TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Friday, November 28, 2003, Saturday, November 29, 2003, & Sunday, November 30, 2003

If you look at all the pre-season rankings, you will find that there is herd-like mentality, whereby, nobody seems to want to go too far out on a limb.  In other words, if somebody turns out to be wrong, they're all wrong and, as a result, there is safety in numbers.  However, in sharp contrast to the status quo, we missed badly when we named Dajuan Wagner as our 2001-2002 Pre-Season College Player-of-the-Year two years ago, but looked like a genius when we named T.J. Ford as our 2002-2003 Pre-Season College Player-of-the-Year a year ago.  And this year we've decided to buck the consensus again by putting Duke's Luol Deng on our First Team, along with Connecticut's Emeke Okafor, N.C. State's Julius Hodge, North Carolina's Raymond Felton, and Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph's.  Sure, Deng is just a freshman, but so was Syracuse's Carmel Anthony a year ago when he led the Orangemen to the NCAA Championship.  Besides, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski let it be known sometime ago that he thought Deng would be one of his key players this season and it looks like he was right on the money, as Deng is the Blue Devils' leading scorer averaging 16.8 ppg after their first four games.  And putting Deng on the First Team also solved our dilemma of whether to make Rickey Paulding or Arthur Johnson, both of Missouri, the 5th Player on the First Team.  Instead, they are the first two players on our second team, along with Connecticut's Ben Gordon, Arizona State's Ike Diogu, and Xavier's Romain Sato.   We also had St.  Bonaventure's Marques Green, Iowa State's Jake Sullivan, Marquette's Travis Diener, and Seton Hall's Andre Barrett ranked a lot higher than our competition, but point guard was not the best position as we look at the 50 players who made our 10 pre-season All-American Teams.  Instead, the wing forward spot with Deng, Paulding, Sato,  Oregon's Luke Jackson, Texas Tech's Andre Emmett, Duke's J.J. Redick, Syracuse's Hakim Warrick, Louisville's Francisco Garcia, Miami-FL's Darius Rice, Cincinnati's James White, Stanford's Josh Childress, and Texas A&M's Antoine Wright has the most players and all but two of these guys are ranked on the first six teams, which means that one-third of the top 30 players, according to the HOOP SCOOP, are wing forwards.  The two-guard spot isn't nearly as good at the top, as only four players - Hodge, Connecticut's Ben Gordon, Indiana's Bracey Wright, and North Carolina's Rashad McCants - at this position are ranked among the top 30.  However, there are seven 2-guards - Manhattan's Luis Flores, Wisconsin's Devin Harris, Arizona's Salim Stoudamire, Michigan State's Chris Hill, Nevada's Kirk Snyder, Washington State's Marcus Moore, and Syracuse's Gerry McNamara - ranked on the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Teams and, as a result, there are 11 2-guards ranked among our 50 All-American Teams.  And this is important, because it means that nearly half of the players on our list are wing players.  In sharp contrast, only six are power forwards, which provides even more evidence of just how much of a premium there is on size.  However, having said that, there are 10 centers on the list, which means that 16 of the top 50 players are inside players.  To get a closer look, as well as our list of the First, Second, and Third Team All-Freshmen Teams, our First Team All-Junior College Team, and our First Team All-Transfer Team, click on HOOP SCOOP's 2003-2004 Pre-Season All-American Teams.  And this completes our 2003-2004 College Pre-Season Basketball Section, which also includes Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for Teams in the Top 10 Division I Conferences, 2003-2004 Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 40 College Teams, Pre-Season College Team Ranking Comparisons for 2003-2004 , Career Coaching Records and 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).

Thursday, November 27, 2003

After updating our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, we thought it would be good to break the players down into groups so you will know where each player would rank, if he was the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally, which is especially important when we rank recruiting classes.  The only player who we think is the equivalent of a top five senior nationally is 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT.  Remember we had Wright ranked #4 in our final rankings of the top players in the Class of 2003 and we suspect that he might even turn out to be better than that after watching him over the weekend at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Milford, DE.  The only player who is the equivalent of a player in the 6-10 range is 6'6 Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ and 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, 6'10 Jermaine Bell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'10 Longar Longar from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'10 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA all would rank in the 11-40 range.  In the 41-70 range would be 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Stillwater, OK, 6'6 Roosevelt Lee, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'8 Stanley Branch, 6'7 Richard Robey from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, and 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA and in the 71-100 range are 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 C.J. Anderson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'5 Joel Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Joe McCray from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'2 Khalif Ford from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) NH, 6'2 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, and 6'2 Danny Morrissey from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.  In other words, one-third of the top 100 players on this list are the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally.  Unfortunately only Chiriaev, Bell, Lee, Branch, Verdejo, Anderson, Seay, Ford, and McKiver are still available and there is a good chance that Chiriaev will enter his name into the NBA Draft in the spring.  And, as things stand now, Lee is no longer at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and Branch is no longer at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA and we're not sure where these two players have gone.  The same also can be said about 6'2 Earl Risby, who is no longer at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  In addition to Chiriaev, Bell, Branch, and Seay, other 5th Year Players who can play inside and are still available include 6'9 Jerome Habel from Silver Spring (Marriott Hospitality Public Charter) MD, 6'7 Michael Binns from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'11 Kellen Lee from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'9 Maurice Shaw from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'8 Frantz Dorsainvil from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Julian Thomas from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 6'10 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'9 Inbram Konte from Worcester (Academy) MA, 6'10 Cassin Diggs from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'9 Shawn James from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Jermaine Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Ryan Wiersma from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Doug McLaughlin from Winchendon (School) MA, and 7'3 Jermaine Middleton from South Kent (Prep) CT, who makes the list for no other reason, except he's 7'3.

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

We've been working on Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South JerseyReport for the last several weeks and once again nobody in the business begins to even come close in terms of the volume of information and the number of names produced in one report.  We're talking about a total of 35 pages of text and 1,837 players, as Rubin provides us with his list of the top 30 5th year players, top 664 seniors, 513 juniors, 335 sophomores, 200 freshmen, 74 8th graders, 15 7th graders, and six 6th graders, which you can get by clicking on Rubin Ranks Em:  The Top Players in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area. And this complements Rubin's eight All-Area Teams, which provide his list of the top 40 players in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area regardless of class and position, his ranking of the 20 best shooters, scorers, rebounders, playmakers, defenders, and most improved in his area over the last eight months (since the end of last season), and my comments about the Class of 2006 being the next great class in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area.  And coming right on the heels all this tomorrow will be my updated rankings of the Top 5th Year Players, which is perfectly timed since we saw many of these players at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament over the weekend in Milford, DE.  Then, on Friday we plan to publish the HOOP SCOOP Pre-Season College All-American Teams, which are always interesting and provocative; on Sunday or Monday we expect to pubish Chris Johnson's updated Ohio Report, and within the next two weeks we will publish our recruiting wrap-up from the Fall Signing Period, which will include a comprehensive of where each player signed or committed at the Division I level, our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes From the Fall Signing Period, our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference, and our exclusive look at Different Ways to Rank the Top Recruiting Classes, which includes who signed the best two, three, and four players (over a two-year period) and who had the Highest Talent Rating Average Per Recruit.  In other words, it's crunch time as the Holiday Tournament Season quickly approaches!

Saturday, November 22, 2003, Sunday, November 23, 2003, Monday, November 24, 2003, and Tuesday, November 25, 2003

When you put the ball into the hands of 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, who was ranked #4 nationally in our final rankings of the top players in the Class of 2003 and is now ranked as the #1 5th Year Player by the HOOP SCOOP, it like watching Tracy McGrady.  And that's exactly what happened over the weekend at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Milford, DE when they moved 6'1 Jack McClinton from South Kent (Prep) CT off the ball and let Wright do his thing to the tune of 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals in South Kent's 100-87 win over Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ on Saturday afternoon.  As a matter of fact, the only thing Wright didn't do well was shoot the outside jumper, as he was only and 2-7 from beyond the arc.  However, McClinton more than made up for the fact that Wright's outside shot wasn't going down, as he made a living off passes from Wright as he scored 35 points, which was the second highest single-game scoring performance in the entire tournament.  And this came on the heels of Wright's 24-point/12 rebound performance at Fork Union (Military Academy) VA in the first game of the tournament.  In other words, Wright, who is best described as a point forward, because he can play four different positions, simply picked up where he left off in the spring when he was billed as the biggest sleeper in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and the summer when he finished ranked #9 in our final rankings from the adidas ABCD Camp.  While Wright was clearly the best player we saw all weekend, the battle for second between 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY and 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL was almost too call.  We give the edge to Bradley, who benefited from the fact that he got to play in two games.  And while Bradley was good in the first game when he scored 21 points and grabbed six rebounds versus North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME on Saturday afternoon, he was sensational on Sunday afternoon when he had 33 points, nine rebounds, 9-12 field goals, and 3-4 free throws against Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.   He also made the biggest play of the game when he stole the in-bounds pass and then hit two clutch free throws to send the game into overtime.  Bradley, is a good enough ball handler, passer, and leader to play the point guard spot and is big enough and a good enough 3-point shooter to play the two, also just keeps getting better and better every time we see him.  Bradley also appears to be one of the fastest rising players in the prep school ranks, as is evident by the fact that nine months ago we had him ranked no higher than #146 nationally in the senior class, but now people like the legendary Howard Garfinkel, who is the co-director of the Five-Star Basketball Camp, are talking about Bradley being a lock for the McDonald's All-American Game.  While we're not ready to go that far yet, we do plan to move Bradley up from #13 to #6 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and, as a result, Bradley gets eight points, instead of six points, which means that he's now the equivalent of a player in the 11-40 range, instead, of the 41-70 range, if he still was a high school senior.  And this is important because it means that Kentucky's recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, moves into a tie at #67 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Palacios had 31 points to tie 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME for the 5th highest single-game performance of the entire weekend behind 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who had 37 points against Winchendon (School) MA; McClinton, who had 35 points against Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, Bradley, who had 33 points against Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; and 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who had 32 points versus Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.  However, what impressed us the most about Palacios were his athleticism and versatility, as he also had 11 rebounds and could get his shot just about any time he wanted, as was evident from his 11-23 field goals and 4-8 3-pointers.  So obviously Jamal Mashburn comparisons are still in order, although Palacios doesn't play as hard as Mashburn did at the same stage and, as a result, the talk we're hearing about Palacios thinking about by-passing college and going straight to the NBA is totally ridiculous.   But Palacios is better than where we have him ranked at #28 on our list of the top seniors nationally.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Palacios' list of schools now includes Florida State, Louisville, Baylor, Pittsburgh, St. John's, and Arizona.  Yes, Florida State was the first school he mentioned and, if Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton can pull this off, he would be going to war a year from now with Palacios, 6'10 Jr Diego Romero, 6'10 Frosh Alexander Johnson, 6'7 Jr Anthony Richardson, 6'5 Frosh Vakeaton Wafer, 6'7 Frosh Al Thornton, 5'11 Soph Todd Galloway, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from  Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  In other words, Palacois just might be the final piece to the puzzle, as Florida State promises to challenge Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and Maryland for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship a year from now.  We also find it interesting that Arizona is now in the hunt, which is a testament to the fact that Arizona assistant coach Josh Pastner will leave no stone unturned in his quest to get the best players.   I also hate to say that I told you so, but a lot of people thought Louisville would be eliminated from Palacios' list when they landed 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA earlier this fall.  However, Louisville not only is on the list, but the Cardinals were the second school he mentioned.  Rounding out our list of the top five players at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament are 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) CT, and 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.   Vaden was average at best on the first night against Laurinburg (Institute) NC, as he hit only 5-18 field goals and 2-6 3-pointers en route to 13 points, but he had 31 points and eight rebounds against Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL on Saturday.  In contrast, Swann came up big on Friday night with 24 points against Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, but he followed that up with only 14 points on Saturday against Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON.  But Swann did have was the best dunk of the entire tournament and he impressed us with his ability to rebound (5.5 rpg in two games) and score both inside and outside.  However, we were not impressed with Swann's assist to turnover ratio - four assists to nine turnovers in two games.  The rest of the our rankings of the top 50 players in the tournament based primarily on performance, but also somewhat on college potential were done with the help of our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin and our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz and are as follows:  6) 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 7) 6'7 Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 8) 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 9) 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 10) 6'10 Longar Longar from Winchendon (School) MA, 11) 6'3 Will Scott from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 12) 6'4 Joel Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 13) 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 14) 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 15) 6'11 Aleksander Maric from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 16) 6'7 Stuard Baldonando from Winchendon (School) MA, 17) 6'1 Jack McClinton from South Kent (Prep) CT, 18) 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 19) 6'8 Soph Kevin Durant from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 20) 5'11 Joe Miles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 21) 6'3 Rashad Bilal from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 22) 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, 23) 6'1 Pierre Marie Altidor Cespedes from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON, 24) 6'4 Joe Posey from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, 25) 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 26) 6'3 Danny Morrissey from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 27)  6'10 Jackie Butler from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 28) 6'0 Cedric Middleton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 29) 6'6 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA, 30) 6'6 Soph Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 31) 6'5 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON, 32) 6'3 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, 33) 6'2 Khalif Ford from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 34) 6'4 Gary Konate from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 35) 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA, 36) 6'2 Jamual Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 37) 6'9 Jerome Johnson from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 38) 6'4  Sherman Diaz from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 39) 6'7 Michael Binns from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 40) 6'1 Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 41) 6'6 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 42) 6'10 Cassin Diggs from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 43) 6'4 Donovan Morris from Winchendon (School) MA, 44) 6'2 Akeem Hemingway from Fork Union (Military) VA, 45) 6'9 Julian Thomas from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, 46) 6'5 Jr Maurice Joseph from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) ON, 47) 6'3 Joshua Sapp from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 48) 6'8 Shawn James from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 49) 6'5 Ben Farmer from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and 50) 6'3 Paul Cummins from South Kent (Prep) CT.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC did not make the list.   And, if we'd listed another 50 players, he wouldn't have made that list either.   We're talking about a guy who failed to even score a single-point and had only one rebound and five fouls against North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME; had eight points, six rebounds, and five fouls against Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, and had only two points, three rebounds, four fouls, and four turnovers against Winchendon (School) MA.  So obviously if Dorsey was a stock, now would be a good time to sell, before the bottom drops out.  Remember, Dorsey is ranked #7 on our 5th Year List and was the player everybody was talking about this fall at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  Apparently Dorsey is great in practice and work-outs, but he has no idea of how to play the game.  And Dorsey wasn't the only player who turned out to be a major bust over the weekend.  Believe it or not 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, who is ranked #12 on our 5th Year List, scored only six points against Fork Union (Military) VA and only eight points against Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and was not a major factor in either game.  And we couldn't believe how bad 6'3 Kris Clark from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who is ranked #23 on our 5th Year list, was, as he averaged 1.7 ppg in three games and three of his five points for the weekend came off free throws.  Also not making our list of the top 50 players at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament was 6'0 Cameron Tyler from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, despite the fact that he scored 25 points and was 10-15 from the field against Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL.  The problem with Tyler is that he takes everything to hole and in the process either gets a lay-up or turns the ball over (his assist to turnover ratio in three games was five assists to 14 turnovers).  We're also still trying to figure out what happened to 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who averaged only 8.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg, and 6'9 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who averaged only 3.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg in two games.  6'10 Jackie Butler, who did show up and play for Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA on Saturday, did make our Top 50 List above, as he scored 20 points, grabbed six rebounds, and hit 8-11 field goals.  However, Butler still was somewhat of a disappointment, because he's lost speed, quickness, and athleticism, as he continues to get bigger and stronger.  In other words, we could be talking about the next Marvin Stone.  We could go on and on, but we're already way behind and we have to get onto the business of the day, plus we need to start updating our rankings of the Top 5th Year Players, which we plan to publish on Thanksgiving Day.

