HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER 1999

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

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Tuesday, November 30, 1999

We have updated our National Signings List, as well as our National Ranking of the Top 35 Recruiting Classes, but we're still not ready to wrap it up just yet, because a number of schools have yet to release their recruiting classes.  As a matter of fact, just today Indiana released their class, which includes 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'4 A.J. Moye from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, 6'3 Andre Owens from Indianapolis (Perry Meridian) IN, and 6'9 Mike Roberts from New Hampton (Prep) NH.  The addition of Roberts, who re-signed with the Hoosiers after going to prep school this year, moves Indiana's class up from #16 to #13.  Also making a move is North Carolina, which reportedly has re-signed 6'9 Jason Parker from Fork Union (Military Academy) VA.  With the addition of Parker, the Tar Heels recruiting class moves from #26 to #7.  And it's even better than that, if you break it down based on who signed the best three players.  With Parker, 6'2 Brian Morrison from Kirkland (Lake Washington) WA, and 6'2 Adam Boone from Minnetonka, only St. John's, Seton Hall, Missouri, and Connecticut signed three players who collectively are ranked higher.  North Carolina's recruiting class may move even higher if they get 7'6 Neil Fingleton from Worcester (Holy Name) MA, which could be announced as soon as tomorrow.  If that happens, the Tar Heels class would move into the #4 position nationally behind Missouri and just ahead of Iowa State.  The only new school to move into our top 35 is Brigham Young, which is now tied for #30 with Delaware.  Previously we had 6'1 Austin Ainge from Gilbert (Highland) AZ, 6'11 Derek Dawes from Salt Lake City (Cottonwood) UT, and 6'9 Jesse Pinegar from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT listed with the Cougars.  However, 6'9 Jacob Chrisman from Provo (H.S.) UT and 6'6 Travis Hansen from Utah Valley State (JC) UT have also now shown up on BYU's radar screen. 

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin has the latest list for 6'2 Jr Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, who ranks as the #2 junior in the area behind 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ and ahead of 6'5 Jr John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.  As it stands now Temple, Villanova, Rutgers, Seton Hall, UCLA, Arizona, Georgetown, Virginia, and Penn State are all in the hunt.  Rubin also tells us that 6'9 Taurance Johnson from Williamsport (H.S.) PA, who was one of the biggest surprises of the summer, has finally surfaced at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, where he will likely attend the rest of the current year, as well as next year.  If you will recall, Johnson had a number of off-the-court problems this fall and, as a result, missed a lot of school.  So obviously he's way behind now academically.  He was originally supposed to transfer to Williamsport (Loyalsock) PA, but that fell through.  Then, we thought he was bound for Grove City (George Jr. Republic) PA, but he never enrolled there either.  Speaking of transfers, did you know that 6'10 Jr Tony Key has transferred back to Russellville (H.S.) KY?  Remember, in August he transferred to Limestone (Washington College) TN, but apparently it hasn't worked out.

Monday, November 29, 1999

One of the things that sets the HOOP SCOOP apart is our pursuit of new ways to look at things and one of the best ideas I've come up with in a long time was to rank every active Division I head coach in order based on the number of wins he's had at the collegiate level.  Obviously, we can't take into account the few amount of games that have already been played during the 1999-2000 season, so the rankings are prior to the current season.  At the top of the list with 800 wins is Jim Phelan of Mount St. Mary's.  He's followed by Indiana's Bob Knight, Georgia State's Lefty Driesell, Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian, New Mexico State's Lou Henson, Louisville's Denny Crum, Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, Temple's John Chaney, Arizona's Lute Olson, and High Point's Jerry Steele.  We also provide the career loss record for each coach, along with the number of years he's been coaching, last year's record, their overall NCAA record, and their current school.  As a result, all kind of interesting comparisons can be made, like what do  Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, College of Charleston's John Kresse, Arkansas' Nolan Richardson, Cincinnati's Bobby Huggins, Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Bo Ryan, Utah's Rick Majerus, Kansas' Roy Williams, UNC-Charlotte's Bobby Lutz, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, San Diego State's Steve Fisher, Iowa State's Larry Eustachy, Pennsylvania's Fran Dunphy, East Carolina's Bill Herrion, Iowa's Steve Alford, Georgia Southern's Jeff Price, Xavier's Skip Prosser, Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings, New Mexico's Fran Fraschilla, N.C. State's Herb Sendek, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Providence's Tim Welsh, Alabama's Mark Gottfried, Florida State's Steve Robinson, Delaware's Mike Brey, Princeton's Bill Carmody, UCLA's Steve Lavin, UAB's Murry Bartow, North Carolina's Bill Guthridge, Minnesota's Don Monson, Siena's Paul Hewitt, Clemson's Larry Shyatt, Samford Jimmy Tillette, Southwest Missouri State's Barry Hinson, Southwest Louisiana's Jessie Evans, Murray State's Tevester Anderson, and Winthrop's Gregg Marshall all have in common?  They all have won a disproportionate number of game for the years that they have been coaching.  To check this out, look at the Number of Years Column and any coach with a lot fewer years than most of the other coaches with a similar number of wins is getting it done.  Obviously, that's why our above list also reads like a Who's Who of Hot Division I Head Coaches.   However, the opposite is  true for coaches who have coached more years than most of the other coaches with a similar number of wins.  At the bottom of the our list are 28 head coaches who haven't won a game before this season.   If any of them can average 20 wins a year for 30 years, the will be just behind Chaney and ahead of Olson on the current list.  To equal Knight they would have to win 21.9 games for 34 years and to keep up with Tarkanian you would need  25.3 wins per year for 28 years.   To get access to this list, click on The HOOP SCOOP Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based on Career Wins.

Sunday, November 28, 1999

It's always nice to have reference information at your finger tips, so today we've been compiling data on the NCAA Tournament, which includes the past, present, and future.  The past includes a list of the all the NCAA Tournament winners, along with the year; the runner-up, third, and fourth place finishers; the location; the winning head coach;and the Outstanding Player of the Final Four.   The present includes all the dates and locations of the first and second rounds, the regional semifinals and finals, and the NCAA Final Four to be played next March in Indianapolis, IN.  We also have provided with the same thing for the 2000-2001 season, as well as dates and locations for future NCAA Final Fours, which will be played in Minneapolis, MN in 2001, Atlanta, GA in 2002, New Orleans, LA in 2003, San Antonio, TX in 2004, St. Louis, MO in 2005, Indianapolis, IN in 2006, and Atlanta, GA in 2007.   You can get all this by clicking on NCAA Tournament Information.

Saturday, November 27, 1999

Two weeks ago we thought long and hard about whether we should go way out on a limb and rank the University of Arizona as our pre-season #1 college basketball team for the 1999-2000 season.  We'd heard that Gilbert Arenas was on the of verge of beating our Ruben Douglas, who has since transferred.  After all, going with a team starting one freshman guard is risky enough.  However, we went with our instincts, because it's easy to pick the same old teams, like Cincinnati, Michigan State, Connecticut, and Auburn, that everybody else had ranked among  pre-season their top five.  But nobody was giving Arizona the respect they deserved and Luke Olson is not only one of the best head coaches in the nation, but he also is excellent at putting the pieces together quickly.   On the other hand, Kentucky in recent years has brought along young players at a surprisingly slow pace (i.e. Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Tayshaun Prince, Marvin Stone, and Keith Bogans).   Thus, might explain why Kentucky struggled and why Arizona already looked like it was in late season form last night in the championship of the preseason NIT.  "Jason Gardner reminds me of an in-shape team-oriented Khalid El-Amin," says our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, who attended the game last night.  "Gardner is in better shape, is quicker, has a better handle, and sees the floor better.  He also looks like a better pure shooter.  He's just a better player than El-Amin!"  Arenas was ranked among our top 150 nationally in the Class of '99 as a senior in high school last year, so obviously that fact that he is the MVP in the pre-season NIT is a major surprise.  But when you find out that Arenas is still only 17-years-old (he won't turn 18 until January 6th), it is easy to see that he is at least a full year behind most of the players in his class.  As a result, when you look at a player like Erick Barkley of St. John's who will be 22 years old in February, what see might be pretty good, but it is likely all you're going to get.   But with Arenas, he's still only beginning to scratch the surface. "What's scary is his body is already looks like it been chiseled out of stone," says Naclerio.  "And one can only wonder with normal maturation where his physical attributes will take him."  Obviously we're looking really good with Arizona and Cincinnati was our pre-season #1 and #2 ranked teams, but that wasn't just luck.  As a matter of fact, we had a major advantage over all the pre-season polls and so-called experts, because we've been following most of these players not just through the recruiting process, but often dating back to when they were freshmen and sophomores in high school.  We know whether they have improved, have heart, and even what they are like as people.  That perspective is invaluable.  Speaking of perspective, at age 40, I now have close to 30 years of perspective when it comes to following college basketball.  I have attended every NCAA Final Four game since 1973, I have been writing about college and high school basketball for publication since I was in high school, and have known many people in the business, including legends like Howard Garfinkel and Bill Cronauer, since I was a kid.  As a result, I will match my knowledge and insight against anybody.  So just for fun, we've done exactly that.   That's right!  We have done some research and put together the college basketball rankings from most of the major pre-season national polls and magazines and made a chart, which can be found by clicking on 1999-2000 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons, for comparison sake.  We find that six different teams - Arizona by the HOOP SCOOP; Connecticut by the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN; Michigan State by Sporting News, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, and Slam Magazine; Auburn by Sport Illustrated; Cincinnati by Street & Smith; and Florida by Basketball Times - are ranked #1.

Friday, November 26, 1999

During the last several days we've spent a lot of time updating our page with links to our favorite web sites and the best part about it is that it is especially user friendly.  You can access this page by clicking on HOOP SCOOP's Favorites Links. Hopefully it will be become a major point of reference for you when you need to find recruiting information.  In addition to the usual national and regional recruiting web sites, we also have added links to several web sites that cover basketball internationally.  Plus we've got a number of holiday tournament links, as well as several links to Yahoo, whereby, you are provided with a link to every newspaper in the United States and a link to a list of college and university web sites.  While we already have a pretty good list, we want to know who are we missing? Feel free to email us at clark@hoopscooponline.com. The only criteria are that they have to be basketball related and they have to be willing to provide a link to us, which means most Rivals.com sites are excluded.  And that's too bad!  While we have a good working relationship with a number of these people, unfortunately it is their policy to not promote their competition.  As a result, in most cases, it is written into their contract that they can't exchange links with other web sites.  However, if you find an exception, we will be more than happy to make the exchange.   

