TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Wednesday, November 30, 2005

After attending the National Prep Tip Off Showcase, which was held at St. Andrews High School in Barrington, RI a-week-and-a-half ago, and having published our Ranking of the Top 970 Seniors a-month-and-a-half ago, Ranking of the Top 660 Juniors three weeks ago; and our Ranking of the Top 440 Sophomores yesterday, now is the perfect time to publish our Ranking of the Top 125 5th Year Players.  And a quick review of the top players on the list shows that in sharp contrast to our list of the top high school seniors there are still a number of quality players still available.  If you will recall, 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'5 Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 7'2 Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'6 An'Juan Wilderness from Dunwoody (H.S.) GA, and 6'11 Hamady Ndiaye from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA are the only players who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who are still left on the board.  However, five of our top 10-ranked 5th Year Players are still available, as 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 5'11 Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict) NJ, 6'7 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'6 Tyler Smith from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA are to our knowledge still unsigned and uncommitted   And so are 6'6 Tyrone Hanson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'9 Mike Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'10 Phil Jones from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Rashad Austin from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'3 Keaton Grant from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'2 Seketoure Henry from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, all of whom would be the equivalent of a top 100-ranked senior, if we included then with our ranking of the top high school seniors.  We also are amazed at the depth of good players who would be ranked in the 100-200 range nationally, if they were high school seniors, that are also still available, as 6'4 Tyrone Appleton from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'0 Ricky Harris from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Bobby Maze from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'6 Lamonte Ulmer from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'0 Jonathan Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 Kamar Burke from Toronto (Tapps) ON, 6'5 Jeremi Booth from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'6 Kris Douse from Bradenton (IMG Academy FL, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'3 Jarvis Hill from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 Darrion Pellum from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, 6'5 Dinero Thomas from Durham (Mr. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Theo Davis from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'7 Chadwick Gray from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, 6'3 Devon McLendon from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'9 Tearon Hill from Carrollton (Turner) TX, 5'10 Ed Tucker from Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA, 6'5 Cecil Graham from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'6 Andre Hardy from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 6'7 Chris Knight from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'7 Marcus Vann from Chicago (Curie) IL, 6'11 Kellen Lee from Mendendall (Genesis I) MS, 6'4 Amar Ali from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'5 Delonte Taylor from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'3 Vernon Teal from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Brian Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'7 Matt Pilgrim from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'5 Kyle Wright from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'3 Jamel Jackson from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'2 Dodie Dunson from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'3 Lamar Falley from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'5 Scott Grote from Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA, and 6'4 Saiquon Stone from Laurinburg (Institute) NC are all still on the board.  We also think it's interesting that value of the stock of players like 6'9 Theo Davis from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'11 Clarence Holloway from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, and 6'7 Ben Eaves from Worcester (Academy) MA has really dropped.  However, unlike a lot of our competition, we ranked players the old-fashioned way, whereby, you have to earn it.  And, of course, there is 6'6 Darrington Hobson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who recently verbally committed to the University of Wyoming, but is being listed as a junior, despite the fact he was a freshman twice and is now on his second go-around as a junior.  In other words, Hobson is already in his 5th Year of high school, but he counts with the Cowboys' recruiting class for 2007 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date.

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Anybody who wants to know who the top high school players in the nation are and doesn't subscribe to the our web site is really missing the boat.  Not only are we the primary source of reference for most of our competition, fans, media, and college coaches alike but, thanks to our vast network of area editors and correspondents, we are usually way ahead of the curve when it comes to knowing who the top high school players are and nobody goes into more depth in terms of names and players rankings than we do.  And, if you don't believe it, just check out our Ranking of the Top 970 Seniors, which was published exclusively in the Members Section on October 7th; our Ranking of the Top 660 Juniors, which was published exclusively in the Members Section on November 10th; and our Ranking of the Top 440 Sophomores, which was published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  And coming right on the heels of the rankings that we published earlier today will be our updated list of the Top 5th Year Players, which we plan to publish either tomorrow or Thursday, and our Ranking of the Top Freshmen, which we plan to publish early next week right after we get back from the Marshall County Hoop Fest in Benton, KY.  And to help expedite publishing our ranking of the top freshmen, which should be in the range of 250 to 300 names, our Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood, who helped me cover the 17-Under National AAU Tournament last summer in Orlando, FL and has been following these players closely for the last several years, has been compiling an initial list of the top freshmen in the nation for the last several weeks.  And, if that weren't enough, I also plan to publish a Georgia Report sometime within the next week and wrap-up recruiting from the Fall Signing Period prior to the start of the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL on December 16th.  Speaking of the City of Palms Classic, we had Donnie Wilkie, who invites the teams and is one of the directors of the tournament, on the second hour of our radio show two nights ago and you can listen the archive by clicking onto HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.  We also have updated our Question of the Day and the question that we've asked might be one of our best ever.  Which college basketball team do think has the best chance of becoming the "Team of the Decade" in the first decade of the 21st Century?  One of the criteria for making the list is having been in the NCAA Final Four already at least once in this decade and the six teams (Michigan State, Duke, Maryland, Syracuse, Connecticut, and North Carolina) that have won NCAA Championships during this time-period automatically qualified.  And so did anybody who has been in the NCAA Final Four more than once during the last six years, which means the Kansas also qualified and Michigan State, Duke, and Maryland all qualified again.  We also added Arizona into the mix, because the Wildcats lost to Duke in the 2001 NCAA Championship Game, came close to advancing to the NCAA Final Four last March, and appear to be perfectly positioned to be one of the best teams in college basketball for long time.  Picking the final two teams were a little tougher, but I settled on Louisville and Texas, because they also have recruited extremely well the last several years and, as a result, appear to be perfectly positioned to remain near the top in college basketball for years to comes.  We also think it is interesting to point out that only two head coaches have made as many as three NCAA Final Four appearances in this decade.  They are Michigan State's Tom Izzo in 2000, 2001, and 2005 and North Carolina's Roy Williams, who guided Kansas to the Final Four in 2002 and 2003 and the Tar Heels to the NCAA Championship eight months ago.  Tell us what you think by clicking on our home page at hoopscooponline.com.   As for our Ranking of the Top 440 Sophomores, a quick look at the top players in the class shows that the Class of 2008 is absolutely loaded at the point guard and center positions.  As a matter of fact, six of our top 15-ranked sophomores are point guards and eight of the top 20-ranked players are centers.   The point guards are 6'1 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'4 Soph Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 5'11 Soph Korie Lucious from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, 6'3 Soph Willie Warren from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 5'6 Soph Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'0 Soph Jeremiah Kelly from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL and the centers are 6'9 Soph Yancey Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 6'11 Soph B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 6'9 Soph Greg Monroe from Gretna (Helen Cox) LA, 6'8 Soph Samardo Samuels from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'11 Soph Bawa Manuri from Huntsville (Madison Academy) AL, 6'9 Xavier Gibson from Dothan (Northview) AL, 6'8 Soph Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, and 7'2 Soph James Tyler from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL.  We also think it is important to point out that the Buckeye State will not miss a beat year after next when 6'5 Jr O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'6 Jr Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH both graduate, because Ohio features four players - 6'9 Soph Yancey Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 6'11 Soph B.J. Mullens from Canal Winchester (World Harvest) OH, 6'8 Soph Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, and 6'4 Soph William Buford from Toledo (Libbey) OH - who ranked among the top 26 sophomores in the nation.  And what about the state of California's great sophomore class, which includes 20 players - 6'1 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'8 Soph Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 6'7 Soph Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'4 Soph Demar Derozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'3 Soph Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'0 Soph Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'11 Soph Jeffrey Withey from San Diego (Horizon) CA, 5'10 Soph Nathan Garth from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 6'9 Soph Matt Simpkins from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 6'3 Soph Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'0 Soph Jason Pruitt from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 5'9 Soph Percy Miller from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, and 6'2 Soph Oscar Bellfield from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'3 Soph Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 6'8 Soph Jaime Serna from Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA, 6'7 Soph Tyrese Breshers from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'2 Soph Dallas Rutherford from Granada Hills (Hillcrest Christian) CA, 6'9 Soph Edgar Garibay from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Soph Chris Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA - ranked among the top 130 sophomores in the nation?  To see where all of these are ranked, be sure to click onto Ranking of the Top 440 Sophomores.

