HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR NOVEMBER 2005

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 Hall) MD has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Maryland and this is huge for the Terrapins for a number of reasons.  First, Dupree not only is ranked #41 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he also is our #8-ranked power forward, behind 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'7 Jr Alex Tyus from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH, 6'8 Jr Gani Lawal from Norcross (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Jr Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'9 Jr Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Jr Devin Ebanks from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'8 Jr Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX.  Second, getting both Dupree and 6'5 Greivas Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who signed with Maryland on the first day of the Fall Signing Period last week, reinforces the fact that the Terrapins can still get their fair of the top players in their backyard.  Third, getting Dupree should put to rest any doubts about whether Maryland assistant coaches Rob Moxley and Michael Adams, who both were hired last spring, and Keith Booth, who has only been a full-time assistant coach at Maryland for a year, are up to the task of replacing Jimmy Patsos, who got the Loyola-Maryland head coaching job a year ago, and Dave Dickerson and Mike Lonergan, who became the head coaches at Tulane and Vermont last spring.  Fourth, Dupree is a physical specimen inside, which makes him ideally suited to help fill the voids that will be created inside when 6'8 Sr Travis Garrison graduates next spring, and 6'9 Jr Ekene Ibekwe graduates a-year-and-a-half from now.  Fifth, getting Dupree gives Maryland a great head start on the future, as this addition moves the Terrapins recruiting class into a tie at #5, along with Kansas, Georgetown, Miami-FL, USC, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  And they also appear to be among the favorites for 7'1 Jr Kosta Koufos from North Canton (H.S.) OH, 6'4 Jr Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA, 6'5 Jr Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, and 6'3 Jr Malcolm Delaney from Towson (Catholic) MD.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Adrius Pegues from Louisville (Western Kentucky) KY has verbally committed to Western Kentucky and this is the second in-state player that the Hilltoppers have landed in the last week.  And, just like 6'2 A.J. Slaughter from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY, who signed with Western Kentucky on the first day of the Fall Signing Period, should be one of the leading candidates in the state of the coveted Mr. Basketball Award.  Pegues also has a huge upside, as well as the athleticism  necessary to rebound, block shots, and score around the basket.  It also appears that Seton Hall has stolen one in 6'11 Orlando Allen from Cincinnati (Woodward) OH.  Sure, Allen is ranked #268 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but right now he's just like a deer learning to run.  In other words, we're talking about somebody who has grown several inches since last spring, is a great kid, and has the athleticism and potential necessary to make money playing the game someday.  And who better to help develop Allen into the player he wants to become than Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr, who not only played in the NBA for eight years with Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks, but also has a long history of developing big men at Xavier, Syracuse, and Seton Hall?  And, if Allen, who has reclassified as a junior this year and, as a result, plans go the prep school route next year, makes the same type of improvement that former NBA player Tyrone Hill made when he played for Seton Hall assistant coach George Jackson back in the 80's and Cincinnati (Woodward) OH and later at Xavier, then the Pirates may have a hard time keeping him in college for a full four years.  And, Allen isn't the only player Seton Hall recruit that they will have to wait on for another year, as 6'8 Quincy Owens from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH also has reclassified as a junior.  But the Pirates do have one player in this year's recruiting class in 6'1 Malcolm Grant from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, who is ranked #88 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is ideally suited to step and run the show for the Pirates a year from now.  We also are getting reports about Texas A&M being the team to beat for 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #62 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the third highest ranked senior still available.  And making the story even more interesting are the rumors about Barry Davis, who not only is Davis' father, but also is his high school coach, being part of the package.  Not only did the father play for the Aggies, but most of their friends and relatives are from the College Station area and, as a result, the older Davis appears to be ideally suited for the Director of Basketball Operations job that is currently open at Texas A&M.  However, it also appears that Davis is smart enough to wait until spring before his son signs in order to insure that he's also part of the package.  Besides, you can bet the older Davis is looking forward to coaching his son during his senior year in high school this year.  

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'6 Julius Thomas from Lodi (Tokay) CA had verbally committed to Portland State and this appears to be a major steal for the Vikings.  Not only was he one of the better players last summer at Trigonis' FullCourt Press All-West Camp, but he also is a strong physical undersized post player out of the same mold as 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA.  "Thomas is two inches shorter, than Thompson," says Trigonis.  "But he's more physical and more agile than Thompson, which means he should be able to step in and right away be one of the best players in the Big Sky Conference next year."  Trigonis also has helped us update our list of Dates/Future Events and a quick look at all of the events that he will be putting on next year leads us to believe that Trigonis is well on his way towards becoming known as the "King of Events on the West Coast."  And, as always, the Pangos Dream Classic, which will be held this year at Hope International University in Fullerton, CA on Saturday, January 14th and will include Compton (Dominguez) CA, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, Compton (Centennial) CA, Gardena (Serra) GA, San Diego (Hoover) CA, Sherman Oak (Notre Dame) CA, and Los Angeles (Price) CA, appears to be loaded.  The other events on Trigonis' scheduled include the Fullcourt Press/Focused Shooter "Shooting Sunday,"  which will be held every Sunday in January at Foundation High School in Foundation, CA; Fullcourt Press Spring League each weekend from February 26th to March 19th Los Angeles, CA; Fullcourt Press Las Vegas Spring Showcase at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV on March 6th; Fullcourt Press Senior Showcase at Long Beach City Junior College in Long Beach, CA on March 24th; Fullcourt Press 805 Showcase at Carpinteria High School in Carpinteria, CA on April 8th; Fullcourt Press San Diego Showcase at San Diego City College in San Diego, CA on April 9th; Fullcourt Press San Fernando Valley Showcase in Woodland Hills, CA on April 10th; Fullcourt Press Orange County Showcase at Villa Park High School in Villa Park, CA on April 17th; Fullcourt Press Inland Empire Showcase at Centennial High School in Corona, CA on April 18th; Fullcourt Press Bay Area Showcase at Woodside High School in Woodside, CA on April 25th, Fullcourt Press Sacramento Showcase in Sacramento, CA on April 26th; Fullcourt Press Spring Showcase at Jordan High School in Long Beach, CA on Mary 7th; Fullcourt Press Utah Showcase in Salt Lake City, UT on May 8th; Fullcourt Press Hawaii Showcase in Honolulu HI on May 10th; Fullcourt Press Northwest Showcase in Portland, OR on May 13th; Pangos All-American Camp at the SCBA Center in Cypress, CA on June 2nd-4th; Pangos Fundamentals First Camp in Phoenix, AZ on June 10th-11th; Fullcourt Press JUCO Camp at SCBA Center in Cypress, CA on July 8th-9th; Fullcourt Press All-West Camp at the SCBA Center in Cypress, CA on July 11th-13th; Pangos Cream of the Crop Challenge at the SCBA Center in Cypress, CA on July 14th-15th; and Pangos Mid-Night Madness at the Tarkanian Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, NV on July 22nd.  Trigonis also reminds us that we have mentioned three of the events that he hosted this fall.  The best being the 2005 Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp in Cypress, CA on October 9th-10th.  Easily the best player in attendance was 6'0 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  But Jennings had to share the wealth with 6'7 Soph Troy Guillenwater from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA and 6'8 Soph Drew Gordon from San Jose (Mitty) CA, who, along with Jennings were named tri-MVP's of the camp.  Some of the other top players included 6'3 Soph Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 5'11 Soph Kevin Loyd from Las Vegas (Gorman) NV, 6'1 Soph Jason Pruitt from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'2 Soph Dallas Rutherford from Granada Hills (Hillcrest) CA, 6'3 Soph Malcolm Lee from Riverside (J.W. North) CA, 6'7 Soph Enoch Andoh from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'7 Soph Tyrese Breshers from Los Angeles (Price) CA, and 6'5 Soph Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  Also named to play in the "Top 25 Cream of the Crop All-Star Game" were 6'3 Soph Ryan Kelley from Chino Hills (Ayala) CA, 6'3 Soph Christopher Jones from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'5 Soph Jarrid Bryant from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'5 Soph DeMar DeRozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Soph Dominic Powell from Las Vegas (Spring Valley) NV, 6'1 Soph Jerime Anderson from Anaheim (Canyon) CA, 6'2 Soph Marques Coleman from Phoenix (Catcus) AZ, 6'2 Soph Oscar Bellfield from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'3 Soph Victor Sandifor from Oakland (Castlemont) CA, 6'4 Soph Collin Chiverton from San Jose (Mitty) CA, 6'5 Frosh Jerry Brown from San Francisco (Sacred Heart) CA, 6'5 Soph Vernon Davis from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'5 Soph Renaldo Woolridge from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'6 Frosh Jordan Hamilton from Los Angeles (Dorsey) CA, 6'7 Frosh Joseph Burton from Hemet (West Valley) CA, and 6'9 Soph Joseph Muvana from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV.  The other two events that Trigonis put on this fall were the 2005 Fullcourt Press Las Vegas Fall Showcase at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, NV on October 20th and the 2005 Fullcourt Press Tucson Fall Showcase in Tucson, AZ on October 23rd.  Some of the top players are the 2005 Fullcourt Press Las Vegas Fall Showcase were 6'5 Nate Schulte from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 6'4 P. Allen Stinnett from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 6'0 Marcus Lawrence from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'6 Jonathan Tavernari from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'2 Kyle Young from Henderson (Green Valley) NV, 6'2 Jamerian Lewis from Las Vegas (Shadow Ridge) NV, 6'3 Jerome Goings from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'2 Anton Coleman from Las Vegas (El Dorado) NV, 6'2 Lucas Gums from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 6'3 Anthony Perez from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 5'9 Jeff Lieder from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'6 Tyler Lay from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 5'11 Khabir Mohammad from North Las Vegas (Centennial) NV, 6'8 Jr Billy White from Henderson (Green Valley) NV, 5'11 Jr Heiden Ratner from Las Vegas (Silverado) NV, 6'3 Jr Jon Atkins from Las Vegas (Trinity) NV, 6'2 Jr Donte Poole from Las Vegas (Mojave) NV, 5'10 Jr Henry Thomas from Las Vegas (Valley) NV, 6'0 Jr Brian Magann from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'5 Jr Jason West from Las Vegas (Desert Pines) NV, 6'2 Jr Samuel Goulet from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'2 Jr J.B. Marek from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 6'6 Jr Michael Martinez from Las Vegas (Meadows) NV, 6'6 Jr Spencer Haire from Las Vegas (Palo Verde) NV, 6'6 Soph Dominic Powell from Las Vegas (Spring Valley) NV, 6'9 Soph Joseph Muvana from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 5'11 Soph Michael Elliott from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 6'3 Soph Quintin Dailey from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'4 Soph Jordan Hill from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 5'9 Soph Deremy Geiger from Las Vegas (Canyon Springs) NV, 6'7 Soph Deante Jones from Las Vegas (Valley) NV, 6'3 Soph Jason Walter from Las Vegas (Spring Valley) NV, 6'2 Soph James Dean from Las Vegas (Centennial) NV, 6'5 Frosh Milos Knezevic from Henderson (Coronado) NV, 6'3 Frosh Reggie Shaw from Las Vegas (Desert Pines) NV, 5'11 Frosh Darryl Stennis from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, and 6'2 8th Grader Christopher Perry from Las Vegas (Findlay) NV.  Some of the top players are the 2005 Fullcourt Press Tucson Fall Showcase were 6'8 David Jackson from Tucson (Rincon) AZ, 6'6 Roger Sharp from Sierra Vista (Buena) AZ, 6'6 J.J. Palmer from Tucson (Desert Christian) AZ, 5'10 Sean Arrington from Tucson (Flowing Wells) AZ, 6'0 Terrence Hill from  Tucson (Rinicon) AZ, 6'2 Malcolm Dombrowski from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'0 Chris Brite from Tucson (Foothills) AZ, 6'3 Alexander McEvoy from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'2 Shannon Doctor from Sierra Vista (Buena) AZ, 6'7 Jr Trent Anderson from Tucson (Ironwood Ridge) NV, 6'9 Jr Ryan Sharkey from Tucson (Ironwood Ridge) AZ, 6'3 Jr Kyle Ludwig from Tucson (Catalina Foothills) AZ, 6'2 Jr Jordan Belobraydic from Tucson (Sahuaro) AZ, 6'3 Jr Oscar Caballero from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 5'9 Jr Louis Lehman from Tucson (Catalina Foothills) AZ, 6'7 Soph Enoch Andoh from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'7 Soph Austin Smith from Tucson (Mountain View) AZ, 6'2 Soph Chase Adams from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'3 Soph Tyler Gage from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'3 Soph Brian Hill from Tucson (H.S.) AZ, 6'2 Soph Jordan Stafford from Tucson (Rincon) AZ, 5'5 Frosh Frank Kahil from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ, 6'4 Frosh Aaron Aikman from Tucson (Desert Christian) AZ, and 6'4 Frosh Derek Unguran from Tucson (Sabino) AZ.