Thursday, November 25, 1999

Right now this is unconfirmed, but our source is in a position to know.  Murray State apparently has a verbal commitment from 6'9 Ronnie Griffin from Tallahassee (JC) FL.  You remember Griffin!  He's the guy who was terrific as a sophomore and junior in high school at Louisville (Central) KY, but never got any better, because lacked the burning desire necessary to become a great player.  He transferred to Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME before his senior year of high school, but didn't work hard enough for head coach Max Good to want him back for another year.  So did not return for what would have been his 5th year and, instead, signed with Eastern Kentucky.  He didn't last very long there either and since has found a home in the junior college ranks, where he supposedly has finally gotten his act together and is doing extremely well.  Whatever that means!    We've very skeptical, because we've been hearing that same line since his early years at Central when he was having academic difficulties.  Speaking of Griffin, another Louisville area product who needs to guard against going down the road on a similar path is 6'9 Jr Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY.   Forget about college recruiting or turning professional after his junior year of high school.  He can't even decide what AAU team he wants to play for during the summer.  He played for the Derek Smith All-Stars as a sophomore, but last summer switched to the Capital Players and now appears to be looking again, as he is talking with a number different programs ranging from the Alabama Lasers to the Fresno-EBO-EA Sports.   Speaking of Fresno EBO-EA Sports, our buddy Darren Matsubara already has the inside track with another great underclassmn - 6'4 Soph Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, who ranks as one of the top five sophomores in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the early favorites for 6'5 Jr John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, who ranks #3 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, are Villanova, Temple, Syracuse, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Miami-FL, and Massachusetts.  Rubin also has a list for 6'7 Jr Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, who ranks #4 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP.  Right now Brigman is considering Massachusetts, Syracuse, Villanova, St. Joseph's, La Salle, and Seton Hall.

If you will recall, two months ago we got creamed by a number of people in the business regarding our comments about why  Mike Sullivan of Insiders Report was able break the story when 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA signed with Duke.  So it was especially satisfying when we read what Rob Matera said several days ago on Bob Gibbons All Star Report web site.  It is a must read!  It is extremely well written, fair, and accurate!  Matera calls it like is and he deserves a lot of credit for having the guts to put it into print.  I especially liked his point about Gibbons, which also can be applied to scouts, like Brick Oettinger, Van Coleman, and Tom Konchalski.  They not only are good at what they do, but they have withstood the test of time.  As a result, they have earned my respect!  I may not always agree what they write or where they rank certain players, but there is a reason behind it!  There is nothing like being there and that's not always easy, because we move extremely fast in this business.  We've paid our dues!  Sullivan hasn't!  All this becomes very important when your creditability and integrity are questioned and your livelihood is at stake.

Wednesday, November 24, 1999

The word on the street is that 7'0 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA is planning on attending college for a year.  Why else would Chandler be concerned about doing well on the SAT, as well as doing well academically?  If this does happen, most people in the know think UCLA will be very tough to beat.  However, when NIKE comes at him in a year and a half with   millions of dollars in endorsements, it may be very difficult to turn that kind of money down.  Which makes UCLA's dilema especially interesting.  Remember, the Bruins are also among the favorites for 6'11 Jr Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA,  6'11 Jr Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'8 Jr Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA.  But if they wait too long on Chandler, they may miss out, especially on Bell and Fox.  Also worth watching is what Sampson does, because the Kansas package still appears to be a possibility for Sampson and 6'6 Jr Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA.  If you will recall, late in July, we reported that the Jayhawks were the leader for Sampson, Childress, and 6'5 Jr Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, but a month later Bozeman verbally committed to UCLA.

Our New England Editor Wayne Simone tells us that 6'1 Ismeal Caro from Manchester (Cheney Tech) CT is visiting Creighton this weekend, but also is still considering a number of school in the Northeast, like Hartford, Siena, and Northeastern.  Simone also give us an early list of schools, which includes Connecticut, Providence, Massachusetts, Boston College, and Clemson, for 6'1 Jr Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT, who is the #1 ranked junior in Connecticut, as well as the best point guard in the junior class in New England.   Patrick Jira, Editor & Publisher of http://www.therecruitingbeat.com tells us that North Carolina, Florida, and Connecticut are the leaders for 6'7 Jr James White from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD, but Maryland, Georgetown, and Kansas.   Auburn, Kentucky, Florida State, Georgia Tech, UAB are the favorites for 6'9 Jr Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL.

Georgia Tech and North Carolina have always been the favorites for 6'4 Jr  Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who has emerged this fall as head coach Steve Smith's #1 offensive threat, as well as his best player.   However, Kentucky, Connecticut, Seton Hall, St. John's, Syracuse, Duke, and New Mexico have also been mentioned for Carruth.  One school that hasn't been mentioned yet is Louisville, but with their Oak Hill connections - remember the Cardinals just landed 6'6 Luke Whitehead - this would be a natural.  Not only is Carruth one of the best  3-point shooters to come down the pike in a long time, but he's also very close friends with 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  As a matter of fact, if Wagner opts to go to college for a year or two, a Carruth and Wagner package is a very strong possibility. 

Tuesday, November 23, 1999

Several weeks ago we reported that the two Nigerians - 6'8 Benjamin Eze Ndubuisi, who signed last spring with Louisville, and 6'8 Ominiyi Makum, who committed to UCLA during the summer - had both taken the SAT test again and the expectations of their getting the necessary score appeared to be very good.   However, now the same source is telling us that they know what score they got on the test and in both cases they fell short again of getting the necessary score.  Remember, these are the same people who tipped us off the first time around.  If you will recall, we accurately told you on October 21st that neither Ndubuisi nor Makum had gotten the score on their first attempt.  Apparently our source knows people who can get this type of information, as it is being officially released.  Now the speculation is what will happen next to these two excellent Nigerians.  Our source in California thinks they will go the junior college route, but he doesn't rule out the possibility that they may take the test at least one more time.  Remember, three times is a charm!

Patrick Jira, the Editor & Publisher of the http://www.therecruitingbeat.com, tells us that 6'7 Ellis Myles from Compton (Centennial) CA has qualified academically, which isn't good news for USC, Wyoming, anf Oregon State.  You see, those are the only three schools that are actively recruiting Myles.  However, we now look for Myles value to go way up, especially in light of the fact that size in this class is at such a premium.  Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'6 Sean Brooks from Seat Pleasant (Central) MD has picked Drexel over Towson State and Hartford.   We have one change in our Preliminary List of the Top Recruiting Classes from the Fall Signing Period, which we published yesterday.  UNC-Greensboro drops three points, because 6'9 Brandon Clifford from Greensboro (Page) NC, who ranks as a borderline top 100 player, signed with UNC-Wilmington, instead of the Spartans.

Monday, November 22, 1999

Most of the returns are in from the fall signing period and it looks like the big winners belong to the Big East and Big-12 Conferences, as teams from those two leagues account for all five of the top ranked recruiting class to date from the fall signing period.  Looking at it even deeper, the Big-12 also accounts for five of the top dozen classes and six of the top 35 classes.   The only other conference with six top 35 recruiting classes is Conference USA, but only one team (Cincinnati) from that league was ranked among our top 10.  The Big-10 had five teams among our top 35 recruiting classes, followed by the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, and Big East with four apiece.  Especially noteworthy for the Big East is the fact that St. John's was ranked #1, Seton Hall was tied for second, and Connecticut checks in at #5.  For a list of the rankings, click on Preliminary List of the Top Recruiting Classes from the Fall Signing Period. While this will probably hold pretty close to form, we want to remind you that this list is subject to change.  The official list will be compiled in early December. 

Sunday, November 21, 1999

We will continue to find out about commitments, as schools turn in signed National Letters-of-Intent, for several more weeks, but already we have compiled a preliminary list of signings for every Division I school in the nation.  Right now it is probably the most comprehensive list available, but that doesn't mean that certain players haven't slipped through the cracks.  So if you see that we're missing somebody, please email us at clark@hoopscooponline.com and we will add it to our list, as we continuously update our list during the next several weeks.  One player we've already found out about is 6'7 Charles Henson from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  He's an absolute steal for Iona - no player in the nation improved as much from summer to fall as Henson.  You can get access to this list by clicking on NationalCommitments.   In addition to just providing you with a list, we also have provided you with a 1-10 rating, so you will have some idea how good is each player.  A top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range natoinally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and a player not ranked among our top 1000 nationally is worth only one point.  Junior college players and prep school players are factored in as if they were high school seniors, so their worth may have increased due to improvement, as well as an extra year or two of experience and maturity. 

Saturday, November 20, 1999

As expected, last night 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, did announce for St. John's.  And that's why the commitment from 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL earlier this week was so important.  If you don't get Miles, who will likely bypass college next spring and enter his name into the NBA draft, you may not have gotten Cook either.  Remember, all fall Cook and Miles both have talked about going together to the same as a package.  But let's hope that Miles does make it academically and plays at St. John's for a season or two.  We not only would get to see a rematch between Miles and 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, but we would also get to see two of the top point guards in the class go ahead-to-head with Cook versus 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY.

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that the latest school to get involved with 6'2 Quentin Hollis from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, who ranks as the #2 senior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, is Vanderbilt. Others on Hollis' list are Rutgers, Miami-FL, Fordham, and Alabama, but Davis still thinks Hollis is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation. It's early for 6'9 Jr Josh Powell from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, who ranks as the #3 junior Georgia's loaded junior class by HOOP SCOOP, to be narrowing his list, but right now N.C. State, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Miami-FL appear to be the favorites.

