HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER 2006

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has confirmed that Seton Hall has beaten St. John's and Rutgers for 6'9 Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and we think this is big for a number of reasons.  First, Walters is ranked #108 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, if he plays like he did when we saw him at Five-Star's loaded Honesdale session, he could emerge into one of the top inside players from the Class of 2007.  Second, Walters is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder and he can score around the basket, which means that first-year Pirates head coach Bobby Gonzalez and his staff have solved most their inside needs, as they already have 6'8 Soph Joey Cameron, who is sitting out this year after transferring from Auburn, and 6'9 Frosh John Garcia, who red-shirted last year and is still recovering from knee surgery over the summer, in the program, and 6'10 Augustine Okosun from Harcum (JC) PA, who is a big time athlete that runs the floor extremely well, in this year's recruiting class.  Third, Walters perpetuates Seton Hall's already strong pipeline into New York City.  If you will recall, the Pirates landed 6'0 Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, but originally is from Brooklyn, NY, 6'3 Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'4 Kashif Pratt from New York (Rice) NY soon after the new regime took over last spring and they already have 6'5 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, but is originally from New York City, and 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) NY, but is originally from the Bronx, NY, in this year's recruiting class, which is now tied at #26, along with Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Fourth, Walters was the 6th highest ranked senior still available, behind 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Courtney Fortson from Montgomery (Jefferson Davis) AL, and 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  However, even more important, the Pirates now have four excellent recruits in the fold, as Walters is talented enough to step in and start right away at center; Hazel is a high energy wing player who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation; Glover is an undersized killer around the basket, just like his older brother, Anthony Glover, who had a stellar career at St. John's; and Okosun has a tremendous upside, as he's only been playing organized basketball for three years.  We also have spent a lot of time this afternoon catching up on junior college signings and commitments and among those that have not previously been reported by the HOOP SCOOP include 6'9 Charlie Bronson from Redlands (JC) OK, who is ranked #3 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, to Xavier; 6'11 Kenie Freeman from Hillsborough (JC) FL, who is ranked #8 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, to Houston; 6'1 Booker Woodfox from San Jacinto (JC) TX, who is ranked #13 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, to Louisiana-Lafayette; 6'3 Mareceo Rutledge from Yuba (JC) CA, who is ranked #17 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and is a Second Team Junior College All-American by Street & Smith, to UNLV; 6'5 Ira Brown from Phoenix (JC) AZ, who is a Fourth Team Junior College All-American by Street & Smith, to Gonzaga; 6'9 Mike Nunnally from San Joaquin Delta (JC) CA, who is ranked #24 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, to Pacific; and 6'3 Orrin Greer from Jacksonville (JC) FL, who is ranked #47 in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, to Louisiana Tech.  Especially interesting is the fact that Freeman and his junior college teammate - 6'8 Ejike Hart from Hillsborough (JC) FL both committed to the University of Houston on Wednesday, September 13th, but neither signed during the Fall Signing Period.  However, to our knowledge neither player has reneged on his commitment to the Cougars and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Brockeith Pane from Dallas (Carter) TX, who is ranked #161 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'9 Horace McGloster from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS, who is ranked #34 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players; and 6'3 DaShaun Williams from Monroe (JC) NY, who is a versatile athletic 2-guard that averaged 11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.3 apg and led his team to a 33-5 record and an eighth place finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association National Tournament last season; is now tied at #20, along with Virginia Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And this comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which featured 6'3 Robert McKiver from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'4 Marcus Malone from Lee (JC) TX, 6'8 Tafari Toney from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'8 Nic Mosley from Belleville (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Robert Lee from Seminole (JC) TX, and 6'0 Charlie Jones, 6'0, PG, Blinn (JC) TX and was ranked #15 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.  In other words, it looks like Cougars head coach Tom Penders and his staff are building a strong foundation with junior college players who thrive in an up tempo setting.  And, when one also remembers that they also have 6'8 Dion Dowell, who transferred from the University of Texas, waiting in the wing ready to become eligible beginning second semester, it's easy to see why those in the know think the Cougars will be one of the teams that rivals Memphis for supremacy in Conference USA for a long time. 

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Now that I've had some time to put things into perspective after returning early last week from the National Prep School Showcase at Assumption College in Worcester, MA and since things are slow in the recruiting world, now seems like the perfect time to update our Ranking of the Top 5th 150 Year Players for the Class of 2007.  And, yes, 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who signed a financial aid agreement with Kansas State on November 3rd and plans to join the Kansas State basketball team on December 16, which is "the first day that a mid-year student-athletic can become eligible for athletic aid, practice, and competition."  In other words, Walker will count with the Wildcats' recruiting class this fall and will be listed as the #1-ranked 5th Year Player until that date, but won't count with Kansas State's recruiting class and in our rankings beyond that point.  We also are extremely impressed with the quality of talent in our Ranking of the Top 5th 150 Year Players for the Class of 2007, as Walker and 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Venice, CA are both the equivalent of a top 10-ranked senior nationally; 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Craig Brackins from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) MA, 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'6 Jason Henry from Decatur (Light of the World Christian) GA are all the equivalent of a 11-40 ranked senior nationally; 6'5 Terrance Roderick from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, 6'7 Darrington Hobson from Decatur (Christian) IL, 6'5 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'4 Thomas Manzano from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 5'11 Mitchell Fields from Houston (Inner City) TX, 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Justin Burrell from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 7'1 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL are all the equivalent of a 41-70 ranked senior nationally; and 6'1 Terrell McKenzie from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Tirrell Baines from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, 6'10 Lindsay Robinson from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'5 Lucca Staiger from Decatur (Christian) IL, 6'4 Antoine Watson from Raleigh (Milestone Prep) NC, 6'5 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'7 Jeremy Jacob from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Zach Payton from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Manuel Cass from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 6'3 P. Allen Stinnett from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH are all good enough to get top 100 consideration, if they weren't already in their 9th Semester or more of high school, which is our criteria for being a 5th Year Player.  While I have seen most of these players myself, our Texas Editor Tim Miller helps fill in some of the blanks after attending the Chicago Prep Classic in Deerfield, IL several weeks ago.  And he tells us that 6'6 Jason Henry from Decatur (Light of the World Christian) GA and 5'11 Mitchell Fields from Houston (Inner City) TX are two of the best players in the nation that most people have never seen or heard about.  "Henry has the talent, potential, athleticism, and skills necessary to be one of the best players in the country," says Miller.  However, Henry, who is from originally from West Memphis (H.S.) AR and was ranked #689 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in Class of 2006, fell under the radar screen, because he didn't attend any of the major camps or play at any of the events during the last several springs and summers.  "Fields is the guy who makes Inner City go," says Miller.  And he's not the only player on this team that college recruiters need to be aware of, as Miller is also really touting 6'7 Tyrone Fleming from Houston (Inner City) TX and 6'8 Novell Arnold from Houston (Inner City) TX, both of whom also are major sleepers.  As a matter of fact, Miller thinks Inner City, which pulled off a major upset against Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH at the Chicago Prep Classic, is arguably the best high school/prep school team in the Houston area this year.  And to our knowledge, Fields, Fleming, and Arnold are all still available.  And so are 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'11 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Jason Henry from Decatur (Light of the World Christian) IL, 6'5 Terrance Roderick from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, 6'7 Darrington Hobson from Decatur (Christian) IL, 6'4 Thomas Manzano from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'1 Terrell McKenzie from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Tirrell Baines from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'4 Antoine Watson from Raleigh (Milestone Prep) IL, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Zach Payton from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 7'0 Anthony McClain from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'5 Will Pratt from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Marvell Waithe from Toronto (Tapps) ON, 6'4 Delonte Taylor from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Brandon Crooks from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS, 6'5 Kashief Carr from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and 6'10 Tearon Hill from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, who all are also good enough to be ranked among our Top 50 5th Year Players and are still on the board.  And this is important, because, by our count, 22 of the top 5th Year Players are still available, although some of them (i.e. Angelo Johnson, Terrell McKenzie, and Kenyan Harmon) may need another year or two in prep school or junior college in order to make up enough ground to finally become eligible to play at a four-year Division I college or university. 

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

With yesterday's early verbal commitment by 6'1 Jr Anthony Crater from Flint (Southwestern) MI, 23 of our top 100-ranked juniors are now off the board.  That list includes 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to USC, 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI to Michigan State, 6'8 Jr Chris Braswell from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH to Ohio State, 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC to LSU, 7'0 Jr B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH to Ohio State, 6'11 Jr Beas Hamga from Decatur (Christian) IL to Iowa, 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA to USC, 6'3 Jr Melquan Bolding from White Plains (Archbishop Stepanic) NY to Louisville, 6'1 Jr Anthony Crater from Flint (Southwestern) MI to Ohio State, 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX to Connecticut, 6'4 Jr Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA to UCLA, 6'4 Jr Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL to Marquette, 6'7 Jr Darnell Wilkes from Nashville (Pioneer Christian) TN to Cincinnati, 6'5 Jr Matt Gatens from Iowa City (H.S.) IA to Iowa, 6'5 Jr Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY to Mississippi State, 6'11 Jr Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR to Gonzaga, 7'0 Jr Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA to Louisville, 6'3 Jr Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN to Ohio State, 6'6 Jr Martez Walker from Montverde (Academy) FL to Louisville, 6'0 Jr Antoine Young from Bellevue (West) NE to Creighton, 6'3 Jr Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Pike) IN to Tennessee, and 6'2 Jr Jason Clark from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to Georgetown.  And this is incredible when one remembers that these players can't sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent for almost a year and aren't actually scheduled to enroll in college until a little less than two years from now.  We also think that LSU and USC are the two favorites 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA; Michigan is the school you have to beat for 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH; Ohio State is the leader for 6'9 Jr Yancey Gates from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH; Arizona will win the race for 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV; Georgia Tech will edge out Florida for 6'8 Jr Al Farouq Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA; Florida leads for 6'8 Jr Howard Thompkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY; UCLA and North Carolina are the co-leaders for 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA; USC, Tennessee, and Oklahoma State are the tri-favorites for 6'7 Jr Troy Gillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA; St. John's is the school you have to beat for 6'5 Jr Sylven Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY; Kentucky is leader for 6'7 Jr Darius Miller from Maysville (Mason County) KY; Pittsburgh is the leader for 6'1 Jr Travon Woodall from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ; and LSU will tough to beat for 6'6 Jr Olu Ashaolu from Humble (Christian Life) TX.  Our New York City Associate Editor Michael Moore also tells us that the University of Connecticut is one of the favorites, along with Louisville, North Carolina, and Villanova, for 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, and the Huskies also appears to be the school you have to beat for 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and 6'8 Jr Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  However, as things stand now, at least two players will have to declare for early entry into the NBA Draft or transfer before the Huskies will be under the 13-scholarship limit when it comes time for the Class of 2008 to enroll in school, as they currently have 6'2 Soph A.J. Price, 6'6 Soph Marcus Johnson, 6'7 Soph Jeff Adrian, 6'3 Soph Craig Austrie, 6'2 Soph Rob Garrison, 7'3 Frosh Hasheem Thabett, 6'3 Frosh Jerome Dyson, 6'9 Frosh Curtis Kelly, 6'9 Frosh Stanley Robinson, 6'1 Frosh Doug Wiggins, 6'7 Frosh Ben Eaves, 6'9 Frosh Gavin Edwards, and 6'11 Frosh Jonathan Mandeldove all in the program and they also already have an early commitment from 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX.  But, if Huskies assistant coach Tom Moore gets a big time head coaching job next spring, he might be perfectly positioned to get Ebanks and Samuels.   And this might not be as far-fetched as you think, because Moore, who is ranked #4 on our list of the Top Assistant Coaches, turned down a number of jobs, like Delaware, Manhattan, Hartford, Canisius, Fairfield, and Northeastern, last spring, and is one of the best recruiters in the business.  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller also tells us that Duke, Florida, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and LSU are involved with 6'3 Jr J'covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX; Baylor and Arkansas appear to be the favorites for 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX; and the early list for 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX includes Arizona, Texas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Indiana, Illinois, Notre Dame, UAB, Tennessee, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Oregon State.   Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'0 Roland Davis from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic's) NY, who is ranked #534 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the College of Charleston and he thinks this is a great catch for several reasons.  First, Davis is an athletic scoring point guard who is not only capable of putting up prolific numbers, but would have been recruited by big time schools as a 2-guard if he were a couple of inches taller.  Second, getting Davis helps establish the pipeline for first-year Cougars head coach Bobby Cremins to go back to his old stamping grounds and get his share of players from the New York City Metropolitan area.  Third, Davis has an excellent bloodline, as is evident by the fact that his older brother - 6'3 Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY - was ranked #94 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of  2006 and is now a freshman at Seton Hall.   Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that during the last week Central Connecticut has added three more players - 6'3 Adam Hall from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'5 David Simmons from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, and 6'5 Chris Baskerville from Hartford (Buckley) CT - to a recruiting class that already includes 5'9 Jermaine Washington from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA, 6'5 Tamir Johnson from Philadelphia (Imhotep Charter) PA, and 6'3 Alan Branch from Lee (Academy) ME.  And this is important, because Central Connecticut State's recruiting class is now ranked #54 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and has edged out Wagner with the top recruiting class in the Northeast Conference.  We also think it's important to mention that Finkelstein, who also has New England's most detailed recruiting web site, which can be found at www.NewEnglandBasketballServices.com, has been brought on board by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to run tournaments that during the last three years have already become a major draw for programs in New England and the greater Northeast area.  The first tournament that Finkelstein will be involved with will be on held on July 11th-12th at the University of Massachusetts and will feature 48 teams in the 17-Under Division, 24 teams in the 15-Under/16-Under Division, and eight teams in each in 11-Under, 12-Under, 13-Under, and 14-Under Divisions.  For more information go to Finkelstein's web site, visit www.naismithtourney.com, or call Finkelstein at 1-(860)-538-9968 or Colin Tabb at 1-(857) 540-9042.  Obviously Fingelston will cover this event for the HOOP SCOOP and this is important, because most of the top players from New England, as well as some of the top players from around the nation are expected to be participants. 

Saturday, November 25, 2006, Sunday, November 26, 2006, & Monday, November 27, 2006

Over the weekend we published our updated list of Dates/Future Events and our Ranking of the Top 300 Players in the Class of 2011 (8th Graders) and, in both cases, what we've done it pretty amazing.  We have give our good friend Eddie Oliver, whose Hoops USA's High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report is still available for $140 by going to his web site at HoopsUSA.com, calling 1-(843)-650-5422, emailing hoopsusa@sc.rr.com, or 4) faxing 1-843-650-7222, with an assist on compiling the list of Dates/Future Events.  However, we've also gone one step further and provided you with most of the important events that will take place next spring, including all the events that will be hosted by Hal Pastner, Dinos Trigonis, Charlie Weber, David & Dana Pump, and the Hoop Group (for more information go to VisionSports.com, Full Court Press, Charlie Weber Basketball, Double Pump Basketball, and the Hoop Group), who collectively have become the king of putting on multiple events during the course of the year.  As for our Ranking of the Top 300 Players in the Class of 2011 (8th Graders), this list provides the perfect complement to our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players for the Class of 2007, which was published on September 6th; our Ranking of the top 900 Players in the Class of 2007 (Seniors), which was published on October 3rd; our Ranking of the 600 Players in the Class of 2008 (Juniors), which was published on September 1st; our Ranking of the Top 500 Players in the Class of 2009 (Sophomores), which was published on September 13th; and our Ranking of the 400 Players of the Class of 2010 (Freshmen), which was published on October 15th.  And, if the 2,800-plus names all ranked in order by class that we've already got listed isn't enough, our Texas Editor Tim Miller, who is now our primarily source on middle school players, because he knows the Class of 2011 & Class of 2012 better than anybody alive, and our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood, who currently is the foremost authority in the world on the Class of 2010, both tell me that they will providing me their lists of the top players in the Class of 2012, which means our Ranking of the Top 200 Players in the Class of 2012 (7th Graders) will be published by the middle of December.  We also think it's important to mention that the race is currently too close to call among 6'7 8th Grader LaBryan Nash from Dallas, TX, 6'2 8th Grader Davontay Grace from Brooklyn, NY, 6'7 8th Grader LaQuinton Ross from Jackson, MS, and 6'2 8th Grader Matt Carlino from Tempe, AZ for the #1-ranking in our Ranking of the Top 300 Players in the Class of 2011 (8th Graders).  In other words, we have a four-way tie on our hands.  But, like I like to tell people when it comes to middle school players, we have four years to get it right.  Remember, the earlier you start ranking players the more margin for error there is and, as a result, we're talking about a starting point, instead of the finish line.  Actually we'll probably only have to wait about a-month-and-a-half to sort it out, because Nash, Grace, Ross, and Carlino are all planning on being at Tim Miller's U.S. Elite Camp at Baylor University (middle school players) in Waco, TX on January 12th-14th.  Not only does this alone make this a major event, but it also will be the next time that I will get chance to see younger players play and, as a result, it looks like this event is going to be absolutely loaded.  We also have received word from our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that 6'1 Jr Anthony Crater from Flint (Southwestern) MI, who is ranked #33 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Ohio State.  And this is big for a number of reasons.  First Crater has jet like speed quickness and is great at making things happen in transition, which makes him ideally suited to step in two years from now and be the heir apparent to 6'1 Frosh Michael Conley at point guard.  Second, the addition of Crater moves Ohio State's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'10 Jr B.J Mullen from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, and 6'3 Jr Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, even further out in front of schools like Louisville, USC, Iowa, Georgetown, UCLA, Michigan State, Connecticut, LSU, Mississippi State, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, Marquette, and Creighton on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  Third, getting Crater shows that the Buckeyes e not only can get their share of the top players from the state's of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, which is where they've gotten nearly all of the high school players that they've landed during the last several years, but that Michigan also is a fertile recruiting ground.  If you will recall, the Buckeyes currently have 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glen Oak) OH, 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH, 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH, and 6'6 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL in this year's recruiting class and they landed 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'1 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'5 David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH, and 6'9 Othello Hunter from Hillsborough (JC) FL a year ago.  Fourth, getting Crater moves Ohio State within only one player - a quality inside guy like 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH or 6'9 Jr Yancey Gates from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH - of completing their wish list for the Class of 2008.  However, for that to happen, Oden will have to go pro next spring, because, as things stand now, the Buckeyes won't have another available scholarship until the current freshman class graduates after the 2010 season.  Johnson also tells us that USC appears to be the favorite over Pittsburgh and Florida for 6'9 Aaron Pogue from Dayton (Dunbar) OH and 6'6 Frosh Jereme Richmond from Winnetka (North Shore Country Day) IL, who is ranked #37 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Frosh Jordan Dykstra from Rock Valley (H.S) IA, who is ranked ##185 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP, have made the second and third verbal commitments in the Class of 2010 respectively to Illinois and Iowa.