We continue to hear that 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, wants to continue to explore the option of entering his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  However, Morris is not nearly as skilled as 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who might just be good enough to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft, and not nearly as athletic as 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is in our opinion would project as a mid-to-high first round pick.  Instead, Morris needs the time to college to continue to develop and quite honestly, it would be a crime if Morris didn't end up at Georgia Tech.  Remember, the Yellowjackets have been recruiting Howard, Smith, and Morris since they were freshmen in high school and now it appears they could come up totally empty.  As a matter of fact, that's one of the big questions that still has to answered now that the Fall Signing Period is behind us and Morris still hasn't signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent.  Some people speculate that Morris is waiting to explore his NBA Draft options next spring, but he shouldn't be worried about picking a school, because a signed National Letter-of-Intent won't prevent him from going to the "The League."  Others seem to think that, if Morris was the lock everybody thought he was for Georgia Tech, he would have done it by now and, as a result, we weren't surprised when one NBA scout predicted that Morris would end up at Kentucky in the spring.  In other words, it's a lot like the situation with 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who verbally committed to Michigan last spring, but reneged while he was at the NIKE All-American Camp and has been stringing the Wolverines along ever since.  If you will recall, we've said for months that Crawford would eventually reaffirm his commitment to Michigan, but then changed our mind and made Kentucky the favorite when he didn't sign during the Fall Signing Period.  We also found it interesting that University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith and assistant coach Scott Rigot were both seen attentively watching the game between Winchendon (School) MA and Fork Union (Military) VAon Saturday night at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Milford, DE. Obviously Smith was watching his youngest son - 5'10 Brian Smith, who is the starting point guard for Fork Union, but we also know for a fact that 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA has the Wildcats on his list, despite the fact that Winchendon (School) MA head coach Mike Byrnes refused to give us a list of schools on Verdejo and, instead, referred us to Verdejo's AAU coach and former high school Art Alverez, who appears to have total control over Verdejo's recruiting.  But that didn't stop our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin from talking to Verdejo himself and the five schools that Verdejo mentioned were Temple, Memphis, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Connecticut.  We also talked with 6'2 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, who severely sprained his ankle in the second half of the game against Fork Union (Military) VA on Saturday night and, as a result, may be out for several months, and he told us that Cincinnati was the heavy favorite over schools like Florida State, Providence, Temple, Oklahoma, and St. Joseph's.  Fordham appears to be the team to beat for 6'2 Jamual Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, but the big news that Notre Dame Prep Head Coach Bill Barton provided us with is the fact that 6'10 Jermaine Bell plans to re-enroll in school this week.  We also confirmed this with Bell himself who was at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Milford, DE on Sunday, plus it looks like Bell is now the first player in history to have committed to and reneged on the same school (St. John's) three different times.   Obviously this is not good news for Red Storm head coach Mike Jarvis, who will have to re-recruit Bell all over again.  But it may not matter, because Bell may need the rest of this year and next year to make up the ground he's missed academcially this fall.  This also means that the Red Storm's recruiting class, which also includes 6'11 Mohammed Camara from Riverside (JC) CA, 6'8 Rodney Epperson from Midland (JC) TX, and 6'4 Jermaine Maybank from Independence) KS, drops into a tie at #39, along with UTEP, Xavier, Charlotte, Clemson, and Wyoming, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  So in the short term it looks like St. John's has gotten the quick fix they needed by going the junior route, but a year from now could hit the jackpot if they landed Bell, who currently is ranked #4 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players; 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and/or 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who is ranked #19 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   We also have confirmed that Longwood has landed 6'6 Lamar Barrett from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who is ranked #237 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and this comes as no surprise when one finds out that former George Mason assistant coach Mike Gillian, who previously was ranked as the #1 assistant coach in the nation at mid-to-low Division I level, has taken over this program that plans to move up to Division I a year from now.  It also appears that first-year William & Mary head coach Tony Shaver, who has a .747 winning percentage, which ranks him with the 3rd highest winning percentage at the Division I level among coaches with 15 years or more at a four year college, has a steal in 6'8 Laimis Kisielius from Charlotteville (The Miller School) VA.  He does need to get bigger and stronger physically, but Kisielius has grown two inches since the summer when he impressed us with his 3-point shooting while playing for Squires Richmond team at the adidas Big Time Tournament.  So Kisielius should provide an excellent complement to 6'7 Kyle Carrabine from Naperville (Nequa Valley) IL and 6'2 Nathan Mann from Overland Park (St. Thomas Aquinas) KS, as the Tribe will use its final scholarship in this recruiting class this winter to find a big man who can step in immediately and replace 6'9 Sr Zeb Cope and 6'8 Sr Adam Hess, who averaged 20.1 ppg and 6.3 rpg a year ago and is the pre-season Player-of-the-Year in Colonial Athletic Association.  While Shaver played for Dean Smith at North Carolina, it's our guess that he was able to take advantage of the fact that Virginia Tech assistant coach Ryan Odom was both a player and an assistant coach during the Shaver era at Hampden-Sidney and, as a result, the Odom's strong Lithuanian connections came into play.  A week ago Chris Monter, the Editor & Publisher of CollegeBasketballNews sent us an email telling us that 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ has signed with East Carolina.  However, our our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that it hasn't happened yet.  Jackson was supposed to sign with Pirates, but at the last minute apparently got cold feet and, instead, decided to wait until spring.  We have confirmed that 6'11 Tony Lalor from Westchester (JC) NY has committed to Hartford University and this is great news for head coach Larry Harrison, who already is smiling after last night's upset against Massachusetts, because we're talking about a shot blocker/rebounder/athlete/competitor who has the potential to be a dominant force in the Northeast Conference.  The addition of Lalor also moves Hartford's recruiting class into a tie at #74, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, George Mason, Duquesne, Butler, Colorado State, Missouri-Kansas City, Liberty, Ruters, South Alabama, and Utah, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, it gives Hartford three junior college players - Lalor, 6'4 David Ruffin from Connors State (JC) OK and 6'6 Demarcquez Rembardant from Collin County (JC) TX - to go along with all the good young players that Harrison already has in the program.  We also continue to hear that 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA will enroll at South Kent (Prep) CT, if he doesn't win his appeal to become eligible after transferring from Bakersfield (Garces) CA to Bakersfield (Highland) CA to Bakersfield (H.S.) CA since last season and 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is ranked #31 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is only about 85% after undergoing orthoscopic surgery several months ago, has Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Notre Dame on his list.  Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'1 Mike Webb from Antelope Valley (JC) CA has committed to Pacific; our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that 6'10 Steve McLean from Barrie (Central) ON has gone to Canisius, 5'8 Kingley Constain from Champlain (Lennoxville) ON has gone to Pepperdine, and 6'1 Tristan Blackwood from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON has gone to Central Connecticut State; and Rubin tells us that Holy Cross has landed 5'10 Pat Doherty from Scranton (Prep) PA.  It also appears that 6'2 Lorenzo Shine from Detroit (Rogers) MI signed with Wright State, which means their recruiting class moves up to #34 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   If you will recall, earlier this fall the Raiders also got 6'1 Lamorrie Wallace from Triton (JC) IL, 6'6 Brandon Ivery from Columbus (Walnut Ridge) OH, 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Loramie (H.S.) OH. 

Friday,  November 21, 2003

It was supposed to happen late Wednesday afternoon, but 6'8 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, who is ranked #114 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has decided to put off making his college decision.  The race for Nwankwo still appears to be too close to call between Arizona and Stanford, but now it appears to be a little more complicated, as Miami-FL suddenly also has become a serious contender.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that 6'4 Henry Salter from Gulfport (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #8 in the state and #287 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Southern Miss, that Mississippi State has landed 5'9 Jamall Edmondson from Meridian (JC) MS and that Jackson (Provine) MS head coach Luther Riley is trying to work out a package, whereby, he delivers himself and 5'11 Charlie White from Jackson (Provine) MS, who is ranked #70 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to Jackson State in the spring.  Thus, explains why White didn't sign with Mississippi State, which is where he committed last spring, during the fall signing period.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton believes that 6'10 Jackie Butler, who recently left Laurinburg (Institute) NC, may end up at Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, instead of Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA.  In other words, this one is getting stranger all the time.  If you will recall, Butler originally committed to Mississippi State a year ago, but, when he didn't make it academically last spring, went to prep school at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  However, that didn't last long, as Butler recently left Laurinburg and was rumored to be heading to Southwest Mississippi (JC) MS or Massanutten Military Academy, where Bruce Kreutzer, who is a long time close friend of Tennessee's Buzz Peterson, is the head coach.  But not it looks like things have changed again as Butler appears to be heading to Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA and rumor has it that he will play for Coastal Christian in the War on the Shore Holiday Prep School Invitational this weekend in Milford, DE.  And in another scenario almost as strange, it appears that 6'9 Ousmane Barro from Chicago (Julian) IL may be committed to Marquette.  If you will recall, Barro finished ranked #21 at the NIKE All-American Camp during the summer of 2002, but didn't play high school basketball last season.  Instead, he was rumored to have returned to the Senegal and/or enrolled at Seward County (JC) KS.  However, Barro was missing in action until he resurfaced this fall at Five-Star's Honesdale II Session, where he was one of the top players in camp.  And, if the verbal commitment by Barro has happened, it would move Marquette's recruiting class, which also includes 7'0 Mike Kinsella from Minneapolis Community/Technical (JC) MN and 6'8 Ryan Amoroso from Burnsville (H.S.) MN, up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  A lot of people probably think that Syracuse is the early favorite for 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who is ranked #19 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Davis recently told a source close to the HOOP SCOOP two very interesting things.  First, Davis would be very interested in being part of the package if his high school coach Ron Naclerio got an assistant coaching job at St. John's.  Second, if Davis had to make up his mind right now, Louisville would be the school choice.  The best player earlier today at the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament in Milford, DE was 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, who scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and totally dominated the game, as he played four different positions and led South Kent (Prep) CT to a 70-58 victory in the first game of the day.  We also were very impressed by 6'7 Norman Plummer, who  had 27 points and 10 rebounds, and 6'3 Isaish Swann, who had 24 points, as Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA knocked off Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 85-80, in the final game of the evening.   The leading scorer from the entire day was 6'7 Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who is ranked #104 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who is listed in the program as a sophomore, with 29 points.  The leader in assists was 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ with nine assists, but also had five turnovers and hit only 3-13 field goals.   Thus, explains why Price is ranked no higher than #9 on our list of the top players of the day behind Wright, Plummer, Swann, 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Joe Posey from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, Thomas, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'10 Longar Longar from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and ahead of 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, who had the play of the day when he made a power move to the basket and dunked on Longar.  The next 10 best performances in order were turned by 6'6 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'2 Jamual Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'6 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Khalif Ford from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'3 Will Scott from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Soph Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) CT, 6'7 Jr Ed Jones from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, 6'11 Alexs Maric from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, and 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA. 

Thursday, November 20, 2003

Tomorrow I will be traveling to the War on the Shore Holiday Prep School Invitational, which will be held this weekend at the Milford High School Sports Arena in Milford, DE, and this will be one of the most important events that we cover during the entire year for two reasons.   First, being in attendance from start to finish will give us the perfect opportunity to see first-hand most of the top prep schools and how their players have progressed since we saw them during the summer.  Second, this event is absolutely loaded as is evident by the fact that the list of 5th Year Players expected to be in attendance includes 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'10 Longar Longar from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'2 Robert McKiver from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'6 C.J. Anderson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'5 Joe McCray from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Josh Jackson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Kris Clark from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Stanley Branch from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'8 Frantz Dorainvil from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Danny Morrissey from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Joel Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Donovan Morris from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'3 Stanley Burrell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Mantas Griskenas from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Jermaine Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Shawn James from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'5 Joseph Miles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'2 Kojo Mensah from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'1 Jerome Habel from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Stuard Baldonado from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'10 Maurice Shaw from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Earl Risby from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Joe Posey from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Chad Ferguson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Louis Graham from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'11 Dwayne Foreman from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'7 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Lambert-St. Lambert) QU, 6'7 Loic Theothile from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'11 Benny Sougetov from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Rashaud Nixon from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 5'11 Dominique White from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Chris Alvarez from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, and 6'0 Cameron Tyler from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and the list of players who are still in high school expected to be in attendance includes 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'0 Jr Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'1 Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes from Montreal (Lambert-St. Lambert) QU, 6'6 Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Jerome Johnson from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 7'2 Jr Kevin Mormin from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savor New American) NY, 6'1 Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'5 Chris Matthews from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'11 Alex Maric from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'6 Bougari Konate from Centereach (Our Savor New American) NY, 6'9 Olivier Lamoreaux from Montreal (Lambert-St. Lambert) QU, 6'5 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Lambert-St. Lambert) QU, and 6'5 Jr Gabby Cruz from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  The first game will tip-off tomorrow with Fork Union (Military Academy) VA versus South Kent (Prep) CT at 4:00 PM, followed by Wolfeboro (Bridgton Academy) NH versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 5:30 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Burlington (Life Center) NJ at 7:00 PM, Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ versus Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA at 8:30 PM, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 10:00 PM.  Saturday's schedule has Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD at 9:00 AM, Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL versus North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME at 10:45 AM, Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA at 12:30 PM, Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA versus Burlington (Life Center) NJ at 2:15 PM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ at 4:00 PM, Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 5:45 PM, Fork Union (Military) VA versus Winchendon (School) MA at 7:30 PM, and Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU versus Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA at 9:15 PM and Sunday's schedule has North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME versus Burlington (Life Center) NJ at 10:00 AM, Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA at 11:45 PM, Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU versus Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT at 1:30 PM, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH at 3:15 PM, Laurinburg (Institute) NC versus Winchendon (School) MA at 5:00 PM, Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA versus Cornwall on the Hudson (Storm King Prep) NY at 6:45 PM, and South Kent (Prep) CT versus Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD at 8:30 PM.  

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

It appears that 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is having a tough time making up his mind and, as a result, is now planning on waiting until the spring to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent.  Normally we would think this favors the local school, but in this case it might prove to be a disadvantage, because Crawford verbally committed to the University of Michigan last spring, but then reneged while he was attending the NIKE All-American Camp and has been stringing the Wolverines along ever since.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that we've heard that the Michigan coaching staff is going to try and get back involved with 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also wouldn't be surpised if the Michigan coaching staff decided to give Crawford the now or never ultimatum and start purusing other wing players.  In other words, the University of Kentucky, which is other school finalist on Crawford's list could conceivably win this one by default.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson appears to have the scoop on our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis with regards to 6'9 Daniel Northern from Warner Robins (Houston County) GA picking South Alabama.  If you will recall, Northern played for Davis during the spring and summer in Georgia Elite club team program, but, as so often happens, Johnson has beaten the local guy on his own player.  And we think this is a great get for the Jaguars, because Northern, who is ranked #230 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is just oozing with potential, as he's long, athletic, and agile.  In other words, he's ideally suited to develop into a good shot blocker, defender, rebounder, and scorer at the next level.  The addition of Northern and 6'3 Antonio Odoms from Monroeville (Monroe County) GA, who also signed with the Jaspers this week, moves South Alabama's recruiting class into a tie at #71, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, George Mason, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, Colorado State, Missouri-Kansas City, Liberty, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Also included with South Alabama's recruiting class is 6'2 Mario Jointer from Chipola (JC) FL, who verbally committed to South Alabama earlier this fall, but has yet to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with the Jaspers.  In other words, this one might not be as firm as it looks, especially in light of the fact that Jointer also was supposed to have been a done deal for Mississippi, where he signed two years ago as a high school player and a year ago as a freshman in junior college.  However, unless Jointer reneges on the Jaspers, we will continue to count him with South Alabama's recruiting class and assume that head coach John Pelphrey has landed two excellent players (Jointer and Northern) and a good local player (Odoms) in this recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Soph Tim Bush is transferring from LSU to Baylor, which means that the Bears now have three players - Bush, 6'11 Mamadou Diene from the Senegal, and 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia - in the fold for this year, although Bush won't count towards with the Bears' current recruiting class.  Rememeber, it has always been the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to include transfers when ranking recruiting classes.  And making what the new coaching staff at Baylor has already has done look even more impressive is the fact that they also already have a pair of early commitments from 6'7 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland Heritage Christian) TX and 6'8 Soph Chris Rocquemore from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Issian Redding from South Plains (JC) TX has verbally committed to Murray State and this looks like a major steal.  No, Redding does not show up on any of the pre-season junior college All-American Teams, but he was ranked #9 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP when he was a senior at Sandusky (H.S.) OH two years ago and the word we get is that this athletic wing forward with an incredible an wing span, excellent ball handling skills, and the ability to score in a variety of ways promises to be one of the biggest sleepers to emerge in the junior college ranks this season.  In other words, it looks like Murray State head coach Mick Cronin, who is one of the most astute evaluators of talent in the business, hasn't lost his touch.  We also have confirmed via Big Apple Sports that 6'7 Charles Johnson from South Plains (JC) TX has signed with Murray State, 6'10 Jon Sykes from Howard (JC) TX has signed with Jacksonville, 6'2 Jerry Nichols from Walters (JC) TN has signed with Arkansas State, 6'7 Rodney Webb from Long Beach (JC) CA has signed with Florida Atlantic, 6'2 Kris Krzyminski from Mott (JC) MI has signed with Oakland, 6'1 Marty Kizer from Marshalltown (JC) TX has signed with Centenary, and 6'3 Kenny Smith from Tyler (JC) TX has signed with Eastern Washington and we have confirmed via other sources that 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ has signed with East Carolina, 6'7 Matt Robbins from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ has signed with Stony Brook, 6'0 Jajuan Robinson from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC has signed with Providence, and 6'7 Jake Schmidt from Thermopolis (Hot Springs Community) WY has signed with Utah.  The signing by Jackson, who is ranked #140 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is especially huge for the East Carolina, because he's good enough to step in and compete immediately with the three good perimeter players - 6'4 Frosh Mike Cook, 5'10 Frosh Japhet McNeil, and 6'4 Frosh Frank Robinson - that the Pirates signed in the Class of 2003. 

