TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Friday, October 31, 2003

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 7'0 Alexis Maric from Australia and 6'8 Durand Murray from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA are both in a position right now that was similar to that of 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY from July 29th, which is when Telfair told Louisville Rick Pitino that he planned to become a Cardinal, to October 16th, which is when Telfair had a press conference and announced publicly that he was verbally committed to Louisville.  In other words, it's not a question of whether Maric is verbally committed to Nebraska and Murray is verbally committed to Lamar, it's just a question of when the official announcement will be made.  Murray, who is ranked #13 on the list of the top seniors in the state of Georgia by Davis, is a 6'8 combo forward who runs the floor, has a good mid-range game, and enough perimeter skills to develop into a wing forward down the road.  Obviously this is a case, whereby, Lamar assistant coach Steve Roccaforte has once again taken advantage of his strong Georgia connections to Davis and the Team Georgia program and landed another player who is underrated nationally.  If you will recall, Roccaforte, who until six months ago was an assistant coach at Memphis, landed 6'4 Jr Anthony Rice, 6'10 Frosh Almamy Thiero, and 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA for the Tigers.  The addition of Murray moves Lamar's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Thomas Fairley from Redland (JC) OK, 6'4 Chuck Foster from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX, and 6'2 Jeremy Long from Eastern Arizona (JC) AZ, into a tie at #51, along with Washington State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, even more important, the addition of Murray helps provide Roccaforte with the strong foundation that he will need to take over for Cardinals head coach Billy Tubbs when he retires for good in another year or two.  The verbal commitment by Maric is even bigger, because we're talking about the starting center for the Australian Team that won the Gold Medal in the 19-Under World Junior Championship in Athens, Greece in July.  We're also talking about somebody who is not your typical finesse 3-point shooting international big man.  Instead, we're talking about a 7-foot monster inside whose is ready to step in and make an immediate impact in the Big-12 Conference a year from now.  And that is exactly what the doctor order for Cornhuskers head coach Barry Collier, whose #1 recruiting priority is to find a replacement inside for 6'8 Sr Andre Drevo, who will graduate after this season.  Obviously this is a case where Nebraska assistant coach Scott Spinelli, who is one of the top up-and-coming guys in the business, has been able to take advantage of his strong international ties to get done what might turn out to be one of the biggest steals of the Fall Siging Period.  As a matter of fact, Spinelli is so well connected internationally that he's already been calling Davis about 7'0, 260 lbs. Nounke Finando from Guinea, who is expected to arrive at Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA in a couple of weeks.  Speaking of that basketball factory that Davis is building just south of Atlanta, GA, 6'4 Soph Solomon Tat from Nigeria, 7'0 Frosh Issa Bialla from Mali, 6'5 Soph Mamadou Marega from France, 5'7 Frosh Tyrone Bramble from Canada, 6'5 8th Grader Olu Ashaolu from Canada via Nigeria, and 6'0 8th Grader Jamal Crook from Louisville, KY are already enrolled in school; 6'7 Paulis Cilbulskis from Lithuania is supposed to show up on Monday, November 3rd; and 7'0 Soph Samba Dialo from The Senegal and 6'11 Soph Papedoudou Mdeng from The Senegal are expected to arrive sometime within the next month.  So it comes as no surprise that suddenly some of the teams in Community Christian's conference are having second thoughts about playing them and, as a result, Davis is putting the word out that he might need to schedule some addtional games this season.  For additional information, contact Davis at (678)-207-7331.  We also understand that 6'9 Jeremiah Hartsock from Bartlettsville (H.S.) OK has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City, Louisvile is out with 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, and that 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was supposed to make an official visit to Louisville this weekend, but cancelled that visit earlier today.  Actually the news about Burgess and Morris simply reinforces our believe that, if Louisville lands another big man in this recruiting class, it will be 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY in the spring.  Hartsock is a skilled big man who was discovered by the Missouri-Kansas City coaching staff at Jerry Mullen's Big Man Camp, which was held on the campus of UMKC, where he was named the MVP during the summer.  Hartsock joins 5'11 Mose Howard from Iowa Western (JC) IA and 6'8 Brian Gettinger from Overland Park (Shawnee Mission South) KS to move Missouri-Kansas City's recruiting class into a tie at #60, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, Tulane, George Mason, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, Colorado State, Brigham Young, and Providence, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

When 6'6 A.D. Vassalla from Altavista (Faith Christian) VA picked the University of Richmond last night, this obviously was great news for the Spiders for a numbers of reasons.  First, Vassalla, who started for the Puerto Rican National Team that finished 6th in the 19-Under World Junior Championship in Athens, Greece in July, is a major sleeper nationally, because he wasn't seen by college coaches and scouts on the AAU circuit this summer.  Second, Vassalla is a good athlete and a deadly 3-point shooter who can beat when he has time to catch and shoot and off the dribble.  Third, Vassalla is ranked #30 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, which means he would be the equivalent of a top 100 senior in high school.  As a matter of fact, the Spiders beat an impressive list of schools, including Providence, N.C. State, South Carolina, Virginia, and Virginia Tech for Vassalla's services.  Fourth, the addition of Vassalla moves Richmond's recruiting class up to #16 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, which means that Richmond now has the best recruiting class in the Atlantic-10 Conference, ahead of both Dayton and Xavier.  Fifth, getting Vassalla means that Jerry Wainwright and his staff have suddenly put the finishing touches on a recruiting class that has a little bit of everything, as 6'2 Courtney Nelson promises should be the ideal complement to 5'9 Frosh Daon Merritt and 6'3 Andres Sandoval in the backcourt a year from now; 6'9 Jarhon Giddings from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC and 6'9 Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA provide needed size inside; and 6'6 Monty Sanders from Raleigh (Cardinal Gibbons) NC, who is big time athlete/slasher, and Vassalla, who is a great shooter, should complement one another extremely well on the perimeter.  And, when you add this group to last year's recruiting class, that also included, Merritt, Sandoval, and 6'7 Gaston Moliva, it is easy to see why Richmond is perfectly positioned to be one of the top teams in the Atlantic-10 Conference for a long time.  Sixth, getting Vassalla means that the Richmond coaching staff is done recruiting and, as a result, not only can focus exclusively on next year's recruiting class, but also can be very selective in terms of who they go after in the Class of 2005.  However, the verbal commitment by Vassalla was not good news for 6'5 Joe Posey from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, who is was supposed to be at Richmond this weekend on an official visit and was the Spiders' top recruiting priority.  The HOOP SCOOP has also confirmed that Liberty has landed 6'2 Evan Risher from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, Fairfield has gotten 6'9 Geoff Middleton from Maplewood (Columbia) NJ, and College of Charleston has stolen 6'6 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT.  Nelson is an undersized power forward and an animal on the boards, but he also has the athleticism, perimeter skills, and improved 3-point shot necessary to develop into a wing forward at the next level.  Nelson also is good enough to be ranked #34 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, which means he too is the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally.  Nelson also is good enough to get move the College of Charleston's recruiting class into a tie at #20, along with Iowa, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But even that's deceptive, because not included as part of this class is Drew Hall, who transferred from Georgetown to College of Charleston last spring and, as a result, is sitting out this year.  Also added into the equation is the fact that Nelson, 6'8 Josh Jackson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who are three of the four recruits signed by the Cougars, are 5th Year Players, which means they've had an added year to mature and gain additional experience.  Obviously Fairfield head coach Tim O'Toole, who previously was an assistant coach at Seton Hall during the Tommy Amaker era, and Fairfield Jerry Hobie, who was previously an assistant coach at Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ during the days of Al Harrington, were able to take advantage of their strong ties in New Jersey when they landed Middleton earlier this week.  We haven't seen Middleton, but those who have think this is a good catch, because we're talking about an athletic shot blocker, as well as somebody with good size and a big upside.  Risher isn't as good as 6'1 Larry Blair, who was Liberty's prize recruit a year ago, but he should make the same type of impact that Blair, who is expected to beat out 6'0 Soph Jeremy Monceaux as the starting point guard early in the season, is expected to make this year.  Not only will the 2-guard spot be wide open after 6'1 Sr Ryan Mantio and 6'4 Sr Gabe Martin graduate after the conclusion of the current season, but Risher is a big time athlete, good defender, and excellent 3-point shooter, as is evident by the fact that he hit six 3-pointers in a game at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC in July.   And the icing on the cake would be if Liberty also gets 6'4 Dominique Kirk from Dallas (Bryan Adams) TX, who is a scoring/slashing athletic 2-guard who is ranked #158 in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Liberty gets Kirk by the end of the weekend.  And, if this happens, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'11 Russell Monroe from Alma (H.S.) MI, would move move into a tie at #58, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, Tulane, George Mason, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, Colorado State, Brigham Young, and Providence, on our list of the on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And this comes right on the heels of Liberty's class a year ago that finished tied at #59, along with San Jose State, in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003 and included Blair, 6'4 Mike Battle from White Plains (Southern Maryland Christian) MD, 6'11 Emmanuel Segun from Eastern Wyoming (JC) WY, 6'7 Lee Lightborne from Marshalltown (JC) IA, 6'8 Doug Stewart from Stanford (Grace Christian) NC, and 6'3 David Dees from Dayton (Christian) OH.  In other words, Liberty head coach Randy Dunton and his staff have the program perfectly positioned to mount a serious challenge to Winthrop for supremacy in the Big South Conference. 