Friday, November 24, 2006

The University of Connecticut has been the favorite for 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA for months, but we've been telling people that when it is all said and done that USC will be tough to beat.  Well, it looks like we knew what we were talking about, because Jennings verbally committed to the Trojans earlier today.  Obviously this is about as big as it gets, because Jennings, who is ranked #1 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has jet-like speed and quickness, incredible ball handling and passing skills, the ability to look his man up defensively, and an incredible work ethic.  However, that doesn't even begin   to illustrate how good we think Jennings is as we're talking about potentially one of the best point guards to ever play the game.  And, despite rumors to the contrary, Jennings is a great kid and a very unselfish player, as is evident by the fact that he's sacrificed some of his scoring and is reported to have dished out 80 assists in his first six games this year as the heir apparent to Tywon Lawson at point guard at Oak Hill Academy.  This also comes right on the heels of last week's verbal commitments by from 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Venice, CA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Marion) LA, and 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA, which means that the Trojans have absolutely cleaned up on the recruiting trail this fall.  As a matter of fact, when you also remember that they already have 6'1 Venoy Overton from Seattle (Franklin) WA in this year's recruiting and 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA already in next year's recruiting class, it's easy to see why Southern Cal now has the #3-ranked recruiting class on both our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  And, if they also get 6'11 Mamadour Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is the currently ranked #5 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and was ranked #25 in our Final Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players in the Class of 2006, and they beat Oklahoma State, Nebraska, California, Tennessee, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Pepperdine for 6'7 Jr Troy Gillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who was our #2-ranked player last weekend at the National Prep Showcase in Worcester, MA, and/or they beat LSU for 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then USC head coach Tim Floyd and his staff could end up with the best recruiting class in the nation two years in a row.  Not only would that be unprecedented, but it would make this one of the premier programs in college basketball for years to come.  Remember, they already have a nucleus of freshman that includes 6'5 Frosh Daniel Hackett, 6'9 Frosh Taj Gibson, 6'5 Frosh Dwight Lewis, 6'7 Jr Kevin Galloway, and 6'7 Frosh Kyle Austin.  In other words, when Mayo, Jefferson, and Jennings, all of whom aren't likely to be around for more than a year or two year, make an early entry into the NBA Draft, the strong nucleus that they will need to perpetuate things over the long haul will already be in place.  We also are ready to publish our 2006-2007 Pre-Season College All-American Teams and, in the process, we have run across several very interesting trends.  First, there is a surprising amount of size at the top of the class, as our top six players - Florida's 611 Jr Joakim Noah, LSU's 6'9 Jr Glen Davis, North Carolina's 6'9 Soph Tyler Hansbrough, Ohio State's 7'0 Frosh Greg Oden, Nevada's 6'11 Jr Nick Fazekas, and Texas' 6'11 Frosh Kevin Durant - are 6'9 or taller and five of the six will play center on their college team this season.  Second, there is more star power this year than we've seen at any time in recent years in college basketball, as is evident by the fact that all six of these players are good enough to be included on First Team.  Noah and Davis also are our co-Pre-Season College Players of the Year, Oden has already been anointed as the next great big man in basketball, Hansbrough is a tough hardnosed competitor and provides the leadership for all of the great young players at North Carolina, Fazekas is currently ranked #12 in scoring with 24.3 ppg and #1 in rebounding with 14.8 rpg in the Division I ranks, and Durant is ranked #25 in scoring with 22.4 ppg, tied at #30 in rebounding with 10.0 rpg, and tied at #23 in blocks with 3.0 bpg.  Third, the age limit that was implemented by the NBA a-year-and-a-half ago appears to have really helped the college game this year as there are more freshman than we can ever remember ranked on our 10 five-man College All-American Teams.  This list includes Ohio State's 7'0 Frosh Greg Oden, Texas' 6'10 Frosh Kevin Durant, Syracuse's 6'5 Frosh Paul Harris, Louisville's 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter, Arizona's 6'7 Frosh Chase Budinger, North Carolina's 6'0 Frosh Tywon Lawson, North Carolina's 6'9 Frosh Brandon Wright, North Carolina's 6'4 Frosh Wayne Ellington, and Kansas 6'9 Frosh Darrell Arthur, which means that their are nine players or almost 20% of the top 50-ranked players are freshman.  And, when we started digging a little deeper, we had to expand our ranking of the top freshmen to four five-man teams, as Washington's 6'11 Frosh Spencer Hawes, Georgia Tech's 6'5 Frosh Javaris Crittenton, Georgia Tech's 6'8 Frosh Thaddeus Young, Duke's 6'5 Frosh Jonathan Scheyer,  Ohio State's 6'1 Frosh Michael Conley, Texas 6'0 Frosh D.J. Augustine, Duke's 7'0 Frosh Brian Zoubek, Duke's 6'9 Frosh Lance Thomas, Tennessee's 6'7 Frosh Duke Crews, Washington's 6'7 Frosh Qunicy Pondexter, and Oregon's 5'6 Frosh Tajuan Porter are also all playing well enough to deserve special recognition.  And this doesn't even include players like Stanford's 7'0 Frosh Robin Lopez, USC's 6'8 Frosh Taj Gibson, Oklahoma State's 6'5 Frosh Obi Muonelo, Louisville's 6'2 Frosh Jerry Smith, Louisville's 6'3 Frosh Edgar Sosa, Duke's 6'5 Frosh Gerald Henderson, Connecticut's 7'3 Frosh Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut's 6'3 Frosh Jerome Dyson, Connecticut's 6'9 Frosh Stanley Robinson, Kentucky's 6'5 Frosh Jodie Meeks, Kentucky's 6'9 Frosh Perry Stevenson, and Kentucky's 6'6 Frosh Derrick Jasper, all of whom are also making an important impact for their college team thus far this season.  And this is important, because it really illustrates our point about the Class of 2006 being one of the best high school classes that has graduated in recent years. 

Thursday, November 23, 2006

I find it hard to believe that some college basketball teams have already played four or five games this season.  But, then again, I guess a lot of people would rather watch bad basketball than no basketball at all.  I also am skeptical about whether much of anything that happens this time of year means a whole heck of a lot.  In other words, college basketball is not like college football, whereby, one loss and your National Championship dreams go right down the drain.  Instead, it takes time for teams to develop chemistry and mold together, especially in a day-and-age when youth and inexperience seems to be the order day.  However, now that it's Thanksgiving, it does seems like the perfect time to put together all of the items that we've previously published this fall into our 2006-2007 College Basketball Section, which includes our Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 30 College Basketball Teams, 2006-2007 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons, Career Coaching Record & Ranking by Number of Wins for All Division I Head Coaches, Tracking the Top Division I Head Coaches (Both Active and All Time), and NCAA Tournament Information (Past, Present, & Future).  And tomorrow we will complete this section with our Pre-Season College All-American Teams.  Then, on Saturday we will publish our calendar of events for the upcoming basketball season and on Sunday we will publish our updated Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011 (8th Graders).  Unfortunately this means that I will not be attending the Tournament of Champions Classic in Peoria, IL tomorrow and the next day, but it's now or never to get these other things out of the way.  Also during the next two weeks, I will be finalizing our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Fall Signing Period, so now is the perfect time to let us now about any signings and commitments that have fallen under the radar screen or that we might not know about yet.  The best thing to do is email me at hoopscooponline@msn.com, but you can also send a fax to 1-502-254-2646 or call me at 1-502-500-4667.  Getting back to our 2006-2007 College Basketball Section, the only thing new that we've added today is the 2006-2007 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparison, which includes the pre-season rankings from the HOOP SCOOP, the Associated Press, USA Today/ESPN, Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Street & Smith, ESPN The Magazine, ACC Basketball Handbook, Basketball Times, and Blue Ribbon Yearbook.   And every one of these pre-season polls has Florida, North Carolina, and Kansas ranked in some order #1, #2, and #3 in the nation.  However, before you pencil in these three teams for a spot in the NCAA Final Four in Atlanta, GA next March, I want to remind you of accurate all of the pre-season prognostications were when Florida, UCLA, George Mason, and LSU advanced to the NCAA Final Four last March.  The HOOP SCOOP had LSU ranked #25, while the Tigers were ranked #23 by Street & Smith, #32 by the Associated Press, #32 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll, and #38 in the Lindy's Pre-Season Yearbook.  UCLA was ranked #16 by Street & Smith, #17 by the Sporting News, #18 by the USA Today/ESPN Poll, #19 by the Associated Press, #20 by CBS Sportsline.com, #21 by the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, #22 by the HOOP SCOOP, and #25 by the Lindy's Pre-Season Yearbook.  George Mason wasn't ranked by anybody and the only two places Florida was ranked were #25 by the ACC Handbook and #39 in the USA Today/ESPN Poll.  We also find it interesting that we're higher than everybody else on teams like Arizona, Kentucky, Marquette, Louisville, Massachusetts, Texas Tech, George Mason, and New Mexico State and lower than everybody else on teams like Georgetown, Wisconsin, Memphis, UCLA, Texas, Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Tennessee.  And, as things stand now, we look really good on Marquette, which we had ranked #9 pre-season, and really bad on Kentucky, which we had ranked #6; UCLA, which we had ranked #26, and Georgia Tech, which we had unranked among our top 30 teams that was published on November 5th.  But, of course, just a few games don't make a season and we do our rankings based on where we think teams will end up and not where they're starting out.  So stay tuned!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood was at the game earlier tonight between Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and Indianapolis (Lawrence Central) IN and it was especially important, because Lawrence North broke the Indiana State High School record for most consecutive wins with 46 in a row.  The previous record (45) was held by Indianapolis (Crispus Attacks) IN and was set during the 1954-55 and 1955-56 seasons back in the days of Oscar Robertson.  Cripus Attacks won the state championship both years with a 30-1 record in 1955 and a 31-0 record in 1956 and to this day there are still people who will tell you that Robertson, who averaged close to a triple-double in points, rebounds, and assists, was the best high school player they have ever seen.  Lawrence North's last loss was to Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 69-63, on January 10th, 2005, which was mid-way through Greg Oden's and Michael Conley's junior seasons.  They went 29-0 last season on their way to a third straight state title and went 103-7 during their high school career.  They also accomplished a similar feat during the summer while playing for the Spiece Indy Heat, as they won the Reebok Big Time Tournament two straight years.  So obviously we're talking about a very impressive legacy that the current players at Lawrence North will now attempt to build upon.  6'4 Damian Windham led Lawrence North with 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists and 6'2 Steve Hedrick led Lawrence Central with 22 points and seven rebounds, but the real reason Stanwood was in attendance was to see 6'9 Soph Stephan Van Treese from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who finished with six points, nine rebounds, three blocks, three steals, and two assists, is ranked #10 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, and is the next in a line of great big man that includes Eric Montross and Greg Oden to play for what has become the premier basketball program in the state during the last 31-year era of the legendary Jack Keefer.  Did you know that Keefer is the only head basketball coach that the school has ever had?  And, as a high school coach, Keefer has a 584-227 34-year career record with four state championships, six regional, and 14 sectional titles.  Stanwood also was at the Recent Penn-Jersey Clash for the Cup Presented by Basketball Spotlight in Trenton, NJ last weekend and the highlight of the event was the fact that the New Jersey All-Stars were able to knock off the Pennsylvania All-Stars, 75-70, in the 9th Grade Game.  6'0 Frosh Tony Chenault from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA and 6'4 Frosh Travis Robinson from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, who two of the top-ranked freshmen in the nation, combined for 41 points, but Team New Jersey, which featured a bunch of underrated players, like 6'1 Frosh Anthony Taylor from Absecon (Holy Spirit) NJ, 6'6 Frosh Jayon James from Paterson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'4 Frosh Fuquan Edwin from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, who combined for 35 points, pulled off the upset.  We also now have the brackets for the Academy National Invitational, which will be held December 27th-30th in Houston, TX, and the first game will tip-off at 8:00 PM on Wednesday, December 27th between Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and  Alief (Hastings) TX due to the fact that a New Jersey High School Association rule prohibits teams from that state from playing in games on three consecutive days. The rest of the first round games in the National Division will be played on Thursday, November 28th with Norcross (H.S.) GA versus New York (Rice) NY at 2:00 PM, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA at 5:00 PM, and Houston (Kingwood) TX versus Middle Village (Christ the King) NY at 8:00 PM.  And sandwiched in-between those games on the same day will be the four Texas Division games with Houston (Klein Collins) TX versus Houston (Yates) TX at 11:00 AM, Houston (Bellaire) TX versus Houston (Westbury) TX at 12:30 PM, Houston (Aldine) TX versus The Woodlands (H.S.) TX at 3:30 PM, and Houston (Madison) TX versus Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX at 6:30 PM.  The second round of the tournament will be played on Friday, December 29th, with loser bracket semi-finals games in the Texas Division at 9:30 AM and 12:30 PM, loser bracket semi-finals games in the National Division at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM, winners bracket games in the Texas Division at 3:30 PM and 6:30 PM, and winners bracket games in the National Division at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.  Then, on the final day the 7th Place Game in the Texas Division will tip-off at 9:30 AM, followed by the 7th Place Game in the National Division at 11:00 AM, the 5th Place Game in the Texas Division at 12:30 PM, the 5th Place Game in the National Division at 2:00 PM, the 3rd Place Game in the Texas Division at 3:30 PM, the 3rd Place Game in the National Division at 5:00 PM, the Championship Game in the Texas Division at 6:30 PM, and the Championship Game in the National Division at 8:00 PM.  And it really doesn't get much better than this as the final four in the National Division is expected to feature Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ versusNorcross (H.S.) GA and Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  And the list of the top players is terrific too, as the National Division will include 6'5 Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Jr Dexter Strickland from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Jr Chris Braswell from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 Jr Al-Faroug Aminu from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 5'8 Malik Boothe from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 5'6 Jr Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'0 B.J. Holmes from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'4 Soph Durand Scott from New York (Rice) NY, 5'9 Soph Lamont Jones from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Jerari Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'5 Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'3 Larry Davis from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'4 Tony Neysmith from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Jordan DeMercy from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'4 Isiah Tate from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'5 Soph Paris Bennett from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'4 DeAngelo Jones from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'5 Jr Ryan Pearson from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Soph Tariq Muhammed from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'4 Jr Kenny Tate from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Emeke Iweke from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 5'8 Soph Anthony Baskerville from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Jr Chris Iles from Alief (Hastings) TX, 6'0 Jeff Peterson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'8 Jr Jordan Hernandez from New York (Rice) NY, 6'0 Soph Phillip Green from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'5 Andrew Gabriel from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'0 Soph Marcus Rouse from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Jr Marquis Grant from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'5 Trevin Harris from Houston (Kingwood) TX, 6'3 Jr Joe Nuss from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'5 Soph James Stukes from New York (Rice) NY and the Texas Division will include 6'7 Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 5'10 Soph Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, 6'10 Jr Anthony Jones from Houston (Yates) TX, 6'8 Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Aldine) TX, 5'11 Jr Demetri Goodson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 5'10 Soph Steve Rogers from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 6'3 Soph Joey Brooks from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, 6'10 Anthony Thompson from Houston (Klein Collins) TX, 5'10 Jr Brandon Williams from Houston (Aldine) TX, and 6'5 Soph Kevin Perry from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX.  For more information about the Academy National Invitational, as well as all the other tournaments and events (Las Vegas Eastern Classic, Houston Kingwood Classic, Las Vegas Spring Showcase, and Main Event) that Hal Pastner runs throughout the entire year, click onto VisionSports.com.