Today is the last day that a player can officially sign a National Letter-of-Intent during the Fall Signing Period, although signings will continue to trickle in for the next several weeks as the paper work gets processed, and, as a result, it comes as no surprise that 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA has signed with LSU and that 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN and 6'8 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD both have press conferences scheduled for this afternoon.  In case of Williams, he reaffirmed the verbal commitment that he made to Memphis last summer.  If you will recall, Williams recently confused the situation when he let it be known that he was thinking about re-opening his recruitment.  However, when Williams' close friend and AAU teammate - 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN - decided last week to attend Memphis as a walk-on, that pretty much sealed the deal.   In other words, if Williams had signed with another school today, it would have been a major surprise.  Obviously this is huge for the Tigers for a number of reasons.  First, getting the signature from Williams means that Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes Allen, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, remains ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Second, it's always important to get the top players in your own backyard and Williams promises to be the best player Memphis has produced since Lorenzen Wright in 1994 and Anfernee Hardaway in 1990.  Third, getting Washington, who is versatile enough to play both inside and outside, gives the Tigers the perfect complement to Dorsey  in this recruiting class, because Williams and Dorsey are interchangeable at both forward spots.  Fourth, Washington gives the Tigers three potential future NBA players (Williams, Washington, and Dorsey) in this recruiting class, which means that Memphis head coach John Calipari not only will have a strong foundation, but also more than enough talent to go deep into the NCAA Tournament a year from now.  Temple signing with LSU also comes as no surprise, because his father and his brother both played at LSU and he's a home grown kid.  We're talking about a 6'6 point guard with good ball handling and passing skills, the ability to keep you honest with his 3-point shooting, big time athleticism, a long wing span, and an incredible amount of potential.  Thus, explains why we have him ranked higher than most of our competitors at #84 nationally in the senior class.  However, even that's deceptive, because once Temple gets stronger and matures, we think he's got pro potential.  The addition of Temple moves LSU's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA and 6'7 Spencer Ford from Dixie (JC) UT, into a tie at #25, along with Mississippi State and Virginia Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But, even more important, the addition of Temple gives the Tigers two great back-to-back recruiting classes.  If you will recall, LSU's recruiting class finished ranked #6 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003 when they landed 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'8 Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'7 Darrell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA a year ago.   And even more help is on the way, because 6'6 Jr Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is believed to be a near lock for the Tigers.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't surprised if LSU wraps this one up as soon as January or February.  The race for Nwankwo still appears to be too close to call between Arizona and Stanford.  The word we get is that Nwankwo wants to go to Arizona, but his parents are pushing Stanford.   If it does turn out to be the Cardinal, that would move their recruiting class into a tie at #71, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, George Mason, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, Colorado State, Missouri-Kansas City, Liberty, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   However, that still doesn't illustrate just how good this class would be, because Stanford's other two recruits - 6'9 Peter Prowitt from Fairfax (Potomac School) VA and 6'8 Taj Finger from Bedford (Fox Lane) NY - are both extremely skilled and just like Nwankwo, have top 100 potential.  If Nwankwo picks the Wildcats, it would moves their recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'9 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'3 Daniel Dillon from London (North Laurel) KY, up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also would give Arizona head coach Lute Olson a pair of inside players with lots of potential and who complement one another extremely well, as Nwankwo is a phyical specimen and Tangara is a phenomenal athlete.  We also have gotten an updated report from our International Editor Chris Johnson, who thinks Dillon, who picked Arizona a week ago, is a major steal for the Wildcats.  "Dillon doesn't do anything great, but he has a good understand of the game and he everything pretty well," says Johnson.  And a combo guard who can provide minutes as a role player is exactly what Arizona needs, as 6'3 Mustafa Shakur is the heir apparent to Jason Gardner at point guard and 6'1 Jr Salim Stoudamire, 6'4 Soph Hassan Adams, 6'6 Soph Andre Iguodala, and 6'3 Chris Rodgers all are expected to get plenty of minutes both this year and in the future. 

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, who signed with Baylor University today.  If you will recall, this is the guy who scored 25 points in a 106-85 win against the United States Team in the World Men's Junior Championship in Athens, Greece in July.  Johnson, who has seen Bruce play on film, thinks Bruce would be a legitimate top 50 senior, if he played high school basketball in the United States and he compares Bruce to former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau.  "Bruce is an athletic combo guard who is a tough on-the-ball defender, can shoot off the dribble, and beat you with either hand," says Johnson.  "Bruce also an excellent 3-point shooter (hit 65% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc in the World Men's Junior Championship), is a tremendous competitor, and can blow by most defenders, as was evident when he was matched against Dee Brown and DeRon Williams in the quarterfinals at the World Men's Junior Championship."  The verbal commitment by Bruce moves Baylor's recruiting class, which already includes 6'11 Mamadou Diene from the Senegal, who is widely regarded as one of the top players at his age on the continent of Africa, into a tie at #35, along with Syracuse, Oklahoma, and Cincinnati, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, just as important, Diene and Bruce give Baylor two players who not only promise to make an immediate impact from day one next year, but who also could turn out to be two of the better players someday in the tough Big-12 Conference.  In other words, this is one of the major recruiting coups of the entire fall, especially when one remembers the circumstances that forced out the previous regime.  And the new Baylor coaching staff isn't done yet, as they also still  appear to be one of the favorites, along with Pittsburgh, St. John's, and Louisville, for 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the 5th highest ranked player still available.   Speaking of who is left, today's verbal commitment by 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD to Virginia Tech means that only nine players - 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, and 6'9 Kevin Langford from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX - who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally are still available.  However, even that's deceptive, because Blatche has been reclassified as a junior (it is the editorial policy not to move a player back a year once he reaches his senior year of high school) and Temple will likely go to prep school next year.  While the pickings are pretty slim, if you're hoping to find a player who is ranked among our top 100 nationally in the senior class who is still available, it does get somewhat better as we find that 39 players - 5'11 Dupree Fletcher from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'2 Rajon Rando from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Rob Thomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Browne) AZ, 6'8 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, 6'7 Gerald Green from Gulf Shores) TX, 6'2 Antonio Kellogg from Oakland (McClymonds) CA, 6'10 Hatila De Souza from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'2 Ramon Sessions from Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC, 6'4 Mark Tyndall from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ, 6'6 Rell Porter from Pittsburg (H.S.) TX, 6'1 Paulo Santana from Toronto (Central Commerce) ON, 6'8 Frank Holmes from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN, 6'2 Ralph Mims from Brunswick (H.S.) ME, 6'10 Walter Sharp from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 6'4 Charron Fisher from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'4 Dominique Kirk from Dallas (Bryan Adams) TX, 6'7 Lamar Robinson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Wynton Witherspoon from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, 6'3 Lyndale Burleson from Seattle (Franklin) WA, 6'8 Robbie Simpson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'0 Jerod Haynes from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'3 Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA,  6'3 Robert Lee from Ft. Worth (Western Hill) TX, 6'8 Brian Beckford from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'8 Matt Salley from Charlotte (North Mecklenburg) NC, 6'3 Jamarcus Ellis from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 7'0 Russell Hicks from Niagara Falls (Westlane) ON, 6'8 Wesley Jones from Beatrice (J.F. Shields) AL, 6'4 Tom Hammonds from Crestview (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Draleon Burns from Milwaukee (Custer) WI, 6'4 Matthew Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, 6'9 Jerome Johnson from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'9 Christian Marshall from Jackson (Wingfield) MS, 6'2 Antoine Brown from Philadelphia (South Philadelphia) PA, 6'0 Jordan Carter from Indianapolis (Brebeuf) IN, and 6'2 Chris Lofton from Maysville (Mason County) KY - ranked in the 101-200 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP are still on the board.  However, Thomas and Green have been reclassified, which means that only 44 of our top 200-ranked seniors are really still available.  In other words, 78% of the top 200 seniors are gone and you can bet that number will grow even higher as we continue to find out about late commitments and players whose verbal commitments have slipped under the radar screen.  Getting back to the verbal commitment that Washington made to the Virginia Tech, this is huge for the Hokies, because Washington, who is ranked #87 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, gives Seth Greenberg and his staff three players in this recruiting class who are good enough to play for any program in the Big East.  If you will recall, earlier this fall, the Hokies also landed 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA, who is ranked #3 among junior college wing forwards by the Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook, and 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, who is ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So it should comes as no surprise that Virginia Tech's recruiting class is tied with Mississippi State's class at #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Washington is best described as a mult-dimensional athlete and, as a result, provides the perfect complement to Cooke at the point guard spot and Holt out on the perimeter.  And when you also add all the other good young guards, like 6'3 Frosh Jamon Gordon, 6'5 Soph Markus Sailes, 6'4 Soph Shawn Harris, 6'2 Frosh Fabian Dowdell, that already are in the program, it should be safe to assume that the Hokies only serious need is a quality size in both this year's and next year's recruiting classes. 

Saturday, November 15, 2003, Sunday, November 16, 2003, Monday, November 17, 2003

We told you on Friday that 6'10 Jackie Butler from Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA was almost a done deal for the University of Tennessee, so it comes no surprise that he signed National Letter-of-Intent with the Volunteers earlier today.  Butler, who was a McDonald's All-American a year ago, not only is a big time athlete with the ability to block shots, rebound, and score both inside and outside, but he also has an incredible upside.  In other words, Butler can be as good as he wants to be, if the light ever clicks on and he develops a killer mentality.  He also needs to continue to get bigger and stronger, but that should take care of itself, as he gets into a weight program and competes for playing time a year from now at Tennessee.  Remember, 6'10 Jr Brandon Crump, 6'5 Jr Scooter McFadgon, 6'6 Jr Justin Albrecht, 6'2 C.J. Watson, 6'5 Soph Stanley Asumnu, 6'3 Soph John Winchester, 7'0 Soph Justin Herndon, 6'8 Soph Jemere Hendrix, 6'10 Soph Major Wingate, 6'3 Frosh Jordan Howell, and 6'3 Frosh Dane Bradshaw will all have another of experience under the belt a year from now, plus they also have 6'7 Andre Patterson, who transferred from UCLA to Tennessee this fall, waiting in the wings.  So obviously Butler is the last piece to the puzzle for next season and, as a result, the Volunteers can now focus exclusively on the great juniors and sophomores in their backyard, like 6'6 Jr Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Soph Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also expected an official announcement by 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI to be forthcoming today, but it appears that the press conference has been cancelled and, as a result, our guess is that it's too close to call between Michigan and Kentucky for the services of this athletic 2-guard who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Joe Dyson from Hockessin (Sanford) DE, who is ranked #286 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Albany, which already appears to be the fastest rising team in the America East Conference.  As a matter of fact, 6'1 Soph Jamar Wilson, who averaged 18.9 ppg and was the Rookie-of-the-Year in the Conference last season; 6'5 Soph Levi Levine, who averaged 13.2 ppg and 6.0 rpg, was one of the better rebounder and scorer in the league a year ago; 5'10 Frosh Jon Iati, who was ranked #27 in our final ranking of the Class of 2003 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area, and 6'8 Soph Jamal Hughes, who averaged 8.2 ppg and 6.8 rpg at Brown Mackie (JC) KS; already provide a good foundation for the future. And the story becomes even more interesting when you also find out that Albany also has 7'1 Kirsten Zoellner, who transferred from Boston College to Albany, and 6'2 Lucious Jordan, who transferred from Loyola-Maryland to Albany, both sitting out this year.  Did you know that Jordan led the Loyola-Maryland team in scoring with 13.2 ppg as a sophomore last year and was named to the Metro Atlantic Conference All-Rookie Team two years ago and Zoellner, who "has great size, rebounds well, and can challenge shots defensively,"played in six games for Boston College as a freshman last season?   Our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead tells us that East Tennessee State has landed 6'7 Andrew Reed from New Port Richey (Ridgewood) TN and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that 6'7 Bombale Osby from Richmond (Benedictine) VA has signed with New Mexico and 6'5 Rodney Stuckey from Kent (Kentwood) WA has signed with Eastern Washington.  The verbal commitment by Stuckey is especially noteworthy, because we have him ranked #193 nationally in the senior class after watching him play on the Rotary Select Team from Seattle, WA, which also included 6'9 Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'10 Josh Heytvelt from Clarkston (H.S.) WA, and 6'3 Lyndale Burleson from Seattle (Franklin) WA.  If you will recall, that team advanced all the way to the final four at the adidas Big Time Tournament and Stuckey, who is a big time athlete/slasher/shooter was the perfect complement to all those other big name players.   We also have confirmed that San Francisco has added 6'4 Felix Czerny from Schelklingen (Urspring) Germany and 6'9 Jason Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV to a recruiting class that already included 6'7 Johnny Dukes from San Bernardino (JC) CA.  However, when ranking recruiting classes, Carter won't count, because he's transferring from Colorado to San Francisco and, as a result, will sit out this season.  Still, this is an important catch for the Dons, because we're talking about a players who was ranked #143 nationally in our final rankings of the Class of 2001.  Dukes also will fill a major need for the Dons, because he's very athletic and is an excellent 3-point shooter.  However, Czerny is the big prize in this recruiting class.  Not only was he the co-captain of the German Junior National Team, but Czerny also is a leader on the floor, a prolific scorer and excellent 3-point shooter, and a winner, as is evident by the fact that he led his team to the German High School Final Four three straight years and to the Championship in 2001.

