HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER 2009

Monday, November 30, 2009

The next thing on my agenda will be to wrap-up recruiting from the Fall Signing Period and the plan is publish our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes From the Fall Signing Period the day after tomorrow, our Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes by Conference on Thursday, December 3rd, and Different Ways to Look at Recruiting on Friday, December 4th.  And this is important, because, if you think we're missing somebody on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010, now is the time to make me aware of it via email to hoopscooponline@msn.com.  Any information that I get within the next 48 hours will be checked out and then included as part of the Fall Signing Period.  However, Wednesday is the drop dead date and, as a result, anything that we find out about after that date will be included in our rankings for the Spring Signing Period.  The other big news involves some late signings by players in the junior college ranks and several early verbal commitments by highly touted juniors.  We're talking about 6'3 Jr Bradley Beal from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO picking the University of Florida earlier today, and 6'2 Jr Shannon Scott from Alpharetta (Milton) GA picking Ohio State last week.  The former is a silky smooth athletic 2-guard who is ranked #19 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was one the prime recruiting targets last summer of Gators head coach Billy Donovan, who was our Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer.  The addition Beal moves Florida's recruiting class up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  But even more important is the fact that Beal is a prolific scorer who can score in a variety of ways (inside, outside, and from mid-range) and, as a result, he will give the Gators even more firepower in a backcourt two years from now that could also include 6'2 Frosh Kenny Boynton, who currently is the top ranked freshman in college basketball by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'3 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #2 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and/or 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Those first two players are already in the fold and our Florida Editor Rick Staudt thinks the Gators chances of landing Knight are dramatically enhanced by the fact that he did not sign during the Fall Signing Period.  As things stand now, Knight's list includes Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, and Miami-FL.  But when it comes down to nut-cutting time, Staudt thinks Knight will opt to stay home.  "If I had to put odds on it, I'd give Florida a 50% chance, Miami-FL a 45% chance, and everybody else a 5% chance," says Staudt.  However, the likelihood of getting all four of these players in the backcourt at the same time may be easier said than done due to the fact that players who are as good as Boynton and Knight often don't stick around in college more than a year or two.  Scott is an athletic point guard with a great bloodline (he is the son of former North Carolina star Charlie Scott) and a #25-ranking nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  "He's a complete player," says our Georgia Editor Horace Neysmith.   "But what he does best is orchestrate offense and run the team.   He also has good speed and quickness, a nice pull-up jump shot with good range, and is an excellent defender."  Scott also is a pure point guard, which is the one thing missing from Ohio State's current recruiting class, which is now ranked #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and includes 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN, 6'4 Jordan Sibert from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH, 6'4 Lenzelle Smith from Zion (Zion-Benton) IL, 6'3 Aaron Craft from Findlay (Liberty Benton) OH, and 6'6 J.D. Weatherspoon from Columbus (Northland) OH.  The list of signings by junior college players includes 6'4 Darnell Williams from Midland (JC) TX to Oklahoma State, 6'7 Romaric Lasme from Laramie (JC) WY to Morehead State, and 6'10 Abner Kamps from Casper (JC) WY to Jacksonville State.  Williams is ranked #13 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and this skilled power forward is currently averaging 9.4 ppg and 9.2 rpg on a team that is off to a 7-0 start and is ranked #1 in the nation in the most recent NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) poll.  And this is important, because the addition of Williams, 6'6 J.P. Olukemi from Vincennes (JC) IN, and 6'9 Michael Cobbins from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX should really improve the Cowboys' front line a year from now.  If you will recall, Olukemi is ranked as the #1 junior college prospect in the nation by Mike Mitchell, who publishes the Midwest Scouting Service and  Cobbins is ranked #97 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And when you also add 6'4 Markel Brown from Alexandria (Peabody) LA and 6'5 Brian WIlliams from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, who are both from Oklahoma State assistant coach Butch Pierre's old stamping grounds, into the equation, it's easy to see why we have Oklahoma State's recruiting class tied at #6, along with Virginia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Lasme is not ranked among the top 150 junior college players by JucoJunction.com.  But this 6'8 athletic power forward should be, as is evident by the fact that he is currently averaging 18.5 ppg and 8.0 rpg and has a great bloodline (his older brother Stephane Lasme had a storied career at the University of Massachusetts and was the #46 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors).  Kamps only averaged 6.0 ppg and 3.0 rpg a year ago, but he does have some skills and, like they say, you can't teach size.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Tom Noonan from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA has joined 6'4 Ben Hazel from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 6'1 Chris Clement from Round Rock (Stony Point) TX, 6'9 Daniel Edwards from Dallas (Highland Park) TX, and 6'3 T.J. Bray from Waukesha (Catholic Memorial) WI in Princeton's recruiting class, which is now ranked #61 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Noonan is a face-up four-man with an excellent shooting touch, which makes him ideally suited to play in Princeton's system.  Rubin also tells us that 6'10 Jr Rakeem Christmas from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has narrowed his list Florida, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, and Florida International.   We also have confirmed that 6'8 Gilvydas Biruta from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has signed with Rutgers.  And we think Biruta will be a great role player for the Scarlet Knights.  "The first thing that jumps out about Gilvydas' game is the effort he puts forth on the floor," said Rutgers head coach Fred Hill in the official press release.   "He's an aggressive player with good size, strength, and athleticism.  He has the ability to step outside, make plays for his teammates, and knock down shots.  We are very excited to welcome him into the program."  It also looks like UC-Riverside has added two more players to a recruiting class that already included 6'2 Derrell Swanson from Lake Elsinore (Lakeside) CA and 6'7 Derek Kaster from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA.  They are 6'6 Delonte Taylor from Chandler-Gilbert (JC) AZ and 6'8 Kevin Bradshaw from Riverside (JC) CA.  Bradshaw only averaged 5.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg a year ago.  But he was named to the All-Tournament Team in the California JUCO State Tournament last March and his coach John Smith calls Bradshaw "the best defensive big man I've ever coached."  Taylor is a strong physical 2-guard who put up prolific numbers as a high school senior at Fairfax (W.T. Woodson) VA and he was ranked #64 on our List of the Top 5th Year Players year before last at Philadelphia (Lutheran Academy) PA. 

Thursday, November 26, 2009, Friday, November 27, 2009, Saturday, November 28, 2009, & Sunday, November 29, 2009

If the current trend continues, whereby the college basketball season begins earlier and earlier, the first game of the season may someday tip-off at midnight on October 15th.  However, unlike those who are just chomping at the bit for the season to get started, I've learned over the years not to put too much emphasis into what happens in college basketball prior to the Thanksgiving Holiday.  I mention this because yesterday was the first day I really started paying attention and right on cue the University of Florida beat Michigan State, 77-74, in what many will probably think is the biggest upset for far this season.  If you will recall, the Spartans return four starters from a team that finished 31-7 and played for the National Championship last March and was a consensus top three-ranked pre-season college team in the nation this fall.  In contrast, the Gators were picked fourth or fifth by most of the pre-season polls and publications after finishing with a 25-11 record and losing to Penn State in the Third Round of the NIT a year ago.  However, a quick check of our 2009-2010 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons shows just how far out in front of the curve we were on this one.  And this is important, because Florida's #7-ranking in our Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 30 College Teams for the 2009-2010 Season, which was published on August 31st, was predicated on the fact that we thought 6'2 Frosh Kenny Boynton would be one of the leading candidates for Freshman-of-the-Year honors in college basketball and 6'9 Jr Vernon Macklin would step in and give the Gators the high energy athlete that they needed inside.  Boynton may not have the upside and potential that Kentucky's John Wall has for the next level, but he's currently Florida's best defender and leading scorer with 15.2 ppg after his first five games.  And he hasn't even got his outside shot going down yet, as is evident by the fact that Boynton is only 5-32 from behind the arc so far this season.  Remember, just like the guy he replaced (Nick Calathes), Boynton is a streaky outside shooter.  But even important, Boynton has the strength, toughness, and incredible athleticism that Calathes was lacking, which makes him exactly what the doctor ordered for the Gators to be one of the best teams in nation in college basketball this year.  As a matter of fact, I like Boynton so much as a college player that he edges out Wall, who also is putting up big numbers (19.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, and 6.6 apg), but hasn't faced as stiff a competition as Boytnon, as our highest ranked freshman in the nation.  Speaking of the HOOP SCOOP 2009-2010 Pre-Season College All-American Teams, which I've been finalizing over the Thanksgiving Holiday, Notre Dame's 6'8 Luke Harandogy is the easy choice for Player-of-the-Year honors over Kentucky's Patrick Patterson, Duke's Kyle Singler, Kansas' Sherron Collins, and Oklahoma's Willie Warren.  The other thing that I'm finally finished working on is our Exclusive Ranking of Every Current Division I Head Coach Based On Career Wins (all records are prior to the start of the current season), which includes where each coach is currently ranked, as well as his career record, number of years coaching at the four-year Division I, Division II, Division III, and/or NAIA level, average number of wins per season during that time, last year's record, career NCAA record, and the current school where he is currently coaching.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that there are 59 Division I head coaches who have averaged 20 or more wins per season during their coaching career.  And right at the top of the list is North Carolina's Roy Williams with an incredible average of 28.2 wins per season for 21 years.  Also on the list are 2) Butler's Brad Stevens with an average of 28.0 wins per season for two years, 3) Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon with an average of 27.2 wins per season for six years, 4) Gonzaga's Mark Few with an average of 26.4 wins per season for 10 years, 5) Kentucky's John Calipari with an average of 25.8 wins per season for 17 years, 6) Ohio State's Thad Matta with an average of 25.4 wins per season for nine years, 7) Alabama's Anthony Grant with an average of 25.3 wins per season for three years, 8) Louisville's Rick Pitino with an average of 25.1 wins per season for 22 years, 9) Robert Morris' Mike Rice with an average of 25.0 wins per season for two years, 10) Western Kentucky's Ken McDonald with an average of 25.0 wins per season for one year, 11) Georgia's Mark Fox with an average of 24.6 wins per season for five years, 12) Duke's Mike Krzyzewski with an average of 24.5 wins per season for 34 years, 13) Brigham Young's Dave Rose with an average of 24.3 wins per season for four years, 14) Syracuse's Jim Boeheim with an average of 24.2 wins per season for 33 years, 15) Michigan State's Tom Izzo with an average of 24.0 wins per season for 14 years, 16) Arizona's Sean Miller with an average of 24.0 wins per season for five years, 17) Minnesota's Tubby Smith with an average of 23.8 wins per season for 18 years, 18) Kansas' Bill Self with an average of 23.5 wins per season for 16 years, 19) West Virginia's Bobby Huggins with an average of 23.7 wins per season for 27 years, 20) Providence's Keno Davis with an average of 23.5 wins per season for two years, 21) Mercer's Bob Hoffman with an average of 23.2 wins per season for 18 years, 22) Illinois' Bruce Weber with an average of 23.2 wins per season for 11 years, 23) Tennessee's Bruce Pearl with an average of 23.1 wins per season for 18 years, 24) Wisconsin's Bo Ryan with an average of 23.0 wins per season for 25 years, 25) Florida's Billy Donovan with an average of 23.0 wins per season for 15 years, 26) Virginia's Tony Bennett with an average of 23.0 wins per season for three years, 27) Missouri's Mike Anderson with an average of 22.0 wins per season for seven years, 28) South Carolina's Darrin Horn with an average of 22.0 wins per season for six years, 29) Kansas State's Frank Martin with an average of 22.0 wins per season for two years, 30) Connecticut's Jim Calhoun with an average of 21.8 wins per season for 37 years, 31) Southern Illinois' Chris Lowery with an average of 21.8 wins per season for five years, 32) Texas Christian's Jim Christian with an average of 21.7 wins per season for seven years, 33) Purdue's Matt Painter with an average of 21.6 wins per season for five years, 34) Texas' Rick Barnes with an average of 21.5 wins per season for 22 years, 35) UCLA's Ben Howland with an average of 21.3 wins per season for 15 years, 36) Utah State's Stew Morrill with an average of 21.1 wins per season for 23 years, 37) Oklahoma's Jeff Capel with an average of 21.1 wins per season for seven years, 38) Mississippi State's Rick Stansbury with an average of 21.0 wins per season for 11 years, 39) North Dakota State's Saul Phillips with an average of 21.0 wins per season for two years, 40) Utah's Jim Boylen with an average of 21.0 wins per season for two years, 41) Stephen F. Austin's Danny Kaspar with an average of 20.9 wins per season or 18 years, 42) Dayton's Brian Gregory with an average of 20.8 wins per season for six years, 43) Saint Louis' Rick Majerus with an average of 20.7 wins per season for 22 years, 44) Vermont's Mike Lonergan with an average of 20.6 wins per season for 16 years, 45) Nebraska's Doc Sadler with an average of 20.6 wins per season for five years, 46) Notre Dame's Mike Brey with an average of 20.5 wins per season for 14 years, 47) Mississippi's Andy Kennedy with an average of 20.5 wins per season for four years, 48) Montana State's Brad Huse with an average of 20.4 wins per season for 11 years, 49) Georgetown's John Thompson III with an average of 20.4 wins per season for nine years, 50) Akron's Keith Dambrot with an average of 20.3 wins per season for 11 years, 51) Tulsa's Doug Wojcik with an average of 20.3 wins per season for four years, 52) Maryland's Gary Williams with an average of 20.2 wins per season for 31 years, 53) Old Dominion's Blaine Taylor with an average of 20.2 wins per season for 15 years, 54) Wichita State's Greg Marshall with an average of 20.2 wins per season for 11 years, 55) UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass with an average of 20.0 wins per season for 28 years, 56) Belmont's Rick Byrd with an average of 20.0 wins per season for 28 years, 57) Villanova's Jay Wright with an average of 20.0 wins per season for 15 years, 58) Wright State's Brad Brownell with an average of 21.0 wins per season for seven years, and 59) Stanford's Johnny Dawkins with an average of 20.0 wins per season for one year.  All of this can be found in the HOOP SCOOP's 2009-2010 Pre-Season College Basketball Section, which is now finally complete and also includes a section Tracking the Top Division I Head Coaches (Both Active and All-Time), NCAA Tournament Information (Past, Present, & Future), and links to all of the pages listed above.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

