and 11 rpg last season, but physically he's not strong enough to play inside at the college level and he's a solid ball handler and good 3-point shooter.  In other words, he's a wing forward all the way.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'6 Deywane Lee from Cordova (H.S.) TN has signed with Evansville.  Lee, who is the son of former Memphis All-American Keith Lee, is ranked #16 in the state in the senior class on the list that Rothman plans to get into our hands within the next week or two.  Rob Harrington of PrepStars.com and the Recruiter's Handbook, understand that 6'8 Jr Warren Carter from Dallas (Lake Highlands) TX, who is ranked #175 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Illinois.  This is the third player the Fighting Illini have landed from Texas in the last year.  If you will recall, Illinois also signed 6'2 Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX and 6'8  Kyle Wilson from Dallas (Jesuit) TX last fall.  Obviously this is due to the strong contacts that Fighting Illini assistant coach Billy Gillespie has in the Lone Star State dating back to his days as an assistant coach at Tulsa and Baylor.  Speaking of former Baylor assistant coaches, did you know that Auburn assistant coach Mike Wilson, who currently is ranked as the #2 assistant coach in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, is about to make what appears to be a very strange move?  The word on the street is that Wilson will be named the associate head coach at the University of Richmond tomorrow.   This will be the second time that Wilson has worked for new Spiders head coach Jerry Wainwright and apparently Wilson's close friendship with Wainwright, who Wilson worked for at UNC-Wilmington, and Richmond assistant Rodney Terry, who Wilson was on the same staff with at Baylor, was the deciding factor in Wilson's decision.   One of the things that makes Wilson such an awesome recruiter is his ability to build a close rapport with the players he signs.  However, in this case the chances of 6'9 Terry Licorish from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 6'5 Steve Leven from Laurinburg (Institute) NC getting out of their National Letters-of-Intent and following to Wilson to Richmond are slim and none.  Any way you slice it they would have to sit out a year, but it's a mute point, becuase Richmond doesn't have any scholarships available.  This also prohibits another player Wilson recruited last fall from even considering Richmond.  We're talking about Duane John, who is transferring from Missouri.  Instead, we hear that New Mexico State is close getting this one done and, if Aggies assistant coach Tony Stubblefield pulls this one off, he ought get a big raise.  Remember, John was ranked #70 nationally in the Class of 2001 by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Monday, May 20, 2002

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio was at the IS8 Playoffs the last four days and he provides us with a game-by-game account of what happened beginning with the first two quarterfinals games on Thursday night.  In the first game the Long Island Panthers were missing 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, who was at prep school in New Jersey, and 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who was attending his prom.  However, they still survived, 59-58, against the Mustangs, thanks to a 3-pointer by 6'3 Aubin Scott from Hempstead (H.S) NY with three seconds left.  The leading scorer for the Panthers was 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY with 16 points.  Also chipping in with 12 points was 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY.  The Mustangs were led by 6'2 Elijah Muldrow from Milford (Academy) CT, who is heading to Ventura (JC) CA and 6'3 Jr Willie McCloskey from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY with 21 points apiece.  In the other game quarterfinals game on Thursday night, Rebel upset the Future Stars, which is Riverside Church's younger team.  Rebel jumped out to a 24-6 lead early, but the Future Stars came back to tie it at the half, 34-34.   Throughout most of the second half it was too close to call until Rebel pulled out a 82-76 victory in the last two minutes.  The big gun for Rebel was 5'10 C.J. Okogeri from Bayside (H.S.) NY, who hit a number of big 3-pointers en route to a 32-point effort.  Also adding 19 points was Fairleigh Dickinson-bound 6'4 Chad Timberlake from Brooklyn (New Utrecht) NY and 6'5 Amadu Fall from Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY, who is expected to sign with either Florida Atlantic or Lafayette, chipped in with 17 points and 16 rebounds.  The Future Stars were led by 5'11 Gary Ervin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY with 34 points (20 of which came in the first half).  And that was big difference in the game, as Ervin was the only player who came up big for the Future Stars in the first half.  Also adding 14 points for the Future Stars was 6'0 Soph A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY.  In the first quarterfinals game on Friday night Riverside Church was missing 5'7 Keydren Clark from New York (Rice) NY and 5'10 Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, both whom were attending their prom.   However, it didn't matter, because 5'7 Jr Cyron Lee from Bronx (Regional) NY, who hit six three's for 18 points, got hot, as Riverside Church upset Brooklyn Bridge.  