Friday, November 14, 2003

Did you know that 6'10 Jackie Butler left Laurinburg (Institute) NC last week and will likely enroll at Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA in early December?  Neither did we until our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson both tipped us off today.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Butler plans to make an official visit to the University of Tennessee this weekend and, unless something unforeseen happens, the Volunteers may sign Butler before the conclusion of the fall signing period.  Apparently the Tennessee connection is Woodstock (Massanuetten Military Academy) VA head coach Bruce Kreutzer, who has known Volunteers head coach Buzz Peterson dating back to the days when Peterson was ranked as the #1 player in the state of North Carolina ahead of Michael Jordan.  If the Volunteers do get Butler, that would move their recruiting class, which also already includes 6'10 Damien Harris from Hampton (Wade Hampton) SC, into a tie at #56, along with Marquette and Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Butler also will provide the Volunteers with another talented inside player to along with Harris, 6'10 Jr Brandon Crump, 6'8 Soph Jemere Herndon, 7'0 Soph Justin Herndon, and 6'10 Frosh Major Wingate a year from now.  But Tennessee's gain would be Mississippi State's loss.  Remember, Butler committed to the Bulldogs last fall and up until today we had no reason to question whether he would honor that commitment.  Obviously this doesn't come as good news for Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury, who has lost four inside players - Mario Austin, 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, and 6'8 Wojciech Barycz from Poland to pros and Butler to prep school - in the last six months.  However, assuming that 6'8 Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who is ranked #53 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'0 Charles White from Jackson (Provine) MS, who is ranked #70 nationally in the senior class, both honor their commitments to Mississippi State (both White and Rhodes both say their commitments are firm, but neither plans to sign with the Bulldogs until spring), then we could be talking about yet another serious challenger, along with Florida, LSU, Arkansas, and Tennessee, for the Southeastern Conference championship in 2004-05.  And Mississippi State won't be too bad this year with the addition of 6'9 Lawrence Roberts, who transferred from Baylor and Mississippi State this fall and is eligible immediately, 5'11 Gary Ervin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who was the #4-ranked 5th Year Player in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP a year ago and is good enough to challenge immediately for the starting point guard spot, and 6'9 Terry Licorish from Toronto, ON, who was a late addition to Mississippi State's recruiting class in August.  In other words, if Stansbury puts the pieces together and develops the right chemistry, this could be one of the surprise teams in college basketball this year.   And, if Kentucky gets 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then the Wildcats would be only a quality inside player away from joining that elite group in the Southeastern Conference a year from now.  Victoria Sun of the Cincinnati Post was the first to report that Crawford will announce his college decision on Monday and we don't think it's the slam dunk that everybody thinks it is for the University of Michigan.  Obviously when in doubt, it's smart to bet on the local school, but the 2-guard spot is wide open for Crawford at Kentucky.  If the Wildcats do pull this off, they would have one the best backcourts in college basketball, because Patrick Sparks, who was the Sun Belt Player-of-the-Year a year ago at Western Kentucky and is sitting out this year, and 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is ranked #13 on our 5th Year List and is the equivalent of a top 50 high school player, are interchangeable at both the one and the two spots.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #55 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Clemson.  While this comes as no surprise (we told you this was probably going to happen a week ago), it is still huge for the Tigers, because Cameron is a good old-fashioned physical specimen who combines power and athleticism inside.   And, if the Tigers also get 6'8 Julius Powell from Newton (Conover) NC, who is ranked #44 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to go along with the three players - 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, and 6'9 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC - already in their current recruiting class, then Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell should give his entire coaching staff a raise.  Not only have they already landed four players this fall who are ranked among somebody's top 100, but they also are a late entry for 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they are involved with a disproportionate number of the top juniors in the nation.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also confirmed that 6'5 DeWayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC has finally made it official for Villanova.  If you will recall, we recently jumped the gun when we reported that Anderson had made it official for the Wildcats.  While Anderson doesn't have the big name recognition that 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who picked the Villanova yesterday, does, he still is an important recruit.  In other words, Anderson intially will provide valuable depth the next two years, but he also has the potential to grow into starting at one of the wing spots after 6'7 Soph Curtis Sumpter and 6'3 Soph Randy Foye graduate in two-and-a-half years. 

Thursday, November 13, 2003

It looks like our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson knew what he was talking with regards to 6'8 Jeremy Parnell from Blytheville (Goshen) AR, who is ranked #176 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Parnell originally verbally committed to Mississippi, but then we took his verbal commitment off the board, because he made an official visit to Oklahoma State.  Many of our competitors even went so far as to report that Parnell had verbally committed to Oklahoma State, but did not so so due to the fact that Johnson was never able to get it officially confirmed.  So it came as no surprise to us today when Parnell signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the the Rebels.  And Parnell is exactly what Ole Miss needs, because, at 6'8, 240 lbs, he's a powerful athlete who is still offensively, but can take care of business around the basket.  The addition of Parnell moves Mississippi's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Bobby Clark from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who is ranked #96 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Brandon Patterson from Altheimer (Unified) AR, who is ranked #189 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP,  into a tie at #61 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Neiman Owens from Houston (Channelview) TX, who verbally committed to Oklahoma State last spring, but has since changed his mind, has signed with Texas Christian.  This not only gives Horned Frogs head coach Neil Dougherty a powerful athletic 2-guard to complement 6'1 Brent Hackett from Ft. Worth (Southwest) TX in this recruiting class, but he also should be an excellent complement 6'2 Jr to Corey Santee, 6'7 Jr Aaron Curtis, 6'7 Soph Chudi Chinweze, who are expected to provide TCU's nucleus for the next two years.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Fordham has landed 6'8 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, Rutgers had landed 6'2 Manny Quezada from Washington (St. Albans) DC, and Wagner has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'5 Jr Doug Elwell from Staten Island (Monsignor Farrell) NY.  And the verbal commitment by Elwell, who is an athletic white kid with excellent grades and a good outside shot, comes at the same time that Wagner signed 6'6 James Ulrich from Camden (Catholic) NJ, who is one of the fastest rising players in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area.  As a matter of fact, Allen Rubin has him ranked #18 on his latest report, which is due out sometime next week.  Ulrich can post-up and compete inside on the boards, but he's developing into an excellent 3-point shooter, which makes him extremely versatile.  Uleich also appears to be an excellent complement to Wagner's other three recruits - 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, and 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ - and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #59, along with Washington State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  In other words, it looks like new Wagner head coach Mike Deane has done a great job of picking up where Dereck Whittenburg left off last spring when he moved onto Fordham.  Speaking of Whittenburg and the Rams, the commitment by Dunston to Fordham is big for several reasons.  First, we're talking about the #12-ranked senior in Naclerio in New York City by the HOOP SCOOP, which means they've gotten a local kid who is good enough to step in and make an immediate impact.  Second, Dunston is an inside player who makes a living scoring and rebounding around the basket and, as a result, is exactly what the doctored ordered, as the Rams will have only three players in the program who are 6'8 or bigger after this season.  Third, Dunston should provide an excellent complement to 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN, who has an excellent inside/outside game and, as a result, is ranked #85 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Quezada, who is originally from New York (Norman Thomas) NY, also appears to be good catch for Rutgers, because he's good enough to challenge 6'4 Jr Ricky Shields, 6'3 Frosh Quincy Douby, and 6'4 Frosh Marquis Webb for playing time in the backcourt a year from now.  Rubin also tells us that Florida International has landed 6'8 Kenny Simms from Jackson (Memorial) NJ and 6'3 Stephon Griffin from Miami (Monsignor Pace) FL and Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'5 David Pak from Saddleback (JC) CA has signed with Utah State and 6'11 Trevor Lawrence from Highland (JC) IL has gone to New Mexico State.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Mike McCoy from Indianapolis (Pike) IN has signed with Murray State and it appears that 7'0 Damiao Lodriques from Laurinburg (Institute) NC has signed with Long Beach State. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin was at the press conference earlier today when 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA announced that he is signing with Villanova, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson still beat Rubin to the punch in terms of calling me and confirming for publication what we suspected would happen since Lowry himself told us that the Wildcats were they heavy favorite for his services over a month ago.  Obviously this is big for the Wildcats, because we're talking about the best point guard who was still available, as well as the #26-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Lowry, who is a tough hardnosed competitor, is a physical athletic point guard who is tough to stop when he goes to the basket, but also can beat you with his outside shot, defense, and ball handling and passing skills.  Lowry also promises to be one of the last pieces to the puzzle, as Villanova head coach Jay Wright already has an incredible amount of talent in the program, as is evident by the fact the Wildcats are ranked #12 in talent, according to the Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for Teams in the Top 10 Division I Conferences, which we published yesterday.  And most of that talent should be around for several more years.  In other words, when Jason Fraser, Allan Ray, Curtis Sumpter, and Randy Foye are juniors and Mike Nardi and Will Sheridian are sophomores a year from now, the Wildcats should be one of the top 10 teams in the college basketball.  And when they also add Lowry's teammate - 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP - in the equation the following year, we could be talking about favorite to win the Big East Conference, which will feature Connecticut, Cincinnati, Louisville, Villanova, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Marquette, Seton Hall, and St. John's, all of whom are currently ranked the top 30 teams in the nation in talent.  Johnson also tells us that Texas Tech has gotten a pair of early verbal commitments from 6'9 Jr Kendrick Johnson from Morton (H.S.) TX and 6'3 Jr Calvin Johnson from Morton (H.S.) TX.  And this is very interesting because Kendrick Johnson was ranked as the #1 7th grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP four years ago.  However, Johnson is currently ranked no higher than #233 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because he has not developed.  In other words, we're talking about a 6'10 athletic physical specimen with very limited skills and people around him who seem to think that he's destined to go straight to "The League" out of high school.  Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff also tells us that part of the problem was due to the fact that Johnson plays against small school competition and has not been challenged like he would be day-in-and-day-out if played against tough competition in Dallas, TX or Houston, TX.  But now it appears that reality has set in and, if Johnson indeed winds up at Texas Tech, it could prove to be the perfect marriage.  Not only is Red Raiders head coach Bob Knight second to none in terms of developing talent, but you can rest assured that the outside influences that have caused Johnson's development to go South will be eliminated once he enrolls at Texas Tech.  Our guess is that Johnson's younger brother (Kendrick is 17-years-old and Calvin is 16 years-old) was just part of the package, but he may turn out to be a free player down the road, because he's a big time athlete and a quarterback on the gridiron.   These early verbal commitments by Johnson and Johnson gives the Red Raiders three players in the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, 6'8 Jr Justin Wilkerson from Greenville (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #70 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committed to Texas Tech a year ago.  And all this is important, because the Red Raiders not only have established the fact that they can get the top high school players in their own backyard, but they have a great head start on the future, as they are only one of three schools that have more than one verbal commitment from players in the junior class.  The other two are Duke, which already has verbal commitments from 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN and 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, and Wake Forest, 6'7 Jr Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC and 6'9 Jr David Weaver from Swannanoa (Owen) NC.

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Craig Austin from El Camino (H.S.) CA has verbally committed to Arizona State, our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that 6'6 Rell Porter from Pittsburg (H.S.) TX has reneged on his verbal commitment to Stephen F. Austin, and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsvylania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'0 Maureece Rice has transferred from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA to Philadelphia (Berean) PA and that 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia Cardinal Dougherty) PA has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and, like everybody else, Rubin expects Lowry to pick Villanova over Arkansas.  But that's it, as almost everything else that has happened today had already been predetermined.  So with almost nothing new going in the recruiting world and with the college basketball season officially scheduled to tip-off tomorrow and Friday with the Coaches Versus Cancer doubleheaders at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY, now is the perfect time to publish our 2003-2004 College Basketball Section, which has everything except our 2003-2004 Pre-Season College All-American Teams.  Especially noteworthy are our Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for Teams in the Top 10 Division I Conferences and making this even more interesting than a year ago is the fact that we have compared last year's talent rating with this year's talent rating and can see whether each team has gotten better or worse since last season.  The teams with the biggest talent increases are Florida State (+19.1), Wake Forest (+18.4), Brigham Young (+17.4), UTEP (+15.0), Rhode Island (+13.3), Villanova (+12.3), Arkansas (+12.0), Cincinnati (+12.0), Washington State (+10.5), Charlotte (+10.5), and California (+9.9) and the teams with the biggest talent decreases are Arizona (-21.9), Kentucky (-19.4), USC (-18.2), Georgetown (-14.6), Alabama (-13.7), South Carolina (-12.9), Indiana (-12.0), Massachusetts (-12.0), San Diego State (-11.2), and Georgia (-10.2).  Obviously when a team has already been successful, has most of its top players back, and registers a huge talent increase (i.e. Wake Forest, which returns four starters from a team that was 25-6 a year ago and has the second biggest talent increase among teams in the top 10 Division Conferences), it should be a major warning sign.  And when you add 6'0 Chris Paul, who finished ranked #7 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003, into the equation, it's not hard to see why we think Wake Forest is a legitimate NCAA Final Four team both this year and next year (the Demon Deacons don't have a senior currently on their roster).  However, it appears that we're way out on a limb on this one, as none of the other pre-season polls have Wake Forest ranked among the top 10.  A quick check of our Pre-Season College Team Ranking Comparisons for 2003-2004 shows that Basketball Times does have Wake Forest ranked #12, but the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, and the Cats' Pause Pre-Season Yearbook have Wake Forest ranked #18, Lindy's Basketball Yearbook has Wake Forest ranked #19, the Associated Press and Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook have Wake Forest ranked #20, and the USA Today/ESPN has Wake Forest ranked #21. We also think it might be a good idea to be a little bit conservative when it comes to ranking teams that have had big talent drops (i.e. Arizona, which drops from #2 to #23, and Kentucky, which drops from #10 to #50, when we compare our Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for all 328 Division I Teams from 2002-2003 from a year ago with our Exclusive HOOP SCOOP Talent Ratings for Teams in the Top 10 Division I Conferences for 2003-2004).  Thus, explains why we have Arizona ranked #23 and Kentucky ranked #25 in our 2003-2004 Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 40 College Teams.  In sharp contrast, Arizona is ranked as high as #4 by both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls and no lower that #14 by Basketball Times and Kentucky is ranked as high as #4 by Street & Smith and the Cats' Pause and no lower than #17 by Lindy's.  And these aren't the only examples of where teams finished strong a year ago, suffered major losses, and don't have the talent to be ranked nearly as high as they are in the other pre-season polls.  Syracuse, which we have ranked #13, appears to be a consensus top 10-ranked team; Texas, which we have ranked #27, is ranked anywhere from #6 to #14 by our competition; and Pittsburgh, which we have ranked #28, checks in at #22 in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN polls and is ranked as high as #12 by Lindy's.  In other words, it's tough to lose players like Carmelo Anthony, T.J. Ford, Keith Bogans, Jason Gardner, Luke Walton and Brandin Knight and not miss a beat.  Instead, we've gone out on a limb with teams with a lot of talent and/or a major talent increase, like Cincinnati (ranked #5 in talent with a +12.0 talent increase); Kansas State (ranked #9 in talent with a +5.0 talent increase); Ohio State (ranked #15 in talent with a +4.9 talent increase); Virginia (ranked #4 in talent); Brigham Young (ranked #49 in talent, but four starters are back from a team that was 23-9 and has increased +17.4 points in talent); Iowa (ranked #14 in talent with a +8.2 talent increase and four starters returning); Villanova (ranked #12 in talent with a +12.3 talent increase, an incredibly deep sophomore class, and the possibility that Jason Fraser will be 100% by tournament time); and Florida State (ranked #16 in talent with a +19.1 talent increase).  We also really like several teams that are less talented, like Wisconsin and Providence.  The Badgers rank no higher than #64 in talent, but four starters return from a team that has finished first in the Big-10 Conference the last two years; 7'0 Frosh Brian Butch was ranked #5 nationally in our Rinal Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003 and is expected to be one of the top freshmen in the Big-10 this year; and Bo Ryan is a heck of a coach, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #2 among active head coaches with 15 years or more of experience at the college level based on winning percentage (the complete list can be found by clicking on Tracking the Top Division I Head Coaches (Both Active and All Time).  The Friars returns five starters from a team that was 18-14 year ago, plus their best player - 6'4 Abdul Mills, who missed last season with an injury - is back and 6'5 Frosh Dwight Brewington and 6'4 Gerald Brown, who is currently in prep school, but is expected to join the team at the semester break in December, provide incredible backcourt depth.