Saturday, November 12, 2005, & Sunday, November 13, 2005

One of the many things that separates us apart for all of the competition is our annual Career Coaching Record and Ranking by Number of Wins for All Division I Head Coaches and, as things stand now, the names of the coaches at the top of the list reads like a Who's Who of the Top Coaches in the Game today.  And right at the top of the list is Texas Tech's Bob Knight, who needs need just 26 wins to pass Dean Smith and become the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the game.  Currently Knight has 854 wins over 39 years and, with an average of 21.9 wins per season, is on pace to catch Smith with his 4th win during the 2006-2007 season.  We also suspect that Knight's record will stand the test of time, because Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton is 73 wins behind Knight and Arizona's Lute Olson needs 113 wins, Temple's John Chaney needs 130 wins, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski needs 133 wins, and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim and Connecticut's Jim Calhoun both need 151 wins to catch Knight on the active win list.  In other words, if Knight retired right now and Sutton continued to coach just until he caught up with where Knight is today, he'd have to coach 3.3 more years, based on Sutton's average of 22.3 wins per season for the last 35 years.  We also find it incredible that North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has averaged 27.6 wins per season for the last 17 years and, as a result, not only has the highest average number of wins per season when compared to all other active Division I head coaches, but also has stood the test of timing in doing so.  And making the story even more amazing is the fact that there are only three coaches (Williams, Kentucky's Tubby Smith and Tennessee's Bruce Pearl) that are ranked among the top 10 on our Average Wins Per Season list who have seven or more years of head coaching experience at a four-year college   We also think it's interesting that Southern Illinois head coach Chris Lowery, who averaged 27.0 wins in his one season as a head coach, and Purdue head coach Matt Painter, who averaged 25.0 wins per season in his one year at Southern Illinois prior to taking the Boilermakers job a year ago, check in at #2 and tied at #5 on this list.  Either Illinois head coach Bruce Weber, who also checks in at #15 on this list with 23.7 wins per season over seven years, did a great job of laying the foundation at Southern Illinois or he had some great assistant coaches who have been following him along the way.  Our guess is that it was some of both.  Also checking in on this list are Gonzaga's Mark Few at #3 with 26.5 wins per season for six years, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon at #4 with 25.5 wins per season for two years, Nevada's Mark Fox tied at #5 with 25.0 wins per season for one year, Kentucky's Tubby Smith at #7 with 24.5 wins per season for 14 years, UTEP'S Doc Sadler at #8 with 24.5 wins per season for six years, Tennessee's Bruce Pearl at #9 with 24.4 wins per season for 13 years, Ohio State's Thad Matta at #10 with 24.4 wins per season for five years, Syracuse's Jim Boeheim at #11 with 24.2 wins per season for 29 years, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski at #12 with 30 wins per season for 30 years, Birmingham Southern's Duane Reboul at #13 with 23.9 wins per season for 16 years, Memphis's John Calipari #14 with 23.7 wins per season for 13 years, Louisville's Rick Pitino at #16 with 23.6 wins per season for 19 years, Michigan State's Tom Izzo at #17 with 23.7 wins per season for years, Arizona's Lute Olson at #18 with 23.2 wins per season for 32 years, Western Michigan's Steve Hawkins at #19 with 23.0 wins per season for two years, Wisconsin's Bo Ryan at #20 with 22.7 wins per season for 21 years, Murray State's Mick Cronin at #21 with 22.5 wins per season for two years, Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton at #22 with 22.3 wins per season for 35 years, South Dakota State's Scott Nagy at #23 with 22.0 wins per season for 10 years, Texas Tech's Bob Knight at #24 with 21.9 wins per season for 39 years, Temple's John Chaney at #25 with 21.9 wins per season for 33 years, Pepperdine's Paul Westphal at #26 with 21.9 wins per season for seven years, UAB's Mike Anderson at #27 with 21.7 wins per season for three years, Wake Forest's Skip Prosser at #28 with 21.6 wins per season for 12 years, Connecticut's Jim Calhoun at #29 with 21.3 wins per season for 33 years, Mississippi State's Rick Stansbury at #30 with 21.3 wins per season for seven years, Kent State's Jim Christian at #31 with 21.3 wins per season for three years, Kansas' Bill Self at #32 with 21.2 wins per season for 12 years, Stephen F. Austin's Danny Kasper at #33 with 21.1 wins per season for 14 years, Alabama's Mark Gottfried at #34 with 21.1 wins per season for 10 years, College of Charleston's Tommy Herrion at #35 with 21.0 wins per season for three years, Dayton's Brian Gregory at #36 with 21.0 wins per season for two years, Vermont's Mike Lonergan at #37 with 20.9 wins per season for 12 years, Lamar's Billy Tubbs at #38 with 20.8 wins per season for 30 years, UC-Irvine's Pat Douglass at #39 with 20.8 wins per season for 24 years, Florida A&M's Mike Gillespie at #40 with 20.8 wins per season for 15 years, William & Mary's Tony Shaver at #41 with 20.7 wins per season for 18 years, Florida's Billy Donovan at #42 with 20.7 wins per season for 11 years, Butler's Todd Lickliter at #43 with 20.5 wins per season for four years, Utah State's Stew Morrill at #44 with 20.3 wins per season for 19 years, Southern Cal's Tim Floyd at #45 with 20.3 wins per season for 12 years, St. Joseph's Phil Martelli at #46 with 20.3 wins per season for 10 years, Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt at #47 with 20.3 wins per season for eight years, Winthrop's Gregg Marshall at #48 with 20.3 wins per season for seven years, Alabama A&M's Vann Pettaway at #49 with 20.2 wins per season for 19 years, Texas' Rick Barnes at #50 with 20.2 wins per season for 18 years, Marquette's Tom Crean at #51 with 20.2 wins per season for six years, Notre Dame's Mike Brey at #52 with 20.1 wins per season for 10 years, Maryland's Gary Williams at #53 with 20.0 wins per season for 27 years, Virginia Commonwealth's Jeff Capel at #54 with 20.0 wins per season for three years, and Louisiana-Lafayette's Robert Lee and Chattanooga's John Shulman who are tied t #55 with 20.0 wins per season for one year.  In other words, there are 56 active Division I head coaches who are averaging 20 or more wins per year for their career and there are 11 coaches (Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, John Chaney, Jim Calhoun, Lute Olson, Mike Krzyzewski, Billy Tubbs, Jim Boeheim, Gary Williams, Pat Douglass, and Bo Ryan) who have won 20 or more games for 20 years or more.  Not only is all this interesting, but it's also important, because our HOOP SCOOP Question of the Day, which you can access by click onto our home page at hoopscooponline.com, asks who you would vote for as the 5th coach, along with John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Adolph Rupp, and Dean Smith, one our list of the top five head coaches in the history of the game.  The seven choices are Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Texas Tech's Bob Knight, Arizona's Lute Olson, Louisville's Rick Pitino, Oklahoma State's Eddie Sutton, Kentucky's Tubby Smith, and North Carolina's Roy Williams and, ironically, they are all still active head coaches today.  For other important information about these head coaches, you can also check out our report Tracking The Top Division I Head Coaches,