With the publication of our Ranking of the Top 450 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Sophomores), we are almost done updating all of our national rankings.  If you will recall, we published our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors)  on November 1st, our Ranking of the Top 600 Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Juniors) on November 15th, our Ranking of the Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Freshmen) on October, 2nd, our Ranking of the Top 150 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (8th Graders) on October, 9th, our Ranking of the Top 100 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (7th Graders) on October 16th, and our Ranking of the Top 75 Players Nationally in the Class of 2016 (6th Graders) on October, 23rd.  That's 2,325 names of the top high school players in the nation ranked in order by class and, as a result, anybody who subscribers to the Members Section of the HOOP SCOOP has the most in-depth and accurate reference source for player rankings currently available.  The only thing left to do now with regards to updating our Top Players Nationally by Class section is to publish our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, which we plan to do on a slow day next week.  And, as long as we're talking about our list of the top 5th Year Players, now is a good time to make several important changes to two of the above lists.  The first involves 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who was ranked #12 in our ranking of the top seniors nationally, but will be our #1-ranked 5th Year Player due to the fact that he reclassified when he transferred from Baltimore (City College) MD to Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD in the fall of 2007.  The second involves 5'8 Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal School of Dallas) TX, who I thought was a 5th Year Player and, as a result, he was left off our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors).  But a quick check of our archives shows that Pressey was ranked #11 in our Ranking of the Top 600 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010, which was published on June 1, 2007, when he was a freshman at Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA.  So I have switched Pressey to Barton's spot and Barton to Pressey's spot in our 5th Year and Senior rankings.  Third is to drop Pressey, who is now ranked #12 on our list of the top seniors nationally, to #17 and move 6'10 Enes Kanter from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA from #17 to #12 on the same list.  I also am still trying to figure out what to do with 6'4 Shamar Bennett from Creedmoor (Christian Faith) NC, who was left off our the list of the top players in the Class of 2010 due to the fact that at the time I thought he was a 5th Year Player.  However, our Canadian Editor Ro Russell is now telling me that TheHoop-la.com web site, which was our source of reference, was wrong when it listed Bennett as a player in the Class of 2009.  As for our Ranking of the Top 450 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Sophomores), we once again are really impressed with how much size there is in this class.  We're talking about the fact that 39 of our top 100 ranked sophomores are 6'7 or taller.  This list includes 6'7 Soph Perry Ellis from Wichita (Wichita Heights) KS, 6'7 Soph Winston Sheppard from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'11 Soph Andre Drummond from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'11 Soph Isaiah Austin from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'9 Soph Dajuan Coleman from Dewitt (Jamesville-Dewitt) NY, 6'8 Soph Wanna Bail from Houston (Lutheran North) TX, 6'7 Soph Amile Jefferson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'8 Soph Tony Parker from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'7 Soph Brandon Ashley from Oakland (Bishop O'Dowd) CA, 6'7 Soph Willie Clayton from Thomasville (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Soph Khem Birch from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Soph Alex Murphy from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA, 6'8 Soph Elijah Macon from Columbus (Marian-Franklin) OH, 6'10 Soph Ishmail Douda from Miami (Choice Academy) FL, 6'11 Soph Robert Upshaw from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'8 Soph Jordan Hare from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, 6'7 Soph Tymon Howard from Pearl (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Soph Joseph Uchebo from Oak Ridge (Military) NC, 6'7 Soph Jarnell Stokes from Memphis (Central) TN,6'10 Soph Will Cauley from Spearville (H.S.) KS, 6'8 Soph Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS, 6'7 Soph John Crowder from Essex (Mount Carmel) MD, 6'8 Soph T.J. Bell from Bloomington (South) IN, 6'9 Soph Daniel Ochefy from Westtown (Friends) PA, 6'9 Soph Nerlens Noel from Everett (H.S.) MA, 6'9 Soph Jamaree Strickland from Oakland (MClymonds) CA, 6'7 Soph Robert Carter from Thomasville (H.S.) GA, 6'7 Soph Nick Baynard from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'9 Soph Emmanuel Ochenje from Carbondale (Brehm Prep) IL, 6'8 Soph Zach Peters from Plano (Prestonwood Christian) TX, 6'8 Soph Gavin Ware from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Soph Grant Jerrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 6'9 Soph Brandon Bolden from Sumpter (H.S.) SC, 6'7 Soph Jalen Robinson from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'7 Soph Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'7 Soph Isaiah Miles from Ellicott City (Glenelg Country School) MD, 6'10 Soph Aaron Hammons from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Soph Jack Flourney from Mt. Hope (Oak Hill) WV, and 6'8 Soph Matt Costello from Bay City (Western) MI.  This means the sophomore class is already ahead of the junior class, which has 37 players ranked among the top 100 who are 6'7 or bigger, and right behind the senior class, which has 42 players ranked among the top 100 who are 6'7 or bigger.  And, when we start looking at quality size, we find that the sophomore class has already surpassed the junior class, which has six players ranked among the top 100 who are 6'10 or bigger, and is already equal to the senior class, which has seven players ranked among the top 100 who are 6'10 or bigger.  However, what really tells the story is the fact that the junior and the senior classes have only two players ranked among the top 50 who are 6'10 or taller, while the sophomore class already has six players ranked among the top 50 who are 6'10 or taller.  We also are struck by just how strong Texas and Georgia are at the top of the class, as those two states account for eight of the top 25-ranked sophomores nationally.  And what about the fact that the state of Nevada has two of the top four-ranked players on our list?  To find out where all of these players are ranked click onto Ranking of the Top 450 Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Sophomores).

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

It looks like most of the action right now is from players in the junior college ranks, as the slow trickle of commitments that we've picked up during the last 24 hours includes 6'4 Brian Bryant from Northwest Florida State (JC) FL has signed with Mississippi State, 6'8 Eric Frederick from Highland (JC) IL has signed with Florida International, 5'7 Patrick Meyers from Chattanooga State (JC) TN has signed with Morehead State, and 6'9 Waylon Jones from Albany Tech (JC) GA has signed with Southeast Missouri State, .  That first one is especially interesting due to the fact that Bryant is multi-dimensional athlete who can run the show, shoot the three, and has no weaknesses in his game.  Currently is Bryant ranked #113 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  But we  suspect that he is a lot better than that due to the fact that he is currently averaging 20.0 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 5.4 apg on a team that is off to a 5-0 start in the tough FCCAA (Florida Community Colleges Athletic Association).  He also averaged 29.6 ppg, 9.3 ppg, 3.6 apg, and 3.6 spg as a senior in high school and was named the player-of-the-year three straight years as a high school player in Albany, GA.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson also tells us that Bryant has the leadership qualities and understanding of what it takes to win necessary to be an important piece to the puzzle a year from now for the Bulldogs.  However, an even more important piece to the puzzle this year is 6'9 Frosh Renardo Sidney, whose current status is in limbo, as he awaits a ruling on his eligibility status from the NCAA.  "If I had to guess, I think they will rule him eligible to play part way through the season," says Johnson.  "That way he will serve a de facto suspension and the NCAA will be able to make its point without actually having to suspend him."  Johnson also tells us that 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS had 18 points and played well last night in his team's 65-61 loss to cross town rival Jackson (Callaway) MS.  And this is important, because Ross, whose early list includes schools like Mississippi State, Kentucky, Baylor, Memphis, Syracuse, Texas, and Oklahoma State, appears to be making a strong comeback after being slowed by injuries last spring and summer.  Getting back to the business at hand, Frederick is ranked #47 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com, but will not play this season.  Instead, he plans to graduate from junior college in December and enroll into school when the spring semester begins at Florida International.  If you will recall, Frederick originally was apart of Golden Panthers head coach Isiah Thomas' first recruiting class last spring after averaging 19.5 ppg and 7.6 rpg and being named a Third Team NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) All-American.  The addition of Frederick moves Florida International's current recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Dominique Ferguson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 5'8 Phil Taylor from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, and 6'4 DeJuan Wright from Gillette (JC) WY, into a tie at #20, along with Maryland and LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.   Meyers averaged 12.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, and 5.3 apg a year ago.  But what makes him such a good catch for the Racers are his court savvy and ability to both get into the paint and beat you with his outside shooting.  Jones is a long lanky athletic who can block shots and run the court.   We also have confirmed that 6'9 Jordan Cornelius from Jackson (Lanier) MS has signed with Jacksonville State and 6'2 Brandon Peters from Houston (Yates) TX has made it official for Western Kentucky.  And in both cases, it looks like the head coach has gone back to his old stamping grounds to get a very good player.  You may recall that Jacksonville State head coach James Green was the previously the boss at Southern Mississippi from 1996 to 2004.  But even more important is the fact that Green coached high school basketball at Jackson (Jim Hill) MS in the late 80's and guided one his team's all the way to the state championship game.  "Cornelius is an active post player who runs the court, rebounds, and blocks shots," says Johnson.  "He's got a nice jump hook, but otherwise is limited offensively."  Western Kentucky head coach Ken McDonald was an assistant coach at the University of Texas from 2004 to 2008 and Peters is a phenomenal athlete who is ranked #181 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Saturday, November 21, 2009, Sunday, November 22, 2009, & Monday, November 23, 2009

With today's verbal commitment by 6'10 Enes Kanter from Turkey via Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV, and Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA to the University of Washington, only four of our top 20-ranked seniors, 11 of our top 50-ranked seniors, 15 of our top 100-ranked seniors, 39 of our top 200-ranked seniors, and 66 of our top 300-ranked seniors are still available.  The complete list includes 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'5 Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'4 Justin Coleman from Huntington (Prep) WV, 6'2 Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'2 Cory Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 5'8 Daryl Traynham from Lee (Academy) ME, 6'0 K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Josh Langford from Huntsville (J.O. Johnson) AL, 6'2 Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA, 6'3 Emerson Murray from Vancouver (St. George's School) BC, 6'9 Godwin Okonji from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'3 Xavier Jones from Huber Heights (Wayne) OH, 6'4 Isaiah Sykes from Detroit (Finney) MI, 6'5 Dominique Carr from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 6'8 Julian Washburn from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'3 Geron Johnson from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'7 Calvin Godfrey from Robbins Dale (Cooper) MN, 6'3 Byron Allen from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'4 Neiko Hunter from Eutaw (Greene County) AL, 6'2 Jelani Hewitt from Oakland Park (Northeast) FL, 6'7 Jon Cathey-Macklin from Milwaukee (Washington) WI, 6'9 J.P. Kambola from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Shaquille Thomas from Newark (NIA Prep) NJ, 6'4 Anthony Myles from Camden (Poly Tech) DE, 6'9 Jon Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Donte Williams from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, 6'2 Brandon Peters from Houston (Yates) TX, 6'5 Josh Turner from Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, 6'4 Chim (T.J.) Kadima from Milwaukee (Lutheran) WI, 6'3 Cole Stefan from Minnetonka (H.S.) MN, 6'8 Ryan Rhoomes from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'5 Tashawn Mabry from Rocky Mount (H.S.) NC,6'2 Deonta Burton from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'10 Jonathan Lloyd from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'7 Titus Rubles from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'5 Aaron Bowen from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'3 Ayodeji Egbeyemi from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'8 Kadeem Jack from New York (Rice) NY, 6'2 Stargel Love from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'4 Julian Johnson from St. Louis (Whitefield Academy) MO, 6'0 Edward Townsel from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'4 D.J. Newbill from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 6'4 Erik Swoope from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'5 D.J. Peterson from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, 6'6 Jamir Hanner from Philadelphia (South Philadelphia) PA, 6'7 Jordan Salley from Laverne (Lutheran) CA, 6'7 Jeverik Nelson from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'7 Trayvonn Wright from Waterloo (Wast) IA, 6'5 Maurice Barrows from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Dennis Mavin from Gainesville (Eastside) FL, 6'5 Jayon James from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Brandon Mobley from Savannah (Windsor Forest) GA, 6'7 Jason Carter from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'7 David Williams from Jacksonville (First Coast) FL, 6'11 Darrell Haley from Palmdale (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Desmond Haymon from Durant (William Sullivan) MS, 6'3 Dante Holmes from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, and 6'1 Chris Davis from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA.  Kanter is ranked  #17 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but our Texas Editor Tim Miller thinks he's a lot better than that after watching him play this past weekend in the Impact Basketball Classic in Las Vegas, NV.  "I like him better than Perry Jones, which makes him a legitimate top five-ranked player nationally in the senior class," says Miller.  "Kanter is extremely athletic, as strong as an ox, and a beast in the low post.  He also runs the court extremely well and is the most dominating presence inside that I've seen in the Class of 2010.  There is nothing he doesn't do well around the basket and there is no softness in his game.  I can see why they offered him millions of dollars to play professionally in Europe and now I can see why somebody from the University of Washington was at all of his games this past weekend."  The addition of Kanter moves the Huskies' recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesian) CA, up to #39 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  However, even more important is the fact that a year from now Kanter will provide the dominating inside presence to go along with 5'8 Soph Isaiah Thomas and 6'3 Frosh Abdul Gaddy, who already form one of the best young backcourts in college basketball.  We also have confirmed that late last week 6'2 Nick Kellogg from Columbus (DeSales) OH, who is ranked #204 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committed to Ohio University.  And this makes perfect sense to us, especially in light of the connections that Kellogg's father (Clark Kellogg) and Bobcats head coach John Groce both have to the Ohio State program.  The addition of Kellogg also is important, because he becomes the second in-state player who is ranked in the 101-300 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in a recruiting class that is now tied at #48, along with Central Michigan, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and also includes 6'3 Ricardo Johnson from Covington (Holmes) KY, 6'11 Ethan Jacobs from Tipton (H.S.) IN, and 6'6 T.J. Hall from Gainesville (H.S.) FL. 