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

With most of the top players in the Class of 2004 already verbally committed and the University of Arizona having missed last week on 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL it looks like the Wildcats have rebounded with a true sleeper.   We're talking about 6'3 Daniel Dillon from London (North Laurel) KY, who came to the United States from Australia in August, which explains why we've never heard of him, despite the fact that he's right in our backyard.  Neither has Rick Bolus, who is the Editor & Publisher of the High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service and the foremost expert on his school basketball in the state of Kentucky.  As a matter of fact, after a quick check of Bolus' list of the top 60 players in the state regardless of class, which can be found in the Cats' Pause Pre-Season Yearbook, we find that Dillon is not on the list.  So you guess is as good as mine as to how good Dillon really is, but we did find some interesting quotes from Jerry Meyer on RivalsHoops.com.  “'Daniel is a 6'3, very strong and physical player,' said Coach Kenny Wood of North Laurel.  'He handles and passes well.  Takes it to the basket and jumps well.  His strongest asset is that he makes great decisions and sees the floor.  As with most players with this type of ability, his outside shot is a little behind his other skills.  But his outside shot is improving, and with the reps and work he will get at Arizona, it will really improve.'”  The addition of Dillon moves Arizona's recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX and 6'9 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, into a tie at #20, along with Pittsburgh and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, we reserve to right to adjust this further as addition information becomes available.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Albert Weber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #91 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has reaffirmed his verbal commitment to Alabama, which means the Crimon Tide's recruiting class remains tied at #11, along with USC, Mississippi State, and Purdue, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Weber, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, also should provide head coach Mark Gottfried with an excellent complement to the other three players - 6'7 Jean Felix from Bevill State (JC) AL, 6'4 Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, and 6'2 Ron Steele from Birmingham (John Carroll) AL - that Alabama landed in this recruiting class.   However, the icing on the cake will be if Alabama gets 6'8 Jr Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is believed to be a near lock for the Crimson Tide.   In other words, when Hendrix enrolls in school two years from now, 6'10 Frosh Akini Adkins, 6'9 Frosh Jamerio Davidson, 6'10 Frosh Shawn Taylor will already have the experience they need inside and the current class is expected to be exactly what the doctor ordered out on the perimeter.  And just like Weber, we also suspect that 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will reaffirm his verbal commitment Michigan and 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will reaffirm his verbal commitment to Memphis.  Speaking of Memphis, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that just 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, who is ranked #183 nationall in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has agreed to walk-on a Memphis and, as a result, Allen's close friend and AAU teammate (Shawne Williams) won't be too far behind.  And assuming that this is correct, Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes Williams, 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, is now ranked #4, behind Indiana, Texas, and Louisville and ahead of Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, UCLA, and Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Warren McLendon from Dublin (West Lauren) GA and 6'9 Demetrius Nelson from John's Island (St. John's) SC have both verbally committed to The Citadel and via Big Apple Sports that 6'4 Derek Stockalper from Mira Costa (JC) CA has verbally committed to Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo and 6'9 Tezarray Banks from Cerritos (JC) CA has verbally committed to Boise State.  But that's it, as it's amazing quiet on the eve of the Fall Signing Period. 

Monday, November 10, 2003

Did you know that the five-and-eight rule that limits Division I schools from signing no more than five players one year and three the next starts all over again, which means that schools that signed five players a year ago are free to sign five more players this year?  Neither did we until today, which is totally explainable when one remembers that NCAA changes their rules so fast that it's hard for even people in the know (like us) to keep up.  But when in doubt and if it makes sense, you can almost always bet that the NCAA has already passed a rule against it.  Actually this is the second time that the a wavier has been granted for the five-and-eight rule since its inception in the spring of 2000.  Obviously this answers our question from yesterday with regards to how Tulane can sign five players a year ago and sign four more this year.  We also have finally gotten the answer what we expected would happen with regards to 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL verbally committing to the University of Kentucky.  If you will recall, a week ago today it broke that Bradley had picked the Wildcats, but the next day Bradley went on record saying everybody had jumped the gun.  However, upon further investigation we stood by our source and let it play itself out.  The verbal commitment by Bradley keeps Kentucky's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, tied at #77, along with Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, plus may give the Wildcats the momentum they need to also land 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class, and 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class, in this recruiting class.  And, if Kentucky does get both Crawford and Morris, we'd be talking about a recruiting class that is tied at #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But, even more important, Bradley, Morris, Crawford, and Patrick Sparks, who transferred from Western Kentucky to Kentucky last spring, would provide the Wildcats with ideal group to replace Antwain Barbour, Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch, and Cliff Hawkins after they graduate next spring.   We also have confirmed that Liberty has landed 6'5 Joe Fulp from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, who was not on our the radar screen until he emerged as one of top players this fall at the 2003 Bob Gibbons Fall Evaluation Clinic at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.  Fulp also is supposed to be the best player on the R.J. Reynolds team and that's saying a lot because Richmond-bound 6'9 Jarhon Giddings, who transferred from Blacksburg (H.S.) NC to Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC when school started this fall, is pretty good!  Fulp is expected to provide the Flames with an excellent complement to 6'1 Frosh Larry Blair and 6'11 Jr Emmanuel Segan, who were the two prizes in last year's recruiting class, and 6'11 Russell Monroe from Alma (H.S.) MI and 6'2 Evan Risher from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, both of whom already count as part of this year's recruiting class.  In other words, Liberty head coach Randy Dunton and his staff have already signed a player at every position who figures to make an immediate impact either this year or next year and, as a result, this is potentially one of the fastest rising programs at the low Division I level.  Editor's Note:  Upon further investigation and a call to the NCAA, we find that the five-and-eight rule may be rescinded altogether at some point within the next year.  However, as things stand now, it is still in effect.  In the case of Tulane, the Green Wave are able to sign nine players over two years due to the fact there is an exemption to the rule that allows a school to received an extra scholarship, if that school has graduated more players than they have signed during a specified period.  

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has verbally committed to USC, and, as result, the Trojans' recruiting class moves into a tie at #10, along with Alabama, Mississippi State, and Purdue, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, we're not sure that USC's recruiting class, which also includes 7'0 Robert Swift from Bakersfield (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (H.S.) CA, and 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, will finish ranked that high when it is all said and done.  Remember, most people in the know think Swift, who is academically ineligible to play this season, will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring and Pruitt will need a year of prep school before enrolling at a four--year college.  However, regardless of who actually enrolls in school next fall, right now this recruiting class is extremely impressive, as Swift is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, Willis is ranked #14 on our 5th Year List, Young is ranked #22 on our 5th Year List, and Pruitt is ranked #74 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Willis also is exactly what the Trojans need inside, especially if Swift doesn't show up, because he's a big time athlete with a blue collar work ethic out of the same mold as Kenyon Martin.  Willis originally signed with Southern Miss a year ago, but needed a year of prep school, which meant his recruitment re-opened and, as a result, the Trojans were able to beat out schools like Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, Virginia, South Carolina, Miami-FL, and Auburn.  The verbal commitment by Willis also means that with only two days left before the first day of the Fall Signing Period, which is always the second Wednesday in November, most of the Top 5th Year Players have already verbally committed.  As a matter of fact, only 15 players - 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON; 6'6 Roosevelt Lee, who was at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, but now is missing in action; 6'2 Robert McIver from Winchendon (School) MA; 6'8 Stanley Branch from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA; 6'8 Frantz Dorsainvil from Winchendon (School) MA; 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA; 6'3 Kelvin Davis, who was at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, but is now missing in action; 6'5 Joel Smith from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH; 6'4 Donovan Morris from Winchendon (School) MA; 6'5 Kevyn Green from Worcester (Academy) MA; 6'6 C.J. Anderson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC; 6'0 Maureece Rice from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA; 6'1 Shane Morrison from Toronto (Jeffrey's) ON; 6'1 Jamuel Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA; and 6'9 Jerome Habel from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA - who are ranked among our Top 50 5th Year Players are still available.  And there are only 11 players - 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, and 6'4 Albert Weber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC - who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally that are still available.  And when one remembers that Howard will likely by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft next spring and Blatche has been reclassified as a junior and is expected to go the prep school route, that number dwindles to only nine.  Johnson believes that Hairston won't verbally commit until after the Fall Signing Period, but that he will pick Ohio State, which has been on him the longest and the strongest, long before next spring.  Johnson also goes with the status quo, as he predicts Morris will end up at Georgia Tech, Crawford will reaffirm his verbal commitment to Michigan, Lowry will pick Villanova, Temple will pick LSU, and Washington will pick Virginia Tech.   However, Johnson goes out on a limb when he predicts Palacios will pick Baylor, Thomas will go to North Texas, and Weber will sign with Connecticut.  With Weber, who is expected to make his decision tomorrow, we will see whether he will honor the verbal commitment that he originally made to Alabama last spring or whether he will pick Connecticut or Arkansas, which are the two schools that he recently has visited.   Speaking the Arkansas, 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN and 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN may have interest in the Razorbacks, but that interest does not appear to be reciprocal.   Instead, the Arkansas coaching staff is targeting Weber and Lowry with their one remaining scholarship.  In other words, if the Williams/Allen package materializes, the smart money is on the University of Houston, which would be a major coup for the Cougars and major feather in the camp of Cougars assistant coach John Fitzpatrick, who is one of the most underrated assistant coaches in the business.  Remember, this is the guy did most of the leg work when Houston almost beat Duke and Arizona for 6'10 Ndudi Ebi from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX a year ago.  We also have confirmed that Virginia has landed 6'11 Tunji Soroye from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and as a result, the Cavaliers have landed the inside player they were looking for to complement 6'0 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA and 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, in this recruiting class.  Obviously this is big, because it Soroye is 6'11 athletic shot blocking defensive presence inside.  However, it also gives the Cavaliers a future entree' to the Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD program, it allows the Pete Gillen and his staff to start focusing exclusively on juniors, and it comes on the heels of Virginia's recruiting class that was ranked #11 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'5 Gary Forbes from Brooklyn (Banneker) NY, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, 6'1 T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington County Day) VA, and 6'8 Donte Minter from Fork Union (Military) VA. 

Saturday, November 8, 2003, & Sunday, November 9, 2003

I just love it when I get an email or somebody calls me to tell me about a player and they say everybody, except me, knows how good he is, especially when he's only in the 5th, 6th, 7th, or 8th grade.  Do you know how hard it is to even get names of players at this age?  I have a hard time getting our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman to even rank players in the Class of 2007, because freshman in high school for the most part are still in middle school in Memphis, TN.  Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report, who for many years wrote for the HOOP SCOOP and still help us out from time to time with names and rankings, won't even return my phone calls when I leave a message that I'm looking for names of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.  Our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley never has any names of middle school players, because he does not want to get accused of using the HOOP SCOOP as a recruiting tool to get players to attend Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, where he is an assistant coach.  And, while some of our area editors and correspondents do a good job at gathering names and getting information about players this young, they still get most of their information second hand and, as a result, I have had to start developing other contacts who actually see players in these age groups.  There also is a tremendous margin for error when ranking players this young, because it's not always easy to project how much a player will continue to develop, grow, and improve his skills over the years.  So obviously when somebody tries to tell me that our list is bogus, because their son isn't on the list or that we ruined their son's career, because we had him ranked too low, it's pretty amusing.  I also usually fall on deaf ears when I try to explain that we have five or six years to get it right.  In other words, where a player is ranked this young is a great starting point and a reflection of what we already know about the top players in a particular class.  However, anybody who thinks their son's college scholarship or whether their son will have a shot at making the McDonald's All-American Game and even playing in the NBA is effected by where we have him ranked in junior high school is totally out to lunch.  Having said all that, I am amazed at the both the depth and the accuracy of lists of the Top 50 6th Graders and the Top Eight 5th Graders that we've published today.  Heading the list of the 6th Graders are 6'2 Kearis Pinckney from Orlando, FL and 5'8 Ray McCallum, Jr from Houston, TX.  Not only are these the two names that have come up the most when talking with people who see players at this age group, but, if they were race horses, they probably would be worth a lot of money, because they both have great bloodlines.  Pinckney's father, Ed Pinckney led Villanova to the NCAA Championship in 1985, played 12 years in the NBA, and is now an assistant coach at Villanova.  McCallum's father, Ray McCallum, Sr, led Muncie (Central) IN to two state championships in the late 70's, was named the Mid-American Conference Player-of-the-Year when he was a senior at Ball State in 1983, was an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin for 10 years, was the head coach at Ball State for seven years, and has been the head coach at the University of Houston for the last three-and-a-half years.  When added to our list of the Top 100 5th Year Players, Top 445 Seniors, The Top 240 Juniors, Top 280 Sophomores, Top 180 Freshmen, Top 90 Eighth Graders, and Top Players 85 7th Graders, the total number of names on our national player list is now 1,378, which is pretty amazing in itself.  We will update all these lists again periodically throughout the winter, so obviously I'm interested in whatever input and insight that you think it is important to provide, as continue to refine each of these lists.  You can email me at hoopscoopline@msn.com, fax me at (502) 254-2646, or call me at (502) 500-4667.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Soph Chris Rocquemore from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX has made an early verbal commitment to Baylor and this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, we are talking about a player who is ranked #4 in Texas and #26 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP picking the Bears.  Second, getting Rocquemore to verbally commit this early not only gives Baylor a great head start on the future, but also a big name in-state kid they can sell to potential recruits in the future.  Third, getting Rocquemore destroys any myth that has been created about the new regime not being able to recruit in their own backyard.   Remember, Baylor also received an early verbal commitment this fall from 6'7 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland Heritage Christian) TX, who is one of the top juniors in the state.  Fourth, getting Rocquemore to follow in the footsteps of Woods and 6'11 Mamadou Diene from The Senegal, who was ranked as the best player in camp when he attended the Babacar Sy Basketball Camp in July and is one of the top players in his age group in Africa, firmly establishes the Baylor is still able to recruit the talent necessary to win in the tough Big-12 Conference.  In other words, when you combine assistant coach Jerome Tang's strong connection to the program at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, where he previously was the head coach until a month-and-a-half ago, the strong international and junior college contacts of head coach Scott Drew and assistant coach Mark Morefield, and assistant coach Matt Driscoll's strong contacts nationally at the prep school and high school level, Baylor's biggest problem in the future may be finding enough scholarships.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, who is ranked #112 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Brigham Young.  And we find this kind of ironic, because Burgess' older brother, Chris Burgess, transferred from Duke to the University of Utah, which is BYU's biggest rival, after the 1998-99 season.  Burgess isn't as naturally talented and perimeter oriented as his older brother, but he does do the the dirty work inside, is one of the best rebounders in the senior class nationally, and can score around the basket.  So obviously makes him ideally suited to complement the other three players - 6'10 Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT, 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, and 6'9 Trent Plaisted from San Antonio (Clark) TX - in a recruiting class that now is tied at #51, along with Georgetown and Wright State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Burgess picked Brigham Young over Louisville and Gonzaga, but this comes as no surprise, because Pat Barrett, who runs the Reebok-sponsored Southern California club team program, tipped us off that this was likely to happen 11 days ago.  We are surprised by the fact the Tulane has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Donnie Stith from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, who is ranked #274 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, we thought the Green Wave was done recruiting this year after landing 6'8 David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA, 6'8 Robinson Louisme from Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, and 6'6 Matt Wheaton from Houston (Mayde Creek) TX in this recruiting class and 6'1 Troy Aaron, 6'4 Vincent Camper, 6'8 Kory Castine, 6'8 Dan Fitzgerald, and 6'5 Chris Moore in last year's recruiting class.   Maybe the Tulane is getting an additional scholarship, because they have a high graduation rate in recent years or maybe they are planning on sending somebody in their current recruiting class to prep school for a year.  However, something we don't know about has to happen, based on the fact that current NCAA rules allow a school to only enroll eight players over a two-year period.  But for our purposes, we we're not worried about whether the numbers add up and, as a result, Tulane's recruiting class moves into a tie at #51, along with Georgetown, Wright State, and Brigham Young, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Also moving into a tie #51, along with Tulane, Georgetown, Wright State, and Brigham Young, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, is Marshall, which has landed 6'10 Jesse Ogelsby from Lithonia (Martin Luther King) GA.   We're talking about somebody with good low post skills and the ability to rebound and blocks shots, but the big reason why our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis is so high only Ogelsby is the fact that he's young for his grade (he won't turn 18 until January), he's a huge upside, and he's dramatically improved since last winter when he averaged only 5.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg.  Schools like Stetson, Mercer, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, Jackson State, South Carolina State, and Winthrop were also in the hunt, but obviously Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa was able to take advantage of his old ties dating back to when he was the head coach at the University of Georgia to get this one done. 