Monday, November 28, 2005

With today's early verbal commitment by 6'3 Jr Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to the University of Illinois, nine of the HOOP SCOOP's top 26 ranked juniors are already off the board.  They are #2-ranked 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Charlotte, #5-ranked 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ to Arizona, #12-ranked 6'3 Jr Eric Gordon from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to Illinois, #14-ranked 6'5 Jr Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, #15-ranked 7'0 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN to Kansas, #21-ranked 6'0 Jr Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL to Miami-FL, #22-ranked 6'2 Jr Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ to Rutgers, #24-ranked 6'8 Jr Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD to Syracuse, and #26-ranked 6'5 Jr Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI to Michigan.  However, none of the just mentioned early verbal commitments are any more important than the Fighting Illini getting Eric Gordon, because this puts to rest any doubts about whether Illinois head coach Bruce Weber and his staff can land the top players in the nation.  If you will recall, Weber proved that he is second to none as a coach when he guided his team all the way to the NCAA Championship Game eight months ago, but all of the players on that team were recruited by the previous regime.  And, while 6'5 Frosh Calvin Brock from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'3 Frosh Jamar Smith, 6'1 Frosh Chester Frazier, and 6'8 Frosh Charles Jackson, 6'9 Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran) OH, and 6'10 Brian Carlwell from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who are the six players that the current regime has landed since taking over two-and-a-half years ago, are all good enough to play important roles for the Fighting Illini, they have missed out on all the big fish they've gone after, including 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, who picked Kansas last fall; 6'5 Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, who picked Duke last spring; and 6'0 Sharron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, who picked Kansas this fall.  But not anymore.  Not only is Gordon the #2-ranked 2-guard prospect in the nation, behind 6'2 Jr Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, but he is a big time athlete and a deadly 3-point shooter who was the unsung hero this past spring and summer on that Spiece Indy Heat team that featured 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'0 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, and 6'5 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact this should give Illinois the momentum that they need to land some other great players in the junior class.  And you can bet that 6'3 Jr Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who is ranked #9 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and promises to be the next great player to come out of the state, is right at the top of their list.  So, it looks like it's one down and one to go in Illinois' quest to land what potentially could be an even backcourt than they had a year ago with when they went to war with Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Illinois finished with a 37-2 record, Williams was the #3 pick in the NBA Draft last June, Brown was ranked on the First Team when we published our HOOP SCOOP 2005-2006 Pre-Season College All-American Teams last week, and Head was the leading scorer on last year's team with a 15.9 ppg scoring average.  It also appears that Stony Brook has added three more recruits to a recruiting class that previously featured 6'1 Chris Martin from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and 6'3 Marcus Robinson from Pittsburgh (Allderdice) PA. We're talking about 6'1 Eddie Castellanos from Hoboken (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Rio Pitt from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and 7'2 Riiny Ngot from Calgary (Father Lacombe) AB and this is exactly what the doctor ordered as this recruiting class has a little bit of everything, including some valuable depth, a major upgrade in talent, and an increased amount of size and athleticism.  Ngot, who originally is from the Sudan and is ranked #45 on our list of the top 5th Year Players, also has the potential to develop into the best player in the history of the program.  Not only is Ngot very athletic at 7'2, 230 lbs., but he also can run the floor, score around the basket, rebound, and block shots, as is evident by the fact that averaged 19.0 ppg 15.0 rpg, and 5.0 bpg for his high school team a year ago.  Castallenous is a pure point guard with super quickness, the willingness to compete, the ability to see the floor, and a knack for knowing how to run a team.  Pitt needs to get meaner and tougher inside, but he does have a huge upside, because he has good skills, as well as the ability to pop out and hit the mid-range jumper or post you up inside.  Robinson is a pure athlete who has knack for bring down the house with a variety of dunks and acrobatic moves to the basket.  Martin is a strong physical competitor who knows how to win, as is evident by the fact he played key roles when Middle Village (Christ the King) NY won the state title when he was a sophomore three years ago and the New York City CHSAA title when he was a senior last March.  These three additions move Stony Brook's recruiting class into a tie at #57, along with Prairie View A&M, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, which means that suddenly the Seawolves have the best recruiting class in the America East Conference.  However, even that doesn't tell the full story, as they also have 6'4 Ricky Lucas, who transferred from George Washington, waiting in the wings this season.  If you will recall, Lucas was ranked #100 nationally in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.  In other words, if we included transfers when ranking recruiting class, Stony Brook's class would be ranked #30 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.   Or, if you want to look at another way, the Seahawks would have a recruiting class that is ranked higher than any school outside of the top eight conferences (ACC, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, SEC, Pac-10, Conference USA, and Atlantic-10) in college basketball. 

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania//South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Jr Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA, who is ranked #53 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Maryland.  And this is huge for the Terrapins for a number of reasons.  First, this immediately follows the verbal commitment by 6'8 Jr Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, which means Maryland has landed two players in the junior class within the last two weeks who are ranked in the 41-70 range nationally.  Second, Jones is a big time athlete and a lights out shooter, but, until he was named the MVP at Eastern Invitational's best session last summer, he was under the radar screen.  And this is important, because this is the same type of player that former Maryland assistant coach Billy Hahn made a living stealing for the Terps prior to their two NCAA Final Four appearances in 2001 and 2002.  Third, Jones is young for his grade and, as a result, Rubin thinks his best days are ahead of him.  Fourth, Jones has a great feel for the game, is an excellent student, and is a terrific kid, which makes him the type of player you want in program both on and off the court.  Fifth, the addition of Jones moves Maryland's recruiting class into a tie at #2, along with Arizona and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And this comes on the heels of their current recruiting class, which includes 6'2 Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Potomac) VA, 6'7 Landon Milbourne from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jerome Burney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA, and 6'5 Greivas Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD and is now tied at #35, along with Clemson, St. Joseph's, Alabama, and Dayton, on our list of of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Rubin also thinks that Maryland could be close to getting an early verbal commitment from 6'7 Dino Gregory from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, who is ranked #227 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and he confirms that 6'8 Wilfred Benjamin from Williston State (JC) ND has verbally committed to Marist.  Rubin also informs us that 6'6 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who signed with Maryland last spring, but was denied admission into school this fall, is now on track to enroll at Villanova beginning second semester and, as a result, is expected to be eligible to play beginning on December 22nd in the game against La Salle.  Speaking of Villanova, Rubin also tells us that it looks like the Wildcats' top three recruiting priorities in the junior class are 6'5 Jr Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'1 Jr Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick's) NJ, and 6'0 Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC.  However, get any of these guys might be easier said than done, as Duke, N.C. State, and Maryland will be tough to beat for Wright; Rutgers and Connecticut appear are the favorites for Stokes; and Clemson, Connecticut, DePaul, Kentucky, Memphis, Penn State, St. John's, Villanova, Rutgers, Virginia, and N. C. State are on Fisher's list.  We also have received word via our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead that 6'7 Andre Thornton from Memphis (Mitchell) TN has signed with with Central Florida and 5'11 Josh Mack from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY has picked Coastal Carolina.  And they both appear to be excellent catches, because Mack is a scoring point guard who can create off the dribble and create all kinds of havoc defensively and Thornton is an undersized power forward with a terrific body, good rebounding skills, and excellent grades.  We also understand that 6'4 Thurmon Sutton from Los Angeles Harbor (JC) CA has signed with Kent State.  Not only are we talking about a big time athlete, but this prolific scoring wing player averaged 28.0 ppg last season and was the leading scorer in the California Junior College ranks a year ago.  The addition of Sutton moves Kent State's recruiting class into a tie at #102, along with the College of Charleston, Liberty, Illinois State, Penn State, Louisiana-Monroe, Jacksonville, and Montana, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.   However, if we also included the two transfers - 6'7 Jr Haminn Quaintance, who was the rookie of the year in the Atlantic Sun Conference two years ago and was a First Team All-Conference Player each of the last two years at Jacksonville, and 6'6 Chris Berry, who averaged 8.0 ppg and 4.0 rpg as a freshman last season at Fresno State - that are currently sitting out, then Kent State's recruiting class would move into a tie at #44, along with South Carolina and La Salle, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that this would easily give the Golden Flashes the best recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference.  But, then again, this should come as no surprise, because Kent State head coach Jim Christian is one of the bright up-and-coming head coaches in the game today, as is evident by the fact that he has averaged 21.3 wins per season for three years as a head coach.  And, if that weren't enough Christian also has a tremendous coaching staff, which includes Rob Senderoff and Josh Oppenheimer, who are two of the most astute assistant coaches in the business. 

Thursday, November 24, 2005, Friday, November 25, 2005, & Saturday, November 26, 2005