Friday, November 20, 2009

I'm already planning my travel schedule for this winter and Eddie Oliver's 2009-2010 High School Basketball Tournaments and Events Report is once again a big help when it comes to finding out the dates and what teams and players are going to be at each event.  But what really makes this the "Bible of High School Tournaments and Events, is all the contact information, complete with phone number, fax number, and email address of each tournament director and, when it is available, a schedule of games and some interesting comments about each event.  Each copy of the College and Professional Edition is bound and personalized, which more than makes it worth it's $175 cover price.  For more information, I encourage you to go to hoopsusa.com, where you can order online, or can order via check or money order made payable to Eddie Oliver - Hoops USA, P.O. Box 15403, Surfside Beach, SC,  29587.  You also can email questions to Oliver at hoopsusa@sc.rr.com and he even has a link on his web site that you can click onto if you need an invoice for payment.  The first event that I am planning on covering this winter once again will be the Marshall County HoopFest in Benton, KY, which will be held on December 3rd-5th and will feature Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Arden (The Christ School) NC, Covington (Holmes) KY, Jackson (Callaway) MS, Gary (Bowman) IN, Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY, Lexington (Catholic) KY, Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, Biloxi (St. Patrick) MS, Paducah (Tilghman) KY, London (South Laurel) KY, Hopkinsville (Christian County) KY, Belleville (Altholf Catholic) IL, Benton (Marshall County) KY, Mayfield (Graves County) KY, Hazard (Perry County Central) KY, Greenville (Muhlenberg Central) KY, and Metropolis (Massic County) IL.  I'm also very tempted to cover the National High School Hoops Festival, which will feature Upper Marlboro (Henry Wise) MD versus Fairfax (Paul VI) VA at Noon, Beckley (Mountain State Academy) WV versus Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD at 2:00 PM,  Leonardtown (St. Mary's Ryken) MD versus Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD at 4:00 PM Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC versus Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) MD at 6:00 PM, and Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD versus Richmond (Benedictine) VA at 8:00 PM in Upper Marlboro, MD on December 12th.  The first couple of days of the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, which will be held on December 17th-22nd in Fairdale, KY and will include teams like Covington (Holmes) KY, Memphis (Central) TN, Louisville (Eastern) KY, Winchester (Clark County) KY, Bowling Green (Warren Central) KY, Scottsdale (Chaparral) AZ, Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, Louisville, (Trinity) KY, Louisville (Ballard) KY, and Fairdale) KY, is always a must stop.  I also once again plan to attend the City of Palms Classic, which will be held at Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers, FL on December 18th-23rd, and the Beach Ball Classic, which will he held in Myrtle Beach, SC on December 26th-31st.   The field for the former will include Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Alpharetta (Milton) GA, Huntsville (Butler) AL, Montverde (Academy) FL, Chicago (De La Salle) IL, Winter Park (H.S.) FL, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Greensboro (Dudley) NC, Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA, Bartow (H.S.) FL, Weston (Sagemont) FL, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, and Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL and the field for the latter includes Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, Marietta (Wheeler) GA, Milwaukee (Hamilton) WI, Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, Georgetown (Scott County) KY, Cleveland (St. Edward) OH, Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, Greenville (J.L. Mann) SC, Buffalo (Nichols) NY, Decatur (Columbia) GA, Concord (H.S.) NC, Central (D.W. Daniel) SC, Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, and Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC.  Another must stop is the Spalding Hoophall Classic in Springfield, MA on January 15th-17th and the field is absolutely loaded, as the list of teams that will be participating in this year's event includes Findlay (Henderson Prep) NV, Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, Columbus (Northland) OH, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, Washington (Gonzaga) DC, Jersey City (St. Anthony NJ, Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, New York (Rice) NY, Winter Park (H.S.) FL, Covington (Kentwood) WA, Chicago (Simeon) IL, Kinston (H.S.) NC, Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, Waterbury (Sacred Heart) CT, Huntsville (Columbia) AL, Warwick (Bishop Hendricken) RI, Springfield (Cathedral) MA, Chicopee (H.S.) MA, Longmeadow (East Longmeadow) MA, Northampton (H.S.) MA, Groton (Groton-Dunstable) MA, Springfield (High School of Commerce) MA, Springfield (Science & Tech) MA, Holyoke (H.S.) MA, Cheshire (Hosoac Valley) MA,  Wilbraham (Minnechaug Regional) MA, New Britian (H.S.) CT, Palmer (H.S.) MA, Quaboag (Regional) MA, Sabis (Sabis International Charter) MA, South Hadley (H.S.) MA, Fiskdale (Tantasqua) MA, Westfield (H.S.) MA, and Wareham (H.S.) MA.  I also will expect to attend the Primetime Shootout in Morgantown, WV on January 22nd-23rd where I will see teams like Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, New York (Rice) NY, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Columbia (H.S.) GA, Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, Beckley (Mountain State Academy) WV, Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, Chester (H.S.) PA, Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills West) NY, Baltimore (City College) MD, Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT, Pittsburgh (Mt. Lebanon) PA, Charleston (South Charleston) WV, and Huntington (Academy) WV.  I haven't decided whether I will attend the National Prep Showcase Invitational in Kinston, RI on February 4th-7th or the NIKE Extravaganza in Santa Ana, CA on February 5th-6th.  But I do plan on once again being at the Primetime Shootout at Rutgers University on February 12th and in Trenton, NJ on February 13th-14th. 

Thursday, November 19, 2009

With tonight's commitment by 6'8 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY to the University of Tennessee, it's clear that the Volunteers have reestablished the strong ties that the late Stu Abeerden used to lure Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld from the sidewalks of New York City into the Southeastern Conference 36 years ago.  Harris picked Tennessee over schools like Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Maryland, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia.  But what really makes this such a major coup is the fact that Harris is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the size, skills, and basketball IQ necessary to play as many as four different positions.  However, we think Harris is best suited to play the four-spot at the big time college level, because he's competitive enough to match up against bigger guys inside and doesn't have the speed, quickness, and agility necessary to guard smaller and quicker guys out on the perimeter.  This also could be a factor when it comes time to think about foregoing the rest of his college eligibility and declaring early for the NBA Draft.  In other words, Harris is a college coach's dream, as he's good enough to step in and make a major impact right away, but, at the same time, projects as a four-year college player.  And, similar to the way Abeerden used Bernard King to help seal the deal with Ernie Grunfeld in 1973, you can bet that Harris will work on 6'5 Jayvaughn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY for the next four months.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us Pinkston was close to picking Tennessee over Villanova and St. John's earlier in the week, but then he decided to wait until spring.  And, if Pinkston does eventually pick the Volunteers, then Tennessee's recruiting class, which also currently includes 6'4 Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA and 6'2 Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA, will go from being tied at #7, along with N.C. State, to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And, if that weren't enough, Tennessee also has a great head start on the future, as the Volunteers also recently secured an early verbal commitment from 6'3 Jr Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  But, then again, we'd expect nothing less, as Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl and assistant coaches Tony Jones and Steve Forbes are second to none on the recruiting trail.  It also looks like Marquette University continues to stockpile good players, the latest being 6'1 Reggie Smith from Harvey (Thornton) IL, who has signed with the Golden Eagles.  We're talking about a tough hardnosed athletic combo guard who initially will be an excellent back-up to 6'3 Jr Dwight Buycks, 6'2 Soph Darius Johnson-Odom, 6'0 Frosh Junior Cadugon, and 6'3 Vander Blue from Madison (Memorial) WI.  However, Smith also has the natural talent and potential necessary to evolve into a starter down the road in Marquette's up tempo system.  Did you know that Smith finished ranked #15 overall this past summer at the LeBron James King City Classic and was also attracting interest from schools like Indiana, Wake Forest, USC, and UCLA?  We also have confirmed that N.C. State has gotten an early verbal commitment from 6'10 Soph Joseph Uchebo from Oak Ridge (Military) NC, who is ranked #24 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Neither our North Carolina Editor Rick Lewis nor I have ever seen Uchebo play, but Georgia Elite Dream Team coach Linzy Davis calls him "a cross between Magic Johnson and Tracy McGrady.  Only has played two years.  Formerly played soccer.  He is quick, agile, can score to his left and right, is a great ball-handler, and even plays point-guard at times for the Elite to show is great passing skills.  Has 3-point range to go along with a killer attack the basket game."  Two other players who have signed with big time schools that we previously didn't know much about are 6'10 Kelvin Gaines from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who signed yesterday with the University of Cincinnati, and 6'7 Cleveland Melvin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who will attend the University of Connecticut.  Melvin is being described as a raw athlete who is explosive and good at finishing around the basket.  Gaines is a 6'10, 220-pound center who can run and jump and is a natural shot blocker.  We also think 6'6 Ron Roberts from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who has signed with St. John's, will be a good role player for the Red Storm.  We also have confirmed several more signings by players in the junior college ranks, as 6'8 Micah Jordan from East Mississippi (JC) MS has picked UT-Pan American and 6'8 Scottie Farrington from Odessa (JC) TX has followed in the footsteps of his teammate - 6'4 Josh Brown from Odessa (JC) TX - by picking Louisiana Tech over Oral Roberts, Tulane, and Boise State

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

On this the last day of the Fall Signing Period most of the action appears to be in the junior college ranks, as 6'10 Freddy Asprilla from Miami-Dade (JC) FL has signed with Kansas State, 6'3 DeMarcus Phillips from Marshalltown (JC) IA has signed Iowa State, 7'3 Mariah Dhal from Hillsborough (JC) FL has signed with the University of Houston, 6'9 Travis Wilkins from Denmark Tech (JC) SC has signed with Coastal Carolina, and 6'10 Philip Jurick from Chattanooga State (JC) TN has signed with UT-Chattanooga.   The decision by Asprilla comes as no surprise, as Wildcats head coach Frank Martin, who originally is from Miami, FL, obviously was able to take advantage of his close relationship with Art Alverez for whom Aprilla played for on the Miami Tropics club team.  We had Asprilla ranked #59 among 5th Year Players when we last saw him two years ago at Lenoir (Patterson School) NC.  But, after averaging 13.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg as a freshman last season at Florida International, he is now the #2-ranked player in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com.  So it's safe to say that Asprilla is ideally suited to step in a year from now and help replace 6'10 Sr Luis Colon and complement all of the other inside guys - 6'9 Frosh Wally Judge, 6'5 Jr 6'8 Jr Curtis Kelley, 6'7 Soph Jamar Samuels, and 6'11 Frosh Jordan Henriquez - who are already in the program.  The addition of Asprilla also moves Kansas State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Shane Southwell from New York (Rice) NY and 6'0 Will Spradling from Overland Park (Shawnee Mission South) KS, into a tie at #31, along with Arkansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Phillips is ranked #27 in the junior college ranks by JucoJunction.com and this combo guard who can both score and create for his teammates averaged 15.5 ppg, 5.0 apg, 2.4 apg, and 1.8 spg a year ago.  But even more important, Phillips will provide the Cyclones with even more depth in the backcourt, as he pushes 6'4 Jr Diante Garrett, 6'5 Jr Lucca Staiger, and 6'2 Frosh Chris Colvin for playing time a year from now.  Dhal, who is originally from the Sudan, was one of  the four big men from Africa to play at Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY a couple of years ago and what intrigues everybody the most are his size, athleticism, and potential.  He has good hands, which allows him to block shots and rebounds.  But, at 7'3, 220-pounds, Dhal will have to continue to get bigger and stronger physically and become more aggressive in order to become a dominant force inside for the Cougars.  Wilkins is a long athletic big man who was so good last summer at camp for junior college players that he was offered and accepted a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati.  However, since that time Wilkins, who originally is from Spartansburg, SC and played last year at USC-Salkehatchie (JC) SC, decided he wanted to stay close to home.  And, if that weren't enough good news for the Chanticleers, Wilkins will sit out this year and then have three years to play at the Division level.  Jurick appears to be a great catch for the Mocs for a number of reasons.  First, he's a pretty good player, as is evident by the fact that he originally signed with the University of Tennessee when he was a high school senior at Chattanooga (East Ridge) TN and was ranked #139 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2008.  Second, he more than makes up for his lack of speed and quickness with his size, skills, hands, and ability to block shots, rebound, and score around the basket.  Third, he's a home grown kid, which should provide plenty of energy and excitement for the basketball fans in the Chattanooga community.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Cameron Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA has verbally committed to Bucknell.  And this is a major coup for the Bison, because we're talking about the son of a coach (his father is former Ohio State and Philadelphia 76ers head coach Randy Ayers) with an extremely high basketball IQ and the ability to play either guard spot.  "He's a good passer and a very good shooter, because he's patient and takes good shots," says Rubin.   We also have confirmed that 7'1 David Nyarsuk from Beckley (Mountain State University Academy) WV has signed with West Virginia.  However, Nyarsuk will have to get bigger and stronger physically and become meaner and tougher around the basket, if he wants to step in and make an impact in the Big East Conference.  On the other hand, you have to like his length, energy, athleticism, potential, and development during the course of the last year.  So stay tuned! 

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

It's a slow day in the recruiting world and, as a result, now is a good time to turn our focus onto college basketball and provide you with three things that will complement our Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 30 College Teams for the 2009-2010 Season, which was published on August 31, 2009.  The first is our 2009-2010 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparison, which includes the pre-season rankings of the following:  The HOOP SCOOP, Associated Press, ESPN/USA Today, Athlon Sports, Basketball Times, Sporting News, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Yahoo Sports, Lindy's, and Fox Sports (Jeff Goodman).  And a quick look at this comparison shows that Kansas is the overwhelming favorite to win the 2010 NCAA Championship and that Michigan State and Texas are the consensus #2 and #3-ranked teams.  However, after that it really gets interesting, as we're clearly not has high as everybody else is on North Carolina and we're a lot higher than everybody else is on Florida.  Now don't get me wrong, I think Roy Williams is arguably the best coach in the game today and the Tar Heels clearly have the young talent in the program necessary to be a legitimate top 20-ranked team.  But they have too many question marks and new pieces to the puzzle to be a consensus pre-season top six-ranked team.  On the other the hand, I think Florida will be dramatically improved with the additions of 6'2 Frosh Kenny Boynton, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin, and 6'9 Frosh Erik Murphy.  Remember, Gators have four starters back from a team that went 25-11 a year ago and Boynton will bring the toughness, athleticism, and ability to lock his man down defensively that Nick Calathes did not provide a year ago.  We also are a lot higher than everybody else on teams like Mississippi State, Connecticut, Florida State, Memphis, and Texas A&M.  But our super sleeper is Seton Hall, which has a great mix of returning veterans from a team that went 17-15 a year ago and newcomers that include the likes of 6'8 Jr Herb Pope, 6'3 Sr Jamel Jackson, 6'11 Soph Melvyn Oliver, 6'5 Soph Jeff Robinson, 6'8 Frosh Ferraholn Hall, and 6'2 Sr Keon Lawrence.  The second is our NCAA Tournament Information page, which provides a list of all the teams in past NCAA Final Fours and a list of future NCAA Final Fours that includes Indianapolis, IN in 2010, Houston, TX in 2011, New Orleans, LA in 2012, Atlanta, GA in 2013, Dallas, TX in 2014, Indianapolis, IN in 2015, and Houston, TX in 2016.  The third is our page Tracking the Top Head Coaches in the Game (both active and all-time) in multiple different ways, including a list of active head coaches with the most NCAA Final Four appearances, a list of the Winningest All-Time Division I Head Coaches, a list of the head coaches with two or more NCAA Championships, a list head coaches with the all-time most NCAA Final Four appearances, and our ranking of the top 15 head coaches in the history of the game and our ranking of the top 10 college programs.  Especially noteworthy is the fact that North Carolina's program has moved ahead of both Duke and Kentucky in our ranking of the top 10 programs and Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams has moved up to #2 in our ranking of the top 15 head coaches in the history of the game.  However, that last one is really too close to call as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski has three NCAA Championships and 10 NCAA Final Four appearances on his résumé.  The only difference is that Roy Williams has been a little hotter in recent years.  And the final chapters in the career's of Louisville's Rick Pitino, Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, and Kentucky's John Calipari also have not yet been written.

