HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION FOR OCTOBER 2004

Saturday, October 30, 2004, & Sunday, October 31, 2004

One of the big stories at the Second Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge yesterday at Rutgers University was the fact that 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #4 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, let it be known that he plans to pick Maryland over Villanova at a press conference that is scheduled for today.  And, while this is great news for the Terrapins, because Clark is good enough to walk in and immediately challenge 6'8 Jr Nik-Caner Medley for playing time a year from now, it's bad news for the Wildcats.  Remember, Clark not only verbally committed to Villanova a-year-and-a-half ago, but he also appeared to be link that helped the Wildcats secure a verbal commitment from 5'11 Frosh Kyle Lowry, who is one of Clark's best friends, last spring.  Clark told us that he will pick Maryland because Terrapins have one of the best programs in college basketball and head coach Gary Williams has a great track record of having players go on to play in the NBA.  And all this is important, because it illustrates where both programs are on the college basketball spectrum.   Obviously Maryland is continuing to build upon their NCAA Final Four appearance in 2002 and NCAA Championship in 2003 and, as a result, getting Clark almost makes up for the fact that they lost out a year ago to Connecticut for 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD.  But for Villanova to have lost Clark is a lot more devastating than when Maryland lost Gay, because Clark is both a local kid and he initially cast his lot with the Wildcats, but later changed his mind.  Sure, Villanova has some excellent young players in the program (i.e  Lowry, 6'0 Frosh Michael Nardi, 6'8 Soph Will Sheridan) who should help make the transition easier when 6'9 Jr Jason Fraser, 6'2 Jr Allan Ray, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter, and 6'3 Jr Randy Foye all graduate a-year-and-a-half from now.  And their two curent recruits - 6'5 Dwayne Anderson from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and 6'7 Dante Cunningham from Washington (St. John's) DC - both have big upsides and they still have plenty of time to fill the rest of their needs with the Class of 2006.  However, suddenly it appears that Villanova can't beat the elite programs in the nation for the top players in their backyard and, as a result, the perception that goes with losing the player is just as important as actually losing the player.  Ironically, Clark fills the same need for Maryland that Gay would have filled,because we're talking about an athletic combo forward who projects as wing forward at the next level.  But, in sharp contrast, Clark isn't as big and strong physically as Gay, he does not shoot it as well, isn't as consistent, and doesn't have the killer mentality around the basket.  In other words, Clark should have a good four-year college career at Maryland, while Gay will probably only last at Connecticut for a year or two.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also talked with some of the other top players at the Second Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge and the list for 7'1 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ includes Duke, Stanford, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Connecticut.  Navy, Penn State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Providence, and Rhode Island are the leaders for 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA.  Villanova, Xavier, Penn State, Auburn, La Salle, UTEP, Pittsburgh, Georgetown, St. Francis-PA, and Marshall are all in the hunt for 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  The early favorites for 6'1 Soph Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA are Arizona, N.C. State, North Carolina, Syracuse, Villanova, La Salle, and St. Joseph's.  The list for 6'8 Soph Richard Jackson from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA includes already Connecticut, St. Joseph's, La Salle, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Temple, Villanova, and Syracuse.  Syracuse, Notre Dame, Clemson, Villanova, St. Joseph's, La Salle, and Temple are already in the hunt for 6'3 Soph Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA.  Duke, Villanova, St. Joseph's, and Pittsburgh were mentioned by 6'2 Soph Andrew Pomager from Philadelphia (North East Catholic) PA.  Villanova, St. Joseph's, Temple, Syracuse, and St. John's the early favorites for 6'2 Soph Malcolm Eleby from Philadelphia (Franklin Learning Center) PA.  By far and away the best individual performance of the entire day was turned in by 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, who finished with 34 points, 29 of which came in the second half, as the Philadelphia Juniors beat the New Jersey Juniors, 84-77.  Ellington, who is ranked #13 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, behind 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (JC) NJ, 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, and 6'3 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, also hit seven 3-pointers and helped bring his team back from a 16-point deficit to take a 58-50 third quarter lead.  And, in the process, Ellington scored 10 points in the third quarter and hit a pair of treys to start the 4th quarter.  Ellington was complemented by 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, who finished with 13 points and was the only other player on the winning team to finish in double-digits.  The best player on the New Jersey Juniors was 6'9 Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who finished with 21 points.  The biggest surprise of the day was 6'5 Soph Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who impressed us his athleticism, competitiveness, and ability to play both inside and outside.  Robinson, who finished with 21 points and four 3-pointers, also was the primary reason why the New Jersey Sophomores beat the Philadelphia Sophomores, 97-85.  Also chipping with 20 points for the New Jersey Sophomores was 6'5 Soph Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, while 6'1 Soph Antonio "Scoop" Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'3 Soph Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA,and 6'7 Soph Richard Jackson from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA combined for 51 points for the Philadelphia Sophmores.  The Philadelphia Seniors also beat the New Jersey Seniors, 88-78, as the Philly Teams took two out of three games from New Jersey for the second year in a row, thanks primarily to the efforts of 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'4 Stephan Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who combined for 53 points.  However, the best player in the game was 6'8 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, who finished with 15 points and was equally effective both inside and outside.  We also thought 6'8 Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph's) NJ, 6'6 Jaron Griffin from Manchester (Township) NJ, and 6'2 Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, all of whom are heading to Rutgers, played well, as they combined for 26 points, but were disappointed by all the big men in the senior game, as 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ finished with nine points, 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ and 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA both had only four points a piece, and 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA had only one point.

Friday, October 29, 2004

If 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA had not made it official for Auburn last week and 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY and 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX had not reneged on Texas and Miami-FL, we would be down to only nine players who are ranked among the top 100 seniors nationally who are still available.  And we still think Barber will eventually wind up at Auburn; 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA will pick Tennessee; 6'8 Alfred Aboyo from Tilton (School) NH will pick either UCLA or Georgetown; 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL will pick either Illinois or Gonzaga; 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY will pick St. John's, Pittsburgh, or Miami-FL; 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA will pick Oklahoma State after he first attends a year of prep school next year; and 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC will pick George Mason.  In other words, there are only five players - Davis, Bennett, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montros Christian) MD, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, and 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H..S.) PA - who are ranked among the top 100 that somebody might be able to walk in and steal.  Davis' list now includes Syracuse, Texas, St. John's, UCLA, Indiana, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Villanova, Florida State, Virginia Tech, South Florida, and New Mexico State, but it promises to get bigger before it gets smaller.  Echefu is being recruited by schools like Florida State, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, and Arizona.  Flowers has been mentioned with Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, USC, UNLV, Oklahoma, and Wake Forest.  Bennett is considering Miami-FL, Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, and Arizona.  Tribbett's top three schools are Navy, Rutgers, and Penn State, but our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Tribbett won't sign until spring and he's still wide open.  And, if we include 5th Year Players, then you can add 6'8 Leo Criswell from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and 6'0 Eric Price from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA both to the list.  If you will recall, Criswell has schools like Missouri, Oklahoma State, UCLA, UNLV, Indiana, and St. John's on his list and Price is so wide open that we aren't even sure who the serious contenders are on his list.  Sure, 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'0 Eric Price from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA are also still available, but, if Blatche doesn't enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, he'll likely go to Syracuse; Clark's final two are Maryland and Villanova; Goodridge's final two are Georgetown and Pittsburgh; Thomas is expected to return to prep school for another year; and Rush will likely enter his named into the NBA Draft next spring.  We also find the fact that University of Maryland accepted a verbal commitment from 6'2 Jr Eric Hayes from Dumfries (Potomac) VA, who is ranked #327 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP interesting.  However, when one considers the fact that Hayes has always been a Terrapins fan, promises to be an excellent role player, and isn't good enough to scare off 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and/or 5'10 Soph Chris Wright from Washington (St. Albans) DC, both of whom also are Maryland recruiting priorities, then it makes a little more sense.  It also appears that Radford has filled both of its immediate needs (a point guard and a shooter) by landing 5'11 Stanley Pringle from Virginia Beach (Landtown) VA and 6'4 Kenny Thomas from Highland Springs (H.S.) VA.  Pringle also uses his lightning quickness and ability to get to the basket to put points on the scoreboard and Thomas is an excellent athlete and a very good outside shooter.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Oakland has landed 5'9 Clyde McKinney from Lansing (Everett) MI, who is ranked #401 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this too is an excellent catch, because we're talking about a scoring point guard who should be an excellent complement to the other two players - 6'3 Eric Kangas from DeWitt (H.S.) MI and 6'10 Aaron Gardner from Frankton (H.S.) IN - that the Golden Grizzles already have in their recruiting class.  We also have confirmed via Big Apple Sports three more junior college commitments from 6'9 Mark Kelley from Citrus (JC) CA to UC-Irvine, 6'7 Clint Burris from Olney Central (JC) IL to Weber State, and 6'6 Chris Francois from Blinn (JC) TX to Birmingham (Southern) AL.  And the verbal commitment by Burris is especially significant, because he's ranked #53 on our list of the Top Junior College Players, which makes him the equivalent of a top 100 high school senior nationally.  Last, but not least, Rubin tells us that Temple has landed 6'11 Sergio Olmos from Spain. 

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the recruitment for 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has gotten ridiculous again, as schools like Syracuse, Texas, UCLA, Indiana, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Cincinnati Villanova, Florida State, Virginia Tech, South Florida, and New Mexico State have all been calling this week.  However, when it is all said and done, we think Davis may surprise everybody and pick St. John's.  Sure, Naclerio would probably rather see Davis go elsewhere, but Davis has a great support system already in place in New York City, there is plenty of playing time available at the power forward spot at St. John's, and the Red Storm coaching staff is second to none when it comes to establishing the right contacts and getting it done.  Don't believe it?  Well, the fact that they've already landed 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL, who is ranked as the #10 junior college player in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'7 Anthony Mason from Memphis (Fairley) TN, who is ranked #144 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; illustrates the fact that Norm Roberts and his staff haven't lost their touch when it comes to being able to recruit top notch players.  And, with Spears already in the fold, the addition of Davis would give Roberts not one, but two of the best young inside players in the league a year from now.  And that's saying a lot when one remembers that Louisville landed 6'8 Juan Diego Palacious and 6'9 Brian Johnson a year ago, has 6'10 David Padgett, who transferred from Kansas last spring, sitting out, and 6'10 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA already verbally committed in this recruiting class; Connecticut landed 6'8 Frosh Rudy Gay, who likely will be the Freshman-of-the-Year in the Big East this season, a year ago and 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ and 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH are both apart of their current recruiting class; Syracuse landed 6'8 Frosh Dayshawn Wright a year ago; Marquette landed 6'10 Frosh Ousmane Barro a year ago; Notre Dame has a verbal commitment from 6'11 Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN; and Pittsburgh has gotten 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ and 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  If we turn out to be right about Davis going to St. John's, then suddenly the Red Storm's recruiting class would move up to #14, behind Louisville, Duke, Mississippi, Memphis, North Carolina,Washington, LSU, Alabama, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Arizona, Marquette, and Connecticut, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Or if Davis picks either Syracuse or Texas, both of which are currently tied at #22 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, then one of these recruiting classes will move up 10 spots on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Remember, those are the two schools that have been recruiting Davis the longest and the strongest and the Orangemen already have verbal commitments from 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY and 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and the Longhorns already have verbal commitments from 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX and 6'6 C.J.Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX.  We also wouldn't be surprised if somebody like Indiana, UCLA, or North Carolina won out in the Theo Davis-sweepstakes.  If the Hoosiers pull this off, then their recruiting class, which already includes 6'10 Ben Allen from Australia, 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, and 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN, would move up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  So would UCLA's recruiting class, which is currently tied at #36, along with Indiana, College of Charleston, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Colorado State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, 6'2 Darren Collison from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, and 6'7 Luc Richard Mbah A Moute from Montverde (Academy) FL.  Or, if Davis picks North Carolina, then their recruiting class, which is currently ranked #5 on our of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, would move up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this actually would make a lot of sense, because Naclerio, who also is Davis' high school coach, is a big fan of Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams and Davis would more than make up for the fact they recently finished second to Alabama for 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL and lost out to Connecticut for 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ.  However, even the addition of Davis will not be enough for the Tar Heels to move ahead of Duke, which earlier this week landed 6'4 Martiynas Pocius from Plymouth (Holderness) NH, into the #2 spot on our list Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Speaking of Pocius, our International Editor Chris Johnson thinks this is a major steal for the Blue Devils.  We're talking about a skilled athletic white kid who can shoot the three and electrify the crowd with his great leaping ability, explosiveness, and alley-oop dunks.  Pocius did not play anywhere this spring and summer, except for the Lithuanian Junior National Team, but he must be pretty good, because several professional teams in Europe have been trying to convince him to play professionally, instead of coming to the United States and going to prep school.  Thus, explains why we have added Pocius to our 5th Year List. 

Patrick Stanwood was at the adidas Rookie Sensations Camp at Sante Fe Junior College in Gainesville, FL last weekend and the two players who impressed him the most were 6'7 Soph A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL and 6'6 Soph Marcel Williams from Ocoee (West Orange) FL.  Stewart also won Sophomore MVP honors and 6'0 Frosh Miquel Paul from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL won the award for freshmen.  The co-sleepers at the camp were 6'3 Frosh Luke Loucks from Clearwater (H.S.) FL and 5'8 Frosh Kenny Williams from Lake City (Columbia) FL.    In addition to Stewart, Williams, and Paul, the Top 20 All-Star Team at the camp also included 5'6 Soph Todd Brown from Williston (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Frosh Ameer Brown from Montverde (Academy) FL, 5'10 Soph Rod Bombard from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'4 Soph Andrew Durst from Tampa (Jesuit) FL, 6'4 Soph Andy Summerlin from Mt. Dora (H.S.) FL, 6'4 8th Grader Emari Bailey from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'5 Soph Fabian Wilson from Monticello (Jefferson County) FL, 5'9 Frosh Anthony Salter from Tallahassee (Rickards) FL, 6'2 Soph Anthony Scott from Tallahassee (Rickards) FL, 6'2 Soph Ian Scott from Mt. Dora (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Soph Watkins Williams from Brandon (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Soph Idell Bell from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'8 Frosh Adam Pegg from Palm Harbor (University) FL, 6'4 Soph Willie Powers from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 6'0 Frosh Myck Brown from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 5'9 Soph Joshua Jones from Ocala (Trinity Catholic) FL, 6'4 Brandon Caputo from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, and Terrance Howell from Lakealnd (Kathleen) FL.  Now also seems like a good time to catch up on some other unfinished business, like Tim Miller's list of the top 50 players that he saw in early August at the 9-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  Yes, we're talking about 4th Graders and the top 10 are listed in order as follows:   1) Roschon Price from Los Angeles, CA, 2) Julius Kyle from Richardson, TX, 3) Cayton Drekalo from Orlando, FL, 4) Will Ferguson from Washington, DC, 5) Kasy Hill from Orlandon, FL, 6) Brian Beard from Los Angeles, CA, 7) Jaquel Richmond from Greensboro, NC, 8) Ben Omegue from Grand Prairie, TX, 9) Trevon Bluiett from Indianapolis, IN, and 10) Marquise Moore from Queens, NY.  The rest of the list is in alphabetical order and it includes Diante Baldwin from Greensboro, NC, Daveon Ball from Indiana, Bernard Beard from Corona, CA, Ryan Berg from Scottsdale, AZ, James Blackmon from Marion, IN, Jalen Brown from Indiana, Donald Campbell from Washington, DC, Craig Cantrell from Memphis, TN, Julvan Chup from Maryland, Reggie Comeron from New Jersey, Rasheed Corbin from Baltimore, MD, Dorian Dawkins from Detroit, MI, Joshua Davenport from Cincinnati, OH, William Davis from Queens, NY, Kyle Delaveaga from Scottsdale, AZ, Cameron Epps from Mansfield, TX, Jamal Greenwood from Maryland, Ty Gumble from Upper Marlboro, MD, Kendal Harris from Plano, TX, Aaron Harrison from Houston, TX, Christian Harrison from Greenboro, NC, Kelvin Howard from Newport News, VA, Keith Kirkland from Neptune, NJ, Trevor Lloyns from Newport News, VA, Chandler Malone from De Soto, TX, Devon McClenton from Maryland, Quinten Snyder from Kentucky, Lonce Tejada from Bronx, NY, Evan Tubbard from Neptune, NJ, Xazavier Turner from Indiana, Derrick Walton from Detroit, MI,Lonell Washington from New Jersey, Darius White from Cincinnati, OH, Austin Williams from Queens, NY, Jonathan Williams from Memphis, TN, Troy Williams from Los Angeles, CA, Troy Williams from Newport News, VA, Travis Wyche from Neptune, NJ, and Rod Young from Ft. Worth, TX.  Also better late than never are the "Cream of the Crop" Top 25 Selections from the 2004 Fullcourt Press All-Frosh/Soph Camp, which was held October 9th-10th in Cypress, CA.  Heading the list is 6'6 Soph Omondi Amoke from Oxnard (H.S.) CA, who was the consensus Most Outstanding Player in camp, although an ankle injury prevented this versatile athlete from playing in the all-star game.  The rest of the list in alphabetical order includes 6'4 Soph Gabe Adler from Poway (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Soph Alvner Alkhas from Irvine (Northwood) CA, 6'5 Soph Larry Anderson from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, 6'2 Soph Jonathan Atkins from Las Vegas (Trinity) NV, 6'6 Soph Tyler Bernardini from San Diego (Parker) CA, 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'3 Frosh Jamual Bryant from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'3 Frosh Jarrid Bryant from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'3 Frosh Quamaine Crymes from Los Angeles (View Point) CA, 5'10 Soph Kirdy Elisadez from Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 6'1 Soph Paul Frzaell from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 5'9 Frosh Nathan Garth from Sacramento (Capital Christian) CA, 6'5 Soph Jim Hirschman from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'5 Soph Justin Holiday from North Hollywood (Campbell Hall) CA, 6'6 Soph Darshawn McClellan from Fresno (Edison) CA, 6'10 Soph Melvyn Oliver from Las Vegas (Cheyenne) NV, 6'0 Frosh Jason Pruitt from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, 6'4 Soph Kieran Ramsey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'2 Soph Eliot Rushton from Victoria (Oak Bay) BC, 6'6 Soph Tim Shelton from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'2 Soph Marcus Shannon from San Diego (Hoover) CA, 6'0 Frosh Chris Solomon from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 5'11 Soph Alex Tucker from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, and 6'7 Soph Kenton Walker from San Diego (Scripps Ranch) CA.  Trigonis, who has had what seems like an event every weekend this fall, but is a-year-and-a-half behind with regards to updating his California Report, also provides us with a list of some of the standouts from his Inaugural Fullcourt Press/805 Fall Showcase, which was held at Carpinteria High School near Santa Barbara, CA.  The top players in the Senior Game included 6'6 Kevin McDowell from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Josh Deane from Oxnard (Rio Mesa) CA, 6'4 Shane Poppen from Thousand Oaks (H.S.) CA, 6'7 A.J. Maulhardt from Ojai (Nordhoff) CA, 6'1 Tyler Acevedo from Agoura (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jonathan Aiwazian from Moorpark (H.S.) CA, 5'10 Jalani Hicks from Goleta (Dos Pueblos) CA, 6'2 David Noell from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, and 5'11 Jeff West from Lompoc (Cabrillo) CA and the top players in the Junior Game were 6'8 Jr Nick Larson from Ventura (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jr Nick Palmer from Ventura (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Jr Tyler Williams from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, and 6'5 Jr Joshua Ranger from Carpinteria (H.S.) CA. 