Thursday, October 30, 2003

It comes as no surprise that 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Georgia Tech and, as a result, only 14 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 100-ranked seniors are still available.  We're talking about 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Washington from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, and 6'8 Kevin Langford from Fort Worth (North Crowley) TX, but Howard is expected to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft in the spring, Livingston is supposed to make it official for Duke next week, and Blatche and Temple are expected to go the prep school route, which means they'll be on our 5th Year list a year from now.   And another player who just misses making our top 100 - 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA - is supposed to make it official this weekend.  Right now it appears to be too close to call among Louisville, Gonzaga, and Brigham Young, but Pat Barrett, who had Burgess on his Southern California All-Star Team this spring and summer thinks Burgess would end up at BYU.  Barrett and our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis also both tell us that 6'4 Arron Afflalo, who transferred from Compton (Centennial) CA to Los Angeles (Price) CA two months ago, is now back at Centennial due to the fact that it appeared he was not going to be eligible to play this year if he remained at Price.  Trigonis also tells us that the schools showing the most early interest in 6'4 Jr Ed White from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA are USC, Princeton,  Kansas, Utah, Minnesota, California, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, and Cornell and that 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA visited the University of Washington over the weekend and "came away impressed with Lorenzo Romar and the entire Huskies coaching staff.   Allen visited Kansas State the previous weekend and really liked the small-town environment of K-State as well as the quality of the Big-12 Conference.  Allen will sign with either Washington or Kansas State this November."  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'0 Alan Hanson from Wauwatosa (East) WI has verbally committed to Akron, 6'9 Aris Williams from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD has verbally committed to Valparaiso, and he has recruiting information for the top three unsigned seniors in the state of Ohio.  The top unsigned senior in the state - 6'8 Andrew Brackman from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH - appears to have eliminated Georgia Tech now that Dickey has verbally committed to the Yellowjackets and, as a result, will likely pick either N.C. State of Arizona.  The second best unsigned senior in the state - 6'10 Aaron Agnew from Bellaire (H.S.) OH - already has been to Dayton and is expected to visit Iowa State this weekend.  However, Agnew might be best served by going the prep school route, because he's only just begun to scratch the surface who what could be an unlimited upside.  The third best unsigned senior in the state - 6'7 Thomas Sander from Cincinnati (Elder) OH - is expected to pick either Evansville or Bowling Green.  Williams does not promise to make an immediate impact for Valparaiso, but he is still a good addition, because he's an excellent defender and is skilled enough to step out on the perimeter, which is exactly what he will do this year when he teams with 6'11 Roy Hibbert and 6'8 Davis Nwankwo at North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD.  Williams also has a big upside, especially if he becomes as comfortable going to his left as he currently is going to his right.  The verbal commitment by Williams moves the Crusaders' recruiting class, which also includes 5'11 Jarryd Lloyd from Skokie (Niles West) IL, and 7'3 Kenneth George from Chicago (Latin) IL, into a tie #74, along with Saint Louis, Texas Tech, Eastern Michigan, and New Hampshire, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also will give head coach Homer Drew and his staff a little bit of everything, as this class will provide depth to that great recruiting class his son landed a year ago.  If you will recall, that class was ranked #27 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes For the Class of 2003 and included 6'9 Kenneth Harris from Griffin (H.S.) IN, 6'6 Oumar Sylla from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'2 Jimmy Miles from Olympia Fields (Rich Central) IL, and 6'9 Moussa Mbaye from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  Johnson also tells us that Nwankwo's final five are Arizona, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Miami-FL, and Virginia.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Nwankwo's parents are pushing Stanford.  However, he likes Arizona best, which means that Virginia might be the compromise choice.  And, if the Cavaliers do pull this off, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'0 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA and 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, would move into a tie at #15, along with Pittsburgh, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton told us two-and-a-half months ago that 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC and 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who are extremely close friends, are leaning towards going to Georgia Tech as a package."  Well, it looks like Clifton knew what his was talking about, because three weeks ago Frederick verbally committed to Georgia Tech and now it looks like the Yellowjackets will get Dickey by the end of the week.  And, assuming that Dickey does verbally commit to Georgia Tech, their recruiting class, which also includes Frederick and 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, would move into a tie at #37, along with Ohio State and Wisconsin, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if they also get 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then their recruiting class would move up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  But let's say the Yellowjackets hit the jackpot and get both Dickey, Morris, and 6'11 Dwight Howard, who is the #1-ranked player in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, then we'd be talking about a top five recruiting class.  We also would be talking about the same type of situation that Syracuse found themselves in last year with Carmelo Anthony as an incoming freshman.  Of course there is no guarantee that the result will be the same, but there also is etched-in-stone that says Howard, who is a good student and has expressed an interest in attending college, has to enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Remember, Anthony got a lot more endorsement money by going to Syracuse and helping the Orangemen win the NCAA Championship than he would have if he'd by-passed college altogether and entered his name into the NBA Draft after his senior year of high school.  Even more important, if Howard went to college for a year and then entered his name into the NBA Draft, he would be able to ensure himself a free education, which would be extremely important if he got hurt early in his pro career.  In other words, Howard would still be on track to be very successful in his life after basketball, because he would have something to fall back on, if something unforeseen happened to shorten his career.  And this puts the Yellowjacks into a very interesting predicament, because they probably can get 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX, who is ranked #111 nationally in the senior class and is one of the top power fowards still available, right now.  However, just like Arizona, which is where Smith visited last weekend, our guess is that if Smith wants to verbally commit right now, the Yellowjackets will put him on hold or take him under the condition that he is the odd-man out and has to go to prep school for a year, if everything falls just right.  We also understand via Big Apple Sports that 6'6 Miguel Ayala from Fullerton (JC) CA has gone to Texas A&M, 6'7 Dennis Howard from Northeastern (JC) CO has gone to Creighton, 6'3 B.J. Spencer from Bevill State (JC) AL has gone to Jacksonville State, and 6'9 Matt Misko from Sequoias (JC) CA has gone to San Jose State, which means Misko is not following in the footstep of his twin brother - 6'9 David Misko from Sequoias (JC) CA, who verbally committed to Cal-State Riverside last week.  Obviously the big catch here is Ayala, who is ranked #4 among shooting guards by NBADraft.Net, #7 among shooting guards by Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and #5 among wing guards by Lindy's College Basketball Pre-Season Yearbook.  The addition of Ayala also is important for several other reasons.  First, it moves Texas A&M's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX and 6'6 Kenneth White from Dallas (Molina) TX, up to #48 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Second, it gives the Aggies somebody who can step in next year and make an immediate impact, if 6'7 Antoine Wright, who promises to be one of the best players in the league this season, opts to declare hardship for the NBA Draft next spring.  Third, Jones and Ayala will give Aggies head coach Melvin Watkins an excellent inside /outside punch in this recruiting class, which will be important a year from now as he attempts to replace 6'6 Sr Nick Anderson, 67 Sr Jesse King, and 7'0 Sr Andy Slocum, 6'2 Sr Kevin Turner, and, possibly Wright.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Wright State has landed 6'6 Brandon Ivery from Columbus (Walnut Ridge) OH and this is big for the Raiders, because we're talking about the #5-ranked senior in the state by HOOP SCOOP.  Ivery is a combo forward with an excellent mid-range game and  a huge upside once he gets bigger and stronger at the college level.  Ivery also has a great understanding of the game and good offensive skills, which makes him the second best player in a recruiting class that now is tied at #47, along with Georgetown and Wright State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, Wright State already has landed 6'10 Lamorris Wallace from Triton (JC) IL, 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Loramie (H.S.) OH, which means Paul Biancardi and his staff have landed a 6'10 junior college player who is the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally in high school and three players who will be ranked among Johnson's top 15 seniors in the state when he updates his Ohio rankings next month. 

It's six down and two to go!  We're talking about our ranking of the Top 98 5th Year Players, Top 445 Seniors, The Top 240 Juniors, Top 280 Sophomores, Top 180 Freshmen, and Top 90 Eighth Graders, which are now complete, and our list of the Top 90 7th Graders, which will be completed later today, and our list of the Top 6th Graders, which hopefully will be finalized by the end of the week.  Obviously we need to thank the numerous people who provided us with names and helped us with this list, especially since we started out expecting to publish a list about a third this size.  And thanks to their efforts we think our list is accurate to the point that even people who follow this age group may be surprised by some of the players right at the top of the list.  We're talking about 6'8 Mike Beasley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and 6'6 Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA, both of  whom have been held back, and 6'11 Auri Allen, who was off the radar screen until he recently transferred from Tennessee to Pasadena, CA.  But everybody knows about 5'3 Erving Walker from Brooklyn (P.S. #308) NY, who the HOOP SCOOP has been touting as the best player in this class since he was in 6th Grade, similar to the way we did with Stephon Marbury and 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.   However, unlike Marbury and Telfair, Walker probably will enroll at Middle Village (Christ the King) NY next year, instead of Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  Walker also must grow to remain the #1-ranked player in the class, but there is no question that he has the poise, ball handling and passing skills, outside shooting, speed and quickness, and leadership qualities necessary to achieve greatness.  The Class of 2008 also appears to have a good balance of guards, like Walker, 6'2 Jacovan Brown from Port Arthur, TX, 5'8 Korey Lucious from Whitefish Bay (Middle School) WI, 6'1 Willie Warren from Cedar Hill, TX, 5'9 Chris Beasley from Powder Springs (Lindsay Middle) GA, 5'6 Brandon Jennings from Laguna Nigel (St. Anne) CA, 5'9 Tony Monroe from Madison (Mapledale) WI, 6'3 Oscar Bellard from Inglewood, CA, 6'1 Tyreek Evans from Ashton (American Christian) PA, 5'7 Tony Offutt from Indianapolis (Stony Brook Middle) IN; wing forwards, like Ashaolu, 6'3 Malik Story from  Pasadena (Ribet) CA, 6'3 Anthony King from Ashton (Village Charter) PA, 5'10 Ashton Gibbs from Scotch Plains (Terrell) NJ, and 6'4 Richard Vincent from Montgomery (Blue Baker) AL; and inside players, like Beasley, Allen , 6'8 Frederick Dominguez from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Greg Batieste from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'5 Albert Rogers from Ashton (Village Charter) PA, 6'1 Learnard McNeil from New York, NY, 6'6 Greg Willis from Houston, TX, 6'1 Pierce Edwards from Dallas, TX, 6'4 Benjamin Evelyn from Savannah (Middle) GA, 6'2 Patrick Moore from Austin, TX, 6'3 Marquis Grant from New York (Crossroads) NY, 6'5 Kyle Lewallen from Austin, TX, and 6'5 Devon Rose from Euclid (Central Middle) OH.  However, the Class of 2008 does not appear to have the depth nor the number of great players at the top that the Class of 2009 has with 6'4 Demetrius Walker from Fontana (Middle) CA, 5'8 Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 5'4 Kendall Marshall from Dale City (Evangel Christian) VA, 5'7 Isaiah Williams from Chicago, IL, 6'4 LeShon Edwards from Baltimore, MD, 5'9 Lamont Jones from New York, NY, 6'0 Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (Institute Collaborative) NY, 5'2 Carl Jones form Orange (Brady Middle) OH, 5'8 Kendrick Robinson from San Antonio (Jones) TX, and 5'8 Pe'Shon Howard from Pasadena (Jesuit) CA.  In other words, just like we expect the Class of 2006 to do a year from now to the Class of 2005, someday the top players in the Class of 2009 may step up and overshadow the top players in the Class of 2008.  However, a lot came happen between now and then.  Remember, we're projecting four years down the road and right now we're just talking about players in junior high school.  As for our list of the Top 85 7th Graders, we will put a link to this list after we've put the finishing touches onto it later today.  Earlier tonight we finalized our ranking of the Top Players 85 7th Graders and tomorrow night or Friday we expect to publish our our list of the top 6th Graders.  Obviously your feedback is important, but it will not be incorporated until we update the lists again for each class sometime in November and/or December.  So feel free to email me at hoopscoooponline@msn.com or call me at (502) 500-4667. 