It appears that Dick Vitale either had a bad source or something got lost in the transition when he told a nation wide television audience the night before Thanksgiving that 6'8 Jr Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had already made an early verbal commitment to UCLA.  Love did make an unofficial visit recently to UCLA and has said that UCLA is the leader over North Carolina, Arizona, and Oregon.  However, as things stand now, Vitale is the only one who seems to think Love has already picked UCLA.  But, then again, what do you expect from somebody who gets most of his recruiting information second hand and rarely sees any high school games?  Perhaps in the future when Vitale wants to know about whether a high school player has made a verbal commitment or signed a National Letter-of-Intent, he'd be best advised to do what you do.  And that's read the HOOP SCOOP.  And, as long as we're setting the record straight, it appears that I was wrong recently when I alluded to the fact that Jamaal Tinsley was apart of the Iowa State's recruiting class, which was ranked #1 in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, in 1997.  Instead, Tinsley was signed by the Cyclones two years later after attending Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA.  But that doesn't change the fact Iowa State's recruiting class in 1997 was clearly the best recruiting class in the nation, if you assign every player a ranking on a scale of 1-10 and come up with a cumulative total number of points.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, it illustrates that the current recruiting success that USC head coach Tim Floyd, who also was the head coach at Iowa State from 1995-1998, and his staff have had since taking over at the helm of the Trojans last spring is no accident.  If you will recall, the Trojans' finished with the #10-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005 when they landed 6'11 Abdoulaye Ndiayne from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'9 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 5'10 Shaun Davis from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'3 Sead Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, 6'8 Keith Wilkinson from Mission Viejo (Capistrano Valley) CA, 6'9 Rousean Cromwell from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'0 Ryan Francis from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, and 6'2 Collin Robinson from Diamond Bar (H.S.) CA last spring.  And all of these players, except for Odzic, were signed by the current regime.  And, except for Davis, they all enrolled in school this fall.  They also landed 6'8 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'7 Kevin Galloway from Sacramento (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Kasey Cunningham from Albuquerque (Cibola) NM, and 6'6 Dwight Lewis from Katy (Taylor) TX in their current recruiting class, which is ranked #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, and they have a great head start on the future with early verbal commitments from 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA and 6'5 Soph Malik Story from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Second, a quick look back at the HOOP SCOOP's achieves shows that Iowa State's recruiting class in 1997 was one of the best classes since we started keeping track 22 years ago.  Believe it or not, the best class was the Arkansas Class of 1995 (60 Points), which included 6'7 Derek Hood from Kansas City (Central) MO, 6'7 Sunday Adebayo from Three Rivers (JC) MO, 6'5 Jessie Pate from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'0 Marcus Saxon from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'8 Nicky Davis from Gulfport (JC) FL, 6'4 Marlon Towns from Memphis (Fairley) TN, 6'5 Antwan Hall from Butler County (JC) KS, 6'4 Ali Thompson from Jonesboro (H.S.) AR, and 6'2 Pat Bradley from Everett (H.S.) MA.   Next was the Iowa State Class of 1997 (52 Points) with 67 Marcus Fizer from Arcadia (H.S.) LA, 6'2 C.J. Burton from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'5 Gerrod Henderson from Haynesville (H.S.) LA, 6'4 Delvin Washington from Butler County (JC) KS, 6'1 Jerry Curry from Jacksonville (JC) TX, 6'1 Paris Corner from Beaumont (Westbrook) TX, 6'0 Lee Love from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA, 6'9 Walter Moore from Chesterfield (Parkway Central) MO, 6'10 Martin Rancik from St. Louis Park (H.S.) MN, 6'9 Chris Ridens from Mountain Grove (H.S.) MO, and 6'8 Andy Stenrud from Lake Mills (H.S.) IA; followed by the Indiana Class of 1989 (49 Points) with 6'9 Lawrence Funderburke from Columbus (Wehrle) OH, 6'6 Calbert Cheaney from Evansville (Harrison) IN, 6'4 Greg Graham from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, 6'5 Pat Graham from New Albany (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Chris Reynolds from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'10 Chris Lawson from Bloomington (South) IN, and 6'3 Todd Leary from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN; Cincinnati Class of 1996 (47 Points) with 6'8 Kenyon Martin from Dallas (Bryan Adams) TX, 6'8 Ruben Patterson from Independence (JC) KS, 6'4 D'Juan Baker from Midland (JC) TX, 6'9 Jermaine Thomas from McLennan (JC) TX, 6'2 Charlie Williams from Chaffey (JC) CA, and 6'1 Johnny Carson from Springfield (South) OH; North Carolina Class of 2006 (46 Points) with 6'4 Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'6 William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, and 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA; Oklahoma State Class of 2005 (45 Points) with 6'8 Torre Johnson from Garden City (JC) KS, 6'0 Jamaal Brown from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'8 Marion Boggan from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX, and 6'11 Kenneth Cooper from Monroe (Richwood) LA; UCLA Class of 1998 (45 Points) with 6'11 Dan Gadzuric from Byfield (Governor Dummer Academy) MA, 6'11 Jerome Moiso from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'6 Jaron Rush from Kansas City (Pembroke Hill) MO, 6'5 Ray Young from Alameda (St. Joseph) CA, and 6'8 Matt Barnes from Del Campo (Fair Oaks) CA; DePaul Class of 1998 (45 Points) with 6'5 Quentin Richardson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'6 Bobby Simmons from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'9 Lance Williams from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'8 Antonio Latimer from Miami (Senior) FL, 6'2 Kerry Hartfield from Southeastern (JC) IA, 5'9 Rashon Burno from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'9 Lamar Butler from Florida Community College (JC) FL; LSU Class of 1998 (45 Points) with 6'9 Stromile Swift from Shreveport (Fair Park) LA, 6'8 Marqus Ledoux from  Baton Rouge (Parkview Baptist) LA, 6'10 Jabari Smith from Atlanta Metro (JC) GA, 6'1 Jamal Wolfe from Lon Morris (JC) TX, 6'7 Jermaine Williams from Baton Rouge (Parkview Baptist) LA, 6'10 Brian Helquist from Jacksonville (University Christian) FL, 6'2 Omar Mance from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Brad Bridgewater from New Roads (Pointe Couppe) LA, 6'3 Darryl Cooper from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, 6'6 Darryl Robbins from Baton Rouge (Istrouma) LA, and 6'5 Colin Temple from Baton Rouge (University) LA; and Duke Class of 2002 with 6'10 Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  The second 10 include the Providence Class of 1995 (44 Points) with 6'0 Shammgod Wells from New York (La Salle) NY, 6'9 Ruben Graces from Navarro (JC) TX, 6'6 Derrick Brown from Los Angeles City (JC) CA, 6'5 Carlton Bryant from Lake City (JC) FL, 6'11 Sandro Varejoa from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'7 Llewellyn Cole from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'6 Jamel Thomas from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY; Providence Class of 1990 (44 Points) with 6'8 Michael Smith from Washington (Dunbar) DC, 6'4 Robert Phelps from Brooklyn (Nazareth) NY, 6'8 Troy Brown from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'10 Dickie Simpkins from Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD, 6'8 Fred Campbell from Midland (JC) TX, 6'2 Corey Floyd from Champlain (JC) VT, 6'2 Ken McDonald from Rhode Island (JC) TX, and 6'6 Franklin Western from New York (Manhattan Center) NY; Cincinnati Class of 1993 (43 Points) with 6'9 Dontonio Wingfield from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'5 Damon Flint from Cincinnati (Woodward) OH, 6'4 Darnell Burton from Statesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'10 Arthur Long from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'10 Marko Wright from Statesboro (H.S.) GA, 6'9 Jackson Juleson from East Carter (Grayson County) KY, and 6'7 Brian Wolf from Youngstown (Liberty) OH; North Carolina Class of 1990 (42 Points) with 7'0 Eric Montrose with Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'10 Clifford Rozier from Bradenton (Southeast) FL, 6'6 Brian Reese from Bronx (Tolentine) NY, 6'3 Derrick Phelps from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'7 Pat Sullivan from Bogata (H.S.) NJ; Memphis Class of 2001 (42 Points) with 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, 6'2 Antonio Burks from Hiwassee (JC) TN, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Butler) AL; Ohio State Class of 2006 (42 Points) with 7'0 Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'1 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'4 Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH 6'5 David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH, 6'9 Othello Hunter from Hillsborough (JC) FL, and 6'8 Josh Chichester from West Chester (Lakota West) OH; UNLV Class of 1996 (42 Points) with 6'10 Isiah Epps from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'10 Keon Clark from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'7 Tyrone Nesby from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'1 Mark Dickel from New Zealand, 6'8 Fred Williams from Spartanburg Methodist (JC) SC, 6'2 Cornelius Ausborne from Tyler (JC) TX, and 6'5 Donovan Stewart from Cheshire (Academy) CT; Michigan Class of 1991 (41 Points) with 6'9 Chris Webber from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'10 Juwan Howard from Chicago (Vocational) IL, 6'4 Jimmy King from Plano (East) TX, 6'7 Jalen Rose from Detroit (Southwestern) MI, and 6'6 Ray Jackson from Austin (Johnson) TX; St. John's Class of 1998 (41 Points) with  6'1 Erick Barkley from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'5 Anthony Glover from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Albert Richardson from McCook (JC) NE, 6'4 Marvis Thornton from Tallahassee (JC) FL, 6'11 Ernest Brown from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'8 Donald Emanuel from Houston (Jones) TX; and Arizona Class of 1996 (41 Points) with 6'1 Mike Bibby from Phoenix (South Mountain) AZ; 6'7 Bennett Davison from West Valley (JC) CA, 6'7 Eugene Edgerson from New Orleans (St. Augustine) LA, 6'7 Stephen Jackson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'3 Ortege Jenkins from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'8 Justin Wessel from Cedar Rapids (Prairie) IA, and 6'3 Quynn Tebbs from South Jordan (Bingham) UT.  The third 10 include the Connecticut Class of 1996 (40  Points) with 6'6 Richard Hamilton from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'6 Kevin Freeman from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'11 Souleymare Ware from Troy (Redemption) NY, 6'4 Monquencil Hartnett from Middle Georgia (JC) GA, 6'9 Sam Funches from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'7 Michael LaBlanc from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX, and 6'10 Jake Voskuhl from Houston (Strake Jesuit) TX; Duke Class of 1999 (40 Points) with 6'2 Jason Williams from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ; 6'9 Carlos Boozer from Juneau (Douglas) AK, 6'11 Casey Sanders from Tampa (Prep) FL, 6'7 Michael Dunleavy from Portland (Jesuit) TX, 6'10 Nick Horvath from Arden Hills (Mounds View) MN, and 5'10 Andre Buckner from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY; Fresno State Class of 1997 (40 Points) with 6'1 Rafer Alston from Fresno City (JC) CA, 6'10 Melvin Ely from Harvey (Thornton) IL, 5'9 Kenneth Brunner from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'7 Larry Abney from Fresno City (JC) CA, 6'6 Willie Farley from Chaffey (JC) CA, and 6'1 Demetrius Porter from Fresno (Washington Union) CA; UNLV Class of 1999 (40 Points) with 6'2 Kenny Dye Connor State (JC) OK, 6'5 Louis Kelly from San Bernardino (JC) CA, 6'3 Danny Brotherson from Utah Valley State (JC) UT, 6'9 Sylvester Dotson from Kilgore (JC) TX, 6'1 Mike Garrett from Fresno City (JC) CA, 6'3 Trevor Diggs from Kilgore (JC)_ TX, 6'2 Marcus Bank from Las Vegas (Cimarron) NV, 6'9 Dalron Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, and 6'6 Chris Popoola from Long Beach City (JC) CA; Kentucky Class of 1992 (39 Points) with 6'6 Rodrick Rhodes from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'9 Walter McCarty from Evansville (Harrison) IN, 6'1 Tony Delk from Brownsville (Haywood) TN, 6'8 Jared Prickett from Fairview (Senior) WV, and 6'11 Rodney Dent from Odessa (JC) TX; Oklahoma State Class of 2000 (39 Points) with 6'3 Maurice Baker from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'8 Ivan McFarlan from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'5 Melvin Sanders from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'6 Terrance Crawford from Oklahoma City (Bishop McGinnis) OK, 6'10 Jack Marlow from Tulsa (Union) OK, 6'4 Bernard Kidd from Dallas (Madison) TX,, and 6'8 David Anderson from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA; Louisville Class of 1990 (39 Points) with 6'6 Dwayne Morton from Louisville (Central) KY, 6'9 Anthony Cade from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Greg Minor from Sandersville (Washington County) GA, 6'10 Brian Hopgood from Oklahoma City (Millwood) OK, 6'6 Tremaine Wingfield from Clute (Brazosport) TX, and 6'4 Kip Stone from Jacksonville (Bolles) FL; Kentucky Class of 1987 (39 Points) with 6'6 Eric Manuel from Macon (Southwest) GA, 6'10 LeRon Ellis from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 7'0 John Pittman from Rosenburg (Terry) TX, 6'1 Sean Sutton from Lexington (Henry Clay) KY, 6'7 John Pelphrey from Paintsville (H.S.) KY, 6'8 Deron Feldhaus from Maysville (Mason County) KY, and 6'8 Jonathan Davis from Pensacola (Pine Forest) FL; Mississippi State Class of 1997 (39 Points) with 6'8 Tyrus Boswell from Mountain Brook (H.S.) AL, 6'5 Todd Myles from North Idaho (JC) ID, 6'1 Detrick White from Connor State (JC) KS, 6'7 Tang Hamilton from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'7 Oral Roberts from Bossier-Parish (JC) MS, 6'4 Marckell Patterson from Eupora (H.S.) MS, and 6'5 Michael Gholar from Prentiss (H.S.) MS; Duke Class of 2005 (38 Points) with 6'9 Josh McRoberts, from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 611 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, 6'4 Martiynas Pocius from Plymouth (Holderness) NH.  And eight more to make it an even 38 include Arizona Class of 1998 (38 Points) with 6'8 Michael Wright from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'7 Richard Jefferson from Phoenix (Moon Valley) AZ, 6'8 Luke Walton from San Diego (University) CA, 6'8 Ricky Anderson from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'5 Ruben Douglas from Burbank (Bellarmine-Jefferson) CA, and 6'3 Traves Wilson from Moline (H.S.) IL; Oklahoma Class of 2000 (38 Points) with 6'8 Aaron McGhee from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'6 Daryan Selvy from Carl Albert (JC) OK, 6'8 Johnny Gilbert from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, 6'6 James Wright from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Ronnie Griffin from Tallahassee (JC) FL, 6'9 Jozsef Szendrel from Northeast Colorado (JC) CO, and 6'0 Blake Johnson from Midland (JC) TX; Tennessee Class of 1996 (38 Points) with 6'9 Charles Hathaway from Nashville (Hillwood) TN, 6'1 DeShay Jones from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'8 Isiah Victor from Hopkinsville (University Heights) KY, 6'8 Cornelius Black from Chattanooga (Brainerd) TN, 6'5 Awvee Story from Hillside (Proviso West) IL, 6'3 Marques Maybin from Clarksville (Northeast) TN, and 6'5 Cornelius Jackson from Oak Hill (H.S.) WV; Illinois Class of 1986 (38 Points) with 6'5 Nick Anderson from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'3 Larry Smith from Alton (H.S.) IL, 6'3 Kendall Gill from Olympia Field (Rich Central) IL, 6'5 Steve Bardo from Carbondale (H.S.) IL, 6'6 Ervin Small from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'9 Phil Kunz from Carlyle (H.S.) IL, and 6'6 Jeff Finke from Casey (H.S.) IL; Michigan Class of 1994 (37 Points) with 6'9 Jerod Ward from Clinton (H.S.) MS, 6'9 Maceo Baston from Dallas (Spruce) TX, 6'8 Maurice Taylor from Detroit (Henry Ford) MI, 6'8 Willie Mitchell from Detroit (Pershing) MI, and 6'3 Travis Conlan from St. Clair (Lake Shore) MI; Louisville Class of 1985 (37 Points) with 6'10 Pervis Ellison from Savannah (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Tony Kimbro from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'8 Kenny Payne from Laurel (Northeast Jones) MS, 6'3 Keith Williams from Louisville (Seneca) KY, 6'7 Avery Marshall from Myrtle Beach (H.S.) SC, and 6'8 David Robinson from Gainesville (Eastside) FL; Pittsburgh Class of 1995 (Points) with 6'3 Vonteego Cummings from Thomson (H.S.) GA, 7'0 Mark Blount from Dobbs Ferry (H.S.) NY, 6'1 Kellii Taylor Pittsfield (Maine Central (Institute) ME, 6'6 Mark Gill from Washington (Dunbar) DC, 6'8 Andre Howard from Philadelphia (Overbrook) PA, and 6'8 Issac Hawkins from Baton Rouge (Istouma) LA; and Louisville Class of 1994 (37 Points) with 6'9 Samaki Walker from Columbus (Whitehall) OH, 6'7 Alex Sanders from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Tyrone Nesby from Cairo (H.S.) IL, 6'3 Eric Johnson from Cincinnati (Woodward) OH, 6'7 Damion Dantzler from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'5 Elton Scott from Lebanon (Marion County) KY, and 6'6 Craig Farmer from Cairo (H.S.) IL.  We also think it is especially noteworthy that we did not count 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) OK with Oklahoma State's 2005 recruiting class, because he signed long after we wrapped up our ranking of the top recruiting classes.  However, if Brumbaugh had counted with Oklahoma State's 2005 recruiting class, it would have been ranked #2, behind the Arkansas Class of 1995 and ahead of the Iowa State Class of 1997, on the above list of the top recruiting class since we've started keeping track in 1984. 