Monday, November 16, 2009

With today's verbal commitment by 6'8 Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN to the University of Memphis, there is no doubt that the Tigers now have the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And making the story even more incredible is the fact that Memphis' Josh Pastner has pulled this off before he's ever been the head coach in a college game.  Black joins 6'0 Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'6 Jelan Kendrick from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'4 Chris Crawford from Memphis (Sheffield) TN, 6'0 Antonio Barton from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'8 Hippolyte Tsafack from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA in a recruiting class that now has a little bit of everything, including three of the top players from their backyard (Jackson, Black, and Crawford) and four players (Jackson, Kendrick, Black, and Crawford) off that Memphis Magic team that won the adidas Super 64 this past July in Las Vegas, NV.  And this comes on the heels of Pastner and his coaching staff landing 6'9 Will Coleman from Miami-Dade (JC) FL, who was one of the top junior college players in the nation a year ago, last spring and also getting 6'5 Soph Elliott Williams, who decided to leave Duke and return home after an excellent freshman season.  And, if that weren't enough Memphis also has another great young player in the program in 6'8 Soph Wesley Witherspoon.  Obviously all this is important, because Pastner is more than living up to his reputation as one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business.  So now the only question is whether he will have the same as success on the bench that he did when he was coaching his father's Houston Hoops team and had players like 6'9 Emeka Okafor from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, and 6'9 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX?  It also looks like our Texas Editor Tim Miller knew what he was talking about over a month ago when he told us that the University of Missouri was the team to beat over schools like Florida International, Georgetown, North Texas and Arizona State for 6'8 Tony Mitchell from Dallas (Pinkston) TX, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Mitchell not only was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge nationally this spring and summer, but he also has the skills, athleticism, and versatility necessary to fit perfectly into Tigers head coach Mike Anderson's system and to complement 5'8 Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal School of Dallas) TX, 6'5 Ricky Kreklow from Columbia (Rock Bridge) MO, and 6'8 Kadeem Green from Creedmoor (United Faith Christian) NC in a recruiting class that is now ranked #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Miller also tells us that 6'4 Faisal Aden from Hillsborough (JC) FL has signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Washington State.  We're talking about the #6-ranked junior college player in the nation by JucoJunction.com.  But what makes this such a great catch for the Cougars is the fact that Aden can flat out shoot the lights out.  "He can score as well as anybody I've ever seen at the high school level," says Miller.  And he should know, because Aden put up prolific numbers while playing on Miller's team for three years at God's Academy.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Sam Mills from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL has picked La Salle over Georgia Tech, Auburn, Marshall, and Delaware and 6'5 Will Sheehey from Weston (Sagemont) FL has made it official for Indiana University.  Sheehey's father (Mike Sheehey) starred at St. Bonaventure in the mid-80s and uncle (Tom Sheehey) was a four-year starter at Virginia during the same time period and he has the toughness, athleticism, outside shooting, and bloodline necessary to be an excellent role player for the Hoosiers.  Mills is a good distributor and defender and he knows how to score, which means he's capable of playing either guard spot, as well as complementing 6'0 Tyreek Duran from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA and 6'10 Matt Lopez from Sewell (Washington Township) NJ in the Explorers' current recruiting class.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'0 Russell Smith from South Kent (Prep) CT has finally made it official for the University of Louisville and 6'8 Ashton Pankey from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ has finally made it official for the University of Maryland.  "Finally" is the key word here, because Naclerio has previous told us that both of these verbal commitments were imminent.  "Pankey shows flashes and is capable of doing a little bit of everything," says Naclerio. But Pankey has yet to put all of the pieces together, which explains why we currently have him ranked #147 nationally in the senior class.  However, we still thinks this is a good catch for the Terrapins for a number of reasons.  First, Pankey has a huge amount of upside and potential.  Second, he hails from one of the premier high school programs in the nation and plays for the legendary Bob Hurley.  Third, he promises to be another important piece to the puzzle in a recruiting class that is tied at #19, along with LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and already includes 6'6 Terrence Ross from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'5 Mychal Parker from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, and 6'0 Terrell Stoglin from Tucson (Santa Rita) AZ.  Smith was ranked #243 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2009 when he was a senior at Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY.  But Naclerio adds that Smith's game has dramatically improved and he calls him a scoring point guard who might best be described as a poor man's Brandon Jennings. "He's got the same body type and explosiveness to the basket and his confidence, outside shooting, and decision making and ability make his teammates better have really improved."  Speaking of Brandon Jennings, do you know who the only player is to have led two different teams to the championship in the Reebok Tournament in Las Vegas, NV?  If you guessed Mr. Jennings, you're one step ahead of the self-proclaimed experts on the West Coast who are still is trying to diminish the accomplishments of the best point guard to come down the pike in a long time.  Apparently they think Jennings is out of the same mold as Allen Iverson, instead of being a winner and a team player who makes those around him better.  However, it's tough to argue with the results, as Jennings totally took over the game down the stretch on Saturday night to finish with 55 points, five rebounds, five assists, 21-34 field goals, 6-8 3-pointers and lead his team to a 129-125 win over the Golden State Warriors.  That puts Jennings ahead of Lew Alcindor, who scored 51 points as a rookie in 1970, and behind Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 58 points in a game in 1960 and still holds the all-time scoring record for a rookie in NBA.  However, even more important, the Milwaukee Bucks are off to 5-2 start and Jennings has single handedly reenergized a struggling franchise. 

Sunday, November 15, 2009

A quick check of our Ranking of the Top 600 Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Juniors), which was published earlier this evening exclusively in the Members Section, shows that 23 of our top 100-ranked juniors have already made early verbal commitments.  This list includes 6'3 Jr Austin Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL to Florida, 6'8 Jr James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA to North Carolina, 6'2 Jr Myck Kabongo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Texas, 6'2 Jr Jamal Branch from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX to Texas A&M, 6'7 Jr Aaron Ross from Little Rock (Parkview) AR to Arkansas, 6'5 Jr Samuel "P.J." Hairston from Greensboro (Dudley) NC to North Carolina, 6'5 Jr Sheldon McClellan from Houston (Bellaire) TX to Texas, 6'4 Jr Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale) GA to Tennessee, 6'10 Jr Michael Chandler from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, 6'1 Jr John Johnson from Philadelphia (Girard College) PA to Pittsburgh, 6'5 Jr Brandon Kearney from Detroit (Southeastern) MI to Michigan State, 6'2 Jr Matt Carlino from Bloomington (South) IN to Indiana, 6'6 Jr Ryan Taylor from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN to Louisville, 6'6 Jr DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA to Texas, 6'2 Jr Carlton Brundidge from Southfield (H.S.) MI to Michigan, 6'4 Jr Julien Lewis from Galveston (La Marque) TX to Texas, 6'10 Jr James "Zac" Price from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH to Louisville, 6'4 Jr Achraf Yacoubou from Brookville (Long Island Lutheran) NY to Villanova, 6'2 Jr Gelaun Wheelwright from Corona (Centennial) CA to USC, 6'5 Jr Elgin Cook from Milwaukee (Hamilton) WI to Iowa State, 6'3 Jr John Issac from Leesville (Pickering) LA to LSU, 6'1 Jr Tracey Abrams from Chicago (Mt. Carmel) IL to Illinois, and 6'6 Jr Austin Etherington from Arcadia (Hamilton Heights) IN to Indiana.  Especially interesting is the fact that 20 of those just mentioned 23 players live in the state or a neighboring state to the school to which they verbally committed.  And to break this down even further 13 of the above mentioned players picked an in-state school, seven picked a school in a neighboring state, and only three picked a school that is not within driving distance of the school that they decided to attend.  We're talking about Kabongo, who is originally from Canada, is now in New Jersey, and is heading to Texas; Daniels who is from California, but also is heading to Texas; and Carlino, who now lives is Indiana, but originally is from Phoenix, AZ.  And we look for this to become even more of a trend in the future due to the fact that the NCAA is in the process of passing legislation that will prohibit camps and AAU-like tournaments from being held on the campuses of NCAA Division I colleges and universities.  And this is important, because this has given certain schools obvious recruiting advantages in the past. We also still think the Class of 2011 is the next great class for a number of reasons.  First, there is a lot of star power at the top, as is evident by the fact that great talents like 6'3 Jr Trevor Lacey from Huntsville (Butler) AL, 6'8 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'3 Jr Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA, and 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS are not ranked among the top five players in our Ranking of the Top 600 Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Juniors).  Second, the class has tremendous depth, as is evident by the fact that players in the 40-60 range would be ranked in the 20-40 range if they were in the previous three classes and there are about 130 players on this list who we originally had slated to be ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally.  Third, there is excellent size in this class, as evident by the fact that there are 29 players in this class who are 6'8 or bigger.  That list includes 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Jr James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, 6'8 Jr Quincy Miller from Winston-Salem (Quality Education Academy) NC, 6'8 Jr LaQuinton Ross from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'10 Jr Rakeem Christmas from Byrn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'8 Jr Angelo Chol from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'9 Jr Amir Williams from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'8 Jr Johnny O'Bryant from Cleveland (East Side) MS, 6'10 Jr Michael Chandler from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Norvel Pelle from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'8 Jr Nick Jacobs from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA, 6'8 Jr Jakarr Simpson from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, 6'8 Jr Julian Royal from Alpharetta (Milton) GA, 6'8 Jr Mike Shaw from Chicago (De La Salle) IL, 6'9 Jr Tyler Adams from Brandon (H.S.) MS, 6'9 Jr Dejehi Baru from Chester (Steward School) VA, 6'9 Jr Kyle Wiltjer from West Linn (H.S.) OR, 6'8 Jr DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'8 Jr Angel Nunez from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Jr Mikael Hopkins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'10 Jr James "Zac" Price from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'8 Jr Kevin Thomas from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC, 6'10 Jr Hunter Mickelson from Jonesboro (H.S.) AR, 6'8 Jr Percy Gibson from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, 6'8 Jr Braedon Anderson from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Academy) NC, 6'10 Jr Chris Coleman from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'11 Jr Malcolm Gilbert from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'8 Jr Anton Grady from Cleveland (Central Catholic) OH, and 6'8 Jr  David Gardner from Okolona (H.S.) MS. 

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman has the scoop on 6'6 Jelan Kendrick from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, who tells us that he has picked the University of Memphis over Indiana, Alabama, and Georgetown.  And this is big for several reasons.  First, we're talking about a multi-dimensional athlete who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, the addition of Kendrick helps perpetuate the Tigers' strong recruiting ties into one of the premier basketball hotbeds in the country in the Peachtree State.   Did you know that 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA was apart of John Calipari's first recruiting class at Memphis in 2001; 6'9 Robert Dozier, who graduated last year, played high school basketball at Lithonia (H.S.) GA prior to going to prep school at Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Soph Wesley Witherspoon is from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, and 6'9 Jr Willie Coleman played high school basketball at Columbus (Glenwood) GA prior to going to Miami-Dade (JC) FL?  Third, the addition Kendrick moves Memphis's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'0 Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Chris Crawford from Memphis (Sheffield) TN, 6'0 Antonio Barton from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'8 Hippolyte Tsafack from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, into a statistical tie with Ohio State for the #1-ranking on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  However, we still give the edge to Ohio State for now, because they have the #1-ranked player in the nation in the fold in 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH.  But, if the Tigers also land 6'8 Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, who is ranked #68 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then there would be little doubt whether Memphis has the #1-ranked recruiting class. 

Friday, November 13, 2009

Talk about pulling off a major coup!  That's what happened earlier today when North Carolina beat Duke, Kansas, UCLA, and Iowa State for the services of 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who is ranked #2 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   We're talking about somebody with the skills, athleticism, versatility, and natural talent necessary to be one of the best players to ever play for the Tar Heels.  However, equally important is the fact that North Carolina made a strong push down the stretch and, as a result, Barnes appears to be the last piece to the puzzle for North Carolina head coach Roy Williams, whose team should be one of the favorites to win yet another NCAA Championship when Barnes arrives on campus a year from now.  And Barnes, who also is a first class person and an excellent student, should fit in perfectly with all of the excellent young players (i.e. 6'10 Soph Ed Davis, 7'0 Soph Tyler Zeller, 6'1 Soph Larry Drew, 6'10 Frosh John Henson, 6'3 Frosh Dexter Strickland, 6'4 Frosh Leslie McDonald, 6'9 Frosh Travis Wear, and 6'9 Frosh David Wear) who are already in the program and in this year's and next year's recruiting classes.  If you will recall, the Tar Heels also already have 6'4 Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA and 6'5 Reggie Bullock from Kinston (H.S.) NC in the fold in a recruiting class that is now ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and they also already have a pair of early verbal commitments from 6'8 Jr James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA and 6'5 P.J. Hairston from Greensboro Dudley) NC in a recruiting class that is ranked #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2011.  That's 13 players, all of whom were ranked among the top 50 seniors nationally in their respective high school classes, which is nothing short of amazing.  And all of this comes on the heels of North Carolina's two NCAA Championships in 2005 and 2009.  We also are impressed with the fact that Southern Miss has landed 6'3 Carrington Tankson from San Jacinto (JC) TX, who is ranked #30 on the list of the top 150 junior college players that was published yesterday by JucoJunction.com.  Tankson is best described as prolific scoring athletic 2-guard and he promises to be an excellent complement to 6'5 Rashard Perkins from Starkville (H.S.) MS and 6'2 Trecy Jackson from Jackson (Wingfield) MS, as Golden Eagles head coach Larry Eustachy and his staff continue to stock up on athletic wing players in their current recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Khalil Kelley from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA has picked Pacific and 6'0 Kidani Brutus from Carl Albert State (JC) OK has signed with Manhattan.  The former is a "crafty" point guard who can both score and run the show and the latter is a sleeper with improved skills and a high energy level. 