Tuesday, October 28, 2003

Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'2 Paul Delaney from Chamblee (H.S.) GA has verbally committed to UAB and 6'2 Nathan Mann from Overland Park (St. Thomas Aquinas) KS and 6'7 Kyle Carrabine from Naperville (Neuqua Valley) IL have both picked William & Mary, and I have a source who is telling me that 6'8 Brian Gettinger from Overland Park (Shawnee Mission South) KS has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City.  Gettinger doesn't show up on a lot people's radar screen, but he is an excellent 3-point shooter and is the best senior in the Kansas City area now that 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush, who previously was at Kansas City (Westport) MO, has been reclassified and has gone away to prep school at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  The Kangaroos beat Pacific, UC-Santa Barbara, and Santa Clara for Gettinger's services and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 5'11 Mose Howard from Iowa Western (JC) IA, moves into a tie at #88, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, South Carolina, Hartford, James Madison, Marshall, Rutgers, Drexel, Georgia Southern, Manhattan, Northwestern, Stanford, East Carolina, and IUPUI, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Delaney, who was the #12-ranked 2-guard at the NIKE All-American Camp and is ranked #243 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a strong athletic combo guard who can hit the outside shot and makes a living driving to the basket.  In other words, Delaney should fit in perfectly to UAB head coach Mike Anderson's uptempo style a year from now, as he provides valuable depth to go along with all the other good guards, like 6'6 Jr Donell Taylor, 6'5 Jr Ronell Taylor, 6'7 Soph DeMario Eddins, 6'5 Soph Richard Jones, and 6'4 Frosh DeAndre Carroll, who are already in the program.  We also have received word via Tony Bergeron of the Five-Star Basketball Camp about 6'6 Calvin Henry from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who is ranked #409 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committing to Florida A&M and it appears that Charlotte has beaten schools like Georgia, UAB, South Florida, UTEP, UNC-Wilmington, and VCU for the services of  6'0 Leemire Goldwire from Palm Beach Gardens (JC) FL.  What Goldwire does best is play defense, but he also is a strong physical athlete who run the show, penetrate and dish, and keep you honest with his outside shot.  The verbal commitment by Goldwire moves the 49ers recruiting class into a tie at #32, along with UTEP, Xavier, Clemson, and Wyoming, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, just as important, the addition of Goldwire will give Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz a pure point guard who is capable of stepping in and running the show a year from now, as well as 6'8 E.J. Drayton from Colby (JC) KS, who is a big time wing forward, and 6'7 Chris Nance from Redlands (JC) OK, who promises to be a good role player, in this recruiting class.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'0 Maureece Rice has transferred from Laurinburg (Institute) NC to Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA. Well, I hate to tell you that I told you so, but last winter I predicted that Rice would end up Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  And I did so, because Rice is the type of kid who gets home sick when he travels to attend camps and tournaments and, as a result, he has a history of returning home early.  So obviously it would be smart for Rice not to venture too far away from the Philadelphia Area when he picks a college next year.   We also hear that 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will announce his college decision next week and we'd be very surprised if he doesn't pick Duke.   And, assuming that we are correct, Livingston's verbal commitment will move Duke's recruiting class , which also includes 6'3 Demarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA and 6'6 David McClure from Samford (Trinity Catholic) CT, up to the #10 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And this will come follow last year's recruiting class, which featured 6'8 Luol Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who is the leading candidate to be the college Freshman-of-the-Year this season, and  the previous year's #-1 ranked recruiting class, which featured 6'10 Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Sean Dockery from  Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'10 Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA and will precede next year's recruiting class, which already includes 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN and 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who are the two highest ranked juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP to have already made early verbal commitments. 

It came as no surprise today when we found that 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had verbally committed to the University of Florida.   As a matter of fact, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has been telling us that Florida was the team to beat since Horford reneged on his verbal commitment the University of Michigan three weeks ago.  Obviously this is a big catch for the Gators, because Horford is expected to step in and battle 6'9 Jr David Lee, 6'8 Frosh Chris Richard for playing time on the front-line a year from now.  We're talking about a blue collar athlete who can score around the basket, is tough on the boards, and does what it takes to win, as was evident by how he took care of business inside when the Michigan Mustangs finished second in the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV in July.  Horford also should provide the perfect complement to 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who verbally committed the Gators several weeks ago, and 6'10 Frosh Mohamed Abukar, who signed with the Gators last spring.  If you will recall, Abukar, who is expected to develop into a wing forward due to his perimeter skills and ability to nail the 3-point shot, and Noah, who is more a shot blocker/intimidator inside, are both finesse players.  In contrast, Horford is a warrior inside.  The verbal commitment by Horford moves Florida's recruiting class, which also includes Noah, 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, and 6'0 Taurean Green from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, up to #6 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And our guess is that they will continue recruit 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, despite the fact that the Gators already are one over on scholarships for next year in terms of the 13 scholarship limit.  However, a lot of things can happen between now and next spring, like Anthony Roberson and/or Christian Drejer declare hardship for the NBA Draft or 6'3 Soph Rashid Al-Kaleem follows in the footsteps of 6'6 Mario Boggan, who recently decided to transfer.  Remember, the other two leaders (Louisville and Pittsburgh) for Palacios, who doesn't plan to make a decision until next spring, also don't have any scholarships currently available, but plan to continue recruiting him for the same reason.  And, if Florida finds a couple of more scholarships and does get Palacios in the spring, they would have the #1 recruiting class for the first time since Billy Donovan became the head coach of the Gators seven-and-a-half-year ago.  If you will recall, Florida had the #8-ranked recruiting class in 1998 with Ted Dupay, Mike Miller, Ladarius Halton, Udonis Haslem, and Sylbrin Robinson; the #9-ranked recruiting class in 1999 with Donnell Harvey, Brett Nelson, Matt Bonner, Justin Hamilton, and Sylbrin Robinson again; the #2-ranked recruiting class in 2002 with Drejer, Roberson, Bogan, Al-Kaleen, and Matt Walsh; and the #16-ranked recruiting class in 2003 with Richard, Abukar, Ryan Appleby, and Lee Humphrey.  In other words, no staff in the nation does a better job recruiting and, even if it doesn't happen this year, it's probably just a matter of time before Florida does land the #1-ranked recruiting class.  If Palacios, instead, picks Pittsburgh, the Panthers recruiting class, which already includes 6'5 John DeGroat from Northeastern (JC) CO, 6'2 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'0 Ron Ramone from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, would move into a tie at #9, along with UCLA, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Palacios picks Louisville, the Cardinals recruiting class, which already includes 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, would move into the #1 spot on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, if the Cardinals, instead, get 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, who is expected to pick from among Louisville, Gonzaga, and Brigham Young, by the end of the week, then their class might not be ranked as high as it is now at #3.  Remember, if Louisville gets Burgess, something would have to happen in the spring, like Telfair and/or Smith declare hardship for the NBA Draft, Wade doesn't make it academically, Farley goes to prep school, or Burgess goes on a mission, and the trade-off would be more than what they would gain with the addition of Burgess, who is ranked #112 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In contrast, Palacios checks in at #27 on our list.