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Recently Louisville's Rick Pitino was quoted saying that he expects to have one of the best recruiting classes in the nation a year from now and, with the verbal commitment over the weekend from 6'3 Melquan Bolding from White Plains (Archbishop Stepanic) NY, who is ranked #31 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, it looks like the head coach of the Cardinals was right on the money.  Bolding is more of a slasher than a shooter, but he has tremendous athleticism and is excellent in transition, which makes him ideally suited for Pitino's up tempo style.  The addition of Bolding also is important, because he becomes the next in a long line of players that Louisville assistant coach Steve Masiello has helped the Cardinals land from the New York Metropolitan area.  The others are 6'9 Frosh Derrick Caracter and 6'8 Frosh Earl Clark, both whom are North Jersey; 6'3 Frosh Edgar Sosa, who is from New York (Rice) NY; and 5'8 Soph Lamont Jones from New York (Rice) NY, who technically is still on the board, but has told people close to the HOOP SCOOP that he's going to Louisville.   Bolding, who already is in his 4th year of high school, also is one of the more traveled players in his class, as he originally was supposed to enroll at New York (Rice) NY, but ended up playing his freshman year at Beacon (H.S.) NY and the last two years at White Plains (Archbishop Stepanic) NY.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that he'll have to go the prep school route next year, which opens the door for him to transfer to Aston (American Christian) PA, where he plans to become the teammate with another potential Louisville recruit - 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Speaking of Evans, that's the one the Cardinals need to get in order to have the best recruiting class in the nation a year from now.  However, as things stands now, they have Bolding, 6'7 Jr Martez Walker from Montverde (Academy) FL, and 7'0 Jr Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA all in the fold, which gives them the #2-ranked recruiting class, behind Ohio State and ahead of Iowa, Georgetown, UCLA, Michigan State, USC, Connecticut, LSU, Mississippi State, Gonzaga, Cincinnati, and Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2008.  We also have received confirmation from Ohio Editor Chris Johnson about 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX making a verbal commitment to the University of Connecticut.  And this is huge for several reasons.  First, our Texas Editor Tim Miller thinks Miles is one of the top three juniors in the state, along with 6'3 Jr J'Covan Brown from Port Arthur (Memorial) TX and 6'4 Jr Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (Crowley) TX.  Second, the addition of Miles gives the Huskies yet another player from the Lone Star state, which is now one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the nation.  Remember, last spring they stole 7'3 Hasheem Thabett from Houston (Cypress Community Christian) TX.  Third, Miles is a big time athlete with the ability to score in a variety of ways, which makes him ideally suited to step in two years from now and complement all the freshmen and sophomores - 6'2 Soph A.J. Price, 6'6 Soph Marcus Johnson, 6'7 Soph Jeff Adrian, 6'3 Soph Craig Austrie, 6'2 Soph Rob Garrison, 7'3 Frosh Hasheem Thabett, 6'3 Frosh Jerome Dyson, 6'9 Frosh Curtis Kelly, 6'9 Frosh Stanley Robinson, 6'1 Frosh Doug Wiggins, 6'7 Frosh Ben Eaves, 6'9 Frosh Gavin Edwards, and 6'11 Frosh Jonathan Mandeldove - who are already in the program.  Or to look at this in another way, the Huskies have 13 freshmen and sophomores on scholarship, which means they don't have any scholarships available for anybody right now in the Class of 2007 and Class of 2008, unless somebody decides to transfer and/or enters his name into the NBA Draft in the spring of 2007 or 2008.  And the smart money is on this happening, because the Huskies are also believed to be the leader for 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and are among the favorites, along with Villanova, Louisville, North Carolina, and Texas, for 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA.  It also appears that Indiana University added to players that slipped under the radar screen last week, as 6'4 Eshaunte Jones from Ft. Wayne (North Side) IN has verbally committed and 6'4 Jordan Crawford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has signed with the Hoosiers.  And this is important, because Indiana's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'5 Jamarcus Ellis from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 6'10 Eli Holman from Richmond (H.S.) CA, is now ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  That's the good news!  The bad news is that Jones is expected to first go the prep school route, which means he does not play to enroll into school until the fall of 2008, and Crawford is a 2-guard all the way.  In other words, the new regime at Indiana appears to have everything in this year's recruiting class, except a pure point guard to replace 6'3 Sr Earl Calloway, who will graduate after this season.  We also have confirmed that 6'2 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS, who is ranked #42 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Kansas and, as a result, the Jayhawks' recruiting class, which also includes 7'0 Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, has moved up to #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And, with this addition, Kansas suddenly has the highest ranked recruiting class nationally, ahead of schools like UCLA, Wake Forest, UAB, Utah, Seton Hall, and Baylor, among schools with only two players in their recruiting class.  However, even more important, the Jayhawks now have an incredible stockpile of young talent, as they currently don't have a senior on the roster; 6'1 Jr Russell Robinson, 6'11 Sasha Kaun, 6'4 Jr Rodrick Stewart, 6'10 Jr C.J. Giles, 6'8 Jr Darnell Jackson, and 6'1 Jr Jeremy Case are all in the junior class; 6'1 Soph Mario Chalmers, 6'6 Soph Brandon Rush, 6'8 Soph Julian Wright, 6'0 Soph Brennan Bechard are all in the sophomore class; and 6'9 Frosh Darrell Arthur, 5'11 Frosh Sherron Collins, and 6'3 Soph Brady Morningstar are all in the freshman class.  But, then again, this does not come as any surprise to us, because Kansas head coach Bill Self has one of the best coaching staffs in the nation with assistants like Joe Dooley, Tim Jankovich, and Kurtis Townsend.  The signing by Jones and Reed are also important, because there are now only five of our top 100-ranked seniors left on the board in 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Courtney Fortson from Montgomery (Jefferson Davis) AL, and 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  And the word we get is that Fortson plans to go the prep school route next year and Akol may reclassify as a junior.  Some other signings that we found out about at the National Prep School Showcase over the weekend at Assumption College in Worcester, MA and have added to our list include 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA to Texas A&M, 6'8 Jeremy Jacobs from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Georgia, 6'2 Deonte Roberts from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6'3 Darryl Ashford from New Hampton (Prep) NH to Texas Tech, 6'1 Dogus Balbay from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH to Texas, 6'7 Noah States from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Furman, 6'8 Nathan Campbell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Liberty, and 6'4 Austin Dahn from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'8 Neven Zeravica from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, and 6'11 Dino Dogan from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA all to The Citadel. 

Saturday, November 18, 2006, Sunday, November 19, 2006, & Monday, November 20, 2006

I've spent the last three days at the National Prep School Showcase at Assumption College in Worcester, MA and, just like a year ago, our list of the top players based primarily on their performance in the tournament, comes as a major surprise.  And right at the top of the list is 6'5 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who finished everything and was a killer on the boards, as is evident by the fact that he scored 33 points against Simi Valley (Stoneridge) CA and 24 points against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, averaged 9.0 rpg, and hit 25-41 field goals in the two games.  In other words, we're talking about one of the most explosive slashing athletes to come down the pike in a long time and, unlike a lot of guys in this day-and-age, Peterson doesn't try and do things he can't do (i.e. play out on the perimeter and impress people with his 3-point shot). And making the story even more interesting is the fact that, just like Paul Harris did when he stole the show from Derrick Caracter in this tournament a year ago, Peterson was the guy everybody was raving about instead of 6'8 Michael Beasley from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who was embarrassingly non-productive in his first game, as he had only two points in the first half and finished with only 11 points and seven rebounds while going through the motions against Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  However, in fairness to Beasley, who is ranked #6 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and as high as #1 in the nation by some of competitors, he is coming off an injury and he did play better in his second game against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, as he finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 7-13 field goals.  Getting back to Peterson, it appears that Kansas is the strong leader for his services over schools like St. John's, Rutgers, and Providence and, as a result, it came as no surprise that Jayhawks assistant coach Joe Dooley, who was one of the numerous college coaches in the attendance, was very visible in the second row behind the basket both times Peterson's team played.  We also think it's important to point out that with Peterson ranked #1 at this event, it was a very good weekend for undersized guys without a true position, like 6'7 Troy Gillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge) CA, 6'6 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'6 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'6 Tirrell Baines from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'5 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 6'7 Manual Cass from South Kent (Prep) CT, and guys from Brooklyn, NY, like 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'7 Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  And Gillenwater, who drew some Adrian Dantley comparisons over the weekend, gets our nod as the #2 ranked player at the National Prep School Showcase after averaging 29.6 ppg in three games against Lee (Academy) ME, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  In other words, we're talking about a tough hardnosed competitor with big time athleticism and a knack for getting to the basket and finding ways to score.  And this becomes even more evident when one finds out that Gillenwater had the highest single-game scoring total of anybody in the tournament with 37 points against Lee (Academy) ME and was one of only four players to score 30 or more points in a game in the tournament.  The other three were 6'4 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC with 34 points versus New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'5 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA with 33 points against Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, and 6'8 Jerrell Williams from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA with 30 points versus Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  We also were extremely impressed with Grant, who not only put prolific numbers (he averaged 24.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 4.0 apg and he hit 17-38 field goals and 9-21 3-pointers in two games), but also provided the leadership on one of the youngest, but most talented teams that Mike Byrnes has ever had at Winchendon (School) MA.  And, of course there was 6'9 Matthew Bryan-Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, who finished with 18.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, and 15-25 field goals in two games and was pretty much unstoppable when he got the ball in scoring position in both games.  And rounding out our top five-ranked players in the tournament, along with 1) 6'5 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 2) 6'7 Troy Gillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 3) 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon School) MA, and 4) 6'9 Matthew Bryan-Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, is 6'4 Jeremy Hazel from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  Hazel, who is an absolute steal for Seton Hall, is a high energy athlete who shot the lights against North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) NH with 6-14 3-pointers and New Hampton (Prep) NH with 5-11 3-pointers and averaged 24.7 ppg in his three games.  And rounding out our list of the top 10 players in the tournament are 6) 6'6 Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 7) 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 8) 6'10 Craig Brackins from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 9) 6'7 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 10) 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) PA.  Pound-for-pound inch-for-inch nobody in the tournament rebounded and scored around the basket better than Negedu, who had a monster game that included 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 13-18 field goals against Aston (American Christian) PA.  Johnson was the catalyst that made the Stoneridge Prep team go and he has improved so much since we saw him last spring that one scout in attendance was heard making a Tywon Lawson-comparison.  Obviously Johnson isn't as good a Lawson, but they both have that same type body, are explosive to the basket, are excellent outside shooters, and know how to control the game.  Brackins had one of the top individual performances of the entire tournament, as he finished with 29 points, seven rebounds, 13-23 field goals, and 2-5 3-pointers versus Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA.  But even more important, Brackins, who also has a nice mid-range game and can also beat you with his 3-point shot, convinced us that he is one of the better inside players in the nation, as well as an absolute steal for Iowa State.  Ebanks, who finished 20 points in both of his games and averaged 10.0 rpg, was the guy that St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn built his team around and 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) PA, who finished with 21 points versus North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and 23 points, 13 rebounds, and 10-18 field goals versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, was total beast inside.  Just missing being ranked among our top 10 players in the tournament was 6'4 Dorenzo Hudson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who never saw a shot he didn't like, but averaged 23.5 ppg and hit 16-35 field goals and 6-17 3-pointers in his two games against Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and Winchendon (School) MA.  The rest of our list of the top 60-ranked players at the National Prep School Showcase includes 12) 6'8 Justin Burrell from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 13) 6'8 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 14) 6'1 Terrell McKenzie from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 15) 6'6 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH,16) 6'8 Michael Beasley from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 17) 6'3 Calvin Haynes from South Kent (Prep) CT, 18) 7'0 Keenan Ellis from Aston (American Christian) PA, 19) 6'6 Tirrell Baines from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 20) 6'2 Deonte Roberts from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 21) 6'5 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 22) 6'8 Jerrell Williams from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 23) 7'0 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CT, 24) 6'2 Greg Hill from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 25) 6'7 Tyrone Nash from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 26) 6'9 Jr Christian Morris from South Kent (Prep) CT, 27) 6'7 Manual Cass from South Kent (Prep) CT, 28) 6'7 Damian Saunders from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 29) 6'3 P'Allen Stinnett from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 30) 6'7 Jeremy Jacob from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 31) 6'5 Chris Baez from Lee (Academy) ME, 32) 6'2 Paris Horne from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 33) 6'5 Cameron Tatum from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 34) 6'0 Lonnie Hayes from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 35) 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, 36) 6'8 Alexis Wangmene from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 37) 6'2 Donovan Monroe from Fork Union (Military) VA, 38) 6'2 Johnny Higgins from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 39) 6'4 Jordan Crawford from Chatham (Hargave Military) VA, 40) 6'3 Darryl Ashford from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 41) 6'4 Rashard Green from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 42) 6'6 Andre McFarland from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 43) 6'3 Julius Coles from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 44) 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 45) 6'6 Mike Ringgold from Winchendon (School) MA, 46) 6'2 Khalil McDonald from Aston (American Christian) PA, 47) 6'1 Mark Lyons from South Kent (Prep) CT, 48) 6'3 Evann Baker from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 49) 6'0 Donald Sims from Fork Union (Military) VA, 50) 6'2 Corey Bingham from Lee (Academy) ME, 51) 6'1 Marquis Jones from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 52) 6'6 Patrick Saunders from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 53) 6'9 Kodi Augustus from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 54) 6'9 Papa Dia from South Kent (Prep) CT, 55) 6'3 Sesoo Ikpah from Lee (Academy) ME, 56) 6'1 Gary Correia from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 57) 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 58) 6'9 Mike Howlett from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 59) 6'8 Rory Spencer from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 60) 6'4 Howard Little from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA.  One of the big disappointments of the entire tournament is the fact that 6'4 Jr  Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA was injured and didn't play in either of his team's two games.   We also were surprised at how non-productive 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) PA, who averaged only 5.7 ppg and 0.7 rpg, and 6'8 Soph Karron Johnson from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, who played a grand total of 14 minutes, scored only five points, and had only two rebounds, were all weekend. 