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

We've been telling you for months that the University of Connecticut was the heavy favorite for 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, so, once again, it look like we were right on the money, as this huge physical specimen with an incredible upside announced for the Huskies earlier today.  Bynum is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but what makes him so intriguing are his post-up skills around the basket, mammoth size, and tremendous potential.   In other words, Connecticut landed themselves somebody who is good enough to walk in a year from now and be an immediate impact player right away, but also isn't good enough yet to be thinking about making the jump to the league anytime soon.  The addition of Bynum moves Connecticut's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, into a tie at #12, along with Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, Connecticut gets an A+ in terms of filling their needs.  If you will recall, Adrian is a killer inside and Johnson is a world-class athlete who has dramatically improved his perimeter skills and consistency, which means the Huskies now have three players who are the equivalent of being ranked among the top 50 high school seniors nationally, as Adrian checks in at #11 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and Johnson is ranked #29 nationally on our list of the top seniors.  The Huskies also don't have a senior on scholarship in the program, so, unless somebody else decides to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, the Huskies should be even better a year from now than they were a year ago when they won their second NCAA Championship in the last six years.  And, if 6'0 Frosh A.J. Price, who recently suffered an intracranial hemorrhage, is able to recover quicker than expected, the Huskies might just make it a repeat this year.  Remember, with Price, 6'2 Soph Marcus Johnson, and 6'2 Frosh Antonio Kellogg at point guard; 6'5 Jr Rashad Anderson, 6'5 Jr Denham Brown, 6'6 Jr Ryan Thompson out on the perimeter; 6'9 Frosh Rudy Gay and 6'10 Soph Charlie Villanueva playing both inside and outside, and 6'10 Soph Josh Boone, 6'8 Jr Ed Nelson, 6'10 Jr Hilton Armstrong, and 6'8 Soph Marcus White all available for duty inside, we were considering  making Connecticut our pre-season #1-ranked team this year prior to when Price was sidelined indefinitely several weeks ago.   And, if something like this does happen, then suddenly you could make the argument that Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun is the best coach in college basketball today.  Did you know that Calhoun, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Texas Tech's Bob Knight are the only three active head coaches who have won more than one NCAA Championship and that Calhoun and Kentucky's Tubby Smith are the only two active head coaches who are undefeated in the NCAA Final Four?  Calhoun, who has a career record of 680-302, also is ranked #7 among active NCAA Division head coaches and #18 on the all-time win list, but some of the credit for Connecticut's success also has to go to Huskies assistant coach Tom Moore, who is the other constant in the program over the last 10 years and is as good as there is at getting his team involved early and laying the foundation in the recruiting process.  Also continuing to put all the pieces together is Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, who just continues to stockpile good young talent in the program.  Their latest addition is 6'8 Cassan Breeden from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) FL, who is ranked #114 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Breeden needs to improve his outside shooting, but is a world-class athlete who should fit in nicely with the other two players - 6'9 Jerome Habel from Palm Beach (JC) FL and 6'8 Ryan Reid from Lauderdale Lake (Boyd Anderson) FL - already in this recruiting class and 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, if he doesn't by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  If Brumbaigh does verbally commit to Florida State this fall, that would moves their recruiting class up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if Brumbaugh does enroll in school a year from now, then the Seminoles would suddenly have all the pieces to the puzzle necessary to challenge Duke, North Carolina, and Maryland for supremacy in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005-2006.  Remember, they already have plenty of firepower in the backcourt with 6'1 Frosh Isaiah Swann, 6'3 Frosh Jason Rich, 6'5 Soph Von Wafer, 5'11 Jr Todd Galloway, 6'2 Frosh Ralph Mims; 6'10 Jr Diego Romero and 6'10 Alexander Johnson should complement one another extremely well inside; and Brumbaugh, Habel, Breeden, Reid, 6'6 Jr Antonio Griffin, 6'6 Jr Andrew Wilson, and 6'7 Soph Al Thornton will provide all kinds of options at the forwards spots.  We also have checked again on the status of 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and, not only has he not verbally committed yet to Auburn, but, it appears that he may add another school or two to his list and take some more visits.  If you will recall, everybody assumed that it was going to happen early last week, but, unlike most people in our business, it is not the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to report verbal commitments and signing without getting official confirmation.  As a matter of fact, several sportswriters, including Jerry Tipton in the Lexington Herald-Leader, have reported that Barber did pick Auburn last week and, as a result, obviously don't know what they are talking about.  We also told you over the weekend that 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, who is ranked #82 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had reneged on his verbal commitment to Miami-FL, but didn't provide you with a list of schools that are now recruiting him.  But Patrick Stanwood of the HOOP SCOOP is now providing us with a list, which includes Miami--FL, Texas, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas A&M, and Arizona.  Our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'7 Nicheous Dokes from Trenton (Peabody) TN, who is ranked #18 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has committed to Chattanooga and 6'6 Colin Cunningham from Memphis (White Station) TN, who is ranked #22 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked Holy Cross and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Oakland has added a pair of verbal commitments from 6'1 Eric Kangas from Dewitt (H.S.) MI, who might be the best pure 3-point shooter in Michigan, and 6'10 Aaron Gardner from Frankton (H.S.) IN, who is intriguing due to his size.  It also appears that Rutgers head coach Gary Waters has taken advantage of his Midwest roots to land 6'8 Zach Gibson from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #274 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and, as a result, the Scarlet Knights' recruiting class moves into a tie at #42, along with Utah State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Slam Dunk to the Beach Exexcutive Director Bobby Jacobs as a no-show for our weekly radio show on Sunday night, which you can list to by clicking on HOOP SCOOP On-Radio, but our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennslyvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin caught up with Jacobs today and he confirms that the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational, which was scheduled for November 19th-21st in Milford, DE, has been rescheduled for early March.  However, Jacobs swears up and down that this year's Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE, which is scheduled for December 26th-30th, will go off as originally planned.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

One of the things that separates the HOOP SCOOP from most our competition is our strong network of area and state-by-state editors and correspondents who provide us with recruiting information and players rankings at the grass roots level and no one does a better job of doing this than our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson, who is an excellent evaluator of talent and second to none with regards to always being extremely conscientious and right on the money.  We mention this not just because the state of Mississippi is still one of the most underrecruited and underpublicized states in the nation, but also because we are finally (I've had to stop and deal with a seemingly endless number of verbal commitments every time we've started working on Johnson's Report in recent weeks) ready to publish Johnson's updated Mississippi Report.   This report features four All-State Team's, which include Johnson's rankings of the top 20 players in the state regardless of position and class; some interesting comments and analysis; and his rankings in order of the top 93 seniors, 51 juniors, 20 sophomores, 12 freshmen, and four 8th Graders in the state, which you can get by clicking on Johnson Ranks 'Em:  The Top Players in Mississippi.  And when one remembers that this state has always been a fertile recruiting ground when it comes to looking for the sleeper off the beaten path and has produced some incredible talent in recent years, including 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'9 Darius Rice from Jackson (Lanier) MS, and 6'11 Jonathan Bender from Picayune (H.S.) MS, and 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, then suddenly this becomes a very important state, despite it's small population.  Johnson also tells us that following in all of the just mentioned players' footsteps is 6'68th Grader Renardo Grant from Jackson (Peeples Middle) MS, who promises to be the next great player in the state after Ellis graduates next spring.  And Mississippi isn't the only state in the Deep South, where the HOOP SCOOP is way ahead of the game.  As a matter of fact, our Alabama Editor Mark Komara tells us that he plans to get us an Alabama Report sometime next month.   However, before that happens, we first plan to publish Illinois and Philalelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Reports.  The Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Report should be better than ever, as once again Allen Rubin is expected to provide us with more names than the Philadelphia phonebook, and the Illinois Report will be done with a major assist from Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois PrepBulls-eye Report.  Also, unlike in the past, when the Schmidt's used to be our Illinois Editor's, there will be some major differences in our rankings and their rankings of the top players in the state - i.e. 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'9 Marcus Young from Chicago (Austin) IL, and 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL.  We also will provide you with some names that the Schmidt's don't yet have on their list, including 7'0 Charles McFarland from Lovington (H.S.) IL, and rankings of the some of the top young players in the state, like 5'5 Frosh Verdel Jones from Champaign, IL, 5'7 Frosh Isaiah Williams from Chicago, IL, and 5'9 8th Grader Glenn Wallace from Bellwood (Roosevelt) IL.  In other words, there will be more than enough differences to make it important for anybody interested in Illinois High School Basketball to get a hold of both lists and compare the two.  Roy Schmidt also has some interesting recruiting information to pass along and right the top of the list is the fact that 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL is down to two schools (Illinois and Gonzaga).  Schmidt also tells us that Purdue, Iowa, Seton Hall, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, and DePaul all still should be mentioned for 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, although a year of prep school may be first in his future.  And the same also may be the case with 6'1 Angel Santiago from Chicago (Von Steuben) IL and 6'7 Jeremiah Bryant from Chicago (Harlan) IL.  Schmidt also tells us that the list for 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL is getting longer, instead of getting shorter, as Duke, Illinois, California, Kansas, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Michigan State, North Carolina, UCLA, and Arizona.  The early favorites for 6'1 Jr Willie Walker from Romeoville (H.S.) IL includes DePaul, Baylor, Northwestern, Michigan State, Marquette, Illinois, Georgia Tech, California, N.C. State, and Wisconsin; the two you have to beat for 5'10 Jr Sharron Collins from Chicago (Crane) IL are Illinois and Iowa; 6'4 Jr Devan Bewinkel from Winnebago (H.S.) IL likes DePaul, Northwestern, Iowa, Marquette, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Northern Illinois; 6'3 Jr Chris Singletary from Chicago (Farragut) IL likes Illinois, Marquette, DePaul, Seton Hall, and Kentucky; and 6'7 Robert Eppinger from Rockford (Jefferson) IL is getting the most attention from Illinois, UNLV, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Purdue.  But the most interesting thing that Schmidt told us involves 6'3 Soph Derrick Rose from Chicago (Simeon) IL, who already is being recruited by Illinois, Kansas, Michigan State, Marquette, Purdue, and the NBA.   Yes, the NBA!  "Not only is Rose the best player that Simeon High School has produced since Ben Wilson, but he might be the best player state right now," says Schmidt.  And that's a heck of a statement when one remembers that 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL and 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL are our #3 and #14-ranked seniors nationally and 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IL is our #15-ranked junior nationally.  In other words, Schmidt thinks Rose is better right now than three players who will be probable McDonald's All-American's in the two classes ahead of him. 

Monday, October 25, 2004

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis has the scoop on 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, who made an official visit to Texas Tech and verbally committed to the Red Raiders over the weekend.  And this is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Lowhorn is a tough hardnosed undersized athletic power forward who doesn't take any prisoners inside.   In other words, Lowhorn is the force on the boards that head coach Bob Knight can build his program around for the next four years.  Second, Lowhorn is an excellent player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #84 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the subject of a lot of interest from college coaches last summer.  As a matter of fact, several head coaches at high Division I schools told us that they liked Lowhorn better than 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is ranked #25 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is bound for Duke.  They're similar type players, but Lowhorn's a lot more athletic and knows what he is (a killer inside).  In contrast, Boykin spends too much time playing away from the basket and, as a result, doesn't always take advantage of his aggressiveness inside and knack for getting seemingly every rebound.  Third, Lowhorn should provide the perfect complement to all of the other good young players that the Red Raiders have in this recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Justin Wilkerson from Greenville (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Terry Martin from Monroe (Ridgewood) LA, 6'7 Michael Prince from Plano (West) TX, 6'7 Dazzmond Thornton from Denver (East) CO, and 6'7 Jeremey Buttel from Colleyville (Heritage) TX.  Fourth, the addition of Lowhorn moves Texas Tech's recruiting class back up to #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Fifth, getting Lowhorn gives the Red Raiders an important link into the state, as well as the Bay Area.  If you will recall, Texas Tech has several players - 6'8 Damir Suljagic from Tucson (Salpointe Catholic) AZ and 6'8 Philip Harbaugh from Corvallis (H.S.) OR - from the West Coast, but they don't have anybody currently on their roster from California.  Another one of the top 10 seniors still available is 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, but this mammoth-like center who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP won't be much longer, because he's got a press conference scheduled for Wednesday.  And the smart money is on the University of Connecticut, which has made him one of their top recruiting priorities all along.   And, assuming that we are correct, the addition of Bynum will move the Huskies' recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, into a tie at #12, along with Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, if we're wrong, a verbal commitment by Bynum to North Carolina will move the Tar Heels recruiting class, which is currently ranked #5 and already includes 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Or, if Bynum picks Georgia Tech, then the Yellowjackets' recruiting class, which is tied at #31, along with Iowa State and Purdue, and already includes 6'3 Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA, 6'9 Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA, 6'6 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, and 6'1 Austin Jackson from Denton (Ryan) TX, will move up to #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed that Wisconsin-Green Bay has gotten a head-start on the future with a verbal commitment from 6'2 Jr Troy Cotton from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, who is arguably the #6th best junior in the state, behind 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WA, 6'1 Jr Trevon Hughes from Delafield (St. John NW Academy) WI, 6'11 Jr Mitchell Carter from Milwaukee (Rufus King) WI, Wisconsin-bound 6'10 Jr J.P. Gavinksi from Wisconsin Dells (H.S.) WI, and Marquette-bound 6'4 Jr Anthony Green from Beliot (Memorial) WI.  Obviously this is important, because it means that the Phoenix have landed the best player in their backyard who wasn't going to sign with a school at the high Division i level in two consecutive recruiting classes.  Remember, Wisconsin-Green Bay recently got a verbal commitment from 6'7 Ryan Tillema from Randolph (H.S.) WI, who is ranked #188 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and last spring they landed 6'5 Cordero Barkley from Racine (St. Catherine) WI, who is ranked #197 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Mike Schactner from Somerset (H.S.) WI, who is ranked #245 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Not only this mean that Wisconsin-Green Bay has verbal commitments from our #4, #5, and #6-ranked seniors in the state, behind Marquette-bound 6'3 Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI, Wisconsin-bound 6'8 Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, and 6'8 James Johnson from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, but it also puts the Phoenix into a position to be one of the best teams in the Horizon League for years to come.  As for Cotton's game, he's best described as a combo guard with an excellent understanding of the game and the ability to put up prolific numbers, as is evident by the fact that he's one of the best 3-point shooters in the state.  Also over the weekend the University of Iowa received an early verbal commitment from 6'8 Jr Jon Workman from LaGrange (Lakeland) IN, who is ranked #172 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, this should come as no surprise, because Hawkeyes head coach Steve Alford, who was one of the most popular players ever at Indiana University, is still as strong as ever in the Hoosier State.  Workman also promises to be important piece to the puzzle in the future, because he's versatile enough to play either forward spot, although he will need get a lot bigger and stronger, if he wants to have a chance to battle 6'9 Frosh Alex Thompson for playing time at the power forward after 6'7 Jr Greg Brunner has graduated two years from now.   Instead, we project Workman more as a wing forward, because shot nearly 45% from beyond the arc a year ago, is very skilled out on the perimter, and, at 6'8, is still growing.  We also understand that Manhattan has received an early verbal commitment from 6'1 Jr Andre Tarver from Bronx (Wings) NY, who is ranked #229 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and #12 in the junior class in New York City by Ron Naclerio.  Obviously this is a case, whereby, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez was able to take advantage of his old Five-Star connections (Tarver plays high school basketball for Tony Bergeron, who is the recruiting coordinator for the Five-Star Camp), but this commitment also is very significant, because Tarver can play either guard spot, is one of the best 3-point shooters in the city, and he's picking the Jaspers a full year in advance.   It also also appears that Manhattan has won the race for 6'6 Devon Austin from White Plains (H.S.) NY, who is another lights out 3-point shooter and is regarded by some as one of the biggest sleepers in the Northeast.  However, in the end, it appears to have come down to a battle between Manhattan assistant coach Steve Masiello and Fairfield assistant coach Jerry Hobbie, both of whom are from White Plains, NY and are two of the top up-and-coming and hardest working guys in the business.  We also wouldn't be surprised if Manhattan gets 6'7 David Neal from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, who is ranked #387 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  But that might be easier said than done, because their primary competition is Holy Cross.  It also appears that Loyola-Chicago has stolen one in 6'1 Walter Blount from Whitefish Bay (Dominican) WI and 6'2 Mikel Watson from Saddleback (JC) CA has gone to Utah State, 6'10 Dave Fox from Mercyhurst North East (JC) PA has gone to St. Bonaventure, 6'9 Lexington James from San Francisco (JC) CA has gone to Rhode Island, 6'0 Johnnie Bryant from San Francisco (JC) UT has gone to Utah, and 6'7 DeAndre Peyton from Vincennes (JC) IN has gone to Ball State.   The verbal commitment by Watson, who originally signed with Wyoming two years ago and was ranked among the top 300 players nationally in our Final Rankings of the Class of 2003, is especially significant, because Utah State now clearly has the best recruiting class in the Big West Conference.  If you will recall, the Aggies already have landed 6'3 Michael Daniels from Grayson (JC) UT, who is ranked #52 in the junior college ranks by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'4 Tyler Newbold from Payson (H.S.) UT, who is ranked #278 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'10 Steve Cobbley from North Idaho (JC) ID, who was ranked #155 nationally in the Class of 2002 by the HOOP SCOOP two years ago when he signed with Utah State the first time around.  Fox is the inside player that Bonnies head coach Anthony Solomon needs to replace 6'11 Sr Yankuba Camara, who will graduate after this season; Peyton promises to be the best player that Ball State has landed since Bonzi Wells; Bryant is a prolific scoring point guard that will complement 5'8 Frosh Jermaine Calvin, who is expected to be the heir apparent to 6'1 Jr Marc Jackson after the current season; and James is a physical specimen who may be exactly what the doctored for Rhode Island inside.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Joe Alexander from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has verbally committed to West Virginia, 6'4 Gerald Carter from Plymouth (Holderness) NH has verbally committed to Marist, and 6'7 Tommy McMahon from San Mateo (Serra) CA and 6'2 Aaron Cohen from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA have both verbally committed to Pennsylvania.  Alexander is a big time athlete with a good upside, but, along with 6'6 Alex Ruoff from Brookville (Central) IL, who verbally committed to West Virginia earlier this fall, and 6'2 Darius Nichols from Radford (H.S.) VA and 6'11 Luke Bonner from Manchester (Trinity) NH, both of whom signed with West Virginia a year ago, will he be good enough to keep Mountaineers head coach John Beilein from getting the ax in a couple of years?  Carter, who is ranked #177 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is an absolute steal for Marist.  McMahon is a good shooter with a decent frame and average athleticism and Cohen is one of the best 3-pointers in the Philly area, although he has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard. 

Saturday, October 23, 2004, & Sunday, October, 24, 2004

On Friday we told you that only four players - 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, and 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA - ranked among the top 50 seniors were still available.  Well, now that number has increased to five, because our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio is telling us that 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY has reneged on the verbal commitment that he made to the University of Texas during the middle of July.  And this is a big loss for the Longhorns for several reasons.  First, Davis is an outstanding players, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #22 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Davis was expected to be the heir apparent to 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge, who is expected to enter his name into the NBA Draft prematurely within the next year or two, at the center position.  Third, suddenly Texas' recruiting class, which also already includes 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, and 6'6 C.J.Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, drops from #12 into a tie at #20, along with Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Fourth, now the Longhorns' coaching staff will have to go back to the drawing board and decide whether to re-recruit the Davis or find another comparable player in either this year's or next year's recruiting class.  And apparently they have decided to hang there with Davis, who also once again has Syracuse and St. John's on his list.  Obviously 6'9 athletes who can play both inside and outside are few and far between, but if Davis picks any one of those three schools he would have a major impact on the program.  At Texas, Davis promises to be perfect complement inside to 6'8 Frosh Mike Williams for years to come.  At Syracuse, Davis will have 6'9 Soph Terrance Roberts, 6'11 Soph Darryl Watkins, and 6'7 Frosh Dayshawn Wright for one of the two inside spots that will be open after the current season when 6'8 Sr Hakim Warrick and 7'0 Sr Craig Forth.  And, at St. John's, he would be the perfect complement inside to 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL, who is ranked #10 on our list of the Top 60 Junior College Players, which we published several days ago.  And it appears that Davis isn't the only player who is thinking about reneging.  As a matter of fact, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, who is ranked #82 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has already done so with Miami-FL.  However, none of our competition has reported it, because the commitment was for football and, as a result, it appears to have slipped through the cracks on the basketball side of things.  We also are getting reports that 7'0 Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #182 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, may renege on the verbal commitment that he recently to SMU and, instead, go to Virginia Tech.  

We have already told you that we plan to cover the Second Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge, which will be held at the Barn Gymnasium at Rutgers University on Saturday, October 30th, and will feature a game with the Top Sophomores from New Jersey versus the Top Sophomores from Philadelphia at 4:00 PM, Top Juniors from New Jersey versus the Top Juniors from Philadelphia at 5:30 PM, and Top Seniors from New Jersey versus the Top Seniors from Philadelphia at 7:00 PM.  However, we have not told you that the next day, Sunday, October 31st, we will also be at the event that Eric Jaklitch, who coaches the New York Elite club team program, and Nick Blatchford, who runs the New Heights Warriors club teams program, plan to have at John Jay College in New York City.  And the concept is the same as the Eddie Griffin Challenge, as there will be an underclassmen game at 1:00 PM and a senior game at 3:00 PM with many of the some players from New York State versus the best from New York City going head-to-head against one another.  Already confirmed in the senior game for the New York City team are 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Will Harris from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'5 Chris Bethel from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'5 Junior Bernal from Wilbraham (Wilbraham & Munson) MA, and 7'0 Cameron Lewis from Exeter (Academy) NH and confirmed for the New York State team are 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) NY, 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'5 Tyson Johnson from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'8 John Garcia from Brentwood (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Kahiem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, 6'8 James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and 6'0 Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  Already confirmed in the underclassmen game for the New York City team are 6'9 Jr Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, 5'11 Soph Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 5'11 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Jr Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'4 Jr Michael Glover from Bronx (James Monroe) NY, 6'0 Jr Edgar Sosa from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Jr Jabari Edwards from Brooklyn (Poly Prep) NY, and 6'8 Jr Austin Wallace from New York (La Salle) NY and confirmed for the New York State team are 6'4 Jr Paul Harris from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'3 Jr Rashard Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'0 Soph Melquan Bolding from New York (Beacon) NY, 6'0 Jr Alexander Zampier from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, 6'1 Soph T.J. Carey from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, and 5'10 Soph Taylor Battle from Albany (Christian Brothers) NY.