Friday, November 19, 1999

For many  years the McDonald's All-American Game has been the premier high school all-star game in the nation, but that may be changing.  In recent years, Sonny Vacarro has been able to get most of the top adidas players to play in the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic in Detroit, MI and now the Derby Classic in Louisville, KY has a major sponsor as well.  That's right!  Earlier this week the Derby Festival announced that NIKE would be the new sponsor  for the game and already things are falling into place for Dan Owens, who is one of the key people involved in running the game, as well as inviting the players.  According to Owens, he already has a number of the top seniors in the nation lined up to play in the game, which will be held at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY at 3:00 PM, Sunday, April 30th.  The list includes 6'3 Marcus Taylor form Lansing (Waverly) MI, 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN.  That's six players who rank among our top 14 nationally!  Add 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, 6'8 Andre Brown from Chicago (Leo) IL, and 6'8 Michael Sweetney from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD and you've got nine players who ranks amng our top 22 nationally.  Are you starting to get the idea that this will be a great game?  Owens also says he has commitments from University of Louisville signee 6'6 Luke Whitehead from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, University of Kentucky signee 6'1 Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and the University of Missouri signee 5'10 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA.  Owens also has invited 6'10 Mike Southall from West Salem (H.S.) WI and will also likely invite 6'7 Simeon Naydenov from Bulgaria via Miami (Berkshire School) FL and , as well as any other quality player who is signed by Louisville and/or Kentucky. However, even that isn't guaranteed, because Owens now has the pick of the litter among many of the best players in the nation and it appears he isn't done yet.  In case you were wondering, in addition to the three mentioned above the other major high all-star games around the nation are the Da Da Classic in Los Angeles, CA, the Capital Classic in Washington, DC, and the NIKE Hoop Summit, which is except from the two game limit imposed by the NCAA due to the format, whereby, an American team is matched up against a foreign team. 

Within the last week I have received a number of emails accusing me of being biased against Indiana University, because I didn't mention a single word in Visitors Section about the Hoosiers getting 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN and 6'4 A.J. Moye from Atlanta (Westlake) GA.  So I have gone back and done a search and it appears that they are right on the money. The last time anything about Indiana was mentioned in the Scoop of the Day was on Monday, October 25th.   However, the day before, Sunday, October 24th, we not only mentioned Indiana University, but we had a long commentary, which began with Knight's hunting accident and ended with our Question of the Day   - where will Jeffries go to school?  But we mentioned that Moye did sign with Indiana University on Friday, November 12th, in our Hot Recruiting Information page in the Members Section.   We also mentioned Jeffries on November 9th, November 5th, and November 4th and on November 1st we devoted an entire paragraph to Jeffries committing to Indiana.  We even went so far to as to compare Jeffries to Grant Hill both as a person and a basketball player.  On Sunday, October 31st, we even went against the popular opinion and predicted that Jeffries would go to Indiana, instead of Duke.  Moye also was mentioned in our Hot Recruiting Information page in the Members Section on November 8th, November 7th, and November 5th.  So I think we have been anything but biased against Indiana University.  The Scoop of the Day and the entire Visitors Section is nothing more than a teaser to get people onto our web site with the hope that some of them will subscribe to the Members Section.  Each day I have a number of items to pick from in the Hot Recruiting Information page, but I can only pick one.  If anything, I probably write about Indiana too much, because it is a big time program, it close to where I live, I am an alumnus of the school, I have excellent contacts with people close to the program, and Bob Knight is fun to write about!  Which brings me to my response about several people's comments about me disliking one of the most intriguing people in all of sports.  I don't think whether  I like Knight or not is an issue.  Actually I see Knight as an enigma.  As a basketball coach and a teacher he is a genius.  But like many geniuses, Knight is also very flawed and when he does something stupid, it makes great copy, especially for somebody like me who isn't dependant upon him for quotes and/or access.   Remember, Knight is a bully!  So when he acts like a jerk or does something stupid, I laugh and think that people who act like little kids usually are amusing.   What's really ironic is the last time I said this in print, Knight proved me right by throwing a chair a week later.  But as a basketball coach I still try and treat him with the respect that he deserves and has earned for over 30 years both at Indiana University and at Army.  Afterall, he isn't a Hall of Fame coach for nothing!

Thursday, November 18, 1999

When 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, who currently ranks as the #8 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, made it official yesterday by signing a National Letter-of-Intent with St. John's, not a single player who is ranked among our top 10 nationally was still available for the spring signing period.  The highest ranked player still on the board  is 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but the word is that he too signed with St. John's yesterday.  However, we won't count it as official until he announces it next week.  These things are subject to change, but our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that Cook is scheduled to make the announcement at Juniors Restaurant in Brooklyn, NY at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, November 23rd.  How right we were!   Now Naclerio is telling us that Cook's press conference has been moved up to tomorrow night at 6:00 PM at Christ the King High School.  Also signing on the dotted line yesterday was 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who is our #1 ranked prep school player, but we're not sure if he's had is press conference yet.  Apparently he's been putting it off all week and maybe the reason is because he was having a tough time telling UNLV assistant coach Max Good that he isn't going to be a Runnin' Rebel.  Remember, Good and Butler have an extremely close relationship dating back to a year ago when both were at Maine Central Institute.  Getting Butler moves Connecticut's recruiting class into our top five nationally behind St. John's, Missouri, Seton Hall, and ahead of Iowa State and Iowa.  However, as we continue to compile who went where during the next several weeks (schools have two weeks to turn in signed National Letters-of-Intent to the NCAA), that is subject to change.

Patrick Jira of www.therecruitingbeat.com confirms that the University of Missouri did get a commitment yesterday from 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA.   However, according to Jira, who talked with Weaver for an hour last night, Weaver does not plan to sign a National Letter-of-Intent until spring.   So really anything is possible, because Weaver's situation is kind of crazy to begin with and you can bet that other schools will continue to keep recruiting him, as they attempt to get him to change his mind.   However, it may not matter, if he doesn't continue to work hard academically and meet the requirements necessary to be eligible next year.  Hopefully Weaver, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class, will make it.  But right now there are still a lot of question marks, like will be he eligible to play this year at Compton (Centennial) CA.  Remember, when we first saw him at Washington (Coolidge) DC last December, he was listed as a senior in high school.  However, academically he is way behind and we know people in Southern California who think he may be able play this year.   Stranger things have happened!

The University of Tulsa has gotten 6'3 Jason Parker from Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK, who ranks as the #3 ranked player in the state of Oklahoma by Bob Grace, who is the Midwest Editor for both www.midwestbasketball.com and the HOOP SCOOP.  Although Parker committed today, it wouldn't become official until April, because he did not sign a National Letter-of-Intent and yesterday was the last day you could do so during the fall signing peiod.  He joins the two big guys - 6'10 Jack Ingram from San Antonio (Marshall) TX and 6'10 J.T. Ivie from Mt. Airy (Habersham Central) GA - that the Golden Hurricane landed earlier this fall.  The University of Washington has gotten 6'8 Demarcus Williams from Upland (H.S.) CA, but we're not sure why.  He's a space-eater, but he's not very good.  Plus he's only 6'8, not 6'10 or 6'11.  William & Mary has signed 6'8 Zeb Cope from Columbia (Hammond School) SC, who ranks #5 in South Carolina by the HOOP SCOOP.   And that's a steal for the Tribe, because this athletic inside guy with grades has a lot of natural talent and potential.  The University of Hartford earlier got 5'11 Ryan Stys from Manchester (Central) NH and now the Hawks have added another quality player to their recruiting class in 6'5 Louis Bosley from New Haven (Wilbur Cross) CT, who ranks as a consensus top five senior in Connecticut.

After Memphis head coach Tic Price resigned for personal reasons on Sunday and after 6'9 Malcolm Battles from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL reneged on his commitment to Memphis and signed with New Mexico, the Tigers future recruiting seemed shaky for the remainer of the season.  But our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Johnny Jones defied the dreaded "interim" status yesterday by inking 6'6 Lou Wright from Memphis (Raleigh-Egpyt) TN, who currently is the #1 ranked senior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.  Wright, brother of former Memphis and current Atlanta Hawks center Lorezen Wright, cited legacy to Memphis as the deciding factor, despite the fact that Jones is far from guaranteed to be retained after the current season.  His uncle, Alvin Wright, was a four-year starter at point guard for Memphis in the '70s and Wright's cousin, 6'5 Scooter McFadgen from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN.

One of the premier holiday tournaments in the nation is always the Nations Bank City of Palms Classic and last night we got the run down from tournament director Donnie Wilkie, who may have outdone himself again this year.  Not only does he have two of the leading candidates of National Player-of-the-Year in the senior class in 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) AL and 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA,but he also has the best player in the nation regardless of class in 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  The tournament begins on Saturday, December 18th, at 4:00 PM with Miami (South Miami) FL versus Slidell (Salmen) LA, followed by Baco Raton (Pope John Paul II) FL versus Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Louisville (Ballard) KY versus Ft. Myers (Cypress Creek) FL, and Camden (H.S.) NJ versus Jacksonville (Ribault) FL.  Sunday, December 19th, is an off day, so play will resume on Monday, December 20th, when the losers of the last two games on Saturday will tipoff at noon.  Then it will be Denver (East) CO versus Miami (Northwest Christian) FL, Boston (English) MA versus Immokalee (H.S.) FL, and the losers of the first two opening round games from Saturday.   The final two games on Monday will feature Williamsport (H.S.) PA versus Childersburg (H.S.) AL and Lilburn (Berkmar) GA versus Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL.   The quarterfinals will be included amongst a full slate of games on Tuesday, December 21st.  The semi-finals will be on Wednesday, December 22nd, and the Championship will be on Thursday, December 23rd.  We also have to give Wilkie an assist on our Question of the Day  today, because we were talking about small towns that produce great high school basketball talent on an annual basis.  I would tell you what small town team we were talking about, but people in Wilkie's business get real nervous when you start reporting information like that before he has a contract in hand.  Wilkie also tells us that he can once again in the future get teams from places like New York and Philadelphia.  For years he had been prevented from inviting teams from these areas due to Florida State High School Athletic Association rules.   For more information about the Nations Bank City of Palms Classic, go to the their web site at www.cityofpalmsclassic.com.