Friday, November 17, 2006

National Letters-of-Intent will continue to trickle in for several more weeks, but they must be signed and dated no later than Wednesday, November 15th.  And this is important, because the Fall Signing Period is technically over and, as a result, now is the perfect time to put things into perspective.  Obviously the biggest story and perhaps the biggest surprise occurred on final day of the Fall Signing Period when USC announced that it had added 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Venice, CA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Marion) LA, and 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA to a recruiting class that are already included 6'1 Venoy Overton from Seattle (Franklin) WA.  Remember, Mayo had been toying with making a verbal commitment to the Trojans since last summer, but everybody thought he was going to drag it out until spring and/or go to play in Europe for a year, enroll at some new Basketball Academy, or go the prep school route before entering his name into the NBA Draft a-year-and-a-half from now.  So now we're talking about a recruiting class that is ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, USC is now in a position to challenge schools like Arizona, UCLA, and Washington as one of the dominant powers on the West Coast for years to come, as this recruiting class features two of the best players in the nation in Mayo and Jefferson, has the point guard in Overton, who is capable of stepping in and running show, and a strong Louisiana influence, which also could pay big dividends a year from now, as the Trojans are one of the early favorites for 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who is ranked #3 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The other big story came when Memphis signed 6'8 Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA and 6'8 Markieff Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA.  But the Tigers may have to wait a year to get both players, as Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that they both are expected to go the prep school route next year and then enroll in school in the fall of 2008.  So we actually thought about ranking these two players with Memphis' recruiting class a year from now, but then decided to keep them in the current class, because there is still a chance that they could enroll in school next fall depending upon whether the Tigers lose anybody to the NBA Draft next spring or if 6'11 Kareem Cooper, who is currently suspended for violating team rules, doesn't return.  And, of course, the Morris twins could always end up in prep school, change their mind, and end up picking another school.  So we've chosen to handle this one like we did with 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon (School) MA, who has counted towards Villanova's recruiting class both this year and last year and 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, both of whom counted with Memphis's recruiting class in both 2004 and in 2005.  Also noteworthy is the fact that DePaul's recruiting class, which already included 6'9 Nayal Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'9 Majita Poscic from Highland (JC) IL, and 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, moved into the top 10 with the addition of 6'1 Michael Bizoukas from Munster (H.S.) IN, who recently reneged on Northern Iowa.  Also 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL did sign with Alabama on the first day of the Fall Signing Period.  Massachusetts now has a recruiting class that is ranked #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and is headed by 6'10 Papa Lo from Winchendon (School) MA, who is the process of emerging into one of the best shot blockers/rebounds/defenders in the nation. Oklahoma State added a pair of top 100-ranked players to its recruiting in 6'11 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA and 6'5 James Anderson from Junction City (H.S.) AR.  N.C. State picked off 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, Mississippi State got 6'9 Elgin Bailey from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, New Mexico State stole one in 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, and Ohio State added 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to a recruiting class that already included 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glen Oak) OH, 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH, 6'6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH, and 6'6 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph) OH and is now ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, most of the rest of what happened during the Fall Signing Period was rather dull and mundane.  And it may be even worse next year, as 19 of our top-100ranked juniors are already off the board a full year in advance of when they can sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent.  This list already included 5'11 Jr Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (St. Pius X) WI to Michigan State, 6'8 Jr Chris Braswell from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH to Ohio State, 6'6 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC to LSU, 7'0 Jr B.J, Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH to Ohio State, 6'11 Jr Beas Hamga from Decatur (Christian) IL to Iowa, 6'5 Jr Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA to USC, 6'4 Jr Nick Williams from Mobile (LeFlore) AL to Marquette, 6'7 Jr Darnell Wilkes from Nashville (Pioneer Christian) TN to Cincinnati, 6'5 Jr Matt Gatens from Iowa City (H.S.) IA to Iowa, 6'5 Jr Scotty Hopson from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY to Mississippi State, 6'11 Jr Andy Poling from Portland (Westview) OR to Gonzaga, 7'0 Jr Jeff Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA to Louisville, 6'3 Jr Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN to Ohio State, 6'6 Martez Walker from Montverde (Academy) FL to Louisville, 6'0 Jr Antoine Young from Bellevue (West) NE to Creighton, 6'3 Jr Cordell Passley from Indianapolis (Pike) IN to Tennessee, and 6'2 Jr Jason Clark from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to Georgetown, but now we've received confirmation from our West Coast Editor Alan Utter that 6'4 Jr Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, who is ranked #40 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to UCLA.  And this is important, because the Bruins now have not one, but two point guards who are ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally in next year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, 6'2 Jr Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, who is ranked #127 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is ranked among some people's top 100, verbally committed to UCLA earlier this fall.  As for the senior class, the only players ranked among our top 100 nationally who are still on the board are 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'2 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS, 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Courtney Fortson from Montgomery (Jefferson Davis) AL, 6'4 Eshaunte Jones from Ft. Wayne (North Side) IN, and 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  And when one looks at our List of the Top 5th Year Players, only five of our top 15-ranked 5th Year Players - 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Jermaine Peterson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'5 Terrence Roderick from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, 6'7 Darrington Hobson from Decatur (Christian) IL, and 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Lenior (Patterson School) NC - are still available.  In other words, the pickings pretty are slim if you're a college recruiter at the high major level hoping to steal somebody either this winter or next spring who can step in and make an immediate impact a year from now.  Some other commitments that we've run across within the last 24 hours includes 6'5 Wendell McKines from Richmond (H.S.) CA to San Francisco, 6'5 Bobby Shannon from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC to Marshall, 5'8 Daniel Bryant from Patterson School) NC to Georgia Southern, 6'2 Chris Poellnitz from Lenoir (Patterson (School) NC to Appalachian State, 6'4 Charles Boozer from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA to Iowa State, 6'3 Howard Little from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA to Valparaiso, and 6'7 Aaron Ellis from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and 6'8 Austin Steed from Fork Union (Military) VA both to South Carolina. 

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Bright and early tomorrow morning I will heading East to attend the National Prep Showcase, which will tip-off tomorrow afternoon and run through Sunday at Assumption College in Worcester, MA.  And the field appears to be even better than it was a year ago, as the first game tomorrow will be between Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and Fork Union (Military) VA at 2:30 PM, followed by Winchendon (School) MA versus Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA at 4:00 PM, Lee (Academy) MA versus Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY at 5:30 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA at 7:00 PM, and North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus Lenoir (Patterson School) NC at 8:30 PM.  Then, on Saturday it will be Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA versus Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY at 9:15 AM, New Hampton (Prep) NH versus Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU at 10:45 AM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Lenoir (Patterson School) NC at 12:15 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA at 1:45 PM, Winchendon (School) MA versus Fork Union (Military) VA at 3:30 PM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME at 5:00 PM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) MA versus Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA at 6:30 PM, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus Aston (American Christian) PA at 8:00 PM, and Lee (Academy) ME versus Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA at 9:30 PM.  And finally one Sunday will be New Hampton (Prep) NH versus Lenoir (Patterson School) NC at 10:00 AM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Aston (American Christian) PA at 11:30 PM, Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA versus Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU at 1:00 PM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA at 2:30 PM, Tilton (School) NH versus Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ at 4:00 PM, and Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME versus Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CT at 5:30 PM.  And the list of top 5th Year Players who will be in attendance is longer than ever, as it includes 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'7 Jeff Allen from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Manual Cass from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'4 P. Allen Stinnett from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Earl Pettis from Lenior (Patterson School) NC, 6'10 Craig Brackins from Wolfeboro (Brewster (Academy) NH, 6'7 Patrick Hazel from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'8 Justin Burrell from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 An'Juan Wilderness from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'8 Kodi Augustus from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'6 Tirrell Baines from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'8 Tyrone Nash from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'5 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 5'10 Angelo Johnson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Calvin Haynes from South Kent (Prep) CT, 7'0 Hamidu Rahaman from Aston (American Christian) PA, 7'1 Tomasz Kwaitkowski from Lee (Academy) ME, 6'8 Trevon Wilcher from Lee (Academy) ME, 6'7 Damien Saunders from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'5 Andre McFarland from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Marcus Relphorde from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'7 Guy Alang Ntang from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'6 Michael Glover from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Austin Steed from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'7 Joseph Fulce from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, 6'1 Andre Tarver from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'1 Marquis Jones from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'6 Matt Glass from Northfield (Northfield-Mt Hermon) MA, 6'1 Matt Garth from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'6 J.P. Olukemi from Simi

Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Kevin Menner from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'4 Jordan Crawford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Rashad Green from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'3 Howard Little from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'8 Mike Scott from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Antonio Dimaria from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'3 Darryl Ashford from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'7 Aaron Ellis from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'4 Charles Boozer from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'8 Mohamed Lo from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'9 Mike Howlett from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'8 Matt Hill from Tilton (Academy) NH, 6'6 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'8 Wayne Portolatin from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 7'0 John Hegerty from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'4 Michael Tuitt from Aston (American Christian) PA.  And we'll also get a chance to see some of the top high school players in the nation, as 6'8 Michael Beasley from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'10 Matthew-Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'11 Keenan Ellis from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'10 Papa Lo from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Papa Dia from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'10 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Dorenzo Hudson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'10 Ayodele Coker from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Alexis Wangmene from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'3 Etoile Imama from Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU, 6'11 Sean Williams from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 7'0 Steven Yien from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 7'2 David Dhal from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Jr Troy Gillenwater from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'8 Jr Christian Morris from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Jr Jin Soo Kim from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Jr Emmanuel Negedu from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'1 Jr Darius Gabriel from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Jr Muhammad Conteh from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'11 Jr Lonnie Hayes from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'7 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'6 Jr Mathiang Maut from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Soph Alex Oriakhi from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Soph Karon Johnson from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'6 Soph Jamal Coombs from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'4 Soph Oscar Griffin from Aston (American Christian) PA will also all be in attendance at this excellent event which has been put together by Jeff Goodman, who also is a recruiting analyst for Scout.com.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

It looks like Memphis head coach John Calipari's strong Northeast ties dating back to when he was the head coach the University of Massachusetts, the head coach of the New Jersey Nets, and an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers continue to pay big dividends for him now that he is in the Mid-South.  First, there was 6'2 Dajuan Wagner and Arthur Barclay from Camden (H.S.) NJ in 2001.  Then, they landed 6'7 Sean Banks from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ in 2003, 6'5 Antonio Anderson, who originally is from Lynn (Tech) MA, in 2005, and 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ earlier this year.  And now our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is telling us that 6'8 Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Markeiff Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, who is ranked #113 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both announced that they had signed with the Tigers at their 10:00 AM press conference earlier today.  Marcus is a wing forward who can shoot the three, put it on the floor, and get to the basket and Markieff is a high/low post player who rebounds, blocks shots, and can score with both hands around the basket, which means they are are an excellent complement to one another.  They are are an excellent complement to Memphis' recruiting class, which is now tied at #7, along with Ohio State on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and also includes 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 6'10 Will Bogan from Bell City (H.S.) MO.  And this isn't the first time that Calipari and his staff have had the equivalent of a top 12-ranked recruiting class since he took over at Memphis in the spring of 2000.  If you will recall, they had the #1-ranked recruiting class in 2001 when they landed 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, 6'2 Antonio Burks from Hiwassee (JC) TN, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL; they had the #3-ranked recruiting class in 2004 when they landed 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, 6'9 Waki Williams from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, and 6'1 Tanqueray Beavers from Athens (H.S.) AL; they had the #5-ranked recruiting class in 2005 when they landed 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI, 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'9 Robert Dozier from Laurinburg (Institute) NC; and they had the equivalent of the #12-ranked recruiting class this past year when they landed 6'1 Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 6'8 Pierre Niles from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'3 Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'10 Hashim Bailey from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC, and 6'5 Doneal Mack from Statesboro (Christian) NC.  Editor Note:  Mack's commitment came too late to include with last year's recruiting class and, as a result, their recruiting class was ranked #19 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2006.   In other words, the Tigers are right up there, along with schools like Duke, North Carolina, Connecticut, Texas, and USC, as one of the programs that has recruiting the best in recent years.  But they also have had as many players (i.e. Dujuan Wagner, Amare Stoudemire, Kendrick Perkins, Darius Washington, & Shawne Williams) as any program in the nation defect early for the NBA Draft or never show up at all in recent years.  However, that appears to be about to change, as the only player in either the program or this year's current recruiting class who is likely to go to pro anytime soon is 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this is important, because Calipari will have the star in Rose that he needs to take his team to the highest level a year from now, plus he will have a great nucleus that is expected to be together intact for a span of several years.   By the way, we mentioned USC as one of the programs that has recruited best in recent years, because nobody in college basketball has signed more players since Tim Floyd took over the reigns a-year-and-a-half ago and now they have signed National Letters-of-Intent in hand from 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Venice, CA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington Marion) LA, and 6'5 Marcus Simmons from Alexandria (Peabody) LA to go along with 6'1 Venoy Overton from Seattle (Franklin) WA, who already was apart of USC's recruiting class.  So, with our #2-ranked 5th Year Player (Jefferson) and our #2, #54, #71, and #138-ranked seniors in Mayo, Washington, Overton, and Simmons in the fold, it's easy to see why we now have the Trojans' recruiting class ranked #2 in the nation, behind Syracuse and ahead of Indiana, Kansas State, Arizona, Duke, Ohio State, Memphis, DePaul, and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   And, if they also beat Baylor for 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is ranked #5 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and  last spring was ranked #25 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006, then we'd be talking about the best recruiting class in the nation.  And, if that happens, Trojans head coach Tim Floyd should make sure that his entire staff gets a big fat raise, because they will have exceeded all expectations on the recruiting trail in a very short period of time.  And, if that weren't enough, we also think USC is one of the schools you have to bear for 6'1 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) LA and 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, who are two of the top three-ranked juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also think the fact that the Trojans already have to two players in this year's recruiting class (Washington and Simmons) and a player already in the program (Dwight Lewis) from Louisiana should only enhance their chances of getting Monroe.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'7 Steve Priestly from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #712 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is an undersized inside guy, has verbally committed to Siena and we understand that 6'8 Jeff Brooks from Louisville (Doss) KY has verbally committed to Penn State.  And, if this is true, chalk another one up in this year's recruiting class for the Nittany Lions.  If you will recall, Penn State also has 6'0 Talor Battle from Albany (Bishop Maginn) NY, who is ranked #48 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in a recruiting class that now appears to be tied at #66, along with California, Louisville, and Creighton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Brooks is ranked #194 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he has big time athleticism, is capable of playing both inside and outside, and is only just beginning to scratch the surface, as is evident by the fact that he's come on like gangbusters this year.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that Duquesne has landed 6'8 Javon Moses from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS and the University of Houston has signed 6'7 Horace McGloster from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS.  McGloster is reported to be like a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none, as he's an athletic tweener who can play both side and outside and is excellent at slashing to the basket.  So obviously McGloster is taylor made to thrive in Cougars head coach Tom Penders' up tempo system.  Moses is a strong athletic power forward with a developing post game, excellent athleticism and leading ability, and the ability to get it done on the boards.  We also understand that Fairfield has landed two more players in 6'2 Lyndon Jordan from Winder (Winder-Barrow) GA and 6'6 Yorel Hawkins from Apex (H.S.) NC. 

The National Elite Athletic Association kicked off its second year this past weekend with the Chicago Prep Classic at the Joy of the Game facility in Deerfield, IL and, although eight of the top 25-ranked prep schools from all over the country were in attendance in this 16-team field, the biggest story of the weekend were the upsets, as Houston (Inner City) TX shocked Cincinnati (Harmony Prep "A") OH with a 73-72 win on Saturday night; Decatur (Christian) IL knocked off San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 87-79 on Friday night and then beat Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 71--67, on Saturday night; and Chicago (Boys to Men II) IL beat Irving (God's Academy) TX, 90-82, on the first night and then beat Mendenhall (Genesis Select) MS, 81-70, in the evening session on Saturday.  And, of course there was the 73-68 thriller between Humble (Christian Life Academy) TX and Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA, which wasn't an upset, but was one of the best games of the tournament, on Friday night.  Christian Life Academy was down by 10 points with 1:30 left in the game when 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX scored 13 straight points and set the stage for his team to win overtime.  Our Texas Editor Tim Miller also tells us that 6'10 Mac Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, who had 29 points and was punishing inside, and 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, who finished with 17 points and 10 assists, put on two of the best individual performances of the entire weekend in Boys to Men's 88-87 win over Cornerstone Christian on Saturday morning.  There also was the big rematch between Cadougan, who is ranked #9 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, who is ranked #4 nationally in the freshmen class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this time the edge went to Ross-Miller, who finished with 22 points, although Cadougan, who finished with only three points, sat out the entire second half with a hurt ankle.  In another interesting match-up, 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Prep) OH scored 24 points against LSU-bound 6'7 D.J. Wright from Toronto (Prep) ON.  Other players who really impressed Miller were New Mexico State-signee 6'5 Jahmar Young from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who was the leading scorer on the first night with 30 points against Mendendall (Genesis Elite) MS; Texas Christian-signee 6'10 Lindsay Robinson from Irving (God's Academy) TX, who had 33 points against Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA on Saturday morning; and Iowa State-bound 6'5 Lucca Staiger and 6'7 Darrington Hobson, who provided the outside shooting that Decatur (Christian) IL needed to pull off the upset against Chicago (Boys to Men) IL.  We also think it is interesting that four teams in the tournament - Houston (Inner City) TX, Decatur (Christian) IL, Humble (Christian Life Center) TX, and Laurinburg (Institute) NC - all went undefeated in their pools with 3-0 records and that Miller's top-ranked 5th Year Player in the tournament was 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Prep) OH, top-ranked senior was 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Humble (Christian Life Center) TX, top-ranked junior was 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, top-ranked sophomore was 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, and top-ranked freshman was 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX.  Miller also provides us with his list of the top 10-ranked players in the tournament, which is as follows:  1) 6'8 Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Prep) OH, 2) 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 3) 6'10 Mac Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 4) 6'5 Lucca Staiger from Decatur (Christian) IL, 5) 6'11 DeAndre Jordan from Humble (Christian Life Center) TX, 6) 6'7 Darrington Hobson from Decatur (Christian) IL, 7) 5'11 Mitchell Fields from Houston (Inner City) TX, 8) 6'7 Marvell Waithe from Toronto (Prep) ON, 9) 6'5 Leon Freeman from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, and 10) 6'5 Jahmar Young from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  Other players who played well enough for Miller to mention in no particular order include 7'0 Beas Hamga from Decatur (Christian) IL, 7'1 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'0 Soph Junior Cadougan from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'6 Kenyan Harmon from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Will Pratt from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Antoine Watson from Raleigh (Milestone Prep) NC, 6'10 Tearon Hill from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, 6'10 Brian Williams from Cincinnati (Harmony Prep) OH, 6'7 Josh Miller from Cincinnati (Harmony Prep) OH, 6'8 Trevor Charles from Mendenhall (Genesis One) GA, 6'4 Afam Muokeke from Mendenhall (Genesis One) GA, 6'8 Novell Arnold from Houston (Inner City) TX, and 6'7 Tyrone Fleming from Houston (Inner City) TX, 6'2 Johnny Stephene from LaGrange (Sound Doctrine) GA, 6'10 Lindsay Robinson from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'3 T.J. Clark from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'10 Brandon Webster from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'0 Frosh K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'10 Kevin Anderson from Irving (God's Academy) TX, and 6'8 Daequon Montreal from Irving (God's Academy) TX. 