Friday, October 22, 2004

This is the weekend that Jim Haley, who is the head coach at Ocala (Vanguard) FL and the tournament director for the adidas Kingdom of the Sun National Classic, will be hosting the 12th Annual adidas Rookie Sensations Camp and this year it should just as good than ever, as it will feature 160 of the top younger players from all over the state of Florida.  The event will be held at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville, FL and the games will begin tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM and will conclude with a  Top 20 All-Star Game at 5:30 PM.  The list of players who are expected to be in attendance includes 6'7 Soph A.J. Stewart from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'6 Soph Marcel Williams from Ocoee (West Orange) FL, 6'5 Soph Eddie Rolax from St. Petersburg (Admiral Farragut) FL, 6'5 Soph Jerry Howard from Orlando (Jones) FL, 6'4 Soph Scott Labelle from Leesburg (H.S.) FL, 5'6 Soph Todd Brown from Williston (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Soph Kamerin Shephard from Kissimmee (Osceola) FL,  6'4 Soph Walter Perkins fromTampa (Prep) FL, 5'9 Soph Ben O'Donnell from Largo (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Soph Chris Summers from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL, 5'10 Soph Quentin Ragland from Jacksonville (Ribault) FL, 6'4 Soph William Watkins from Brandon (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Soph Calvin Buckholtz from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 6'2 Soph Idell Bell from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'3 Soph Valdez Scott from Belleview (H.S.) FL, 5'7 Soph Brian Alexander from Bradenton (Southeast) FL, 6'6 Soph Andre Mitchell from Eagle Lake (Lake Region) FL, 6'1 Soph Matt Sheperd from Leesburg (H.S.) FL, 6'1 Soph Jiwan James from Williston (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Soph Claude Davis from Lakeland (Lake Gibson) FL, 6'4 Soph Matt Wise from Gainesville (Buchholz) FL, 5'10 Soph Brian Frank from Gainesville (Buchholz) FL, 6'4 Soph Willie Powers from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 6'3 Soph Dave Minaya from Brandon (H.S.) FL, 6'4 Soph Andrew Darot from Tampa (Jesuit) FL, 5'11 Soph Sean Mahoney from Oveida (H.S.) FL, 6'1 Soph Jared Mabry from Tallahassee (Lincoln) FL, 6'4 Soph Andrew Grossman from Tallahassee (Lincoln) FL, 6'5 Soph Fabian Wilson from Monticello (Jefferson County) FL, 6'4 Soph Andy Summerlin from Mt. Dora (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Soph Ian Scott from Mt. Dora (H.S.) FL, 5'9 Soph Tavaris Reynolds from Lake City (Columbia) FL, 6'1 Soph Phadarius Taylor from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'1 Soph Gary Gover from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'1 Soph Andrew Baker from Vero Beach (H.S.) FL, 5'10 Soph Armand Moore from Orlando (Jones) FL, 6'3 Soph Carl Richardson from Ft. Walton Beach (H.S.) FL, 6'5 Soph Nick Balcer from Jensen Beach (H.S.) FL, 5'9 Soph Joshua Jones from Ocala (Trinity Catholic) FL, 6'0 Soph Matt Dziagwa from Tampa (Catholic) FL, 6'2 Soph Marcel Huggins from Orange Park (Ridgeview) FL, 5'10 Soph Rod Bombard from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 5'11 Soph Nate Marshall from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'4 Frosh Jay Wade from Panama City (Bay) FL, 6'4 Frosh Ameer Brown from Montverde (Academy) FL, 6'3 Frosh Evan Ravenal from Tampa (Middleton) FL, 6'8 Frosh Adam Pegg from Palm Harbor (University) FL, 6'0 Frosh Miguel Paul from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'6 Frosh John Burke from St. Petersburg (Gibbs) FL, 6'0 Frosh Larry Murphy from St. Petersburg (Gibbs) FL, 6'4 Frosh Fred Riley from Ocala (Vanguard) FL, 6'4 Frosh Labrent Bracey from Ocala (Vanguard) FL, 6'0 Frosh Brolin Floyd from Ocala (Vanguard) FL, 6'5 Frosh Brandon Joiner from Winter Park (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Frosh Aaron Davis from Bartow (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Frosh Jon Woodside from Lakeland (Lake Gibson) FL, 6'5 Frosh Preston Frederick from Lakeland (Lake Gibson) FL, 5'10 Frosh P.J. Potts from Land of Lakes (H.S.) FL, 5'11 Frosh Scott Maxfield from Ovieda (H.S.) FL, 6'1 Frosh Jonathan Robinson from Apopka (H.S.) FL, 5'6 Frosh Jimmy Lefew from Vero Beach (H.S.) FL, 5'10 Frosh John Barnes from Ft. Walton Beach (H.S.) FL, 6'3 Frosh Kory Pugh from Orlando (Pine Castle Christian) FL, 5'10 Frosh Eddie Piccini from Orlando (Pine Castle Christian) FL, 5'7 Frosh Thomas Austin from Orlando (Pine Castle Christian) FL, 6'5 Frosh Alex Doyle from Tampa (Jesuit) FL, 6'3 Soph Benjamin Williams from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'0 Frosh Marcus Capers from Eagle Lake (Lake Region) FL, 5'9 Frosh Andrew Salters from Tallahassee (Richards) FL, 6'0 Frosh Myck Brown from Gainesville (P.K. Yonge) FL, 5'8 Frosh Ryan Powers from Jensen Beach (H.S.) FL, 6'0 Frosh Jordan Fair from Oldsmar (Christian) FL, Frosh Marcus Johnson from Winter Springs (H.S.) FL, 5'9 Frosh Christian Jones from Panama City (Bay) FL, 6'3 Frosh Clifford Reed from Port Orange (Atlantic) FL, 5'8 Frosh Courtney Keith from Eustis (H.S.) FL, 6'4 8th Grader Emari Bailey from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'2 8th Grader Ethan Roulhac from Panama City (Jinks) FL, 5'8 8th Grader Greg Gantt from Gainesville (Middle) FL, and 5'5 8th Grader Montana Brown from St. Petersburg (Admiral Farragut) FL.

We knew that Indiana University assistant coach Kerry Rupp had gone to Australia during the Summer Evaluation Period in July and we assumed that he was trying to land the next Andrew Bogut (Rupp was the connection to get Bogut when he was an assistant coach at Utah).  But we didn't know who he was looking at until today  when we found out that the Hoosiers had landed 6'10 Ben Allen, who played for the Australian Institute of Sports and was the best player this past year on the Australian National Team, which means he's probably the best 18-Under player in Australia.  But our International Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Allen is more comparable to Michigan State's Paul Davis and former Indiana University forward Kirk Haston.  In other words, Allen can step out and shoot the three, but also can score inside and rebound and is effective around the basket.  Speaking of Haston, Indiana University head coach Mike Davis got a commitment from 7'1 Robert Rothbart from Sacramento (Natomas) CA last spring, but also entered his name into the NBA Draft.  And, as it turns out now, that probably was a blessing in disguise, because Rothbart, who was ranked #258 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, isn't good enough to step in and make an immediate impact this year at Indiana, much less in the NBA.  However, Allen not only is good enough, but he's the equivalent of a top 40 senior nationally, which means he should be the perfect complement a year from now to 6'10 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, who is the leading candidate to be the Freshman-of-the-Year in the Big-10 this year, and 6'8 Marco Killingsworth, who averaged 13.7 ppg and 6.9 rpg at Auburn last season prior to transferring to Indiana last spring.  The verbal commitment by Allen also comes on the heels of the verbal commitments that the Hoosiers received several days ago from 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN and a week ago from 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ.  So their recruiting now moves up to #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more more, is the fact that the Hoosiers continue to reload.  If you will recall, White, 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, and 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, all of whom signed with Hoosiers a year ago, will all be freshmen this year, and Killingsworth and 6'5 Ronny LeMelle, who also transferred from Auburn, are both sitting out this season.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Luc Richard Mbah A Moute from Monte Verde (Academy) FL has verbally committed to UCLA, which means the Bruins have landed their second player in less than a week.  If you will recall, four days ago UCLA also received a verbal commitment from 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The Bruins also received a verbal commitment last spring from 6'2 Darren Collison from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #145 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So with the addition of Mbad A Moute, UCLA's recruiting class moves into a tie at #35 our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and they have excellent complements to 6'2 Frosh Jordan Farmar, 6'5 Frosh Arron Afflalo, 6'5 Frosh Josh Shipp, and 6'9 Frosh Lorenzo Mata, all of whom picked the Bruins a year ago.  Our guess is that a year from now 7'0 Jr Ryan Hollins, 7'0 Jr Mike Fey, and Mata will continue to battle it out at center; Wright will start at the power forward spot, Shipp will start at the wing forward spot, Afflalo will start at the 2-guard, spot, Farmer will start at the point guard spot, and Collison and Mbah A Moute, who is a big time athlete, a tough hardnosed competitor, and a defensive stopper, will be great role players.  But things could change inside, if the Bruins also get 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, who is ranked #65 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to either re-affirm his verbal commitment to Georgetown or pick UCLA later this fall.  And, if Aboya picks the Bruins, their recruiting class would move up to #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, which would give UCLA head coach Ben Howland and his staff two top 20-ranked recruiting classes in a row.  However, the best may be yet to come, because we also think UCLA is the heavy early favorite for 6'9 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Tory Robertson from Frankfort (H.S.) KY has verbally committed to Evansville, 6'5 Alex Okafor from San Jose (Archbishop Mitty) CA has verbally committed to Princeton, 6'3 Brennan Votel from Covington (Catholic) KY has verbally committed to Pennsylvania, and 6'3 Dwayne Jackson from Cuyahoga Falls (H.S.) OH has verbally committed to Binghamton.  However, we have not confirmed that 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Auburn, as expected earlier this week.  As a matter of fact, a source close to the Barber tells us that he's yet to make a final decision and, as a result, he's still one of four players ranked among our top 50 seniors nationally who is still available.  The other three are 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, and 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  But, similar to Barber, who is expected to pick Auburn, we think it's just a matter of time before Brumbaugh picks Florida State, Bynum picks Connecticut, and Gordon picks Tennessee.   Getting back to Robertson, Votel, and Okafor, the first two are two of the top players in the state of Kentucky and Okafor is ranked #537 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Two weeks ago we told you that the most talented junior college team in the nation was the College of Southern Idaho (JC) ID, but we still think the team everybody has to beat in the junior college ranks this winter is Dixie (JC) UT.  As a matter of fact, we think this might turn out to be Dixie head coach Jeff Kidder's best team ever.   And that's saying a lot, because Kidder was named the National Junior College Coach-of-the-Year after his team won the NJCAA Chamionship in 2001-2002.   He also has a 199-45 record and has had players like Marcus Banks (UNLV), Maurice Baker (Oklahoma State), Jaime Lloredo (LSU), Vincent Grier (Minnesota), and 6'0 Jamal Brown from Dixie (JC) UT, who signed with Oklahoma State last fall, but has returned to junior college for another at Southern Idaho (JC) ID.  Kidder will build this year's team around 6'3 Soph Jason Petrmoulx, who is the lone returning starter; 6'5 Soph Chris Fuller, who attended Laurinburg (Institute) NC briefly last year and originally signed with Loyola-Chicago; and 6'2 Henry Uhegwu, who attended Lee (JC) TX two years ago and averaged 12 ppg.   Petrmoulx is an athlete 2-guard who will be one of the top 2-guards in the junior college ranks this year, as is evident by the fact that he's ranked #8 in the nation by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, among the top 15 players overall by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook, and is being recruited by schools like Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Washington State, and Mississippi State.  Fuller is an athletic wing forward who is fully qualified and being recruited by UTEP, Brigham Young, Utah State, and Nevada.  Uhegwu, who is originally from Houston, TX, is getting the most interest from the University of Houston, UT-Arlington, and UT-San Antonio.  However, what will make this team so dangerous both this year and next year are all the great freshmen that Kidder has in the program.  We start with 6'10 Frosh Hatila Passos, who played for Dixie assistant coach Rolando De La Barrera last year at Laurinburg (Institute) NC and is expected to be one of the top post players in the junior college ranks for the next two years.  If you will recall, Passos was the #11-ranked power forward a year ago at the adidas ABCD Camp and already has been recruited by schoos like Cincinnati, South Carolina, Virginia Tech, Miami-FL, and Georgia.  Then, there is 6'10, 210 lbs. Frosh Fabio Nass from Brazil, who has incredible ball skills for somebody his size.  "This will be the #1-ranked small forward in the junior college ranks," says De La Barrera.  "Of all the guys that I have coached, Nass has the most NBA potential."   And that's a pretty strong statement when one remembers that De La Barrera has brought over 50 player to the United States to Hialeah (Champagnat Catholic) FL, Miami (Berkshire School) FL, and Laurinburg (Institute) NC during the seven last years and has had players like Lloredo, Jabahri Brown (Oklahoma), and Jamaal Levy (Wake Forest).  Dixie also will go to war with 6'9, 295 lbs Frosh Renato Paz, who was the starting center at Laurinburg (Institute) NC last year; 6'9 Frosh Alex Blair from Auburndale (H.S.) FL, who was one of the top 30 seniors in the state and signed with Jacksonville a year ago; and 6'7, 225 lbs. Frosh Devan Evans, who was ranked as the 7th best power forward on the West Coast a year ago by Prep West Hoops and is a blue collar type guy out of the Dennis Rodman-mold.  Evans, who played high school basketball at Las Vegas (Chaparral) NV, was recruited by Dixie's other assistant, Demarlo Slocum.  And this connection is important as well, because Slocum also runs the Las Vegas Prospects AAU team, which features most of the top young players in Las Vegas, NV, including 6'1 Jr Marcus Lawrence from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NY, and 6'7 Soph Billy White from Henderson (Green Valley) NV.  And, as long as we're talking about junior college players, I thought it would be fun to use the pre-season rankings of the top junior college players from the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook, and the Lindy's 2004-2005 College Basketball Yearbook as a starting point and then incorporate my own personal knowledge to come up with our own list of the Top 60 Junior College Players.  I was already prepared for about a half of the top 10 junior college players nationally to no longer be available, but, with 6'1 Sylvester Mayes from Redlands (JC) OK already gone to Ohio State, 6'4 Ravone George from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA already gone to Alabama, 7'0 James Davis from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA already gone to Minnesota, 6'3 Michael Neal from Lon Morris (JC) TX already gone to Oklahoma, 6'10 Michael Harrison from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO already gone to Colorado State, 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL already gone to St. John's, 6'3 Wesley Washington from Yavapai (JC) AZ already gone to Oregon State, 7'0 Julius Lanptey from Garden City (JC) KS already gone to Southern Cal, 6'6 David Lawrence from Daytona (JC) FL already gone to the College of Charleston; 6'10 Kentrell Gransberry from San Jacinto (JC) TX already gone to LSU, 6'1 Clarence Sanders from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL already gone to Mississippi, 6'9 Jean-Francois Bro-Grebe from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO already gone to Marshall, 6'7 Chris Dunn from Saddleback (JC) CA already gone to New Mexico, 6'9 Jerome Habel from Palm Beach (JC) FL already gone to Florida State, 6'10 Aliou Kane from Collin (JC) TX already gone to Texas Christian, 6'10 Mamery Diallo from Midland (JC) TX already gone to Gonzaga, 6'8 Joel Box from John Wood (JC) IL already gone to New Mexico, 6'6 David Fisher from Arkansas-Ft. Smith (JC) AR already gone to New Mexico State, 6'5 Bryce Sheldon from Fullerton (JC) CA already gone to South Carolina, 6'3 James Douglas from Schoolcraft (JC) MI already gone to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6'5 Brian Greene from Santa Fe (JC) FL already gone to Florida A&M, 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA already gone to UNLV, 6'4 Travis Aikens from Daytona Beach (JC) FL already gone to Marshall, 6'2 Michael Daniels from Grayson (JC) TX already gone to Utah State, 6'5 Othyus Jeffers from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA already gone to Illinois-Chicago, and 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarro (JC) TX already gone to Western Illnois, we find that 26 of the top 60 junior college players already off the board.  To get the complete list, click on the HOOP SCOOP's Ranking of the Top 60 Junior College Players. 

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has confirmed that 6'8 Rashad Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA has verbally committed to Georgia State and this is pretty huge for the Panthers, because they have convinced the #103-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP to stay home.  Chase also was the 14th highest ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, behind 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Jospeh) NJ, 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, who was still available.  We're talking about a strong physical athletic combo forward who was ranked among the top 20 players in the nation when he was freshman in high school.  However, this blue collar athlete didn't grow anymore and didn't improve his perimeter game and, as a result, kind of got lost in the shuffle.  However, schools like Alabama, Florida State, Tennessee, Indiana, and Miami-FL were recruiting recruiting him, which means he's just as big a steal for the Panthers, as 6'3 Jr Travis DeGroot, who was one of the top junior college players in the nation last year at New Mexico Military (JC) NM, and 6'6 Clark Williams, who originally signed with Ohio State when he was ranked #67 as a high school senior at Lilburn (Berkmar) GA in our Final Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2001, but didn't make it academically and, as a result, had to go the prep school and junior college route, both were a year ago.  In other words, it looks like Georgia State assistant coaches Chris Cheeks and Drew Catlett, both of whom used to be at West Virginia, are still recruiting like they are in the Big East.  And that's a big reason why Georgia State is ranked #1 or #2 in the Atlantic Sun Conference by all of the pre-season basketball magazines, despite the fact they only have two starters returning from a 20-9 team that finished 4th in the league last year witha 14-6 record.  We also have confirmed via our Tennessee Correpondent Andre Whitehead that 6'7 Lawrence Kinnard from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN has verbally committed to UAB, 6'7 Daniel Puckett from McEwen (H.S.) TN has verbally committed to Tulane, 6'6 Vashon Ingram from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN has verbally committed to UT-Martin, and 6'7 Calvin Williams from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN has reaffirmed his commitment to Colorado.  Obviously the verbal commitment by Kinnard is the eyebrow-raiser here, because he's a big time athlete who can both shoot and slash and, as a result, should fit in perfect to UAB head coach Mike Anderson uptempo style.  And, just like a lot of the players UAB has landed during Anderson's two-year reign at the helm of the Blazers, Kinnard, who is ranked #109 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also may be a little bit underrated.  However, the Blazers landing Kinnard should not come as much of a surprise, because Anderson and UAB assistant coach Scott Edgar have strong Memphis ties dating back to their days at the University of Arkansas.  Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'4 Weyinne Efejuku from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who was ranked #23 in Naclerio's Final Ranking of the Top Seniors in the senior class in New York City last spring and is currently ranked #63 on our 5th Year List, has verbally committed to Providence.  And we have to wonder, if this is another case, whereby, Friars assistant coach Steve DeMeo has stolen another one.  Remember, DeMeo has one of the best eyes for talent in the business, as is evident by the fact that the entire Providence team is made up of players who are overachievers and/or were underrated when they were in high school.  However, we can't say that about the other player - 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI - in Providence's current recruiting class, especially after he finished ranked #9 in our ranking of the top players at the Reebok ABCD Camp in July.  Kale, who has a blue collar work ethic, is a warrior on the boards, and prolific scorer from both inside and outside, also is ranked #8 on our 5th Year List and, as a result, projects as the ideal replacement at power forward for 6'7 Sr Ryan Gomes, who will graduate after this season.  The addition of Efejuku also moves Providence's recruiting class into a tie at #49, along with Ohio State and UCLA, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, which means, if you include teams that will be joining the Big East Conference next year, the league suddenly has 10 teams with top 50-ranked recruiting classes.  We're talking about Louisville at #1, Marquette at #11, Notre Dame tied at #18, Syracuse and Connecticut tied at #22, DePaul tied at #24, St. John's tied at #27, Pittsburgh at #35, Georgetown tied at #45, and Providence tied at #49.  Our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley tells us that 6'5 Jerrell Jamison from Wabash Valley (JC) IL has verbally committed to Charlotte and that 6'7 Antwon Coleman from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, who also has UAB, Purdue, Tennessee, Auburn, and Indiana on his list, may be next for the 49ers.  Some other junior college verbal commitments that we've picked up via Big Apple Sports, include 6'8 Sylvania Watkins from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL to Western Kentucky, 6'9 Danijel Zoric from Collin (JC) TX to Illinois-Chicago, and 6'3 Wayne Williams from South Georgia Tech (JC) GA to Florida A&M, and it appears that 6'5 Brian Green from Santa Fe (JC) FL has reneged on the College of Charleston and, instead, has decided to attend Florida A&M.    Maybe this had something to do with the fact that College of Charleston already has another player in this recruiting class in 6'7 David Lawrence from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, who plays a similar position and is a better player.  Or maybe Greene got scared off by all the good perimeter players, like 6'6 Frosh Tavon Nelson, 6'7 Frosh James Hairston, and 6'3 Frosh Marcus Hammond, that the Cougars already have in the program in the class ahead of him.  But it our guess that Florida A&M head coach Mike Gillepsie, who previously was the head coach at Tallahassee (JC) FL , where he compiled a 258-56 record between 1991 and 2001, was simply able to take advantage of his strong junior college ties in the state of Florida and, as a result, suddenly has a recruiting class that is tied at #84, along with Charlotte, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Michigan State, Boston College, Dayton, George Washington, Drexel, Utah, UC-Santa Barbara, UTEP, Fresno State, Indiana, and Yale, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