Friday, November 11, 2005

It looks like we were right on the money when we told you that 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ would pick the University of  Arizona at his scheduled 12:30 PM press conference earlier this afternoon and it doesn't get much bigger than this, because he's one of the top five juniors in the nation, as well as our #1-ranked player for the first three days last summer at the NIKE All-American Camp.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who was the one who originally told us about Bayless, after discovering him at the Full Court Press West Coast Freshman/Sophomore Camp two years ago, even goes so far as to compare Bayless to Baron Davis and Mike Bibby, who are two of the best point guards to come out of high school on the West Coast in a long time.  "Bayless a scoring lead guard who combines the athleticism, skills, basketball IQ, and the chip on his shoulder that is necessary to achieve greatness," says Trigonis.  "And when Bayless learns to dominate a game with his passing the same why that he does with his scoring, he could end being even better than Davis and Bibby."  Bayless also has the versatility necessary to play the 2-guard spot, which might be necessary at times at Arizona, because 5'9 Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, who is ranked #44 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also expected to get plenty of playing time at point guard in the future for the Wildcats.  We also believe that Arizona is the early favorite over Syracuse, Louisville, and Kentucky for 6'1 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who is the #1-ranked sophomore in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, and, if Bayless sticks around for more than a year of college and Jennings does indeed end up at Arizona, then we'd be talking about the best pair of guards that Wildcats head coach Lute Olson has ever coached, as well as one of the best backcourt duos in the history of the game.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the University of Pennsylvania has landed its third recruit in this year's recruiting class in 6'4 Darren Smith from Hightstown (The Peddie School) NJ.  We're talking about somebody who knows how to play, knows how to score, and would be ranked among our top 300 seniors nationally, if he wasn't a 5th Year Player.  We also have confirmed that Appalachian State has landed 6'7 Juan Pablo Montas from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) PA and 6'9 Ibrahim Gariba, who is originally from Ghana, but has spent the last several years playing for the Capital Club Team in London, England.  And Gariba was clearly the best player on that team, as he averaged 28.0 ppg and 16.0 rpg a year ago, and Montas was a member of the 21-Under Dominican Republican National Team prior to enrolling at Florida Prep where his is also now averaging a double-double.  And when also take into account the fact that Montas and Gariba are both already 21-years-old, it clear they also will bring size, experience, and maturity a year from now necessary to complement what right now is an extremely young team.  Our Tennessee Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'5 Tim Johnson from Cordova (Evangelical Christian Academy) TN has verbally committed to Wofford and this is interesting for several reasons.  First, Johnson is an undersized power forward who is ranked #684 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Whitehead thinks he's got a tremendous upside and, as result, is a major steal for this Southern Conference school.  Second, Johnson becomes the 17th player, along with 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN to North Carolina, 6'8 Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN to Georgia Tech, 6'2 Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN to Memphis, 6'9 Wayne Chism from Bolivar (Central) TN to Tennessee, 6'5 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN to Florida, 6'9 Jarvis Varnardo from Brownville (Haywood County) TN to Mississippi State, 6'6 Jeremy Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN to Colorado, 6'7 Jay Watkins from Memphis (Hamilton) TN to San Francisco, 6'0 Brandon Evans from Jackson (Liberty Tech) TN to Murray State, 6'6 Ernest Fields from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN to Austin Peay, 6'3 Micah Williams from Manchester (Coffee County) TN to East Tennessee State, 6'2 Wesley Channels from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN to Austin Peay, 7'0 Jeremy Saffore from Nashville (Hillwood) TN to Chattanooga, 5'9 Josh Bone from Brentwood (Academy) TN to Southern Illinois, 5'10 Mack Gardner from Lexington (H.S.) TN to UT-Martin, and 6'4 Carl Josey from Seymour (Kings Academy) TN to VMI, in this year's recruiting class who has signed or verbally committed to a Division I school.  And this comes on the heels of the 30 players from the state who signed with Division I schools a year ago. 

Thursday, November 10, 2005

When 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ picks the University of Arizona tomorrow, he will become the 17th player who is ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally to have made an early verbal commitment and the first day that any player in the Class of 2007 can actually sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent is still a year away.  Already on the list of top 100 juniors who have verbally committed are 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Charlotte, 6'5 Jr Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD to Georgetown, 7'0 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN to Kansas, 6'0 Jr Edwin Rios from Hollywood (Chaminade) FL to Miami-FL, 6'2 Jr Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ to Rutgers, 6'8 Jr Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD to Syracuse, 6'4 Jr Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL to Florida, 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA to Southern Cal, 6'9 Jr Laron Dendy from Greer (H.S.) SC to Clemson, 6'9 Jr Rick Jackson from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA to Syracuse, 6'4 Jr Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL to Florida, 6'0 Jr Johnny Flynn from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY to Syracuse, 7'1 Jr Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA to Arizona, 6'6 Jr Nate Miles from Toledo (Waite) OH to Xavier, 6'6 Jr Jon Diebler from Upper Sandusky (H.S.) OH to Ohio State, and 6'6 Jr Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH.  And we think it's pretty safe to assume that Bayless will pick the Wildcats.  And the reason we're so sure is the fact that Bayless has not made an unofficial visit to either Duke or North Carolina and earlier this week the University of Texas, where he did recently make an unofficial visit, got the point guard they were looking for when they landed 6'0 D.J. Augustine from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX.  As for our Ranking of the Top 660 Players in the Class of 2007, which we published earlier today exclusively in the Members Section, this is the best list that we've ever published.  And a great deal of the credit goes to all of our area editors and contributors, including Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, Florida Editor Rick Staudt, Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman, Tennessee Correspondent, Andre Whitehead, West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, California Editor Alan Utter,  Washington/DC Editor Dennis Marshall, Georgia Editors Linzy Davis and Horace Neysmith, Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson, Alabama Editor Mark Komara, North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton, New England Editor Wayne Simone, Canadian Editor Ro Russell, and Texas Editor Tim Miller.  We also think it is important to point out that this class has all the ingredients necessary for greatness.  It has great players like 6'5 Jr O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Jr Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, and 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ.  It has quality size as there are 20 players - 6'11 Jr Anthony Randolph from Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX, 7'0 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6'9 Jr Julian Vaughn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 6'9 Jr James Hickson from Marietta (Wheeler) GA, 6'9 Jr Herb Pope from Aliquippa (H.S.) PA, 7'1 Jr Kosta Koufas from North Canton (H.S.) OH, 6'9 Jr DeAndre Jordan from Houston (Episcopal) TX, 6'9 Jr Brandon Walters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'9 Jr Nayal Koshwal from Chicago (Boys to Men) IL, 6'9 Jr Laron Dendy from Greer (H.S.) SC, 6'10 Jr Matthew-Bryan Amaning from South Kent (Prep) CT, 7'1 Jr Solomon Alabi from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'9 Jr Rich Jackson from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'9 Jr Dallas Lauderdale from Solon (H.S.) OH, 7'1 Jr Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'9 Jr Elgin Bailey from Baton Rouge (Glen Oaks) LA, 7'0 Jr Anthony McClain from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'11 Jr Keenan Ellis from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'10 Jr Melvin Oliver from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, and 6'9 Jr Clint Amberry from Los Alamitos (H.S.) CA - who are 6'9 or taller and are ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally.  And the class has tremendous depth, as is evident by the fact that a number of very talented players, like 6'4 Jr Antoine Watson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Jr Chris Barnes from Riverdale (H.S.) GA, 6'7 Jr A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'8 Jr Trevor Mbakwe from Mendota Heights (Henry Silbey) MN, 6'7 Jr Mike Holmes from Bishopville (Lee Central) SC, 6'3 Jr Adrian Bowie from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Jr Michael Sanchez from Springdale (H.S.) AR, 6'9 Jr Jeremy Price from Decatur (Columbia) GA, 6'7 Jr Clint Houston from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, 6'9 Jr Devin Searcy from Detroit (Cass Tech) MI, 6'7 Jr Billy White from Henderson (Green Valley) NV, 6'8 Jr Harper Kamp from Mesa (Mountain View) AZ, 6'8 Jr Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'0 Jr Biko Paris from River Ridge (John Curtis) LA, 6'11 Jr Robert Sacre from North Vancouver (H.S.) BC, 6'8 Jr Billy Cole from Peoria (Richwoods) IL, 6'5 Jr Nathaniel Lester from Brooklyn (Canarsie) NY, 6'5 Jr Zach Payton from Ft. Wayne (Harding) IN, 6'1 Jr Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'3 Jr Brad Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, and 6'0 Jr Tyree Graham from Durham (Southern Durham) NC, are not ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally.  To get the complete list click onto Ranking of the Top 660 Players in the Class of 2007.

The National Elite Athletic Association's Pre-Season NIT tipped off yesterday at Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy in Atlanta, GA and some of the best high school basketball talent in the nation will be on hand to participate in this tournament, which will continue today at Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy and Covenant Christian in Marietta, GA and tomorrow Community Christian High School in Stockbridge, GA and conclude with the playoffs on Saturday, November 12th, at Community Christian High School in Stockbridge, GA.  And it was like David versus Goliath, as Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA knocked off Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 53-45, in the opening game of the tournament yesterday afternoon.  The leading scorer and big hero for Covenant Christian was Angelo Johnson, who finished 21 points.  Herb Tanner and Modibo Diarra combined for 26 points to lead Stoneridge Prep.  Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL got a game high 24 points from 6'3 Chris Singletary, as they knocked off LaGrange (Sound Doctrine) GA, 94-68, in the second game and Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA beat Atlanta (Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy) GA, 93-61, in the final game of the day.  Community Christian also featured a very balanced scoring attack as 6'7 Soph Olu Ashaolu scored 20 points, 6'4 Solomon Tat scored 19 points, 6'7 Soph Vincent Rodgers scored 18 points, and 5'10 Baptist Bataille finished with 10 points.  Today's schedule will include LaGrange (Sound Doctrine) GA versus Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA at 5:30 PM and Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL versus Mendenhall (Genesis One Elite) MS at 7:30 PM at Covenant Christian in Marietta, GA and Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA versus Chicago (Boys to Men) IL at 5:30 PM, Mendenhall (Genesis One Select) MS versus Toronto (Prep) ON at 7:00 PM, and Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH versus Atlanta (Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy) GA at 8:30 at Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy in Atlanta, GA.  Tomorrow's schedule will include Mendenhall (Genesis One Select) MS versus Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH at 3:30 PM Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL versus Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA at 5:00 PM, LaGrange (Sound Doctrine) GA versus Mendenhall (Genesis One Elite) MS at 6:30 PM, Marietta (Covenant Christian) GA versus Chicago (Boys to Men) IL at 8:00 PM, and Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA versus Toronto (Prep) ON at 9:30 PM.  That last game should be especially interesting, because Ro Russell and John Ashaolu, who are the coaches of the Toronto Prep team, helped get 6'7 Soph Olu Ashaolu and 6'1 Frosh Junior Cadougan from Toronto, ON to Community Christian.  And making the story even more intriguing is the fact that the Ashaolus are brothers and the younger Ashaolu and Cadougan both still play for Russell's club teams in the spring and summer.  The schedule on Saturday will begin on Saturday with Silver Semi-Final Games at 10:30 AM and Noon, Gold Semi-Final games at 1:30 PM and 3:00 PM, a Bronze Championship Game at 4:30 PM, a Silver Championship Game at 6:00 PM, and a Gold Championship Game at 7:30 PM.  For more information about the National Elite Athletic Association's Pre-Season NIT and all the scores and highlights, be sure to click onto GeorgiaEliteMagazine.com.  It also appears that 6'7 Ousmane Cisse from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA now plans to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent with Northeastern.  If you will recall, Cisse, who is an undersized athletic power forward that is ranked #249 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, recently reneged on his verbal commitment to Kansas State.  And the deciding factor this time in Cisse's decision appears to be the fact that his good friend and high school teammate 5'10 Baptist Bataille also recently picked the Huskies.  When one also remember that Northeastern recently landed 6'6 Robert Mitchell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge at Five-Star's loaded Honesdale session in late August, it's easy to see why Northeastern's recruiting class is now tied at #68, along with Providence, Houston, Northwestern, and Indiana, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And at least some of the credit must go to Northeastern assistant coaches Daryn Freedman and Richard Pitino.  Did you know that prior to being the head basketball coach at Chestnut (Brimmer and May School) MA the last four years, Freedman spent eight years working for John Calipari at Massachusetts, the New Jersey Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and University of Memphis?  Pitino, who is the son of University of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, previously was an assistant coach at Barrington (St. Andrews) RI and an administrative assistant at the College of Charleston.  We also have confirmed that Western Kentucky has landed 6'2 A.J. Slaughter from Shelbyville (Shelby County) KY.  And this is big, because Slaughter is a big time athlete, excellent defender and a terrific 3-point shooter, as is evident by the fact that he shot 47% from beyond the arc a year ago.  Slaughter, who is ranked #230 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also is the highest ranked in the senior class in the state and appears to be the leading candidate for the state's coveted Mr. Basketball award.  And the Hilltoppers were able to steal him, because Slaughter doesn't have a pure point guard mentality and is undersized to play the 2-guard spot at the big time college level.  Our California Editor Alan Utter tells us that 6'7 Blake Wallace from Anaheim (Servite) CA has verbally committed to Pepperdine and, despite the fact that he did not have a good summer, this is still a good catch for the Waves.  Wallace is a skilled combo-forward with good passing skills and a nice feel for the game.  Our New England Editor Wayne Simone tells us that 6'0 Doug Wiggins from East Hartford (H.S.) CT, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked up where he left in the summer this fall in the Connecticut Select Fall League.  Wiggins recently scored 16 points and led his East Hartford High School team past Windsor (H.S.) CT, 67-56, to clinch the top seed in the playoffs, which will begin next Wednesday at New Britain High School in New Britain, CT.  We also think it is noteworthy that #2 seeded New Haven (Hillhouse) CT dismantled Newington (H.S.) CT, 73-19, as 6'3 Chazz McCarter scored 21 points and 6'4 Jr Mike Moore added 18 points for the state's deepest and most talented team.  When the playoffs begin it will be #1-seeded East Hartford (H.S.) CT versus #8-seeded Wethersfield (H.S.) CT, #4-seeded New Britain (H.S.) CT versus #5-seeded West Hartford (Northwest Catholic) CT, #2-seeded New Haven (Hillhouse) CT versus #7-seeded Hartford (Weaver) CT, and #3-seeded Windsor (H.S.) CT versus #6-seeded Springfield (Cathedral) MA.