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Believe it nor not, New Mexico State has beaten schools like Texas, Oklahoma, and Maryland for 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) NM, who is ranked #52 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the 6th highest ranking player still available, behind 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'2 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS, and 6'8 Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA.  But that doesn't even begin to illustrate how big it is that Pope has signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent with the Aggies, as we're talking about somebody with the top 10-like talent, skills, and athleticism.  In other words, if Pope gets his act together and learns to play harder, he could end up making a lot of money down the road.  And apparently that's one of the primary reasons why he picked the Aggies.  Not only did New Mexico State head coach Reggie Theus play 13 years in the NBA, but he also is one of only seven players, along with John Havlicek, Oscar Robertson, John Stockton, Gary Payton, Clyde Drexler, and Jerry West, in NBA history to score at least 19,000 points and dish out 6,000 assists.  And this is important, because Pope, who is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, is hoping that Theus will groom him to become a perimeter player just like he was at the next level.  The addition of Pope moves New Mexico State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Jahmar Young from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 DeAngelo Jones from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and 6'4 Aaron Castillo from Las Cruces (H.S) NM, up to #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   However, even more important, the Aggies now have the best recruiting class among teams in the Western Athletic Conference and this already is a team that we included in our Ranking of the Top 30 Pre-Season College Teams for the 2006-2007 Season, which was published on Sunday, November 5th.  But really the Aggies are still a year away, as Theus will spend this year putting all of the pieces together on a team that returns four starters in 6'0 Sr Elijah Ingram, 6'6 Sr David Fisher, 6'3 Sr Ted Knauber, and 6'9 Jr Tyrone Nelson; has four transfers that sat out last season in 7'0 Jr Martin Iti, who originally signed with Charlotte, 6'5 Jr Justin Hawkins, who originally signed with Utah, 6'4 Fred Peete, who originally signed with Kansas State, 6'7 Jr Steward Trei, who originally signed with Northern Colorado; and welcomes two new players who should make an immediate impact in 6'9 Jr Hatila Passos from Dixie (JC) UT and 6'2 Jonathan Gibson from San Fernardo (Calvary Christian) CA.  Getting back to Pope, a lot of people are probably wondering how a team in the Southwest part of the country, like New Mexico State, got a kid out of the Pittsburgh area?  Well, the obvious connection is New Mexico State assistant coach Chris Pompay, who not only is one of the best recruiters in the nation, but also has more than his share of contacts in both Washington, DC and Pittsburgh areas.  If you will recall, Pompay ran the DC Stars club team program during most the 90's and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 1984, where he attended college with not one, but two of Pope's current high school coaches.  However, when it came down to crunch time, it appears that Theus was the one who really sealed the deal, as he just outworked everybody else to get this one done.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter also provides us with an update on the recruiting of 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who now appears to have a list of six schools that includes USC, Kansas State, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, and Louisville, and 6'8 Jr Luke Babbitt from Reno (Galena) NV, whose top five are Arizona, Nevada, Gonzaga, UCLA, and Ohio State.  The fact that Ohio State is on the list is explained by the fact that Babbitt not only is originally from the Buckeye State, but grew up being an Ohio State fan.  But, when it is all said and done, Utter thinks Babbitt will end up the University of Arizona.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that 6'6 Lavoris Weathers from Greenwood (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #415 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is best described as an undersized athletic power forward, has reneged on UAB and, instead, has signed with Jacksonville State.  And Weathers isn't the only players that Gamecocks head coach Mike LaPlante and his staff have stolen this fall, as they also have signed 6'6 Dall Coleman from Itawamba (JC) MS, who is ranked on the Third Team of the National Junior College Athletic Association Men's Basketball Pre-Season All-Americans.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that Massachusetts landed 6'10 Papa Lo from Winchendon (School) MA and Northeastern has signed 6'2 Allen Aragbaye from Worcester (Academy) MA and 6'11 Ben Felix from Sheffield (Berkshire Academy) MA.  Felix put up ridiculous numbers last season at Vancouver Island (Brentwood College) BC, but we're not sure what it means, because nobody we know has ever seen him play.  But new Northeastern head coach Bill Coen is one of the most astute evaluators of talent in the business and he and his staff have been all over New England this fall and, as a result, we suspect they may have stolen one.  And we know that's the case with Aragbaye, who is a long athletic scoring point guard with good ball handling and passing skills, a good mid-range game, and the ability to get to the basket.  As for Lo, he appears to be the icing on the cake for a recruiting class that is now ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and also already includes 6'8 Matt Hill from Tilton (Academy) NH, 6'6 Matt Glass from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'8 Trevon Wilcher from Lee (Academy) MA, 6'1 Marcus Matthews from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'5 Max Groebe from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL.  Lo arrived in the country this fall, so he is not included on our List of the Top 900 Seniors, which was published on October 3rd.  However, the word we're getting is that Lo is good enough to step in make an immediate impact the moment he arrives on campus next fall.  "He's a big time athlete, terrific rebounder, tenacious defender, and he blocks everything," says Finkelstein.  And the other players in this recruiting class are pretty good too, as Hill is a mismatch waiting to happen inside due to his size, athleticism, and skill level; Glass is a sleeper that Finkelstein has been touting since last spring; Wilcher is a freak-like athleticism; Groebe is a good catch-and-shoot guy; and is a slashing athletic 2-guard who attacks rim.  So when you add this to all of the good players - 6'2 Frosh Tiki Mayben, 6'7 Jr Gary Forbes, 7'0 Soph Luke Bonner, and 6'7 Etienne Brower - that Minutemen head coach Travis Ford had sitting out last year and 6'2 Frosh Ricky Harris, who was the only player in UMass' recruiting class a year ago, it's easy to see why  we think the Massachusetts program is on a similar path to the one that New Mexico State is taking.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Travis Ford, who played for Pitino at Kentucky, and Reggie Theus, who was an assistant coach at Louisville for Pitino, both are Rick Pitino disciples. 

Monday, November 13, 2006

It looks like new N.C. State head coach Sidney Lowe and his staff have pulled off one of the major recruiting coups of the entire fall, as a month ago they landed 6'9 James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, who is ranked #14 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and earlier today they signed 6'8 Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #3 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players.  Or, to put this into even better perspective, nobody in college basketball has landed two better inside players in this year's recruiting class than Wolfpack.  And, when you also remember that N.C. State landed 6'6 Johnny Thomas from Greensboro (Day) NC, who is ranked #164 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, earlier this fall, it's easy to see why N.C. State's recruiting class is ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  As for Smith, he's somebody who has been on our radar screen dating back to his days as a rising freshman in high school when he teamed with 6'3 Jamar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI to lead The Family to the AAU 14-Under National Championship in Orlando, FL back in 2002.  However, from that time until we saw him this past summer at the Reebok ABCD Camp, Smith had been a major achiever both on and off the court.  But all that changed at the Reebok ABCD Camp, as this athletic shot blocking/rebounding power forwards arrived in camp in the best shape of his life and was much more aggressive and confident than when we've seen him on numerous previous occasions.  In other words, Smith has emerged into one of the top inside players in the nation and, as a result, with Hickson also in the fold and 6'7 Jr Gavin Grant, 6'7 Soph Courtney Fels, 6'9 Soph Ben McCauley, and 6'7 Frosh Dennis Horner, all set to be around for several more years, the only thing missing now is a quality point guard to replace 6'4 Sr Engin Atsur, who will graduate after this season.  We also have confirmed that Rhode Island has landed 6'1 Marquis Jones from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and 7'0 John Hegarty from Winchendon (School) MA, which means that Rams assistant coach Pat Skerry's strong prep school connections continue to pay big dividends for his boss Jim Baron.  If you will recall, the Rams landed Jones, 6'6 Lamont Ulmer from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Keith Cothran from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'0 Terrance Grier from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 6'7 Delroy James from Laurinburg (Institute) NC in last year's recruiting class.  But Jones, who is an excellent leader, aggressive defender, and good 3-point shooter, didn't make it academically and is back for another year at St. Thomas More playing for Jere Quinn, who is second only to the legendary Bob Hurley Sr in our ranking of the top coaches at the high school/prep school level.  Hegarty is big and slow, but, at 7-feet and 310-pounds, he has good hands and a nice touch around the basket, which has drawn some comparisons to former Oklahoma State center Bryant Reeves.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Hegarty has already lost 60-pounds and, as a result, has the potential to develop into a total monster inside.  And who better to do it than Winchendon head coach Mike Byrnes, who is one of the best there is at developing players and pushing them to the limit?  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 5'10 Jamie Harris from Bronx (Wings) NY, who is ranked #544 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Drexel.  However, after watching Harris in the semi-finals and championship game at IS8 several weeks ago, we think he's a lot better than his ranking and this is good news for Dragons head coach James "Brusier" Flint, as he now has three guard in this year's recruiting class.  Remember, Drexel also has landed 6'0 Gerald Colds from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and 6'0 Gary Correia from Northfield (Northfield-Mt Hermon) MA and together Harris and Colds will provide that the Bronx toughness that Flint will need to replace 6'0 Sr Bashir Mason and 6'5 Sr Dominick Mejia a year from now.  They also should complement one another extremely well, because Harris is ideally suited to step in and run the show and Colds is capable of putting up prolific numbers.  We also think it's interesting that Drexel beat Seton Hall for Harris' services and, according to Naclerio, the deciding factor was the mother, who apparently was more comfortable with the Dragons coaching staff.  We also confirmed that 6'11 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is ranked #81 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Oklahoma State.   Yes, that the same guy who hit five threes and scored 25 points in 14th Annual Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA several months ago.  But it's really Thomas upside and potential that should have Cowboys fans excited as he joins 6'5 James Anderson from Junction City (H.S.) AR, 6'8 Montavious Adams from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, and 6'5 Nick Sidorakis from Tulsa (Jenks) OK in a recruiting class that is now ranked #40 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Alfonso Dawson from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA, who is ranked #248 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Delaware and this is important for several reasons.  First, Dawson is a tenacious defender and terrific slasher, which makes him ideally suited to step in and contribute immediately next year at the 2-guard spot.  Second, the addition of Dawson moves the Fightin' Blue Hens' recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Ryan Bacon from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Edwin Santiago from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, and 6'5 D.J. Boney from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE, into a tie at #60, along with East Carolina, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Third, getting Dawson shows that the new regime not only is strong from a recruiting standpoint in its own backyard, but also in Pennsylvania, which has a much great talent pool.  Our Alabama Editor Mark Komara tells us that the University of Cincinnati has gotten an early commitment from 6'6 Jr Darnell Wilkes from Nashville (Pioneer Christian) TN.  And this interesting, because Wilkes, who is ranked #53 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is still under most people's radar screen.  However, we expect this high flying slasher athlete who has the talent and potential to develop into a poor man's Rudy Gay to burst on the scene just like 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL, who is now ranked #28 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, did last spring and summer when everybody got to see how good he was out on the AAU and club team circuit.  In other words, it looks like the new regime at Cincinnati has stolen another one.  But, even more important, is the fact they appear to have a great head start on next year's recruiting class, which is important as the Bearcats will have to replace the seven junior college players (6'10 Jr Hernol Hall, 6'3 Jr Marvin Gentry, 6'2 Jr Tim Crowell, 6'6 Jr John Williamson, 6'2 Jr Jamual Warren, 6'8 Jr Marcus Sikes, and 6'10 Jr Adam Hrycaniuk) that they landed last spring in next year's recruiting class.

Saturday, November 11, 2006, & Sunday, November 12, 2006

The brackets are out for the 34th Annual City of Palms Classic, which will be held December 16th-22nd at Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers, FL and, in addition to 16-team tournament field, which will include Aston (American Christian) PA, Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Pittsburg (Schenley) PA, Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, Pompano Beach (Ely) FL, Decatur (Eisenhower) IL, Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN, Jeannette (H.S.) PA, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, Punta Gorda (Charlotte) FL, and Naples (Golden Gate) FL, there also will be five Sunshines Series Games, which will feature some local teams, as well as other teams from around the state that are of special interest.  The tournament will tip-off on Saturday, December 16th, with a Sunshine Series Game between Port St. Lucie (H.S.) FL and Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL at 5:15 PM, another Sunshine Series Game between Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL and Miami (Dr. Krop) FL at 7:00 PM, and Naples (Golden Gate) FL versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA at 8:45 PM.  Sunday, December 17th, will be an off day and I will arrive on Monday, December 18th, in time to see the Sunshine Series Game between Palmetto (H.S.) FL and Panama City (H.S.) FL at 2:30 PM, followed by the Naples (Golden Gate) FL-Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA winner versus Jeanette (H.S.) PA at 4:15 PM, Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN versus Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL at 6:00 PM, Punta Gorda (Charlotte) FL versus Gretna (Helen Cox) LA at 7:45 PM, and Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ versus Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL at 9:30 PM.  The schedule on Tuesday will begin with the Jackson (Liberty Tech) FL-Miami (Pace) FL loser versus the Naples (Golden Gate) FL-Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA loser at 2:00 PM, followed by a Sunshine Series Game between Tampa (Wharton) FL and Arcadia (DeSoto County) FL at 3:45 PM, Pompano Beach (Ely) FL versus Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY at 5:30 PM, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL versus Aston (American Christian) PA at 7:15 PM, a Sunshine Series Game between Lakeland (Kathleen) FL and Plantation (American Heritage) FL at 9:00 PM, and Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA versus Decatur (Eisenhower) IL at 10:45 PM.  The schedule on Wednesday, December 20th will begin with the loser of Game #5 (Golden Gate-Mater Dei-Jeannette) versus the loser of Game #8 (St. Mary's-Arlington Country Day), followed by the Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA-Decatur (Eisenhower) IL loser versus the Aston (American Christian) PA- Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL loser at Noon, the Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL-Aston (American Christian) PA winner versus the Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN-Miami (Pace) FL winner at 1:45 PM, the Naples (Golden Gate) FL-Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA-Jeanettte (H.S.) PA winner versus the Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL-Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ winner at 3:30 PM, the Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY-Pompano Beach (Ely) FL loser versus the Punta Gorda (Charlotte) FL-Gretna (Helen Cox) PA loser at 5:15 PM, the Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA-Decatur (Eisenhower) IL winner versus Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL at 7:00 PM, and the Punta Gorda (Charlotte) FL-Gretna (Helen Cox) LA winner versus the Pompano Beach (Ely) FL-Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY winner at 9:30 PM.  Then thing will get really interesting on Thursday, December 19th, when the Consolation Semi-Finals tip-off at 11:30 AM and 1:15 PM, the 5th Place Semi-Finals tip-off at 3:00 PM and 5:00 PM, and the Semi-Finals tip-off at 6:45 PM and 9:15 PM.  On the final day things will begin bright and early with four Challenge Round Games at 8:30 AM, 10:15 AM, Noon, and 1:45 PM, followed by the Consolation Championship at 3:45 PM, 5th Place Game at 5:30 PM, 3rd Place Game at 7:15 PM, and Championship Game at 9:00 PM.  And, if everything goes as expected, it will be Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA in the first Semi-Final Game, Aston (American Christian) PA versus Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL in the second Semi-Final Game, and Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY versus Aston (American Christian) PA in the Championship Game.  However, that can't happen due to the fact that the New York State High School Association prohibits its members from playing teams that are not sanctioned by a state high school association.  However, the problem is already solved, because American Christian head coach Tony Bergeron has already agreed that his team will step down and play in either the Third Place Game or the Fifth Place Game, if a Brookyln (Lincoln) NY-Aston (American Christian) PA match-up occurs on the final day.  We also find it interesting that Donnie Wilkie, who invites the teams and determines the match-ups in the City of Palms Classic, decided not to make Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, which has advanced three times into the semi-finals, but has lost each time in recent years, the benefactor of the potential American Christian problem, if they loss in the semi-finals.  Instead, Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL will be the team that may lose in the Semi-Finals, but get to play Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY in the championship game.  And, while that's bad news for Mater Dei head coach Gary McKnight, it also appears that Harvey Sims, who has the director of officials for the City of Palms Classic for many years, will be back to run things again after missing last year's tournament due to the fact he moved to Massachusetts.  And this is very important to McKnight and his team psychologically, because they know that Sims is a fair guy and, as a result, they won't get homered on the officiating.  It also looks like Wilkie has done his usual great job of getting teams with great talent, as the field will feature two of our top five-ranked juniors in the nation in 6'5 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA and 6'10 Jr Greg Monroe tfrom Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, two of the top five-ranked sophomores in the nation in 6'5 Soph Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'3 Soph Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (Ely) FL; and three probable McDonald's All-American in the senior class in 6'3 Jerry Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'5 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL.  The tournament also appears to have a lot depth, as other players to keep an eye on in this tournament include 6'7 DeJuan Blair from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA, 6'8 Chandler Parsons from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'0 Joey Rodriguez from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'9 Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'8 A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'6 D.J. Kennedy from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA, 6'10 Hamidu Rahman from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'6 Lance Kearse from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'3 Kamyron Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Javier Gonzalez from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, 7'1 Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Maurice Foster from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'3 Devon Peterson from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'5 Max Groebe from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, 6'2 Virgil Philiston from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'0 Gabriel Charlie from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'3 Jawon Long from Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN, 6'7 Kevin Foster from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'0 Will Powers from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 6'2 Idell Bell from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL,  6'4 Myck Brown from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 6'5 Devon Jones from Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN, 6'6 Tim Snyder from Punta Gordo (Charlotte) FL,  6'2 Sheldon Shine from Arcadia (De Soto) FL, 5'10 Jamaal Bryant from Pittsburgh (Schenley) PA, 6'6 Josh Sain from Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN, 6'4 Jr Ray Shipman from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'6 Jr Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette (H.S.) PA, 6'0 Jr Miguel Paul from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'10 Jr Keenan Ellis from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'3 Jr Khalif Staten from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'8 Jr Jeremy Robinson from Decatur (Eisenhower) IL,  6'0 Jr Josh Spivey from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'5 Jr Jay Wade from Panama City (Bay) FL, 5'9 Jr Lewis Jackson from Decatur (Eisenhower) IL, 6'3 Jr Jamal Trice from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'3 Jr Brett Chance from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'5 Jr Terrance Santil from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'4 Jr Chris Stevenson from Punta Gordo (Charlotte) FL, 6'6 Jr Dagoberto Pena from Punta Gordo (Charlotte) FL, 6'1 Jr Shay Shine from Arcadia (De Soto) FL, 6'2 Jr J.D. Woods from Naples (Golden Gate) FL, 6'9 Soph Travis Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'9 Soph David Wear from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Soph Oscar Griffin from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'4 Soph Emari Bailey from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'6 Soph Andy Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'5 Soph Ray Taylor from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'5 Soph Rekeem Buckles from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL, 6'5 Soph Ettian Effenberg from Ft. Myers (Bishop Verot) FL, 5’11 Frosh Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'0 Frosh Darius Shine from Arcadia (De Soto) FL.