We told you yesterday that 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL would pick Alabama, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA would pick Auburn, 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX would pick Texas, and 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON would pick UCLA.  Well, as things stand now we're 3-3, because our Alabama editor Mark Komara has confirmed that Hendrix has picked the Crimson Tide, our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff has confirmed that Miles has picked the Longhorns, and our Canadian Editor Ro Russell has confirmed that Wright has picked the Bruins.  And we'd be very surprised if Barber doesn't make it official for the Tigers.  As a matter of fact, Bob Gibbons reported yesterday that this was going to happen and when one remembers that Gibbons is a North Carolina alumnus and new Tigers head coach Jeff Lebo is a former North Carolina player, it's safe to assume that Gibbons is probably getting this from somebody in-the-know at Auburn.  So it should be as good as gold!  And, assuming that this is correct, it would move Auburn's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, 6'5 Rasheem Barrett from Atlanta (Marist) GA, and 6'7 Josh Dollard from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC, into a tie at #18, along with Notre Dame and Southern Cal, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, that doesn't even begin to illustrate just how huge this is!  Not only does Barber rank as the #12 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he also has the talent, athleticism, skills, work ethic, and potential necessary to be as good as any power forward in the senior class.  If you will recall, Barber clearly established himself as one of the best players in the nation in late June at the NBA Players Association Camp, where he finished ranked among the top five players, along with 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Soph O.J.Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'5 Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, in camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  But on the last day of camp, Barber broke his hand and, as a result, was sidelined for the remainder of the summer.   And that's important, because a lot of the elite schools in the nation didn't know about him or got involved with him until it was too late to make a difference.  However, in the end, the deciding factors were that he wanted to stay close to home and the Tigers had been in on him the longest and the strongest.  The verbal commitment by Hendrix comes as no surprise, despite the fact that North Carolina had been prominently mentioned right until the bitter end.  As a matter of fact, a source in the know told us that Hendrix waited so long to announce his decision due to the fact that he didn't want it to appear that his hand had been forced by 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, who picked the Tar Heels almost two months ago.  The verbal commitment by Hendrix moves the Crimon Tide's recruiting class up to #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, even more important, he will give Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried the perfect complement inside to go along with 6'4 Ravone George from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who was the #1-ranked point guard in the junior college ranks by the Lindy 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook; 6'6 Alonzo Gee from West Palm Beach (Dwyer) FL, who is ranked #64 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the fastest rising players in the senior class nationally; and 6'9 Yamene Coleman from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, who is ranked #173 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has a huge upside.  The commitment by Miles moves Texas' recruiting class, which also already includes 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY and 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, up to #12 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this comes on the heels of Texas' #1-ranked recruiting class a year ago, which included 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 7'0 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX.  In other words, the Longhorns have landed eight players who have been ranked among the HOOP SCOOP's top 40 seniors nationally in their respective classes and, as a result, it appears that Texas head coach Rick Barnes has all the pieces necessary to be one of the favorites to win the NCAA Championship in 2005-2006.  And there should be no end in sight, because it appears that Texas assistant coaches Rodney Terry and Russell Springmann have picked up right where former Texas assistant coach Frank Haith left off last spring.  Remember, everybody thought that Miles would have gone to Texas, if Haith, who was the architect behind last year's class, had not taken the Miami job.  However, as it turns out, the Longhorns got their man anyway.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Ross Morin from Cincinnati (Princeton) OH has verbally committed to Yale, 6'6 Nate Linhart from Gahanna (Lincoln) OH has verbally committed to Akron, 6'9 Kyle Madsen from Dublin (Coffman) OH has verbally committed to Vanderbilt, and 5'11 Brett Wackerly from North Canton (Hoover) OH has verbally committed to Canisius; our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/North Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'1 Brian Young from Cherry Hill (East) NJ has verbally committed to Lafayette and 6'1 Chester Frazier from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has verbally committed to Illinois; and we have confirmed that 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN has verbally committed to Indiana.  The verbal commitment by Vaughn is especially interesting, because he is ranked #120 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is best described as a scoring combo guard.  Sure, Vaughn can play point guard, but he has more of a scorer's mentality, as he uses his strength, athleticism, and explosiveness to get to the hole.  Vaughn also impressed us with his 3-point shooting, court savvy, and toughness when he finished ranked #18 overall and #2 at the point guard position at the NIKE All-American Camp in July and, as a result, appears to be ideally suited to back up both guard spots at IU a year from now.  However, Vaughn is not a pure enough of point guard nor a good enough player to scare off 6'0 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is ranked #38 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is Indiana's top recruiting priority at the point guard spot in the Class of 2006.  In other words, Vaughn's a tough hardnosed competitor, a local kid, wants to stay home, and promises to be an excellent role player for the next four years.  And, if you get anything more than that, it's just gravy.   The commitment by Frazier to the Fighting Illini also is interesting, because we think he too promises to be an excellent role player.  However, if Frazier is supposed to be the heir apparent at point guard to 6'0 Jr Dee Brown after he graduates following the 2005-2006 season, then we missed something in July when we saw him play for the Cecil Kirk team that advanced all the way to the finals at the Main Event in Las Vegas, NV.  If you will recall, Frazier, who is ranked #65 our list of the Top 5th Year Players, was clearly the third best player on that team behind 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'5 Paris Carter from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  Morin, who was one of the key players for Mike Price's Cincinnati AAU-Black team, is very skilled offensively, is a good 3-point shooter, and is excellent in a system, which means he should be an absolute steal for Yale.  He also should be an excellent complement to 6'4 Ed White from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who verbally committed to Yale last spring and, as a result, the Bulldogs' recruiting class moves into a tie at #83, along with Michigan State, Boston College, Dayton, George Washington, Drexel, Utah, UC-Santa Barbara, UTEP, Fresno State, Vanderbilt, and Indiana, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Madsen is ranked #319 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Johnson thinks he's a lot better than that, because he has ability to play both inside and outside and is surprisingly agile and athletic for size.  Morin also doesn't mind physical contact, which means he'll probably project as a power forward who can step out and shoot the three.  And, if that weren't enough, it appears that Morin has dramatically improved after averaging 12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, and 2.0 bpg last season, so the Commodores now have not one, but two players who may be major sleepers in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, Vanderbilt already has a verbal commitment from 6'3 George Drake from Calera (H.S.) AL, who was not seen on the AAU-circuit this past summer, but still is ranked #127 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Monday, October 18, 2004

If everything goes as planned, there may be only one player ranked among our top 40 seniors nationally who is still available after tomorrow, as 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, who is ranked is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, all are expected to make verbal commitments within the next 24 hours.  And we'd be surprised if Hendrix doesn't finally make it official for Alabama, Barber doesn't pick Auburn, Miles doesn't go to Texas, and Wright doesn't make announce for UCLA.  We also have a good idea where 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who will be the only player left on the board after tomorrow that is ranked among our top 40, is going to go, because he's already told Rick Staudt and Patrick Stanwood, both of whom are with the HOOP SCOOP, that his list includes only one school (Florida State).  And with today's verbal commitment to DePaul by 6'7 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, there are now only three players who are ranked in the 41-70 range that still available.  We're talking about 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to verbally commit to Connecticut sometime before the beginning of the Fall Signing Period; 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #46 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to pick the University of Tennessee; and 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, who is ranked #65 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to pick either Georgetown, UCLA, or Virginia.  So obviously today's verbal commitment by Chandler to DePaul is huge, because he's not just a national recruit, but also is a big time athlete, excellent rebounder, tough hardnosed competitor, and better perimeter player and outside shooter than most people give him credit for being.   Chandler also should be an excellent complement to 6'6 Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and 6'5 Jabari Currie from Detroit (Pershing) MI, both of whom also thrive in an uptempo setting, are ranked in the 51-100 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and have already verbally committed to the Blue Demons.  Speaking of DePaul's current recruiting class, the addition of Chandler moves their recruiting class into a tie at #24, along with Wake Forest and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and once again illustrates just how national the Blue Demon's recruiting has become.  If you will recall, DePaul only has three players - 6'5 Sr LeVar Seals, 6'9 Jr Marlon Brumfield, and 6'8 Soph Lorenzo Thompson - in the program from the city of Chicago, IL and they have not landed a player either from the city or the state in either this year's or last year's recruiting class.  However, that could change soon, because DePaul assistant coach Gene Cross has the Blue Devils right at the top of the list for all three of the top uncommitted players in the city in 6'3 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, and 6'1 Angel Santiago from Chicago (Von Steuben) IL.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Kellen Lee from Laurinburg (Institute) NC has verbally committed to Iowa State, 6'7 Jarrel Lake from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA has verbally committed to Cal-State Fullerton, 6'8 Chris Gadley from Amherst (Central) NY has verbally committed to Hofstra, and 6'6 Lionel Sullivan from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI has verbally committed to Bowling Green.  The commitment by Sullivan is absolutely huge for the Falcons for several reasons.  First, Sullivan is an excellent player, as is evident by the fact that he's ranked #175 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, we're talking about a strong physical tenacious rebounder, excellent defender, and big time athlete who is capable of playing either forward spot, although he's more of a scorer than a shooter.  Third, Sullivan will provide an excellent complement to 6'8 Jeremy Holland from Austin (H.S.) IN and 6'7 Erick Marschall from New London (H.S.) OH, both of whom have excellent inside/outside games, as is evident by the fact that they can both shoot the lights out, and 6'5 Nick Wilson, who is more like Sullivan in that he's a slasher/athlete/intense defender.  Fourth, landing Sullivan should give the Falcons' coaching staff an entrée into Michigan, which is important, because right now they do not have a player on their roster from that state, unless you take into account that 6'2 Soph John Floyd, who originally is from Toledo (St. John's) OH, transferred from Oakland University to Bowling Green a year ago.  Gadley, who is a big strong physical specimen inside, was at Hofstra over the weekend on an official visit and it appears they were able to convince him that he is exactly what the doctored ordered to go along with all of the good guards that the Pride will have in the program.  If you will recall, 6'3 Soph Loren Stokes and 6'2 Soph Carlos Rivera both started and averaged double-digits as freshmen at Hofstra a year ago and they already have verbal commitments from 5'11 Jr Vic Morris from Bayside (H.S.) NY and 6'2 Jr Sal Patricio from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, and 6'0 Greg Johnson from Plymouth (Holderness) NH.  So obviously the next thing on the agenda for the Hofstra coaching staff is to start finding replacements for 6'7 Jr Adrian Uter, 6'7 Jr Wendell Gibson, and 6'8 Jr Aurimas Kieza, all of whom will graduate year after next, and it appears that landing Gadley is an excellent start.  And more help appears to be on the way.  As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if Hofstra doesn't get another verbal commitment from another inside player sooner than later.  Lake joins 6'4 Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who also recently committed to the Titans, to give Cal-State Fullerton an excellent inside/outside combination from what arguably has been the best program in Southern California in recent years.  And when you also factor in that Cal State-Fullerton has added three junior college players in 6'8 Gary Nunez from Ventura (JC) CA, 6'10 Manuel Montana from Palomar (JC) CA, and 6'9 Chris Minardo from Citrus (JC) CA, all of whom should provide help inside next year, then it's easy to see why the Titans have a recruiting class that is now ranked #43 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important is the fact they have gone a long way towards filling their needs and, as a result, all the hard work that Titans' assistant coach Jason Levy has put in recent years is finally paying big dividends.  Lee's commitment appears to have slipped through the cracks (it happened almost a month ago), but it's still important, because we're talking about a long lanky athlete with a huge upside.  Lee joins 6'11 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC and 6'10 Ross Marsden from Ames (H.S.) IA to give the Cyclones three inside players who should be able to contribute right away in a recruiting class that is now tied at #31, along with Georgia Tech and Purdue, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And Iowa State's other recruit - 6'3 Farnold Degand from Boston (John Byrant) MA, who is still only 16-years-old and is expected to red-shirt a year from now - has an incredible upside and, as a result, it could be night and day with regards to where he is right now and two or three years down the road.  Editor's Note:  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that the race for 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON already has become official and the winner is UCLA.  Not only does this give the Bruins the power forward they needed to sign in this recruiting class, but it also provides UCLA head coach Ben Howland with an excellent complement to 6'2 Frosh Jordan Farmar, 6'5 Frosh Arron Afflalo, 6'5 Frosh Josh Shipp, and 6'9 Lorenzo Mata, all of whom were apart of last year's top-10 ranked recruiting class.

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Tom Konchalski, the Editor & Publisher of the H.S.B.I. (High School Basketball Illustrated) Report, has told me on more than one occasion that the only high school basketball player who had any business calling a press conference to announce his college decision was Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1965.  Konchalski also will tell you that to this day Alcindor is the best high school player that he has ever seen.  We mention this because the trend in this day-and-age is for more and more players to hold press conferences to announce their college decisions and some even go so far as to do it live on radio and/or television.  However, you have to wonder if it's going a little bit too far when a middle school player holds a press conference to announce what high school he plans to attend almost a full year in advance of when he enrolls at the high school.  We're talking about yesterday's press conference that was called by 6'3 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (I.S. #96) NY, who is the #2-ranked 8th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, so that he could tell everybody that he has picked Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY over Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  Not only does this not come as a surprise, but, on this one we were true to our HOOP SCOOP name.  If you will recall, months ago we quoted Stephenson's father saying that Bishop Loughlin was probably where his son would go to high school.   In other words, all Stephenson did yesterday was confirm what we suspected would happen all along.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also tells us that 6'0 Greg Johnson from Plymouth (Holderness) NH has verbally committed to Hofstra and this is huge for the Pride for several reasons.  First, Johnson is ranked #29 on our list of the top 5th Year Players, which means he would be a borderline top 100 senior nationally, if we included him in our rankings of the top seniors.  Second, Johnson is a pure point guard and, as a result, we wouldn't be surprised if he steps in immediately and runs the show a year from now.  And that's saying a lot, because 6'3 Soph Loren Stokes and 6'2 Soph Carlos Rivera both started as freshmen a year ago and averaged in double-digits.   However, we suspect that Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora will be able to keep everybody happy by playing all three guards at once, which would make the Pride as good as anybody in the league in the backcourt a year from now.  Third, Johnson should provide the perfect complement to 5'11 Jr Vic Morris from Bayside (H.S.) NY and 6'2 Jr Sal Patricio from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, both of whom verbally committed to Hofstra in July, but won't enroll in school until the fall of 2006 (they both have reclassified and plan to first go the prep school route).  And while Johnson is ideally suited to step in and run the show, Morris is best described as a scoring combo guard who can beat you with his outside shooting and ability to get to the hole and Patricio is an excellent 3-point shooter.  So when Stokes and Rivera are seniors, Johnson is a sophomore, and Morris and Patricio are freshmen two years from now, Hofstra not only should have one of the deepest backcourts in the nation, but their should be able to play with anybody in college basketball.  Fourth, the addition of Johnson moves Hofstra's recruiting class into a tie at #78, along with Michigan State, Illinois State, Boston College, Dayton, George Washington, Drexel and Utah, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsyvlania/South Jersey Allen Rubin tells us that 6'5 Marc Egerson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA has verbally committed to Georgetown, 6'3 Harris Mansell from Cheltenham (Wyncote) PA has verbally committed to Rider, and 6'5 Kevin Payton from Camden (H.S.) NJ has finally made it official for Minnesota.  If you will recall, last week we told you that this was close to happening and now that Payton has made it official, the Golden Gophers' recruiting class moves into a tie at #34, along with Oklahoma, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Remember, Minnesota already has verbal commitments from 7'0 James Davis from Garden City (JC) KS, who was the #1-ranked center in the junior college ranks by Van Coleman in the Lindy's 2004-2005 College Basketball Yearbook and 6'5 Brandon Smith from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN, who is ranked #163 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Mansell is ranked #369 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but Rubin thinks he's a lot better than that.   As a matter of fact, Rubin tells us that he plans to move Mansell up to #12   in his rankings of the top seniors in the area next time he updates his list.   And making the story even more interesting is that, when you exclude teams that are in the top 10 Division I conferences (ACC, SEC, Big East, Big-10, Big-12, Pacific-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, Western Athletic, and Atlantic-10), Rider's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Barney Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 6'2 Lamar Johnson from Scranton (H.S.) PA, 6'1 Rodney Pierce from Buffalo (Hutchinson Central Tech) NY, and 6'7 Kevin Vosilla from Massapequa (H.S.) NY, has moves up to #4, behind the College of Charleston, Marshall, and Wisconsin-Green Bay, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  The verbal commitment by Egerson is extremely interesting, because we was named the Player-of-the-Year each of the last two years in the state of Delaware prior to going the 5th Year route at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  In other words, Egerson is following the footsteps of 6'1 Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE, who is ranked #70 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is verbally committed to the Hoyas.  So obviously the state of Delaware has become a fertile recruiting ground for the new coaching staff at Georgetown.  Egerson, who averaged 25.0 ppg, 16.0 rpg, and 4.0 spg last season, is a big time athlete, excellent rebounder, good defender, tremendous competitor, and has the ability to create for himself away from the basket.  So, while he's regarded somewhat of a tweener right now, we think he has the talent, potential, and work ethic necessary to develop into an excellent perimeter player.  And, just like 6'7 Octavious Spann from College Park (Banneker) GA, who also recently made a verbal commitment to the Hoyas, Egerson has a huge upside.  We also have added a number of junior college commitments to our list of verbal commitments, which can be found by clicking on Recent Commitments, that include 6'8 Wolfgang Raffety from American River (JC) CA to Pacific, 6'2 Reggie Vezia from Solano (JC) CA to Pacific, 6'8 Ahmet Tidiane from Salt Lake (JC) UT to Hawaii, 6'4 Roberto Fortes from Daytona Beach (JC) FL to Illinois State, 5'11 Al Stewart from Southwestern Iowa (JC) IA to Drake, 6'6 Kylie Byrd from Lon Morris (JC) TX to UT-San Antonio, 5'11 Melvin Hall from John Logan (JC) IL to Southern Indiana, 6'5 Bryce Sheldon from Fullerton (JC) CA to South Carolina, and 6'5 David Hoskins from Schoolcraft (JC) MI to Kansas State.

Saturday, October 16, 2004

Everybody knows that the recruiting process has been speeded up dramatically in recent years, but would you believe that as things stand now 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola-Catholic) ON, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC are the only players ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who are still available?  The same also can be said 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'0 Eric Price from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, and 7'0 Joe Wolfinger from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA with regards to being the only players ranked among our top 30 5th Year Players who are still available.  In other words, only 17 of our top 100-ranked seniors and only seven of our top 30-ranked 5th Year Players are still on the board and in all probability Brumbaugh, Blatche, and Rush will by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft next spring, Thomas will need another year of prep school before he becomes recruitable by schools at the high Division I level, and Williams is expected to go to prep school a year from now.  So really the number of players who are the equivalent of being ranked as a top 100 senior nationally left on the board in the high school and prep school ranks is less than 20.  And we can also tell you that we think Hendrix will pick Alabama over North Carolina; Brumbaugh is a done deal for Florida State; Barber is close to being a done deal for Auburn; Miles will probably pick Texas over Kansas and Georgia Tech; Wright will probably pick UCLA over Michigan State and Stanford; Bynum will probably pick Connecticut; Gordon will probably pick Tennessee; Chandler will pick either DePaul, Ohio State, or Michigan State; Aboya's final three are still Virginia, UCLA, and Georgetown; Fields is down to St. John's, Miami-FL and Pittsburgh; Lowhorn is expected to choose either UCLA or San Francisco; and the leaders for Clark are Villanova and Maryland.   So obviously most of the unfinished business in terms of recruiting from the Class of 2005 will come from either foreign players or from junior college players.  As a matter of fact, a quick look at some of the pre-season basketball magazines reveals that 39 of the top 50-ranked junior college players by Van Coleman in the Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook, 44 of the top 50-ranked junior college players by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and 17 of the top 25-ranked junior college players by Tony Jimenez in the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook are still available.  However, five of Jimenez's top 10-ranked players have already made commitments, as 6'3 Ravone George from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA is already gone to Alabama, 6'2 Sylvester Mays from Redlands (JC) OK is already gone to Ohio State, 7'0 James Davis from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA is already gone to Minnesota, 6'4 Michael Neal from Lon Morris (JC) TX is already gone to Oklahoma, and 6'9 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL is already gone to St. John's.  Obviously all this is important, as we continue to put all the pieces together and determine who the big winners will be at the conclusion of the Fall Signing Period in late November.  As things stand now, the Atlantic Coast Conference, which has eight teams (Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami-FL, and Virginia) ranked among the top 50 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, beats out the Southeastern Conference (Mississippi, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida); and the Pacific-10 Conference (Washington, Arizona, Southern Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State, and Stanford), both of which have six teams apiece ranked among our Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   However, if you factor in the fact that Louisville, Marquette, Cincinnati, DePaul, and South Florida all are moving into the Big East Conference next year, then they have to be right up there with the ACC, because the Cardinals will check in at #1, Marquette checks in at #11, Cincinnati is tied at #46, and DePaul is tied at #49 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, if Hendrix picks North Carolina, which would move the Tar Heels' recruiting class up to #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; Miles and Barber both pick Georgia Tech, which would move the Yellowjacket's recruiting class up into a tie at #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; Brumbaugh picks Florida State, which would move the Seminoles' recruiting class into a tie at #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; and Clark picks Maryland, which would move the Terrapins' recruiting class into a tie at #63 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; then once again the Atlantic Coast Conference would be in driver's seat.  So, if everything fell into place, the Atlantic Coast Conference could have nine of the top 50-ranked recruiting classes and 10 of the top 65-ranked recruiting classes, as well as three of the top six recruiting class.  Or things could fall in favor of the Southeastern Conference, if Hendrix picks Alabama, which would move the Crimson Tide's recruiting class up to #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; Barber picks Auburn, which would move the Tigers' recruiting class up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005; and Gordon picks Tennessee, which would move the Volunteers' recruiting class into a tie at #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And the Big-12 Conference would look extremely good too, if Miles picks either Kansas, which would move the Jayhawks' recruiting class up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, or Texas, which would move the Longhorns' recruiting class up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and, if we factor in the fact that Iowa State's and Nebraska's recruiting classes, which are tied at #51, just missed making the top 50-ranked recruiting classes.  Obviously we could go on and on with all this, but this does give you an indication of all the possible scenarios and you can follow it all one of two ways.  The first way is to factor in on your own where each player belongs using our 1-10 rating scale.  Remember, a top five player nationally is worth 10 points, a top 10 player nationally is worth nine points, a player in the 11-40 range nationally is worth eight points, a player in the 41-70 range nationally is worth six points, a player in the 71-100 range nationally is worth four points, a player in the 101-300 range nationally is worth three points, a player in the 301-1000 range nationally is worth two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 gets one point.  Junior college player, 5th Year Players, and foreign players are factored in accordingly.  The second way, which is a lot easier, is by clicking   Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Remember, this is something that you can't find anywhere else and we continuously update this section on a daily basis.