Friday, November 7, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin looks like a genius now with regards to the verbal commitment that 6'8 Jr Mike Davis from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY has made to the University of Pittsburgh.  If you will recall, Rubin told us that the decision had already been made two weeks ago and, as a result, everybody picked else picked up on it, even though it wasn't official until yesterday.  Davis is a terrific catch for the Panthers for several reasons.  First, he's ranked #51 nationally in the junior class, which means he's good enough to step in and complement 6'10 Frosh Chris Taft and 7'0 Frosh Aaron Gray inside two years from now.   Second, the addition of Davis helps keep the New York pipeline intact.  Remember, the Panthers recruit New York City as well as anybody right, as they've already got Taft, 6'2 Soph Carl Krauser, and 6'8 Soph Dante Milligan in the fold and 6'2 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'0 Ronald Ramone from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY both count as part of their current recruiting class.  Third, the early verbal commitment by Davis gives the Pittsburgh coaching staff a head start on next year's recruiting class, plus it allows them to be even more selective about they do with the final scholarship in this recruiting class, which already include Milligan, Benjamin, and 6'5 John DeGroat from Northeastern (JC) CO and is currently is ranked #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if they also get 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is believed to be the Panthers' recruiting prime target for the spring, then their recruiting class would move into a tie at #9, along with UCLA on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  That in itself would be ironic, because it would mean that Pittsburgh's new head coach Jamie Dixon has been able to match his old boss, new UCLA head coach Ben Howland, player-for-player in this recruiting class.  However, even more important, it means the Panthers will be well stocked with good young players for years to come.  Remember, 6'2 Soph Carl Krauser, 6'3 Frosh Antonio Graves, 6'6 Frosh Ed Turner, 6'9 Frosh Levon Kendall, Taft, Gray, Milligan are already in the program; DeGroat, Benjamin, and Ramone count in the current recruiting class, and Davis counts toward next year's recruiting class.  In other words, if the Panthers do get Palacios, they would only have one more scholarship available to give in the Class of 2005.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has confirmed that 6'11 Mohammed Camara from Riverside (JC) CA, who is ranked #6 among centers in the junior college ranks by Van Coleman in Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook, has verbally committed to St. John's and obviously this is huge for the Red Storm.  Not only does Camara provide the bonafide big man that the St. John's coaching staff will need to complement Lamont Hamilton inside a year from now, but he also is exactly what the doctor ordered as head coach Mike Jarvis gets the quick fix he needs by going the junior college route.  If you will recall, St. John's already has landed two other talented junior college players - 6'8 Rodney Epperson from Midland (JC) TX and 6'4 Jermaine Maybank from Independence (JC) KS - in this year's recruiting, which is now ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, as well as #1 among schools in the Big East Conference just ahead of Connecticut and Pittsburgh.  However, if 6'10 Jermaine Bell, who is still missing in action, but may surface this winter in junior college, doesn't materalize as part of this recruiting class, then the Red Storm's class would drop into a tie at #49, along with Vanderbilt and Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We saw Camara, who is the cousin of Jules Camara and is originally from the Senegal, play two years ago at Louisville (Moore) KY and at the time we thought he was a project.  But since then Camara has grown 6'9, 180 lbs., to 6'11, 260 lbs. and apparently is dramatically improved, as is evident by the fact that Arizona State, San Diego State, and Rutgers were also in hot pursuit.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has reneged on the verbal commitment he made last summer to Memphis.  Apparently the Tigers are still right at the top of Williams' list, but Houston, Arkansas, Cincinnati, and Kansas are now also being mentioned.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the Memphis coaching staff doesn't appear to be too worried, which leads us to believe that this is a power play for Williams to get his close friend and AAU teammate -5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN - a scholarship offer from the Tigers.  Currently schools like Arkansas, Houston, Tennessee, and Indiana are showing interest in Allen, but the numbers don't add up at Memphis, if Allen wants to be more than a just walk-on in this recruiting class.  Remember, the Tigers already have five players - Williams, 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL; 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC - in this current recruiting class and they already have 13 players - 6'0 Sr Antonio Burks, 6'10 Sr Modibo Diarra, 6'5 Jr Billy Richmond, 6'4 Jr Anthony Rice, 6'10 Jr Simplice Njoya, 6'9 Jr Duane Erwin, 6'8 Jr Arthur Barclay, 6'0 Soph Clyde Wade, 6'4 Soph Jeremy Hunt, 6'7 Soph Rodney Carney, 6'6 Frosh Sean Banks, 6'10 Frosh Almamy Thiero, 6'8 Frosh Ivan Lopez - in the program with only two seniors graduating after the current season.  In other words, if nobody declares hardship for the NBA Draft next spring, nobody transfers or flunks out of school, and/or if everybody gets a scholarship, the Tigers will be be three over the 13 scholarship limit next year.  So suddenly Houston and Arkansas, which are the two schools that are recruiting both Williams and Allen, appear to be viable options.  However, Arkansas may drop out of the hunt, if they first get 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class.  Without Williams, Memphis' recruiting class drops to #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If Houston gets both Williams and Allen, their recruiting class, which already includes 6'10 Lamont Harrington from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, would move into a tie at #27, along with USC, Oregon, California, and Michigan State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But, if Arkansas gets both Williams and Allen, their situation becomes just as complicated as Memphis', because the Razorbacks already have five players - 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) AR, 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS and 6'7 Marcus Monk from Lapento (East Poinsette) AR - in their recruiting class, which currently is ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, Monk is expected to sign a National Letter-of-Intent to play football at Arkansas and Thomas may not make it academically, which means a year of prep school may be in his future.  We also understand that 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL has a press conference scheduled for Monday, November 10th, and we'd be shocked if he didn't make it official for the University of Kentucky.  

Thursday, November 6, 2003

It appears that we have the scoop on our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, because we have confirmed that 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA has verbally committed to Kansas State.  And we hope that this time Allen's verbal commitment holds up.  If you will recall, Allen verbally committed several different times to USC, but, in the end, it didn't hold up.  We also hope that Allen lives up to his potential.  Not only is Allen a big time athlete, but we're also talking about somebody with explosive speed and quickness, good ball handling and passing skills for somebody his size, and an incredible amount of natural talent.  However, Allen still needs to improve his outside shooting, develop a killer mentality, and learn to play with more consistency.  In other words, the big question is how bad does Allen want it, which explains why he is ranked no higher than #81 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Still, this a huge catch for Kansas State, because Allen has the talent, athleticism, and potential to have a shot at someday playing in the NBA, he gives the Wildcats an connection to the West Coast for further recruiting purposes, and he appears to be ideally suited to complement 6'0 Frosh Dez Willingham and 6'4 Clent Stewart from Tulsa (Union) OK, who also verbally committed to Kansas State earlier this week, in the backcourt for years to come.  The verbal commitment by Allen also is important, because he gives the Wildcats two high school players in this recruiting class to go along with 6'7 Soph Marques Hayden, Willingham, 6'8 Frosh Cartier Martin, 6'11 Frosh Tyler Hughes, 6'4 Frosh Lance Harris, all of whom were high school players when Kansas State signed them as part of their last two recruiting classes.  In other words, Wildcats head coach Jim Wooldridge and his staff got the program heading in the right direction with junior college players like Previs Pasco, Matt Siebrandt, Gilson DeJesus, and Janerio Spurlock, all of whom graduated after last season; Frank Richards, Tim Ellis, and Lance Hart, all of whom will graduate after this season; and Justin Williams, Jeremiah Massey, and 6'8 Dramane Diarra, all of whom will graduate after next season; but now have switched their focus from recruiting primarily junior college players to high school players.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 David Whitehurst from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ has verbally committed to Pennsylvania and this appears to be a good catch for the Quakers, because he does everything well, is good athleticially, and has good size for the 2-guard spot.  We also have confirmed via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that 6'9 Pavlius Packevicius from Arlington (Oakridge) TX has verbally committed to Rice, 6'3 Wallace Hall from Detroit (Denby) MI has verbally committed to Buffalo, and 6'10 Jason Killeen from Laurinburg (Institute) NC has verbally committed to Winthrop and via Big Apple Sports that 6'2 Malcolm Mainer from Cincinnati State (JC) OH has verbally committed to Georgia State, 6'1 Keith Young from Trition (JC) IL has verbally to committed to Norfolk State, 6'7 Ray Selvage from Pearl (JC) MS has verbally committed UT-San Antonio, 6'11 Michael Adams from Indian Hills (JC) IA has verbally committed to Youngstown State, 6'5 Darius Glover from Olney Central (JC) IL has verbally committed to Florida A&M, 6'9 Calvin Roland from Aiken Tech (JC) SC has verbally committed to Virginia Commonwealth, and 6'11 Abdoulaye Ndiaye from Southern Idaho (JC) ID has verbally committed again to San Diego.   If you will recall, Ndiaye counted as part of San Diego's recruiting class a year, but apparently went the junior college route for a year in order to continue to develop as a player and, as a result, also is part of the Toreros' current recruiting class, which is tied at #79, along with St. Bonaventure, Saint Louis, Texas Texas, Eastern Michigan, New Hampshire, Valparaiso, Cornell, and Rice, and includes 5'11 Mike Kilpatrick from Eastern Utah (JC) UT and 6'8 Gyno Pomare from Oceanside (El Camino) CA, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also appears that 6'3 Lorenzo Keeler form Escondido (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #170 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is at it again, because he has reneged on his verbal commitment to San Diego State.  If you will recall, last winter Keeler verbally committed to San Diego, but that one didn't hold up either.  We also understand that 6'8 Kevin Langford from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, who is ranked #100 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will make an official visit to UCLA this weekend and it appears that 6'9 Amir Johnson, who is ranked #47 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has transferred from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA to Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Roosevelt Lee has left Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'3 Kelvin Davis has left Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT. 

Wednesday, November 5, 2003

We have confirmed that 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, as expected, picked Duke over Arizona and Illinois.  Obviously this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Livingston is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, the addition of Livingston moves Duke's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'2 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA and 6'5 David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Third, getting Livingston shows once again that the Blue Devils coaching staff can go anywhere in the nation and beat the top schools in the area for their prime recruiting target.  It also shows that Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant coach Chris Collins, both of whom are originally from Chicago, IL, still have more than their share of contacts in the state.  Fourth, Livingston is the great point guard that the Blue Devils need to replace 6'1 Sr Chris Duhon at point guard and complement 6'4 Soph J.J. Redick, 6'3 Sr Daniel Ewing, 6'8 Frosh Luol Deng, 6'9 Soph Shelden Williams, and 6'10 Soph Shavlik Randolph a year from now.  And, assuming that nobody goes hardship into the NBA Draft prematurely in the next year or two, the Blue Devils, which will be the #2-ranked team when we come out with our pre-season rankings later this month, appear to be perfectly positioned to be one of the dominant team in college basketball for at least the next three years.  Remember, 6'10 Soph Michael Thompson, 6'2 Soph Sean Dockery, and 6'2 Soph 6'7 Lee Melchionni provide the Blue Devils with an incredible amount of depth and they also are extremely well set for the future as 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Soph Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, already count as part of next year's recruiting class.  In other words, with six sophomores (Redick Williams, Randolph, Thompson, Dockery, and Melchionni) and one freshman (Deng) in the program and three high school seniors (Livingston, Nelson, and McClure) and two high school juniors (McRoberts and Paulus) on the way, this is not good news for the teams they go head-to-head against in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  However, the good news for those same teams is that Duke currently only has one more scholarship available in this year's and next year's recruiting classes.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'1 Jack McClinton from South Kent (Prep) CT picked Siena over Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut, Towson, and Hartford and 6'3 Khaliq Gant from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA has verbally committed to Cornell.  The verbal commitment by Gant is very impressive, because we're talking about one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, as well as somebody who was ranked among the top 100 sophomores nationally by the HOOP SCOOP two years ago.  Unfortunately Gant, who also needs to get bigger and stronger, hasn't matured physically as much as most of the other players in the class since that time.  Thus, explains why Gant is ranked no higher than #309 ranking in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, we still like Gant's upside and he's good enough right now to move Cornell's recruiting class, which also includes 6'10 Shawn Oliverson, from Preston (H.S.) ID and 6'4 Will Scott from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, up to #79 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that New Orleans has landed 6'10 Shawn Malloy from Chipola (JC) FL and, as a result, the Privateers' recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Kris Clark from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Jose Nava from Hill (JC) TX, and 6'1 Todd Bostic from Cochise (JC) AZ, moves up to #31 on out list of Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Malloy, who originally signed with New Orleans two years ago as a high school senior at Raeford (Hock County) NC, appears to be ideally suited to complement and Nava, who is a powerful force inside, in this recruiting class.  Not only is Malloy active, athletic, and skilled in the high post, but he is an excellent shot blocker and very agile around the basket.   Malloy, who was at Polk (JC) KS last season, also has dramatically improved, as is evident by the fact that he will be the starting center for Street & Smith's #12-ranked junior college team in the nation.  Normally we'd just assume that Privateers assistant coach Patrick Harrington, who is one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, got this one done.  However, that doesn't appear to be the case here.  As a matter fact, we hear that New Orleans' other assistant coach, Nikita Johnson deserves all the credit on this one from start-to-finish.

Several days ago we reported that 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL had verbally committed to the University of Kentucky, but now it looks like Bradley is trying to do exactly what his good friend and club team teammate - 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY - did in late July when the cat got out of the bag about Telfair having made a verbal commitment to Louisville.  If you will recall, everybody, including Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports, who first reported the story on Monday on his web site at www.hoopmasters.com, reported that Bradley has verbally committed to Kentucky.  But now Bradley is being quoted in numerous places saying that everybody has the story wrong.  However, sources that we think are just as reliable as Bradley tell us that Gibbons had it right.   Our guess is that Bradley still wants to take some more visits, as well as make the announcement at a time and place of his own chosing, instead of having some recruiting guru brake the story for him.  But there also is some risk in doing this.   Remember, Telfair dragged it out for two-and-a-half months, but when the word got back to him that the 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA was going to make an official visit to Louisville on the weekend of October 18th and that the Cardinals were going to offer Rondo the scholarship that had been earmarked for Telfair, a press conference was scheduled for Thursday, October 16th, which was two days before Rando was supposed to be on campus.  And similar to potentially was going to happen with Telfair, if the Wildcats get 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, before Bradley makes up his mind, he might be out of luck.  If you will recall, Kentucky signed five players - 7'3 Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Sheray Thomas from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'7 Bobby Perry from Durham (Hillcrest) NC, and 7'2 Lukasz Obrzut from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME - in last year's recruiting class and they already have 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV in their current recruiting class.  Which means that the Wildcats only have two more scholarships available.  If Kentucky can get Bradley now and later get both Crawford and a big man, then smart move would be to take them all and convince Williams that he needs a year of prep school.  But, if Crawford verbally commits to Kentucky first, then there would be no need to worry about taking Bradley, because Crawford would not only fill the need, but he also would probably be the best player on the team next year.  However, that also appears to be open to some debate, as Gibbons was quoted in yesterday's Louisville Courier-Journal saying that "Bradley belongs in the same class with other highly touted point guards, such as University of Louisville recruit Sebastian Telfair and Shaun Livingston, but hasn't received the same hype.  'This kid is going to be one of those players who shows up in the NBA after four years, and people are going to scratch their heads and wonder how he slipped past them,' Gibbons said.  'He's as talented as any point guard coming into college basketball next year.'"  The article also points out that Gibbons has Bradley ranked #81 nationally in the Class of 2004.  While this sounds great, we have to wonder if Gibbons was pandering to the local audience.  And, if he wasn't, why doesn't Gibbons have Bradley ranked any higher than #81 in the nation?  As for Bradley, if he makes an official visit to someplace like Boston College or Clemson or Kentucky gets Crawford and backs out, then we no longer will count him as verbally committed to the Wildcats.  But, until one of those two things happen, we will continue to count him with Kentucky's recruiting class.  Speaking of Clemson, Bradley isn't the only player the Tigers have turned the heat up on and, as a result, have a chance of sneaking into the backdoor to pull at the 11th hours and pulling off a major upset.  The other player we're talking about is 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously Georgia Tech is still the school you have to beat in the Morris-sweepstakes, but the Tigers now appear to be battling Kentucky for second place.  However, both are Morris and Bradley are long shots for the Tigers.  Instead, we think Clemson will get their next two verbal commitments from 6'8 Julius Powell from Newton (Conover) NC, who is ranked #44 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Jr Joey Cameron from Lees (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #55 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, as the Tigers get a head start on the future.  And we wouldn't be surprised if Cameron's decision isn't forthcoming sooner than later.  Add this to Clemson's current recruiting class, which already includes 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, and 6'9 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC and is tied at #37, along with UTEP, Xavier, Charlotte, and Wyoming, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and it is easy to see why we think the new coaching staff has the program heading in the right direction.   If the Tigers also get either Bradley or Morris, their class would move into the top 15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if by some chance Clemson really hits the jackpot and gets them both, then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that is tied at #6, along with Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and is ranked as the best recruiting class in the Atlantic Coast Conference ahead of North Carolina, Duke, N.C. State, Florida State, and Georgia Tech, all of whom have already have top 25-ranked recruiting classes. 