Another big key to the game was the ability of 6'5 Allen Shepherd from New York (Randolph) NY and 6'4 Jr Willie Irick from Teaneck (H.S.) NJ, who combined for 10 points, to Neutralize the bigger players for Brooklyn Bridge.  6'8 Jr Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Taft) NY did finish with 18 points and 16 rebounds, but Tom Konchalski of the H.S.B.I. Report charted certain statistics and he tells us that Taft only touched the ball 10 times via passes from his teammates.  Also chipping in with 20 points was 6'5 Elijah Clark from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, while 5'11 Soph Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is the #1-ranked sophomore in the nation, only hit 6-20 field goals, 2-9 3-pointers, and 5-8 free throws en route to 19 poitns, four assists, and six turnovers.   In the other quarterfinals game on Friday night S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express took control of the game in last minute and emerged with what turned out to be a 103-96 hard fought victory.  6'7 Jr Sean Banks from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ and 6'4 John Winchester from Milford (Academy) CT both had 19 points, while 5'10 Daon Merritt from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY chipped in with 18 points and 5'10 Jr Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY had 16 points.  Leading the losers were 6'4 Ben Utley from Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY with 24 points and Boston University-bound 6'2 Shawn Wynn from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY with 22 points.  Showing up for the semi-finals games on Saturdy was Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News, who is widely regarded as the #1 college basketball writer in the nation, and he truly was amazed at how much talent was on display.  In the first game   S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express beat Riverside 72-70 in a game that wasn't decided until the final seconds when 6'3 Ricardo Soliver missed a desperation half-court shot as time ran out.  The leading scorer for S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express once again was Sean Banks with 15 points.  Also adding 11 points apiece were 6'5 Jr Kirk Bunn from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and St. Peter's-bound 6'3 George Jefferson from Brooklyn (Automotive) NY-bound.  The leading scorer for Riverside Church was 5'7 Keydren Clark with 15 points.  Soliver added 14 points.  In the other semi-finals game Rebel appeared to have a shot at pulling off its second consecutive upset until Villanueva hit a 3-pointer late in the 4th quarter, which opened it up to a nine point lead.  From there the Panthers coasted to a 98-81 victory.  All five Panthers starters were in double figures, as Villanueva scored 22 points, Sumtper scored 18 scored, Fraser finished with 14 points and 16 rebounds, 6'2 Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ had 14 points, and Ray had 12 points.  Rebel was once again led by 5'10 C.J. Okogeri from Bayside (H.S.) NY with 21 points.  Fall added 19 points and 6'8 Brian Franklyn from Brooklyn (Boys and Girls) NY, who had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks, was impressive enough to get Weiss' attention, as he got it done against the Panthers awesome front line.  The Panthers were once again missing Villaneuva in the championship game, but that didn't stop them from jumping out to a 15-10 lead early.   Instead, what made it a close game (the Panthers were then outscored 24-7 and trailed 34-22 late in the first half) were three quick fouls by Ray and a terrific performance Banks.  However, the Panthers did manage to cut the lead to only two at half-time and Fraser, who finished with 38 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks, came up big down the stretch, as the Panthers won their second consecutive spring IS8 Championship, 86-81.  Sumpter added 19 points, while Aubin Scott, who was the big hero in the Panthers' quarterfinals victory, had 10 points, four rebounds, and four clutch assists.  Banks, who had 18 points at half-time, led S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express with 22 points (18 in first half).  Winchester added 15 and Merritt had 11 points.  IS8 MVP honors went to Fraser.  Banks took home the Sportsmanship Award and the Special Senior Award went to Sumpter.  Named to the Third Team All Tournament Team were Taft, Muldrow, Providence-bound 6'3 Donnie McGrath from Somers (John F. Kennedy) NY, Albany-bound 6'2 Jamar Wilson from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and ???????????.  Named to the Second Team All Tournament Team were Villaneuva, 6'5 Elijah Clark from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, Soliver, 5'10 Carl Benn from Woodmere (Lawrence-Woodmere Academy) NY, and Telfair, who got his team no further than the quarterfinals for the second year in a row.  Named to the First Team were Winchester, Sumpter, Fraser, Ray, Ervin.  The Rookie-of-the-Year was 5'8 Frosh Eugene Harvey from Brooklyn (Boys & Girls) NY and the Player-of-the-Year was 6'6 Sam Mejia from Cornwall on the Hudson (Storm King Prep) NY.  Naclerio also tells us that C.J. Okogeri, Carl Benn, and Brian Franklin could all be steals for the right low-to-mid major school looking to sign somebody late.  Ben also is academically qualified with a 2.8 gpa and 1020 SAT.  Naclerio isn't sure about Franklin's grades, but it's definitely worth a phone call to find out.  Not only did he get it done against the Panthers, but he's still only 17 years old and he's got a major upside. 