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

With the publication of our HOOP SCOOP 2005-2006 Pre-Season College All-American Teams, we are done with our 2005-2006 College Basketball Section, which also includes our HOOP SCOOP's Pre-Season Ranking of the Top 30 College Basketball Teams, 2005-2006 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons, Tracking the Top Division I Head Coaches (Both Active and All Time), NCAA Tournament Information (Past, Present, & Future),  and Career Coaching Record and Ranking by Number of Wins for All Division I Head Coaches.  Unfortunately this year we did not have enough time to provide you with our Exclusive Talent Ratings, although we did come up with a Talent Rating for each of the Top 30 College Teams when we published that section back on September 22nd.  And it comes as no surprise that Duke, which features two of our top five-ranked players in the nation in 6'9 Sr Shelden Williams and 6'4 Sr J.J. Redick and one of the top five-ranked freshmen in 6'10 Frosh Josh McRoberts, is easily the best team in the nation based on talent with a 80.0 talent rating.  Also on this list are Arizona with a 76.8 talent rating, Villanova with a 75.3 talent rating, Texas with a 74.0 talent rating, Louisville with a 71.8 talent rating, Indiana with a 69.1 talent rating, Maryland with a 68.9 talent rating, Connecticut with a 68.6 talent rating, Kentucky with a 67.4 talent rating, Michigan State with a 66.9 talent rating, Syracuse with a 66.6 talent rating, Memphis with a 65.7 talent rating, UCLA with a 65.1 talent rating, Charlotte with a 65.1 talent rating, LSU with a 63.4 talent rating, Missouri with a 63.3 talent rating, Michigan with a 63.3 talent rating, Iowa with a 63.2 talent rating, Oklahoma with a 62.1 talent rating, Iowa State with a 61.9 talent rating, Alabama with 57.8 talent rating, Washington with a 57.0 talent rating, Arkansas with a 54.8 talent rating, Gonzaga with a 54. 7 talent rating, Illinois with a 51.1 talent rating, California with 49.0 talent rating, Boston College with a 46.4 talent rating, Georgetown with a 45.4 talent rating, George Washington with 41.3 talent rating, and Temple with a 35.6 talent rating.  It also probably won't surprise anybody that our First Team All-American Team has Duke's Shelden Williams, Connecticut's Rudy Gay, Duke's J.J. Redick, Illinois' Dee Brown, and Gonzaga's Adam Morrison.  However, it may shock a lot of people when they find out that we put Northeastern's Jose Juan Barea, St. Peter's Keydren Clark, Louisville's Taquan Dean, and Kentucky's Rajon Rondo all on the Second Team.  However, neither Clark, who has been the leading scorer in college basketball each of the last two years, and Barea, who was largely responsible for Northeastern second place finish a year ago in the America East Conference as he averaged 22.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, and 7.3 apg, play on a team that is expected to finish high in its league this years and, as a result, don't get the respect that they deserve.  As for Dean, who is finally healthy and promises to be one of the most improved players in college basketball this year, and Rondo, who is one of the most naturally talented players to ever play at the University of Kentucky, I probably have a little more insight than most people do, because they both are right in my own backyard.  We also think it is interesting that seven of our top 10-ranked players are seniors, as the only exceptions are Connecticut's Rudy Gay, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison, and Kentucky's Rajon Rondo.  Our guess is that this can be explained by the fact that most of the players who are good enough to have already left for the NBA are already long gone and a lot of the younger players in college basketball haven't stepped up and shown that they are ready to dominant the game just yet.  However, when we dig a little bit deeper, we find that it is a lot more evenly divided, as 21 seniors, 15 juniors, 13 sophomores, and one freshman makes the list of our top 50-ranked college players.  We also provide you with three All-freshmen Teams and the fact the first team, which features North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough, Duke's Josh McRoberts, Memphis' Shawne Williams, LSU's Tasmin Mitchell, and Washington's Jon Brockman, is nothing short of spectacular.  And, of course, there also is the First Team All-Junior College Transfer Team, which features Kentucky's Rekalin Sims, who was the HOOP SCOOP's #1-ranked junior college player a year ago, Oklahoma State's Mario Boggan and Torre Johnson, Oklahoma's Michael Neal, and Valparaiso's Mohamed Kone, and First Team All-Transfer Team, which includes Louisville's David Padgett, Indiana's Mario Killingsworth, DePaul's Karron Clarke, Charlotte's DeAngelo Alexander, and Washington's Ryan Appleby. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Yesterday we published exclusively in the Members Section our Ranking of the Top 75 Players at the National Prep Tip Off Showcase, which was held over the weekend at St. Andrews High School in Barrington, RI, and now we'll follow up with the highlights and our expert analysis about many of the top players and performances in the tournament.  The best game and the biggest story of the entire weekend came when Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA knocked of Patterson (The Patterson School) NC on Saturday night.  Not only was there more talent on the court than in most NCAA Tournament games, as Notre Dame Prep had 6'4 Paul Harris, 6'9 Derrick Caracter, 6'5 Lazar Hayward, 6'9 Mike Davis, 6'6 Robert Mitchell, 6'6 Lamonte Ulmer, and 6'4 Jahmar Young and The Patterson School had 6'8 Davon Jefferson, 6'4 Seketoure Henry, 6'10 Hashim Bailey, 6'5 Roburt Sallie, 7'0 Toni Soda, 6'10 Jordan Hill, 6'7 Chris Knight, 6'2 Bobby Maze, and 6'4 Dominique Sutton, but Patterson School head coach Chris Chaney's 53-game winning streak also was on the line.  So in the first half everybody in the gym was shocked when Notre Dame Prep jumped out to a 20-point lead and appeared to be on the verge of breaking the game wide open.  However, when Caracter got into foul trouble and Notre Dame Prep head coach Bill Barton had most of his starters on the bench late in the half, the momentum shifted and, as a result, the Patterson School cut the lead down to 11 by half-time.  And things got even more interesting in the second half, as the Patterson School came roaring back and it was anybody's game down the stretch.  Notre Dame did manage to hold on and win, 88-85, but, if either team had had a good point guard, they probably would have won the game going away.  We also thought it was interesting that the big name players, like Harris, Caracter, and Jefferson, were not the big heroes in the game.  As a matter of fact, Harris, who was 4-14 from the field, almost cost his team the game with numerous bad shots down the stretch; Caracter, who had only six points and six rebounds, suffered from being too slow and out of shape; and Jefferson, who finished with only 10 points and was 3-13 from the field, not only let Harris get the best of him, but did not seem to possess the killer instinct and aggressiveness to the basket that we've seen the past.  And, Henry was even worse, as he went 1-6 from the field and scored only two  points.  Instead, the best performances for Notre Dame Prep were turned by Hayward, who scored 23 points and was unstoppable in transition and Ulmer, who finished with 16 points and 7-8 field goals and was one of the best athletes and biggest sleepers in the entire tournament.  The leading scoring with 20 points, as well as the only player who really played well for The Patterson School was Maze, who is an athletic 2-guard who is reminiscent of former St. Joseph's 2-guard Delonte West.  Maze does need to get bigger and stronger in order to project as a big time player, but he is getting big time looks from schools like Georgetown, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Purdue, Villanova, and Clemson.  We also were impressed with Bailey, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds and helped spark the comeback early in the second half with his excellent post moves around the basket.  The other big story has to be the emergence of 6'0 Ricky Harris from Winchendon (School) MA, who was the only player in the entire tournament to score 30 points or more in a game, into the #1-ranked player in the tournament.  Actually Harris did it twice with his 30-point effort against Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY on Friday night and a 31-point effort against Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA in the last game of the tournament on Sunday afternoon.  Harris also hit 19-41 field goals, 6-13 3-pointers, and 17-20 free throws, but had a lousy assist-to-turnover ratio (one assist and five turnovers) when you combine the two games.  In other words, Harris, who also is an excellent athlete, intense hardnosed competitor, and has a great nose for being in the right place at the right time to make the play, is a prolific scorer and a 2-guard all the way, which is why he's getting the most interest from schools like St. Bonaventure, George Mason, Loyola-Maryland, Rhode Island, James Madison, and Tulane.  So obviously Harris is a tweener for the high Division I level, but would be an absolute steal for anybody at the Atlantic-10 level on down.  Harris also is the classic illustration of the difference between the way we rank players and the way most of our competitors rank players.  Remember, our rankings are based primarily on performance in the tournament and, as a result, where Harris is ranked based on performance in this tournament and where he will be ranked on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, which will be published later this week, will be dramatically different.  We also thought it was a tough call picking 6'9 Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who had 17 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots versus Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 19 points and 13 rebounds against Worcester (Academy) MA, over 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, who had 19 points and seven rebounds against Fork Union (Military) VA and 28 points and nine rebounds against Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, as the #2-ranked player in the tournament.  We also are impressed with way Macklin's skills have improved this fall at Hargrave Military Academy and the development of Thomas' upper body strength while at the same time not losing any of his speed, quickness, and athleticism.  And Thomas isn't the only one on the South Kent team who is an impressive physical specimen.  However, 6'6 Gilbert Brown, who had 11 points against Fork Union (Military) VA and 15 points against Chicago (Boys to Men) IL was the only other player for South Kent who scored in double-digits in either game.  But, then again, 6'9 Jr Matthew Bryan-Amaning from London, England, 6'9 Jr Papa Dia from the Senegal, 6'10 Jr Ayodele Coker from Nigeria, 6'8 Jr Dragoslav Papic from Serbia, 6'8 Soph Christian Morris from Bronx, NY, and 6'8 Soph Jin Soo Kim from Korea are all underclassmen and, as a result, it's scary just how good this team may become in the future.  The best point guard in the entire tournament was 6'0 Soph Jeremiah Kelly from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, who finished with 12 points, 11 assists, and five steals against Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY and 14 points, four assists, steals steals and 3-6 3-pointers against South Kent (Prep) CT.  And this quick, savvy, smart pure point guard only had two turnovers, which means his assist-to-turnover ratio was an incredible 7.5 to 1.  However, other good point guards were few and far between, as the only other point guards who are ranked among our top 50 players in the tournament are 6'4 Brady Morningstar from New Hampton (Prep) NH, 5'10 Brian Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'1 Marquis Jones from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.  And Morningstar is already verbally committed to Kansas and Jones is already committed to Rhode Island, which means that Johnson is the only good point guard in the tournament that a college recruiter at the Atlantic-10 level on down might be able to steal.  Instead, the tournament was loaded with athletic wing players, like 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Edwin Ubiles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'5 Lazar Hayward from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'6 Tyrone Hanson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'6 Will Harris from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'5 Jeremi Booth from Fork Union (Military) VA, all of whom were ranked among the top dozen players in the tournament and improved the value of their stock considerably.  We also think it's worth noting that 6'4 Paul Harris from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA did not make this list of improved athletic wing players, because the level of expectation is so much higher for him.  Moral to the story, Harris, who finished ranked #5 in our Ranking of the Top 75 Players at the National Prep Tip Off Showcase, was better than most of the other players in the tournament, but mediocre when compared to the way he's played when we've seen him in other settings.  However, the same can not be said about 6'9 Derrick Caracter from Fitchburg (Institute) MA, who had six points, three rebounds, and four blocked shots in only 11 minutes against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and six points and six rebounds against Patterson (The Patterson School) NC and finished ranked #64 on our list of the top players in the tournament, and 6'9 Theo Davis from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who had two points, three rebounds, and hit 1-5 field goals against Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and five points, nine rebounds, four blocks and 1-8 field goals against Winchendon (School) MA and didn't even make the list of the top 75 players in the tournament.  We also found it interesting that Davis told us after the game that he was playing out of position and that he's now attempting to pattern his game after Lamar Odom.  And this is too bad, because what makes Davis a special player is the fact that he's 6'9, athletic, and skilled inside.  In contrast, converted 6'9 finesse wing players are a dime a dozen, as there will always be guys who can shoot it better and have better ball handling and passing skills.  Still, schools like George Washington, La Salle, Kentucky, UTEP, and Georgetown are showing interest in Davis.  We also told you last Friday that we'd heard that 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT had reneged on South Florida.  Well, it looks like we were right on the money, as he says he's now considering St. John's, Providence, South Florida, and Arizona.  And this would be huge if St. John's could convince Thomas, who originally is from New York, NY, to pick the Red Storm.  We also still believe that St. John's is one of the final two, along with Pittsburgh, for 6'9 Mike Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who had eight points, five rebounds, and nine blocked against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and know that they are making a strong push for 5'10 Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who is best point guard in the nation who is still available.  And, if St. John's hits the jackpot and gets Thomas, Davis, and Harvey, then their recruiting class would be tied at #15, along with Georgetown, Georgia Tech, and Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  However, even more important, the St. John's coaching staff will be able to sell all of the good young up-and-coming players in the New York Metropolitan area on the fact that the Red Storm already has a lot of good young players in the program.