Wednesday, November 9, 2005

Today is the first day of the Fall Signing Period, but the big story of the day is the early verbal commitment that 6'5 Jr Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD made to the Georgetown this afternoon.  And this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, this marks the first time that we can ever remember the Hoyas landing a player from DeMatha, which is one of the premier high school basketball programs in the nation.  Second, Freeman is an extremely skilled athletic wing player who can shoot the lights out and is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Third, the addition of Freeman gives Georgetown not one, not two, but three potential future McDonald's All-Americans in either this year's or next year's recruiting classes.  If you will recall, the Hoyas already have 6'9 Vernon Macklin from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 DaJuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonough School) MD, and 6'4 Jeremiah Rivers from Winter Park (H.S.) FL in a recruiting class that is tied at #13, along with Georgia Tech and Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and right now we have Macklin ranked #8 and Summers #21 nationally in the senior class and Freeman #14 nationally in the junior class.  Fourth, this opens the door for the Hoyas to keep all of the good young players in the Washington, DC area at home in the future.  However, none of this comes as a surprise.  Remember, Georgetown head coach John Thompson III not only has the name recognition and contacts that his father established when he was the head coach of the Hoyas, but the younger Thompson also is a chip off the old block, as he's a heck of coach and an excellent recruiter.  And so is Georgetown assistant coach Kevin Broadus, who not only has done a tremendous job helping Thompson build the program, but previously a great job of helping Karl Hobbs build George Washington into one of the powerhouse programs in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  However, Georgetown's gain is Maryland's loss.  The Terrapins did make a strong late push and ended up finishing second over N.C. State and Notre Dame.  But, in the end, it looks like Freeman, who wanted to go to Georgetown, had the deciding vote over members in his immediate family, who were pushing Maryland.  But Maryland getting a verbal commitment today from 6'5 Greivas Vasquez from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #132 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is still a pretty good consolation prize.  We're talking about a fierce hardnosed competitor who can play either guard spot, which makes him ideally suited to step in and complement 6'2 Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Potomac) VA, 6'7 Landon Milbourne from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'8 Jerome Barney from Atlanta (Westlake) GA in a recruiting class that is now tied at #36, along with Clemson, St. Joseph's, Alabama, and Dayton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And, just like with Hayes, Milbourne, and Barney, all of whom have huge upsides, our Washington, DC Area Editor Dennis Marshall thinks the difference between what Vasquez is right now and what he may be in two or three years may be as different as night and day.  And, Marshall thinks Vasquez, who needs to get bigger and stronger, but has a great feel for the game, is pretty darn good right now, as he plans to rank him as the 4th best senior, behind 6'10 Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 DaJuan Summers from Owings Mills (McDonough School) MD, and 6'0 Scott Reynolds from Herndon (H.S.) VA, in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area when we publish his report in the near future.  In other words, it appears that the Maryland coaching staff has done a great job of building a strong foundation, but still needs to sign a great player or two in either this year's or next year's recruiting class.  However, we're not sure who that will be, because most of the top players in the senior class nationally are already gone.  As a matter of fact, Vasquez was the 18th highest ranked senior still available, behind 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 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, 6'11 Hamady Ndiaye from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'5 LaShun Watson from Greenville (H.S.) GA, 6'8 Darius Santee from Missouri City (Ft. Bend Marshall) TX, 6'6 D.J. Wright from Toronto (Henry Carr) ON, 6'3 Chris Singletary from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, 6'5 Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'4 Jonathan Hall from Miami (Northwestern) FL, 6'5 Ruben Guillendeux from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'8 Djibril Thian from Port Charlotte (Florida Prep) FL, 6'9 Ekpe Udoh from Redmond (Santa Fe) OK, and 6'8 Kodi Augustus from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, in our Ranking of the Top 970 Players in the Class of 2006.  And, in the junior class, there appears to be major obstacles with all of the obvious candidates, as 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA is already verbally committed to Charlotte; Louisville appears to be a near lock for 6'2 Jr Nolan Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA; Duke, N.C. State, and Villanova are the favorites for 6'0 Jr Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC; Freeman is now a done deal for Georgetown; and 6'8 Jr Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD is already gone to Syracuse. 

Our Texas Editor Tim Miller tells us that 6'8 Gary Flowers from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS has verbally committed to Oklahoma State.  And this should be a perfect marriage, because Flowers, who signed with Texas A&M last spring, but didn't make it academically and, as a result, went the prep school route, is ranked #20 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players.  So obviously he's ideally suited to be the heir apparent to 6'7 Jr Mario Boggan and 6'7 Jr Torre Johnson, both of whom will graduate year after next.  Miller also tells us that 6'11 Jr Anthony Randolph, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is very undervalued by most of competitors, has transferred from North Little Rock (H.S.) AR to Dallas (Woodrow Wilson) TX.   And this is huge, because suddenly Randolph becomes the #1-ranked junior in the state just ahead of 6'7 Jr Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who checks in at #8 on our list of the top juniors nationally, which will be published tomorrow exclusively in the Members Section.  And, if that weren't enough to shake up the rankings of the top juniors in the state, Miller also informs us that 6'0 Jr John Roberson, who will be ranked in the 150-175 range nationally when we publish our rankings tomorrow, has transferred from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL to Plano (H.S.) TX.  Miller also tells us that 6'4 Soph Willie Warren, who is a legitimate top five-ranked sophomore and promises to be the best player that Wes Grandstaff has ever had in his Team Texas club team program, has transferred from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX to Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX and that suddenly 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX has a lot of help inside, as 6'8 Ronnie Morgan and 6'10 Soph Jamison Morgan have both transferred from De Soto (H.S.) TX to Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX.  And one for the future involves 6'2 Davontay Grace from New York, NY, who, according to Miller, has been reclassified from the Class of 2010 to the Class of 2011.  And that's huge, because it makes Grace the leading candidate to be the #1-ranked player nationally in the 7th Grade when we update our national rankings sometime this winter.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has been telling us for some time that 6'0 Malik Alvin from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, who is ranked #12 in his area by Rubin and #188 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a done deal for UTEP.  Well, it became official today.  And this isn't the first time that Miners head coach Doc Sadler and his staff have gotten a good one out of Philadelphia, PA, as a year ago they also landed 6'4 Stephon Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA and 6'8 Maurice Thomas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'11 Krostof Janiszewski from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA may be close to making a verbal commitment to the University of Memphis; 6'7 Ousmane Cisse from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA has reneged on Kansas State and is now considering Northeastern and Eastern Michigan; and 6'4 Alek Mrozik from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA will pick either Birmingham Southern or Colorado State.  We also have confirmed that North Texas has landed 6'10 Curtis Muse from Mineral Area (JC) MO, 6'3 Ben Bell from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'4 Collin Mangrum from Howe (H.S.) TX, and 6'8 Jonathan Jackson from Mineral Area (JC) MO and especially noteworthy is the fact that Muse is ranked among the top 25 junior college players in the nation by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook.  So it should come as no surprise that North Texas' recruiting class is now tied at #53, along with William & Mary, East, Carolina, St. Francis-NY, and Richmond, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  And it would be ranked #29, if we included transfers.  The player we're talking about is 6'9 Keith Wooden, who was ranked #100 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP when he signed with Arizona State two years ago.  It also appears that the University of Iowa has landed 6'6 Justin Johnson from Tyler (JC) TX and he should be the perfect complement to the two inside players - 6'8 Cyrus Tate from Vincennes (JC) IN and 6'11 Jamie Vanderbeeken from Belleville (Quinte Secondary) ON - who are already in the Hawkeyes' recruiting class, which now moves up to #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.   Johnson, who averaged 14.5 ppg a year ago and is averaging 21.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg so far this season, is best described as a prolific scoring wing player and, according to his junior college coach Mike Marquis, is only beginning to scratch the surface of how good he'll be.  We also understand that 6'10 Jeremy Mayfield from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX has verbally committed to the University of Oklahoma.  And, if you read our competition, you'll probably be impressed, because Mayfield is listed on a lot of top 100 lists nationally.  However, we've always thought Mayfield was soft and would rather drift out onto the perimeter and shoot 3-pointers, instead of take care of business inside.  Instead, the steal of this class suddenly appears to be 6'5 Tony Crocker from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC.  As a matter of fact, Chris Chaney, who is the head coach at Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, told me last week that Crocker has emerged as his second best player, behind 6'8 Davon Jefferson.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that this new basketball factory in the northwestern part of the state is absolutely loaded.  