Friday, November 10, 2006

It looks like SMU has scored big on the recruiting trail is the fall, as we have now confirmed a 5th player - 6'8 Robert Nyakundi from Arlington (Bowie) TX - in a recruiting class that already includes 6'9 Papa Dia from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'4 Ryan Harp from Abilene (Cooper) TX, 6'8 Alex Malone from Mansfield (Timberview) TX, and 6'0 Mike Walker from South Kent (Prep) CT.  Not only does give Mustangs head coach Matt Doherty and his staff a recruiting class that is ranked #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, but it also means that they are well on their towards rebuilding the program with their own players.  The addition of Nyakundi, who is combo forward that can pass, handle, and shoot and has a really good feel for the game, also gives SMU three in-state kids in this year's recruiting class, as Doherty and his staff attempt to build the Mustangs into the Duke of the Southwest.  Dia, who is ranked #56 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete and has the talent and potential necessary to develop into one of the premier inside players in college basketball; Walker is a terrific floor general who knows how to runs a team, defend, and score; Harp is a prolific scoring two-guard who rebounds extremely well for his size; and Nyakundi and Malone are versatile enough to play either forward spot, which means the Mustangs now have a little bit of everything in this recruiting class.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #82 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with Ohio State.  And this too is interesting, because Wallace becomes the third perimeter player, along with 6'6 Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH and 6'6 Evan Turner from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, that the Buckeyes have landed in this year's recruiting class.  And when you also add 7'1 Kosta Koufas from Canton (Glen Oak) OH and 6'9 Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH into the equation, then it's easy to see why Ohio State's recruiting class is now ranked #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  So obviously the Buckeyes are extremely well stocked with young players, as their current freshmen class includes 7'1 Frosh Greg Oden, 6'1 Michael Conley, 6'5 Frosh Daequan Cook, and 6'5 Frosh David Lighty and they already have early verbal commitments from 6'10 Jr B.J Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 6'5 Jr William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH, and 6'3 Jr Walter Offutt from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN.  And, when you also remember that they also have 6'2 Jr Jamar Butler, 6'9 Jr Othello Hunter, 6'8 Jr Matt Terwillinger, and 6'10 Soph Kyle Madsen in the program, then it's easy to see why we think Ohio State may be further ahead of the curve than any other program in college basketball, as all 13 scholarships for the both the 2007-08 and 2007-09 seasons are already taken.  However, everybody expects Oden to only last one year at Ohio State before he enters his name into the NBA Draft and you never know what's going to happen when it comes to players transferring one or two years out.  So it comes as no surprise that the Buckeyes' coaching staff is still targeting 6'8 Jr Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 6'9 Jr Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, and 6'0 Jr Anthony Crator from Flint (Southwestern) MI, who are ranked #4, $14, and #33, respectively, in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, as an added bonus, Ohio State also is in hot pursuit of 6'6 Jr Terrelle Pryor from Jeanette (H.S.) PA, who, if he picks the Buckeyes, will be a free player, because his best sport is football and, as a result, that's where he likely will get his college scholarship.  Johnson also tells us that 6'9 Elgin Bailey from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, who is ranked #220 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Mississippi State.  And this may turn out to be a major coup, because Bailey is a big strong bulky inside player who was ranked #6 at the center position  by the HOOP SCOOP at the Reebok ABCD Camp during the summer of 2005.  However, after an injury that sidelined him last spring and summer, Bailey probably suffered from being out-of-sight, out-of-mind and, as a result, Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury and his staff were able to step in and steal another one.  We also find it incredible that the prep school basketball season tips off this weekend with a new tournament in Chicago, IL.  We're talking about the Chicago Prep Classic, which will be held tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday at the JC Sports Center in Deerfield, IL and will feature teams like Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, Decatur (Christian) IL, San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, Mendenhall (Genesis Elite) MS, Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Chicago (Boys to Men Academy) IL, Mendendall (Genesis Select) MS, Irving (God's Academy) TX, Cincinnati (Harmony Prep A), Toronto (Tapps) ON, Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, Houston (Inner City) TX, Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA, LaGrange (Sound Doctrine) GA, and Humble (Christian Life Center) TX.  I will not be in attendance at this tournament, but our Texas Editor Tim Miller will be there and he tells us that he plans to provide us with the highlights and tell us who plays well when he gets back to Texas early next week.  And, if that weren't enough, Miller also tells me that he plans to get us his list of the Top 8th Graders in the nation early next week, which means that our updated Ranking of the Players in the Class of 2011 is just around the corner. 

Thursday, November 9, 2006

There appears to be no early clear-cut consensus among the experts with regards to which school has the best recruiting class in the nation now that the Fall Signing Period has officially began.  The HOOP SCOOP's ranking of the top 10 recruiting class, which also can be found by clicking onto our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, and the ranking of the top 10 recruiting class by Scout.com's Dave Telep, which include 1) Kansas State, 2) Syracuse, 3) Duke, 4) Purdue, 5) Michigan State, 6) Arizona, 7) Ohio State, 8) Indiana, 9) Florida, and 10) Georgetown, both can be found in today's USA Today, while Rob Harrington of PrepStars.com already has his ranking of the top 25 recruiting classes, which includes a top 10 that consists of 1) Duke, 2) Syracuse, 3) Ohio State, 4) Purdue, 5) Michigan State, 6) Florida, 7) Arizona, 8) Indiana, 9) UCLA, and 10) Georgetown, posted preps.usatoday.com.  I think we do a better job of factoring in where junior college players and the less high profile players are ranked, which explains why we're a lot higher on schools like Indiana, Pittsburgh, and DePaul than our competition appears to be.  And in the case of Harrington, it appears to be the the same old story, whereby, if you're one of the premier powers in the nation and you sign with three or four McDonald's All-Americans, you automatically have the #1-ranked recruiting class regardless of what anybody else does.  In this case, Duke has 6'9 Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'3 Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'7 Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who are ranked #5, #12, and #20, respectively, in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, while Syracuse has 6'8 Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'0 Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, and 6'9 Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, who ranked ranked #7, #26, #36, and #39, respectively, in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Or, as in the case with Telep, do two players who are the equivalent of being top 10-ranked in the nation, like 6'8 Michael Beasley from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who is ranked #6 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, who is our #1-ranked 5th Year Player, trump everything else?  What do you think?  We encourage you to tell us by clicking onto the home page of this web site at www.hoopscooponline.com and answering our new Question of the Day, which asks "Which school do you think has the best recruiting class?  We also are being told by our Canadian Editor Ro Russell that 6'10 Desmond Hendrix from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, who is one of the top junior college players in the nation, has reneged on the verbal commitment that he made earlier this fall to LSU.  And obviously this helps explain why it became even more important for the Tigers to land 6'9 Quinton Thornton from Odessa (JC) TX, who is ranked #32 in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, earlier this week.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Marlon Cribbs, who is the 6th man, as well as the back-up for 6'8 Jerai Grant at Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, has signed with Mt. St. Mary's.  Cribbs is a four/three who is long and athletic, plays above the rim, has 15-foot range, and is a good defender, which makes him ideally suited to step in a year from now and complement all the other good young players that Mt. St. Mary's head coach Milan Brown already has in the program.  And the fact that Cribbs hails from one of the premier high school programs in the nation and is a local kid are just added bonuses.  Our California Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'6 Rihards Kuksiks from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL has verbally committed to Arizona State and 6'8 Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, who is ranked #109 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Washington.  That second one is somewhat surprising, because earlier this week Utter told us that the University of Oregon was the team to beat for Gant's services.  We also find it interesting that Gant projects more as wing forward than a power forward, due to his lack of toughness and aggressiveness around the basket and ability to handle the ball and shoot the lights out from beyond the arc.  And this is exactly what Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar needs, because his program is already well stocked with great inside guys, like 6'11 Frosh Spencer Hawes and 6'7 Soph Jon Brockman, and 6'7 Frosh Quincy Pondexter, who is expected to start at the wing forward spot this season, is more of a slasher than a 3-point shooter.  The addition of Gant also moves Washington's recruiting class, which also includes 5'11 Isaiah Thomas from Tacoma (Curtis) WA and 6'10 Matthew Bryan-Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, into a tie at #21, along with Memphis and Florida State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  In other words, it looks like Romar is stockpiling the type of depth that he's going to need to make a serious run at NCAA Final Four a year from now, as he also has a number of other good young players in the program, like 5'11 Soph Justin Dentmon, 6'8 Frosh Phil Nelson, 6'3 Frosh Adrian Oliver, 6'4 Frosh Harvey Perry, and 7'0 Frosh Joel Wolfinger.  And, of course, 6'2 Jr Ryan Appleby will be around for another year as well.  We also have received word from Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com that Oklahoma State has added 6'5 James Anderson from Junction City (H.S.) AR, who is ranked to a recruiting class that already includes 6'8 Montavious Adams from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA and 6'5 Nick Sidorakis from Tulsa (Jenks) OK and is tied at #53, along with Dayton, Wisconsin, Oregon State, and Mississippi, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, the best still may be yet to come, because the Cowboys are also among the favorites for 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who is ranked #34 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'10 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is ranked #81 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if they really hit the jackpot and get both of these players, then we'll be talking about a recruiting class that is ranked #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  It also appears that 6'0 Michael Bizoukas from Munster (H.S.) IN has reneged on Northern Iowa and, instead, signed with DePaul, which means the Blue Demons' recruiting class has moved up to #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Remember, they already have 6'9 Nayal Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'9 Majita Poscic from Highland (JC) IL, and 6'5 Darquavis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI in the fold and, as a result, a pure point guard who can step in and provide the Blue Demons with a different look was one of the next things on their priority list.  One we're kind of scratching our head on is 6'6 Ramon Harris from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK signing with the University of Kentucky.  Harris is a highly flying athletic wing forward, but he wasn't on anybody's radar screen until this summer when he caught some people's attention at the Reebok East Tournament at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Harris plans to enroll at Kentucky beginning second semester this season, which means he will count with their recruiting class this fall, but not next spring.  So for now, the Wildcats' recruiting class, which also included 6'9 A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL and 7'0 Mike Williams from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, is ranked #63, along with Iowa, Temple, George Mason, and Notre Dame, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, the Wildcats only have two more scholarships remaining in this year's recruiting class and they are hoping that they will go to 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV and 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who are two of the top three-ranked seniors nationally still available.  And, if the Wildcats pull this off, then their recruiting class will move up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  But then they won't have another scholarship available in this year's recruiting class, if somebody pops up this winter or next spring, unless somebody on the current team goes pro prematurely, transfers, or the Kentucky coaching staff finesses their scholarship situation in some other way. 

Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Today is the first day that high school seniors, 5th year players, and junior college players can sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent to attend a four-year Division I college or university, but, as things stand now, there is nothing new with regards to whether 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, who is ranked #2 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the only player ranked among our top dozen seniors nationally that is still available.  However, if Mayo does end it up going to college, the smart is on USC.  And Ben Bolch echoed these thoughts in today's Los Angeles Times. "O.J. Mayo is not expected to sign a binding letter of intent with USC during the early signing period that begins today," said Bolch.  "But the 6'5 point guard does hope to play for the Trojans next season, a source close to the situation said Monday, adding 'There's no other place that he's even thinking about.'"  But, when it's all said and done, we think Mayo will end up in prep school, playing in Europe, or at a basketball academy next year, due to the fact that there are already questions about Mayo's amateur status, which might make him ineligible to play at any four-year Division I school.  On the other hand, if Trojans' head coach Tim Floyd and his staff can pull this off, it will be the icing on the cake, as they already are well on their way towards building the Southern Cal program into a major powerhouse.  Remember, they already have a great freshman class, which includes 6'9 Frosh Taj Gibson, 6'5 Frosh Daniel Hackett, 6'5 Frosh Dwight Lewis, 6'7 Frosh Kevin Galloway, 6'7 Frosh Kasey Cunningham, and 6'7 Frosh Kyle Austin; they already have landed 6'1 Venoy Overton from Seattle (Franklin) WA in this year's recruiting class; they are the co-favorite, along with Baylor, for 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who was ranked #25 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 and is currently ranked #4 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players; and they are among the favorites for 6'1 Jr Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'3 Jr Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA in next year's recruiting class.  And, of course, there is 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA and Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, who likely will end up at USC, if he ever makes it academically.  The only big surprise that we've run across today came when our Alabama Editor Mark Komara called to tell us that 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #28 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has signed with the University of Alabama after all.  If you will recall, Pickett originally committed to the Crimson Tide last spring, but then reneged on that commitment two weeks ago when he decided to re-open his recruitment.  In other words, it looks like Pickett falls into the same category as 6'3 Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who verbally committed to the University of Arizona well over a year ago, but re-opened his recruitment back in June only to make it official again for the Wildcats in August.  And you can't fault either player, as they obviously wanted to take their time and make sure they were making the right decision.  After all, picking a college often is one of the most important decisions of your life.  You also can bet that nobody was happier about the news that Pickett had reaffirmed his commitment to the Crimson Tide than Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried.  Not only does Pickett have jet-like speed and quickness and the ball handling and passing skills necessary to thrive as point guard in the Southeastern Conference, but he also is exactly what the doctor ordered to step in and replace 6'3 Jr Ronald Steele, who will either enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring or will graduate after the following season.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'0 Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #170 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked Rutgers over schools like Wake Forest, USC, and South Carolina.  So now first-year Scarlet Knights head coach Fred Hill has four guards in this year's recruiting class, which now is ranked #20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and also includes 6'2 Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ, 6'5 Earl Pettis from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, and 6'4 Justin Sofman from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  However, even more important, it looks like Hill, who previously was an assistant coach at Villanova before moving to Rutgers a-year-and-a-half ago, hasn't lost his touch when it comes to recruiting players in his backyard, as Chandler is from North Jersey, Coburn is from the New York City area, and Pettis was at Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA prior to going the prep school route.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has confirmed that 6'9 Lavoy Allen from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA has signed with Temple.  And this is important for a number of reasons.  First, Allen projects as a high major player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #127 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Allen rebounds, blocks shots, scores around the basket, and step out and hits the mid-range jump shot, which makes him ideally suited to step in and replace 6'11 Sr Wayne Marshall, who will graduate after the current season.  Third, the addition of Allen will give first-year Temple head coach Fran Dunphy not one, but two big men in this year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, the Owls also recently landed 6'9 Michael Eric from Paoli (Church Farm) PA, who is ranked #224 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Fourth, the addition of Allen moves Temple's recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Martavis Kee from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL, into a tie at #61, along with Iowa, George Mason, and Notre Dame, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Our Florida Editor Rick Staudt tells us that Ole Miss has landed 6'0 Chris Warren from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who is ranked #411 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And Staudt thinks this ranking is way too low, as we're talking about a prolific scoring high flying athlete who also has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to run a team.  As a matter of fact, Staudt tells us pound-for-pound inch-for-inch that Warren's high school coach Anthony Long thinks he is the best player that he's ever coached.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Long coached Orien Green at Gainesville (H.S.) FL, who now plays for the Indiana Pacers, when he won back-to-back state championships in 1999 and 2000 and Florida State 2-guard Jason Rich from 2002 to 2004 at Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  And this isn't the first player that first-year Mississippi head coach Andy Kennedy has stolen in this year's recruiting class and/or from the state of Florida.  If you will recall, he got a late commitment last spring from 6'5 Eneil Polynice from Sarasota (Booker) FL, who in our opinion was one of the best kept secrets in the senior class nationally a year ago, and this fall he landed 6'6 Zachary Graham from Lawrence (Peachtree) GA, who is ranked #87 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the Rebels' #1 recruiting priority this fall.  It also looks like Cornell has landed 6'9 Aaron Richardson from Pottstown (The Hill School) NJ and Fairleigh Dickinson from has landed a pair of big guys in 6'11 Mike Luby from Toronto (Tapps) ON, who is ranked #343 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'10 John Galvin from Weston (H.S.) CT, who is ranked #642 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein also tells that 6'9 Pat Bergmann from Burlington (Rice) VA has picked Quinnipiac and 6'9 Josh Owens from Exeter (Phillips-Exeter) NH has signed with Stanford.  Yes, Owens is the same guy a month ago that we told you a month ago was done for The Cardinal a month ago, but then backed off of it a little bit when other schools still on his list insisted that it wasn't a done deal.  Bergmann appears to be a good catch for the Bobcats, because he is a long lean skilled athletic big man. 