Tuesday, November 4, 2003

The 10th Annual Pangos Dream Classic, which will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2004, at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion won't be a media circus like it was a year ago when LeBron James was the feature attraction, but it still should be pretty good.  As a matter of fact, tournament director Dinos Trigonis has an another all-star cast lined up that includes 6'11 Dwight Howard from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA; who is the consensus #1-ranked player in the nation, 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is ranked #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who is ranked #31 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who is ranked #34 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #78 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA, who is one of the fastest rising 5th Year players in the nation; 6'5 Jr Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who has the potential to emerge as one of the biggest sleepers in the junior class nationally; 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'4 Soph Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously this will be one of the many events that we'll covering this winter and thanks to the efforts of both Trigonis and Eddie Oliver, who is the publisher of HoopsUSA.com, we not only have updated our list of Dates/Future Events, but we also have tentatively planned our schedule for this winter.  And you can too with the help of the 2003-2004 High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report, which includes all the important information, including the top players and top teams, from over 130 of the top high school basketball events this winter.  So we strongly encourage you to contact Oliver by email at ozone@sccoast.net, by fax at (843)-650-7222, or mail at HoopsUSA Tournament and Events, P.O. Box 15403, Surfside Beach, SC 29587 and purchase either the Collegiate and Professional Editon for $100 or the Fan Editon for only $30. The Collegiate and Professional Edition, which is a "must have" for all of the nation's college and professional teams, is professionally bound and individualized for each school, team, or fan and includes important tournament contact information (i.e. phone numbers, fax numbers, email addresses, and much more).  The fan edition doesn't include the contact information, but it does include over 30-pages informing you about the top players, teams, and other pertinent information about each event.  As things stand now, my first stop will be at the War on the Shore in Milford, DE, November 21st-23rd, followed by the Marshall County Hoopfest in Benton, KY, December 5th-7th; the Shop and Save Shootout in St. Louis, MO, December 11th; the Blue Chip Basketball Shootout at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, December 12th; the King of the Bluegrass in Fairdale, KY, December 17th; the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, December 18th-23rd; Slam Dunk to the Beach is Lewes, DE, December 26th-28th; the Academy National Invitational in Houston, TX on December 29th; Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC on December 30th; the Pangos Dream Classic in Los Angeles, CA, on January 3rd; Flying to the Hoop in Vandalia, OH, January 17th-19th; the National Prep School Invitational in Kingston, RI, February 6th-8th; and the City Suburban Showdown in Evanston, IL, February 21st. 

Monday, November 3, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, who is ranked #111 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked Georgia Tech over Arizona and this is important for several of reasons.  First, the addition of Smith gives the Yellowjackets a recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, and 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, that is tied #22, along with Iowa and College of Charleston, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Second, getting Smith should give the Georgia Tech coaching staff another important piece to the puzzle as they attempt to keep 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, at home.  Third, Smith is more of a power forward than a wing forward, but he is capable of defending the three and creating match-up problems and, as a result, should be an excellent complement to Dickey and Morris inside and to Morrow and Frederick on the perimeter.  Fourth, Smith has a great body, is an explosive leaper, and a powerful rebounder, which means he's ideally suited to be a blue collar guy inside at the college level, but not ever have to worry about declaring hardship for the NBA Draft, like Georgia Tech's Chris Bosh did a year ago and Dickey and Morris could do in the future.  We also have confirmed that Marshall has landed 6'6 Casey Wollheb from Ft. Lauderdale (North Broward) FL and this too looks like an important piece to the puzzle for new Thundering Herd head coach Ron Jirsa and his staff.   Not only is Wollheb a great 3-point shooter, but he also is a good athlete, good ball handler, and extremely well coached at the high school level, as he plays for Danny Haney, who previously was the head coach at Lexington (Catholic) KY and is widely regarded as one of the premier high school coaches in the nation.  The addition of Wollheb moves Marshall's recruiting class into a tie at #63, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, Tulane, George Mason, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, Colorado State, Brigham Young, Providence, and Missouri-Kansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Adding Wollheb to a recruiting class that also includes 5'11 Joseph Miles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and 5'8 Ryan Lamb from Mableton (Whitefield) GA also is important, because it will allow Jirsa and his staff to focus on going after size and/or the best available players with their two remaining scholarships.  We also have confirmed that New Orleans has landed 6'9 Jose Nava from Hill (JC) TX and 6'1 Todd Bostic from Cochise (JC) AZ and, as a result, the Privateers' recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Kris Clark from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, is now tied at #52, along with Iowa State and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Nava also was getting attention from schools like UNLV, Nebraska, and New Mexico State, but the fact that Privateers head coach Monte Towe knows what it takes to win a NCAA Championship dating back to his days when he was the starting point guard at N.C. State in 1974, the fact that Nava is originally from Venezuela and Towe coached the Marinos de Oriente team to a championship in the Professional Basketball League of Venezuela, and the fact that Towe is not afraid to play anybody (New Orleans' non-conference schedule includes Texas, Mississippi State, Auburn, LSU, Hawaii, Tulane, and Southern Miss), all appeared to weigh into Nava's decision.  Nava, who averaged 14.0 ppg and 12.0 rpg prior to having knee surgery in February, was the leading rebounder among junior colleges in Texas last season and is extremely skilled around the basket, which means he's ideally suited to step in and provide immediate help inside next year.  Bostic promises to be the perfect complement to Clark, who can play either guard spot, because we're talking about a pure point guard with excellent court savvy, the ability to defend, and great understanding of the game (Bostic's father played college basketball at the University of Florida).  We also suspect that Privateers assistant coach Patrick Harrington will use the strong connections that he's already established to the Hill (JC) TX program and get 6'8 Ike Ofaegbu, who was a first team all-conference player as a freshman, and 5'11 Mike Mitchell, who is a scoring combo guard.  However, our guess is that in both cases, nothing will happen until spring.  

It looks like 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL has finally made it official for the University of Kentucky and, as result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, moves into a tie at #77, along with Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Bradley is ranked #13 nationally on our 5th Year List, which means he's the equivalent of a player in the 40-70 range nationally, but this is still huge for the Wildcats, because he is exactly what the doctor ordered as Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith attempts to replace Cliff Hawkins and Gerald Fitch, both of whom will graduate after this season, in the backcourt.  Bradley, who is interchangeable at either guard spot, also appears to be ideally suited to complement Patrick Sparks, who transferred last spring from Western Kentucky to Kentucky, and, as a result, Smith and his staff can turn their attention towards landing either a quality big man, like 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and/or the best available player, like 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our guess is that Crawford will reaffirm his verbal commitment to Michigan and Morris will end up Georgia Tech, but, if the Wildcats can pull of the upset and land either player, their recruiting class would move into a tie at #21, along with St. John's, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Kentucky hits the jackpot and gets both Morris and Crawford, then their recruiting class would move into a tie at #10, along with Alabama, Mississippi State, and Purdue, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, Morris and Crawford would easily be the two most talented players in the program and, as a result, the Wildcats would have the strong nucleus around which to build the program for years to come.  And just like Bradley, who made his official visit to Lexington, KY this weekend, it looks like 6'10 Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH, who was at Iowa State over the weekend, and 6'8 Andrew Brackman from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, who was at N.C. State over the weekend, enjoyed the experience enough to want to go ahead and make a verbal commitment right away.  Agnew is ranked #201 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he has the potential to develop into one of the best big men in the Big-12 Conference, if he drops weight, becomes more consistent, and develops the toughness necessary to get it done at the high major level.  Remember, Agnew is a physical specimen with soft hands, surpring mobility for his size, and the ability to score and rebound well around the basket.  Getting Agnew moves Iowa State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Rahshon Clarke from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME and 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, into a tie at #52, along with New Orleans and Texas A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but, even more important, the addition of Agnew will give new Cyclones head coach Wayne Morgan the big body he will need to replace 6'10 Jr Jackson Vroman inside after the current season.  This also puts the Cyclones into a position, whereby, they not only can get a head start on next year's recruiting, but they also can be very selective about how they use their one remaining scholarship in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, Iowa State's recruiting class finished ranked #15 last spring by the HOOP SCOOP when they landed 6'4 Curtis Stinson from   Winchendon (School) MA, 6'0 Will Blaylock from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'9 Damion Staple from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA, and 6'8 Reggie George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  However, Holt didn't make it academically and, as a result, is back in junior college and, instead, heading to Virginia Tech.  The verbal commitment by Brackman to N.C. State with an excellent complement to the two players they've already landed - 6'9 Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC and 6'7 Gavin Grant from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY - and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #16, along with Pittsburgh, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Sure, Brackman, who is ranked #123 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he should be able to do that once he starts concentrating exclusively on basketball.  Add the fact that Brackman also has the perimeter skills and 3-point shooting touch necessary to play away from the basket and it is easy to see why our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson ranks Brackman #4 in the state behind 6'2 Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH, 6'9 Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH, and 6'7 Josh Duncan from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH.  Johnson also thinks Brackman has a tremendous upside, which simply reinforces our belief that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek and assistant coaches Larry Harris, and Mark Phelps are among the most astute evaluators of talent in the business.

When 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD verbally commits to the University of Connecticut later today, he will become the most important player the Huskies have ever landed.  Sure, Connecticut won the NCAA Championship in 1999, they have the pre-season #1-ranked team this year, and year-in and year out they always seem to have had more than their share of great talent.  However, this is the first time we can remember that they have gone into the backyard of one of the premier programs in college basketball in another part of the country and beaten the local school for one of the top players in the nation.  Instead, in the past Connecticut has made a living getting involved with an overwhelming number of the top players early and then being there to turn the heat up when and if the opportunity presented itself.  Obviously this illustrates the level the Huskies program has attained under the direction of head coach Jim Calhoun during the last 17 years, but it also reinforces our belief that Tom Moore and Clive Vaughn are two of the hardest working guys in the business and, as a result, are second to none on the recruiting trail.  In other words, something like this doesn't just happen, especially when you're going to head-to-head against the team that won the NCAA Championship just a year-and-a-half ago.  Getting Gay also is huge, because we're talking about a 6'8 warrior with incredible athleticism and the versatility and skills necessary to play both the three and the four spot at the next level.  Gay also is one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally, as is evident by the fact that he has gone from being ranked #48 nationally in the Class of 2004 in January to #35 prior to the start of the summer to #8 at the conclusion of the summer.  Gay also was the #1-ranked player at the NIKE All-American Camp in July, plus the incredible intensity that Gay brings to the table could turn out to be one of the best things that ever happened to 6'10 Frosh Charlie Villanueva.  There is no doubt that Calhoun plans to play Villanueva at the four and Gay at the three a year from now, but you can also bet that these two, who are similar in many ways, will battle head-to-head in practice everyday and, as a result, the Huskies practices will probably be more competitive than most of their games.  Gay joins 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) CT, who is ranked #13 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in a recruiting class that is now ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Connecticut also will have the highest ranked recruiting class in the nation among schools that have signed only two players, but, even more important, the Huskies already have landed the players necessary to replace 6'10 Jr Emeka Okafor, 6'2 Jr Ben Gordon, and Villanueva, if any of these players decide to declare hardship for the NBA Draft after the current season.  Remember, 6'8 Ed Nelson, who transferred from Georgia Tech to Connecticut last spring, is also waiting in the wings for next season.   We also have confirmed that 6'4 Clent Stewart from Tulsa (Union) OK, who is ranked #106 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Kansas State and we think this is big for a number of reasons.   First, Stewart is a point guard with size, which means he will give the Wildcats the ability to go big with Stewart, who is 6'4, or go small with 6'0 Frosh Dez Willingham a year from now at that position.  Second, Stewart also rebounds well for his size and has a nice shooting touch, which means you can also play Willingham and Stewart in backcourt together.  Third, Stewart is an excellent student and a great kid, which is a major plus for any program in this day-and-age.  Fourth, the verbal commitment by Stewart shows that Kansas State is continuing to build upon last year's recruiting class, which according to the HOOP SCOOP was #1-ranked in the nation, that included Willingham, 6'10 Justin Williams from Kankakee (JC) IL, 6'8 Jeremiah Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'8 Cartier Martin from Aldine (Nimitz) TX, 6'9 Dramane Diarra from Cloud (JC) KS, 6'4 Lance Harris from Columbia (Hickman) MO, and 6'10 Tyler Hughes from Olathe (North Olathe) KS.  And a verbal commitment from 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who is ranked #81 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, might not be too far behind.  As a matter of fact, the final two schools on Allen's list are Kansas State and Washington, and a verbal commitment could be forthcoming in the immediate future.  If the Wildcats do get Allen to go along with Stewart in this recruiting class, they will have done an excellent job of replacing the three guards - 6'3 Sr Tim Ellis, 6'2 Sr Frank Richards, and 6'4 Sr Jarrett Hart - who will graduate after the current season.  And when you also remember that the Wildcats have Martin at the wing forward spot and Massey, Williams, and 6'7 Soph Marques Harden inside, it's easy to see why we think it's only a matter of time before Kansas State becomes one of the surprise teams in college basketball. 