Tuesday, November 8, 2005

With the beginning of the Fall Signing Period all set to begin tomorrow and last night's verbal commitment to the University of Texas by 6'0 Darryl Augustine from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, there are now only seven players - 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 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 - who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who are still available.  However, the verbal commitment by Augustine is also big for a number of other reasons.  First, Augustine is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's good enough to get strong consideration for the McDonald's All-American Game.  Second, Augustine is the 5th highest ranked point guard in the senior class nationally, behind 6'0 Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 5'11 Sherron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL, and 6'0 Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, which means he's ideally suited to step in a year from now and be the heir apparent to 6'3 Soph Daniel Gibson, who is expected to forego the rest of his college eligibility after the current season, at point guard.  Third, the addition of Augustine moves Texas' recruiting class up to #4, behind North Carolina, Ohio State, and Connecticut and ahead of Louisville, Washington, Duke, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Memphis, and Tennessee, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Fourth, it also illustrates just how powerful a force Texas has become on the recruiting trail, as the Longhorns have beaten LSU for a player who originally was right in the the Tigers' own backyard.  If you will recall, Augustine, who previously attended New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, was displaced in late August by Hurricane Katrina.  Also don't forget that LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre is one of the best recruiters in the nation and in recent years it's been next to impossible to beat the Tigers for the top players in Louisiana.  Fifth, the addition of Augustine means that Texas head coach Rick Barnes and his staff can now be extremely picky about who they sign in the next several recruiting classes.  If you will recall, the Longhorns currently have 11 players on scholarship in 6'8 Sr Brad Buckman, 6'0 Sr Kenton Paulino, 6'5 Jr P.J. Tucker, 6'2 Jr Craig Winder, 6'2 Soph Daniel Gibson, 6'10 Soph LaMarcus Aldridge, 6'8 Soph Mike Williams, 6'6 Soph Dion Dowell, 6'1 Soph J.D. Lewis, 5'10 Frosh A.J. Abrams, 6'9 Frosh Connor Atchley and six players in their current recruiting class in Augustine, 6'10 Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Dexter Pittman from Rosenberg (Terry) TX, 6'2 Justin Mason from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'3 Harrison Smith from Houston (Jones) TX, and 6'10 Matt Hill from Lincoln (Southeast) NE.  So, as things stand now, the Longhorns are currently two players over the current scholarship limit, although we suspect that Gibson, Aldridge, and/or Tucker may forego the rest of their college eligibility and enter the NBA Draft next spring.  And there is also the possibility that somebody will be unhappy with their playing time and decide to transfer.  We also understand via our Washington, DC area Editor Dennis Marshall that 6'5 Jr Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will make an early verbal commitment tomorrow and it still appears to be too close to call among Georgetown, Maryland, N.C. State, and Notre Dame.  However, if Freeman picks either one of the two local schools, it would be absolutely huge in terms of getting a head start on the future.  Remember, Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD is one of the premier high school programs in the nation and there is an overwhelming number of good young players in the Washington, DC area.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'5 Josh Tabb from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH has verbally committed to the University of Tennessee and 6'4 Micah Williams from Manchester (Coffee County) TN has verbally committed to East Tennessee State and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'2 Chris Williams from Fullerton (JC) CA has once again verbally committed to Marshall.  If you will recall, Williams also committed to Marshall a year ago and, as a result, is now a part of two different top 30-ranked recruiting classes for the Thundering Herd.  Did you know that Marshall's current recruiting class, which also includes 7'1 Jeral Davis from St. Catharine (JC) KY, 6'0 Marcus Moses from St. Catharine (JC) KY, and 7'0 Robbie Jackson from Pickens (Prince Avenue) SC and is ranked #30 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, comes right on the heels of last year's class, which included Williams, 6'9 Jean-Francois Bro-Grebe from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, 6'4 Travis Aikens from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, 6'5 Markel Humphrey from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA, 6'1 Darryl Merthie from Lake Mary (H.S.) FL, and 6'2 Chris Ross from McLennan (JC) TX and finished tied at #26, along with Auburn, in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005?  Williams is ranked #491 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a big time athlete who knows how to attack the basket and thrive in transition.  And Williams has a huge upside, if he becomes more consistent and continues to develop his perimeter game.  But, then again, if these weren't question marks, Williams would probably be bound for a school in the Southeastern Conference, instead of the Atlantic Sun Conference.  Moral to the story, East Tennessee State Murry Bartow and his staff are pretty sharp and , as a result, it appears they may have stolen one.  Tabb, who originally signed with Southern Illinois and was ranked #145 in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2005, is now a 5th Year Player at Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH.  He also promises to be an excellent complement in the Volunteers' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Willard "Duke" Crews from Hampton (Bethel) VA, 6'5 Marques Johnson from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, and 6'9 Wayne Chism from Bolivar (Central) TN.  Yes, it looks like the new regime has landed a little of bit of everything in this year's recruiting class that now is tied at #10, along with Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, as Crews is a force to be reckoned with inside, Johnson is a point guard with size, Chism is a physical specimen, and Tabb is a slasher/athlete who is great at attacking the basket. 

Monday, November 7, 2005

The beginning of the Fall Signing Period is only two days away, but the big story today involves 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who is ranked #5 nationally in the junior class and has a press conference scheduled for Friday at 12:30 PM.  As things stand now, Bayless has Arizona, Texas, North Carolina, and Duke on his list.  However, if he picks any school other than Arizona, it would be a major shock to us.  Remember, Bayless and 6'1 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA both told us at the NBA Players Association Camp in late June that their favorite school is Arizona.  And you should have seen their eyes light up when they talked about the possibility of playing together in the same backcourt for the Wildcats.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Arizona will already be well stocked at all the perimeter positions with players like 6'4 Soph Jawann McClellan, 6'4 Soph Jesus Verdejo, 6'7 Frosh Marcus Williams, 6'6 Frosh J.P. Prince, 6'7 Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA, 5'9 Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX when Bayless enrolls in school two years from now.  And we also like their chances of landing some other elite players in the junior class nationally, like 6'7 Jr Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'8 Jr Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) CA, and 6'7 Jr Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR.  Speaking of Singler, our new California Editor Alan Utter tells us that Singler's list currently includes Oregon, Kansas, North Carolina, Arizona, and Duke.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 5'11 Milan Prodonovic from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY has verbally committed to Iona.  And he thinks this an excellent catch for the Gaels, despite the fact he is ranked no higher than #370 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because this tough hardnosed competitor can shoot the lights out and is like a 6-foot poor man's version of Chris Mullen.  We also confirmed that 6'6 Jr Chris Wright from Trotwood (Madison) OH has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Dayton and this is big because we're talking about one of the best athletes in the nation, as well as a big time wide receiver on the gridiron.  Right now Wright is more of a power forward, but he projects as wing forward down the road and, as a result, is ideally suited to step in year after next and complement all of the good players - 6'3 Marcus Johnson from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, 6'9 Kurt Huelsman from St. Henry (H.S.) OH, 6'3 Andreas Sandoval from Santa Fe (JC) FL, and 5'11 London Warren from Jacksonville (Raines) FL - that Dayton has in their current recruiting class, which is tied at #33, along with Clemson, St. Joseph's, and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton tells us that the University of Richmond has landed 6'4 Steven Kendall from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Yes, that's the same player who made an early verbal commitment a year ago to the University of Virginia, but decided to look elsewhere when the Pete Gillen regime to did no survive last spring.  We're talking about an athletic white kid who is an excellent 3-point shooter and is good enough to be ranked #60 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players.  Kendall also is the fourth player that Richmond has landed this fall, as he joins 6'9 Dan Geriot from Springfield (H.S.) PA, 6'5 Brian Morris from Camp Hill (Trinity) PA, and 6'6 David Brewster from Silver Spring (Springbrook) MD in a recruiting class that is tied at #50, along with William & Mary, East, Carolina, and St. Francis-NY, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  This also means that the Atlantic-10 Conference now has seven schools (Rhode Island, Charlotte, St. Joseph's, Dayton, Duquesne, La Salle, and Richmond) with recruiting classes that are ranked among the top 50 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and, as a result, we think the argument can be made that the Atlantic-10 Conference is well on it way towards winning the race with Conference USA, Mountain West, and Western Athletic for 7th Place among the top conferences at the Division I level, behind the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, Pacific-10, and Southeastern Conferences.  However, this should not come as much of a surprise when one remembers that the league has a great combination of veteran coaches, like Temple's John Chaney, St. Joseph's Phil Martelli, Rhode Island's Jim Baron, Charlotte's Bobby Lutz, and Duquesne's Danny Nee, and some great up-and-coming head coaches like George Washington's Karl Hobbs,  La Salle's John Giannini, Xavier's Sean Miller, Dayton's Brian Gregory, Massachusetts' Travis Ford, Fordham's Dereck Whittenburg, Richmond's Chris Mooney, and St. Bonaventure's Anthony Solomon. 