Friday, October 15, 2004

It looks like we were wrong the other day when we said that we thought Villanova had the edge over Pittsburgh in the Terrell Biggs-sweeptstakes.  Yes, that's right!  The 6'8 power forward from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ has given the Panthers a verbal commitment.  And this just reinforces even further the fact that the Panthers program is here to stay under the guidance of Jamie Dixon, who is one of the bright young coaches in college basketball, as well as the architect behind the Renaissance that started during the Ben Howland regime at the University of Pittsburgh.  Biggs did not have a great summer, as is evident by the fact that he finished ranked no higher than #20 at the power forward spot at the Reebok ABDC Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  But he did play well enough at Five-Star's loaded Honesdale II session in late August to take home camp MVP honors and, as a result, we still regard him as one of the top power forward prospects in the nation, along with 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Julian Wright from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'8 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON.  However, just like Wright, Young, Onobun, and Boykin, the more Biggs tries to the play out on the perimeter, the more we're going to drop him in our rankings.  And this is exactly what happened during the summer, as Biggs dropped from #12 in our pre-summer rankings of the top seniors nationally to #44 in our rankings that were published on published on September 7, 2004.   In other words, Biggs has both the size and the skills necessary to be a killer around the basket and, as a result, he can be as good as he wants to be at the college level.  And he'll have to, because everyday in practice for the next four years, Biggs will be competiting against Sam Young, who is just as good a player and a lot more athletic.  Sure, Dixon will attempt to get both players some playing time at the wing forward spot, but, when it's all said and done, both Biggs and Young are power forwards.  Dixon also could be in just as enviable position at the center spot, if the Panthers beat Georgetown for 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who, ironically, is ranked #6 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players one spot ahead of Sam Young.  Remember, the Panthers will also have 6'10 Soph Chris Taft and 7'0 Soph Aaron Gray both back for the next three years.  And, if Goodridge does pick the Panthers, then Pittsburgh's recruiting class, which currently is ranked at #33 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, would move into a tie at #11, along with Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  The addition of Goodridge, who originally is a New York City kid, also would give the Panthers eight players - Goodridge, Biggs, 6'2 Jr Carl Krauser Bronx, NY, 6'6 John DeGroat from Newburgh, NY via Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, 6'10 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'2 Frosh Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Frosh Dante Milligan from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, and 6'1 Frosh Ronald Ramon from Bronx (All Hallows) NY - from the New York City Metropolitian area and two players in Gray and Goodridge with ties to the Philly area.  Remember, Pittsburgh assistant coach Joe Lombardi, who previously was an assistant coach at St. Francis-PA from 1987-92 and La Salle from 2001-2003, is well connected both in the Philadelphia area and throughout the state and, as a result, it should be just a matter of time before this too becomes a very fertile recruiting ground for the Panthers.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Lew Radford from Newport News (Heritage Christian) VA has verbally committed to Wagner and, once again, it appears that Seahawks head coach Mike Deane and his staff have stolen one who is a little bit better than most of the players in the Northeast Conference.  Radford's biggest claim to fame occurred when he was named to the all-tournament team in the 15-Under Division at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions two years ago, but, when he failed to grow, a lot of higher level schools lost interest.  Remember, 6'4 tweeners at the high Division I level are a dime a dozen.   However, Radford is a slasher/athlete/dunker who also is capable of doing some things out on the perimeter, as is evident by the fact that he hit 66% of his field goals and 34% from beyond the arc.  The fact that Radford is a great kid, excellent student, and a product of the Boo Williams Summer League Program are just added bonuses, as Wagner's recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 Doug Elwood from Staten Island (Monsignor Farrell) NY, moves into a tie at #91, along with Southern University, George Mason, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois, Kent State, Delaware, Wyoming, and Arkansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  While that may not sound all that impressive, when one finds out that no school in the Northeast Conference has landed two players better than Elwood and Radford in this recruiting class, you might want to change your mind.  And this comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which also was ranked first in the league and includes 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, 6'6 Jason Rudakas from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'6 James Ulrich from Camden (Catholic) NJ, and 6'2 Joe Mundweiler from Olathe (East) KS.   In other words, it looks like Deane has built an excellent nucleus and, as a result, can be extremely picky, if another scholarship in this recruiting class becomes available in the spring.  It also appears that 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA cancelled his official visit during to the University of Kentucky for tonight's Midnight Madness.  That story was broken by Victoria Sun, who is the beat writer for the Kentucky, in today's Cincinnati Post.   Sun also quotes Barber saying "I know for a fact that I'm not going to go; there's no sense in me taking that trip if I'm not going to go.   I don't want to lead them on, so that's why I don't want to go.  I just want to play close to home really so my family can come see me play more often.  I've been thinking about that a lot."  Sun also provides another viable option for the Wildcats in this recruiting class, but it remains to be seen whether the Wildcats will actually pull the trigger on 6'9 Curtis Brown from Flanders (Mt. Olive) NJ, unless they think he's better than 6'7 Soph Sheray Thomas, who now appears to be perfectly positioned to inherit 6'6 Sr Chuck Hayes' power forward spot a year from now.  Remember, we're always leery about players we've never heard of before.  And upon further investigation we find that Brown was ranked no higher than #34 in the senior class in the state by our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis last February.  However, Sun did not mention the fact that 6'5 Adam Williams from Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL, who originally signed with the Wildcats a year ago, has reaffirmed his intent to play for the Wildcats and, as a result, now counts with their recruiting class.  Getting back to the original point of the story, it should be obvious that Barber is now close to being a done deal for Auburn, which would be huge for several reasons.  First, Barber is  ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and currently is the third best senior still available, behind 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL and 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL.  Second, if Barber picks the Tigers, then their recruiting class, which currently is tied at #50, along with Iowa State, Nebraska, Michigan, and Utah State, and includes 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, 6'5 Rasheem Barrett from Atlanta (Marist) GA, and 6'7 Josh Dollard from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC, would move into a tie at #16, along with Notre Dame and Southern Cal, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Barber also has already visited the University of Georgia, but, if he pulls a major surprise and picks a school other than Auburn, then we think the smart money should be on Georgia Tech, which also has been recruiting Barber since he blew up at the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX last spring.  And, if that happens and the Yellowjackets also get 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, then lookout.   Not only will have the Yellowjackets have landed two of the top 20 seniors in the nation, but they'd have an incoming forward duo as good as anybody in college basketball and their recruiting class would be ranked among the top five in the nation, behind Louisville, Duke, and Memphis and ahead of North Carolina, Mississippi, LSU, Kansas, Oklahoma State, and Arizona, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005. 

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Today's verbal commitments include 6'1 Eric Moore from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to Buffalo, 6'8 Dwight Burke form Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ to East Carolina, 6'5 Markel Humphrey from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA to Marshall, 6'7 Ryan Tillema from Randolph (H.S.) WI to Wisconsin-Green Bay, 6'3 Chris Howard from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA to South Florida, 6'7 Tyrell Mira from White Rock (Christian) BC to Portland State, and 6'7 Kevin Vossilla from Massapequa (H.S.) NY and they all a significant for one reason or another.  Vossilla has a soft touch from mid-range and he's gotten bigger and stronger during the last year, which makes him ideally suited to complement 6'6 Barney Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, who is an undersized power forward, and the two guards that already are in Rider's recruiting class.  We're talking about 6'2 Lamar Johnson from Scranton (H.S.) PA and 6'1 Rodney Pierce from Buffalo (Hutchinson Central Tech) NY and with these four players now in the fold, Broncs head coach Don Harnum not only has the highest ranked recruiting class in the Metro Atlantic Conference on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but also will have the nucleus that he will need to help replace 6'0 Sr Jerry Johnson, 6'2 Sr Robert Taylor, and 7'0 Sr Steve Castleberry, all of whom will graduate next spring, and 6'7 Jr Edwin Muniz and 6'6 Jr Paul Johnson, both of whom will graduate season after next.  Our Canadian Editor Ro Russell thinks that Mira is an excellent catch for Portland State, because he's like a poor man's Jon Brockman (strong, athletic, and tough around the basket).  Howard's verbal commitment to South Florida is good news for St. John's, Pittsburgh, and Miami-FL, because this means that the Bulls are no longer recruiting 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And taking Howard, who was ranked #30 at the adidas Superstar All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and is ranked #20 on our 5th Year List, might even turn out to be better than getting Fields for several reasons.  First, Howard is more of a pure point guard than Fields.  Second, Howard has more size than Fields, although he's not as strong as Fields is physically.  Third, South Florida assistant coach Julius Allen already has all the connections that he needs to recruit in New York City, but getting Howard should further strengthen the Bulls' recruiting base in the Washington, DC area, where, ironically, Allen spent last year as an assistant coach at Howard University and the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons at Towson University.  The addition of Tillema, who is ranked #188 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will give Wisconsin-Green Bay a little bit of everything in this recruiting class, as well as the ideal complement to 6'5 Cordero Barkley from Racine (St. Catherine) WI out on the perimeter.  Both Tillema and Barkley are versatile enough to play multiple positions, but they also complement one another extremely well, because Barkley has an incredible wing span, is very athletic, and rebounds extremely well for his size and Tillema is very skilled and excellent from beyond the arc.  The Phoenix's other three recruits are 6'3 Simon Farine from Toronto (Northern Secondary) ON, who is a point guard who can both distribute and score, and 6'9 Randy Berry from Almond (Almond Bancroft) WI and 6'8 Mike Schachtner from Somerset (H.S.) WI, both of whom aren't afraid to do the blue collar things inside.  And when you find out that all five of these players are ranked in the 100-300 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, it's easy to see why we have Wisconsin-Green Bay's recruiting class ranked #32 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  This also comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which included 6'7 Benito Flores from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 6'4 Terry Evans from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, 6'9 Tevah Morris from Clinton (H.S.) TN, 5'11 Robby Springborn from Fond du Lac (H.S.) WI, and 6'3 Jarrod Pelkofer from Whitnall (H.S.) WI.  And when you also add 6'2 Ryan Werch, who transferred from Utah to Wisconsin-Green Bay last winter and will eligible after the semester break this winter, there will be 11 players in the program a year from now that Phoenix head coach Tod Kowalczyk has added within the last year.  So when 6'1 Sr Brandon Morris, 6'5 Sr Javier Mendiburu, and 6'2 Sr Matt Rohde, who are three of the best players in the Horizon League, all graduate after the current season, the cupboard at Wisconsin-Green Bay should remain full.  The addition of Tillema also is significant, because they not only beat out Wisconsin, which wanted Tillema to walk-on, and Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but also because they're cleaning up with in-state players.  Remember, Tillema becomes the fourth player in this recruiting class who is homegrown and sixth in-state player to pick the Phoenix when you combine this year's and last year's recruiting classes.  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis describes Humphrey as a poor man's Anthony Rice, as well as a lights out 3-point shooter and an absolute steal for the Thundering Herd.  We told you that this might happen recently when Marshall landed 6'9 Jean-Francois Bro-Grebe from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO and 6'4 Travis Aikens from Daytona Beach (JC) FL, but it's still important, because the addition of Humphrey, who is ranked #196 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, gives Marshall three excellent recruits, as well as a recruiting class that is tied at #26, along with N.C. State, St. John's, Wisconsin, and Georgia Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, it looks like Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa not only is using all his old contacts to recruit in the state of Georgia, but he's actually getting better players now than when he was the head coach at the University of Georgia.  The commitment by Burke to East Carolina should not come as a surprise to anybody, because East Carolina head coach Bill Herrion already has four players in the program from Philadelphia, PA in 6'7 Jr David Bell, 6'4 Soph Mike Cook, 6'3 Frosh Marvin Kilgore, and 6'10 Frosh Charles Bronson; one player from New Jersey in 6'6 Frosh Jonathan Hart; and two players from New York City in 6'7 Jr Mike Castro and 5'11 Soph Japhet McNeil from Brooklyn, NY.  However, it's also important for several other reasons.  First, Burke will give the Pirates another inside player with good hands, a nice touch around the basket, and a huge upside.  Second, the addition of Burke gives the Pirates an entrée into one of the best high school programs in the nation.  The same also can be said about Moore, who joins 6'10 Cem Dinc from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'2 Sean Smiley from Erie (McDowell) PA, and 6'3 Greg Gamble from Niagara Falls (H.S.) NY in a recruiting class for Buffalo that is tied at #54, along with Cal-State Fullerton and Western Michigan, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And don't let the fact that Moore, who is ranked #282 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is the back-up point guard behind 6'0 Jr Eugene Harvey fool you.  Remember, this team is absolutely loaded as it features four seniors in Moore, Burke, 6'9 Frank Tchuisi, who will probably sign at the low Big East or Atlantic-10 level, and 6'6 Ismail Traore, who will probably sign late with somebody in the Northeast or the Mid-Eastern Athletic, five juniors in Harvey, 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas, 6'0 Jr David Cubillan, 6'1 Jr Michael Johnson, and 6'6 Adrian Price; two sophomores in 6'5 Soph Corey Stokes and 6'3 Soph Lionel Liriano; two freshmen in 6'8 Frosh Frederick Dominguez and 5'10 Frosh Terril Holloway; and one 8th Grader in 6'0 Tamir Jackson; all of whom eventually will play at the Division I level.  And Thomas, Harvey, Stokes, Dominguez, Holloway, and Jackson all will project at the high Division I level.  So just imagine how intense Danny Hurley's practices must be every day! 

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Our New York City Ron Naclerio finally caught up with Bobby Jacobs, who is the Executive Director and President of Slam Dunk to the Beach, earlier today and, according to Jacobs himself, his tournament will be held as scheduled December 26th-30th.  If you will recall, Jacobs has been missing in action for the last several months and rumors about his health have not only been the subject of vast speculation, but also a major concern to many in the basketball world.  Jacobs also told Naclerio that he has a prior commitment to attend to this weekend, but that on Sunday, October 24th, Jacobs will join us on our weekly radio show, which you can listen to by clicking on HOOP SCOOP On-Radio.  Naclerio did not ask Jacobs, if the War in the Shore National Prep School Invitational Tournament will be held as scheduled in Milford, DE on November 19th-21st, and attempts by us to follow up with this question have been unsuccessful.  In other words, there still are some important questions to be answered and, as more details become available, we will pass them along.  Naclerio also tells us that 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, who is ranked #210 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has narrowed his list to Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Miami-FL and the smart money is on the Wildcats for several reasons.  First, Pittsburgh just recently landed 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who plays the same position.  Second, everybody around Biggs, except his father, appears to be pushing Villanova.  Third, the only thing the Wildcats are still missing is a power forward who will be able to step in and complement 6'8 Jr Jason Frasor a year from now.  Sure, they already have 6'8 Soph Will Sheridan, who averaged 4.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg a year ago, and they recently landed 6'7 Dante Cunningham from Washington (St. John's) DC, but, according to our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, neither is good enough to beat out 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter.  In other words, if Villanova head coach Jay Wright and his staff get Biggs, then they will be able to play Sumpter at his natural wing forward position during his season year in college.  However, you never should count out the Panthers, despite the fact they finished second on both 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, when it comes to recruiting kids from the city.  As a matter of fact, the current Pittsburgh roster, which includes 6'10 Sr Mark McCarroll from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'2 Jr Carl Krauser Bronx, NY, 6'6 John DeGroat from Newburgh, NY via Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, 6'10 Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'2 Frosh Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Frosh Dante Milligan from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, and 6'1 Frosh Ronald Ramon from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, already has seven players from New York and it's widely believed that nobody recruits the city better than Pittsburgh assistant coach Barry Rohrssen.  Naclerio also reports that 6'7 Kahiem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #210 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has narrowed his list to Rhode Island and Marquette, and our Canadian Editor Ro Russell tells us that 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the 5th highest ranked player, behind 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, and 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, may make a verbal commitment as soon as this weekend.  As things stand now, UCLA appears to be the favorite over Michigan State and Stanford and Georgia Tech and Wisconsin have both been eliminated for Wright's services.  However, when it is all said and done, this one may turn out to be a major surprise.  Russell also catches us up with several recent commitments from players in Canada, which include 6'7 Andre Smyth from Windsor (Vincent Massey) ON to Central Michigan and 6'7 Gavin Horne from Waterloo (H.S.) ON to Western Carolina.  But the most important thing that Russell has to pass along are his comments about 6'0 Junior Cadougan from Toronto (Eastern School of Commerce) ON.  "He's the next big time phenom out of Canada," says Russell.  "Cadougan is a 6'0 8th Grader who plays like a junior or senior in high school.  He's quick, athletic, very skilled with the ball, can shoot off the dribble with range, can pass, defend, and falt out dominate a game.  We won a tournament in Syracuse last weekend and Cadougan had 25 points, seven assists, and five steals and was First Team All-Tournament while playing for my 17's.  People were in awe of his poise, maturity, competitiveness, and confidence for a kid just 13-years-old.  He's in the same league with past Canadian greats Jamal Magloire, Denham Brown, Theo Davis, Olu Famutimi, and Olu Ashaolu and he needs to be ranked among your top 8th Graders right away."   Actually he won't be, because we just updated our list of the Top 8th Graders, which can be found by clicking on Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders).  However, we've got four years to get it right, plus you can bet that Cadoudan will slip through the cracks when and if any of our competitors decide to plagiarize our rankings of the top players in this class.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Ronnie Thomas from Middlebury (Northridge) IN has picked Duquesne over Virginia Tech and Ball State and that 6'7 Josh Dollard from Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC has committed to Auburn.  Dollard is really an athletic undersized power forward who might be able to convert to the wing forward spot down the road, but it really doesn't matter when it comes to Auburn's recruitment of 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA.  Remember, Barber is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and, if he picks the Tigers, he'd be the best player in the program, as well as the starting power foward from day one.  Thomas is not ranked among our Top 625 Seniors Nationally but, like the say, you can't teach size.  And when you add the fact that Danny Nee is an excellent coach and they also have 6'7 Ryan Lambert, who transferring from Western Kentucky, sitting out this year, then it easy to see why the Duquesne coaching staff is now able to use their two remaining scholarships on perimeter players.  We also have confirmed that Texas A&M has landed 6'6 Josh Carter from Lake Highlands (H.S.) TX has verbally committed to Texas A&M and that Fresno State has landed both 6'8 James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY and 6'10 Eric Van Vliet from Santa Clara (H.S.) CA.  The commitment by Tchana comes as no surprise, because we told you yesterday that this had either happened or was about to happen.  However, we were surprised to learn that Van Vliet had recently picked the Bulldogs and it appears he's a guy who has fallen below the radar screen.  We're talking about a physical specimen inside at 6'10, 250 lbs., but he also runs the court, has good hands, has a good understanding of the game, and has a great work ethic.  So you have to like his upside!  Carter is another guy who was under the radar screen, but the word we get is that he's a great 3-point shooter and he's got an excellent bloodine.  As a matter of fact, Carter's older brother 6'9 Soph Warren Carter was recruited to the University of Illinois by Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie right before he left to take the head coaching job at UTEP two years ago. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Anybody who questioned whether the new coaching staff at UTEP would be able to perpetuate what former Miners head coach Billy Gillispie and his staff did in just two years needs to question no further.  If you will recall, the previous regime landed a recruiting class last fall that included 6'6 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Ivan Almonte from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, and 6'2 Vernon Carr from Detroit (Redford) MI.  However, when Galindo reneged on his commitment and, instead, went to Kansas, and Almonte followed former Miners assistant coach Sergio Rouco to Florida International last spring, the new regime quickly replaced them with 6'8 Stanley Branch from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Miguel Ayola from Fullerton (JC) CA, and 6'3 Kelvin Davis from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and, as a result, finished with a recruiting class that was tied with LSU and Nebraska at #39 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004.  And it looks like the trend, whereby, the Miners coaching staff will continue to take advantage of their strong East Coast and prep school ties is already paying off, because they have landed two more excellent players out of Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA in 6'8 Maurice Thomas and 6'4 Stephon Jackson.  Thomas did not attend any of the three major shoe company camps, but he averaged 14.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, and emerged as one of the biggest sleepers of the summer at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC while playing for the New Jersey Wildcats, which advanced all the way to the final eight of the tournament.  Thomas is a big time athlete who does all the blue work inside, as he goes to war on the boards and scores around the basket.  Jackson is a streaky outside shooter, but he's world-class athlete and thrives in transition.  In other words, first-year UTEP head coach Doc Sadler has already landed a pair of forwards in this year's recruiting class who are good enough to beat out Almonte, who is ranked #27 among incoming junior college players by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and Branch, who was ranked #20 in our ranking of the Top 5th Players in June, a year from now, if they don't live up to their hype and press clippings.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ has become Indiana's first recruit in this recruiting class and we think this is important, because he provides valuable insurance for Indiana head coach Mike Davis.  We're talking about the possibility that 6'3 Jr Bracey Wright will decide to forgo his final year of college eligibility and that Davis will move 6'5 Frosh Robert Vaden to the 2-guard spot a year from now.   And assuming that his happens, then the Hoosiers will have not one, but two young athletic wing players in Shaw and 6'7 Frosh James Hardy in the program who can shoot the lights out.  Shaw is ranked #113 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but we really like his upside, as well as the fact that he's got an excellent frame and rebounds extremely well for his size.  We also have learned that 6'8 James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #180 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has decided to attend Fresno State, although we're not sure it's been official announced yet.  But when it does become official, we think this is an absolute steal, because Tchana is one of the best rebounders and hardest working players in the senior class nationally.  And when you also factor in the fact that Tchana is a great kid and he's shown dramatic improvement since coming to the United States two years ago, then it's easy to see why we think he'll be the perfect complement to 6'6 Frosh Chris Berry, who is an extremely athletic undersized power forward who just may win a starting spot this winter, and 6'9 Frosh Hector Hernandez, who has the skills, shooting touch, and versatility to play both forward spots.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also thinks 6'6 Kevin Payton from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who is one of the fastest rising players in senior class nationally, may be close ot making a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota and our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio believes that 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Cassan Breeden from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #114 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both could be on the verge of verbally committing to St. John's.  And, assuming that Naclerio is right, this would move St. John's recruiting class, which already includes 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL, 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'7 Anthony Mason from Memphis (Fairley) TN, up to #12 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, first-year St. John's head coach Norm Roberts and his staff appear to be well on their way towards turning the program around in hurry.  We also have confirmed that Mt. St. Mary's has beaten out schools like Radford, VMI, Longwood, and Hampton for 6'7 Sam Atupem from Newport News (Woodside) VA and this is important for several reasons.  First, Atupem is the force inside on a team that will attempt to win another state championship this year and features William & Mary-bound 6'1 Calvin Baker and 6'2 Stefan Welsh, who is ranked #82 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Mt. St. Mary's head coach Milan Brown, who is one of the bright young head coaches in the business, is originally from Hampton, VA and getting Atupem helps establish what potentially could become a strong tie into the Hampton Roads area.  Maybe Boo Williams, who runs the Boo Williams Summer League program and has a lot of influence over the players in this area, will even send Mt. St. Mary's some players that they normally would not get.  How about 6'6 Terrance Woodbury from Norfolk (Granby) VA, who is ranked #135 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP?