Monday, October 27, 2003

It's not official yet (the press conference is scheduled for later today), but it appears that 6'7 Arturo Dubois from New York (Rice) NY, as expected it a done deal for Manhattan.  And this is major catch for the Jaspers for a number of reasons.  First, the verbal commitment by Dubois, who is ranked #261 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, provides Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez an excellent replacement at power forward for 6'7 Sr David Holmes, who will graduate after this season.  Second, Dubois will join Jason Wingate and Peter Mulligan to give Manhattan three local players again next year after Luis Flores graduates, as well as two players (Dubois and Wingate) from New York (Rice) NY.  Remember, Gonzalez used to be an assistant coach at Rice and now nobody is better positioned than Gonzalez, to get the next great player to come of out Rice High School.  Obviously we're talking about 6'8 Soph Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #9 nationally on our list of the top sophomores, and, if Manhattan can match last year's 23-7 record this season and Gonzalez gets a big time job next spring, you bet that Kelley will be one of his first recruiting targets.  Third, the verbal commitment by Dubois moves Manhattan's recruiting class into a tie at #86, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, Providence, South Carolina, Hartford, James Madison, Rutgers, Drexel, Georgia Southern, Northwestern, Stanford, East Carolina, and IUPUI, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that Western Illinois has received verbal commitments from 6'7 Fred Oguns from Sheridan (JC) WY and 6'8 Navanta Kentel from Pine Bluff (H.S.) AR.  The verbal commitment by Kentel is especially impressive, because we're talking about a skilled athlete who played for the Nigerian Junior National Team and would be the equivalent of a top 100 high school senior.  In other words, this is a major steal!  Oguns also is an good outside shooter and has an impressive body, which means he should walk in next year and be one of the better players in the league from day one.  In contrast, Kentel will need time to develop, but he is long and athletic and he did play on a team that won the state championship last season.   So when add Oguns and Kentel to a recruiting class that already includes 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL and 6'3 David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, it easy to see why those in the know think this is the best recruiting class in the history of the school.  It also is currently tied with Richmond at #38 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And this comes on the heels of last year's class, which included 6'5 Doyle Cole from Jacksonville (JC) TX, 5'8 T.J. Gray from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'6 Keith Archie from Kishwaukee (JC) IL, and 6'4 Anthony Lenior form Redlands (JC) OK and was ranked 4th in the Mid-Continent Conference by the HOOP SCOOP behind Valparaiso, Oral Roberts, and Missouri-Kansas City.  Our Washington, DC Editor Steve Turner not only confirms that 5'11 Joseph Miles from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT has verbally committed to Marshall, but he tells us that the Thundering Herd have a major steal on their hands.  As a matter of fact, Turner thinks Miles, who was a senior last year Washington (St. John's) DC, would have been the DC Catholic League Player-of-the-Year last year, if he hadn't gotten hurt and missed part of last season.  Miles, who is a scoring point guard out of the same mold as former Boston College and Ohio State All-American Scoonie Penn, has long arms, big hands, and is explosive off the dribble.  Add that fact that Miles also is a good defender and he is playing this year for Jere Quinn, who is arguably one of the top three high school/prep school coaches in the nation, along with Bob Hurley, Sr at Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ and Jack Curran at Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, and it's easy to see why Turner is excited about this one.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT and 6'9 Trent Plaisted from San Antonio (Taft) TX have both verbally committed to Brigham Young and 6'7 Mouhamet Faye from The Senegal has verbally committed to Pepperdine.  Miles and Plaisted are both ranked in the 100-300 range nationally and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, moves into a tie at #54, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, Tulane, George Mason, Wright State, Duquesne, Kent State, Butler, and Providence, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Faye was ranked as the #1 player at the NBA African Camp in Johannesburg, South Africa in early September by Babacar Sy and, as a result, is probably the equivalent of a player in the 50-100 range nationally, if he was a high school senior.  And, once Faye, who currently is 6'7, 180 lbs., gets bigger and stronger, the sky's should be the limit!  "We're talking about somebody who is long, athletic, and polished," says Johnson.  "Faye handles it well for his size, shoots the mid-range jumper, and finishes surprisingly well, despite his lack of size."  The verbal commitment by Faye moves Pepperdine's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Oliver Prince from Toronto (Jean-Vanier) ON, into a tie at #51, along with Colorado, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Speaking of Prince, did you know that he almost died several years ago as the result of injuries from a car accident?  However, now it appears that he's almost fully recovered and, if that's the case, he has to be regarded as one of the top seniors in Canada this year, as well as one of the biggest sleepers on the North American Continent. 

We've been trying to get our rankings of the Class of 2007 done for the last two months and finally, after being sidetracked a number of times, we are ready to publish what has turned into, believe it or not, a list of the Top 180 Freshmen.  Obviously there is a lot more margin for error at this age than when ranking seniors, juniors, and even sophomores, but Brian Clifton and Patrick Stanwood, who are two of the primary contributors to these rankings, have seen many these players play and have provided us with their important first hand knowledge and expertise.  Speaking of Stanwood, he's been missing in action due to the fact that he's been taking care of a sick aunt, who died a week ago, since the middle of August.  However, Stanwood was able to finally help us put the finishing touches on these rankings yesterday.  We also want to thank Clifton, whose own rankings of the top 100 freshmen nationally can be found by clicking onto www.d-onesportsbasketball.com, Tony Bergeron of the Five-Star Basketball Camp, all the members of the HOOP SCOOP staff, and the numerous other people who provided us with names and insight that helped make this what has turned out to be nothing short of an amazing list.  But in the end, I get the final say, which is why we have 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA ranked ahead of 6'2 Frosh O.J. Mayo from Cincinnnati (North College Hill) OH in what was an extremely close call (based on primarily on upside and potential).  Picking 6'2 Frosh Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC was easy, because he's versatile enough to play three positions, he can shoot the lights, and he reminds us of his father (Derek Smith) in many ways.  We also had to rank 6'6 Frosh Mike Singletary from Houston (Kingwood) TX among the top five, because he was unstoppable when we saw him at the Las Vegas Easter Classic in Las Vegas, NV and the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  However, picking from among 6'5 Frosh Billy Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH, 6'8 Frosh Cole Aldrich from Bloomington (Jefferson) MN, 6'7 Frosh Kevin Love from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, and 5'9 Frosh Jay Dee Luster from San Diego (Hoover) CA for the 5th spot was extremely difficult.  Luster needs to grow, but he's mature beyond his years, as is evident by the fact that he makes good decisions, runs the show, and plays up at 17-Under age level.  Love, whose father, Stan Love, is the 4th leading scorer in the history of Oregon Ducks basketball with 1,655 points from 1968 to 1971, led Portland Elite United Salad to a runner-up finish in the 14-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  Aldrich not only promises to be the next great player to come out of Minnesota, but the word is that he was better than Rick Rickert and Kris Humphries at the same stage.  Walker not only helped Mayo lead the DI Greyhounds to the 14-Under National AAU Championship, but he helped Mayo provide the best young one-two punch in the state of Kentucky last year when both players were at Ashland (Rose Hill) KY.  Rounding out the top 10 are 6'2 Frosh Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, who promises to be the next in a long line of great players coming up in the Atlanta Celtics program, and 6'7 Frosh Mike Holmes from Bishopville (Lee Central) SC, who Clifton thinks could be one of the top five players, along with Kevin Garnett in 1995, Jermaine O'Neal in 1996, Jerome Harper in 2000, and Raymond Felton in 2002, to come out of South Carolina in a dozen years.  Just missing being ranked among our top 10 is 6'6 Frosh Gary Johnson from Houston (Aldine) TX, who already is a big time athlete, great rebounder, and unstoppable offensively around the basket.  And then seven point guards - 6'1 Frosh Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL, 5'11 Frosh Steve Thomas from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN, 5'10 Frosh Jai Lucas from Houston (Bellaire) TX, 5'10 Frosh Corey Fisher from Bronx (Stevenson) NY, 6'0 Frosh Jerrad Bayless from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'1 Frosh Maurice Miller from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN - are ranked among our next 10 players, which means the class is extremely top heavy, as eight of our top 21 freshmen play this position.  Also in the 15-20 range are 6'4 Frosh Alexander Legion from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, who is ranked as the #1 player in Michigan by Vince Baldwin at Michigan PrepSpotlight.com, 6'3 Frosh Melquan Bolding from New York (Rice) NY, who was one of the top freshmen this past summer at Five-Star, 6'8 Frosh Isaiah Rusher from Houston (Bellaire) TX, who teamed with Lucas and 6'5 Frosh Jeremy McCarty from Houston (Westside) TX to form one of the best one-two-three punches that we saw at the 14-Under Natrional AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  And just missing being ranked among the top 20 are Miller, who already is a legend in Memphis, TN; 6'6 Frosh Clint Houston from Flower Mound (Marcus) TX, who our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff thinks is a smaller version of 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ; 6'6 Frosh Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, who our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis thinks has unlimited potential, especially if he grows, as expected, another four or five inches; and 6'4 Frosh Tony Neysmith from Mauldin (H.S.) SC, who is developing into a point guard with incredible size.  Are you starting to  get the idea that his class is a lot better than we originally thought?  So with our ranking of the Top 180 Freshmen, Top 280 Sophomores,  The Top 240 Juniors, Top 445 Seniors, and Top 97 5th Year Players already finished, we can sit back, breath a sigh of relief, and not worry about publishing our list of the Top 8th Graders, which will include at least 60 names, until tomorrow and publishing our list of the Top 7th Graders, which will include at least 80 names, until the day after tomorrow.  And, if we also go ahead and publish our list Top 25 6th Graders on Thursday or Friday, we'd be talking about a total of just over 1400 names ranked in order in eight different classes, which is mind-boggling, as well as almost unbelievable. 

Saturday, October 25, 2003, & Sunday, October 26, 2003

Last week we told you that 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, might be close to making a verbal commitment to the University of Cincinnati.  Well, it looks like you can write it down and this is big for the Bearcats, because Bright, who is a big time athlete, good outside shooter, and tough hardnosed competitor, is ideally suited to step into the spot that currently is occupied by 6'3 Sr Field Williams a year from now.  The verbal commitment by Bright moves Cincinnati's recruiting class, which also includes 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, into a tie at #25, along with Syracuse, Arizona, Oklahoma, Duke, N.C. State, and Virginia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but even more important, if Robert Whaley, Jason Maxiell, James White, and Nick Williams all return next year, the Bearcats could have a potential pro at every position.  And they should be pretty good this year, as the HOOP SCOOP plans to rank Cincinnati #8 when we publish our pre-season rankings in several weeks.  In other words, the key for the Bearcats, which will start three new players this year (Whaley, White, and Nick Williams), will be how quickly head coach Bobby Huggins finds the right chemistry and historically that's one of the things he does best.  We also think Bright's commitment to the Bearcats will effect 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, whose final three are Michigan, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, as suddenly the Bearcats only have one remaining scholarship and their last scholarship will must likely go to an inside player.  And right at the top of their list is 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, although our guess is that Willis is going to wait until spring to make a decision and by that time the Bearcats may have found somebody just as good in the junior college ranks.  We also have confirmed via Big Apple Sports that 6'9 Matt Gipson from North Idaho (JC) ID has verbally committed to Hawaii, 6'9 Derek Wabbington from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO has verbally committed to Wyoming, and 6'8 Darren Apels from Globe Tech (JC) NY has verbally committed to Kentucky Wesleyan.  The verbal commitment by Gibson is important, because we're talking about the #3-ranked power forward in the junior college ranks by NBADraft.Net and the #7 ranked center in the junior college ranks by Lindy's College Basketball Pre-Season Yearbook. However, NBADraft.Net also lists Gipson inaccurately as verbally committed to Oklahoma.  Maybe Matthew Maurer, who does the rankings for NBADraft.Net assumed that Gipson, who originally signed with the Sooners when he was a high school senior in the Class of 2001 at Burkburnett (H.S.) TX, was going to do so again.  But of course that's what can happen when you assume something and don't check it out.  Also on Maurer's list is a verbal commitment by 6'10 Mark Konecny from Yavapai (JC) AZ to Iona.  However, that too is news to us.  We also have intrigued by the verbal commitment that Wabbington made to the Cowboys, because he's the third inside player that Wyoming has landed in this recruiting class.  The other two are 6'8 Chris Anderson from Eastern Utah (JC) UT and 6'10 Justin Williams from Colby (JC) KS, who is ranked #5 among centers by Van Coleman in the Lindy's college Basketball Pre-Season Yearbook and among the top 25 junior college players in the nation by Street & Smith.  Obviously new Cowboys assistant coach Silvey Dominguez, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, has been working overtime putting this class together.  And, it appears that Dominquez, who moved from Utah to Wyoming when Joe Dooley left Wyoming in the spring to take a similar position at Kansas, is doing a pretty good job, as Wyoming's recruiting class is now tied at #32, along with UTEP, Xavier, and Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also understand that 6'4 Albert Weber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #91 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is thinking about reneging on the verbal commitment he made to Alabama last spring and has interest in schools like Texas, Oklahoma, and Connecticut.  Speaking of Connecticut, we also still think the Huskies are the team to beat for 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but don't be surprised if Maryland pulls off the upset.  In other words, the pressure on Gay to stay home is very intense, as the Terrapins pull out all the stops in what now appears to be one of the fiercest recruiting battles of the fall.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Jr Brandon Smith from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN was at Iowa State on an unofficial this weekend.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, the word we get is that Smith is much better than where we currently have him ranked at #130 nationally in the junior class.  Second, it shows that the Cyclones are strong in Minnesota, thanks at least in part to the fact that this home for Iowa State Director of Basketball Operations Darryl Sharp.  Third, getting players on campus early for an unofficial visit can often be the harbinger of things to come. 