With me nothing is ever easy when it comes to computers, so it is no surprise that we have a major problem with our college basketball poll.  Remember, several days ago we encouraged you to help us update our rankings of the top 25 college teams throughout the season.  Well, I have seen pulled the pug on this idea for several reasons.  First, our computer person failed to set it up so you couldn't vote for the same team more than once.  Second, a person can hit submit and it will accept the poll without filling out all 25 teams.  Should be easy enough to correct, but now my computer person tells me he's too busy to deal with it.  Why am I not surprised?  However, there is good news on several other fronts.   I did get my Fujitsu labtop computer back, as promised on November 4th, and everything did work like brand new.  So the 20% of the people who didn't think I would have any more problems were proved correct.  But only now am I really sure about that, because I've been exclusively using my old labtop up until the last severael days.  That was the first computer I got back, but now I have a total of three computers that are fully operational.  That's right!  My old desktop computer has also be upgraded and now also serves as a backup.  Hopefully that will ensure that we won't have anymore downtime in the future.  Also in the immediate future, we plan to provide you the Hoop Scoop of the Day using both audio and video.

Wednesday, November 17, 1999

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that http://www.redmen.com is reporting that 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, who is the most talented player in the senior class nationally, has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning and that he will sign with St. John's.  This comes as no surprise, because we've thought for some time that St. John's was the leader.   While a lot of people don't think it really matters where Miles signs, because he will likely bypass college and go straight to the NBA next spring, we don't agree.   If Miles signs with the Red Storm, it is our guess that 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will likely follow suit almost immediately.  Also signing Miles would give the St. John's coaching staff a great player to sell to other inside guys this winter.   Remember, St. John's doesn't have anybody in the program who is eligible who is over 6'7 besides 6'8 Soph Donald Emanuel, who only averaged 1.7 ppg and 2.2 rpg a year ago.  They do have 6'10 Abraham Keita waiting in the wings hoping to get eligible second semester and they did sign 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY and 6'11 Mohammed Diakite from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD this fall, but they need more than that if they want to duplicate last year's NCAA Final Eight finish again in the near future.  Maybe they will go the junior college route or use head coach Mike Jarvis' overseas contacts.

The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that George Mason has signed from 6'9 Deon Cooper from Columbia (Central) TN, who ranks as the #6 player in Tennessee, but has the potential to move a lot higher, and 6'4 Raoul Heinen, who currently playing extremely well in the Netherlands.   Getting Heinen was expected, because he committed to the Patriots last June, but signing Cooper was a major coup, because height is at such a premium in the senior class right now.  As a result, a number of big time schools have tried to get involved with Cooper lately, but George Mason closing this one is just one more example of why we think no coaching staff in the nation does a better job of identifying who they can get early and then getting it done.  Another school in the area also is getting it done!  Virginia Tech has landed three players this week in 6'6 Brian Matthews from Columbia (H.S.) SC,  6'5 Dan Gathings from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 5'10 Brian Chase from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Getting Matthews and Chase are especially important, becase Matthews is ranked as the #4 player in South Carolina by the HOOP SCOOP and Chase is the multi-talented little point guard who played for  DC Assault.

Alabama has been making a late push for 6'7 Omar Weaver from Compton (Centennial) CA, who is one of the top 5th year players in the nation, as well as one of the best shooters available, but our sources tell us that it's a done deal for Missouri.  As a matter of fact, the ink is drying on the National Letter-of-Intent, which he signed earlier today.  The only holdup might be getting his mother's signature, but unless we hear otherwise, we are counting Weaver as first year head coach Quin Snyder's 4th recruit.  With 6'9 Arthur Johnson from Detroit (Pershing) MI, 6'5 Rickey Paulding from Detroit (Pershing) MI, and 5'10 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA already in the fold, the addition of Weaver moves Missouri's recruiting class into a tie with Seton Hall for the #1 recruiting class for the fall signing period.   However, things can change fast in the recruiting business and, if 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL picks St. John's today, as expected, and 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) IL follows suit in the near further,   St. John's would move way out in front of everybody else with both quality and quantity.   If you will recall, St. John's already has signed 6'11 Mohammed Diakite from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Kyle Cuffe from New York (Rice) NY, 6'5 Willie Shaw from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, and 6'7 Eric King from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  If they add Miles and Cook, the Red Storm's recruiting class would be worth 44 points compared to Seton Hall and Missouri, which are both tied with 30 points.

Tuesday, November 16, 1999

The HOOP SCOOP's 1999-2000 Pre-Season College All-American Teams are ready for release and we have a major surprise on the first team.   That's right!  We think all the other pre-season All-American teams have missed badly on Weber State's 6'6 Harold Arceneaux, who is still the biggest sleeper in years.  Also being named to our first team were the usual cast of characters - Auburn's 6'7 Chris Porter, DePaul's Quentin Richardson, Michigan State's 6'2 Mateen Cleaves, and Ohio State's 5'10 Scoonie Penn.  Our six five-man teams, plus two all-freshmen teams, and our all-transfer team, can be found by clicking on HOOP SCOOP Pre-Season College Basketball Rankings.  If you will recall, on Sunday we also made available our 1999-2000 Pre-Season College Team Rankings and we encourage your participation in a poll that we will be conducting between now and March.  All you have to do is pick you top 25 college basketball teams.  Your #1 ranked team will be worth 25 points, your #2 ranked team gets 24 points, your #3 ranked team gets 23 points,..., and your #25 ranked teams gets one point.  You can vote once a day and each time rank the teams and click on submit, we will automatically add you results to the total and you will be able to see what our readers think at any given time during the season.  No more waiting for the weekly polls!  We think our readers are smarter than many of the so-called experts, so we eagerly await your participation!

It is now official - 6'1 Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who committed to the University of Kentucky while on his visit over the weekend, has signed the National Letter-of-Intent, but Kentucky may still need a point guard.  Hawkins, who ranks #61 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is a terrific talent, but we're not sure he solves Kentucky's point guard problems because he doesn't have a point guard mentality.   Instead, he's a slasher who gets most of his points in transition.  So obviously, he can't shoot, but also like Wayne Turner, he's a great defender and he's got a lot of guts, which might explain why the Kentucky coaching staff is so high on him.  With Hawkins in the fold, Kentucky now has no need for 6'3 Demetrius Smith from Hogansville (Callaway) GA, so it makes sense that Smith would go elsewhere.  However, we thought it would be Georgia.  But last night he signed with Alabama.   We are now getting reports that Kentucky is back in with 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who ranks #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and that head coach Tubby Smith is doing all the work himself, because he's that big a priority.  However, we will probably have to wait until spring before we know something for sure.

The University of New Hampshire finished last in the tough America East Conference a year ago, but first year head coach Phil Rowe appears to be turning things around in a hurry, as he has signed four players -  6'5 Matt Kauderer from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'0 Marcus Bullock from Cherry Hill (East) NJ, 6'9 Kyle Peterson from New Holstein (H.S.) WI, and 6'3 Brady Catlett from Fitchburg (Notre Dame Prep) MA - who figure to make an immediate impact.  Kauderer, Bullock, and Peterson are good enough to start as freshman next year and Catlett, who is the great nephew of West Virginia head coach Gale Catlett, adds toughness.   Now all their addition will be turned towards adding another big guy with their one remaining scholarship. 

Patrick Jira of  http://www.therecruitingbeat.com tells us that he expects 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY and 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME both to make it official within the next few days.  Jira thinks Cook will pick St. John's and Butler will pick Connecticut.  However, we still think it's going to be extremely tough for Butler not to go to UNLV and with Cook anything is possible.  Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Drexel has landed Patrick Deveney from Marlton (Cherokee) NJ and that Pennsylvania has gotten 6'10 Adam Chubb from Mercersburg (Academy) PA. What makes the Chubb commitment especially interesting is the fact that Quakers assistant coach Steve Donahue also got 6'8 Ugonna Onyekwe from Mercersburg Academy a year ago.  And just like Onyekwe a year ago, Chubb, who is a 5th year player, has had that added year to develop and improve.   However, unlike a lot of prep school players, both Onyekwe and Chubb are outstanding students or obviously they wouldn't be going to Penn. 

Monday, November 15, 1999

We have confirmed that 6'4 Greg Taylor from Simpsonville (Hillcrest) SC, who was one the biggest sleepers to emerge in this fall, has verbally committed to the University of South Carolina.  This is absolutely huge, not just because Taylor, who ranks as the #3 senior in the state behind 6'5 Jerome Harper from Columbia (Keenan) SC and 6'9 Rolando Howell from Hopkins (Lower Richland) SC, has a tremendous future, but also because it means Gamecocks head coach Eddie Fogler can still get the top players in his backyard.   Remember, South Carolina won only eight games last year and Harper, who is the best player to come out of the state since Kevin Garnett and Jermaine O'Neal, committed to Cincinnati in July.  So getting Howell recently and Taylor today was extra important, as Fogler continues to rebuild.  If you will recall, we had the Gamecocks' recruiting class, which included another top ranked South Carolina kid - 6'8 Chuck Edison from Summerville (Pinewood) SC - ranked #12 ranked recruiting class last spring.  As a matter of fact, Taylor reminds us of a smaller version of Edison in many ways.  They're both multi-dimensional white kids with lots of athleticism, excellent 3-point shooting ability, and good perimeter skills.  Speaking of South Carolina, this not yet confirmed, but our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has heard that 6'2 Michael Boynton from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY is also on the verge of making a committed to the Gamecocks.  Currently Boynton doesn't rank among out top 100 nationally, but he was one of the most improved players in the nation this fall.

As predicted by us late last week, 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #20 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, did sign today with Auburn.  The Tigers also signed 6'7 Brandon Robinson from Huntsville (Buckhorn) AL and 6'9 Kyle Davis from Blakely (Early) GA, both of whom have major upsides.  However the Tigers lost out on their other two prime targets when 6'7 Justin Reed from Jackson (Provine) MS, who changed his mind and signed with Ole Miss at the last moment, and 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who eliminated the Auburn about a month ago.   However, they still are in the running for a major sleeper that nobody knows about yet and they already are the early favorite for 6'6 Jr Chris White from Huntsville (Grissom) AL, 6'8 Jr Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, and 6'1 Soph Chad Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks as the #1 sophomore in America by the HOOP SCOOP.