Saturday, November 19, 2005, Sunday, November 20, 2005, & Monday, November 21, 2005

The HOOP SCOOP's Ranking of the Top 75 Players at the National Prep Tip Off Showcase at St. Andrews High School in Barrington, RI (based Primarily on performance in the tournament)
1) Ricky Harris, 6'0, 5th Year, 2G, Winchendon (School) MA
2) Vernon Macklin, 6'9, Sr, C, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA (Georgetown)
3) Rob Thomas, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, South Kent (Prep) CT
4) Kiwan Smith, 6'7, 5th Year, WF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC
5) Paul Harris, 6'4, 5th Year, 2G, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MD (Syracuse)
6) Edwin Ubiles, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT (Siena)
7) Jeremiah Kelly, 6'0, Soph, PG, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
8) Bobby Maze, 6'2, 5th Year, 2G, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC
9) Lazar Hayward, 6'5, 5th Year, WF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA (Marquette)
10) Tyrone Hanson, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME
11) Will Harris, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH (Virginia)
12) Jeremi Booth, 6'5, 5th Year, WF, Fork Union (Military) VA
13) Lamonte Ulmer, 6'6, 5th Year, PF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA
14) Keaton Grant, 6'4, 5th Year, 2G, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME
15) Davon Jefferson, 6'8, 5th Year WF, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC
16) Antonio Pena, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT (Villanova)
17) Qa'rraan Calhoun, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME (Syracuse)
18) Gilbert Brown, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, South Kent (Prep) CT (Pittsburgh)
19) Greg Washington, 6'10, 5th Year, C, Winchendon (School) MA (Hofstra)
20) Brady Morningstar, 6'4, 5th Year, PG, New Hampton (Prep) NH (Kansas)
21) Darion Anderson, 6'3, Sr, 2G, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
22) Darrion Pellum, 6'7, 5th Year, WF, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA
23) Hashian Bailey, 6'10, 5th Year, C, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC (Memphis)
24) Andre Hardy, 6'6, 5th Year, PF, New Hampton (Prep) NH
25) Mac Koshwal, 6'9, Jr, PF, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
26) Ryan Washington, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA
27) Timothy Ambrose, 6'2, Sr, 2G, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY
28) Delonte Taylor, 6'5, 5th Year, 2G, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA
29) Brian Johnson, 5'10, 5th Year, PG, Winchendon (School) MA
30) Marreese Speights, 6'10, 5th Year, C, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA (Florida)
31) Marquis Jones, 6'1, 5th Year, PG, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT (Rhode Island)
32) Devon McLendon, 6'3, 5th Year, 2G, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA
33) Cecil Gresham, 6'5, 5th Year, WF, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME
34) Craig Brackins, 6'9, Jr, PF, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
35) Chas McFarland, 7'0, 5th Year, C, Worcester (Academy) MA (Wake Forest)
36) Tyler Smith, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA
37) Daye Kaba, 6'3, Sr, 2G, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY (Boston College)
38) Rakim Sanders, 6'5, Jr, WF, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI
39) Jarvis Hill, 6'3, 5th Year, 2G, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME
40) Robert Mitchell, 6'5, 5th Year, WF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA (Northeastern)
41) Teeng Akol, 6'10, Jr, PF, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY
42) Phil Jones, 6'10, 5th Year, C, Laurinburg (Institute) NC
43) Xavier Silas, 6'4, 5th Year, WF, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH
44) Mike Davis, 6'9, 5th Year, C, Fitchburg (Institute) MA
45) Mike Pilgrim, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME
46) Garrett Kissell, 6'8, Jr, C, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI
47) Ameer Ali, 6'6, 5th Year, WF, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA
48) Lawrence Westbrook, 6'0, 5th, 2G, Winchendon (School) MA
49) Scott Grote, 6'5, 5th Year, 2G, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA
50) Ben Stywall, 6'5, 5th Year, PF, Fork Union (Military) VA
51) Joe Accaoui, 5'9, Jr, PG, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI
52) Andrew Hanson, 5'9, Jr, PG, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI
53) Deroy James, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, Laurinburg (Institute) NC (Rhode Island)
54) Matthew Bryan-Amaning, 6'9, Jr, PF, South Kent (Prep) CT
55) William Archambault, 6'6, Sr, WF, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU (Davidson)
56) Steve Hassell, 6'4, 5th Year, 2G, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA
57) Dominique Sutton, 6'4, Sr, 2G, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC
58) Muhamad Conteh, 6'7, Soph, PF, Winchendon (School) MA
59) Max Boudreaux, 6'8, Sr, PF, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU (Buffalo)
60) Kyle Wright, 6'4, 5th Year, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH
61) Ibrahim Appiah, 6'5, Jr, 2G, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU
62) Thijin Moses, 6'8, Sr, WF, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
63) Jeremy Hazell, 6'4, 5th Year, 2G, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC (Oral Roberts)
64) Derrick Caracter, 6'9, Sr, PF, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA (Louisville)
65) Tyvon Williams, 6'0, Sr, PG, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY
66) Seketoure Henry, 6'3, 5th Year, 2G, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC
67) Chris Knight, 6'7, 5th Year, PF, Patterson (The Patterson School) NC
68) Gerald January, 6'6, Jr, WF, Chicago (Boys to Men) IL
69) Theo Davis, 6'9, 5th Year, PF, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA
70) Wayne Portalatin, 6'9, 5th Year, C, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME
71) Bas Rozendaad, 7'0, 5th Year, 5th Year, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA
72) Ben Eaves, 6'7, 5th Year, WF, Worcester (Academy) MA (Connecticut)
73) Niko Scott, 6'3, 5th Year, 2G, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH
74) Jeff Smith, 6'5, 5th Year, 2G, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME
75) Etoile Imama, 6'2, Jr, PG, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU

Friday, November 18, 2005

We got a chance to see some of the top high school and 5th Year Players in the nation, like  6'8 Derrick Caracter from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Paul Harris from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'9 Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'10 Marreese Speights from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Tyler Smith from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'5 Roburt Sallie from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'5 Jr Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, and 6'2 Stefan Welsh from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, earlier today at the National Prep Tip Off Showcase at St. Andrews High School in Barrington, RI.  However, it was the lesser name players who really stole the show.  And right at the top of the list was 6'0 Ricky Harris from Winchendon (School) MA, who impressed us with his outside shooting and ability to thrive in transition, as he scored 30 points, hit 12-22 field goals and 3-7 3-pointers, and led Winchendon (School) MA to a 78-61 victory over Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY in the fourth of five games today.  We also were very impressed by 6'5 Lazar Hayward, who had 18 points and 11 rebounds; 6'5 Robert Mitchell, who had 14 points and six rebounds; 6'6 Lamonte Ulmer, who had 15 points and six rebounds, and 6'1 Charles Swiggett, who had nine assists, seven rebounds, and three steals; as they led Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA to 79-63 rout against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  In sharp contrast, Caracter only had six points and three rebounds and Harris finished with nine points, six turnovers, rebounds, four assists,and five turnovers for Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  We also have to give North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME credit for hanging around as long as they did against a loaded Patterson (The Pattterson) NC team.  Not only was this a well-coach hardnosed determined bunch, but this group that featured 6'7 Qa'rraan Calhoun, who had 17 points; 6'4 Keaton Grant, who had 14 points, four assists, and four steals; 6'6 Tyrone Hanson, who had 12 points; and 6'3 Jarvis Hill, who had 12 points; might have been able to pull off the upset, if they'd shot a little bit better (they hit only 25-67 field goals and 9-30 3 pointers).   Jefferson and Henry were the two leading scorers for Patterson (The Patterson School) MA with 16 points and 15 points, respectively, but the two players who impressed us the most for this team were 6'2 Bobby Maze, who hit 6-7 field goals en route to 14 points, and 6'4 Jeremy Hazell, who hit 3-4 3-pointers and finished with 12 points.  Some other unheralded players who fall into the same category are 6'5 Jeremi Booth from Fork Union (Military) VA, who had 17 points, six rebounds, and hit 3-8 3-pointers against Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT; 6'6 Edwin Ubiles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who had 17 points and six rebounds against Fork Union (Military) VA; 6'8 Jr Garrett Kissell from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who was unstoppable inside against Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) NC; and 5'10 Brian Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA, who had five points, eight assists, three turnovers,and three steals against Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY.  And, when you also throw 6'0 Lawrence Westbrook from Winchendon (School) MA, who had 13 points against Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, into the mix, it's easy to see why this game was so lopsided.  However, the three big guys - 6'10 Jr Teeng Akol from The Sudan, 7'1 Jr David Dhal from Uganda, and 6'11 Jr Steve Yien from The Sudan - for Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY are really intriguing.  They're all very raw offensively, but they're long, lanky, athletic, and have surprising mobility and coordination for being so big and so young.  In other words, they don't pass the stiff test and, if they continue to work hard, the sky may be the limit.  Of the big name players in the tournament, the best individual performance earlier today was turned in by 6'9 Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who finished with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocked shots.  Several of the biggest disappointments were 6'10 Toni Soda from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, who has excellent skills, but needs to get bigger and stronger, as is evident by the fact that he finished with only two points and two rebounds against North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME; 6'1 Armon Bassett from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who hit only 3-17 field goals, scored only six points, and proved that he's not a true point guard; and 6'6 Rakim Sanders from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, who hit his first shot, but was a non-factor the rest of the way against Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  We also understand that 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Patterson (The Patterson School) MA is being recruited by schools like Oklahoma State, Kansas, USC, Arizona, and Providence and 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Patterson (The Patterson School) MA is getting the most attention from Virginia Tech, New Mexico State, Oral Roberts, USC, and Tennessee.  However, the most interesting thing we heard all day was the rumor about 6'6 RobThomas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT reneging on his verbal commitment to South Florida.  We'll talk to him tomorrow and provide you with all the details.  Tomorrow's schedule will include Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY versus Chicago (Boys to Men) IL at 9:30 AM, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA versus Worcester (Academy) NH at 11:10 AM, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME at 12:50 PM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Fork Union (Military) VA at 2:30 PM, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 4:10 PM, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA at 5:50 PM, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA versus Patterson (Patterson School) NC at 7:30 PM, and New Hampton (Prep) NH versus Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU at 9:10 PM and Sunday's schedule will include Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH versus Woodstock (Massanutten Military) VA at 9:30 AM, New Hampton (Prep) NH versus Patterson (The Patterson School) NC at 11:10 AM, South Kent (Prep) CT versus Chicago (Boys to Men) IL at 12:50 PM, Worcester (Academy) MA versus Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU at 2:30 PM, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI versus Laurinburg (Institute) NC at 4:10 PM, and Winchendon (School) MA versus Philadelphia (Christian) PA at 5:50 PM. We'll have all of the highlights, as well as our ranking of the top players in the tournament either late Sunday night or sometime on Monday.  So stay tuned!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

It looks like our new California Editor Alan Utter was right on the money when he told us a-week-and-a-half ago that UCLA was recruiting a 6'9 inside player from Serbia and Montenegro who would be the perfect complement to 6'8 James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA in this year's recruiting class.  We're talking about 6'9 Marko Spica from Serbia and Montenegro, who made it official for the Bruins yesterday.  If you will recall, the UCLA coaching staff wanted to bring in one more inside player to complement all of the other good young big guys - 6'8 Soph Lorenzo Mata, 6'8 Frosh Ryan Wright, and 6'8 Frosh Alfred Aboya - already in the program.  The word we get is that Spica is a very skilled and is excellent at scoring both around the basket and from out on the perimeter.  However, like so many European players, banging inside and getting rebounds is not his forte.   Instead, he's more a finesse big guy and it looks like he's great insurance since UCLA missed out on landing 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA and 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, both of whom recently picked North Carolina.  Remember, UCLA's top recruiting priority next year is 6'8 Jr Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who is ranked #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and right now it looks like a four-horse race UCLA, North Carolina, Arizona, and Oregon.  And that's the first time we've heard the Ducks mentioned for Love since last spring.  But, then again, it makes perfect sense, because Love's father, Stan Love, is one of the leading scorers in the history of the school.  Utter also tells us that UCLA is involved with some of the other good juniors like 6'7 Jr Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, 6'8 Jr Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, and 6'7 Jr Chase Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, but we don't look for the Bruins to sign more than one or two players next year.  Remember, UCLA currently has 10 freshmen and sophomores - 6'2 Soph Jordan Farmar, 6'5 Soph Arron Affalo, 6'5 Soph Josh Shipp, 6'8 Soph Lorenzo Mata, 6'8 Frosh Alfred Aboya, 6'8 Frosh Ryan Wright, 6'0 Frosh Darren Collison, 6'5 Frosh Michael Roll, 6'7 Frosh L.R. Mbah a Moute, and 6'5 Frosh DeAndre Robinson -already in the program and both Keefe and Spica in their current recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #62 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, signed a binding National Letter-of-Intent yesterday with Texas A&M and this comes as somewhat of a surprise to us, because we thought Davis was going to wait until spring before he made it official for the Aggies.  As a matter of fact, that's exactly what we told you would happen earlier this week when we talked about the likelihood that both Davis and his father would end up at Texas A&M as part of a package.  The addition of Davis also is huge for a number of other reasons.  First, Davis is the perfect replacement for 6'8 Gary Flowers, who signed with Texas A&M last spring when he was a high school senior at Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  If you will recall, Flowers didn't make it academically and, as a result, went the prep school route this fall and recently signed with Oklahoma State.   Second, the addition of Davis moves the Aggies' recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Donald Sloan from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Joseph Fulce from Plano (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Derrick Roland from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, and 5'11 Bryan Beasley from Pflugerville (H.S.) TX, up to #10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And this comes right on the heels of Texas A&M's recruiting class a year ago that included Flowers, 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'3 Eddie Smith from Moberly (JC) TX, 6'10 Antanas Kavaliauskas from Barton County (JC) KS, 5'11 David Devezin from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, 6'6 Jamar Finley from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highlands (H.S.) TX and was ranked #9 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005.  Third, getting Davis shows that the Aggies can get more than their fair share of the top players in their backyard.  As a matter of fact, all six players in their current recruiting class are in-state players and both Sloan and Johnson are ranked among in the 40-70 range nationally.  We also understand that 6'6 Will Harris from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #16 on our list of 5th Year Players, has signed with Virginia.  And this is interesting, because it appears that Virginia head coach Dave Leitao, who previously was an assistant coach for the Huskies, was able to take advantage of his old Connecticut ties.  If you will recall, Harris previously verbally committed to both Nebraska and Connecticut, but the Huskies pulled his scholarship, because they were in the process of landing somebody who was better and, as a result, needed the scholarship.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Manual Cass from Carbondale (H.S.) IL has verbally committed to DePaul and this is a great catch for the Blue Demons, because we're talking about somebody who is just oozing with potential.  Currently we have Cass ranked #9 in the senior class, behind 6'5 Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 5'11 Sherron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'1 Willie Walker from Bolingbrook (H.S.) IL, 6'6 Joevan Catron from Harvey (Thornton) IL, 5'11 Jerome Randall from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL, 6'5 Devan Bawinkel from Winnebago (H.S.) IL, 6'10 Brian Cardwell from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, and 6'3 Jonathan Peoples from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, but,when it's all said and done, Cass will likely pass most of these people.  However, at 6'7, 215 lbs., Cass needs to get a long bigger and stronger in order to take advantage of what he does best, which is block shots, rebound, score inside, run the court, and utilize his athleticism.  The addition of Cass also is important, because it shows that the new coaching staff at DePaul not only can recruit the top players in the Windy City, but also can go down state and get their share of the top players.  As a matter of fact, Cass is the top ranked senior in the state outside of the Chicago area and his addition gives the Blue Demons two of our top 10-ranked seniors in the state in this year's recruiting class.  Remember, DePaul also landed Walker last summer.  We also understand that 6'4 Keith Cothran from Winchendon (School) MA has signed with Rhode Island, 6'3 Rodney Spruill from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD has signed with Towson, 6'0 David Cubilian from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ has signed with Marquette, and 6'1 Dan McGeary from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA and 6'5 Radar Ongueto from New Hampton (Prep) NH have both signed with New Hampshire.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