Saturday, November 1, 2003, & Sunday, November 2, 2003

As is so often the case, we are waiting on people from certain areas of the nation to get back to us and, as a result, we have delayed the publication of our list of the Top 6th Graders.  However, we hope to have this list finalized and published exclusively in the Members Section within the next several days.  Instead, I've spent most of the weekend finalizing the HOOP SCOOP's annual Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based On Career Wins and the results are very interesting, especially since Jim Phelan, who was ranked #1 on the list a year ago, has retired from Mt St. Mary's; Lefty Driesell, who was ranked #3 on the list a year ago, has retired at Georgia State; Jerry Steele, who was ranked #9 on the list a year ago, has retired at High Point; Dave Whitney, who was ranked #13 on th list a year ago, has retired at Alcorn State; and Ben Jobe, who was ranked #14 on the list a year, has retired at Southern University.  And they've been replaced by new Lamar head coach Billy Tubbs, who is ranked #10 on the new list; new Drake head coach Tom Davis, who is ranked #11 on the new list; returning Valparaiso head coach Homer Drew, who is ranked #17 on the new list; and new Washington State head coach Dick Bennett, who is ranked #22 on the new list.  In other words, four guys who won most of their games before they arrived at the Division I level and Driesell, whose best days where at Maryland in the 70's, have been replaced by four coaching legends and, as a result, this year's list truly reads like a Who's Who of the Top Head Coaches in the Game Today, as the top 20 coaches in order on the list include Texas Tech's Bob Knight, New Mexico State's Lou Henson, Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, Temple's John Chaney, Arizona's Lute Olson, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Jacksonville's Hugh Durham, Tubbs, Davis, Purdue's Gene Keady, Auburn's Cliff Ellis, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins, Stanford's Mike Montgomery, Navy's Don DeVoe, Drew, Maryland's Gary Williams, California's Ben Braun, and UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that Knight, who needs just 22 wins to move into the #3 position on the all-time win list ahead of Phelan; 58 wins to move into the #2 position on the all-time win list ahead of Adolph Rupp; and 61 wins to move into the #1 position on the all-time win list head of Dean Smith, is well on track to become the winningest head coach in the history the game.  As a matter of fact, based on Knight's Average Number of Wins Per Season, which is a new stat that we've added to our list this season, he will achieve this goal after 2.785 more seasons.  Also noteworthy is the fact Boeheim, after Syracuse won the NCAA Championship seven months ago, has moved ahead of Calhoun.  However, this may change again next year, if Connecticut lives up their pre-season billing and win the NCAA Championship this year.  Also interesting is that fact that North Carolina head coach Roy Williams not only is ranked #26 in our Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based On Career Wins, but he also has won 27.9 game per season for 15 years.  And when you compare that to Butler's Todd Lickliter with 26.5 wins per season for two years, Gonzaga's Mark Few with 26.3 wins per season for four years, Xavier's Thad Matta with 25.3 wins per season for three years, Tulsa's John Phillips with 25.0 wins per season for two years, College of Charleston's Tom Herrion with 25.0 per season for one year, Rick Pitino with 24.8 wins per season for 16 years, Birmingham Southern's Duane Reboul with 24.8 wins per season for 14 years, Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Bruce Pearl with 24.6 wins per season for 11 years, Boeheim with 24.2 wins per season for 27 years, Kentucky's Tubby Smith with 24.0 wins per season for 12 years, Memphis' John Calipari with 24.0 wins per season for 11 years, UNC-Wilmington's Jeff Brownell with 24 wins per year for one year; Krzyzewski with 23.7 wins per season for 28 years, Michigan State's Tom Izzo with 23.6 wins per season for eight years, Huggins with 23.5 wins per season for 22 years, Olson with 23.0 wins per season for 30 years, UT-Pan American's Bob Hoffman with 22.6 wins per season for 17 years, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan with 22.4 wins per season for 19 years, Chaney with 22.4 wins per season for 31 years, Indiana's Mike Davis with 22.3 wins per season for three years, Knight with 21.9 wins per season for 37 years, Sutton with 21.9 wins per season for 33 years, and Lipcomb's Scott Sanderson with 21.9 wins per season for seven years, what Williams has done during his head coaching career is truly amazing.  As a matter of fact, just about the only thing that Williams hasn't done is win the NCAA Championship.  However, Williams, whose teams have been to the NCAA Final Four four times and played in the title game twice, isn't the only legendary coach who didn't win the NCAA Championship as quickly as one might have expected.  If you will recall, Williams' former boss (Dean Smith) guided North Carolina to the NCAA Final Four in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, and 1981 before finally winning his first NCAA Championship in 1982.  It also took Krzyzewski four NCAA Final Four appearances in 1986, 1988, 1989, and 1990, before he finally won back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992.  Olson guided Iowa to the NCAA Final Final in 1980 and Arizona to the NCAA Final Four in 1988 and 1994 before finally winning the NCAA Championship is 1997 and Boeheim made two Final Four appearances in 1987 and 1996 before finally winning his first NCAA Championship last March.  In other words, winning the NCAA Championship is not that easy, although now that Williams is at North Carolina, it should only be a matter of time for the guy who has accomplished everything else!

In addition to providing us with names that we otherwise would not have had for our rankings of the Top 280 Sophomores, Top 180 Freshmen, Top 90 Eighth Graders, and Top Players 85 7th Graders, Tony Bergeron has provided with a list of the top players who attended all of the different sessions of the Five-Star Basketball Camp during the summer.  We start with their Pitt III session, which was the second best session, as the list of players in attendance included 6'0 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI, 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, 6'1 Taurean Green from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, 6'3 Dan Morrissey from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'2 Stan Burrell from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Akida McLain from Pittsburgh (Penn Hills) PA, 6'8 Gary Springer from Fairburn (Creekside) GA, 6'2 Lawrence Ross from Battle Creek (Central) MI, 6'4 Soph An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, 6'3 Jr Andrew Patterson from West Simsbury (The Masters) CT, 6'3 Edwin Ofer-Attah from Statesville (Christian) NC, 5'9 Soph Rasheed Jenkins from Bronx (Wings) NY, 6'5 Soph William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'3 Soph Marcus Johnson from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, 6'4 Soph Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC, 6'10 Frosh Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH, 6'2 Soph Anthony Gurley from Newton (North) MA, 5'10 Ron Larris from Gainesville (H.S.) FL, and 6'1 Brian Waters from Durham (Alamance Christian) NC, who also was named the Most Outstanding Player at Five-Star's Hampden-Sydney, VA session, June 11th-16th.  Also playing well and deserving mention from Hampton-Syndey were 6'5 Brian Roberts from Toledo (St. John's) OH, 6'5 Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'9 Jr David Weaver from Black Mountain (Black) NC, 6'7 Jr Zach Hillestand from Toledo (St. John's) OH, 6'5 Santonio Springs from Camden (Military) SC, 6'1 Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  The Most Outstanding Player at Five-Star's Honesdale June session was 6'7 Calvin Henry from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who verbally committed to Florida A&M last week, and the MVP in the Playoff's was 6'4 Jr Keaton Grant from Kissimmee (Gateway) FL, who is an outstanding shooter and athlete and is Tracy McGrady's cousin.  However, 6'4 Soph Solomon Tat from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, 6'3 8th Grader Anthony King from Aston (Village Charter) PA, 5'11 Jr Greg "Playstation" Johnson from Plymouth (Holderness) NH, 5'9 Soph Rasheed Jenkins from Bronx (Wings) NY, 6'6 Soph Jonathan Cruz from Lawrence (Central Catholic) MA, 5'9 Cyron Lee from Immokalee (H.S.) FL, and 6'7 Jr Kendrick Price from Greenborough (Buckingham Browne & Nichols) MA also came up big at Honesdale in June.  The best players at Pitt II were 6'2 Jr Jason Snow from Canton (McKinley) OH, 6'6 Soph Octavious Spann from Fairburn (Creekside) GA, and 6'2 Jr Travis Walton from Lima (H.S.) OH.  The Most Outstanding Player for the Week was 6'7 Jr Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. John's) OH, but 5'10 Marcus Crenshaw from Detroit (McKenzie) MI also needs to be mentioned from Pitt V.   Five-Star's August Honesdale Session was incredible, as the list of players included 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'2 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Ousmane Barro from Chicago (Julian) IL, 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'7 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ 6'4 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'9 Goran Sutton from Lansing (Everett) MI, 6'9 Jerome Johnson from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'6 Kyle Hines from Sicklerville (Timber Creek) NJ, 6'6 Will Daniels from Hyde Park (Franklin D. Roosevelt) NY, 6'5 Jr Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'7 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'9 James St. Robert from Copiague (H.S.) NY, 6'1 Nick Carter from Huntington Station (Walt Whitman) NY, 6'1 Jr Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'6 Dexter Gray from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Devon Clarke from Windsor (H.S.) CT, 6'1 Jr Chris Martin from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Jr Brandon Ewing from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'8 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Soph Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'9 Soph Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY, 5'11 Frosh Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Esiscopal Academy) PA, 6'4 Soph Kimani Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'2 Soph Anthony Gurley from Newton (North) MA, 6'2 Soph Nich Vier from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ, 5'11 Soph Jawaan Carter from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Soph Jerrell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'7 Soph Terrell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'3 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'1 Frosh Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'9 Soph James Bryant from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'3 Soph Steve Kendall from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'0 Soph Geoff Rizk from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'4 Soph Ian Anderson from Portland (Wilson) OR, 6'7 Soph Jabari Edwards from Brooklyn (Poly Prep) NY, 6'7 Soph Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'5 Soph DeAngelo McIntosh from Chicago (Julian) IL, and 6'6 Soph Cory Magee from Fairport (H.S.) NY, 6'3 8th Grader Anthony King from Aston (Village Charter) PA, and 5'9 Soph Rasheed Jenkins from Bronx (Wings) NY.  Five-Star's Camp Wayne Junior Session, August 17th-21st, also was loaded as the top players in camp in reads like a Who's Who of the Future.  We're talking about 5'7 8th Grader Kevin Dillard from Country Club Hills (Southwood) IL, 5'7 8th Grader Dave Forrest from Marietta (East Cobb) GA, 5'1 8th Grader DeShawn Dockery from Lynwood, IL, 5'9 8th Grader Justin Newton from Queens (Susan B. Anthony) NY, 6'2 8th Grader Kafele Carty from New York, NY, 5'7 8th Grader Wes Eikmeier from Fremont (Bergan) NE, 5'11 7th Grader Kevin Bloom from Kendallville, IN, 5'1 7th Grader Carl Jones from Orange (Brady) OH, 5'6 7th Grader Willie Lyons from Boston (Brown) MA, 5'6 7th Grader Juan Diaz from Bronx (Tolentine) NY, and 5'7 7th Grader Isaiah Williams from Chicago, IL.  Speaking of Williams, his #4 national ranking in the Class of 2009 might actually be too low, according to Bergeron. "By Far better than everybody on this list!  Played in our NBA at the Top Junior Camp, August 17th-21st and made All-Star Team.  Best player in class!  May have been MVP in nationals!" Five-Star also already has announced dates for the summer of 2004 and the session at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, VA will be June 10th-15th; a session at a site to be announced will be June 20-25th; the sessions at Camp Bryn Mawr in Honesdale, PA will be August 26th-31 and September 1st-4th (Position Camp); and the sessions at Robert Morris University in Coraopolis, PA will include a Position Camp from June 28th-July 1st, Pitt I from July 2nd-7th, Pitt II from July 8th-13th, Pitt III from July 14th-19th, Pitt IV from July 20th-25th, and Pitt V from July 26th-July 31st.  For more information go to their web site, which can be found clicking on Five-Star Basketball Camp.

We also, as of yet, have not told you about the 2003 FullCourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp presented by Pangos at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA on October 12th-13th, but this is where 6'0 Frosh Jarred Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who is ranked as the #18 nationally in the freshman class by the HOOP SCOOP and his being called a "young Baron Davis," established his national reputation.  "Outstanding freshman point guard has that special something that big time national recruits possess," say our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis.  "Quick with the ball, Bayless has natural court instincts as well as excellent athleticism that allows him to make him play like dunking on defenders or soaring to block the shots of driving opponents.  Name to remember."  Trigonis also has some interesting comments about the rest of the players who played in the Top 25 All-Star Game.  5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodward from Compton (Centennial) CA is an extremely crafty point guard who can get to the rack to score or dish as well as hurt you with his perimeter jumper.  6'0 Soph Patrick Williams from Riverside (King) CA is a strong and physical lead guard who has good athleticism, which allows him to make plays at both ends.  6'7 Soph Blake Wallace from Anaheim (Servite) CA is a skilled combo-forward with a nice feel for the game.  Very good passer for size.  6'5 Soph A.J. Tolbert from Compton (Dominguez) CA is an athletic swingman and underrated outside shooter.   Great kid!  6'3 Soph Tyree Thompson from Centennial (Compton) CA is a high-scoring wing guard who loves to attack the basket.  Will be a high-major prospect in this class (#67 in HOOP SCOOP's Class of 2006 rankings).  6'8 Soph Terron Sutton from Los Angeles (Price) CA is a big post player who is much improved since early summer.  Solid rebounder and defender has soft jump hook in the paint.  Keep an eye on this prospect.  6'8 Soph Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA is an athletic forward with very good hands and a huge upside.  Reacts to the ball very well for rebounds and tip-ins.   Impressed Clark Francis enough this fall to place him in the #28 spot in his national class of 2006 rankings.  Great kid!  6'5 Soph Benny Rhodes from Alameda (St. Joseph's) NY is a slim wing who know how to get the rack.  Outstanding scorer.  6'4 Frosh Kieran Ramsey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA is a strong forward who always give a great effort.   Athletic body allows him to defend opponents both on the perimeter and inside the paint.  Excellent prospect.  6'3 Soph Christian Polk from Phoenix (Deer Valley) AZ makes playing the game of basketball look very easy.  Smooth wing has a very nice outside stroke and the physical tools to be a great defender.   An elite national sophomore that entered recruiting scouts' radar screens with an impressive effort at last June's Pangos All-American Camp (made Top 25 game there).  6'3 Jr Jamel McGuire from San Diego (Canyon) CA is an athletic wing who is the younger brother of Cal freshman Dominic McGuire.   Very good ability to beat defenders off the dribble.  Excellent slashing scorer.  6'6 Jr Tyrel Mara from British Columbia (White Rock) BC was another surprise of the camp.  Very smart combo-forward has great leadership qualities and is an underrated athlete (suprised a few defenders with some great flushes in transition).  Good shooter that knows how to play!  6'1 Soph Todd Lowenthal from Poway (H.S.) CA is a crafty point and an underrated athlete.   Very good ballhandler has ability to penetrate defenses.  Great student (4.0 gpa).  5'10 Soph Darius Logan from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA is a quick and strong lefty point with a nice pull-up jumper.  Very able ballhandler and defender.  5'11 Soph Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA is a quick point with excellent ballhandling speed which allows him to break defenders down off the dribble.  Outstanding student (4.6 gpa/honors courses/1250 SAT).  6'5 Soph Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA is a strong forward with an excellent athletic build and improved perimeter skills.  The HOOP SCOOP has him pegged as the #55 ranked sophomore in the national Class of 2006.  6'1 Soph Derek Glasser from Lakewood (Artesia) CA is a solid point with a very nice outside jumper as well as pin-point passing abilities.  6'5 Soph Kevin Galloway from Sacremento (H.S.) CA was one of the surprises of the camp.  Came to the event as somewhat of an unknown, but left as a bonafide big-time soph scoring swingman prospect.   6'2 8th Grader Demar DeRozan from Compton, CA is a young pup who was not scared to score against older opponents.  Bright future.  6'8 Soph Eugene Crockett from Sacramento (H.S.) CA is a strong and physical big forward who is an excellent rebounder and can punish defenders with assertive power move down low.   Surprisingly agile for size/bulk.  6'4 Soph Jon Costa from Rolling Hills (Peninsula) CA is a strong forward who can score on the block.  Put up big numbers this weekend.  6'5 Soph Bill Clark from Rolling Hills (Peninsula) CA is an underrated wing forward with nice all-around skills.  6'2 Soph Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA is a versatile wing guard with nice scoring skills.  Excellent defender.  6'8 Soph James Cawthorne from Villa Park (H.S.) CA is an agile and skilled big man with a nice perimeter shot.   Injury prevented him from playing in the Top 25 Game but was voted nonetheless due to strong camp performance.  6'6 Frosh Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA is an outstanding freshmen prospect with the requisite attitude and work ethic as well as skills to be a national Class of 2007 recruit  Terrific rebounder is a nice outlet passer.  Great kid projects to top out at 6'8-plus (has size 17 foot).   6'1 Soph Laith Al-Jamie from Mission Viejo (Trabuco Hills) CA is a sleek combo-guard with a knack for scoring, including a very good perimeter jumper.