It comes as no surprise that 6'11 Brandon Crump from Houston (Klein) TX, who ranks #56 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, signed with Tennessee today.  It also comes as no surprise after Memphis head coach Tic Price resigned last night that 6'9 Malcolm Battles from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL has reneged on Memphis and is once again going to New Mexico.   Remember, last week he changed his mind about going to New Mexico and, instead, signed with Tigers and faxed the National Letter-of-Intent to the basketball office.   However, his mother never faxed her copy of the letter-of-intent to Memphis and since she is his legal guardian, it is her signature that counts.  So technically Battles was still free to sign with anybody until today when his mother faxed her signed copy of the National Letter-of-Intent to New Mexico.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin finally has something official on 6'9 Robbie Thompson from Hellerton (Saucon Valley) PA, who ranks #12 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the fastest rising players in the area.  He picked Fairfield!  Rubin also tells us that UNC-Greensboro has added two more recruits in 6'8 Tizzo Johnson from Millersburg (Military) KY and 6'9 Peter Tsamtas from High Point (West Charlotte) NC.  If you recall, several weeks ago the Spartans also got commitments from 6'2 Ronnie Taylor from Raleigh (Southeast) NC and 6'4 Jay Joseph from Lansdale (North Penn) PA, who ranks #9 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a result, it looks like first year head coach Fran McCaffery is doing the same thing he did when he was an assistant coach at Notre Dame.  That's right!  Johnson and Joseph were both good enough to get by schools at a lot higher level, so write them both down as major steals for UNC-Greensboro.

The University of Maryland has been the leader for months, so it came as no surprise several days ago when 6'8 Chris Wilcox from Raleigh (Enloe) NC made it official for the Terps.  This is great news for head coach Gary Williams, because Wilcox, who ranks as the best player in the senior class in North Carolina, as well as #35 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is the first player that Maryland has landed in the last year who is good enough to keep the program near the top of the always tough ACC.  If you will recall, a year ago they landed 6'3 Stephen Blake from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Tahj Holden from Little Silver (Red Bank Regional) NJ, and 6'3 Drew Nicholas from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY and it didn't get any better when they early commitments from 7'3 Matt Slanika from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD and 6'3 Tamir Goodman from Baltimore, MD.  Fortunately, Goodman reneged and, instead, decided to go Towson State.  However, Maryland had better not count their chickens before they hatch, because Wilcox's grades a still a major question mark, which might be why they were able to get him out of Duke's, North Carolina's, and N.C. State's backyard.   Still, getting a player of Wilcox's quality is a positive step in the right direction upon which the coaching staff can hopefully build upon.

Sunday, November 14, 1999

Our Memphis Editor Jim Rothman dropped a bomb on us tonight when he called and told us that University of Memphis head coach Tic Price has resigned effective immediately.  No reason was given, but Rothman thinks it was not derived from last year's 13-15 record nor due to the prospects for the upcoming 1999-2000 season.  This comes almost immediately after the Tigers signed two outstanding prospects in 6'9 Malcolm Battles from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL and 6'5 Scooter McFadgon from Memphis (Raleigh-Epypt) TN.  Memphis also appears to be in great shape on 6'4 Immanuel McElroy from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'5 Lou Wright from Memphis (Raleigh-Egpyt) TN, and 6'11 Brandon Crump from Houston (Klein) TX.  Current assistant coach Johnny Jones, who previously was an assistant at LSU for 15 years and Memphis the last two years, has been named interim head coach.  However, we would be surprised if he got the job on permanent basis, because we don't expect the Tigers to have a real good year.  The earlier list of possible candidates for the job next spring include Kansas assistant Neil Dougherty, Siena head coach Paul Hewitt, Southwestern Louisiana head coach Jessie Evans, and Arkansas assistant Mike Anderson.

With the help of Dave Schultz, who is a contributing editor to the HOOP SCOOP, we have published our rankings of the pre-season top 25 rankings college teams and as always there are a few surprises.   Does anybody else have the Arizona ranked #1?  The Wildcats return three players - Michael Wright, Richard Jefferson, and Ruben Douglas - who started as freshmen on a 22-7 team a year ago, they got 10 deep, and Lute Olson is one of the most underrated coaches in the game.   However, the deciding factors were Jason Gardner, who Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook thinks will be the Top Newcomer in the Pacific-10, and 7'0 Loren Woods, who is picked as the Newcomer of the Year in the league by the Sporting New College Basketball Yearbook.  Cincinnati is a close second, followed by Michigan State, Temple, Florida, Auburn, Connecticut, Kansas, Kentucky, and Stanford.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that we have Florida ranked higher than Auburn, which is different from most of the pre-season polls.   It's not that we don't like Auburn.  We just like Florida better, because we think they improved more from a year ago with addition of Donnell Harvey, Brett Nelson, Matt Bonner, and Justin Hamilton. We also find it pretty incredible how low some of the pre-season polls have both Kentucky and Kansas.  Both teams are loaded!  For our complete list of  rankings, along with the number of starters returning for each school, last year's conference and overall records, the league in which each team participates, and some comments regarding each team and its ranking, click on HOOP SCOOP's Exclusive 1999-2000 Pre-Season College Rankings.

Saturday, November 13, 1999

Patrick Jira, Editor & Publisher of the http://www.therecruitingbeat.com, has tells us that 6'10 Marcus Douthit from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has finally made it official for Providence and 6'3 Rashid Dunbar from Bayonne (Marist) NJ has signed with Miami-FL.    Jira also has confirmed that 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT has committed to Fordham, but he does not plan to sign a national letter-of-intent until spring.  The same can also be said about 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY.  In some cases this may be a cause for concern, but with McMillan and Brown we don't expect any complications, unless something unforeseen happens, like Connecticut point guard Khalid El-Amin goes hardship to the NBA.  Northeastern has landed 6'6 Gene Francios from Lake Worth (H.S.) FL and he appears to be a great get. for the Huskies. "Not many people outside of the state know about him, because he doesn't play on an AAU team.  So he's a legitimate sleeper!"

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Miami-OH has stolen another one.  Remember, a couple of days ago the Redhawks got 6'5 Julius Johnson from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH, who ranks as the #2 senior in Ohio, as well as a top 100 senior nationally, by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 Chet Mason from Cleveland (South) OH.  Well, yesterday they signed 6'5 Eugene Seals from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who ranks as the #6 senior in Michigan and just misses making our top 100 nationally.   We reported yesterday that we will be surprised if 6'6 Caron Butler signs with Connecticut on Monday.  However, that's exactly what we're hearing from a pretty good source, despite the Max Good connection at UNLV.  Remember, Good, who is now an assistant coach at UNLV, was not only Butler's prep school coach a year ago, but is very close to the kid.  We also are hearing that Kentucky is the now the leader for 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA.   Apparently the Kentucky coaching staff has really turned up the heat now that they have lost 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who is now believed to be a near lock for Mississippi State.  They're selling Bryant on the idea of being Tayshaun Prince's replacement at the 3-spot, which is very interesting.   Right now Bryant is much better inside, where he can take advantage of his body.   However, Bryant doesn't always do that.  As a matter of fact, he tends to be a little soft at time.  Instead, he'd rather beat you with finesse and he has the mobility and the shooting range to play out on the perimeter.  However, he still needs to refine those skills and if he takes too long, the Wildcats may recruit right over him.

Earlier this week we told you that Jim Rothman's Tennessee Report was available, but that we would have some more additions once we checked with several additional sources in the Eastern part of the state.  One of those sources is Keith Allsep, who is the head coach at Limestone (Washington College) TN, which is quickly stepping up to rival Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA as the premier basketball boarding school in the nation.  And just like Oak Hill, Washington College doesn't take 5th year players, so it isn't a prep school.  However, neither school is allowed to compete in the state tournament or belong to the state association, because they are private schools. But that doesn't mean that their players should be overlooked when ranking the top players in the state.  Remember, last spring Oak Hill's Travis Watson was named Mr. Basketball in Virginia.  A quick look at Rothman's all-state teams tells that Washington College is absolutely loaded.  On the first team is 6'10 Jr Tony Key, who now ranks as the #2 player in the junior class after transferring from Russellville (H.S.) KY in August.  The second team features 6'9 Andre Scott, who has redeemed himself this fall at Washington College, and 6'10 Jr Mustafa Rahman-Elsayyad, who has wasted no time becoming our #3 ranked player in the junior class.  He just arrived from The Sudan on Wednesday, but in time Allsep thinks Rahman-Elsayyad could be just as good as Scott and Key.  On the third team is 6'3 Jr Alexander Harper and what is scary is that Allsep thinks he could be just as good as his older brother - Jerome Harper, who was briefly at Washington College in August and September.  Had Jerome stayed, Washington College may have been as good as anybody in the nation in the high school ranks this year.  They're still probably a legitimate top 10 team and that isn't good new for Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, which opens the season against Washington College in the National Tip-off Classic in Washington, DC on December 3rd.  And if that weren't enough, 6'1 Mo Niakate is listed on the 4th team all-state team, plus 6'7 Jr Eric Patrick, 6'6 Jr Glean Eddy, 6'2 Derrick Wright, and 6'9 Arturas Czauskas, all of whom rank among our top 15 players in the state in their respective class, provide plenty of depth.  You can get Rothman's report by clicking on Tennesse Report and you can get his rankings by class by clicking on Rothman Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in Tennessee.

Friday, November 12, 1999

Both commitments have been expected to for long time, so it comes as no surprise that 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who ranks #52 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 A.J. Moye from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, who ranks #57 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, both signed this morning.  Stokes picked Missouri over USC, Texas, San Diego State, and Oregon State.  Moye picked Indiana over Massachusetts and Georgia.  We also expect 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who ranks as the #1 prep school player in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, to sign on Monday.  There are those in the business who think it's too close to call between Connecticut and UNLV, but we'd be shocked if Butler didn't go to UNLV, which is where his former prep school coach Max Good, who is a father-like fugure to the kid, is now an assistant.  However, we were surprised in August when Butler verbally committed to Connecticut.  This may come as surprise to many, because most people expect him to sign late, but we have a very reliable source who tells us that 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA plans to sign with Auburn on Monday.   Right now the leaders for 6'9 Andrew Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA are Oregon State and Souther Cal, but the word is he's going to sign late. Hopefully this will help Zahn, who is one of the most skilled players in the class.   However, since we first saw Zahn as a sophomore in high school, the value of his stock has dropped like a rock, as he's continued to get slower and less athletic. 