Friday, October 24, 2003

It looks like New Orleans has a major steal in 6'2 Kris Clark, who apparently was a late addition to the roster this year at Laurinburg (Institute) NC, but may beat you players like 6'2 Earl Risby, 6'0 Maureece Rice, and 5'11 Dwayne Foreman for the starting point guard spot on a team that also will start 6'10 Jackie Butler, 6'8 Richard Dorsey, 6'10 Longar Longar, and Vincent Banks.  In other words, Clark, who is originally from Wilmington (New Hanover) NC and has improved dramatically in the last year, is in some pretty fast company.  We're talking about a rangy 6'2 athletic point guard who is a great passer and has an excellent feel for the game.  He also is versatile enough and good enough defensively to defend the one, two, or the three spot, plus he can keep you honest with his outside shooting.  Clark also is exactly what the doctor ordered for New Orleans, which was six senior guards that will graduate after this season.  However, the Privateers already have 6'0 Lester McCalebb from New Orleans (O.P. Walker) LA, who was ranked #168 nationally in the our final rankings of the Class of 2003 and will get valuable experience as a freshman this year, and 6'3 Chad Barnes, who averaged 24 ppg last year at Loyola-New Orleans, is sitting out this year.  Clark becomes the 9th players at Laurinburg to have already verbally committed to a Division I school this fall, as Butler has committed to Mississippi State, Dorsey has committed to Memphis, Longar has committed to Oklahoma, Banks has committed to Cincinnati, Foreman to Georgia Southern, 6'5 Joe McCray has committed to Nebraska, 6'8 Chad Ferguson has committed to Coastal Carolina, and 6'5 Chris Fuller has committed to Loyola-Chicago.  The verbal commitment by Foreman to the Eagles is significant for several reasons.  First, the addition of Foreman moves their recruiting class, which also inlcudes 6'8 Louis Graham from Winchendon (School) MA, into a tie at #83, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, Providence, South Carolina, Hartford, James Madison, Rutgers, Drexel, Northwestern, Stanford, East Carolina, Western Illinois, and IUPUI, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Second, getting Foreman gives Georgia Southern an important connection to another one of the premier prep school programs in the nation.  Third, Foreman, who signed with Murray State a year ago, but was released from his scholarship when the new regime took over last spring, not only is an good point guard who can run the show, but he is also is an excellent 3-point shooter and very good players, as is evident by the fact that Break-Down.com had him ranked as the 12th best senior in the state in their final rankings from a year ago.  Our Washington, DC Editor Steve Turner tells us that 6'3 Brian Hodges from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD has verbally committed to Maryland-Baltimore County, our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'5 Al Forbes from Bronx All Hallows) NY has verbally committed to Long Island, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/New Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'8 Rigaberto Sargeant from Stroudsburg (H.S.) PA has verbally committed to Canisius, and it appears that SMU recently landed 6'4 Derrick Roberts from Houston (Nimitz) TX and 6'7 Ritter Paulius from Tulsa (Holland Hall) OK.  Roberts, who is ranked as the #3rd best combo guard and the 9th best senior overall in the Houston area by the Recruiter'sCheatSheet, is described as "an athletic slasher who can get to the rim and finish."  Ritter is a 6'7, 255 lbs. power forward originally from Lithuania who scores and rebounds inside.  We also have confirmed that Butler has beaten out school like New Mexico and Colorado for 6'6 Brandon Polk from Redlands (JC) OK, who combines excellent skills and big time athleticism, as he is one of four starters for the team that is ranked #3 pre-season by the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook to have already signed with Division I schools.  Polk also moves Butler's recruiting class, which also includes 6'1 A.J. Graves from Switz City (White River Valley) IN and 5'9 Gary Patterson from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN, into a tie at #52, along with Boston College, Western Kentucky, Tulane, George Mason, Wright State, Duquesne, and Kent State, our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.

Thursday, October 23, 2003

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the University of Pittsburgh has landed 6'0 Ronald Ramone from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, who is ranked #117 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the Panthers have also gotten an early 6'8 Jr Mike Davis from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, who is ranked #51 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The commitment by Ramone comes on the heels of Pittsburgh's other two verbal commitments from 6'3 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #58 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 John DeGroat from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, who is the #1-ranked 2-guard in the junior college ranks by NBADraft.Net and a top 10-ranked player by Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook, and, as a result, their recruiting class is now ranked #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, while Benjamin and DeGroat appear to be ideally suited to step in and take over for 6'3 Sr Julius Page and 6'4 Sr Jaron Brown, both of whom will graduate after this season, Ramone is expected to be the perfect complement to 6'2 Soph Carl Krauser for the next two years and then will likely take over at the point guard spot.  Not only does Ramone shoot the lights out, but he knows how to handle, pass, run a team, and win.  The verbal commitment by Ramone and Davis also show just how strong the Panthers are when it comes to recruiting in New York City.  If you will recall, Krauser, 6'11 Jr Mark McCarroll, 6'8 Frosh Donte Milligan, and 6'10 Frosh Chris Taft, Benjamin, and Ramone are all New York City kids.  And there could be another one on the way, if the Panthers can convince 6'3 Ramel Bradley, who originally is from New York (Park West) NY, but is now at Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, that there is still enough playing time for everybody.   Remember, Bradley's final three are Pittsburgh, Kentucky, and Boston College, but, if he doesn't get the necessary score on the SAT, which is due back by the end of this week, then he may wait until spring to make a decision.  And Bradley's not the only big name player the Panthers are still waiting on.  Remember, they also appear to be the tri-favorite, along with Louisville and Florida, for 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Sure, Pittsburgh is out of scholarships right now, but, just like Louisville with Palacios, you can bet that the Panthers will continue to recruit both Bradley, who is ranked #13 on our 5th year list, and Palacios and sort it all out later.  The verbal commitment by Davis, who established his reputation this spring and summer by providing needed size for the New York Gauchos, which featured 6'3 Russell Robinson and 6'1 Sundiati Gaines from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY and won the Kingwood Classic in Houston, TX and NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC, also is a great catch, because Davis does all the blue collar work inside and, as a result, promises to be an excellent complement down the road to 7'0 Frosh Aaron Gray and Taft, who provides another important connection, as he is from the same high school as Davis.  However, this one is not confirmed yet, as our only source on this is Rubin, whose credibility suddenly is being questioned after he was one of several people who confirmed yesterday that 6'6 DeWayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC had verbally committed to Villanova.  Apparently Anderson was quoted as saying that he probably will verbally commit to the Wildcats after he's taken an official visit to Villanova in two or three weeks and somebody translated that into a verbal commitment yesterday.