Last week we told you that the University of Cincinnati was the co-favorite, along with Illinois, for 6'4 Jr Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who is ranked #6 nationally on our list of the Top 250 Players in the Class 2003.   However, we didn't tell you that the Bearcats appear to be on the verge of a recruiting bonanza.   Most people already know that Cincinnati is the heavy favorite for 5'11 Jr Tauren Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior classs by the HOOP SCOOP.  In addition to Cincinnati assistant coach Andy Kennedy, who was hired last July and is quickly emerging into one of the top recruiters in the nation, walking in and picking up where former Bearcats assistant coach Mick Cronin left off, they have a huge advantage on this one.  Did you know that Minor and Field Williams, who will be a junior next year at Cincinnati, have been close friends since childhood?  Cincinnati also appears to be the leader for 6'8 Jr Corey Gibbs from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA, who is tied at #100 on list of the top juniors nationally, plus they are in a lot better shape than people realize on 6'7 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, who reminds us of Kenyon Martin, who was the consensus college player-of-the-year two years ago at Cincinnati.  As a matter of fact, one of Bass' favorite players is Martin.  We also know the Bearcats are recruiting 6'3 Jr Richard McBride from Springfield (Lanphier) IL, 6'8 Jr Emmanuel Willis from Mendenhall (H.S.) MS, 6'5 Jr Vakeaton Wafer from Pineville (H.S.) LA, 6'11 Jr Shawn Taylor from Vienna (Dooley County) GA, 6'8 Jr Cartier Martin from Houston (Nimitz) TX, 6'8 Jr Warren Scott from New Orleans (Abramson) LA, 6'2 Jr Vincent Banks from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'9 Jr Jamareo Davidson from Stone Mountain (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Jr Brandon Foust from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 6'2 Jr Lee Humphrey from Maryville (H.S.) TN, 6'5 Jr LaKeith Banks from Ft. Washington (Ft. Washington) MD, and 6'11 Jr Akini Adkins from Tallahassee (Leon) FL.  Speaking of Banks, he's listed as a junior, but he's actually already a 5th year player and, as a result, has slipped through the cracks, just like 6'2 Tyler Smith from Baltimore (Southern) MD, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Baltimore (Southern) MD, and 6'2 Mario Taybron from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA.   In other words, all these players are currently nowhere to be found on any of the list that we've published during the last week, but they all will be ranked extremely high at the conclusion of the summer camp season on next year's 5th year list.  Getting back to Cincinnati, their recruitment of Adkins is worth noting, because Adkins' legal guardian is John Adkins, who is head coach of the Tallahassee Wildcats.  If you will recall, 6'3 Tony Bobbitt from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who signed with the Bearcats this spring, not only played for Adkins, but was largely responsible for the Tallahassee Wildcats winning the championship at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament several years ago.  Speaking of the Tallahassee Wildcats, Matt Ramker, who is the selection chairman for the Hooters Holiday Shooutout in St. Petersburg, FL, December 26th-30th, is now helping Adkins coach the Tallahassee Wildcats and, as a result, 6'0 Soph Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL is now playing for what now appears to be the top club team program in the state of Florida.  