 
If you will recall, we reported a month ago that 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who ranks #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committed to the Kentucky coaching staff while on his official visit.  But nothing was ever officially announced and a lot can change in a month.  As a matter of fact, we've been hearing for several days that Kentucky has been eliminated from Rice's list altogether and we now have several reliable sources who are confirming this as fact.  So it looks like Rice's final three are Miami-FL, Arkansas, and Mississippi State and, if that's the case, you can almost write it down for the Bulldogs.  Don't believe it?  Just ask Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried what happens when you go down to the wire against Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury.  Remember, earlier this week 6'8 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL reneged on the Crimson Tide and picked the Bulldogs.  And that just added insult to injury, because last spring Alabama also lost both 6'5 Antonio Jackson from Butler County (JC) KS and 6'3 Derrick Zimmerman from Monroe (Gossman) LA to Mississippi State.  Speaking of Mississippi State's recruiting class last spring, we ranked it #5 nationally and that was without 6'9 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS, who signed with the Bulldogs in the fall, but elected to go to the NBA out of high school in the spring.   Which brings us to our Question of the Day.   Which head coach is the best recruiter in college basketball today?   Unfortunately we could only select five and the sleeper on the list has to be Stansbury.  As a matter of fact, I voted for Stansbury over Florida's Billy Donovan, Cincinnati's Bob Huggins, UCLA's Steve Lavin, and Kansas' Roy Williams.  However, so far, our readers don't agree, as nearly half the votes have gone to Donovan.  What do you think?  Besides Northwestern's Kevin O'Neill, DePaul's Pat Kennedy, Miami-FL's Leonard Hamilton, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Arizona's Lute Olson, Iowa's Steve Alford, Alabama's Mark Gottfried, and Missouri's Quin Snyder, who are we missing?   Make sure you vote and free to email me at clark@hoopscooponline.com?  This should be real interesting!

Thursday, November 11, 1999

On Tuesday 6'5 George Arnold from Holmes (JC) MS called the Memphis coaching staff and told them that he was not going to sign with UAB, which is where he had verbally committed in September.  Instead, he was planning on signing with Memphis.  However, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Arnold's mother thought it was important for her son to keep his word, so he went ahead and signed with the Blazers yesterday.  Although UAB head coach Murry Bartow hasn't had a lot of success getting the top high school players in the state of Alabama the last several years, he has been able to get it done going the junior college route.  Arnold is one of the best 2-guards in the junior college ranks and the other player UAB signed yesterday - 6'9 Eric Batchelor from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS - ranks as one of the top five junior college players in the nation.  Rothman also confirms that Memphis did sign 6'8 Malcolm Battles from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL and 6'3 Scooter McFadgon from Memphis (Raleigh-Egpyt) TN yesterday and they hope to get 6'4 Immanuel McElroy from Tyler (JC) TX, who also can be found among the top five on some top junior college lists, and 6'5 Lou Wright from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN, who is the cousin of McFadgon.  Memphis also still has a shot for 6'9 Brandon Crump from Houston (Klein) TX, but Rothman thinks the leaders are Tennessee and Houston, although Xavier and SMU also should still be mentioned.

One of the big surprises of the fall signing period has to be 6'8 Greg Davis from Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK picking Syracuse.  According to Mark Grace, who is the Oklahoma Editor for both the HOOP SCOOP and Midwest Basketball, Davis, who ranks no higher than #6 in the senior class in Oklahoma, didn't get scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, or Oral Roberts.  He's a low major player," says Grace.  "He didn't take a single recruiting visit, so he signed with Syracuse without ever setting foot on campus."  As a matter of fact, Orangemen head coach Jim Boeheim, who at the time was attending a coaches clinic in Oklahoma, saw Davis just once in an open gym.  Speaking of players in Oklahoma, Grace also tells us that 6'5 Matt Berry from Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK signed with Indiana State and 6'11 Matt Gastel from Jenks (H.S.) OK picked Oral Roberts over Tulsa.

Murray State signed two excellent inside players yesterday in 6'8 Jamar Avant from Murphysboro (H.S.) IL and 6'8 Roderick Thomas from Southern Union State (JC) AL.  Morehead got a commitment earlier from 6'8 Corey Seegers from Columbus (North) IN, they signed 6'2 Casey Lowe from Olive Hill (West Carter) KY yesterday, and are expected to get 6'4 Ricky Minard from Mansfield (H.S.) OH.  Butler got a commitment last summer from 6'5 Duane Lightfoot from Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY, but it slipped through the cracks and we never reported it.  So we are doing so now! Bellarmine College has gotten 6'7 Darren Douglas from Radcliff (North Hardin) KY and 5'10 Zach Miller from Brandenburg (Meade County) KY. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has sources all over the nation and he tells us that Texas Christian has landed 6'7 Corey Hightower from Indian Hills (JC) IA, who is one of the top three junior college players in the nation, along with 6'11 Ernest Brown from Indian Hills (JC) IA and 6'7 Antoine Jones from Tallahassee (JC) FL.  If that weren't enough of a coup for head coach Billy Tubbs, the Horned Frogs also signed another good junior college player yesterday in 6'10 Marlon Dumont from Seminole (JC) TX.  Johnson also tells us that Texas Tech has signed Jamal Brown from Ft. Scott (JC) KS.  No, that's not the same Jamal Brown from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD via Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME via Seward County (JC) KS, who made an early commitment to New Mexico earlier this fall.  This is the Jamal Brown who led Meridian (JC) MS to a 4th place finish in the national junior college tournament last March.  South Florida has gotten 6'9 Mike Bernard from Coffeyville (JC) KS, who should provide immediate help inside, and Alabama has signed 6'10 Dan Banko from Nashville (Montgomery Bell) TN, who promises to be a project at best.  Northwestern State has gotten a transfer in 5'11 Michael Byers-Dawson, who more than held his own a year ago while playing in the Big East for Miami-FL.  However, he doesn't count with the other three players - 6'0 Michael Edwards from Rowlett (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Kory Wilson from Hill (JC) TX, and 6'7 Melvin Roberts from Northland Pioneer (JC) AZ - that Northwestern State either signed or has gotten commitments from recently.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also has the scoop on where a number of the top players in the state of Ohio are going, including 6'5 Julius Johnson from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH, who ranks as the #2 player in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.  Johnson is an absolute steal for Miami-OH, even if he has to sit out next year as a non-qualifer, which appears to be likely.  And he's not the only one the Redhawks signed.  Miami-OH also got Johnson's close friend and AAU teammates - 6'4 Chet Mason from Cleveland (South) OH, who will rank among the top dozen in the state on Chris' list, which Chris promises to get into our hands when the fall signing period is over late next week.  Johnson also tells us that Western Michigan has landed 6'4 Maverick Carter from Akron (St. Mary's-St. Vincent) OH, who also is a high Division I football prospect, and Dartmouth has gotten a steal in 6'10 Scott Klingbeil from North Royalton (H.S.) OH.  Ohio University has landed a top 10 ranked player in Ohio in 6'5 Jaivon Harris from Alliance (H.S.) OH and 6'2 Frank Richards from Rockford (Jefferson) IL, who established himself as a top 150 player nationally last summer at Bobby Kortsen's shootout in Columbus, OH in late July. 

Two days ago Illinois Warriors head coach Larry Butler told us that he thought St. John's was the leader for 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL.  However, today Butler was quoted today in the Chicago-Tribune saying that he believes Miles is leaning toward DePaul.   "'Darius is visiting Kentucky this weekend and has also visited St. John's along with DePaul," Butler said. "Darius is real tight with 'Q,' and with the opportunity to play right away, my guess is he is going to DePaul.'"   "Q" is Quentin Richardson and we think that Miles will definitely follow his lead, but not to DePaul.  Instead, we think Richardson will declare hardship for the NBA draft and Miles will be right behind him, because his academics are still a major question mark.  We also are hearing the rumor that 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY is now interested in DePaul, but we don't believe it.  Didn't the Blue Demons just get another great point guard - 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL?  We continue to hear that Cook doesn't want to go to St. John's, but that may be about to change.   The latest rumor is that St. John's is a lot cloer to getting it done than a lot of people think and, as a result, it may happen soon.  Stay tuned!

The legendary Bob Gottlieb tells us that one of the big reasons why 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA hasn't signed with Missouri is because he is not sure that he wants to go to school that far away from home.  Stokes' mother had a stroke several weeks ago and apparently that has made a major impact on his decision.  As a result, Stokes visited San Diego State recently and, if first year head coach Steve Fisher can pull this off, his first recruiting class will be a major success.  Remember, the Aztecs also recently landed two of the other better players in Southern California in 6'8 Chris Walton from San Diego (University) CA and 6'7 Aerick Sanders from Gardena (Serra) CA.  Gottlieb also tells us that 6'11 Soph Martin Iti from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, who played this fall for Gottlieb's BWBA Club team, has transferred to Anaheim (Servite) CA.  This is huge, because it will allow Gottlieb to work with Iti on a daily basis at his Branch West Basketball Academy.   "I can work with him at my academy just like I did with Chris Burgess and Eric Chenowith," says Gottlieb.  However, developing superstars is just one of Gottlieb's talents.  As a matter of fact, his forte is finding players who are getting underrecruited and helping them get scholarships at the Division I level.   And unlike most of the people in the business, he guarantees results, if he if thinks he can help the player.  If you or somebody you know falls into this category, you need to get in touch with Gottlieb.  You can do that by checking out his web site at www.midwestbasketball.com/gottlieb.html.