Monday, October 11, 2004

The first day of the Fall Signing Period, which is always the second Wednesday in November (this year the date is November 10th), is now officially less than one-month away, but, as things stand now, only 18 of our top 100-ranked seniors are still available.  We're talking about 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from  Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'6 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Paul Robeson) IL, 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeley (St. Mary's) CA, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, and 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  And, if we dig a little deeper, we find that 33 of our top 150-ranked seniors are already off the board, as 6'8 Rashad Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA, 6'8 Brandon Wolfe from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'7 Lawrence Kinnard from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN, 6'1 Darryl Merthie from Lake Mary (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 6'8 Cassan Breeden from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 5'11 Deonte Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) TN, 6'6 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, 6'3 Jessie Sapp from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'3 Jalon Perryman from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'7 Terrance Woodbury from Norfolk (Grandby) VA, 6'8 Anthony Sparks from Detroit (Murray-Wright) MI, 6'7 Chris Knight from Cincinnati (Withrow) OH, 6'8 DeAndre Thomas from Chicago (Westinghouse) IL, 6'5 Tyrone Johnson from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY also already have made early verbal commitments.   In other words, 78% of the top 150-ranked players have already made their college decision and in some cases they may make up their mind more than once.  Actually, in the case of 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #89 nationally in the senior class, when he picked Auburn today, it was the third time he's made a verbal commitment.  If you will recall, 11 months ago Cameron made a verbal commitment to Clemson, but last spring changed his mind and in June decided on Tennessee.  However, now it looks like he's changed his mind again and now plans to sign with Auburn during the Fall Signing Period.  This addition moves Auburn's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'5 Rasheem Barrett from Atlanta (Marist) GA, into a tie at #64, along with Xavier, Saint Louis, Florida State, and Villanova, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And the story becomes even more interesting, because there is no question that Auburn fans will read this one way and Kentucky fans will read it an entirely different way.  Remember, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #12 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Cameron play a similar position and, as a result, that could help the Wildcats.  However, Cameron can also play center and Barber can step out, hit the 15-footer, and do things on the perimeter, which means that Auburn actually still has room to sign another inside player in this recruiting class and still get them all plenty of playing time.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Austin Jackson from Denton (Ryan) TX, who is ranked #117 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Georgia Tech and, as a result, the Yellowjackets' recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA, 6'9 Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA,and 6'6 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, has moved into a tie at #26, along with N.C. State, St. John's, and Wisconsin, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, while that's probably an accurate reflection where their recruiting class stands right now, it does not reflect the fact that we may actually be watching history repeats itself.   If you will recall, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt already has proven that he is one of the best there is at evaluating talent and putting all the pieces together, as is evident by the Yellowjackets' runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament seven months ago.  Clinch, who is ranked #59 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete, great outside shooter, and he's got an incredible upside.  So does Aminu, who is ranked #111 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and really impressed us with his athleticism, shot blocking, rebounding, and ability to score around the basket when the Georgia Stars won the 17-Under Nationals in Orlando, FL in late July.  Bell also could end up making money playing the game someday, if he develops his outside shot and better perimeter skills, and Jackson will make money playing baseball sooner than later, because it appears that he plans to enter his name into the next baseball draft and attempt to play minor baseball and college basketball at the same time.  However, if Jackson, who was ranked as one of the top players in the class nationally when we was a younger, played exclusively basketball, there is no telling how good he could be.  Instead, Jackson spent most of the summer playing baseball and got lost in the shuffle at the Reebok ABCD Camp the only time we saw him in July.  Jackson also promises to be the heir apparent to 6'3 Jr Jarrett Jack at point guard year after next, as is evident the fact that he's the only point guard that Hewitt and his staff have landed in their two most recent recruiting classes.  If you will recall, a year ago they landed 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, and 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, which means they've filled all of their immediate needs, except for landing a great player.  However, that would do that too if they get 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, whose final three Texas, Kansas, and Georgia Tech.  And, if they do get Miles, that not only would move Georgia Tech's recruiting class up to #11 on our of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but it also would give the Yellowjackets the perfect complement to Jack and Clinch on the perimeter a year from now.  It also appears that new James Madison head coach Dean Keener is following in the same path that he helped his former boss take at Georgia Tech, because the Dukes have landed 6'6 Colby Santos from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who is ranked #225 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Santos is not a great athlete and is not a lights out 3-point shooter, but we like his upside, because he has the court savvy, toughness, and ball handling and passing skills necessary to develop into a pure point guard.  And, if he does, then, at 6'6, Santos would be a real match-up problem for smaller guards in the Colonial Athletic Association.  And, if he doesn't, Santos still will be an excellent complement at the two and the three spots to 6'2 Soph Ray Barbosa, who averaged 11.5 ppg last year as a freshman, and 6'5 Frosh Joe Posey, who has the talent and potential to develop into one of the better wing players in the league after 6'0 Sr Daniel Freeman graduates next spring.  Getting Santos also is important, because he gives the Dukes an entrée into the BABC (Boston Amateur Basketball Club) club team program, which is one of the best in the country.  As a matter of fact, Santos is the step-son of Leo Papile, who has run the BABC program dating back to the days of Patrick Ewing and is now the Director Player Personnel for the Boston Celtics.   Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'5 Jarvis Jackson from Winston-Salem (North Forsyth) NC has verbally committed to Appalachian State and it appears that 6'7 Daniel Emerson from Norcross (H.S.) GA has picked Western Kentucky and 6'7 Tony Jones from Hill (JC) TX is heading to Baylor.  And all three of these verbal commitments are noteworthy, because Jackson is ranked #418 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, Emerson is your good old-fashioned blue collar banger inside, and Jones is an unheralded junior college power forward who red-shirted last year and, as a result, will have three years to play at Baylor.  Jones also is supposed to be pretty good, despite the fact he's no place to be found on all the pre-season junior college lists.  However, one scout who has seen him play tells us that Jones is good enough to be ranked among the top 25 junior college players in the nation and, as a result, Baylor's recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'1 Henry Dugat from Dayton (H.S.) TX, and 6'1 Curtis Jerrells from Del Valle (H.S.) TX, has moved into a tie at #14, along with UNLV, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And making all of this even more impressive is the fact that Baylor's recruiting class a year ago, which included 6'11 Mamadou Diene from the Senegal, 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, 6'1 Kavis Shipman from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'0 Roscoe Biggers from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'5 Patrick Fields from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'5 Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, finished ranked #10 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004. 

Saturday, October 9, 2004, & Sunday, October 10, 2004

The race really is too close to call among 6'4 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle) CA, 6'3 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (I.S. #96) NY, and 6'4 LeShon Edwards from Baltimore, MD for the top spot on our list of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders), which we published exclusively in the Members Section earlier today.  Edwards was the HOOP SCOOP's top-ranked player in the 8th Grade Division at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp in San Diego, CA in early August and Stephenson was the both the Most Outstanding Player in the Camp and the MVP in the Playoffs in the NBA Division, which consisted primarily of sophomores and freshmen, at the Five-Star's Camp Wayne Junior Session, but we still gave the edge to Walker, because he's so strong, athletic, skilled, and mature beyond his years.  And Walker isn't the only player ranked among our top five 8th Graders nationally who will play for Joe Keller's adidas sponsored Team California club team program, as 5'9 G.J. Vilarino, who has moved from McKinney, TX to Phoenix, AZ, checks in at #4, and 6'6 Aaron Moore from Riverside, CA, who was the #4-ranked 8th Grader at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, checks in at #5.  In other words, it looks like the rivalry that already exists between Team Maryland, which features Edwards; 5'9 Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro (James Madison) MD, who is ranked #11 nationally on our list of the top 8th Graders; and 5'4 Kendall Marshall from Dumfries, VA, who is the #1 ranked 7th Grader in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, and has been the dominant team in the National AAU's in this age group recent years, and Team California, which will feature Moore, Vilarino, 6'3 Terran Carter from Chatsworth (Middle) CA, 6'2 Roberto Nelson from Santa Barbara, CA, 6'0 Justin Hawkins from Moreno Valley, CA, 5'9 Gary Franklin from Inglewood, CA, and 6'1 Rome Draper from Rialto, CA, all of whom are ranked among the top 40 8th Graders nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will continue.  Vilarino didn't attend the adidas Junior Phenom Camp, but he established his national reputation at the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL when he scored 16 points against 5'4 Frosh Erving Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 25 points against 5'11 Frosh Korey Lucious from Whitefish Bay (H.S.) WI, and 20 points against 5'11 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA, all three of whom will be ranked among the HOOP SCOOP's top 10 freshmen nationally when we update those rankings later this month.  Neither did Stephenson, 5'9 Lamont Jones from New York, NY, who also played up in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament, and 6'1 Kenny Boynton from Pompano Beach (North Broward Prep) FL, who our Florida Editor Rick Staudt thinks is easily the best player in the class in the Sunshine State.  However, Walker, Edwards, Moore, Griffin, 5'8 Roger Franklin from Dunanville, TX, and 5'10 Dexter Strickland from Rahway, NJ all did attend the camp, which means that six of our top 10-ranked players in the class were in attendance at this camp.  And digging even deeper, every player who was ranked among our top 10 centers, top 17 power forwards, top 16 wing forwards, top 11 2-guards, and top 12 point guards at the adidas Junior Phenom Camp is ranked on our list of the Top 175 Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders).  In other words, we put a major emphasis upon our first hand observations of these players at this camp.  And, just like we always do, we also took into account what our area and state-by-state editors and the numerous people that we rely upon who cover players at these younger age groups.   And this comes on the heels of our Ranking of the Top 5th Year Players, which was published on August 25, 2004; Ranking of the Top 625 Players in the Class of 2005 (Seniors), which was published on September 7, 2004; and Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (Juniors), which was published on September 7, 2004; and precedes our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007 (Sophomores), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008 (Freshmen), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2010 (7th Graders), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011 (6th Graders), and Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2012 (5th Graders), all of which will published later this month.  However, the next two things on our agenda, besides, just keeping up with the normal day-to-day verbal commitments and recruiting information, are to publish updated Mississippi and Illinois Reports. 

Friday, October 8, 2004

Our Florida correspondent Rick Staudt was at the annual Battle of the Rankings camp last weekend presented by BreakdownMagazine.com and, while there were some surprises, the event reinforced a lot of things we already knew.  Like 6’6 Sr Adrian Thomas from Pembrook Pines (Flannigan) FL being a good catch for the University of Miami.  Thomas has big-time athleticism, plays hard every single possession, attacks the boards ferociously, and can hit the three.   He needs to upgrade his ballhandling skills, but he has the desire and work ethic to get it done.  Like 6’0 Sr Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL, another Miami committee, who is one of the fastest players with the ball in the country and continues to score like he did at this year’s NIKE Peach Jam, where he was the leading scorer in the tournament.  Like Florida committee, 6’4 Sr David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day School) FL, who is a great 3 point shooter, but must make better decisions when putting the ball on the floor and penetrating.  Like 6’4 Sr Sean Morrison of St. Petersburg (Lakewood) FL, who has tons of athleticism and a strong body, but must improve his outside shooting.   Like Kyle Swanson, a 6’6 player prepping this season at Worcester (MA) Academy who is as athletic as they come, can shoot the three, and thrive in transition, but needs to show more all-around perimeter skills.  Like 6’8 Jr AJ Tyler from Palm Harbor (University) FL who impressed us this summer at the AAU 17U Nationals in Orlando.  He picked up where he left off by showing his versatility to play both inside and outside.  Like 6’4 Jr Jonathan Hall from Miami (Senior) FL, who impresses us with his upper body strength, athleticism, and ability to hit from the perimeter.  Like Jason Bennett, a 7’0 Jr from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who continues to progress slowly, but has now developed a descent hook shoot.  Like 6’0 Jr Josue Soto, also of Arlington Country Day, who can penetrate and finish or distribute, but must get stronger and be more consistent with his shot.  Like 6’7 Jr Dwayne Collins of Miam (Senior) FL, who has great athleticism and the wing span necesssary to dominate inside, but lacks true offensive skills.  Like 6’0 Sooph Edwin Rios, also of Miami Senior, who continued to prove he is one of the best players nationally in the Class of 2007 by hitting both jumpers and open teammates alike.  But the best thing about these types of events are the sleepers that emerge.  Like 6’0 Jr Chris Hall of Fort Lauderdale (Westminster Academy) FL, who excels in transition, hits the mid-range jumper and is a good defender.  Like Princeton Curry, a 6’4 Jr from Poinciana (HS) FL who, despite a thin frame, shows the athletic ability to repeatedly get to the rim and finish.  Like 6’6 Soph Orin Chin from Miami (Dr. Krop) FL, who showed he can get it done in transition and inside, but must display more perimeter skills to complete the eventual move to the wing.  Like Phillip Batten, a 6’2 Jr PG from Winter Garden (West Orange) HS, who played very poised and under control in this frenetic atmospheres.  Like wise Roy Brunn a 5’11 Jr from Homestead (South Dade) FL, who showed he could play well at both a fast and slow pace.  Like 6’6 Soph AJ Stewart of Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who had a field day in transition and skying for rebounds at both ends.  Like Joey Rodriguez, Nick Calathes, and John Roberson, all in the 5’11 to 6’1 range from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL. They have been playing together since they were 8 years old and appear to be one and the same player.  Rodriguez is a solid pass-first point guard, Calathes reminds you of a young Bobby Frasor, and Roberson is a 2-guard in a point guard’s body, but he can really light it up.  Like 6’3 Jr Brandon Williams from Plantation (American Heritage), 6’4 Soph Larry Jackson of Gasden (East Gasden) FL, 6’3 Jr Derek Duggins of Tampa (Freedom) FL, and 6’4 Jr Jarvis Williams of Orlando (Jones), all of whom are incredible athletes who can dominate in transition and on the glass, but need to enhance their overall perimeter skills.  6’6 wings Tyrone Cornell of Winter Garden (West Orange) FL and Chris Gosly of Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) both showed the athleticism and the skill to play the three at the mid-major or higher levels of Division I. Brandon Giles, a 6’4 Jr from Auburndale (HS) FL only needs more body strength because he is already skilled.  Kordero Terrel, a junior from Eustis (HS) FL, is the states answer to Nate Minnoy, becausd he has a big body, but is able to play out on the perimeter.  Finally the play of two 8th Graders, 6'3 Emari Bailey of Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL and 6'1 Kenny Boynton of Pompano (North Broward Prep) FL, really made us sit up and take notice.

Thursday, October 7, 2004

The next event that we plan to cover will be the Second Annual Eddie Griffin Challenge, which will be held at the Barn Gymnasium at Rutgers University on Saturday, October 30th, and will feature a game with the Top Sophomores from New Jersey versus the Top Sophomores from Philadelphia at 4:00 PM, Top Juniors from New Jersey versus the Top Juniors from Philadelphia at 5:30 PM, and Top Seniors from New Jersey versus the Top Seniors from Philadelphia at 7:00 PM.  In the Sophomore Game we give the edge to the New Jersey Team, which will include 6'4 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 5'11 Soph Corey Fisher from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'2 Soph Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'4 Soph Jeff Robinson from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'0 Soph Anthony Nelson from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, 5'9 Soph Zach Rosen from Colonia (H.S.) NJ, 6'1 Soph Corey Chandler from Newark (East Side) NJ, 6'11 Soph John Marciano from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, Soph Idris Hilliard from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, and 6'5 Soph Corey Raji from Township of Washington (Westwood) NJ, over the Philadelphia Team, which will include 6'1 Soph Antonio Jardine from Philadephia (St. John Newman) PA, 6'3 Soph Bradley Wannamaker from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 5'11 Soph Josh Martin from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Soph Andrew Pomager from Philadelphia (North Catholic) PA, 6'2 Soph Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA, 6'6 Soph Marcus Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'8 Soph Markeith Morris from Philadelphia (Prep Charter) PA, 6'4 Soph Chris Edwards from Philadelphia (Dobbins Tech) PA, 6'7 Soph Richard Jackson from Philadelphia (St. John Newman) PA, and 6'2 Soph Malcolm Eleby from Philadelphia (Franklin Learning Center) PA.  We also give the edge in the Junior Game to the New Jersey Team, which will include 6'8 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 7'0 Jr Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) NJ, 6'7 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Jr Shamari Spears from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'6 Jr Desean Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'3 Jr Kimmani Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 5'11 Jr Luis Guzman from Paramus (Catholic) NJ, 5'11 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and Jr Geoff Rizk from Princeton (The Hun School) NJ, over the Philadelphia Team, which will include 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Jr Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Jr Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'1 Jr Darrin Govens from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Jr Andrew Jones from Rydal (Abington Friends) PA, 6'8 Jr Jason Love from Rydal (Abington Friends) PA, 6'8 Jr Dan Geriot from Springfield (H.S.) PA, 5'9 Jr Malik Alvin from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'1 Jr Derrick Rivera from Philadelphia (St. John Newmann) PA, and 6'2 Soph Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) PA.   However, we give the edge in the Senior Game to the Philadelphia Team, which will feature 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'4 Stephon Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'3 Dionte Christmas from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'3 Scott Rogers from Philadelphia (Central) PA, 6'2 Aron Cohen from Rydal (Abington Friends) PA, and 6'3 Harris Mansell from Wyncote (Cheltenham) PA, over the New Jersey Team, which will feature 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'8 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, 6'8 Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph) NJ, 6'5 Jaron Griffin from Manchester (Township) NJ, 6'2 Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'1 Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'11 Marquise Jones from South Plainsfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Ahmad Nivins from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'7 Qa'rraan Calhoun from Hazlet (Raritian School) NJ.