Yesterday Big Apple Sports reported that 6'6 Martane Freeman from Penn Valley (JC) MO had verbally committed to Colorado, 6'8 Chris Anderson from Eastern Utah (JC) UT had verbally committed to Wyoming, 6'9 David Misko from Sequoias (JC) CA had verbally committed to Cal-Riverside, and 5'11 Mike Kirkpatrick from Eastern Utah (JC) UT had verbally committed to San Diego and today Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'7 Rodney Epperson from Midland (JC) TX has verbally committed to St. John's, 6'3 Lamar Farr from Northwest Wyoming (JC) WY has verbally committed to Montana, and 6'10 Mamery Diallo from Midland (JC) TX has verbally committed to Gongaza.  Obviously the verbal commitment by Epperson to the Red Storm is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Epperson is ranked #7 among junior college forwards by NBADraft.Net, #8 by Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Magazine, and #9 by the Sporting New Pre-Season Yearbook.  Second, Epperson is ideally suited to step in a year from now and start at the wing forward spot.  If you will recall, St. John's has seven seniors on its current roster and, other than Epperson, there isn't a wing forward in sight.  Third, Epperson will give St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis an excellent player at every position a year from now, if 6'10 Jermaine Bell, who was supposed to attend Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, but now is rumored to be going the junior college route, shows up.  Remember, St. John's should be set both at the guard spots for the next three years with 5'11 Soph Darryl Hill and 5'11 Elijah Ingram,  plus 6'9 Frosh Lamont Hamilton from Milford (Academy) CT is expected to make an immediate impact inside this year.  Fourth, Epperson originally is from New York (La Salle) NY, which means that St. John's still has the ability to get top level city kids when they want to return home.  Fifth, getting Epperson should give the Red Storm coaching staff the momentum they need to land several more players in this recruiting class, which is important in terms of keeping the fans off their back and rebuilding the program in a hurry.  St. John's also appears to have added some valuable depth at guard with the addition of 6'4 Jermaine Maybank from Independence (JC) KS.  No, you can't find this athletic combo guard who is great at creating his own shot in any of the pre-season basketball magazines, but the word we get is that he's better than 6'5 J'Son Stamper at Independence (JC) KS, who is ranked #7 among wing forwards by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.   However, we're sure that our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio knows all about Maybank, who reportedly was a playground legend in the Rucker League prior to going the junior college route.  These two additions move the Red Storm's recruiting class into up to #18 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  The verbal commitment by Diallo, who is just a freshman in junior college this year, to Gonzaga is also important, because it gives the Zags a head start on next year's recruiting class.  It also provides another illustration of exactly where this program is at.  Remember, Gonzaga has three of the consensus top five players in the league in 6'4 Sr Blake Stepp, 6'10 Jr Ronny Turiaf, and 6'8 Cory Violette and, as a result, ar ranked among the top 10 teams in college basketball this year by many of the pre-season basketball magazines.  Gonzaga also appears to be set of the future with young players in the program, like 6'6 Soph Erroll Knight, who transferred from Washington to Gonzaga a year ago, 6'9 Frosh Sean Mallon, who red-shirted last year, 6'0 Derek Ravio from Vancouver (Mountain View) WA, all of whom were ranked among the top 100 nationally in their respective classes by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Josh Heytvelt from Clarkston (H.S.) WA, and 6'1 Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes from Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) ON in this year's recruiting class.  In other words, it looks like Gonzaga recruits more like a Pac-10 school than a school in the West Coast Conference.  Another school in the West Coast Conference that has moved to a higher level after their first NCAA appearance in 16 years is the University of San Diego and their commitment by Kirkpatrick is significant for several reasons.  First, it moves the Torreos recruiting class back into the radar screen.  If you will recall, last winter we thought 6'0 Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA and 6'2 Lorenzo Keeler from Escondido (H.S.) CA were both a done deal for San Diego, but in the spring they both reneged and Tucker has since committed to Minnesota and Keeler has since committed to San Diego State.  Second, Kirkpatrick, who is originally from Germany and played his freshman year at North Carolina A&T two years ago, will provide valuable experience in the backcourt a year from now.  Third, Kirkpatrick gives the Torreos the point guard they were looking for in this recruiting class, which also already includes 6'8 Gyno Pomare from Oceanside (El Camino) CA and is currently tied at #98, along with Cornell, Valparaiso, St. Joseph's, Rice, UT-Chattanooga, Massachusetts, Lehigh, and UT-Arlington on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Speaking of Pomare, who is quick off his feet and a good rebounder and ashot blocker, he too looks like a good catch for the Torreos, although right now his defense is way ahead of his offense.  We also are impressed by Western Kentucky's verbal commitment from 6'7 Mike Walker from Macon (Southwest) GA, who is ranked #225 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Walker, who is more of an undersized four-man than a wing forward, got lost in the shuffle on that loaded Atlanta Celtics team during the spring and summer, but he has the athleticism, talent, and ability to get it done around the basket, which means he should be an excellent complement inside to 6'8 Elgrace Wilborn, who decided to transfer from Tennessee to Western Kentucky in August and, as a result, will have to sit out this year.  And when you also add 6'0 Antonio Haynes from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who signed with Hilltoppers last spring and 6'2 Ty Rogers from   Eddyville (Lyon County) KY and 6'4 Courtney Lee from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, both of whom count with their current recruiting class, into the equation, it appears that the Hilltoppers have done a great job of filling their needs since Darrin Horn and his staff took over six months ago.  

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

We have been telling you for years that UTEP head coach Billy Gillispie is one of the best recruiters in the business, but since taking over a year ago at UTEP, he's made us look like a genius.  If you will recall, last spring the Miners finished with a recruiting class that included 6'1 Filberto Rivera from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, who was the #3 ranked junior college point guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook a year ago, 6'5 Omar Thomas from Panola (JC) TX, who was the #6 ranked junior college point guard by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook a year ago, 6'9 Thomas Gehrke from Brazil, who was a member of the Brazilian Natioanl Team, 6'5 Jason Williams from Kilgore (JC) TX, and 6'8 Brent Murphy from Lon Morris (JC) TX, and was ranked #21 in our final ranking of the Top Recruiting Classses for the Class of 2003. And now, believe it or not, they have landed 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who is ranked #54 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously you're probably wonder how a high profile player that was a top priority for Big East schools like Rutgers, Villanova, Pittsburgh, and St. John's, has opted to attend a school that won only six games in the Western Athletic Conference last year.  Not only did the UTEP coaching staff do a great job recruiting him, but Rivera and Galindo, who are close friends, are both originally from Puerto Rico and, according to Galindo's high school coach Danny Hurley, the Spanish community in El Paso, TX was where Galindo felt the most at home.  "We're not talking about a kid who gets caught up in the all the hoopla," says Hurley.  "He's a great kid and he made the decision that he felt was best for him."  And he did so without taking the rest of his visits.   Galindo is a good athlete, an excellent 3-point shooter, and good ball handler and passer for his size, plus he's the type of player you can build your program around.  He also will give Gillispie another excellent wing player to go along with Thomas and Williams a year from now.  So with Rivera running the show, Gehrke holding down one of the inside spots and 6'6 Ivan Almonte from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA expected to step in and start at the power forward spot a year from now, it easy to see why we think UTEP will be one of the most improved teams in college basketball history over this two-year period.  Speaking of Almonte, most people don't know that Almonte, who played a key role in Southeastern Iowa's run to the Junior College National Championship in Hutchinson, KS last March, also has verbally committed to the Miners.   Almonte is undersized, but everybody we've talked to says he's a killer inside, as he "plays with a lot energy, aggressively hitting the boards, diving for loose ball, and taking charges".  He also was the teammate of Rivera, who was the starting point guard last year at Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA and, as a result, the UTEP coaching staff obviously took advantage of another important contact to get his one done.  The addition of Almonte moves UTEP's recruiting class into a tie at #30, along with Xavier and Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, which means that it's take Gillispie and his staff in only one year have to totally rebuild the program.  The verbal commitment by Galindo also may have influenced Villanova to go ahead and take 6'6 DeWayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC, who is ranked #265 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, who convinced us he's better than that when we saw him at the Charlie Weber Invitiational Tournament last month.  Apparently that also happened earlier today and we think Anderson initially will be a terrific role player, but down the road he could grow into one of the wing spots after Randy Foye and Curtis Sumpter graduate in two-and-a-half years.  This finally puts Villanova on the board in our rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but don't feel too sorry for Wildcats head coach Jay Wright and his staff.  Remember, the nucleus of this year's team will be provided by four sophomores - Foye, Sumpter, Jason Fraser, and Allan Ray; they also have two excellent freshmen in the program in Michael Nardi and Will Sheridan; they already have a verbal commitment for next year from 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was terrific when we saw him Sunday at the Eddie Griffin Hoop Challenge; and they are the heavy favorite to get 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadephia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, it's just a matter of time before Villanova emerges into one of the premier programs in college basketball!   Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Allen Rubin also thinks Rider has a major steal on its hands, as 6'8 Jason Thompson from Medford (Lenape) NJ, who is one of the fastest rising players in the area, as is evident by the fact that Rubin plans to rank him in the top 15 when he updates his report in early November, has verbally committed to the Broncos.  Thompson is a legitimate four-man with the ability to put it on the floor, a good mid-range shot, and good rebounding skills. 

Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Earlier today we told you that Richmond had landed 6'9 Jarhon Giddings from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC and 6'6 Monty Sanders from Raleigh (Cardinal Gibbons) NC, but now it appears that the Spiders have also added 6'11 Drew Crank from Lynchburg (E.C. Glass) VA, which means the Spiders suddenly have a pair of twin towers who should complement one another extremely well.  Giddings is more athletic, but Crank is more skilled, plus he's a lot closer to being ready  to step in and make an immediate impact next year in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  If you will recall, Crank more than held his own against many of the top big men in the nation at the NBA Players Association Camp in June in Richmond, VA.  Not only is he a tough kid hardnose competitor, but he also rebounds, blocks shots, scores around the basket, and keeps you honest with an excellent hook shot.  The addition of Crank moves Richmond's recruiting class up to #34 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but this class remains ranked #3 in the league behind Dayton and Xavier and ahead of Rhode Island, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, Massachusetts, and Fordham.  However, Richmond's recruiting class would move up to #1 in the league, if they use their 5th and final scholarship to land somebody like 6'3 Kelvin Davis from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who is ranked #32 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and was a top 100-ranked senior by the HOOP SCOOP in our final rankings of the Class of 2003.  Another player who was a prime target of the Spiders was 6'7 Richard Robey from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA, but he verbally committed to the University of Colorado a week ago.  And we think this is an important commitment for the Buffaloes, because Robey promises to be the best player that Ricardo Patton and his staff have landed since they signed David Harrison three years ago.  Robey does need to learn to play a little more under control and become more consistent, but he's an incredible athlete and when he's hot, he can flat out shoot the lights out.  And he did exactly that on the first night at the adidas ABCD Camp, but he finished ranked no higher than #35 overall in camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, we think he's got a huge upside, which is why Robey is ranked #18 on our 5th Year List.  Robey picking the Buffaloes could also prove to be important down the road, because the early favorites for 5'11 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, are North Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, and Colorado.  If you will recall, Robey, who is originally from California, plays, along with McGee, for the Inland Stars AAU team.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that Gardner Webb has gotten a pair of verbal commitments from 6'5 Jake Didion from Garrett (H.S.) IN and 6'9 Clint Graham from Campbellsville (Taylor County) KY and Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has the scoop on 6'5 Matt Wheaton from Houston (Mayde Creek) TX, who has picked Tulane over Kansas, Texas A&M, and South Alabama.  Wheaton has size, athleticism, and the ability to beat you with his 3-point shot, which is why we think he is an excellent complement to the other two players - 6'8 David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA and 6'8 Robinson Louisme from Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL - that Tulane head coach Shawn Finney has already landed in this recruiting class.  And when you also add 6'3 Vincent Camper from Oxford (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Dan Fitzgerald from St. Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN, 6'4 Chris Moore from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'0 Troy Aaron from Lake Charles (St. Louis) LA, and 6'8 Cory Castine form Marrero (Archbishop Shaw) LA, it is obvious that the Green Wave may be only a great player or two away in next year's recruiting from moving into the upper echelon of Conference USA.  Johnson also tells us that 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, may be a lot closer than most people realize to making it official for the University of Florida.  Horford, who made an unofficial visit two weeks ago and an official visit to Florida this past weekend for Midnight Madness, has cancelled the rest of his visits, which means it's really now more a question of when he's going to make it official rather than whether he's going to pick somebody other than the Gators.  And as soon as this happens, we'll move Florida's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'10  Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, and 6'0 Taurean Green from Ft.Lauderdale (Cardinal GIbbons) FL, up to #5, behind Indiana, Texas, Louisville, and Arkansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Frank Burlison is reporting on HoopMasters.com that 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ has verbally committed to Brigham Young and Victoria Sun, who is the beat writer who covers the University of Kentucky basketball for the Cincinnati Post, tells us that Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, UCLA, and Georgia are the final five for 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, she also warns us not to look for anything to happen on this one until spring.  It also appears to be a two-horse race between Villanova and Arkansas for 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadlephia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, when it is all said and done, our guess is that Lowry will pick the Wildcats.  As a matter of fact, Lowry confirmed to us at the Eddie Griffin Challenge on Sunday that Villanova getting his close friend and teammate - 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA - helped Wildcats' chances and that they were the team to beat.  We also wouldn't be surprised if Cincinnati gets 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, Bright was down to two (Iowa State and Tennessee), but got cold feet right before it was time to make his decision and re-opened his recruitment.  Miami-FL and Connecticut also have jumped into the Bright sweepstakes, but, if all goes well on his official visit this weekend, it would not surprise us if he made a verbal commitment to the Bearcats next week.  Speaking of Cincinnati, the Bearcats also appear to be one of the final three, along with Michigan and Kentucky, for 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they're a lot stronger than most people realize for 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #14 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players.  