Saturday, November 5, 2005, & Sunday, November 6, 2005

The time has come make some important changes with regards to the way we cover the West Coast.  First, Dinos Trigonis, who has been our California Editor for years, will now officially become our West Coast Editor, which means he will be in charge of covering not just California, but also Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Utah.  Second, Alan Utter, who has contributed information to the HOOP SCOOP for years and has been following high school basketball in Southern California since the days of Lew Alcindor, and Bob Jacoby, who previously was the co-editor and publisher of the Blue Chip Basketball Recruiting Magazine, will become our new California Editors.  And I'm thrilled with this move, because it should complement what Trigonis is doing, as he continues to expand all over the West Coast with his numerous camps and events, and it will give the HOOP SCOOP two more people in California with an incredible amount of experience.  As a matter of fact, my relationship with Utter and Jacoby spans back to the late 1980's when they used to show up at the NIKE All-American Camp in Princeton, NJ.  And to whet everybody's appetite, Utter tells us that UCLA assistant coach Ernie Zeigler has been in Serbia and Montenegro recruiting at 6'9, 225 lbs. center who would be the perfect complement to 6'8 James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA in this year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, the Bruins lost out earlier this fall to the University of Washington in the race for 6'11 Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA and to North Carolina for both 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA and 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA.  Utter also thinks UCLA is the team to beat for 6'8 Jr Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, who is ranked #4 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and has been UCLA head coach Ben Howland's person recruit.  We also find it interesting that Love has always been a Duke fan, but, when Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski recently made an in-home visit with 6'7 Jr Kyle Singler from Medford (South Medford) OR, he by-passed stopping into see Love, who has not heard from Duke in months.  Love has said that he is down to UCLA and North Carolina, but the Tar Heels are suddenly loaded inside after getting verbal commitments from 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA and 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA.  However, Utter is not ready to count out Arizona, which already has an early verbal commitment from 7'1 Jr Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and could be on the verge of landing an incredible recruiting class a year from now, as they currently are among the leaders for 6'3 Jr Jerryd Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'7 Jr Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'7 Jr Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX.  Utter also is very impressed with the recruiting job that new USC head caoch Tim Floyd and his staff have done since taking over last spring.  If you will recall, we had the Trojans' recruiting class, which included 6'11 Abdoulaye Ndiayne from Southern Idaho (JC) ID 6'9 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, 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, ranked #10 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2005 and they already have four verbal commitments from 6'8 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge) 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 this year's recruiting class, as well as two early verbal commitments from 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA and 6'5 Soph Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA.  Utter also provides us with a list of the top players in each class in California and the fact that he has 6'8 Jr Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA and 6'9 Jr Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA comes as a major surprise.  But it looks like Gant has dramatically improved since we saw him the spring and summer and Daye, who is the son of former UCLA All-American Darren Daye, has grown six inches during the last six months and, as a result, is now a 6'9 skilled athletic small forward.  And when he adds some muscle, Daye could be terrific.  Utter's Top 12 Seniors are 1) 6'7 Chase Budinger from Carlsbad (La Costa) CA, 2) 6'11 Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 3) 6'11 Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 4) 6'7 Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 5) 6'8 James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6) 6'8 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 7) 6'3 Tre'Von Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 8) 6'5 Derrick Jasper from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, 9) 6'8 Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 10) 6'8 Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA, 11) 6'3 Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, and 12) 6'9 Taylor Harrison from San Clemente (H.S.) CA; Utter's Top 12 Juniors are 6'7 Jr Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 2) 6'5 Jr Daniel Hackett from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 3) 6'8 Jr Darnell Gant from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 4) 6'7 Jr Jamelle Horne from San Diego (H.S.) CA, 5) 6'7 Jr Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6) 6'6 Jr Tyrone Shelly from San Diego (Crawford) CA, 7) 6'6 Jr Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA, 8) 6'9 Jr Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 9) 7'1 Jr Alex Jacobson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 10) 6'9 Jr Clint Ambury from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, 11) 6'2 Jr Kamyron Brown from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 12) 6'7 Jr Chase Stanback from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA; and Utter's Top 12 Sophomores are 1) 6'1 Soph Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 2) 6'4 Soph Demar DeRozan from Compton (H.S.) CA, 3) 6'8 Soph Drew Gordon from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA, 4) 6'5 Soph Malik Story from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 5) 6'0 Soph Nathan Garth from Sacramento (Capital) CA, 6) 6'3 Soph Oscar Bellfield from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 7) 6'10 Soph Jeffrey Withey from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 8) 6'3 Soph Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 9) 6'3 Soph Jrue Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 10) 6'8 Soph Jaime Serna from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA,11) 6'0 Soph Larry Drew from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 12) 6'5 Soph Zack Zaragosa from Irvine (Northwood) CA.

Friday, November 4, 2005

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'4 Daya Kaba from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #124 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is versatile enough to play either guard spot, has verbally committed to Boston College.  And, like so many of the players that the Eagles have landed in recent years, Kaba has a huge upside and, as a result, should fit in perfectly with the other two players that the Boston College already has in its current recruiting class.  We're talking about 6'6 Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is a wide-bodied undersized power forward that reminds us of former Boston College All-American Danya Abrams, and 6'7 Tyler Roche from Manchester (Central) NH, who is ranked #213 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation.  The addition of Kaba, who is best described as a blue collar athlete who plays hard and has an improving 3-point shot, also moves Boston College's recruiting class into a tie #37, along with Duquesne and Miami-FL, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 John Summers from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH, who is ranked #46 in the senior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Morehead State and we are now including 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Cincinnati (Harmony Christian) OH with Indiana's recruiting class.  If you will recall, Vaughn told us last summer told us that he planned to re-sign with the Hoosiers this fall.  But, up until now, we have failed to include him with the Hoosiers' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'6 Xavier Keeling from Huntsville (Johnson) AL and 6'1 Armon Bassett from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  And, if the Hoosiers also get 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, whose final two appear to be Indiana and Kansas, then their recruiting class will move up to #3 in the Big-10 ahead of Ohio State and Michigan State and behind Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue and Northwestern.  Another verbal commitment that we've previously failed to report is 6'11 Dan Vandervieren from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who picked Purdue in August.  Vandervieren is described as a tough hardnosed physical specimen (6'11, 260 lbs.) and, as he's focused on footwork, center of gravity and body balance, lifting weights, and losing 15 to 20 pounds, has improved dramatically in the last year.  However, Vandervieren is not listed among our top 970 seniors, which means he is a major sleeper on the national scene.  But he does appear to be the stereotypical inside player that the Boilermakers has been very successful with over the years and, as a result, he should be the perfect complement to 6'10 Jonathan Uchendu from Millersburg (Military Academy) KY and 6'8 Jr Marcus White, who sat out last season after transferring from Connecticut to Purdue a year ago.  In other words, it looks like new Purdue head coach Matt Painter and his staff are already well on their way towards replacing all of the inside players - 6'7 Sr Carl Landry, 6'10 Sr Matt Kiefer, 6'9 Sr Gary Ware, and 6'8 Sr Matt Carroll - who will graduate next spring.  Another player who appears to have fallen through the cracks, but who has made a verbal commitment to George Mason is 6'7 Richard Fleming from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that he had planned to rank Fleming #15 in the junior class in his area when he was at Hershey (Milton-Hershey) PA a year ago.  But then Fleming transferred and, as a result, fell off our radar screen until now.  "He's a good catch for George Mason," says Rubin.  "Fleming is a good outside shooter, rebounds well, can score around the basket, is an excellent defender and his best days are ahead of him."  The addition of Fleming moves Patriots' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Darryl Monroe from Central Florida (JC) FL and 6'6 Louis Birdsong from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, into a tie at #37, along with Duquesne, Boston College, and Miami-FL, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006.  But, even more important is the fact that George Mason's recruiting class is now the second highest ranked recruiting class in the nation among schools that aren't in one of the top eight conferences in the college basketball (ACC, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, Pacific-10, SEC, Conference USA, and Atlantic-10).  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Kelly Beidler from Virginia Beach (Tallwood) VA has verbally committed to Mt. St. Mary's and this is important, because he too is a sleeper who has fallen under the radar screen.  Beidler is a versatile athlete with long arms, a great body, good ball handling and passing skills, and the ability shoot the three.  So he should be an excellent complement to 6'2 Jean Cajou from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, 5'9 Jeremy Goode from Charlotte (Providence Day) NC, 6'8 Tayvon Jackson from Indian Head (Lackey) MD, and 6'4 Will Holland from Houston (Lamar) TX, who are the other four players that Mt. St. Mary's already has in their current recruiting class, which is currently ranked #63 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and #2, behind St. Francis-NY, in the Northeast Conference.  It also appears that 6'6 Gerard Jackson from Chipola (JC) FL has verbally committed to Louisiana-Monroe and this is exactly what the doctor ordered,as the Indians get ready to move into the Sun Belt Conference a year from now.  Jackson is a four/three who is a mismatch inside, but also can step out and shoot the three.  He also averaged 10.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg a year ago for one of the top junior college programs in the nation, excels at both ends of the court, and has an extremely high basketball IQ.  No wonder Jerry Mullens, who is one of the foremost authorities on junior college players in the nation, thinks Jackson is good enough to play at any level on the Division I spectrum.