Tuesday, November 7, 2006

Tony Bergeron, who is the head coach at Aston (American Christian) PA called this morning to tell me that 7'0 Keenan Ellis from Aston (American Christian) PA has verbally committed to UAB.  And we think this is a major coupe, because Ellis, who is ranked #135 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, finally seems to be in an environment where he is flourishing and, as a result, now appears to be one of the fastest rising players in the nation.  Remember, this is a guy who has always had a reputation for having a bad attitude, being soft, and underachieving dating back to his days at Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN and Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH.  But Bergeron had nothing but positive things to say about Ellis.  "He's works hard, is very competitive, and is a nice kid," says Bergeron.  And the sky appears to be the limit, because Ellis has the mobility, athleticism, skills, and versatility necessary to play the three, four, or the five, as he has a soft shooting touch out to beyond the arc, a good mid-range game, and the ability to block shots, rebound, and score inside.  In other words, we're talking about somebody with the size, talent, and potential to someday have a chance to project as a NBA player and, as a result, we've probably got Ellis ranked at least a 100 spots too low.  So how does the UAB coaching staff slip into Philadelphia and get this one done?  Actually it was easy, because Blazers head coach Mike Davis, who was the head coach at Indiana University until last March, starting recruiting Ellis back when he was a freshman in high school at Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN and he's been the only one who has stuck in there all the way through.  So obviously Davis' loyalty paid off, as Ellis felt comfortable enough with to make the verbal commitment without ever having visited the school.  The commitment by Ellis moves the Blazers' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Lavoris Weathers from Greenwood (H.S.) MS and 5'7 Aaron Johnson from Chicago (Hubbard) IL, into a tie at #35, along with Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, Davis appears to now have most of the pieces in place that he needs to perpetuate the great things that Mike Anderson, who left to become the head coach at Missouri last spring, was able to do in recent years at UAB.  Did you know that UAB has 6'5 Jr Robert Vaden, who transferred from Indiana, and 6'9 Soph Walter Sharp, who transferred from Mississippi State, both sitting out this year?  And 6'10 Frosh Jeremy Mayfield was the crown jewel in a good recruiting class last spring that also included players like 6'0 Andre White from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'9 Curtis Nickson from Eutaw (Green County) AL, 6'4 Taurus Dortch from Birmingham (Parker) AL, and 6'8 Howard Crawford from Eutaw (Green County) AL.  And, if that weren't enough, Davis, who is ideally suited to coach at UAB due to his strong Alabama ties, also has put together an incredible coaching staff, as Kerry Rupp, who is an X's and O's genius, has previous head coaching experience dating back to the days when he was the interim head coach at the University of Utah; Donnie Marsh used to be the head coach at Florida International; and Tracy Dildy is second to none as a recruiter in places like Chicago, IL, which is where he is from, and in the Deep South, due to the fact he's also made stops in recent years as an assistant coach at both Auburn and Ole Miss.  Bergeron also tells us what a steal 6'1 Andre Tarver from Aston (American Christian) PA, who verbally committed to Iona several months ago, is for the Gaels and confirms that the top six schools on the list of 6'4 Jr Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are North Carolina, Louisville, Villanova, Connecticut, Texas, and Ohio State.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell checks in with news about 6'9 Quinton Thornton from Odessa (JC) TX, who is ranked #32 in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, having made a verbal commitment to LSU.  And this is important, because the addition of Thornton will give LSU head coach John Brady another big body inside a year from now, as he attempts to replace 6'9 Tyrus Thomas, who bolted for the NBA Draft last spring, and 6'9 Jr Glen Davis, who probably will do likewise after the current season.  The addition of Thornton also moves LSU's current recruiting class up to #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, as they also have 6'9 Desmond Hendrix from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, 6'10 Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 6'7 D.J. Wright from Toronto (Tapps) ON, and 6'9 Garrett Green from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA already in the fold.  And, if that weren't enough to get LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre another raise (Pierre is already the highest paid assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference), the Tigers also have early verbal commitments from 7'2 Jr James Tyler from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC and 5'10 Soph Tommy Mason-Griffin from Houston (Madison) TX, both of whom are ranked among the top 30 players nationally in their respective classes.  Russell also tells us that Rutgers appears to be the leader for 6'9 Marvell Waithe from Toronto (Tapps) ON and 6'8 Tyrell Lynch, who originally is from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, but is now a 5th Year Player at Laurinburg (Institute) NC, has verbally committed to Auburn.  And this is a good catch of the Tigers due to the fact that Lynch is a blue collar athlete who is not not afraid to do the dirty work inside. 

Monday, November 6, 2006

Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells that 6'4 P. Allen Stinnett from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who originally is from Las Vegas (Palos Verdes) NV and was ranked #88 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006, has verbally committed to Creighton.  We're talking about a tremendous athlete who is capable of putting up prolific numbers with his incredible moves to the basket and ability to knock down the long range jump shot, but even this doesn't fully illustrate just how big a catch this is, especially if Stinnett develops a better understanding of the game and continues to refine his skills.  In other words, Stinnett has NBA-like talent and potential and it looks like he picked the perfect school for a number of reasons.  First, Bluejays head coach Dana Altman has a reputation for being a terrific X's and O's coach, but he also is second to none when he comes to developing players.  Second, Stinnett will have the opportunity to be a big fish in a little pond, as he immediately will step in and be one of the best players in the league a year from now.  Third, Stinnett should be the perfect complement to 6'8 Kenton Walker from San Diego (Scripps Ranch) CA, as Creighton's recruiting class now is tied at #57, along with Louisville and California, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, is the fact that Creighton's recruiting now appears to be more on par with schools in the Big-12 Conference than the Missouri Valley.  Remember, Walker is ranked #169 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is just oozing with potential, and 6'0 Jr Antoine Young from Bellevue (West) NE, who already has made an early verbal commitment to the Bluejays, is ranked #85 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Justin Harper from Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA has picked Richmond over Providence.  And this is big because Harper is a 6'8 power forward with good athleticism, excellent rebounding skills, the ability to catch and shoot on the perimeter, and terrific grades.  And making this story even more interesting is the fact that Harper is a guy who has been under the radar screen until recently, as is evident by the fact that his was not ranked among the top 900 seniors nationally when we last updated this list a month ago.  But rest assured that Harper, who is best described as a skilled four-man who can step out, which makes him ideally suited to play in Richmond head coach Chris Mooney's system, will be ranked in the 100-300 range next time we update our senior rankings.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that our competition has finally confirmed that 6'7 Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #98 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made it official for the University of Oregon.  If you will recall, we told you a-week-and-a-half that this was going to happen.  And now it looks like the Ducks are on the verge of landing 6'8 Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, who is ranked #109 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if this happens, Oregon not only will have landed three of the better players from Southern California in a recruiting class which currently includes Viney and 6'3 Kamyron Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, but Ducks head coach Ernie Kent will suddenly find himself with a recruiting class that is tied at #52, along with Dayton, Wisconsin, and Oregon State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  But that's all the information that we've come across today, as we continue to wonder if this is the calm before the storm or whether nearly everything that's going to happen has already happened?  Remember, the beginning of the Fall Signing Period is just two days away and, as things stand now, only 15 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 100-ranked seniors and only five of the HOOP SCOOP's top dozen-ranked 5th Year Players are still available.  So now seems like the perfect opportunity to figure out what my schedule is going to be like the rest of the year and the best way to do this is by thumbing through the copy of Hoops USA's High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report that I received in the mail last week from Eddie Oliver, who is the Editor & Publisher of the HoopsUSA,com, as well as a good friend of the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if you're planning on being out and about at events this winter, this is something that you can't afford to be without.  The cost is $140, but it's well worth it, because you get a list of all of the tournaments and events that I've ever heard of and then some, as well as other pertinent information, like the date, location, teams, players, and contact information for each event.  You can obtain your copy one of four ways:  1) going to the HoopsUSA.com web site and using Master Card or Visa; 2) calling Eddie Oliver personally at 1-(843)-650-5422; 3) emailing hoopsusa@sc.rr.com; or 4) faxing 1-843-650-7222.   As for my schedule, it is subject to change, but currently includes the National Prep Showcase, which will be held at Assumption College in Worcester, MA on November 17th-19th; the Tournament of Champions Classic, which will held in Peoria, IL at Bradley University on November 24th-25th; the Marshall County Hoop Fest, which will be held at Marshall County High School in Draffenville, KY on November 30th-December 2nd; the Circle City Classic Challenge of Champions, which will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN on December 9th; the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, which will be held at Fairdale High School in Fairdale, KY on December 14th-19th; the City of Palms Classic, which will be held in Ft. Myers, FL on December 16th-22nd, the Proviso West Holiday Classic, which will be held at Proviso West High School in Hillside, IL on December 27th-30th; and the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX on December 27th-30th.

Sunday, November 5, 2006

With the college basketball season set to tip off later this week, I've spent the better part of today putting together our Ranking of the Top 30 Pre-Season College Teams for the 2006-2007 Season.  And to go along with each ranking, we also provide important information for comparison sake, like the number of returning starters for each team, last year's conference and overall records, and each school's conference and talent rating.   Speaking of the HOOP SCOOP's Exclusive Talent Ratings, which are arrived at by assigning every player on each team a ranking on a scale of 1-10, based on where he was ranked coming out of high school, it comes as no surprise that North Carolina is ranked #1 with a 87.6 talent rating and Duke checks in at #2 with a 84.0 talent rating.  However, it came as a big surprise to us that Louisville was ranked #3 with a 82.8 talent rating, followed by 4) Kansas with a 78.1 talent rating, 5) Marquette with 72.8 talent rating, 6) Florida with a 72.7 talent rating, 7) Kentucky with a 71.8 talent rating, 8) Arizona with a 71.1 talent rating, 9) Connecticut with a 71.0 talent rating, 10) Ohio State with a 69.6 talent rating, 11) Syracuse with a 67.6 talent rating, 12) Wisconsin with a 67.5 talent rating, 13) Memphis with a 65.0 talent rating, 13) Florida State with 65.0 talent rating, 15) Pittsburgh with a 64.7 talent rating, 16) LSU with a 62.2 talent rating, 17) New Mexico State with a 58.5 talent rating, 18) Massachusetts with a 58.1 talent rating, 19) Texas A&M with a 57.5 talent rating, and 20) UCLA with a 56.5 talent rating.  This probably helps explain to some extent why we're higher than most with regards to teams like Louisville, Kentucky Marquette, and New Mexico State in our Ranking of the Top 30 Pre-Season College Teams for the 2006-2007 Season.  Obviously we think Florida, North Carolina, and Kansas are the three best teams in the nation.  However, after that it's really too close to call among a lot of teams, as we divide the rest of our top 30-ranked teams into three categories.  First, there is the group of teams that includes Arizona, LSU, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Alabama, Georgetown, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Creighton, Nevada, Florida State, Xavier, San Diego State, George Mason that still has a question mark or two to overcome, but has both the talent and experience necessary to evolve into a great team.  Second, there is a a group of teams that includes Ohio State, Duke, Connecticut, Washington, Louisville, Memphis, and UCLA that are extremely young and/or inexperienced, but have the talent and potential necessary to climb up the very elite level if the coach can find the right chemistry and some key players grow up in a hurry.  Third, there are three teams (Massachusetts, Texas Tech, and New Mexico State) that have had a major infusion of either via junior college transfers or players who were sitting out last year that are better than the players already in the program. 

Saturday, November 4, 2006

Our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein tells us that Quinnipiac has landed 6'10 Ed Zayjac from Cheshire (Academy) CT and this appears to be a perfect fit to the Bobcats for several reasons.  First, Zayjac will give head Quinnipiac head coach Joe DeSantis more size inside than he has now a year from now.  Second, Zayjac is an excellent rebounder, can really throw the outlet pass, and can run the floor, which means he should in perfectly to the Bobcats up tempo style of play.  Third, Zayjac can step out and shoot the three, which also is important, because that's something DeSantis likes his big men to be able to do.  Finkelstein also has received word from Bill Barton, who is the head coach at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, that a verbal commitment by 6'8 Damien Saunders from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to Marquette is imminent.  Saunders was ranked #344 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 when he was a high school senior at Waterbury (Crosby) CT, but it appears that he has improved dramatically this fall and, as a result, we're talking about somebody who should be able to make an immediate impact next year for the Golden Eagles at either the three or the four spot.  Saunders is long and athletic, rebounds well and blocks shots, can handle in the open court, and is skilled enough to both lead and finish on the fast break.  So it appears that Marquette head coach Tom Crean and his staff are on the verge of stealing another one, as well as finding an excellent complement to 6'8 Trevor Mbakwe from St. Paul (St. Bernard) MN, 6'1 Scott Christophersen from Melrose (Melrose-Mindor) WI, and 6'7 Patrick Hazel from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, all of whom are already apart of this year's recruiting class, which soon is expected to be tied at #37, along with Pepperdine, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  We also have received work from our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead about 6'3 Jewon Long from Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN, who is ranked #404 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committing to Murray State.  "We're talking about a born leader and somebody who knows how to run and team, has good ball handling and passing skills, and is good in the open court and slashing to the basket," says Whitehead.  "All he needs to do is improve his outside shot."  Long also is a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led his team to the Class AA State Championship last March and, as a result, he appears to be ideally suited to step in and be the point guard around which new head coach Billy Kennedy can build the program.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH has graduated from high school this fall after taking an accelerated path to get his diploma and will join the Kansas State basketball beginning on December 16th when the Wildcats play Kennesaw State in Manhattan, KS.  So Walker, who is ranked #1 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and is one of the most explosive athletes to come down the pike in a long time, will count with Kansas State's recruiting class, which currently is ranked #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007 and also includes 6'8 Michael Beasley from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'5 Dominique Sutton from Lenoir (Patterson School) NC, 6'0 Jacob Pullen from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, and 6'2 Fred Brown from West Palm Beach (Dwyer) FL, this fall, but not next spring.  And how about 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL announcing that he will attend the University of Memphis and 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL and 6'6 Kevin Johnson from Chicago (Simeon) IL both picking Wisconsin-Milwaukee?  Obviously this is huge for the Tigers, because Rose is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the second highest ranked player still available, behind 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV.  But Flowers picking the Panthers is pretty huge as well.  Not only is Flowers ranked #72 nationally in the senior class, but he's one of the best rebounders in the nation and, as a result, this is a major coup for a school like Wisconsin- Milwaukee, which in recent years has been one of the premier mid-major programs in college basketball.  And Wisconsin-Milwaukee getting Johnson, who also is an undersized inside guy that is ranked #681 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is pretty good too. 