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'6 J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, who is ranked #66 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the University of Arizona over Vanderbilt and, as a result, once again the Wildcats should be loaded for years to come.  Initially we look for Prince to provide valuable depth at both the point guard spot and both wing spots behind 6'3 Soph Mustafa Shakur, who is expected to be the best point guard in the Pacific-10 Conference this year; 6'5 Frosh Jawann McClellan was ranked #20 nationally in the Class of 2004 a year ago by the HOOP SCOOP and was a McDonald's All-American; 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA, who was ranked #28 among 5th Year Players by the HOOP SCOOP, is a big time athlete/slasher and would have been the equivalent of a player in the 71-100 range, if we included him with high school seniors a year ago, and 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is versatile enough to play a number of different positions, thanks to his good ball handling and passing skills, excellent 3-point shooting range, and ability to rebound well for his size.  And whether Shakur graduates in three years or leaves early to enter the NBA Draft, Prince promises to be the heir apparent at point guard, because, at 6'6, he has the ball handling and passing skills and the mentality necessary to run a team.  Prince also is ideally suited to complement all the good young inside players that the Wildcats will have in the program, like 6'9 Frosh Mohamed Tangara, 6'7 Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX, 6'10 Soph Ivan Radenovic, and 6'10 Soph Kirk Walters.  So with a recruiting class that now is ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes Williams, Onobun, Prince, and 6'6 Jermichael Finley from Diboll (H.S.) TX, who will sign a National Letter-Of-Intent to play football, but also plans to play basketball, the only thing missing (in both recruiting class and the program) is a dominating center.  And you can bet that will be Arizona head coach Lute Olson's next priority, especially if a scholarship opens up between now and next spring.  However, if nobody transfers, flunks out, gets hurt, or enters the NBA Draft prematurely, then it's probably pretty safe to assume that Arizona will target several inside players in the Class of 2006.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'10 Darrell Harris from Cuyahoga (JC) OH has verbally committed to Siena.  We're talking about the 15th leading scorer with 13.6 pgp and second leading rebounder with 9.9 rpg in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference last year, as well as somebody who helped lead his team to the Division II Junior College National Championship last season.  Harris picked Siena over schools like Long Beach State, Marshall, Ball State, Boise State, and Idaho State.  It also looks like it's time for the University of Washington to give Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar a big fat raise, because 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA and 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA both have had their press conferences and both have made it official for this emerging Pacific-10 powerhouse.  We say that because the two highest ranked players in the nation who have verbally committed to the same school at the present time are Brockman, who is ranked #11 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Webster, who is ranked #13 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   And now that Webster is fully recovered from an injury that had slowed him much of the last year and is back into great shape, the word coming out the Seattle, WA is that Webster is back to where he was when we ranked him as the #1 player in the nation after watching him a year ago last summer at the adidas Big Time Tournament.  These two verbal commitments move the University of Washington's recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Roburt Sallie from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Harvey Perry from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'8 Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, up to #7 on our list of   the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, for Romar to be able to take full advantage of what now appears to be the supreme coup of the entire fall recruiting period, he must also convinve Webster not to by-pass college and entire his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  We also have confirmed that 6'6 Zarron Cann from Brandon (H.S.) FL is verbally committed to South Florida.  Sure, Cann is ranked no higher than #307 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but there is a place for a guy like this at the big time college level, assuming that this phenomenal athlete is used properly.  Remember, when we saw Cann prior to when he got hurt at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL last winter, he wanted to shoot threes and do things on the perimeter in order to convince everybody that he projects as a wing forward down the road.  Thus, explains why he's now ranked so low.   But, if somebody convinces Cann that he's an undersized inside guy and takes that as far as he can, then he could be an absolute steal for the Bulls. 

The top 25 teams in the junior college ranks, according to Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook, are 1) Dixie (JC) UT, 2) Moberly (JC) MO, 3) Redlands (JC) OK, 4) Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 5) Ventura (JC) CA, 6) Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, 7) Coffeyville (JC) KS, 8) Western Nebraska (JC) NE, 9) Garden City (JC) KS, 10) Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, 11) Los Angeles City (JC) CA, 12) Chipola (JC) CA, 13) Georgia Perimeter, 14) San Jacinto (JC) TX, 15) Arkansas-Ft. Smith, 16) Vincennes (JC) IN, 17) Atlanta Metro (JC) GA, 18) Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 19) Lon Morris (JC) TX, 20) Daytona Beach (JC) FL, 21) South Plains (JC) TX, 22) Northwest Mississippi (JC) MS, 23) Arizona Western (JC) AZ, 24) Highland (JC) IL, 25) SMSU-West Plains (JC) MO, and 25) North Dakota Science (JC) ND, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson points out that the most talented junior college team in the nation didn't even make the list.  Don't believe it?  Well just take a look at the College of Southern Idaho's roster, which includes 6'11 Mohamed Kone from the Ivory Coast via France; 6'10 Abdoulaye Ndiaye from the Senegal; 6'9 Bruno Claudino from Brazil; 6'10 Frosh Ali Traore from France; 6'0 Jamaal Brown, who signed with Oklahoma State a year ago when he was at Dixie (JC) UT; 6'1 Clayton Osborne, who originally signed with Lipscomb, and 5'10 Shaun Davis, who signed with Pepperdine two years ago as a high school senior at San Diego (Lincoln) CA.  Kone was ranked as the #1 center and the #5 player overall in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook and has a long list, which includes Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State, Purdue, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Indiana, UNLV, San Diego State, St. Mary's, and Pepperdine.  Claudino was ranked as the #5 power forward in the junior college ranks by Lindy's 2004-2005 Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook and has a list that includes Baylor, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Washington, Washington State, Pepperdine, Brigham Young, St. Mary's, and Southern Utah.  Brown, who was ranked at the #3 point guard in the junior college ranks by the Lindy's 2004-2005 Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook, is considering Oklahoma, Illinois, Baylor, Purdue, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State, Southern Utah, and Brigham Young.  Ndiaeye is unranked by any of the pre-season college basketball magazines, because he had planned on enrolling at San Diego this fall and playing the next three years for the Toreros.  However, all that changed when San Diego assistant coach Steve Flint, who was the one who placed Ndiaeye at Southern Idaho (JC) ID in the first place, resigned in August.  And this is important, because Ndiaeye, whose list is pretty much the same as Kone's list, arguably is the best player on team, which means that Gib Arnold, who is the head coach at Southern Idaho (JC) ID, has more talent on his roster than most high Division I teams.  And we haven't even mentioned the fact that Indiana is the heavy favorite for Davis; UC-Santa Barbara, Cal-Irvine, and Santa Clara are fighting it out for Osborne; and Traore is one of the top junior college freshmen in the nation.  Making the story even more interesting is the fact that Babacar Sy, who is an assistant coach for the Senegal National Team and runs a scouting service that covers the continent of Africa, is on the staff at Southern Idaho (JC) ID, which means the pipeline may be in place long after Flint moves into a big time college assistant coaching job next spring.  And when that happens, the smart money is on both Ndiaye and Kone following in Flint's footsteps, as part of the package.  But for now Arnold has placed Flint, who played several year for Jerry Tarkanian at UNLV, in charge of working with all the post players in the program and he's also coordinating all the recruitment of the international players.  The high school version of   Southern Idaho (JC) ID has to be Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA and most people in the know already know that Linzy Davis, who is both head coach of the team and the Georgia Editor of the HOOP SCOOP, has two of the top young players in both state and the country in 6'5 Jr Solomon Tat, who originally is from Nigeria and 6'7 Frosh Olu Ashaolu, who is originally Nigeria via Canada.  However, most people don't know that Davis also has seven other high Division I prospects in 6'7 Jr Aleksander Mrozik from Poland, 6'8 Jr Jakub Gadomski from Poland, 6'8 Jr Petras Balocka from Lithuania, 6'10 Jr  Krzysztok Janiszweski from Poland, 6'8 Soph Ousmane Cisse from the Ivory Coast, 6'9 Soph Chris Barnes from College Park, GA, and 6'3 Eduardo Bermudez from Puerto Rico; three mid-major prospects in 6'8 Jr Paulus Cibulskis from Lithuania, 7'0 Kyle Luckett from Jonesboro, GA, and 6'7 Cortez  Johnson from Albany, GA; and another high major player on the way in 6'5 Carlos Morais from Angola.  Mrozik might be the third best player on the team, but probably   won't start, because Davis plans to go with Tat and Ashaolu in the backcourt.   However, we're talking about a flashy, high energy, very intense, very athletic point guard who provides the perfect spark off the bench.  Davis thinks Gadomski will emerge as his leading scorer this season, because he can score both inside and outside, is the craftiest player on the team, and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time, as he gets a lot of garbage inside and is extremely efficient on the perimeter.  Balocka is not your stereotypical Eastern European player, because he's strong, physical, and likes to mix it up inside.  But Balocka, whose father played professionally in Lithuania, also can put the ball on the floor, run the court, and shoot the three, which explains why Davis lists him as a three and not as a four or a five.   Instead, Janiszweski fills the role as the killer inside, as comparisons to Big Country (former Oklahoma State All-American Bryant Reeves) and former Utah Jazz NBA center Mark Eaton appear to be in order.  Cisse, who just arrived in the country last week, is still raw, but Davis expects him to eventually be a lot like the first Ousmane Cisse, who was the best player at the NIKE All-American Camp, according to the HOOP SCOOP, during the summer of 2001.   In other words, we're talking about a big strong physical athlete who plays with a tremendous amount of intensity.  Davis thinks Barnes is the best sophomore in the state and says Alexander Johnson-comparisons are in order, because Barnes blocks shot, rebounds, dunks, and dominates inside with his skills and athleticism.   However, unlike Johnson, Barnes doesn't try to do too much out on the perimeter, although Barnes does have an excellent 15-foot jumper.  Bermudez is your typical combo guard from Puerto Rico who can handle, pass, shoot the lights out, and competes with the best of them.  Cibulskis can also shoot the lights out, Luckett's size and potential make him intriguing, and Johnson, who is Alexander Johnson's younger brother, has the perimeter skills necessary to project as a mid-major wing forward.  Morais, who is expected to arrive in the country next week, is a strong physical athletic 2-guard who has put up prolific numbers against international competition.  As a matter of fact, Davis expects Morais to be one of his best players and leading scorers, as well as a top 50 senior nationally by the end of the year.  That's the good news!  The bad news is that Kansas State already is the leader, which leads us to believe that they've stashed him here.  And we'll all get a chance to see if all of these guys are as good as advertised this winter, because Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA will be competing in the War on the Shore National Prep School Invitational in Milford, DE, November 18th-21st; against Laurinburg (Institute) NC in Stockbridge, GA on November 23rd; against Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA in Stockbridge, GA on November 30th, at Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE, December 26th-30th; against Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL in Stockbridge, GA on January 21st; against Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC in Stockbridge, GA on January 22nd; against Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL in Bradenton, FL on January 29th; against Charlotte (Victory Christian) NC in Charlotte, NC on February 4th, against Laurinburg (Institute) NC in Durham, NC on February 5th; against Pickens (Prince Avenue Prep) SC in Pickens, SC on February 12th, against Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL in Birmingham, AL on February 18th; against Bradenton (IMG Academy) FL in Stockbridge, GA on February 19th, against Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA in Virginia Beach, VA on February 25th, and in the Champion Classic at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC on February 26th. 

Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Dante Cunningham from Washington (St. John's) DC, who is ranked #157 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Villanova.  And this is interesting, because Cunningham plays a similar position to 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who committed to Villanova over a year ago, but recently reneged on the Wildcats.  However, Cunningham doesn't shoot as well as Clark does nor does he do anything else on the perimeter as well as Clark.  As a matter of fact, we don't think Cunningham has a true position, because he's not big and strong enough to play inside nor does he have the skills necessary to be a wing forward at the big time level.  But schools like Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Charlotte, who were the other three finalists on Cunningham's list, apparently don't agree.  Maybe they know that Cunningham, who has big time athleticism and a size 19-shoe, is expected to grow several more inches.  And, if he does, then all bets are off.  Cunningham also appears to be following the footsteps of his former high school teammate - 6'7 Dwayne Anderson, who has surfaced this fall in prep school at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and counts once again with Villanova's current recruiting class, which now is ranked #67 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if Villanova also gets Clark, whose top two schools now appear to be Villanova and Maryland, and either 6'8 Tyrone Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, who is ranked #44 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, or 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, who is ranked #92 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then their recruiting class would move up into the top 15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson previously had told us that anybody who was reporting that 6'5 Bobby Clark from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL had reaffirmed his verbal commitment to the University of Mississippi had jumped the gun.  But now Johnson tells us that the race has become official and, as a result, Ole Miss' recruiting class have moved up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, the Rebels already have landed 6'10 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL, 6'7 Trey Hampton from Birmingham (Hoover) AL, 6'9 Xavier Webb from Atwood (West Carroll) TN, 6'3 Clarence Sanders from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, and 6'5 Jarvis Walker from Olympia Fields (Rich Central) IL in this currenting class and we've given Misssissippi assistant coach Tracy Dildy a great deal of credit for getting all this done, thanks to his strong Chicago area connections and the fact that he held a similar position at Auburn for the last several years.  However, Ole Miss' other new assistant coach, Michael White, who was an assistant coach at Jacksonville State, which is located in Jacksonville, AL, the last four years, also has strong ties into the states of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee and, as a result, also deserves a lot credit for landing what now appears to be the best recruiting class in the Southeastern Conference.  We also have confirmed that George Mason has landed 6'6 Sammie Hernandez from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, who is ranked #205 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Kent State had gotten verbal commitments from 6'10 Brandon Parks from Bunker Hill (Maconaquah) IN and 6'4 Mike McKee from Pittsburgh (Plum) PA.  Ironically, George Mason's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Chris Fleming from Osborne Park (H.S.) VA, and Kent State's recruiting class both move into a tie at #86, along with Southern University, Texas A&M, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois, Delaware, Arkansas, and Wyoming, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, unlike Kent State, which appears to be out of scholarships and, as a result, done recruiting players in the Class of 2005, George Mason still is going hard after 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  And, if they pull this off, then they would have gotten the ideal complement to the excellent recruiting class that they landed a year ago when they signed 6'8 Will Thomas from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, 6'5 John Vaughn from Laurel (H.S.) MD, 6'4 Folarin Campbell from Silver Springs (Springbrook) MD, and 6'0 Jordan Carter from Indianapolis (Brebeuf) IN.  Remember, Johnson is ranked #94 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and Hernandez, who picked the Patroits over schools like South Florida, SMU, Central Florida, and Hofstra, has great hands, excellent timing, and is one of the best rebounder in the nation.  Kent State, which will graduate only player next spring, appears to have found two of the final pieces to their puzzle, because McKee is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he shot 44% from beyond the arc last season and had a game when he hit 10 3-pointers, and Parks is a physical specimen (6'10, 265 lbs.) who has fallen under the radar screen.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Devin Sweetney from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who is slasher/athletic with an excellent mid-range game, has picked St. Francis-PA over Hartford, Central Connecticut State, Akron, and Toledo and that Austin Peay has landed 6'1 Landon Shipley from Wildwood (Lafayette) MO, who is a solid point guard and scorer.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'6 J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, who is ranked #66 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 PM and he will pick either Vanderbilt or Arizona.  Right now the race is too close to call, but, if Prince picks the Commodores, we suspect that he will immediately move into 6'6 Sr Jason Holwerda's starting 2-guard spot next year and then will be the heir apparent to 5'11 Jr Mario Moore at point guard the following year.  And, Prince picks the Wildcats, then he'd be perfect insurance policy for when and if 6'3 Mustafa Shakur, who averaged 9.2 ppg and 6.5 apg as a freshman last year, enters his name into the NBA Draft prematurely sometime during the next three years.  Whitehead also tells us that 6'3 Jarvis Hill from Starkville (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #212 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has reneged on his verbal commitment to the University of Tennessee and, as a result, the Volunteers' recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN and 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL, drops to #35 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, we suspect that Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson doesn't mind too much, because this opens the door even wider for the Volunteers to get land 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #46 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, Whitehead has been telling for over a month that it's a two-horse race between Memphis and Tennessee for Gordon's services.  However, with all the wing players that Memphis has both program and in this recruiting class, the smart money appears to be Tennessee with regards to Gordon's college decision.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Tyler Dierkers from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH has verbally committed to Miami-OH and this is important for several reasons.  First, Dierkers is a good player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #24 in the state's senior class by Johnson and #351 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, Dierkers is extremely well coached (he plays for Mike Price in the Cincinnati Red AAU program).   Third, Dierkers always gives 110%, has good post moves, and shooting range that extends out to beyond the arc. 

Tuesday, October 5, 2004

We reported on Saturday that 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA had verbally committed to the University of Washington, but now we're finding out that the press conference isn't scheduled until tomorrow.  How can that be?  Obviously our source, who must be a sloppy journalist, did not distinguish between something that is going to happen and something that already has happened.  And making this story even more interesting is the fact that that same person and myself spent quite a bit of time (also on Saturday) trying to confirm whether 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Washington) WA had verbally committed to the Huskies.  All this important, because, unlike many of our competitors, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to allow the player to make the announcement regarding what often is one of the most important decisions of his life.  So, as things stand now, we're still waiting for both players to make their decisions.  We do believe that Brockman will make it official for the Huskies tomorrow and we suspect that Webster will follow suit in the near future.  However, if either decides to change their mind at the last minute, unlike most of our competitors, we're off the hook, because journalistically we reported it right.  And, in doing so, we have dropped the University of Washington's recruiting class back into a tie at #45, along with Rutgers and Cincinnati, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But that won't last long, unless Brockman pulls a Ralph Sampson at the press tomorrow.  If you will recall, Sampson was supposed to announce for the University of Kentucky in the spring of 1979, but changed his mind when he got to the podium and, instead, picked Virginia.  And when 6'9 Shareef Abdur-Rahim picked the University of California over Georgia Tech in 1995, several members of the media who were in attendance were so surprised that they dropped their pens and/or pencils in shock.  In other words, it doesn't pay to assume when you can look just as smart by making something that you know is going to happen a prediction, instead of reporting it as fact.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman has confirmed that 6'7 Anthony Mason from Memphis (Fairley) TN, who is ranked #144 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to St. John's and the connections here are extremely interesting.  Did you know that St. John's head coach Norm Roberts and Mason's father (former New York Knicks player Anthony Mason Sr) played high school basketball together and graduated from Springfield Gardens (H.S.) NY in 1983?  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also tells us that Roberts was able to take advantage of another previous connection when he landed 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL, who is ranked ranked among the top 10 junior college players in the nation by Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and is the #6-ranked center in the junior college ranks by Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook, over the weekend.  Remember, Roberts was the guy who originally signed Spears when he was still an assistant coach at the University of Illinois.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Chris Cole from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who is ranked as the #5 point guard, behind 6'0 Edward Tyson from Baltimore (Walbrook) MD, 5'10 Raymond Brewer from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, 5'10 Brian Johnson from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD, and 5'10 Stephon Snowden from Frederick (Watkins Mills) MD, in the state by Maryland Prep Hoops.com, has verbally committed to the University of Hartford.   However, this is an important catch for several other reasons.  First, Cole is a pure point guard and has a great understanding of the game, which is exactly what the doctor ordered for Hawks head coach Larry Harrison, who must replace 5'11 Jr Charles Ford year after next.   Second, Cole helps perpetuate Hartford's strong connections into the Washington, DC area via Hawks assistant coach Chris Pompey, who is one of the best recruiters in the business.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that Cal State-Fullerton has landed 6'4 Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'0 Drew Schiller from Bulringame (H.S.) CA has picked San Francisco, and 6'5 Mike Rolle from Aliso Viejo (Aliso Miguel) CA has committed to UC-Santa Barbara; our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Jason Miller from Hamilton (H.S.) OH has gone to Columbia; and our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'1 Justin Holland from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA has committed to Liberty.   The addition of Holland moves Liberty's recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Tyler Baker from Albuquerque (Temple Baptist) NM and 6'4 Anthony Smith from Plano (East) TX, up to #62 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  It also comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which included 6'6 Rell Porter from Pittsburg (H.S.) TX, 6'11 Russell Monroe from Alma (H.S.) MI, 6'2 Evan Risher from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, 6'8 Rashad Robinson from San Jacinto (JC) TX, and 6'5 Joe Fulp from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC.  Yes, it appears that Liberty head coach Randy Dunton is loading up, but his two best players may already be in the program, as is evident by the fact that  6'1 Soph Larry Blair was the Freshman-of-the-Year in the League last year and 6'5 Soph David Dees stepped up and was terrific down the stretch last season.  The addition of Miller moves Columbia's recruiting class into a tie at #97, along with Evanville, American University, and Bucknell.   However, that really doesn't begin to tell the story, as Miller is ranked #463 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and he gives the Lions not one, but two players in this recruiting class who are good enough to play at the mid-major level.  Remember, last week we reported that our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thought 6'2 Nikko Scott from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY was a steal for Columbia.  Rolle is ranked #221 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, Moret is ranked #277 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Schiller is ranked #345 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but the big one that we're waiting for is 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from Berkeely (St. Mary's) CA, who is expected to pick either UCLA or San Francisco.  If Lowhorn picks UCLA, he'd be a pretty good consolation prize after the Bruins failed to get 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA.  And, if Lowhorn picks the Dons, he'd probably be new San Francisco head coach Jessie Evans most important recruit ever for several reasons.  First, Lowhorn is pretty darn good, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #84 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Second, Lowhorn is your good old-fashioned blue collar player inside, as he's a physical specimen, excellent athlete, a warrior on the boards, and a prolific scorer in the low post.  Third, Lowhorn is a local kid, which would help establish a strong recruiting base in the Bay Area for Evans and his new staff.