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Several things happened today to convince us that Auburn University will be one of the big winners of this year's Fall Signing Period.  First, JucoJunction.com has published its list of the Top 150 Junior College Players for 2010 and the Tigers have two of the top 10-ranked junior college players already in the fold in 5'11 Anthony Salter from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'8 Adrian Forbes from Trinity Valley (JC) TX.  Second, the Tigers added 6'9 Shawn Kemp from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA yesterday and 6'5 Allen Payne from Cincinnati (Winton Woods) OH earlier today to a recruiting class that also already includes Salter, Forbes, 6'6 Heath Houston from Powder Springs (Hillsgrove) GA, and 6'2 Jalen Steele from Knoxville (Fulton) TN.  Third, a quick check of our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 shows that Auburn has moved up to #4 on the list, behind Ohio State, Wake Forest, and Memphis and ahead of Virginia, N.C. State, Duke, Syracuse, Illinois, Marquette, California, Oklahoma State, USC, South Carolina, Florida State, Michigan State, North Carolina, LSU, Boston University, and UCLA.  But this doesn't come much of a surprise due to the fact that one of the guys that we've seen the most during the last year on the recruiting trail has been Auburn assistant coach Bryan Bartley.  Remember, more often than not there is a direct correlation between those you see beating the bushes and those who get it done when it comes time to sign players.  Besides, the Tigers do have some very obvious needs to fill.  And they may not be done yet, as Auburn is one of the schools, along with Georgia, Alabama, Marquette, and Kansas State, that has jumped back into the hunt for 6'6 Josh Langford from Huntsville (J.O. Johnson) AL, who is back on the board after deciding not to honor his earlier commitment to the University of Louisville.  It also looks like the University of Memphis has filled an important need, which is front-line depth, with today's addition of 6'8 Hippolyte Tsafack from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA.  We're talking about a 6'8, 230-pound blue collar power forward who dunks, rebounds, and defends, but is raw skill-wise at the offensive end.   And this is important, because Tsafack promises to be a good role player, but doesn't appear to be good enough to scare off 6'8 Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, who is a prime recruiting target of the Tigers.  And, if the Memphis coaching staff is able to convince Black to stay home or they are able to get 6'6 Jelan Kendrick from Marietta (Wheeler) GA to sign with the Tigers, then they will have the #2-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  And, if they really hit the jackpot and add both Black and Kendrick to a recruiting class that already includes 6'0 Joe Jackson from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'6 Will Barton from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Chris Crawford from Memphis (Sheffield) TN, 6'0 Antonio Barton from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'8 Hippolyte Tsafack from Charlottesville (The Miller School) VA, then Memphis will have the #-1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  We also understand that IUPUI has signed three players - 6'5 P.J. Hubert from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) IN, 6'9 Mitchell Patton from Vincennes (South Knox) IN, and 6'7 Donovan Gibbs from Louisville (Iroquois) KY.  Gibb is ranked #464 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and also was receiving interest from schools like Butler, Xavier, Oklahoma State, Western Kentucky, Ohio University, and Eastern Kentucky.  Patton is a 6'9, 250-pound physical presence inside who averaged 15.3 pgg, 7.9 rpg, and 3.9 bpg a year ago and is a potential match-up problem with his rebounding and passing skills and knack for being in the right place at the right time.  Hubert is a great shooter, which is exactly what the doctored ordered for a team whose nemesis a year ago was outside shooting.  And, if that weren't enough, IUPUI also will have 6'1 Stephen Thomas from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN waiting in the wings after playing the last two years at the University of Dayton.  Other signings and commitments that are now being reported include 6'2 Louis Ellis from Panola (JC) TX to Northwestern State, 6'10 Patrick Davis from Gulf Coast (JC) FL to Alabama State, 6'4 Travis Nichols from Gulf Coast (JC) FL to Troy State, 6'4 Willie Kirkland from Gulf Coast (JC) FL to Coastal Carolina, and 6'8 Chuck Coley from Dodge City (JC) KS to Pacific.  Those last two are significant, because Kirkland is ranked #31 and Coley is ranked #96 in JUCO Junction's Top 150 Junior College Players for 2010. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Today is the first day that high school seniors can sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with a four-year Division I school or university and it's kind of ironic this is the time when the mainstream media starts paying attention to recruiting, but very little new actually happens.  And to illustrate our point even further about how most of the action is already done is the fact only 21 of our top 100-ranked seniors are still available.  This list includes 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'7 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hill West) NY, 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6'10 Enes Kanter from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Jayvauhn Pinkston from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'6 Jelan Kendrick from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'4 Justin Coleman from Humble (Christian Life) TX, 6'2 Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'2 Corey Joseph from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, 6'9 C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC, 6'5 Trey Zeigler from Mt. Pleasant (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Tony Mitchell from Dallas (Pinkston) TX, 6'7 Roscoe Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Jackson Jeffcoat from Plano (West) TX, 6'8 Tarik Black from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 5'8 Daryl Traynham from Lee (Academy) ME, 6'0 K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX, and 6'2 Jordin Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  The one top 100-ranked senior who did decide on a school today was 6'6 J.J. Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, who picked the University of Pittsburgh over St. John's and Louisville.  And this is big, because Moore has the length, athleticism, and outside shooting necessary to project as a future NBA player, if he continues to work hard and lives up to his upside and potential.  Right now we have Moore ranked #52 nationally in the senior class, but our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio calls him a "late bloomer" and makes note of the fact that Moore has expanded his game to the point where he is now capable of playing four different positions.  "He rebounds well for size, is quick off the dribble, has good ball handling skills, and gets better every time I see him play," says Naclerio.  Moore also should be an excellent complement to all of the good young inside guys, like 6'9 Frosh Dante Taylor, 6'9 Frosh Talib Zanna, 6'8 Dwight Miller, and 6'8 J.J. Richardson, that Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon already has in the program and all of the good guards, like 6'2 Isaiah Epps from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'4 Cameron Wright from Cleveland (Benedictine) OH, and 6'1 Jr John Johnson from Philadelphia (Girard College) PA, who are currently in this year's and next year's recruiting classes.  Naclerio also makes note of the fact that the addition of this native of Brentwood, NY helps keep the Panthers' strong New York City pipeline intact and adds that he is one of the two best players to come out of Long Island since Danny Green.  The other is 6'7 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hallow Hills West) NY.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Yannick Atanga from Oja (Besant Hill School) CA has signed with Santa Clara, 6'8 Duje Dukan from Deerfield (H.S) IL has picked the University of Wisconsin, 6'1 Sandro Carissimo from New Rochelle (Iona Prep) NY has picked Vermont, 6'5 Kerry Hammonds from Murfreesboro (Siegel) TN has signed with Middle Tennessee State, and 6'9 Shawn Kemp from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has signed with Auburn.  Yes, Kemp is the son of the former NBA star with the same name.  And, just like his father who back in the day was one of the best high school players I've ever seen, the younger Kemp has the size, athleticism, and bloodline necessary to evolve into a great player.  Unfortunately Kemp doesn't have the drive, determination, toughness, and skill level that his Dad had and, as a result, it's easy to see why he was ranked #225 nationally in the senior class a year ago when he was a high school senior at Canton (Cherokee) GA.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Kemp originally signed a year ago with Alabama, which is the Tigers' big in-state rival.  Hammonds is another guy with a great bloodline (his father is one of the best players to ever play at Middle Tennessee State) and our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead, who also publishes TennesseePrepHoops.com, can't overemphasize how important a catch this is for the Blue Raiders.  "He's a local kid, a great 3-point shooter, and his Dad's jersey hangs from the rafters in the area," says Whitehead.  "He's also somewhat under the radar due to an injury that kept him off the AAU circuit last summer."  And this is important, because schools like Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi State were showing interest, but wanted to wait and watch Hammonds play this winter before they pulled the trigger.  Carissimo is exactly what the Catamounts were looking for, because he is an excellent 3-point shooter, has good ball handling and passing skills, and is capable of playing either guard spot.  So he should be an excellent complement to 6'9 Ryan McKeaney from Marlton (Cherokee) NJ and 6'5 Brian Voelkel from New Rochelle (Iona Prep) NY, both of whom are also apart of Vermont's current recruiting class.  Our Midwest Editor Antonio Curro, who also the editor and publisher of the NY2LASports.com, tells us that Dukan is a 3-point shooter with size, which makes him ideally suited to fit into the Badgers system.  Atanga is ranked #331 nationally in the senior by the HOOP SCOOP and was named earlier this week to the Third Team in Frank Burlison's Best in the West  that was published on Sunday in the Long Beach Press-Telegram.  Speaking of those rankings, the First Team included 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, with 373 points, 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA with 356 points, 6'5 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 330 points, 6'6 Allen Crabbe from Los Angeles (Price) CA with 306 points, 6'6 Bryce Jones from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA with 300 points, 6'5 Keala King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 300 points, 6'8 James Johnson from Wildomar (Elsinore) CA with 288 points, 6'6 Anthony Brown from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA with 279 points, 6'2 Gary Franklin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA with 274 points, 6'5 Daniel Bejarano from Phoenix (North) AZ with 273 points, 6'6 Kyle Collinsworth from Provo (H.S.) UT with 229 points, 6'9 Richard Solomon from with Los Angeles (Price) CA with 202 points, 6'2 Royce Woolridge from Phoenix (Sunnyslope) AZ with 189, 6'2 Jordan Mayes from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 182 points, and 6'8 DeAndre Daniels from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA with 171 points.  The Second Team included 6'5 Desmond Simmons from Richmond (Salesian) CA with 166 points, 6'7 Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 165 points, 6'10 Alex Kirk from Los Alamos (H.S.) AZ with 162 points, 6'0 Terrell Stoglin from Tucson (Santa Rita) AZ with 140 points, 6'1 LaBradford Franklin from Temecula (Great Oak) CA with 129 points, 6'3 Stephen Holt from Portland (Jesuit) OR with 123 points, 5'11 Aaron Bright from Bellevue (H.S.) WA with 112 points, 6'5 Shelton Boykin from Long Poly (Poly) CA, with 108 points, 6'3 Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA with 102 points, 6'4 Ben Vozzola from Las Vegas (Centennial) NV with 100 points, 6'6 Garrett Jackson from Portland (Westview) OR with 93 points, 6'7 Josh Huestis from Great Falls (Russell) MT with 88 points, 6'9 John Gage from Vashon (H.S.) WA with 87 points, 6'5 Moses Morgan from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV with 87 points, and 6'5 Joe Harris from Chelan (H.S.) WA with 83 points.  The Third Team included 6'0 Kyle Fuller from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA with 75 points, 6'6 Yannick Atanga from Ojai (Besant Hill School) CA with 70 points, 6'5 Erik Swoope from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA with 69 points, 6'6 J.J. O'Brien from Alta Loma (H.S.) CA with 58 points, 6'1 Deonta Burton from Compton (Centennial) CA with 57 points, 6'4 Lonnie Pearson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA with 45 points, 6'3 Corey Hawkins from Goodyear (Estrella) AZ with 41 points, 6'8 John McArthur from Concord (De La Salle) CA with 39 points, 6'8 Patrick Simon from Ephrata (H.S.) WA with 37 points, 6'9 Brandon Cataldo from Rainier (H.S.) OR with 32 points, 6'4 Dominique Lee from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA with 32 points, 6'6 Alex Tiffin from Thousand Oaks (H.S.) CA with 29 points, 6'2 James Walker from Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA with 27 points, 6'7 Josh Richart from Auburn (Forest Lake) CA with 24 points, and 6'7 Tre Johnson from Reno (Hug) NV with 21 points. 