One of my favorite things to do this time of year is compare all of the pre-season college basketball rankings.  And that's exactly what I've done today in our chart, which you can get by clicking 2005-2006 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons, that provides you with the pre-season rankings for the HOOP SCOOP, Associated Press, USA/Today ESPN, Sporting News, Lindy's Street & Smith, CBS Sports Line.com, ACC Basketball Handbook, Basketball Times, and Blue Ribbon Yearbook.  It comes as no surprise that Duke is the heavy pre-season favorite to win the 2006 NCAA Championship, which will be held in Indianapolis, IN on Monday, April 3rd, but I am surprised by a number of other things.  First, how is the University of Kentucky not ranked among everybody's top five?  Not only do the Wildcats have an incredible amount of depth and talent at the guard spots with 6'1 Soph Rajon Rondo, 6'0 Sr Patrick Sparks, 6'4 Soph Joe Crawford, and 6'1 Soph Ramel Bradley all back from a team that was a double-overtime loss away from going to the NCAA Final Four, but 6'8 Jr Rekalin Sims was the HOOP SCOOP's #1-ranked junior college player a year ago and it should be only a matter of time before 6'11 Soph Randolph Morris is cleared to play this year for the Wildcats.  The precedent stems from a case when Charlie Villanueva attended a workout in Chicago, IL two summers ago that was set up by sports agent Dan Fagan.  If you will recall, Villaneuva soon after took his name out of the NBA Draft and eventually was suspended by the NCAA for eight games at the start of the 2003-2004 season.  And, just like Villanueva, Morris practiced for several teams in Chicago at a SFX-sponsored workout in June.  However, he did not get drafted in the 2005 NBA Draft and, as result, enrolled back into school this fall and has been waiting ever since for the NCAA to make a ruling on his case.  And now the University of Kentucky has hired Rick Evrard, who was previously an enforcement official with the NCAA and now works for a law firm in Overland Park, KS that specializes in NCAA compliance case.  Evrard also happens to be the guy who represented Villanueva in his case two years ago.  So we think it's a slam dunk that Morris will be able to play by mid-season and, at that point, we very well could be talking about the best team that Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith has ever coached.  And that's say a lot when one remembers that Smith's first team at Kentucky won the NCAA Championship in 1998 and two of his last three teams were the #1-seeded team in the entire tournament.  We also find it interesting that most of the pre-season rankings have Louisville ranked higher than Kentucky, despite the fact Louisville lost three of its best players from a year ago (Francisco Garcia, Ellis Myles, and Larry O'Bannon) and have a plethora of new players, like David Padgett, Brian Johnson, Andre McGee, Terrence Williams, Bryan Harvey, and Chad Millard, who must step up and play key roles this year.  Now that doesn't mean that the Cardinals won't be good this year (we have them ranked #12 in our pre-season rankings).  But we think it's a little premature to rank a team with this many question marks in the top 10 pre-season?  However, at least some of the pre-season rankings appear to be based on where you finished a year ago and this explains why we have certain teams ranked lower than everybody else.  The best example is North Carolina, which lost its top seven players from last year's NCAA Championship team and may go to war in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference with as many as three or four freshmen in the line-up.  The same also can be said about Illinois, which lost three of its best players and must have 6'3 Jr Richard McBride, 6'7 Soph Brian Randle, 6'8 Frosh Shaun Pruitt, and 6'9 Jr Warren Carter assume important roles, and West Virginia, which lost its two best inside players and dramatically overachieved to get to where they were at the end of last season.  We're also a lot higher than most of the competition on teams like Arizona, Indiana, Maryland, Iowa State, Washington, Georgetown, and Michigan.  However, Arizona should even better than they were a year ago when they lost to Illinois in the NCAA's Elite Eight.  Indiana is suddenly loaded inside with the addition of 6'7 Sr Marco Killingsworth, 6'10 Frosh Ben Allen, and 6'10 Frosh Cem Dinc.  Maryland return four starters from a 19-13 team and junior college transfer 6'1 Jr Parrish Brown should able to step in and run the show.  Iowa State should not miss a beat inside with the addition of 6'11 Soph Jiri Hubalek, 6'0 Frosh Shawn Taggart, 6'10 Frosh Ross Marsden, and 6'10 Jr Jessan Gray.   Washington also should be just as good as a year ago with the addition of 6'7 Frosh Jon Brockman and 6'2 Soph Ryan Appleby.  Georgetown has all five starters back and now they have some depth, thanks to a good recruiting class that included 6'2 Frosh Josh Thornton, 6'5 Frosh Marc Egerson, 6'2 Frosh Octavius Spann, and 6'3 Frosh Jesse Sapp.  Michigan also returns all five starters, plus the Wolverines have a lot of bodies inside with guys like 6'11 Jr Courtney Sims, 6'9 Sr Graham Brown, 6'11 Sr Chris Hunter, and 6'8 Jr Brent Petway, and 6'10 Sr Amadou Ba.  But, then again, what do I know?  However, in my defense, a quick look back to our 2004-2005 Pre-Season College Basketball Ranking Comparisons shows that the HOOP SCOOP and the Lindy's Pre Pre-Season Basketball Magazine were the only ones that had as many as three of the four teams in last March's NCAA Final Four ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation at this time a year ago. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Believe it or not, there are two big things that have happened during the Fall Signing Period.  First, to our knowledge not one big name player who had previously made a verbal commitment changed his mind and picked another school.  There have been some players - i.e. 6'9 Theo Davis from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who verbally committed to the University of Texas a year ago July and Iowa State this fall - who have reneged on their verbal commitments, but all of the action happened prior to the beginning of the Fall Signing Period.  Second, there is a shocking number of juniors who are making early verbal commitments a full year of when they can actually sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent.  As a matter of fact, within the last 12 days six players who are ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally have made early commitments, as 7'0 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Kansas; 6'6 Jr Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH, who is ranked #99 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Dayton; 6'5 Jr Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Georgetown; 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Arizona; 6'8 Jr Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert Hall) MD, who is ranked #41 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Maryland; and now 6'5 Jr Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI; who is ranked #26 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has now picked the University of Michigan.  And this is huge for the Wolverines, because Legion not only is the best junior in the state, but he also is extremely skilled and has all the intangibles necessary to move even higher in our national rankings.  Legion is not a freak-like athlete, like his club team teammate - 6'5 Jr Darqarvis Tucker from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, but he is a very good athlete who thrives in transition, has a terrific feel for the game, excellent 3-point shooting range, and a great in-between game.  He also an extremely smart player and a good student, which means the only thing he needs to improve upon is his consistency.  As a matter of fact, if Legion and Tucker ever both have a great game for the Michigan Hurricanes at the same time, they could be one of the most lethal one-two punches that we've seen at the high school/AAU level in a long time.  Speaking of Tucker, we think the verbal commitment by Legion to the Wolverines only enhances their chances of getting this 6'5 athletic wing player who is ranked #34 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and currently has a long list of schools that includes Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Missouri, Wake Forest, Cleveland State, and Drexel.  Yes, all of the just mentioned schools have landed players from the state in recent years and/or have excellent contacts in the state, but we think Legion picking the Wolverines might also make them the early favorite for Tucker.  And, if Tucker were to pull the trigger right now, it would move Michigan's recruiting class, which is now tied at #5, along with Kansas, Georgetown, Miami-FL, Michigan, USC, Rutgers, and Maryland, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007, up to #2 on that list.  It also appears that 6'5 Doneal Mack from Statesville (Christian) NC, who is ranked #29 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, has finally made it official for the University of Florida.  If you will recall, our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton told us on Wednesday, November 2nd, that "is supposed to happen tomorrow (Thursday, November 3rd)."  But nothing happened until today.  Still this is an excellent catch for the Gators, which appear to be stocking up on guards and perimeter players, as they already have 6'8 Soph Corey Brewer, 6'0 Soph Taurean Green, 6'0 Frosh Walter Hodge, and 6'5 Frosh David Huertas in the program; Mack and 6'4 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN in this year's recruiting class; and  6'4 Jr Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL and 6'4 Jr Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL already in next year's recruiting class.  The addition of Mack also moves Florida's recruiting class, which already includes Powell, 6'10 Marreese Speights from St. Petersburg (Admiral Farragut) FL, and 6'7 Jonatham Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, into a tie at #19, along with California, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  We also have confirmed that Prairie View A&M has added four junior college players - 6'5 Chris Agwumaro from North Lake (JC) TX, 6'8 Reginald Dunn from Temple (JC) TX, 6'5 Brian Towner from Eastern Utah (JC) UT, and 6'3 Kenyour Williams from Eastern Utah (JC) UT - to a recruiting class that already included 6'8 Anthony Harris from Ft. Worth (O.D. Wyatt) TX.  And potentially this could be one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the school, as right now it checks in at #59 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Dunn averaged 10.1 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and shot 53% from the field on a team that finished 31-1 and was ranked #3 in the nation a year ago.  Agwumaro, who averaged 20-plus ppg and was one of the best defenders on his team a year ago, was named the tournament MVP in the New Mexico Junior College Thunderbird Classic.  Towner, who will have three years of college eligibility and was ranked among the top 100 players in the state when he was 5th Year Player in a year ago, is a multi-dimensional athlete that can play three different positions.  Williams, who can play either guard spot and also will have three years of eligibility remaining, was the starting point guard at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC a year ago.  Harris is a big time athlete, tough hardnosed competitor, and excellent good rebounder who is ranked #46 in the state by Mike Kunstadt on Texashoops.com.   We also are impressed with the fact that Oral Roberts has landed 6'4 Jeremy Hazell from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC and 6'2 Dominique Gaines from Muskegee (H.S.) OK.  Hazell gets lost in the shuffle in prep school program that features 6'8 Davon Jefferson, 7'0 Toni Soda, 6'5 Tony Crocker, 6'6 Roburt Sallie, 6'3 Seketoure Henry, 6'8 Terrell Baines, 6'10 Jordan Hill, 6'10 Hashim Bailey, 6'7 Kenyan Harmon, 6'3 Lamar Falley, and 6'5 Dominique Sutton, but he's a lights out 3-point shooter and a big time athlete who is potentially one of the best players Scott Sutton has ever signed at Oral Roberts.  Gaines is not on the radar screen nationally, but he's dramatically improved during the spring and summer, has the versatility and athleticism to play either guard position, and has an excellent understanding of the game. 

Monday, November 14, 2005

Our Washington, DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia Editor Dennis Marshall tells us that 6'8 Jr Braxton Dupree from Towson (Calvert H