Big Apple Sports reported over the weekend that Charlotte picked up a verbal commitment from 6'8 E.J. Drayton from Colby (JC) KS and this is big because we're talking about a player who is ranked among the top five junior college players in the nation by Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and #1 at the wing forward spot by NBADraft.Net, #5 at the wing forward spot by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and #9 at the wing foward spot by the Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Magazine.  Not only does the addition of Drayton move the 49ers recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Chris Nance from Redlands (JC) OK, up to #40 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it also means that Charlotte head coach Bobby Lutz will have what should be one of the best one, two, three punches on the front line in college basketball a year from now.   Remember, Curtis Withers was one of the top freshmen in Conference USA last year and 6'11  Martin Iti from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC promises to be one of the top freshmen in the league this year. Big Apple Sports also reported yesterday that 6'7 James White from Southwestern Illinois (JC) IL has verbally committed to Southeast Missouri State, 6'2 Elijah Muldrow from Ventura (JC) CA has verbally committed to Arkansas-Little Rock, 6'8 Danny Gray from Ventura (JC) CA has verbally committed to Utah State, and 6'4 Jason Harris from Chaffey (JC) CA has verbally committed to Sacramento State.  We also understand that St. Bonaventure has added a pair of commitments in 6'6 Charles Burch from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA and 6'5 Willie Morse from State College (H.S.) PA.  If you will recall, Morse originally verbally committed to Penn State, but reneged when the coaching change occurred last spring.  And it's a good thing he did, because Morse lacked the footspeed and athleticism necessary to get it done in the Big-10.  However, for the Bonnies he's a good catch, because he can flat out shoot the basketball.  On the other hand, Burch, who is ranked #236 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, needs to improve his outside shooting, if he wants to project as the wing forward down the road.  But, even if he doesn't, it may not matter because Burch a killer inside, despite his tweener size.  In other words, Burch is your prototypical BABC player who goes to war to on the boards and is every difficult to stop around the basket.  He also got pretty good coaching at the high school level from former Tabor Academy head coach David First, who obviously played a key role in Burch's recruitment to St. Bonaventure.  Remember, First is now an assistant coach for the Bonnies.  And when you also add 6'1 Isaiah Carson from Springfield (South) OH, who is ranked #442 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, one finds that St. Bonaventure's class is now tied at #59, along with Lamar, Colorado State, Saint Louis, Texas Tech, Eastern Michigan, and New Hampshire, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also continue to be impressed by the way first-year head coach Derek Thomas is recruiting players to Western Illinois.  The latest being 6'4 David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, who is ranked #349 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and #10 in the senior class in Tennessee by Jim Rothman and Andre Whitehead.  If you will recall, we liked Jackson's athleticism and the way he shot the basketball when we saw him at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC.  However, Jackson got lost in the shuffle on a team later in the summer after the Memphis YOMCA Team, which won the 17-Under National AAU National Championship in Orlando, FL, added 6'7 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN and 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, both of whom are ranked among our top 25 seniors nationally.  Jackson joins 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, who verbally committed to Western Illinois in early August, and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #78, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, Butler, Providence, Western Kentucky, South Carolina, Tulane, Hartford, James Madison, Rutgers, Drexel, Northwestern, Stanford, East Carolina, and IUPUI, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that Ohio State did indeed get a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA, who made an official visit to Columbus, OH over the weekend.  Jackson-Wilson, who is a big time athlete and a fierce competitor on the boards, promises to be an excellent role player, which is exactly what the Buckeyes need after also landing 6'2 Jamar Butler form Lima (Shawnee) OH and 6'9 Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH in this recruiting class; 6'8 Ivan Harris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA a year ago; and getting several important transfers 6'1 Tony Stockman, who transferred from Clemson to Ohio State, and 6'5 J.J. Sullinger, who transferred from Arkansas to Ohio State, a year ago.  And Jackson-Wilson also isn't good enough to scare off 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is the Buckeyes' #1-recruiting priority.  Speaking of Hairston, if Ohio State does get this athletic wing forward who reminds us of Carmelo Anthony, their recruiting class would move up from #32, which is where it is ranked now with the addition of Jackson-Wilson, to #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also understand that Richmond has gotten verbal commitments from 6'9 Jarhon Giddings, who transferred from Blacksburg (H.S.) VA to Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC and 6'6 Monty Sanders from Raleigh (Cardinal Gibbons) NC.  And in both cases, it looks like Spiders have more than offset the fact that they lost two of their top recruiting priorities in 6'5 Brian Laing from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #79 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Taj Finger from Bedford (Fox Lane) NY, who is ranked #126 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Giddings isn't as skilled Finger, but he's bigger, more athletic, and has a bigger upside.  Sanders, whose father used to play for the Harlem Globetrotters, appears to be a major sleeper.  In other words, we're talking about a long lanky slasher athlete who is similar in many ways to Laing.  These two additions move Richmond's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'2 Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, into a tie, along with Minnesota at #44, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  It also looks like Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez, who is one of the best recruiters in the nation at any level, hasn't lost his touch, as he already has a verbal commitment from 6'2 Jeff Xavier from Pawtucket (St. Raphael) RI, who was one of the two players that he had on campus last weekend.   And the other - 6'7 Arturo Dubois from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #261 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP - may not be too far behind.  If Manhattan does get Dubois, this would be an important catch, because it not only would give Manhattan another powerful force inside, but it also once again would reinforce the fact that Gonzalez can get the better players in his backyard. 