Friday, November 3, 2006

With the start of the college basketball just around the corner, now is the perfect time to publish The HOOP SCOOP's Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based on Career Wins, which features a number of interesting things, like each head coach's ranking based on the numbers of wins, career record, number of years coaching at a four-year college program, average number wins per season, and record in the NCAA Tournament.  Especially interesting is the fact that there are 50 head coaches coaching today at the Division I level who have averaged 20 or more wins per season during the course of their enter career.  And right at the top of this list is North Carolina's Roy Williams, who has averaged 27.4 wins per season for 18 years, as he has compiled a 493-124 record and is the only head coach who has coached less than 20 years and is ranked among the top 20 head coaches on our career win list.  Next on the list is Gonzaga's Mark Few, who has averaged 26.9 wins per season for seven years, as he has compiled an 188-41 record and is one of only two head coaches who has coached less than 10 years and is ranked among the top 110 head coaches on our career win list.  The rest of the list includes 3) Nevada's Mark Fox, who has averaged 26.0 wins per season for two years; 4) Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon, who has averaged 25.3 wins per season for three years; 5) Ohio State's Thad Matta, who has averaged 24.7 wins per season for six years; 6) Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery, who has averaged 24.5 wins per season for two years; 7) Memphis' John Calipari, who has averaged 24.4 wins per season for 14 years; 8) Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who has averaged 24.3 wins per season for 31 years; 9) Kentucky's Tubby Smith, who has averaged 24.3 wins per season for 15 years; 10) Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, who has averaged 24.2 wins per season for 30 years; 11) Tennessee's Bruce Pearl, who has averaged 24.2 wins per season for 14 years; 12) Illinois' Bruce Weber, who has averaged 24.0 wins per season for eight yeas; 13) Nebraska's Doc Sadler, who has averaged 24.0 wins per season for seven years; 14) Air Force's Jeff Bzdelik, who has averaged 24.0 wins per season for one year; 15) Kansas State's Bobby Huggins, who has averaged 23.6 wins per season for 21 years; 16) Louisville's Rick Pitino, who has averaged 23.5 wins per season for 20 points; 17) Michigan State's Tom Izzo, who has averaged 23.2 wins per season for 11 years; 18) Arizona's Lute Olson, who has averaged 23.1 wins per season for 33 years; 19) Cincinnati's Mick Cronin, who has averaged 23.0 wins per season for three years; 20) Wisconsin's Bo Ryan, who has averaged 22.5 wins per season for 22 years; 21) Kent State's Jim Christian, who has averaged 22.3 wins per season for four years; 21) Missouri's Mike Anderson, who has averaged 22.3 wins per season for four years; 23) Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Rob Jeter, who has averaged 22.0 wins per season for one year; 24) Texas Tech's Bob Knight, who has averaged 21.9 wins per season for 40 years; 25) Florida's Billy Donovan, who has averaged 21.8 wins per season for 12 years; 26) Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, who has averaged 21.6 wins per season for 34 years; 27) Kansas' Bill Self, who has averaged 21.5 wins per season for 13 years; 28) Wake Forest's Skip Prosser, who has averaged 21.2 wins per season for 13 years; 29) Mississippi's Andy Kennedy, who has averaged 21.0 wins per season for one year; 30) Stephen F. Austin's Danny Kasper, who has averaged 20.8 wins per season for 15 years; 31) Alabama's Mark Gottfried, who has averaged 20.8 win per season for 11 years; 31) South Dakota State's Scott Nagy, who has averaged 20.8 win per season for 11 years; 33) Wright State's Brad Brownell, who has averaged 20.8 wins per season for four years; 34) Texas' Rick Barnes, who has averaged 20.7 wins per season for 19 years; 35) UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass, who has averaged 20.6 wins per season for 25 years; 36) Winthrop's Gregg Marshall, who has averaged 20.6 wins per season for eight years; 37) Mississippi State's Rick Stansbury, who has averaged 20.5 wins per season for eight years; 38) Utah State's Stew Morrill, who has averaged 20.4 wins per season for 20 years; 39) Florida A&M's Mike Gillespie, who has averaged 20.4 wins per season for 16 years; 40) Butler's Todd Lickliter, who has averaged 20.4 wins per season for five years; 41) Vermont's Mike Lonergan, who has averaged 20.3 wins per season for 13 years; 42) Central Arkansas' Rand Chappell, who has averaged 20.3 wins per season for three years; 43) St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, who has averaged 20.2 wins per season for 11 years; 44) William & Mary's Tony Shaver, who has averaged 20.1 wins per season for 19 years; 45) Marquette's Tom Crean, who has averaged 20.1 wins per season for seven years; 46) Maryland's Gary Williams, who has averaged 20.0 wins per season for 28 years; 47) Southern Cal's Tim Floyd, who has averaged 20.0 wins per season for 13 years; 48) Western Kentucky's Darrin Horn, who has averaged 20.0 wins per season for three years; 48) Western Michigan's Steve Hawkins, who has averaged 20.0 wins per season for three years; and 50) Brigham Young's Dave Rose, who has averaged 20.0 wins per season for one year.  Obviously this is an incredible list and just as incredible is the fact that the top five-ranked coaches in The HOOP SCOOP's Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based on Career Wins are all listed above, as Bob Knight, Lute Olson, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Calhoun, and Jim Boeheim have combined to win 3,842 games over 168 seasons with an average of 22.9 wins per season.  In other words, they truly have stood the test of time.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact the race is really on among the five great coaches mentioned above and coaches like North Carolina's Roy Williams, Louisville's Rick Pitino, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, or Florida's' Billy Donovan to see who ultimately ends up being one of the two best coaches in the history of the game, along with John Wooden.  So, with this in mind, now obviously is a great time to update our Question of the Day, which you can answer by clicking onto our home page at hoopscooponline.com.  And to help you even further we also have updated our section Tracking the Top Division I Head Coaches, which includes a list of all Active NCAA Final Four Head Coaches, Winningest All Time Division I Head Coaches, Most All Time National Championships, All Time Most NCAA Final Four Appearances, our Ranking of the Top 16 Head Coaches in the History of the Game, and our Ranking of the Top 12 Programs in College Basketball Today. 

Thursday, November 2, 2006

Our Florida Editor Rick Staudt tells us that 6'8 Jack Eggleston from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL has verbally committed to the University of Pennsylvania.  And he thinks this is a good catch for the Quakers, because Eggleston is a good athlete, rebounds well for his size, can step out and hit the three, and is very smart, as is evident by the fact that he has a 1500 on the SAT.  The addition of Eggleston also moves Pennsylvania's recruiting class up to #61 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, the new regime appears to be picking up right where the old staff left off, as the Quakers are still the pre-season favorite to win the Ivy League this season and they clearly have the best recruiting class in the conference with Eggleston, 6'6 Tyler Bernardini from San Diego (Parker) CA, 6'0 Harrison Gaines from Phelan (Serrano) CA, 6'7 Dan Monckton form Glenview (Glenbrook South) IL all in the fold.  They also have a little bit of everything in this year's class, as both Monckton and Eggleston are both inside players, Bernardini is excellent out on the perimeter, and Gaines is a quick point guard who is capable of running the show.  Also very important is the fact the Penn head coach Glen Miller and his staff appear to have the contacts necessary to go all over the country to get players, as Bernardini and Gaines are both from California, Monckton is from Illinois, and Eggleston is from Florida.  Staudt also provides us with an update on the recruitment of 6'5 Gary Clark from Montverde (Academy) FL, who originally verbally committed to the University of Florida, but now has Arkansas, Clemson, Oklahoma, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, and Florida on his list.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also checks in and tells us that the final four for 6'9 Lavoy Allen from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA, who is ranked #127 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Rutgers, La Salle, Temple, and St. Joseph's.  The list for 6'6 Terrance Roderick from Philadelphia (Rise Academy) PA, who is ranked #14 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players and is one of the point guards still available, includes Nebraska, Providence, UAB, La Salle, Duquesne, Xavier, and Seton Hall.  The leaders for 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and, despite his lack of size, is one of the best rebounders in the nation, are Illinois-Chicago, Old Dominion, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Temple, and Tulane.  The early list for 6'4 Soph Dalton Pepper from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA, who is ranked #44 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP, includes Syracuse, Virginia, Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Duke.  Among the schools already in the hunt for 6'7 Jr Austin Johnson from Wyncote (Cheltenham) PA, who is ranked #110 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are Rutgers, Temple, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, Penn State, Florida, Villanova, Michigan, and Boston College.  6'8 Justin Harper from Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA has narrowed list to Providence and Richmond and is expected to make an official decision sooner than later.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'5 Warren Edney from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has picked Fairfield.  And this could be the start to an excellent recruiting class, because Edney, who has improved dramatically in the last year, is a 6'5 lefty that shoots the three, gets to the hole, defends, rebounds well for his size, and has pretty good ball handling skills.  We also are anxiously anticipating the decision that 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is supposed to make on Saturday night.  His final three schools are Indiana, Memphis, and Illinois and any way you slice it, Rose's decision will have major implications.  If Rose picks the Hoosiers, then suddenly their recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'5 Jamarcus Ellis from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'8 Brandon McGee from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 6'10 Eli Holman from Richmond (H.S.) CA, will be ranked #1 on our list of Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And even more impressive is the fact that they will have three outstanding guards, as Gordon and Rose are two of the top 10-ranked seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and Ellis is ranked #7 by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, in this year's recruiting class.  And, if that weren't enough, McGee and Holman are also both good enough to step in and make an immediate impact next year, as they are ranked #57 and #63 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  If Rose picks the Tigers, then Memphis' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'10 Will Bogan from Bell City (H.S.) MO, will move into a tie at #19, along with Arizona State and Florida State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And this would come on the heels of Memphis' last two recruiting classes, which included players like 6'6 Soph Antonio Anderson, 6'6 Soph Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6'9 Soph Robert Dozier, 6'11 Soph Kareem Cooper, 6'10 Soph Shawn Taggart, 6'2 Frosh Willie Kemp, 6'8 Frosh Pierre Niles, 6'4 Frosh Tre'Von Willis, 6'5 Frosh Doneal Mack, and 6'10 Frosh Hashim Bailey.  In other words, with four freshmen and sophomores expected to start this season and a plethora of great young talent already in the program, Rose really will be the final piece to the puzzle for Tigers head coach John Calipari.  If Rose picks the Fighting Illini, which are the surprise late entry (the are back on the list after being eliminated several months ago), then their recruiting class, which already includes 6'3 Demetri McCamey from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, 6'9 Billy Cole from Peoria (Richwood) IL, and 6'10 Mike Tisdale from Riverton (H.S.) IL, would move into a tie at #14, along with LSU and Texas Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  However, even more important, the addition of Rose will give Illinois Bruce Weber and his staff the great point guard to that they need to build the program around, as well as open the door for them to get their share of the top players in the Chicago Public League.

Wednesday, November 1, 2006

The Fall Signing Period officially begins a week from today, but most of the important stuff has already happened, as is evident by the fact that only 17 of our top 100-ranked seniors are still left on the board.  They are 6'5 O.J. Mayo from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'3 Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) Il, 6'8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington (H.S.) WV, 6'3 Rico Pickett from Decatur (H.S.) AL, 5'8 Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 6'2 Tyrell Reed from Burlington (H.S.) KS, 6'8 Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'9 Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 6'6 Leonard Washington from Lake Charles (Washington (Marion) LA, 7'1 Boubacar Sylla from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'1 Courtney Fortson from Montgomery (Jefferson Davis) AL, 6'4 Eshaunte Jones from Ft. Wayne (North Side) IN, 6'5 Tim Flowers from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'11 Teeng Akol from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'10 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'6 Eric Wallace from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'6 James Anderson from Junction City (H.S.) AR.  And a quick look at our list of the top 5th Year Players shows that six of our top 11-ranked 5th Year players are also already off the board.  The latest being 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Winchendon (School) MA, as our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Allen Rubin has finally gotten around to confirming that this quick athletic scoring point guard has not re-opened his recruitment and, as a result, counts with Villanova's recruiting class for the second year in a row.  And this is important, because his addition not only moves Villanova's recruiting class into a tie at #9, along with Michigan State and DePaul, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, but he is just one more valuable piece to the puzzle as the Wildcats will have one of the best backcourts in the Big East Conference for years to come.  Remember, 6'0 Frosh Scottie Reynolds and 6'4 Frosh Reggie Reading are already in the program and 6'1 Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'5 Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ both are already a part of this year's recruiting class.  Rubin also tells us that 6'9 Korey Bauer from Whitehall (H.S.) PA, who is ranked #756 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Marist, and 6'1 Anthony Ruffa from Wildwood (Catholic) NJ, who is ranked #338 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Albany.  Bauer is best described as a face-up four-man with 17-foot shooting range and the ability to get it done on the boards.  Raffa is a prolific scoring point guard with good handling and passing skills, the willingness to sacrifice his body, and the speed and quickness necessary to make things happen in transition.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that 5'8 Josh Miller from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH has verbally committed to the University of Nebraska and 6'10 Jr Josh Benson from Dayton (Dunbar) OH has made an early verbal committed to the University of Dayton.  That second one is especially noteworthy for several reasons.  First, Benson is a project right now, but he's ranked #202 nationally in the senior class due to the fact that he is long, lean, agile, athletic, and has a huge upside.  Second, Benson is a local kid, which is important as the Flyers are now getting their share of the top players in their backyard.  Third, Benson is ideally suited to complement all of the good young players already in the program, like 6'6 Soph Charles Little, 6'9 Soph Desmond Adedeji, 6'3 Frosh Marcus Johnson, 6'10 Frosh Kurt Huelsman, and 6'0 Frosh London Warren, as well as the three players - 6'6 Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH, 6'9 Devin Searcy from Detroit (Cass Tech) MI, and 6'1 Stephen Thomas from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN - that the Dayton has in this year's recruiting class.  What Miller does best is push the ball basketball in transition, which the type of point guard that the Cornhuskers were looking for to complement the other four players - 5'11 Steve Harley form South Plains (JC) TX, 6'9 Shang Ping from Illinois Central (JC) IL, 6'10 Alex Chapman from Sheridan (JC) WY, and 6'8 Alonzo Edwards from Houston (Klein Forest) TX - that they already have in their recruiting class, which now checks in at #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  Johnson also has some interesting recruiting information to pass along about 6'10 Mamadou Diarra from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'10 Ibrahima Thomas from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, and 6'7 Jr Nate Miles from San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX.  Miles, who is ranked #36 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and originally had verbally committed back to Xavier back when he was a sophomore at Toledo (Libbey) OH two years ago, now has schools like Baylor, Connecticut, Louisville, Illinois, and Georgetown on his list.  Thomas, who is ranked #81 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has already taken visits official to Rutgers, Oklahoma State, and Ball State and plans to make visits to Fresno State and Auburn before signing during the Fall Signing Period.  Diarra, who is ranked #4 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and was ranked #25 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 when was a senior last spring, still has Baylor and USC at the top of his list, but schools like Connecticut, Washington, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Auburn, and Fresno State are also in the hunt.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'7 Mychal Thompson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA has verbally committed to Pepperdine and this too is interesting, because Thompson, who is the son of former Portland Trailblazers and Los Angeles Lakers star Mychal Thompson Sr, is excellent 3-point shooter and a good blue collar type player, which makes him ideally suited to fit into Vance Walberg's system.  The addition of Thompson, also means that Pepperdine's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Tyrone Shelley from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 6'8 Malcolm Thomas from San Diego (Crawford) CA, and 6'6 Jon Reed from Rolling Hills Estates (Palos Verdes Peninsula) CA, moves up to #37 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.   However, even more important, the addition of Thompson moves Pepperdine's recruiting class into a close second, behind Pepperdine, among schools in the West Coast Conference and it gives the Pepperdine coaching staff an important in with the Stoneridge Prep program, which now appears to be the top prep school program on the West Coast and should have a plethora of good foreign players for years to come.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Gary Correia from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, who is ranked #334 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Drexel.  And this is important, because the addition of Correia gives the Dragons not one, but two quality point guards in this years recruiting class.  Remember, 6'0 Gerald Colds from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #217 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  It also appears that Pennsylvania added another verbal commitment recently from 6'7 Dan Monckton from Glenview (Glenbrook South) IL, which means the Rising Stars JG club team now have four players who have signed with Division I schools.  The others are 6'0 Michael Thompson from Chicago (Lincoln Park) IL to Northwestern, 6'2 Ceola Clark from Gurnee (Warren) IL to Western Illinois, 6'3 Raffi Mantilla form Mundelein (H.S.) IL to Yale.  And how about UTEP beating Seton Hall for 6'9 Wayne Portolatin from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC?  This one makes perfect sense due to Miners head coach Tony Barbee's strong connections to Chris Chaney, who has sent more than his share of players first from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and now from Lenoir (The Patterson School) NC to Memphis, which is where Barbee established himself as one of the best recruiters and top assistant coaches in the nation in recent years.  And, while Portolatin is not a great player, he does provide the big body and inside presence that the UTEP coaching staff needs to complement the other three players - 6'8 Manuel Cass from South Kent (Prep) CT, 5'10 Randy Culpepper from Memphis (Sheffield) TN, and 6'8 Malcolm Kirkland from Madison (Central) TN - who are already in the Miners' recruiting class. Speaking of UTEP's current recruiting class, it now checks in at #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, which is extraordinary when one remembers that the current regime was hired in August after Doc Sadler left to become the new head coach at the University of Nebraska.  We also understand that 6'8 Kraidon Woods from Pottstown (The Hill School) PA has verbally committed to Arizona State.  Yes, that's the same guy who committed to Villanova a year ago when he was a high school senior at Swiftwater (Pocono Mountain East) PA, but now has gone the prep school route.  Woods is a long athletic shot blocking face-up four man who should be good in new Arizona State head coach Herb Sendek's system, but he'll need to get meaner and tougher if he wants to become an impact player in the Pac-10 Conference.