Thursday, November 3, 2005

Earlier this week we received our personalized copy of Eddie Oliver's 2005-2006 High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report and, as always, it is a must for anybody who is trying to figure out where to go and what events to cover this winter.  Oliver provides an alphabetical list of the events listed in his report on the inside front cover and provides the name, location, date, contact information, and a list of all of the teams and top players beginning with the Pasadena Texas Invitational in Pasadena, TX on November 17th-19th and ending with NACA National Tournament in Dayton, TN on March 8th-10th.  That's 39 pages of nothing but events and nobody is better qualified to put something like this together than Oliver, who from 1985 to 1997 was the Executive Director Beach Ball Classic and still is a consult for many of the top high school tournaments in the nation.  The cost is $130 and anybody who interested in ordering the 2005-2006 High School Basketball Tournament and Events Report can do so by writing HOOPSUSA at Post Office Boz 15403, Surfside Beach, SC,  29587, mailing HoopsUSA@sc.rr.com, calling (843) 650-5422, faxing (843) 650-7222, or going to the web site at www.hoopsusa.com.  The first event in the report that I'm interested in and plan to attend is the National Prep Tip-Off Showcase in Barrington, RI on November 18th-20th.  Not only will this event will feature most of the top prep schools in the nation, including Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) RI, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, Winchendon (School) MA, South Kent (Prep) CT, Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, New Hampton (Prep) NH, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, Worcester (Academy) MA, Chicago (Boys To Men) IL, Fork Union (Military) VA, Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) QU, Woodstock (Massanutten Military Academy) VA, and Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, but it will extremely important for me as I attempt to update our ranking of the Top 5th Year Players around Thanksgiving.  I also already have plans to attend the Marshall County Hoop Fest 2005 at Marshall County High School in Benton, KY, which will be held on December 1st-3rd.  The tournament will begin at 5:30 PM on Thursday, December 1st, with Paducah (Lone Oak) KY versus Metropolis (Massac County) IL, followed by a girls game at 7:00 PM, Benton (Marshall County) KY versus Hopkinsville (H.S.) KY at 8:30 PM, and another girls game at 10:00 PM.  Then, on Friday, December 2nd, there will be another girls game at 5:30 PM, followed by Benton (Marshall County) KY versus Lexington (Catholic) KY at 7:00 PM, Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Chicago (Simeon) IL at 8:30 PM, and another girls game at 10:00 PM.  And finally on Saturday, December 3rd, the schedule includes West Paducah (Heath) KY versus Carmi (White County) IL at 8:00 AM, Paducah (Tilghman) IL versus Carbondale (H.S.) IL at 9:30 AM, a girls game at 11:00 AM, Cadiz (Trigg County) KY versus Union City (H.S.) TN at 12:30 PM, Mayfield (Graves County) KY versus Owensboro (Catholic) KY at 2:00 PM, a 3-point shooting contest at 3:00 PM, Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL versus Memphis (Ridgeway) TN at 4:30 PM, Bolivar (Central) TN versus Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL at 6:00 PM, London (South Laurel) KY versus Brentwood (Academy) TN at 7:30 PM, Canton (McKinley) OH versus Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA at 9:00 PM, and Memphis (Mitchell) TN versus Peoria (Richwoods) IL at 10:30 PM.  Yes, we will get to see Oak Hill Academy, which will feature 6'0 Tywon Lawson, 6'8 Jr Michael Beasley, 6'2 Jr Nolan Smith, 6'6 Anthony Wright, 6'7 Jeff Allen, 6'6 Landon Milbourne, and 6'9 Albert Jackson, twice.  But the Marshall County Hoop Fest 2005 also will feature a number of other highly touted players, including 6'10 Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'3 Jr Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, 6'8 Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'5 Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL, 6'0 Josue Soto from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'7 Raymar Morgan from Canton (McKinley) OH, 6'1 Willie Kemp from Bolivar (Central) TN, 7'2 Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'9 Wayne Chism from Bolivar (Central) TN, 6'4 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'6 Andre Thornton from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, and 6'6 Jr Russell Mackins from Cadiz (Trigg County) KY.  I also plan to attend the 25th Annual St. Louis Shootout at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, MO on Wednesday, December 7th, which will feature teams like Houston (Bellaire) TX with 6'6 Dale Van Wright, 6'9 Jr Isaiah Rusher, and 5'10 Jr Jai Lucas; Memphis (Mitchell) TN with 6'8 Thaddeus Young, 6'4 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, and 6'6 Andre Thornton; Champaign (Central) IL with 6'0 Soph Verdell Jones and 6'7 Jr Drew Sharick; Birmingham (Huffman) AL with 6'9 Stanley Robinson and 6'6 Demetrius Johnson; Carlsbad (La Costa Canyon) CA with 6'8 Chase Budinger; Winter Park (H.S.) FL with 6'4 Jeremiah Rivers; and Lee's Summitt (H.S.) MO with 6'3 Adam Leonard.  And two days later on Friday, December 9th, I will be at the Blue Chip Basketball Shootout at Lexington Catholic High School in Lexington, KY and the two must see games are Lexington (Catholic) KY versus Brentwood (Academy) TN at 8:00 PM and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA versus Millersburg (Military) VA, which has 7'1 Lawrence Brown and 6'9 Jonathan Uchendu.  We're already recently previewed the City of Palms Classic, which is scheduled to be held December 16th-22nd in Ft. Myers, FL, and Beach Ball Classic, which will be held in Myrtle Beach, SC, December 25th-30th (both of which I plan to attend).  But I haven't mentioned anything for a while about the Academy National Invitational, which will be December 28th-30th in Houston, TX.  I already have plans to be at this tournament the last two days (December 29th and 30th) and will see Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, Houston (Bellaire) TX, Houston (Kingwood) TX, Marietta (Wheeler) GA, Mobile (LeFlore) TX, and Alexandria (Peabody) LA in the National Division and Houston (Aldine) TX, Alief (Hastings) TX, San Antonio (Cornerstone Christian) TX, Houston (Eisenhower) TX, Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, Houston (Jones) TX, Houston (Westfield) TX, and Houston (Wheatley) TX in the Texas Division. 

Wednesday, November 2, 2005

With the beginning of the Fall Signing Period set to begin a week from today and only eight of our top 100-ranked seniors - 6'9 Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'0 Darryl Augustine from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX, 6'9 Bryan Davis from Grand Prairie (H.S.) TX, 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 Stockridge Prep) CA - still available, we were wondering what the next big verbal commitment would be.  How about 7'0 Jr Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, who is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picking the University of Kansas?   Well, the first person to call us today and confirm that Aldrich has verbally committed to the Jayhawks was Chris Monter of CollegeBasketball News.  And Monter should know, because he's based in Minneapolis, MN and, as a result, has seen Aldrich play more than anybody else in our business.  Obviously this is huge for Kansas, because Aldrich is one of the most skilled big men to come down the pike in a long time.  And, once he gets physically bigger and stronger, the sky really is the limit in terms of how good he can become.  The verbal commitment by Aldrich also moves Kansas' recruiting class into a tie at #4, along with Miami-FL, Clemson, USC, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2007.  But, even more important, Aldrich is ideally suited to complement all of the other good young players - 6'2 Soph Russell Robinson, 6'10 Soph C.J. Giles, 6'9 Soph Darnell Jackson, 6'4 Soph Rodrick Stewart, 6'1 Soph Jeremy Case, 6'8 Frosh Julian Wright, 6'1 Frosh Mario Chalmers, 6'8 Frosh Micah Downs, and 6'7 Frosh Brandon Rush - that the Jayhawks have in the program and the two players - 5'11 Sherron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL and 6'3 Brady Morningstar from New Hampton (Prep) NH - that they already have in their current recruiting class.   And what you you think if we told that 6'5 Doneal Mack from Statesville (Christian) NC, who is the 12th best 5th Year Player that is still available, behind 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 5'11 Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Tyler Smith from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'7 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'2 Seketoure Henry from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, 6'6 Will Harris fron Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'4 Amar Ali from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Rashad Austin from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'0 Jonathan Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, 6'4 Tyrone Appleton from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 6'9 Mike Davis from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, is going to commit to the University of Florida.  At least that's what our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton tells us is supposed to happen tomorrow.  And that will be an excellent catch for the Gators, because Mack is an big-time athlete who can beat you going to the basket, with his mid-range game, and his 3-point shot.  Mack, who is ranked #28 on our 5th Year List and is the equivalent of a top 100-ranked senior, also has good ball handling and passing skills and versatile enough to play several different position.  So obviously Mack, who also is one of Howard Garfinkel's favorite players after thriving this summer at Five-Star, will be an excellent complement to 6'10 Marreese Speights from St. Petersburg (Admiral Farragut) FL, 6'7 Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, and 6'4 Brandon Powell from Memphis (Mitchell) TN in this year's recruiting class and to 6'4 Jr Gary Clark from Sarasota (Booker) FL and 6'4 Nick Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, both of whom are already in the fold for next year's recruiting class.  Clifton also has confirmed that 6'7 Hillary Hailey from Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD and 6'10 Chad Wynn from Atlanta (North Atlanta Christian) GA have both verbally committed to East Carolina.  If you will recall, Wynn, who was at Marietta (H.S.) GA a year ago, signed with Georgia State last fall.  Hailey is a world-class athlete and was ranked high when he was younger.  But his skilled level has never caught up and, as a result, we have him ranked #458 nationally in the senior class.  But, like they say, you can't teach size and athleticism.  And, at 6'10, Wynn has the size and Hailey has the athleticism.  So in both cases you really have to like the upside!

This past weekend the HOOP SCOOP's Middle School Editor Patrick Stanwood attended the Elite 75 Prep Camp at Cannon High School in Concord, NC and 6'6 Frosh Derrick Favors from Atlanta (South Atlanta) GA was by-far-and-away the best player, as well as the MVP in the in the Class of 2009 Division.  Favors showcased a polished offensive post game and shot blocking talents that make him one of the top rejecters in the Class of 2009.  6'4 Frosh Willis Hall from Charlotte (Christian) NC and 6'5 Frosh Michael Calhoun from Marietta (South Cobb) GA, who were the #2 and #3-ranked players, respectively, in the 9th Grade Division, displayed their talents with inside and outside ability.   The top defensive player was 5'10 Frosh Derrious Gilmore from Baltimore (Lake Clifton) MD and the top playmaker was 5'9 Frosh George Jackson from Baltimore (Digital Harbor) MD.   Gilmore also checks in at #6 on Stanwood's list of the Top 20 Freshmen at the event, behind 1) Favors, 2) Hall, 3) Calhoun, 4) 6'4 Frosh Kinard Gadsden from Georgetown (H.S.) SC and 5) 6'2 Frosh Aaron Bennett from Charlotte (West Mecklenburg) NC and ahead of 7) 6'1 Frosh Reggie White from Charlotte (West Mecklenburg) NC, 8) 6'2 Frosh Colby Lewis from Statesville (Christian) NC, 9) 5'9 Frosh George Jackson from Baltimore (Digital Harbor) MD, 10) 6'0 Frosh John Williams from Goldsboro (Charles B. Aycock) NC, 11) 6'1 Frosh Alex Doggett from Charlotte (Hopewell) NC, 12) 6'1 Frosh Adam Hunt from Charlotte (Olympic) NC, 13) 6'4 Frosh Kendall Williams from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 14) 6'4 Frosh Deric Skeen from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 15) 5'11 Frosh Darius Christian from Huntersville (North Mecklenburg) NC, 16) 6'0 Frosh Gerrard Williams from Reistertown (Franklin) MD, 17) 6'4 Frosh Gerald Hill from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, 18) 5'10 Frosh Tore Turner from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph) MD, 19) 5'11 Frosh John Pharam from Charlotte (West Mecklenburg) NC, and 20) 6'5 Frosh James Newkirk from Charlotte (Vance) NC.  However, the Class of 2010 Division was the strongest division and 5'11 8th Grader Eric Smith from Mullins (H.S.) SC got the nod from the camp officials for MVP, although a late camp injury might have earned him the award out of sympathy.  Instead, Stanwood's #1-ranked player in this division was 6'6 8th Grader Dakota Euton from Ashland (Rose Hill) KY, who impressed with his ability to not only dominate around the basket, but also the skills to step outside on the perimeter and knock down shot after shot.  And right behind Euton was 6'5 8th Grader Jarrell Eddie from Concord, NC, who put on show by handling the ball baseline to baseline, while still showcasing his ever improving wing game and a nice touch around the rim.  With a long athletic frame and ability to shoot from nearly anywhere on the floor, 6'6 8th Grader Melvin Tabb from Raleigh, NC is another elite wing who figures to one of the top players in his class for years to come.  Stanwood also has 6'2 8th Grader Jordan Downing from Charlotte, NC ranked ahead of Smith at #4 and behind Smith at #6 is 5'10 8th Grader Emanuel Chapman from Charlotte, NC.  The rest of his rankings of the Top 8th Graders in the camp include 7) 6'3 8th Grader Isaiah Goldwire from Charlotte, NC, 8) 6'1 8th Grader Byron Allen from Largo, MD, 9) 5'10 8th Grader Byron Dickerson from Atlanta, GA, 10) 5'7 8th Grader Elijah Johnson from Goldsboro, NC, 11) 5'11 8th Grader Jamar Simmons from Charlotte, NC, 12) 6'7 8th Grader Tevin Jones from Raleigh, NC, 13) 5'8 8th Grader J.T. Terrell from Burlington, NC, 14) 5'9 8th Grader Ridge Smith from Wakefield, NC, 15) 6'2 8th Grader Chad Jackson from Ashland (Rose Hill) KY, 16) 6'6 8th Grader Jordan Latham from Baltimore, MD, 17) 5'11 8th Grader Reynolds Maharajih from Charlotte, NC, 18) 6'3 8th Grader Montel Baines from Durham, NC, 19) 6'6 8th Grader Emmanuel "Mannie" Dias from Charlotte, NC, 20) 5'10 8th Grader Justin Burrell from Northern Virginia, 21) 5'10 8th Grader Ryan May from Fayetteville, NC, 22) 6'0 8th Grader Charles Morrison from Charlotte, NC, 23) 5'9 8th Grader Errick Davis from Raleigh, NC, 24) 6'5 8th Grader Jermaine White from Charlotte, NC, 25) 6'5 8th Grader Anthony Hall from Charlotte, NC, 26) 6'5 8th Grader Deandre Tillaman from Charlotte, NC, 27) 5'8 8th Grader Zach Richardson from Fayetteville, NC, 28) 6'2 8th Grader Jared Blakney from Charlotte, NC, 29) 5'5 8th Grader Ryan Harrow from Concord, NC, 30) 5'10 8th Grader Trevonte Dixon from Florence, SC, 31) 5'7 8th Grader 5'7 Kyle Wise from Baltimore, MD, 32) 6'1 8th Grader Roscoe Smith from Baltimore, MD, 33) 5'8 8th Grader Tyler Mavity from Raleigh, NC, 34) 6'3 8th Grader Alex Fagg from Winston, NC, and 35) 6'2 8th Grader Judson Hall from Charlotte, NC.  The Class of 2011 Division featured 5'6 7th Grader Marquise Rankin from Charlotte, NC, who was named the MVP in the Division; 5'5 7th Grader Tavon Sledge from Spring Valley, NY, who dazzled the crowd on his way to top playmaker honors; 5'9 7th Grader Jacoby Davis from Concord, NC, who was the best defensive player; and 5'8 6th Grader Dewayne Foreman from Spring Valley, NY, who looked and calm and collected as he played against 7th and 8th Graders all weekend.