Monday, October 4, 2004

We are still waiting to see if all the speculation about 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA being on the verge of verbally committing to the University of Washington is correct, but it does appear to be a done deal for 6'3 Wesley Washington from Yavapai (JC) AZ, who, as expected, made it official for Oregon State over the weekend.  And this is huge, because Washington is ranked #4 among wing guards by the Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook and was ranked #55 as a high school senior at Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003.  We're talking about an incredible slasher/athlete who promises to be the marquee player around which Beavers head coach Jay John needs to take the program to a higher level.  However, the addition of Washington also is important for several other reasons.  First, Washington moves Oregon State's recruiting class, which already includes 6'9 Calvin Hampton from New Hampton (Prep) NH and 6'3 Josh Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, into a tie at #32, along with Arizona State and Baylor, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Second, the addition of Washington helps perpetuate the pipeline that Oregon State already has into one of the premier high school program in the nation at Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  If you will recall, a year ago the Beavers landed 6'6 Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Third, getting Washington firmly establishes Oregon State assistant coach Kevin Mouton, who deserves most the credit for getting this one done, as one of the best recruiters in the nation.  In other words, it appears that Mouton is a chip off the old block, as his boss (Jay John) was ranked as the #1 assistant coach several years ago by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'2 Kaleo Kina from Phoenix (Trevor Phoenix) AZ has picked Navy over Northern Arizona and Santa Clara and 6'6 Casey Reed from Portland (Canby) OR has picked Navy over Sacramento State, Montana, and North Dakota State and, as a result, the Midshipman's recruiting class moves up into a tie at #78, along with Southwest Missouri State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Nick Wilson from Trenton (Central) NJ has verbally committed to Bowling Green and this is significant for several reasons.  First, schools like St. John's, Fordham, and West Virginia had been showing interest, which means Wilson is a legitimate sleeper.  Second, Wilson is the perfect complement to the other two players - 6'8 Jeremy Holland from Austin (H.S.) IN and 6'7 Erick Marschall from New London (H.S.) OH, both of whom have excellent inside/outside games, as is evident by the fact that they can both shoot the lights out - Bowling Green's recruiting class.  Third, Wilson is the slasher/athlete/intense defender that the Falcons missed on last spring when they lost out to Fresno State for 6'6 Chris Berry from Compton (Centennial) CA.  Speaking of Berry, did you know that he's probably going to start for the Bulldogs this year, which simply reinforces the fact that we thought he was one of the biggest sleepers in the senior class nationally a year ago.  We also have confirmed via our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio that 6'1 Rodney Pierce from Buffalo (Hutchinson Central Tech) NY has become Rider's third recruit.  If you will recall, the Broncs already have verbal commitments from 6'6 Barney Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and 6'2 Lamar Johnson from Scranton (H.S.) PA, which means their recruiting class is now tied with Southwest Missouri State and Navy at #78 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed a number of junior college verbal commitments via Big Apple Sports, which include 6'5 Othyus Jeffers from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA to Illinois-Chicago, 6'10 Aliou Kane from Collin (JC) TX to Texas Christian, 6'6 David Fisher from Arkansas-Ft. Smith (JC) AR to New Mexico State, 6'3 Michael Daniels from Grayson (JC) UT to Utah State, 6'10 Steve Cobbley from North Idaho (JC) ID to Utah State, 6'8 Zach Andrews from Yuba (JC) CA to Bradley, 6'3 Garfield Johns from Monroe (JC) NY to Utah, 6'9 McKale Jones from Southern Union (JC) AL to UT-Martin, 6'8 Gary Nunez from Ventura (JC) CA to Cal State-Fullerton, 6'10 Manuel Montano from Palomar (JC) CA to Cal State-Fullerton, and 6'9 Chris Minardo from Citrus (JC) CA to Cal State-Fullerton.  These last three are especially noteworthy, because Nunez, Montano, and Minardo will give second year Titans head coach Bob Burton the size he needs to complement 6'1 Soph Bobby Brown, who was named the Freshman-of-the-Year in the League last season, and 6'7 Jr Jamaal Brown, who sat out last season after transferring from Western Kentucky.  Jeffers is big catch for Illinois-Chicago, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked as a Fifth Team Junior College All-American by Street & Smith Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook, and Kane, who was ranked #70 nationally in the senior class two years ago when he signed with Minnesota, appears to be exactly what the doctor ordered for Texas Christian.  Remember, Horned Frogs head coach Neil Dougherty already has some good young players in the program, like 6'6 Soph Blake Adams, 6'3 Frosh Brent Hackett, 6'4 Jr Nile Murry, and 6'4 Frosh Neiman Owens, but he doesn't have a physical specimen and defensive stopper inside.  This is the second time that Fisher, who was ranked #153 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2003, has committed to the Aggies and once again we think he's a major steal, despite the fact that Fisher really doesn't have a true position.  Daniels is ranked as the #5 point guard in the junior college ranks by Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook and Cobbley, who was ranked #155 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP when he originally signed with Utah State three years ago, is expected to step in and allow 6'7 Jr Nate Harris, who is expected to be the best player in the Big West Conference this year, to play the power forward spot a year from now when 6'8 Sr Spencer Nelson graduates.

Saturday, October 2, 2004, & Sunday, October 3, 2004

Believe it or not, for the second time this year somebody has posted on a message board the HOOP SCOOP's Ranking of the Nation's Top Players in the Class of 2008.  This time the rankings were dated September 30, 2004 and that should provide first tip-off that we have a major problem, because we have not published any Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2008 since February 3, 2004.  Obviously to take somebody's else rankings and copy them is bad enough, but in this case we're talking about not only copying our rankings, but also changing around some of the top players to fit whatever agenda the perpetrator is trying to achieve.  In other words, once again we have blatant case of not only plagiarism, but also forgery, counterfeiting, and literary theft, all of which are protected by copyright and trademark law.  And, if I catch those responsible for perpetrating this fraud, they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  So, if by some chance, you run across any of these fake rankings or any rankings with the HOOP SCOOP's name and logo at the top on any web site, except this one, I encourage you can call me 1-(502) 500-4667, fax me at 1-(502)-254-2646, or email me at hoopscooponline@msn.com.  I first became aware of this problem several days ago when the rankings mentioned above appeared on TexasRoundball's web site and, despite initial threats of a lawsuit, as of yet, nobody from that web site has bothered to return our phone calls and cooperate with our request to track down the person or persons responsible.  Moral to the story, TexasRoundball suddenly has a big problem of their own, because they ultimately are responsible for the content of the information that appears or has appeared on their web site.  It's also ironic that the perpetrator of this fraud decided to post the bogus rankings on TexasRoundball, because they both (the publishers of TexasRoundball and the perpetrators of the bogus rankings) obviously are clueless.  Remember, TexasRoundball has very little credibility in the market place, because they have a hard time even ranking the top players in the state accurately.  And the best example is 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who is ranked #10 nationally in the senior class by Dave Telep on TheInsidersHoops.com and #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but is ranked no higher than #14 in the state by TexasRoundball.  TexasRoundball also is totally out to lunch with regards to players like 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX, 6'6 Rashad Woods from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, and 6'2 Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX.  Abrams is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is heading to Texas, but is ranked no higher than #19 in the state by TexasRoundball.  Woods is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is heading to DePaul, but is ranked no higher than #16 in the state by TexasRoundball.  Johnson is ranked #102 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is heading to Oklahoma, but doesn't even make TexasRoundball's list.  It's also widely known that TexasRoundball is very biased towards players in the Dallas Mustangs club team program, which explains why players like 5'11 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX and 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who are ranked #2 and #3, respectively, in the state by TexasRoundball, are ranked somewhat higher than they should be.  And the bogus rankings are just as bad, because they obviously didn't take into account the fact that 5'10 Frosh Korie Lucious from Whitefish Bay (H.S.) WI had a phenomenal summer and, as a result, has surpassed 5'4 Frosh Erwing Walker from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, who they still have as the #1-ranked player in the class.  And so have 6'4 Frosh Tyreke Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Frosh Gregory Monroe from Marrero (John Ehret) LA, and 6'6 Frosh Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, which means that when we finally get around to publishing our updated rankings for the Class of 2008, Walker will be ranked #5, instead of #1.  They also haven't picked up on a number of other things, like the fact that 6'11 Frosh Auri Allen from Los Angeles (Windward) CA was a major bust when we saw him at the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL and, as a result, will drop from top five in the class into the 50-100 range.  And he'll be ranked that high based solely on his size and potential.  Like the fact that we've been told by those who have seen 5'10 Frosh Jay Gillman from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, who is ranked #5 in the bogus rankings, that he's not even good enough to make our list and, as a result, will drop out of our rankings altogether next time we update our rankings.  Like 6'6 Frosh Christopher Braswell from Bethesda, MD, who was ranked #6 by the HOOP SCOOP in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL, and 6'8 Frosh Yancy Gates from Cincinnati, OH, who was ranked #11 by the HOOP SCOOP in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  Neither player was ranked on the bogus list, but they both will be in the 5-15 range next time we update our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008.  Like the fact that 6'2 Frosh Walter Offutt from Indianapolis, IN, who was ranked #38 on our list last February and is ranked #38 on the bogus list, is a legitimate top 10 player in the class based on the way he performed when we saw him last spring in the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX.  As a matter of fact, after you get past the first 20 players or so, except for a few minor changes, all the rankings on our February 3rd list and the bogus list are exactly the same.  In other words, the perpetrator may be a thief, but he's not very creative nor is he very knowledgeable.  Editor's Note:  Tim from TexasRoundball called our radio show earlier tonight and we not only had an interesting debate about players in Texas, which you can listen to by clicking on HOOP SCOOP On-Radio, but we also got his assurances that he would help us track down the perpetrator(s) behind the bogus rankings.  Another Editor's Note: Despite the fact that Tim from TexasRoundball told us on our radio show last night that he would cooperate by providing us with the internet web site address of the perpetrator who posted the bogus rankings in question on his web site last week, it appears that he not only isn't very good at evaluatting players, but he also is loud, difficult to interview, and a flat out liar.  Yes, Tim appears to have changed his mind, as a result, we will be talking to lawyers tomorrow about the possibility of a lawsuit against the publishers of TexasRoundball.

We first raised the possibility in the middle of August when we wrote "the coup would be if the Huskies can get 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA.  And our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis thinks this may happen, if Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar goes ahead and pulls the trigger on Brockman's close friend and Friends of Hoop-Seattle teammate - 6'0 Mitch Johnson from Seattle (O'Dea) WA.  The Huskies already have verbal commitments from 6'6 Roburt Sallie from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'4 Harvey Perry from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'8 Artem Wallace from Toledo (H.S.) WA, but getting Brockman and Johnson also might give the Huskies the momentum they need to convince 6'7 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA to stay home.  And, if the Huskies were to by some chance beat out Arizona for Webster, that also would probably put them in the driver's seat next year for 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA.  In other words, Romar wasn't standing behind the basket at all of the Friends of Hoop-Seattle's games at the Main Event in Las Vegas, NV in late July for nothing."  Johnson went to Stanford soon after we wrote this, but, as things have turned out, Romar didn't need to use Johnson to get all of the important pieces to puzzle to fall into place.  We're talking about the fact that Brockman made his official decision to attend the University of Washington last night and that a verbal commitment by 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA could be forthcoming to the Huskies at any time.  As a matter of fact, Tracy Pierson of TheInsidersHoops.com is already reporting that it's happened, although it appears that he's jumped the gun, as no official announcement has been forthcoming.  So, as things stand now, Washington's recruiting class is tied at #13, along with UNLV, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, assuming that Webster does make it official for the Huskies (our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis also expects this to happen), then Washington's recruiting class would move up to #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And that would put them in pretty fast company, as they would be behind Louisville, Duke, Memphis, North Carolina, and LSU and ahead of Kansas, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Marquette, Mississippi State, Arizona, and Georgia.  However, that doesn't even begin to tell just how important getting both Brockman and Webster is to the University of Washington program.  Brockman, who finished ranked #6 by the HOOP SCOOP at the NIKE All-American Camp, is a blue collar power forward with excellent skills, surprising athleticism, and killer instinct on the boards.  Webster, who finished ranked #6 by the HOOP SCOOP at the NIKE All-American Camp, had been sidelined by injuries during most of the last year, but is a big time athlete who can score in a variety of ways and has good enough ball handling and passing skills and court savvy to play the one, two, and three spots.  Yes, we're probably talking about the supreme recruiting coup of the entire year, because these two players, who ranked #11 and #13 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, respectively, should immediately transform the Huskies' program from being just another good Pacific-10 Conference team into one of the powerhouse teams in college basketball.  And, just as important, getting Brockman, whose top three schools were Washington, Duke, and UCLA, and Webster, who is expected to pick the Huskies over North Carolina, illustrates the fact that the Huskies can go against the premier programs in college basketball and keep the top players in their backyard at home.  And this is not good news for UCLA, which recently was eliminated from the Brockman sweepstakes, for several reasons.  First, Brockman would have been exactly what the doctor ordered to solve the Bruins' lack of toughness inside.  Second, Romar, who previously was an assistant coach at UCLA and the head coach at Pepperdine, also has strong recruiting ties Southern California and, as a result, should continue to be a thorn in their side in the future.  Third, the Bruins will have to face Brockman, who may just turn out to be the best power forward in the league for the next four years.  We also have confirmed that 7'0 Julius Lamptey from Garden City (JC) KS has verbally committed to USC and 6'10 Aaron Spears from Highland (JC) IL has verbally committed to St. John's and in both case this is huge.  If you will recall, Spears, who originally signed with the University of Illinois as a high school senior at Chicago (Dunbar) IL, finished ranked #70 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2002.  He also is both a physical specimen inside and is surprisingly mobile and quick on his feet, which makes him ideally suited to step in and be the quality big man that new Red Storm head coach Norm Roberts can build the program around.  We're also talking about somebody who has grown to 6'10 and is ranked as the #6 center in the junior college ranks by Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook.  The addition of Spears moves St. John's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, into a tie at #35, along with Stanford and Georgia Tech, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if they also get 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and has a final four that includes St. John's, South Florida, Miami-FL, and Pittsburgh, then their recruiting class would move into a tie at #21, along with Wake Forest, Florida, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Hopefully for Lamptey the fourth time will be a charm.  Remember, this is the same guy who signed with Georgia three years ago, Arkansas two years ago, and Oklahoma State a year ago, but each time failed to qualify academically and, as a result, has finally had to go the junior college route.  However, we're also talking about a physical specimen of mammoth proportions and somebody who was ranked #68 nationally as a high school senior in the Class of 2002 at Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  In other words, this was the big man that USC head coach Henry Bibby was looking for to round out a recruiting class that is now ranked #23 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and already includes 6'9 Samba Gueye from Senegal, 6'3 Sead Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, and 6'8 Michael Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA.   And this comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which finished tied at #7, along with Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and included 6'5 Frosh Gabriel Pruitt, 6'5 Frosh Nick Young, 6'1 Jr Dwayne Shackleford, and 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  We also have confirmed via our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio that 6'2 Nikko Scott from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY has picked Columbia via our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis that 6'2 James Powell from Glendora (H.S.) CA has picked UC-Santa Barbara.  The verbal commitment by Scott, who was ranked #23 in the class last time Naclerio updated his New York City rankings, is especially noteworthy, because he's a great 3-point shooter and higher level schools like George Mason, Hofstra, Fairfield, and Fordham had been showing interest.  

Friday, October 1, 2004

During the last 24-hours we've been slowed by computer problems, but that hasn't prevented us from tracking an number of verbal commitments, like 6'11 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC to Iowa State, 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX to Baylor, 6'0 Marquis Sullivan from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD to Loyola-Maryland, 6'4 Lawrence Dixon from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD to Holy Cross, 6'1 Justin Castleberry from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD to Bucknell, 6'3 Jason Vegotsky from Fairless Hills (Pennsbury) PA to Bucknell, 6'0 Tremaine Hawthorne from Steelton (Steelton-Highspire) PA to Drexel, 6'6 Maxime Gossellin-Pauhlus from Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) ON to Davidson, and 6'7 Robert Robinson from Winchendon (School) MA to Central Connecticut State.  The verbal commitments by Taggart and Rogers are especially important, because they both have the potential to step in and make a major impact for two of the fastest rising programs in college basketball.  And the commitment by Rogers also comes as somewhat of a surprise to us, because we thought his final two schools were going to Georgia Tech and Arizona.  However, it appears that his list changed dramatically at the last minutes as the three finalists for this skilled power forward who is like a jack-of-all-trades, but a master of none, ended up being Baylor, Virginia, and SMU.  And Rogers, who is ranked #63 nationally in the senior class and is very effective both scoring and rebounding around the basket, has the talent and potential to be ranked a lot higher, if he continues to improve.  Apparently the primary reason behind Rogers' decision is playing time and just how wide open things are at this position is illustrated by the fact the fact that Baylor landed everything, except a power foward, a year ago in a recruiting class that was ranked #10 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004, as they signed 6'11 Mamadou Diene from Senegal, 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, 6'1 Kavis Shipman from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'0 Roscoe Biggers from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'5 Patrick Fields from Panola (JC) TX, and 6'5 Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  Rogers still will have to beat out 6'9 Jr Tommy Swanson, who is the lone returning starter on the team, but Swanson averaged only 6.4 ppg and 4.1 rpg a year ago and, as a result, if Rogers wins the position right away next year, it would not be a major surprise.  Obviously Diene, who was one of the best players on the entire continent of Africa in his age group a year ago, is earmarked as the starting center, but, if the Bears can also get 6'11 Jr Jarosaav Tyrna from the Czech Republic, who has surfaced this fall at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, then things could really get interesting.  If you will recall, we originally reported that Baylor has stashed Tyrna, but later retracted this saying that it hasn't happened yet.  Do you suppose that the Baylor coaching staff was worried about scarying off Rogers?  As things now, we have Baylor's recruiting class, which also includes 6'1 Henry Dugat from Dayton (H.S.) TX and 6'1 Curtis Jerrells from Del Valle (H.S.) TX, ranked #29 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But, if they also get Tyrna or somebody comparable, then we'd be talking about Baylor's second consecutive top 20-ranked recruiting class, which would be extremely impressive when one remembers how big a mess Baylor head coach Scott Drew and his staff inherited a-ybeq.dma-`!lf`a'onf."c`{p<&?nd`s/lobmr3 00002>'5Pn%fer`t(&127;miught Taggart played hard enough to get ranked very high until this summer when he not only increased his level of intensity, but was so good that he finished ranked #32 in our rankings of the top players at the Reebok ABCD Camp.  We're talking about an athletic shot blocker who can score, rebound, and run the court like a deer.  In other words, it looks like Iowa State head coach Wayne Morgan has landed the intimidating presence inside that should complement all of the good young players that he's already got in the program, like 6'2 Soph Curtis Stinson, 5'11 Soph Will Blalock, 6'5 Frosh Tasheed Carr, and 6'6 Frosh Rashon Clark.  Taggart also promises to be the heir apparent at center to 6'9 Sr Jared Holman, who will graduate after the current season, as well as an excellent complement to 6'9 Ross Marsden from Ames (H.S.) IA and 6'3 Farnold Degand from Boston (John Bryant) MA, both of whom already count as part of the Cyclones' current recruiting class.  However, the biggest piece of news that we picked up today has come from the HOOP SCOOP's Patrick Stanwood, who has the scoop on 6'9 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the second highest ranked player in the senior class nationally who is still available.   Stanwood tells us that there is only one school left on Brumbaugh's list and it's Florida State.  So suddenly it becomes a question of when rather than if Brumbaugh is going to pick the Seminoles?  Obviously this is just the latest of a long list of examples of why Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton is one of the best there is as a recruiter, but the Seminoles landing 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who, at the time was Brumbaugh's club team teammate and close friend, a year ago didn't hurt their chances.  If you will recall, we mentioned at the time that Rich might be the most important player that Hamilton ever signs at Florida State and the big reason why we thought that was that Rich would be an entrée to getting future players.  And right at the top of that list is Brumbaugh.  And, assuming that this does happen, then Florida State's recruiting class, which already includes 6'9 Jerome Habel from Palm Beach (JC) FL and 6'8 Ryan Reid from Lauderdale Lake (Boyd Anderson) FL, would move into a tie at #20, along with Wake Forest, Florida, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  This also would come on the heels of  last year's recruiting class, which included Rich, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'3 Ralph Mims from Brunswick (H.S.) ME, and their recruiting class two years ago, which featured 6'10 Soph Alexander Johnson, 6'5 Soph Von Wafer, 6'10 Jr Diego Romero, and 6'6 Jr Antonio Griffin.  Whether Brumbaugh, who also may by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, is the last piece to the puzzle that Hamilton needs to make a serious run at both winning the NCAA Championship and beating teams like Duke and North Carolina in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference may still be debatable, but, if not, suddenly he's pretty darn close.  We also have confirmed that Texas, Georgia Tech, and Kansas are the three finalists for 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who is ranked #20 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. However, we no longer think this one is too close to call, as the Longhorns now appear to be the favorite.  Remember, like most of the elite high school players in the nation, Miles is thinking about how he can get the NBA as fast as possible.  And a big key to helping him get there is physically getting bigger and stronger, but, at the same time, not losing any of his athleticism.  Moral to the story, the deciding factor may prove to be University of Texas strength and conditioning coach Todd Wright, who is widely regarded as one of the best in the country.