During the spring and summer the University of Kentucky had been mentioned with all of the top point guards in the nation - 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 5'9 Andre Barrett from New York (Rice) NY, 6'1 Taliek Brown from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, and 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) NY.  However, Duhon went to Duke, Taylor signed with Michigan State, Barrett picked Seton Hall, Brown verbally committed to Connecticut, and Sawyer picked DePaul.  The only one that is still available is Cook.  The next group of point guards includes 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 5'6 Avery Queen from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'1 Brian Morrison from Kirkland (Lake Washington) WA, 6'0  and 6'5 Orien Green from Gainesville (H.S.) FL.  However, Brooks isn't going to make it academically, so he will likely go the prep school route.  Michigan had Queen wrapped up in July and anybody who thought Green was going anywhere, but Florida, which is where he committed in August, was just wasting their time.  Morrison's value skyrocketed during the summer, but Kentucky, which doesn't have a true point guard in the program, was concerned about the fact that Morrison is really a combo guard.  The same can be said about 6'4 Demetrius Smith from Hogansville (Callaway) GA, who has also attracted attention from Kentucky recently.  But they are encouraging him to wait until spring, because Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith has never seen him play.  Move down the list a little further and you find 5'9 Wesley Stokes from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'2 Luke Ridnour from Blaine (H.S.) WA and 6'2 Adam Boone from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN.  Kentucky recruited both Ridnour and Boone, but Boone has elected to go to North Carolina and Ridnour recently eliminated the Wildcats.  Stokes is a tough hardnosed kid, but his lack of size, wild hair, and inconsistent nature made him a questionable fit for Kentucky.  So they never recruited him.  So we drop a little more and we get to Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #61 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   Hawkins verbally committed to New Mexico in early August, but yesterday shocked everybody when he reneged on the Lobos.  Even more surprising is the fact Kentucky is not only on his list, but he is expected to visit Lexington, KY and a scholarship offer could be made during the official visit.  Hawkins might be listed as a point guard, but he's best described as a combo guard, similar to all of the guards that Kentucky already has in the program.  He's not big enough and doesn't shoot it well enough to be a 2-guard and his decision making isn't good to be a point at the big time college level.  But he is best with the ball in his hands, because he tends to get lost at the 2-spot.  He was a great get for New Mexico, but if he commits to Kentucky on the visit, and it is our guess that he will, it creates even more questions, like will he solve Kentucky's point guard problem?  Don't get me wrong, Hawkins, whose game is transition, has a lot of talent and a lot of potential?  As a matter of fact, at one time we talked about moving him into our top 30 nationally.  However, in a head-to-head matchup in the championship of the Pro Am Tournament in Washington, DC in late June, Cook destroyed Hawkins.  Hawkins also didn't impress us at the adidas ABCD Camp in July, which explains why he was ranked no higher than #22 in camp at the point guard position.  At the time, we thought Hawkins was wild and out of control and we were planning on dropping him out of our top 100 nationally.  But then he redeemed himself out west, as he was one of the few players to outplay Duhon at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas and was one of the major reasons why DC Assault won the Best of the Summer High School Boys' Basketball Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills in late July.  Sources tell us that Hawkins has always liked Kentucky and that he was curious why the Wildcats never showed much interest in him until now.  But that's only part of the story.  Apparently there is a big time connection between the Kentucky program and the DC Assault club team.  Remember, Kentucky freshman and Keith Bogans and Hawkins were teammates for two summers while playing for DC Assault.   Also Hawkins family is originally from Alexandria, VA, which also happens to be Bogans' hometown.   And Hawkins, along with Bogans, was named to the All-Metro team in the Washington, DC area two years ago when he was a sophomore at Potomac (H.S.) VA.  What's all this mean?  If Kentucky offers, you can write it down!   However, that won't end the debate.  Is Hawkins, who is a great competitor and excellent defender, ready to step in and run the show at Kentucky? Will they still try and offer Cook or maybe go after a good junior college point guard in the spring?  And will signing him effect their recruiting in the future?  All this is going to be very interesting!

Wednesday, November 10, 1999

It looks like our comments yesterday were right on the money, as the big story of the day is not who signed, but who reneged.   At the top of the list is 6'8 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL, who did indeed renege on Alabama, as he signed with Mississippi State this morning.  Yesterday 6'7 Justin Reed from Jackson (Provine) MS told the Auburn coaching staff that his commitment was firm, but today he signed with Mississippi.  This doesn't come as a major surprise, because Reed's former high school coach is an assistant Ole Miss.  But what a steal!  We saw Reed shoot the lights out at Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness in September and, as a result, he can no longer be labelled as an undersized power forward.  Right now Reed is ranked #49 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but when we come out with our new nationally ranks, we'll cut that in half.  As a matter of fact, we may have to even consider voting for Reed when we make our McDonald's All-American selections this winter.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Malcolm Battles from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL and 6'1Cliff Hawkins from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA have both reneged on New Mexico.  Hawkins apparently is the unnamed point guard that several other recruiting web sites have mentioned with Kentucky today.  Hawkins AAU teammate, 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who ironically committed to New Mexico several times privately in August before reneging and later committing to Michigan, did keep his word and signed today with the Wolverines.   However, today wasn't a total loss for New Mexico,as the Lobos did get 6'9 Patrick Dennehy from Mountain View (St. Francis) CA and they already appear to be in good shape with several junior college power forwards.  Another one that is in doubt appears to be 6'4 Immanuel McElroy from Tyler (JC) TX, who made an early verbal commitment to the University of Memphis last spring.  However, the Tigers appear to be getting Battles, as well as 6'5 George Arnold from Holmes (JC) MS, who two months ago verbally committed to UAB.  Instead, Blazers head coach Murry Bartow has landed 6'9 Eric Batchelor from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS, who is one of the top five junior college players in the nation.

We have confirmed that the University of Cincinnati has signed 6'7 Antoine Jones from Tallahassee (JC) FL, who is one of the leading candidates for national player-of-the-year in the junior college ranks.   Which means for the second consecutive year, the Bearcats have landed two players who rank among our top five nationally in high school, prep school, or junior college.   Remember, last year Cincinnati got 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who was the #1 ranked 5th year player, according to the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Kenny Satterfield from New York (Rice) NY, who was #3 in the Class of 1999 in our final rankings.  Then in July, they got a commitment from 6'5 Jerome Harper from Columbia (Keenan) SC, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and now they have Jones.  So it easy to understand why many think Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins is at the top of the list among head coaches in college basketball as both a recruiter and a coach.   "The Al McGuire of the '90s," is what some say.   But Mick Cronin, the recruitingcoordinator at Cincinnati, also deserves a lot credit as well.  He's one of the bright young stars in the business!   The Bearcats also got 6'3 Field Williams from Houston (Waltrip) TX today, so most of their attention is now turned towards finding a power forward who can walk in and complement the two big guys - 6'11 John Grove and 6'11 Donald Little - who are currently waiting in the wings behind Cincinnati's three senior front court starters.

He hasn't reneged, but it doesn't look like he is going to sign this fall.  Yesterday 6'2 Dominic Jones from Midlothian (Manchester) VA surprised us by picking Virginia Commonwealth over George Mason yesterday.  However, that should not have been a surprise, because Jones' AAU teammate and good friend - 6'4 Antonio Hargrove from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC - picked the Rams in July.  This is still unconfirmed, but the word on the street is that 6'8 Jeff McMillan from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT has committed to Fordham, which means that Rams assistant coach Mike Brown now looks like a genius.  Remember, in September he told us that Fordham was on the verge of becoming the next Seton Hall and since that time they have turned heads by landing 6'8 Michael Haynes from Millersburg (Military) KY, 6'10 Glenn Bateman from Detroit (Cass Tech) MI, and 6'11 Yankuba Camara from Chester (H.S.) PA.  

Patrick Jira of www.therecruitingbeat.com confirms the 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, who ranks #15 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked DePaul.   So much for our source from two days ago who thought Sawyer was going to Miami-FL.  Moral to the story, Blue Demons head coach Pat Kennedy has owned the city of Chicago since arriving two and half year ago and he wasn't about to lose the point guard that he needs for the future.  As a matter of fact, a great point guard might be the only thing that is preventing DePaul from being ranked among everybody's top 10 nationally right now.  Speaking of people in Chicago, Larry Butler, who is the head coach of the Illinois Warriors, which is one of the premier AAU programs in the nation, has a new web site that covers high school basketball in Chicago and the state of Illinois.  The address is http://www.illinoisspotlite.com and it is definitely worth checking out.  If that's doesn't give you enough information on high school hoops in the state of Illinois, several other excellent web sites worth clicking on are http://www.highschoolelite.com and http://www.recruiteronline.com/illinois/.