Tuesday, November 1, 2005

We've alluded to the fact that no program in college basketball has landed more players during the last eight months than USC and it appears that they aren't done yet, as is evident by the fact that they have added yet another player to their current recruiting class in 6'6 Dwight Lewis from Katy (Taylor) TX.  And the addition of Lewis, who is ranked #115 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, really makes perfect sense when one remembers that he's originally from Metairie (Archbishop Rummel) LA and he played in the Hoops For Hope Southern California High School Basketball Relief Benefit Game, which was held on Sunday, September 25th, at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, CA.  If you will recall, the money from the game went to benefit displaced children due to the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and the key speaker was USC head coach Tim Floyd, who like Lewis has strong New Orleans ties.  The addition of Lewis, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally and is just oozing with natural talent and potential, also is huge, because he should provide an excellent complement to the other three players that the Trojans have already landed in this year's recruiting class.  We're talking about 6'8 Taj Gibson from Simi Valley (Stoneridge Prep) CA, who is ranked #4 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and was one of the fastest rising players in the nation this spring and summer; 6'7 Kevin Galloway from Sacramento (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #89 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is versatile enough to play a number of different positions; and 6'6 Kasey Cunningham from Albuquerque (Cibola) NM, who is really more of a power forward right now, due to his killer mentality around the basket, but has the potential to project as a wing forward down the road.  The addition Lewis moves USC's recruiting class up #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006 and the Trojans also have a great head start on the future, as they already have 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.  And we suspect they might also be the team to beat for 6'7 Jr Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  But, if King wanted to make an early verbal commitment right now, the Trojans would be done recruiting for both this year and next year, unless somebody transfers or decides to enter the NBA Draft early.  As things stand now, USC currently has 12 players on scholarship in 5'10 Sr Dwayne Shackleford, 6'6 Sr Greg Gaudino, 6'4 Jr Lodrick Stewart, 6'11 Jr Abdoulaye Ndiaye, 6'6 Soph Nick Young, 6'4 Soph Gabriel Pruitt, 6'8 Frosh Jeremy Barr, 6'8 Frosh Jeremey Barr, 6'9 Frosh Keith Wilkinson, 6'3 Frosh Sead Odzic, 6'0 Frosh Collin Robinson, 5'11 Frosh Ryan Francis.  So, with only two players scheduled to graduate next spring and four players in their current recruiting class, the Trojans are currently one over the 13-player scholarship limit for next year.  And, with only two juniors and two sophomores in the program and Hackett and Story already in the fold, USC only has one more scholarship available for each of the junior and sophomore classes.  In other words, Southern Cal is in the enviable position, whereby, they can be extremely picky about who they take for the next several years.  And this isn't the first time that Floyd has recruited like crazy.  Remember, Floyd built the University of New Orleans into a powerhouse in the early 90's with players like Ervin Johnson and Melvin Simon and he had the HOOP SCOOP's #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation in 1997 at Iowa State when he landed a class that was headed by Marcus Fizer and Jamaal Tinsley.  We also have confirmed that the University of Nebraska has landed 6'3 Ryan Anderson from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #107 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this too is an important commitment, because Anderson is a tough hardnosed competitor who makes things happen with his versatility, athleticism, and ability to shoot the lights out.  So obviously Anderson will be an excellent complement to 7'0 Toni Soda from Patterson (The Patterson School) NC, who verbally committed to the Cornhuskers earlier this fall, and all of the other good young players, like 6'9 Jr B.J. Walker, 6'11 Soph Aleks Maric, 6'5 Soph Joe McCray, 6'2 Frosh Marcus Walker, 6'8 Frosh Chris Balham, and 6'3 Frosh Jamel White, that Nebraska head coach Barry Collier already has in the program.  As a matter of fact, we think it's only a matter of time before the Cornhuskers move into the upper echelon of the tough Big-12 Conference, thanks to Collier's great coaching and Scott Spinelli's great recruiting.  Remember, Collier is one of the best X's and O's guys in the business and Spinelli is one of the fastest rising assistant coaches in the nation and he has more than his fair share of international, prep school, and junior college contacts.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'6 David Brewster from Silver Spring (Springbrook) MD has verbally committed to the University of Richmond and 6'7 Brian Grimes from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH has verbally committed to La Salle and and they become the third and fourth players in these respective recruiting classes.  If you will recall, La Salle already has landed 6'6 Kimmani Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'5 Rodney Green from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, and 6'7 Yves Mekongo-Mbala from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and Richmond already has landed 6'9 Dan Geriot from Springfield (H.S.) PA and 6'5 Brian Morris from Camp Hill (Trinity) PA.  And, just like Geriot and Morris, Brewster, who is a pure 3-point shooter, should thrive in the Princeton-like system that Richmond head coach Chris Mooney is sure to implement at this Atlantic-10 school.  With Grimes, who originally is from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, picking the Explorers, he's returning home and it will be interesting to see how La Salle head coach John Giannini deals with Grimes' father, who has a reputation for being one of the most overzealous parents in the nation.  However, if anybody who can get the most out of this talented face-up power forward, it's Giannini, who not only is one of the most astute up-and-coming head coaches in the nation, but also seems to have a great rapport with his players.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio and Tony Bergeron, who is the head coach of Bronx (Wings) NY and is a great friend of the HOOP SCOOP, both tell us that 6'10 James Carr from Bronx (Wings) NY has picked Siena.  Carr is ranked #682 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and his offensive game is way behind his ability to defend and block shots.  But, like they say, you can't teach size.  Carr also should be an excellent complement to 6'6 Edwin Ubiles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who is ranked #48 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and verbally committed to Siena a-month-and-a-half ago, and 6'5 Alex Franklin from Reading (Central Catholic) PA, who is ranked #17 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Area by Rubin and verbally committed to Siena last week.  And the Saints aren't done yet, as we also think Siena may be close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'7 Cory McGee from Fairport (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #386 nationally in the senior class.  And, if this happens, then Siena's recruiting class, which currently is tied at #88, along with Pacific, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, would widen the gap even further with the #1-ranked recruiting class in the Metro Atlantic Conference.  Our Alabama Editor Mark Komara confirms that 6'9 Johnny Lett from Mobile (B.C. Rain) AL.  And this one is intriguing, despite the fact Lett was soft and very disappointing this summer and, as a result, is ranked no higher than #244 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Yes, this is the same guy who was the leading rebounder at the Reebok ABCD Camp a-year-and-a-half ago when he was a rising junior and, if the light ever clicks on again, there is no telling how good this athletic shot blocker/rebounder/defender can become.  It also appears that the University of Alabama had won the race for 6'4 Verice Cloyd from Mendenhall (Genesis One) MS and this is big, because we're talking about the guy who our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson had ranked as the #1 senior in the state until we confirmed that Cloyd was a 5th Year Player.  And Cloyd is capable of playing both guard spots, which means he's ideally suited to help back-up 6'2 Soph Ronald Steele for the next two years, as well as battle 6'5 Frosh Alonzo Gee, 6'4 Mikhail Torrance from Semmes (Mary Montgomery) AL, and 6'2 Justin Tubbs from Birmingham (Hewitt Trussville) AL at the 2-guard spot.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that Petras Balozak from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA has verbally committed to East Tennessee State and, what Balozak lacks in finesse and athleticism, he more than makes up for with his skills and toughness around the basket.  Davis, who is the head coach at Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, also notes that he has three other players - 6'4 Solomon Tat to Virginia, 5'10 Baptist Bataille to Northeastern, and 6'7 Ousmane Cisse to Kansas State - who have already made verbal commitments and that 6'4 Alek Mrozik, 6'11 Krostph Janiszewski, and 6'8 Jakub Gademski are still left on the board and are being recruited at the mid-to-low Division I level.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Lawrence Westbrook from Winchendon (School) MA has verbally committed to Iowa State.  And this is an extremely interesting catch, because Westbrook and 6'3 P. Allen Stinnett from Las Vegas (Palos Verdes) NV, who is ranked #92 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to Iowa State earlier this fall, are both prolific scoring guards.  Moral to the story, there may not be enough basketballs to go around.