Tuesday, November 10 2009

The big story on the eve of the 2009 Fall Signing Period involves 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA, who has finally made it official for UCLA.  We say "finally" because, except for a brief period earlier this fall when the University of Oklahoma snuck in the backdoor and made things interesting, Smith has been rumored to be a near lock for UCLA for well over a year now.  And we think this 6'8 tough hardnosed skilled physical specimen is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Bruins for a number of reasons.  First, although Smith is ranked #10 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, he's quite not tall enough nor athletic enough to project as a one-and-done or a two-and-done kind of guy when it comes to start thinking about early entry into the NBA Draft.  Second, Smith promises to be the stud, like Kevin Love was, that UCLA head coach Ben Howland needs to weave all of the other good young inside guys (6'10 Soph J'mison Morgan, 6'8 Soph Drew Gordon, 6'8 Frosh Reeves Nelson, 6'9 Frosh Brendan Lane, and 6'10 Frosh Anthony Stover) around who are already in the program.  Third, the addition of Smith moves UCLA's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Tyler Lamb from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, up to #20 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  Fourth, getting Smith could be the important link that the Bruins need to also get 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, who still has schools like Oklahoma, Kentucky, Washington, and Oregon on his list, but made his final visit this past weekend to Westwood.  Our West Coast Editor Alan Utter points out that Smith and Jefferson have become close friends and he thinks this will be the deciding factor when it comes time for Jefferson to make his college decision.  Currently we have Jefferson ranked #15 nationally in the senior class and, as a result, if he picks the Bruins, then their recruiting class will move up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  But let's say UCLA really hits the jackpot and also gets 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA and 6'2 Ray McCallum from Beverly Hills (Detroit Country Day) MI to go along with Smith, Jones, and Lamb.  Then, we'd be talking about the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation, as well as one of the teams to beat in college basketball a year from now.  Remember, the Bruins already have a great nucleus and now it's clear the UCLA coaching staff is in the process of adding some of the final pieces to the puzzle.  And, as long as we're talking about the UCLA coaching staff, did you now that Bruins assistant coach Scott Duncan, who is one of the best recruiters and most astute evaluators of talent in the business, held a similar position at the University of Oregon for seven years prior to joining Howland's staff two years ago?  Thus, explains the current regime's strong ties into the Pacific Northwest and, at least in part, why they are now beating schools like Washington and Oregon for some of the top players in their backyard.  It also looks like 6'5 Jason Morris from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT is returning to his old stamping grounds, as he picked Georgia Tech over Clemson earlier today.  Currently we have Morris, who originally is from Augusta, GA and played for the Atlanta Celtics in his younger days, ranked #110 nationally in the senior class.  But he may end up a lot higher than that due to the fact that his athleticism is off the chart and he's a terrific in the open court and getting to the basket.  However, for Morris to live up his earlier press clippings (two years ago we had him ranked #35 nationally in the sophomore class), he needs to continue to work on his outside shooting, become more consistent, and develop more of a killer mentality.  As a matter of fact, being too good a kid might be his biggest problem.  But being an excellent student and having a huge upside also make him that much more intriguing.  We also are impressed with the fact that 6'1 Cephas Oglesby from Cape Fear (JC) NC has picked Towson.  This is a guy who averaged 16.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 3.1 apg a year ago and has the athleticism, versatility, and talent necessary to step in and make an immediate impact.  And what about Texas A&M-Corpus Christi getting 6'5 Devon Usher from Baltimore (Digital Harbor) MD, who currently is one of the biggest sleepers in the senior class nationally?  We don't have him listed in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors), which was published on November 1st.  However, our spies in Baltimore area tell us that Usher is a legit 100-250 range senior nationally and he can really score.  So how did the Islanders steal an athletic wing player like this who also has incredible length, good court vision, a crafty handle, and a good mid-range game?  Easy if two of your assistant coaches (Kevin Norris and Brian Merritt) are both from Maryland and they are two of most intense recruiters in the business.  Another guy who can't be found in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors) is 6'8 Dakota Euton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY.  But that doesn't mean that we don't think he's a good catch for the University of Akron.  Remember, Euton is a tremendous 3-point shooter when he gets time to catch and shoot and, as a result, you bet that Zips head coach Keith Dambrot will do a good job of hiding Euton's lack of athleticism and get him plenty of open looks.  We also find it interesting that 6'3 Soph Cameron Harvey from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Wyoming.  This is a guy who is ranked #48 nationally in the sophomore class by the HOOP SCOOP and, if he'd not been in such a big hurry to pull the trigger, clearly would have been a prime recruiting target of everybody in the Big-10 Conference.  Other verbal commitments that have trickled in over the last several days include 5'11 Corey Stanton from Springfield (H.S.) TN to Wright State, 6'7 Reid Koenen from Racine (Prairie School) WI to Texas State, and 6'0 D.J. Irving from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA to Boston University.  The commitment by Irving is especially important because he perpetuates the new regime's strong pipeline even further into the Philadelphia area.  If you will recall, the Terriers already have five players - 6'8 Dominique Morris from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'1 Mike Terry from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, 6'8 Anthony Mayo, from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'3 Travis Robinson from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA and 5'9 Henry Gaskins from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA - in the fold from the City of Brotherly Love.  And, when you also add 6'6 Malik Thomas from New York (Wadleigh) NY into the equation, it's easy to see why we have Boston University's recruiting class ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The first day of the Fall Signing Period is just two days away, but the most interesting thing that we ran across over the weekend was an article by Pete Thamel that was published in the New York Times two days ago (Saturday, November 7th).  "Young, Talented and Unhappy Playing Basketball Overseas" provides us with an update on 6'10 Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, who became the first high school player ever to skip his senior year of high school to play professionally.  Tyler signed a one-year deal worth $140,000 to play for Maccabi Haifa in the Isreali Premier League, but it looks like he is well on his way towards being the poster boy for what can happen when a strong sense of entitlement and reading your press clippings becomes the order of the day.  If you will recall, I've never doubted that Tyler has had the size, athleticism, and potential necessary to achieve greatness.  But I've also been one of his biggest critics dating back to when a lot of people were touting him as the best rising freshmen in the nation three years ago at the AAU 14-Under Nationals.  Not only was he inconsistent, lazy, and uninspired, but there was no question who the best player on the court was in the quarterfinals (it was Brandon Knight) and Tyler also got his clock cleaned by Jayvaughn Pinkston in the semi-finals.  Tyler also got totally embarrassed a year later in a head-to-head match-up against Renardo Sidney in the Amare Stoudemire Invitational Classic in Davenport, FL.  In that game Sidney finished with 32 points and nine rebounds and Tyler was held scoreless and went 0-10 from the field.  And all this is important, because I laughed last spring when I read the quotes about Tyler playing professionally in Europe for a year and then being the #1-pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.  Remember, this is a guy who is 18-years-old going on 10 and is now in foreign country where he doesn't speak the language without much guidance and support.  Obviously this was a recipe for disaster and, as a result, it didn't surprise me when I read "after nearly three months of professional basketball in Israel’s top division, Tyler is at a crossroads.  Caught in a clash of cultures, distractions and agendas, he appears to be worlds away from a draft-night handshake with (David) Stern, the NBA Commissioner.  His coach calls him lazy and out of shape.  The team captain says he is soft.  His teammates say he needs to learn to shut up and show up on time.  He has no friends on the team.  In extensive interviews with Tyler, his teammates, coaches, his father and advisers, the consensus is that he is so naïve and immature that he has no idea how naïve and immature he is.  So enamored with his vast potential, Tyler has not developed the work ethic necessary to tap it."  There is a lot more in the article, which you can read in its entirety by clicking onto http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/sports/basketball/08tyler.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&emc=eta1.  This is in sharp contrast to 6'2 Brandon Jennings, who a year ago played in Italy, faced adversity, and got better while playing against men.  Speaking of Jennings, he had an off game on Friday night with nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.  However, he came back on Saturday with 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and one steal against the New York Knicks.  So with five games under his belt now, Jennings is averaging 18.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg,and 4.4 apg, and is shooting 37-86 (43.0%) from the field, 8-20 (40.0%) from beyond the arc, and 10-13 (76.9%) from the foul line.  However, even more important, Jennings' team is winning (the Milwaukee Bucks are now 3-2) and he appears to be well on his way towards becoming the Rookie-of-the-Year in the NBA.  The biggest difference between Jennings and Tyler?  Work ethic and a desire to achieve greatness.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also checks in and he tells us not to be surprised if 6'8 Ashton Pankey from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ signs with the University of Maryland and 6'0 Russell Smith from South Kent (Prep) CT signs with the University of Louisville during the Fall Signing Period.  Pankey is ranked #147 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but at times shows flashes of brilliance.  "He's long and athletic, is good on the boards, and can score from 15-feet and in," says Naclerio.  "All he needs is consistency."  Naclerio had Smith ranked #5 in his class in the city a year ago when he was a senior at Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY.  However,  Naclerio adds that Smith is a late bloomer, as is evident by the fact that he's gotten stronger physically and is even more athletic than he was a year ago.  "Smith has great moves to the basket," says Naclerio.  "And his outside shot continues to get better.  So I think he could turn out to be a very good get for the Cardinals."  Naclerio also tells us that the word on the street is that 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, who has a press conference scheduled for Friday, is going to pick Duke.  "Don't ask me who my source or how I know," says Naclerio.  "But I think it's a done deal."  And, if Naclerio turns out to be correct, then the Blue Devils will have two of the HOOP SCOOP's top-five ranked seniors in the nation in this year's recruiting class, which currently is ranked #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 and also includes 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Josh Hairston from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, and 6'1 Tyler Thornton from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  This also would put the Blue Devils in pretty fast company, along with Kentucky in 2009 with 6'3 John Wall from Raleigh (Word of God) NC and 6'10 DeMarcus Cousins from Mobile (LeFlore) NC, Michigan State in 2000 with 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN and 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, Kentucky in 1999 with 6'4 Keith Bogans from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD and 6'10 Marvin Stone from Huntsville (Grissom) AL, St. John's in 1995 with 6'5 Felipe Lopez from New York (Rice) NY and 6'10 Zendon Hamilton from Floral Park (Sewankaka) NY, North Carolina in 1993 with 6'11 Rasheed Wallace from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA and 6'6 Jerry Stackhouse from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, LSU in 1993 with 6'4 Randy Livingston from New Orleans (Newmann) LA and 6'4 Ronnie Henderson from Jackson (Murrah) MS, Michigan in 1991 with Juwan Howard from Chicago (Vocational) IL and 6'9 Chris Webber from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, North Carolina in 1990 with 7'0 Eric Montrose from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and 6'10 Clifford Rozier from Bradenton (Southeast) FL, Kentucky in 1987 with 6'6 Eric Manual from Macon (Southwest) GA and 6'10 LeRon Ellis from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, North Carolina in 1986 with 6'10 J.R. Reid from Virginia Beach (Kempersville) VA and 6'10 Scott Williams from Hacienda Heights (H.S.) CA, and Michigan in 1986 with 6'2 Rumeal Robinson from Cambridge (Latin-Rindge) MA and 6'10 Terry Mills from Romulus (H.S.) MI, all of which signed the equivalent of two of the HOOP SCOOP's top five-ranked seniors.  The only school to have landed three of the HOOP SCOOP's top five-ranked seniors was North Carolina is 2006 with 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN.  And, although the Blue Devils have not landed two of the HOOP SCOOP's top five-ranked seniors, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff did sign three top 10-ranked seniors in 1999 with 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, 6'11 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, and 6'11 Casey Sanders from Tampa (Prep) FL and in 1997 with 6'8 Elton Brand from Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Shane Battier from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, and 6'10 Chris Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA and two top 10-ranked seniors in 2002 with 6'9 Sheldon Willams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK and 6'4 J.J. Reddick from Roanoke (Catholic) VA, in 1993 with 6'9 Joey Beard from Reston (South Lakes) VA and 6'9 Greg Newton from Niagara Falls (A.N. Meyer) ON, and in 1989 with 6'0 Bobby Hurley from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and 6'3 Billy McCaffrey from Allentown (Central Catholic) PA in 1989.

Saturday, November 7, 2009, & Sunday, November 8, 2009

With the publication of Allen Rubin's Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report earlier this evening exclusively in the Members Section, we're right on schedule in terms of catching up all of our rankings.  If you will recall, we published our Ranking of the Top 200 Players Nationally in the Class of 2013 (Freshmen) on October, 2nd, our Ranking of the Top 150 Players Nationally in the Class of 2014 (8th Graders) on October, 9th, our Ranking of the Top 100 Players Nationally in the Class of 2015 (7th Graders) on October 16th, our Ranking of the Top 75 Players Nationally in the Class of 2016 (6th Graders) on October, 23rd, and our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors)  on November 1st and we plan to publish our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2011 (Juniors) on November 15th (next Sunday) and our Ranking of the Top Players Nationally in the Class of 2012 (Sophomores) on November 25th (the day before Thanksgiving).  We also plan to wrap-up recruiting from the Fall Signing Period at end of the month and catch up on all of our state-by-state and area reports during the winter.  As for Rubin's report, it includes his ranking of the top 16 5th Year Players, 410 Seniors, 298 Juniors, 186 Sophomores, 115 Freshmen, 33 8th Graders, and 21 7th Graders.  That's 1,079 names all ranked in order by class, plus 10 all-area teams that include the top 50 players in his area regardless of class and position.  It also includes some of the biggest stories and some interesting analysis about some of the top players and teams in the area.  But what is particularly intriguing is Rubin's list of the top players in the history of the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area.  We're talking about which 7'1 Wilt Chamberlain from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, 6'0 Guy Rodgers from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, 6'6 Tom Gola from Philadelphia (La Salle) PA, 6'0 Hal Lear from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, 6'4 Ernie Beck from Philadelphia (West Catholic) PA, 6'8 Wayne Hightower from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, 6'3 Earl Monroe from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, 6'7 Eugene Banks from Philadelphia (West Philadelphia) PA, 6'6 Lewis Lloyd from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, 6'7 Billy Thompson from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Milt Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'2 Kevin Walls from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'1 Jerome "Pooh" Richardson from Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA, 6'3 Jeff Lebo from Carlisle (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Billy Owens from Carlisle (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Donyell Marshall from Reading (H.S.) PA, 6'10 Rasheed Wallace from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'6 Kobe Bryant from Ardmore (Lower Merion) PA, 6'6 Richard Hamilton from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Eddie Griffin from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, and 6'5 Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA.  And, if that weren't enough, Rubin also has come up his a First Team All-Team Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area Team, which includes 7'1 Wilt Chamberlain from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, 6'6 Kobe Bryant from Ardmore (Lower Merion) PA, 6'10 Rasheed Wallace from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'0 Guy Rodgers from Philadelphia (Northeast) PA, and 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ.  Originally Rubin had 6'6 Tom Gola from Philadelphia (La Salle) PA on this five-man team.  But I convinced him to change his mind after giving him several good reasons.  First, I thought it was important to put somebody from South Jersey on the list, if it was close.  Second, players are supposed to be bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic in the modern era and, as a result, I didn't want to have the majority of the players on this team having played high school basketball before anybody who is 50-year-old today was even born.  Third, Wager had an incredible high school career, which included scoring over 100 points in a single game and setting the state's all-time scoring record with 3,451 points during his career.  He also scored 50 or more points in nine games, averaged 42.5 ppg his senior season, and led his team to the Group 3 State Championship and the New Jersey Tournament of Champions when he was a junior.  He also was the #1-ranked senior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP in 2001.  Also noteworthy is the fact that Eugene Banks in 1977, Billy Thompson in 1982, Jeff Lebo in 1985, Rasheed Wallace in 1993, and Tyreke Evans in 2008 all received National Player-of-the-Year honors.  And just missing making this list was Billy Owens in 1988, who finished ranked #3 in the senior class, behind Alonzo Mourning and Shawn Kemp.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Owens led his high school team to four straight state titles. 