Tuesday, November 9, 1999

Normally I'd say it's the calm before the storm, but with the fall signing period upon us, it begins tomorrow, it looks like the storm has already passed.  That's right!  Only one player - 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL - who ranks among our top 10 is left.   Three more - 6'1 Omar Cook from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL - who rank among our top 20 are left.   Go a little deeper and we find that there are four top 30 players still unsigned in 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'8 Garner Meads from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, and 6'3 Cedric Banks from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL.  Normally 75%-80% of the top 100 players sign during the fall signing period, but in recent years it's been the very elite players who held out to the bitter end.   However, the trend now seems to be to commit early, and I mean really early.   As a matter of fact, five of the top 10 players in the class, as well as the #1 ranked prep school player 6'6 Caron Butler from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, had made commitments before the second week in August.  But we're not sure all of  them are going to hold up.  We expect Butler to renege on Connecticut and go to UNLV, which is where Butler's former high school coach Max Good is now an assistant.  We also expect 6'8 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL to renege on Alabama and, instead, go to Mississippi State.   If you don't believe it, why was Austin seen at Mississippi State football game with Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury several weeks ago?  Also there is speculation that the commitment by 6'5 Deshawn Stevenson from Fresno (Washington Union) CA to Kansas might not be as firm as everybody thinks.  And the same can be said about the commitment by 6'6 Bernard Robinson from New Hampton (Prep) NH to Michigan.  Why would so many top ranked players give their word and then change their mind?  Because of the added pressure that has been put on players in recent years during the recruiting process.  No, I'm not talking about college coaches.  I'm talking about us.  Recruiting gurus and people with web sites.  The competition has become so intense that players get numerous calls every night wanting to know if anything has changed.  Where are you going to school?   Some players, like 6'10 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN, who picked Indiana last week, play the game extremely well and others, like 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA love the visits and all the attention.   However, all too many players make premature decisions and often later have second thoughts.  And it's going to get worse, because the NCAA can't regulate us.  So my message to the players is beware.  You have to learn to set boundaries and say no when somebody is bothering you.  A great example of a player who did this several years ago was Shane Battier, who gave each school a certain time each week to make their recruiting calls.  Making a college decision is no easy matter.   As a matter of fact, it is usually one of the most decisions of your life.   And if you are top five or 10 player in the nation and your goal is to pursue your career in the NBA, the decision becomes even more important.  Pick the right coach who will work with you and develop you as a player and your earning potential is unlimited.   However, pick the wrong coach where you lose confidence and don't improve your skills and you may be doing something else after college.  If you don't believe it, just ask Chris Burgess.  Duke is the premier program in college basketball today, but if you don't pan out, they'll just recruit right over you.   However, at Utah, head coach Rick Majerus isn't going to get many McDonald's All-American's, like Burgess, so he has a vested interest in developing any that he gets.   Hopefully, a number of the other players who made rush decisions will also make a better decision the second time around, as the number of transfers continues to reach an epidemic proportion.  With the speeded up recruiting time and all the rules limiting contact between the coach and player, nobody seems to have enough information to make the best decision.  As a result, over 70% of the head coaches who sign players this fall won't be there to see those players graduate in four or five years.  They will either get fired or move onto another school.  So if the player knows where he wants to go to college, he shouldn't put it off.  Remember, if you snooze you lose and many do, because recruiting is a business and college coaches won't let you string them along - just ask Omar Cook about why North Carolina stopped recruiting him.  However, if a players doesn't know or aren't sure about his college decision, he should take his time and make sure he is making the best decision.  College coaches can also improve their chances of success by getting involved early and getting the player on campus before he his reaches his senior year.  

Remember when we reported the rumor in September that 6'8 Mario Austin from York (Sumpter County) AL was going to renege on Alabama and, instead, sign with Mississippi State.  Remember when his mother and his AAU coach both denied that Austin might renege and added that his commitment was firm to the Crimson Tide.  And remember when we said that our sources were better and would we stand by our story, that Austin would pick Mississippi State!  Well, it looks like we were right!  Write it down!   Austin has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow morning and our sources are extremely good - he plans to sign with Mississippi State.  We also have heard rumors that Austin's AAU teammate, 6'7 Gerald Wallace from Childersburg (H.S.) MS, is having second thoughts about going to Alabama.  However, there is no truth to that rumor.  As a matter of fact, Wallace plans to sign a national letter-of-intent tomorrow with Alabama.   Another player who many expect to sign late is 6'9 Abdou Diame from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, but don't be surprised if Auburn gets this one done in the next week.  However, not everybody is going to get it done in the fall.  We still think Kentucky is stronger than most people realize with 6'3 Demetrius Smith from Hogansville (Callaway) GA and, if he's going to pick the Wildcats, he's going to have to wait until spring.  Remember, Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith has never seen him play.  If Smith, who is the nephew of former Louisville All-American Derek Smith, signs early, he will likely pick Georgia.

Monday, November 8, 1999

Recently we reported that the University of Louisville had gotten a commitment from 6'6 Simeon Naydenov from Bulgaria via Miami (Berkshire School) FL, but we didn't tell you about the commitments from three other players at this prep school that is starting to get national attention.  Colorado has gotten a commitment from 6'9 Jaime Iloreda and UT-Arlington has gotten commitments from 6'8 Achille Ngnunou and 6'8 Milos Nikolic.  Earlier this fall Baylor got a commitment from 6'8 Patrick Okafor from Lee (JC) TX, but he has now reneged and, instead, is heading to the University of Houston.  Houston also has a commitment from 6'7 Chris Booker from Fort Worth (Diamond Hill Jarvis) TX.  Arkansas has an early commitment from 6'8 Jr Michael Jones from Little Rock (Parkview) AR.  Canisius has gotten 5'10 Dewitt Doss from Niagara Falls (La Salle) NY and 6'2 Mike Doles from Byesville (Meadowbrook) OH has committed to Wright State.   Northwestern State has commitments from 6'0 Michael Edwards from Rowlett (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Kory Wilson from Hill (JC) TX, and 6'7 Melvin Roberts from Northland Pioneer (JC) AZ.  Stephen F. Austin, McNeese State, and UT-San Antonio are the final three for Heath Hardin from Smyrna (H.S.) TN.  Louisville, Iowa, Tennessee Tech, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Liberty, Fresno State, Bradley, and College of Charleston are all in the hunt for 6'8 Tizzo Johnson from Millersburg (Military Academy) KY, but he will likely sign late.  South Florida, LSU, and Cincinnati are still the final three from Antoine Jones from Tallahassee (JC) FL.

Everybody, including us, jumped the gun last week by reporting that 6'9 Andre Scott from Limestone (Washington College) TN had committed to Rhode Island.  However, it is now official, according to Scott's high school coach, Keith Allsep, who informs us that Scott picked the Rams over Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Maryland, West Virginia, and Rutgers.  Jim Rothman's rankings of the top players in the state of Tennessee are finished and can be going to his report, which can be found by clicking on Tennessee Report.  However, the state of Tennessee is over 400 miles long and, as a result, we are still adding some additional names from the eastern part of the state, including players from Washington College.  Potentially Scott is the #1 senior in the state, but when we finalize the list later this week, Scott will be ranked no higher than #4, because we want him to earn it.  And that's exactly what he's been doing, as he's made major progress both on and off the court this fall.  As a matter of fact, getting out of the DC area might be the best thing that has ever happened to him.  Before he had a rep for being lazy, but he's already accomplished his #1 goal of becoming academically qualified.  He's also a lot more focused on the court, which makes him a steal for Rhode Island and success story personally.  We also reported last week that Rhode Island was getting 6'5 Delonte Holland from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, but we're still not sure if that one has been officially announced.  We also understand that the Rams have gotten a commitment from 6'1 Howard Smith from Winchendon (School) MA and they may the leader for 6'8 Thomas Terrell from Copiah-Lincoln (JC) MS, who is a major sleeper in the junior college ranks.  Right now Terrell leads Oklahoma, and Georgia State, but Mississippi is trying to make a late push.  Rhode Island, along with Marquette and Oklahoma, also is among the final three for 6'6 James Wright from Winchendon (School) MA, but we think the Sooners are going to be tough to beat.

Things in the recruiting business day can change dramatically in 24 hours.  A good example is 6'2 Imari Sawyer from Chicago (Martin Luther King) IL, who we reported last night was a lock for DePaul.  However, suddenly the word out of Chicago is that Miami-FL may be making a late charge and is now the school to beat.  At first this may seem like a major surprise, but maybe it isn't as big of a surprise as you might think.  Remember, Sawyer and 6'10 Reo Logan from Hillcrest (Country Club Hills) IL, who committed to the Hurricanes in September, have been teammates the last several years on Mac Irvin's Illinois Fire AAU team.  So obviously there is already a major connection.  Also, head coach Leonard Hamilton is one of the best recruiters in the nation and one of the things he needs most is a quality point guard who can walk in and run the show as a freshman.  Sawyer has a tendency to out of control at times, but he has Allen Iverson-like talent and potential.  So if Sawyer picks Miami-FL, it may prove to be the perfect marriage.  Hamilton has a history of taking players like this and working them into his system.  Sawyer has the potential to be as good a player as Hamilton has ever coached.

Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the University of Massachusetts has a commitment from 6'4 Jameel Pugh from Sacramento (Grant) CA and Texas A&M has gotten a major steal in 6'7 Nick Anderson from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA.  Rubin also tells us that 6'7 Chevy Troutman from Williamsport (H.S.) PA, who committed to the University of Pittsburgh a week ago, may renege on the Panthers and, instead, go to Duquesne.  However, right now that is confirmed.  Speaking of players who have committed to Duquesne, is 6'3 Drew Shifino from Pittsburgh (Penn Hills) PA committed to the Dukes or isn't he?  Sources close the program say he is, but he says he isn't.  Patrick Jira of the www.therecruitingbeat.com is reporting that 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who ranks #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, may now wait until spring to make a decision.  Right now it's too close to call between Kentucky and Mississippi State, but if it goes all winter, it has to favor the Bulldogs.  Also favoring the Mississippi State is the fact that Rice's father has to go to the hospital, where he's hooked up to a kidney dialysis machine three times a week.

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'4 A.J. Moye from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, who ranks as the #1senior in the state, did not commit to Indiana over the weekend.  Moye told Davis, who took pictures of Moye on Thursday, to come back Friday morning at 10:00 AM for the press conference.  But it didn't happen.  Maybe he got the days messed up, because now Moye is telling us that the press conference is this Friday.  Davis also tells us 6'2 Lamont McIntosh from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, who ranks #13 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, is going to Georgia State.  "That's an absolute steal for Lefty Driesell," says Davis.  "He has an excellent handle, can shoot the three, and can almost hit the top of the square.  He's just a tremendous athlete and he teams with Quinton Hollis to form the best backcourt in the state.   Speaking of the 6'2 Hollis, Rutgers and Alabama are making a late push, but Western Carolina and Miami-FL are also still in the hunt.  The top four schools for 6'6 Jr Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, who ranks as the #1 player in Georgia's loaded junior class, are North Carolina, Texas, Clemson, and Alabama.  This is especially interesting, because he is a must for Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Sunday, November 7, 1999

Earlier this fall St. Joseph's beat Temple in a head-to-head recruiting battle for 5'11 Jameer Nelson from Chester (H.S.) PA, who ranks #5 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area by the HOOP SCOOP.  The Hawks also beat Drexel for 6'5 Jeff Miller from Prospect Park (Interboro) PA, who ranks #28 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, but who is better than that, according to our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin.  However, St. Joseph's wasn't able to pull off the ha