Ramker, who is one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business, also has finalized the field for the 10th Annual Hooters Holiday Shootout, which includes Louisville (Male) KY, Columbia (Keenan) SC, Clio (Marlboro County) SC, Vidalia (H.S.) GA, Pittsburgh (Central Catholic) PA, Manchester (Trinity) NH, Orlando (Edgewater) FL, Eustis (H.S.) FL, Pahokee (H.S.) FL, Miami (Senior) FL, Hawthorne (H.S.) FL, Brandon (H.S.) FL, St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, St. Petersburg (Boca Ciega) FL, Palm Harbor (H.S.) FL, and Clearwater (Countryside) FL.  Not only will the Hooters Holiday Shootout be celebrating a decade in the business, but there is no question that Ramker has put together the best Hooters field ever.  Some of the top players who will be in attendance include Washington, 6'5 Soph Dwayne Day from Vidalia (H.S.) GA 6'9 Soph Luke Bonner from Manchester (Trinity) NH, 6'3 Jr Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'5 Soph Cornelius Ingram from Hawthorne (H.S.) FL, 6'10 Soph Ra'Sean Dickey from Clio (Marlboro County) SC, 6'10 Jr Wesley Green from Eustis (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Jr Jimmy Hudson from Eustis (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Soph Antonio Watson from Pahokee (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Frosh Zarronn Cann from Brandon (H.S.) FL, and 6'2 Frosh Sean Morrison from St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL.  For more information on the tournament, click on http://www.mattramker.com.   Unfortunately 6'8 Jr Renaldo Balkman from   Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL is not included on the above list.  We say that for several reasons.  First, the word out we're getting now is that Balkman, who currently is ranked #203 nationally on our list of the top juniors nationally, is vastly improved since we saw him at the National Prep School Invitational in February.   Second, Balkman is a top recruiting priority for South Florida.  In other words, don't be surprised if Bull assistant coach Dave Zimroth, who is one of the best evaluators of talent in the business, steals another one (Balkman).   And as long as we're on the subject of assistant coaches who don't get the recognition that they deserve, did you know that UNLV assistant coach Derek Thomas has the Runnin' Rebels in the hunt for a number of the top juniors in the nation, including Minor, Brown, Bass, 6'8 Jr Trevor Ariza from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Tech) CA, and 6'7 Jr Ekene Ibekwe from Carson (H.S.) CA?  No, UNLV isn't the favorite for any of these guys, but Thomas is the guy who signed Larry Hughes and had 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL all wrapped up when he was an assistant coach at Saint Louis.  However, Miles never materialized for the Billikens, because current UNLV head coach Charlie Spoonhour went into temporary retirement.  Another formerly underrated assistant coach, Tommy Herrion, continues to turn heads this spring with the recruiting job he's done at College of Charleston.   Two weeks ago he signed 6'4 Marcus Johnson from Tallahassee (JC) FL, last week lhe anded 6'7 Isaiah "Zeke" Johnson from Palm Beach (JC) FL, and now he has gotten 6'4 Robert Swaim, who is transferring from the University of Connecticut.  Unfortunately Herrion is out of scholarships.  If you will recall, the College of Charleston also was one of the finalists for 6'4 Mike Cook from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA and they appeared to be one of the favorites for 6'8 J.C. Mathis, who is transferring from Virginia.  Instead, it looks like Mathis will pick from among Fordham, Seton Hall, Siena, Boston University, and Rutgers.  Mathis' departure from Virginia opens up another scholarship for the Cavaliers and the most likely candidate appears to be 6'5 Shane Power, who recently announced he was transferring from Iowa State.  Power, who was the Cyclones leading scorer last year, also is considering New Mexico, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Mississippi State. 