Friday, November 6, 2009

Donnie Wilkie, who is the Vice President and the guy who invites the teams for the City of Palms Classic, tells us that there has been a last minute change to this year's field due to the fact that 6'3 Jr Tony Wroten from Seattle (Garfield) WA tore an ACL earlier this fall on the football field and, as a result, his team has decided not to make the trip to this year's tournament.  Instead, the final spot in the field now is going to Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA, which returns four starters from last year's 4-A State Championship team.  However, we don't look for Penn Wood, which features some solid players, like 5'9 Tyree Johnson, 6'5 Jr Aaron Brown, and 6'8 Jr Sean Oakman, to be anything more than a potential spoiler in what annually has become the premier high school basketball.  And to reinforce this point even further is the fact that this year's 16-team field will feature six of the top 15-ranked and 10 of the top 50-ranked teams in the EPSN Rise Top 50 Pre-Season High School Rankings that have been released periodically throughout this week.  Speaking of the list of teams in this year's City of Palms Classic, which will be held December 18th-23rd at Bishop Verot High School in Ft. Myers, FL, it includes #1-ranked Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, #4-ranked Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, #6-ranked Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, #12-ranked Montverde (Academy) FL, #13-ranked Alpharetta (Milton) GA, #15-ranked Huntsville (Butler) AL, #27-ranked Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, #38-ranked Chicago (De La Salle) IL, #41-ranked Winter Park (H.S.) FL, #46-ranked Paterson (Catholic) NJ, Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA, Greensboro (Dudley) NC, Bartow (H.S.) FL, Weston (Sagemont) FL, Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL, and Ft. Myers (Dunbar) FL.  Wilkie also helps invite the teams for this McDonald's Tampa Hoops Classic, which will be held December 26th-31st in Tampa, FL.  And he is really excited about this year's field that includes Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, Forest Hills (H.S.) NY, Norfolk (Christian) VA, Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA, Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, Pembroke Pines (Flanigan) FL,St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, Tampa (Prep) FL, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Winter Springs (H.S.) FL, Orlando (Dr. Krop) FL, Miami (Norland) FL, Clearwater (H.S.) FL, Bartow (H.S.) FL, and St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL.  Wilkie thinks those last seven Florida teams will all be ranked among the top dozen teams in the state and he also points out that future St. Anthony's Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley will be going to war with one of the best front lines in the country, Arlington (Grace Prep) TX has a star-studded group of underclassmen, Norfolk (Christian) VA has a consensus top five-ranked junior in the nation, Tiny Morton has reloaded at Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, and Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA has its entire team back from a team that won last year's Kindgom of the Sun Tournament.  The list of top players to watch in this year's McDonald's Tampa Hoops Classic includes 6'8 Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'8 Okaro White from Clearwater (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Derrick Williams from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'3 Langston Galloway from Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA, 6'9 Justin Jackson from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'8 Ashton Pankey from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'6 Khyle Marshall from Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL, 6'7 John Brown from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'1 Elijah Carter from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'6 Marvin Bayham from Miami (Norland) FL, 5'11 Dietric Payne from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'9 Jr James McAdoo from Norfolk (Christian) VA, 6'2 Jr Jamal Branch from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'0 Jr Shaquille Stokes from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'6 Jr Maurice Harkless from Forest Hills (H.S.) NY, 6'11 Soph Isaiah Mansfield from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'8 Soph Nick Baynard from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, 6'4 Soph  Shawn Smith from from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'4 Soph Jelan Hornbeck from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX, and 6'0 Soph Ricky Roberts from Arlington (Grace Prep) TX.

Thursday, November 5, 2009 

Very early on we dubbed it as the group that couldn't wait.  We're talking about the Class of 2010 and a quick look back at our ranking of the top players in this class two years ago shows that eight of our top 10-ranked sophomores at the time were already off the board.  The list included 6'8 Soph DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN to Ohio State, 6'3 Soph Kendall Marshall from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to North Carolina, 6'7 Soph Dwayne Polee from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to USC, 6'6 Soph Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH to Ohio State, 6'2 Soph Dion Waiters from South Kent (Prep) CT to Syracuse, 6'0 Soph K.C. Ross-Miller from Irving (Gods' Academy) TX to Kentucky, 6'9 Soph Tristan Thompson from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Texas, and 6'6 Soph Jereme Richmond from Waukegan (H.S.) IL to Illinois.  And to reinforce this point (about the group that couldn't wait) even further is the fact 6'11 Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA has forgone his senior year of high school and will play professionally this year in Israeli and that eight other players who were ranked among our top 100 sophomores nationally two years ago have since reneged on their original verbal commitment.  If you will recall, at the time 6'0 Soph Ross-Miller from Irving (God's Academy) TX was committed to Kentucky; 6'7 Soph C.J. Leslie from Raleigh (Word of God) NC was committed to N.C. State, 6'9 Soph Dominic Ferguson from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN was committed to Kentucky, 6'8 Soph Dakota Euton from Georgetown (Scott County) KY was committed to Kentucky, 6'0 Soph Jamison Stern from Waxahachie (H.S.) TX was committed to Baylor, 6'2 Soph Aaron Cosby from Jeffersontown (H.S.) KY was committed to Massachusetts, 6'2 Soph Kendall Williams from Rancho Cucamonga (Los Osos) CA to UCLA, and 6'4 Soph Cameron Wright from Cleveland (Benedictine) OH to Ohio State.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, it highlights what can happen when people put too much emphasis too early on the recruiting process, as is evident by the fact that not one of these players are ranked as high today as they were two years ago by the HOOP SCOOP.  Moral to the story, rankings of players at an early age are a great starting point.  But they also may not turn out to be the best predictor in the final analysis with regards to where a player will end up being ranked or where he will get recruited.  Second, it helps explain why there is so little action occurring among the elite players in the senior class nationally, as we're now less a week before the beginning of the Fall Signing Period.  As things stand now, 12 of our top 20-ranked seniors and 23 of our 100-ranked seniors are off the board.  And those who are remaining appear to be in no big hurry to get it over with, as is evident by the fact that only one verbal commitment by a top 100-ranked senior has occurred since 6'9 Adreian Payne from Dayton (Jefferson) OH picked Michigan State a week ago.   And it happened earlier this evening when 6'8 Devon Collier from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ picked Oregon State.  Obviously this is a great catch for the Beavers, because Collier is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and, with his blue collar work ethic around the basket, he should be the perfect complement to all of the good young players who are already both in the program and this year's recruiting class.  Remember, the Beavers pulled off a major coup when they landed 6'4 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Joe Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, 6'3 Jared Cunningham from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Angus Brandt from Lake Forest (Academy) IL, and 6'7 Rhys Murphy from Lee (Academy) ME in a recruiting class that finished ranked #10 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2009.  Oregon State also already has 5'8 Ahmad Starks from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, who was ranked #31 in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010, in the fold in this year's recruiting class and, as a result, it is now tied at #22, along with Tennessee, Florida, Villanova, and Baylor, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.  We also are impressed with the fact that Michigan State got an early verbal commitment  a couple of days ago from 6'5 Jr Brandon Kearney from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, who is ranked #37 nationally and is the top-ranked junior in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.  And the timing on this couldn't be any better, because Kearney will arrive on campus two years from now just in time to help Spartans head coach Tom Izzo replace 6'4 Jr Durrell Summers, 6'1 Jr Kalin Lucas, and 6'3 Jr Chris Allen, all three of whom will graduate after the 2010-2011 season.  It also looks like this has been a busy week for Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker, who has added two more players to a recruiting class that already included 6'3 Matt Brown from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA.  The first was 6'5 Laurent Rivard from Northfield (Mt. Hermon) MA, who is a 5th Year Player that can shoot the light out and is ranked #19 in the Class of 2010 by our New England Editor Adam Finkelstein.  The second was 7'1 Ugo Okam from Montverde (Academy) FL, who is ranked #336 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but has unlimited potential due to his size, athleticism, and mobility.  The same also can be said about 6'9 Papa Samba Ndao from Montverde (Academy) FL, who has picked Boston College over Harvard, Texas Christian, and SMU.   This is a guy who only averaged 8.3 ppg and was slowed by injuries a year ago.  However, he's improved dramatically during each of the last three years while playing in one of the best high school programs in the nation and he has the work ethic, athleticism, and natural talent necessary to become the next in a long line of players who wasn't that highly touted in high school, but evolves into an excellent college player under the tutorage of Eagles head coach Al Skinner.  We also think 6'5 Keith Matthews from Sebastian River (H.S.) FL is a good catch for Fairfield and 6'7 Melsaha Basabe from Southborough (St. Mark's) MA is likewise Siena.  The former is ranked #481 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and averaged 17.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg a year ago on a team that finished with 25-4 record.  The latter is a ranked #324 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the energy, athleticism, and tenacity at both ends of the court necessary to be a major force in the Metro Atlantic Conference.  Other verbal commitments that have occurred this week include 6'3 Anson Winder from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV to Brigham Young, 5'10 LeBree Sledge from Tyler (JC) TX to South Alabama, 6'4 Brad Gray from Tyler (JC) TX to UT-Arlington, 6'0 Mustaffa Jones from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA to Hartford, 6'5 C.J. Manhertz from Bronx (Cardinal Spellman) NY to Canisius, 6'2 Scott Bemforth from Western Nebraska (JC) NE to Weber State, 6'7 Derek Kaster from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA to UC-Riverside, and 6'4 Derrick Denny from Kansas City (JC) KS to Jacksonville State.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Normally I don't pay a lot of attention to what's going on the NBA (especially this early in the season).  But I do find it interesting that Brandon Jennings, who is averaging 22.0 ppg and 5.3 apg, is one of seven players who are ranked among the top 25 players in the league in both scoring and passing.  Also on this list are Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornet with 27.8 ppg and 8.5 apg, Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns with 21.5 ppg and 12.5 apg, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers with 25.2 ppg and 8.2 apg, Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards 26.5 ppg and 6.3 apg, Deron Williams of the Utah Jazz with 22.3 ppg and 8.8 apg, and Chauncey Billups of the Denver Nuggets with 23.3 ppg and 5.5 rpg.  In other words, Jennings is off to a spectacular start in his rookie season after finishing with 17 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in his first game against the Philadelphia 76ers; 24 points, two rebounds, and three assists in his second game against the Detroit Pistons; and 25 points, one rebound, and four assists in his third game against the Chicago Bulls.  He also has hit 26-54 of his field goal attempts and was 7-14 from beyond the arc and has been so explosive and difficult to stop in transition that I've heard more than one person saying that he reminds them of a left-handed Allen Iverson.  And this is important, because I've been touting Jennings as the best player in his class dating all the way back to when he was one of the best players at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp at the end of his freshman season.  And, after watching Jennings totally dominate two consecutive years at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 All-Star Game at Rucker Park in New York City, I've been telling anybody who would listen that Jennings has the explosiveness and athleticism, ball handing and passing skills, court vision and ability to find the open man, basketball IQ and court savvy, and heart, desire, and work ethic necessary to potentially be one of the top five point guards in the history of the game.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also is very impressed with what Jennings has done in the last week. "There have been players before who have gotten off to a fast start and fizzled," says Naclerio.  "But I can't remember anybody ever getting off to this fast a start while playing the toughest position (point guard) on the court.  In addition to scoring points and creating opportunities for himself, Jennings also has to run the show and make sure he gets his teammates involved.  If he'd had just one more rebound and one more assist in his first game, Jennings would have been the second player in the history of the NBA to record a triple-double in his NBA first game.  I believe the first was Oscar Robertson.  What Jennings has done is incredible and he's still just a baby at 20-years-old.  Just imagine how good he'll be when he reaches the prime of his career in eight or 10 years." 