Saturday, May 18, 2002, and Sunday, May 19, 2002

We had heard earlier in the week that LSU has a pair of early commitments from 6'7 Jr Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 6'7 Jr Darnell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA, but it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that we actually confirmed that they both indeed made early verbal commitments to the Tigers.  Everybody knows that Kounjia is a major catch, but Lazare also appear to be a major steal.  As a matter of fact, a source who knows all the top players in the state tells us that Lazare is a legitmate sleeper for a our top 100 nationally.  So it appears that LSU is well on its way towards landing one of the top recruiting classes in the nation.  Remember, 6'8 Jr Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capital) LA, who is ranked #10 on our list of the top juniors nationally, which will be published later tonight, is LSU's #1 recruiting priority and, as a result, you can bet it will be extremely difficult to get him out of the Tigers' backyard.  We also know that LSU is one of the favorites for 6'10 Jr Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #4 on our list of the top juniors nationally.  Not only is Tigers head coach John Brady originally from McComb, MS, but his mother still lives right across the street from McComb High School.  We also know that LSU is hot on the trail of 5'11 Jr Tauren Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'5 Jr Vakeaton Waffer from Pineville (H.S.) LA, and 6'8 Jr Paul Milsap from Grambling (H.S.) LA, all three of whom were extremely impressive when we saw them three weeks ago at the Houston Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX and, if they get several of these seven players, then LSU's recruiting class would be one of the best in the nation.  It also would have to move Butch Pierre even higher than he already is on our list of the top assistant coaches in the nation.  If you will recall, Pierre was ranked #25 on our list of the top assistant coaches in February, but now has moved up to #20, because Jay John, Neil Dougherty, Dave Leitao, John Pelphrey, and Ray Lopes, all of whom were ranked ahead of him, all got head coaching jobs this springs.  We also have confirmed that LSU has signed 5'11 Darrel Mitchell from   St. Martinsville (H.S.) LA and, this too is noteworthy, because Mitchell, who is tied at #100 on our list of the top senior nationally, was named the Player-of-the-Year in the state this spring.  He joins 6'6 Tim Bush from Marrero (Shaw) LA, 6'3 Tony Gipson from Panalo (JC) FL, 6'7 Mildon Ambres from Opelousas (H.S.) LA, and 6'9 Jaime Lloredo, who led Dixie (JC) UT to the National Championship and was widely regarded as one of the top two junior college players in the nation, along with 6'8 Qytnel Woods form Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, to give LSU the #33-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.   And, if that weren't enough, the Tigers also had 6'9 Shawnson Johnson, who sat out last year because he needed another year to get his academics in order, and Courtney Task, who transferred from Memphis, waiting in the wings.  In other words, it appears to be only a matter of time before LSU once again becomes one of the powerhouse teams, along with Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi State, in the Southeastern Conference, which currently rivals the ACC as the top conference in college basketball.

As things stand now, 21 of the top 100 players on our list of the Top 250 Players in the Class 2003 already made early verbal commitments to four-year Division I schools.  That list includes 6'4 Jr Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI to Michigan, 6'0 Jr Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI to Michigan State, 6'8 Jr Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN to Valparaiso, 6'10 Jr Stefan Zimmerman from Orem (Mountain View) UT to Utah, 6'4 Jr Wesley Washington from Mater Dei (Santa Ana) CA to California, 6'5 Jr J.R. Giddens from Oklahoma City (John Marshall) OK to Kansas, 6'3 Jr J.R. Reynolds from Roanoke (Catholic) VA to Virginia, 6'9 Jr Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI to Pittsburgh, 6'7 Jr Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC to LSU, 6'9 Jr Darian Townes from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'9 Jr Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA to Georgia, 6'9 Jr Lamont Hamilton from Milford (Academy) CT to St. John's, 6'7 Jr Demetrius Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Syracuse, 6'3 Jr Tron Smith from Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) CA to Arizona State, 6'2 Jr Jimmy Miles from Homewood (Christian) IL to Valparaiso, 6'8 Jr Ivan Harris from Springfield (South) OH to Ohio State, 6'6 Jr Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY to Valpariso, 6'7 Jr Darnell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA to LSU, 6'3 Jr Robert McIver from Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC to Georgetown, 6'0 Jr Ben Luber from Newtown (Council Rock) PA to Penn State, and 6'7 Jr Phil Tomlinson from Burleson (H.S.) TX to Colorado State.  And it appears to be only a matter of time before that list grows to 22, because 6'7 Jr Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillside) NC is at the University of Kentucky this weekend on an official visit and, unless something unforeseen happens, a verbal commitment should be forthcoming sooner than later.   Speaking of the the Wildcats, we also are hearing that they may sign 6'1 Greg Brown from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who is ranked #118 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the talent and athleticism to be ranked a lot higher, if he ever develops a true position.  If this happens, Brown would probably be a partial qualifier and, as a result, have to sit out next season.  However, he would count with the current recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 6'6 Kelenna Azubuike from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 5'9 Brandon Stockton from Glasgow (H.S.) KY and 6'9 Bernard Cote from Montreal (Chaplain-St. Lambert) QU, plus a pair of walk-on's in 6'1 Ravi Moss fro