It also looks like Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV has picked up where it left off last season by obtaining the #1-ranking in the National Prep Basketball Pre-Season Poll, which was compiled by Jamie DeMoney and Jeremy Plowman and was published earlier this week at PrepNation.com.  But for this year's team, which features a star studded cast that includes 6'9 Tristan Thompson, 6'2 Corey Joseph, 6'9 Godwin Okonji, 6'3 Jr Nick Johnson, 6'3 Jr Jabari Brown, 6'7 Soph Winston Shepard, and 6'3 Frosh Nigel Williams-Goss, to repeat as the national champion, they will have to beat the #2-ranked team in the Hoop Hall Classic on January 18th in Springfield, MA.  Speaking of Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, this team that features 6'8 Jr Michael Gilchrist, 6'2 Kyrie Irving, 6'8 Julian Washburn, 6'5 Chase Plummer, 5'10 Kevin Bole, 6'3 Jr Derrick Gordon, 6'9 Frosh Austin Colbert, and 6'5 Frosh Jason Boswell will face a murderous schedule that includes games against nationally ranked teams on December 5th versus Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, on January 23 versus Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, on January 30th versus Memphis (White Station) TN, on February 6th versus Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, on February 12th versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and on February 13th versus New York (Rice) NY.  That St. Patrick-Oak Hill match-up in the Primetime Shootout at Rutgers University is especially noteworthy, because the Warriors, which will go to war with players like 6'4 Doran Lamb, 6'8 Roscoe Smith, 6'2 Pe'Shon Howard, 5'11 Juwan Staten, 6'11 Baye Moussa Kieta, 6'2 Jr Keith Hornsby, and 6'4 Frosh R.J. Curington, are ranked #3 in the National Prep Basketball Pre-Season Poll.  The rest of the pre-season top 25 includes 4) Columbus (Northland) OH, 5) Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6) Houston (Yates) TX, 7) Bloomington (South) IN, 8) Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 9) Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 10) Milton (Alpharetta) CA, 11) Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 12) Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 13) Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 14) Covington (Holmes) KY, 15) Detroit (Pershing) MI, 16) Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 17) Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 18) Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 19) Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 20) Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 21) Ames (H.S.) IA, 22) St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 23) Memphis (White Station) TN, 24) New York (Rice) NY, and 25) Kinston (H.S.) NC.  For even more details that are included in the excellent capsules about each of the above mentioned teams and all the regional rankings from the Northeast Region, East Coast Region, Southeast Region, Midwest Region, Midlands Region, Southwest Region, and West Coast Region, we encourage you to click onto PrepNation.com.  Not only is all of these very well done, but this poll has stood the test of time dating all the way back to 1987.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis' coast-to-coast fall camp tour is over and his ranking of the top 20 players from the Fullcourt Press All-West Frosh/Soph Camp in Lynwood, CA, the Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp in Lilburn, GA, the Pangos All-Midwest Frosh/Soph Camp in Deerfield, IL, and the Pangos All-East Frosh/Soph Camp in Thorofare, NJ is as follows:  1)  6'7 Soph Winston Shepard from Henderson (Findlay) NV, 2) 6'6 Soph Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 3) 6'6 Soph Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 4) 6'2 Soph Gabe York from Orange (Lutheran) CA, 5) 6'8 Soph Grant Jarrett from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 6) 6'7 Soph DeJuan Marrero from Gary (Bowman Academy) IN, 7)  6'5 Soph Xavier Johnson from Temecula (Chapparal) CA, 8) 6'4 Frosh Deonte Burton from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, 9)  6'8 Soph Devonta Pollard from DeKalb (Kemper County) MS, 10) 6'6 Soph Charles Mitchell from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 11) 6'6 Frosh Aaron Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 12) 6'2 Frosh Eric Cooper from La Verne (Lutheran) CA, 13) 6'4 Soph Raphael Davis from Ft. Wayne (South Side) IN, 14) 6'1 Soph Khyree Wooten from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 15) 6'1 Soph Daquan Cook from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD, 16) 6'7 Soph Rosco Allen from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 17) 6'8 Soph Gavin Ware from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 18) 6'5 Soph Jordan Adams from Lawrenceville (Central Gwinnett) GA, 19) 6'3 Soph Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'7 Soph David Andoh from San Jose (St. Teresa) CA.  His most recent camp was the Pangos All-East Frosh/Soph Camp , which was held this past weekend at the RiverWinds Center in Thorofare, NJ, and the most dominant player at this two-day event was 6'6 Soph Savon Goodman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, who capped things off with 28 points in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game.   Other memorable performances in that game were turned in by 6'4 Soph Kevin Okoro from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY with 24 points, 6'6 Soph Kyle Anderson from Paterson (Catholic) NJ with 15 points, 6'4 Frosh Dwayne Foreman from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ with 13 points, and 5'11 8th Grader Floyd Preito from Philadelphia (St. Francis De Sales) PA with eight points.  Also on the list of players who were named to play in the Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game were 6'3 Soph Omar Calhoun from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'1 Soph Daquan Cook from Baltimore (St. Frances) NY, 5'11 Soph Da'Shawn Suber from New York (Rice) NY, 6'4 Soph Dominic Cain from Willingboro (H.S.) NJ, 5'11 Soph Olajuwon Lewis from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'4 Soph Marcus Gilbert from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'0 Soph Montana Mayfield from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'7 Soph Brandon Taylor from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ, 6'5 Soph Malik Garner from Philadelphia (Chestnut Hill) PA, 5'11 Soph Carson Puriefoy from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, 5'10 Soph Gerald Carty from Bronx (Mt. St. Michael) NY, 6'3 Soph Shaquan Cain from Bronx (Truman) NY, 6'5 Soph Norville Carey from Bear (Red Lion Christian) DE, 6'4 Soph Damien Williams from Malvern (Phelps School) PA, 6'7 Soph Dominic Hoffman from Gladstone (Gill St. Bernard's) NJ, 6'1 Soph Khyree Wooten from Philadelphia (Strawberry Mansion) PA, 5'10 Frosh Kavon Stewart from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Michael Reddick from Lansdowne (Penn Wood) PA, 6'4 Frosh John Davis from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, and 6'5 Frosh Reggie Cameron from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.  The two leading scorers in the Top 50 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game were 6'2 Soph Jourdan Stickler from Severn (Annapolis Christian) MD and 6'2 Soph Marquis Marshall from Redding (Central Catholic) PA, who had 10 points apiece respectively.  The rest of the list of players named to play in this game includes 5'11 Soph Darrius Dow from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 5'11 Soph Ronald Epps from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'2 Soph Sho DaSilva from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, 6'1 Soph Deon Edwin from Bear (Red Lion Christian) DE, 6'1 Soph Josh Heyliger from Pottstown (Hill School) NJ, 6'2 Soph Daniel Pittman from Bryn Athyn (Academy of the New Church) PA, 6'4 Soph Connor Huff from New York (Collegiate) NY, 6'3 Soph Dexter Harris from Pennsauken (Bishop Eustace) NJ, 6'3 Soph Chazz Patterson from Hamilton (Trenton Catholic) NJ, 6'0 Soph Karoon Davis from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA, 6'4 Soph Vance Matthews from Cape May (Lower Cape May Regional) NJ, 6'1 Soph Myron Hickman from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Soph Akhir Frazier from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'5 Soph Pierre Charles from Haverford (School) PA, 6'0 Soph Sterling Myles from Baltimore (City College) MD, 6'0 Frosh Jaren Sina from Gladstone (Gill St. Bernards) NJ, 5'11 Frosh Yosef Yacob from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 6'0 Frosh Jordan Forehand from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Jaren Sina from Wilmington(Tatnall) DE, 6'1 Frosh Devon Bell from Voorhees (Eastern) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Stephen McNair from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Soph Jahyde Gardner from Philadelphia (Freire Charter) PA, 6'5 Soph Ry'n Bland from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, and 6'3 Frosh Shafeek Taylor from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.

Sunday, November 1, 2009, & Monday, November 2, 2009

We were planning on publishing a list that included only the top 500-ranked seniors.  But when the dust had cleared, we had close to 800 names ranked in order and, as a result, decided to make it a Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors) when we published this list last night exclusively in the Members Section.  And this did not include players like 5'8 Phil Pressey from Dallas (Episcopal School of Dallas) TX, 6'4 Christian Kabonga from Irving (God's Academy) TX, 6'4 Lorenzo Brown from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Marquez "Luke"Cothron from Red Springs (Flora MacDonald) NC, 6'4 Jesse Morgan from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'1 Isaiah Epps from Plainfield (H.S.) NJ, and 6'6 Joel Wright from Brooklyn (Jefferson) NY, all of whom are 5th Year Players, but are good enough to be ranked someplace among our top 100 high school seniors, if we had included them on our list.  Also missing from this list is 6'11 Jeremy Tyler from San Diego (H.S.) CA, who decided to forgo his senior year of high school and will play professionally this year for Maccabi, Haifa in the Israeli Premier League.  We also think it's important to point out that there still isn't a lot of difference among the top eight players in the class.  We're talking about 6'8 Jared Sullinger from Columbus (Northland) OH, 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'11 Perry Jones from Duncanville (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'9 Tristan Thompson from Henderson (Findlay Prep) NV, and 6'7 DeShaun Thomas from Ft. Wayne (Bishop Luers) IN.  But we still give the nod to Sullinger due to the fact that he's a good old-fashioned skilled power forward who scores at will in the low post, owns the boards, and almost always finds a way to beat you at crunch time.  In other words, we still rank players the old-fashioned way, whereby, you have to earn it.  Obviously this is in sharp contrast to a lot of our competitors who rank players primarily based on size, athleticism, and potential.  However, I will stand by who we have ranked as our #1 player in the nation in recent years.  If you will recall, our #1-ranked player was 6'2 Avery Bradley from Henderson (Findlay) NV in 2009, 6'2 Brandon Jennings from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 2008, 6'9 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR in 2007, 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN in 2006, 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA in 2005, 611 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA in 2004, 6'7 LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St Mary) OH in 2003, 6'7 Carmelo Anthony from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in 2002, 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ in 2001, 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN in 2000, 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph Clay) GA in 1999, 6'8 Al Harrington from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ in 1998, 6'8 Tracy McGrady from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC in 1997, 6'6 Kobe Bryant from Ardmore (Lower Merion) PA in 1996, 6'10 Kevin Garnett from Chicago (Farragut) IL in 1995, 6'5 Felip Lopez from New York (Rice) NY in 1994, 6'4 Randy Livingston from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA in 1993, 6'4 Jason Kidd from Alameda (St. Joseph Notre Dame) CA in 1992, 6'9 Glenn Robinson from Gary (Roosevelt) IN in 1991, 6'8 Ed O'Bannon from Lakewood (Artesia) CA in 1990, 6'1 Kenny Anderson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY in 1989, 6'10 Alonzo Mourning from Chesapeake (Indian River) VA in 1988, 6'6 Eric Manual from Macon (Southwest) GA in 1987, 6'10 J.R. Reid from Virginia Beach (Kempersville) VA in 1986, 6'3 Jeff Lebo from Carlisle (H.S.) PA in 1985, and 6'10 Danny Manning from Lawrence (H.S.) KS in 1984.  As things stand now in the Class of 2010, only 25 of our top 100-ranked seniors are still available.  But there is still plenty of action that will take place among the elite players in the class, as 6'8 Harrison Barnes from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'3 Brandon Knight from Ft. Lauderdale (Pine Crest) FL, 6'2 Kyrie Irving from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Josh Selby from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD, 6'8 Josh Smith from Covington (Kentwood) WA, 6'7 Tobias Harris from Dix Hills (Half Hollow Hills West) NY, 6'4 Doron Lamb from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Terrance Jones from Portland (Jefferson) OR, and 6'10 Enes Kanter from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA are all still available.  In other words, nine of our top 17-ranked seniors are still on the board and, as a result, our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010 will be subject to major changes between now and when we publish our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2010 late next spring. 

It looks like the University of Tennessee coaching staff once again took advantage of its already strong pipeline into the Peachtree State with yesterday's early verbal commitment by 6'3 Jr Kevin Ware from Conyers (Rockdale County) GA to the Volunteers.  If you will recall, Bruce Pearl and his staff already have two top 50-ranked seniors - 6'4 Jordan McRae from Hinesville (Liberty County) GA and 6'2 Trae Golden from Powder Springs (McEachern) GA - from the state in their current recruiting class and they also have two other players - 6'8 Frosh Kenny Hall from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA and 6'6 Soph Cameron Tatum from Tucker (H.S.) GA via Lenoir (Patterson School) GA - from the state currently in the program.  Ware made the decision after making an unofficial visit to Knoxville, TN over the weekend and our Georgia Editor Horace Neysmith tells us that playing in an up tempo style and his relationship with the Tennessee coaches were big factors in his decision.  Ware has big time athleticism and is ranked #42 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And the value of his stock should continue to rise as he improves his outside shooting.  "Ware is great in transition and attacking the rim," says Neysmith.  "He also has excellent hands, is a terrific passer, and has become a great defender.  And he will gain valuable experience next spring when he participates on the 16-Under USA Basketball Team that will compete in Argentina next June.  Ware picked Tennessee over Georgetown and Georgia Tech."  Also following in all of the aforementioned players' footsteps will likely be 6'8 Dante Williams from Lithonia (Miller Grove) GA, who is ranked #9 in the state's senior class by Neysmith and also made a visit over the weekend to Knoxville, TN.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that La Salle University has landed 6'0 Tyreek Duran from Philadelphia (Neumann-Goretti) PA, who was ranked #183 in our Ranking of the Top 750 Players Nationally in the Class of 2010 (Seniors), which was published last night exclusively in the Members Section.  And we think this is a great catch for the Explorers, because Duran is a pure point guard with good speed and quickness and a knack for making those around him better.  He also plays on one of the best high school teams in the tough Philadelphia Catholic League and was the guy who ran the show on the second best club team (Team Final) in the nation this past spring and summer.  So it stands to reason that Duran will be ideally suited to step in a year from now and complement 6'10 Frosh Aaric Murray, 6'8 Frosh Devon White, and 6'5 Jr Earl Pettis, who is sitting out this year after transferring from Rutgers.  Rubin also has confirmed that 6'4 Aaron Brown from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has verbally committed to Temple.  Brown is currently ranked #356 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is he still a good catch for the Owls for a number of reasons.  First, he's a slashing athletic wing player who knows how to score.  Second, he's an excellent defensive player and plays with a lot energy and intensity.  Third, he's a great kid and an excellent student.  Fourth, he hails from one of the premier high school programs in the nation.   Rubin also tells us that 6'2 Matthew Lee from Wettstown (Friends) PA has verbally committed to Bryant College and our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'10 Waverly Austin from Martinsville (Heat Academy) VA has verbally committed to South Florida, 5'8 Daylon Guy from Ft. Worth (Eastern Hills) TX has verbally committed to Arkansas-Little Rock, and 6'1 Tre Lynch from Lancaster (H.S.) TX and 6'8 Michale Kyser from Lancaster (H.S.) TX have both verbally committed to Lamar.  The commitment by Austin is especially intriguing due to the fact that he's so long and athletic and has such a big upside.  However, for Austin to realize his potential, he will have to get meaner and tougher, big and stronger, and develop more of a killer mentality around the basket.  And what about the early verbal commitments that have been made by players like 6'7 Jr James Kennedy from Ashburnham (Cushing Academy) MA to Boston University, 6'4 Jr Michael Carter-Williams from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Syracuse, and 6'8 Soph Jay Simpson from Champaign (Central) IL to Purdue?  Kennedy is ranked #177 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, Carter-Williams is ranked  #202 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Simpson is a raw, but rapidly developing big man with top 100 potential nationally and is capable of playing multiple positions.  It also is being reported on the Illinois Prep Bulls-eye web site that 6'9 Matt Hause from Naperville (North) IL has picked Austin Peay.  "Hasse is a big man whose greatest attributes are his rebounding and ability to defend on the interior," says the web site's editor and publisher Roy Schmidt.  "While he is still quite raw offensively, he has shown that he is capable of facing up and knocking down mid-range shots and his post skills continue to improve."  Hause joins 6'6 Will Triggs from Edwardsville (H.S.) IL, 6'9 Joe Harms from Belleville (Althoff Catholic) IL, and 6'5 Thomas Greer from Atwood (West Carroll) TN in a recruiting class that is now ranked #70 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2010.

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