Sunday, October 19, 2003, and Monday, October 20, 2003

With a great crowd on hand, some outstanding individual performances, close well played games, some of the nation's top basketball gurus, like H.S.B.I Report Editor Tom Konchalski, Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com, Norm Eavenson and Rob Matera of All-Stars Sports, and Allen Rubin, Dave Schultz, and your truly (Clark Francis) from the HOOP SCOOP, in attendance, and the legendary Howard Garfinkel providing his expert commentary on the public address system, it looks like tournament Jimmy Salmon hit the jackpot with what hopefully will be the first of many annual Eddie Griffin Challenges yesterday at Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, PA.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see the the Eddie Griffin Challenge evolves into a two or three day event with teams from places like New York, New Jersey, New England, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, DC.  In this year's inaugural event, the Philadelphia All-Stars won two out three, as the Philadelphia Seniors beat the New Jersey Seniors, 103-94; the Philadelphia Juniors beat the New Jersey Juniors, 89-87; and the Philadelphia Sophomores lost to the New Jersey Sophomores 82-75.  However, the highlights of the day were watching 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA electrify the crowd with numerous dunks and athletic moves to the basket en route to 18 points and his team's MVP honors in the Junior Game and 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA and 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who combined for 31 points, take over down the stretch in the Senior Game.  And making the story even more interesting in the Senior Game is the fact that 6'5 Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ hit the a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight of his team's first 10 points, but did not do a lot of influence the otucome of the game the rest of the way, as he finished with only 21 points and did nothing to stop the 20-0 run that the Philadelphia All-Stars put on in the third quarter.  Taking home MVP honors for the Philadelphia All-Stars in the Senior Game was 6'7 DeSean White from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who had a career day, as he making a living off getting the ball from Singletary and Clark and scoring both inside and outside.  White also played a lot harder than when we've seen him the past, which leads us to believe that Providence could have another major steal on their hands, especially if he dedicates himself to getting bigger and stronger at the next level.  The unsung hero in the Senior Game was 6'6 Kyle Hines from Sicklerville (Timber Creek) NJ, who scored 12 points and owned the boards.  In other words, we're talking about an undersized blue collar banger inside who Garfinkel described as the biggest sleeper since Rip Van Winkle.  Hines is already verbally committd to UNC-Greensboro, but, if he had waited, Garfinkel thinks Hines would have gotten recruited by schools at a much higher level.  Also scoring in double digits for the New Jersey All-Stars were 6'7 Chris Alvarez from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ with 13 points, 6'1 Albert Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ with 11 points, and  6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (H.S.) NJ with 10 points.  White, Singletary, and Lowry were complemented on the Philadelphia Team by 6'8 Stanley Branch from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA with 14 points, 6'4 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA with 12 points, and 6'9 Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA with 12 points.  The second best player on the Philadelphia Team in the Junior Game was 6'6 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who does a little bit of everything, as he handles, shoots, passes, and rebounds extremely well for his size.  But the guy who came up biggest for the Philadelphia Juniors, along with Shane Clark, was 6'0 Jr Antonie Brown from Philadelphia (South Philadelphia) PA, who was the leading scorer in the game with 20 points.  Forget about the fact that Brown recently was reclassified as a junior and that he's a mediocre outside shooter, because we're talking a lighning quick point guard off the dribble who makes people better in transition.  Also chipping in with 10 points for the Philadelphia Juniors was 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Luthern) PA, who impressed with his athleticism, aggressiveness, and ability to score both inside and outside.  The New Jersey All-Stars featured 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ and 6'9 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, both of whom have are ranked among the top players in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but two players we'd never heard of - 6'6 Jr Jaron Griffin from Manchester (H.S.) NJ and 6'2 Jr Craig Moore from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ - stole the show.  We're still not sure how well Griffin shoots it outside, because he did all of his damage from 15-feet and in (19 points).  But do know that we're talking about an excellent slasher and big time athlete with the talent necessary to be ranked among our top 100 potential nationally.  Moore just knows how to play!  Right now he's more of a two, because he can he's such a good outside shooter.  However, Moore's size, savvy, and ball handling and passing skills should allow him to play point guard at the mid-to-high major level.  The New Jersey Team featured 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, who is the #2-ranked sophomore nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but only finished with 11 points and didn't play with much effort.  Instead, the guy everybody was talking about was 6'10 Soph Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (Memorial) PA.  Not only does Zoubek have great hands, surprising agility and mobility, and the ability to score against anybody around the basket, but he also now must project as one of the better big men in the sophomore class nationally.  We also were impressed with 6'7 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, who finished with 13 points, and 6'7 Soph Terell Willams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ and 6'7 Soph Jerell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, both of whom are effective both inside and outside due to their athleticism and versatiliy.  The Philadelphia Sophomores featured 6'4 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'6 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Soph Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, and 6'3 Soph Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA, who accounted for 51 of their team's 75 points, but they didn't have enough nearly as much depth as the New Jersey Team, which also had some excellent role players, like 6'1 Soph Nick Vier from Bergen (Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Casiem Drummond from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, and 6'4 Soph Kimanni Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ. 

Saturday, October 18, 2003

Things have finally slowed down enough for us to tell you about the HOOP SCOOP Rating & Instructional Shootout that was held last weekend at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, who was in charge of inviting and evaluating the players, thinks this inaugural session was a major success.   The highlight obviously was the outstanding instruction provided by our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, who is widely regarded as one of the top work-out and instructional coaches in the nation, and Gary Lapergola, who not only is one of the top instructors in the area, but also is the Director of "The Point Guard School" and the founder of Shooting Stars Basketball Service.  The players not only were provided with numerous drills and information that will improve their game, but they also made it fun and at one point Naclerio was running stations for the entire camp.  Rubin says that four players who distinguished themselves the most were 6'5 Soph Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. Neumann) PA, 6'1 Soph Matt McFadden from Medford (Shawnee PA, 6'1 Frosh Antoine Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, and 6'3 8th Grader Anthony King from Ashton (Village Charter) PA.  Rubin also provides us with his rankings of the top players based both on performance and college potential.  The list of the top juniors includes 1) 6'9 Jr Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 2) 6'3 Jr Devon McLendon from Chester (H.S.) PA, 3) 6'5 Jr Dave Burton from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 4) 6'4 Jr Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA, 5) 5'10 Jr Derrek Heckendorn from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6) 5'8 Jr Vince Cream from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, 7) 6'6 Jr Tyson Hartnett from Medford (Shawnee) NJ, and 8) 6'3 Jr Wyatt Hass from Gloucester (H.S.) NJ.   The list of the top sophomores includes 1) Pettis, 2) 6'11 Soph Brian Zoubek from Haddonfield (H.S.) PA, 3) McFadden, 4) 6'7 Soph Dan Geriot from Springfield (H.S.) PA, 5) 5'10 Soph Mike Morris from Burlington (H.S.) NJ, 6) 6'5 Soph Shane Simon from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 7) 6'3 Soph Blake Wilson from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 8) 6'5 Soph Javis Williams from Willingboro (H.S.) NJ, 9) 6'0  Soph Chris Gulla from Voorhees (Eastern) NJ, 10) 6'4 Soph Kevin Gallagher from Medford (Lenape) NJ, 11) 5'10 Soph Zubair Muhammad from Sharon Park (Academy Park) PA, and 12) 6'0 Soph C.J. Honigman from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA.  The list of the top freshmen includes 1) Jardine, 2) 6'1 Frosh Jeff Jones from Drexel Hill (Monsignor Bonner) PA, 3) 6'3 Frosh John White from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 4) 6'5 Frosh Clifton Speller from Pleasantville (H.S.) PA, 5) 5'11 Frosh Aaron Johnson from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, 6) 6'4 Frosh Mark Haxton from Marlton (Cherokee) NJ, 7) 6'1Frosh Jordan Staysin from Carlisle (H.S.) PA, 8) 5'2 Frosh Mike Williston from Highstown (H.S.) NJ, 9) 6'1 Frosh Mike Francisco from Malvern (Prep) PA, 10) 6'2 Frosh Ray Okoro from Pennsauken (Malvern Prep) NJ, 11) 5'6 Frosh Marcus Jimenez from Vineland (H.S.) NJ, and 12) 5'9 Frosh Joey Hoban from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA.   The list of the top 8th Graders includes 1) King, 2) 5'10 Charles White from Philadelphia (Wannamaker) PA, 3) 5'10 Justin Breaker from Glassboro (Middle) NJ, 4) 6'2 Chris Henderson from Harrisburg (Linglestown) PA, 5) 5'7 William Campbell from Willingboro (Morrisville Junior) NJ, 6) 5'8 Octavius Burnett from Steelton (Middle) PA, 7) 5'11 Clark Hindelang from Ocean City (St. Augustine) NJ, 8) 6'1 Mike Stafford from Pennsauken (St. Peter's) NJ, 9) 5'11 Andre Birdsong from Burlington (Holbein) NJ, and 10) 5'6 Jason Brown from Richboro (Middle) PA.  The list of the top 7th Graders includes 1) 5'7 Dylan Bowman from Mulillica Hill (Friends) NJ, 2) 5'1 Jodiah Lynch from Williamsport ((Roosevelt) PA, 3) 5'7 Tim Breaker from Glassboro (Middle) NJ.  The top 6th Grader was 5'5 Anthony Tucker from Pleasantville (Middle) NJ.  For more information about future HOOP SCOOP Rating & Instructional Shootouts contact Rubin at (215) 877-8182.

Friday, October 17, 2003

This weekend 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA is supposed be at North Carolina, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL is supposed to be at Arizona, 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA is supposed to be at Cincinnati, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, and 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL are supposed to be at Kentucky, and 6'6 Jermyl Jackson-Wilson from Fork Union (Military) VA is supposed to be at Ohio State.   But the only one player we expect to verbally commit right away is Jackson-Wilson.   And Wilson would be an excellent pick-up for the Buckeyes, because he's the ultimate role player.  Not only is he a big-time athlete, quick leaper, excellent rebounder, and fierce competitor, but he also has the ability to defend out on the perimeter.  However, for Wilson to be ever more than a seventh or eighth man, he's going to have to develop better skills at the offensive end.  Also interesting is the fact that Jackson-Wilson is already qualified academically and, as a result, could have enrolled at Ohio State this fall.  But we think he made a smart move, because, with an added year of maturity and more time to work on his perimeter skills, there is no telling how much more he will develop.  We still believe Ohio State will get 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI and, if 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI doesn't verbal commit to Florida in the immediate future, look for Horford to make an official to Ohio State next week.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who thinks Horford is the most unpredictable player still left on the board in the senior class nationally, also tells us that UCLA, Georgia, Iowa, and maybe even Florida State, due to the fact that they recently loss out in the race for 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS, are in the hunt for Horford's services.  Johnson also tells us that 6'7 Quade Milum from Dayton (Colonel White) OH has verbally committed to Akron and 6'11 Drew Walker from Port Clinton (H.S.) OH has verbally committed to Central Michigan and our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'2 Justin Hare from Cleveland (Bradley Central) TN has verbally committed to Belmont.  And Whitehead thinks the verbal commitment by Hare, who is ranked #421 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is an absolute steal of the Bruins.  Not only is Hare a tough hardnosed competitor and good outside shooter, but he more than held his own at the NIKE All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #20 at the 2-guard spot by the HOOP SCOOP.  Milum also is a good catch, because he is a tremendous athlete, as is evident the fact that he finished #2 in the state in the high jump, is ambidextrous, and has only been playing basketball for a couple of years.  We also understand that 5'10 Chris Vetrano from Andover (H.S.) MA, who is the point guard for the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC), has verbally committed to New Hampshire and 6'1 J.D. Jones from Hopkins (H.S.) MN, who can flat out shoot the lights out, has verbally committed to Furman.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'8 Mike Castro from Allegany (JC) MD has verbally committed to East Carolina and, as a result, it looks like Pirates now have two impact players with size in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, a week ago East Carolina also got a verbal commitment from 6'9 Charles Bronson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who is ranked #70 on our 5th Year list.  Castro picked East Carolina over St. Bonaventure, Marshall, and Clemson.  We also understand that 6'4 Craig Swoope from Carmel (H.S.) IN recently picked IUPUI, which means they have stolen another one.  Not only are we talking about a big time athlete with a major upside, but Swoope, who was sidelined this summer with an injury, is the guy who scord 26 points last winter versus Indiana University-bound 6'3 A.J. Ratilff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'7 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, who is ranked #336 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has narrowed his list to St. Peter's, Iona, Boston University, Fordham and it looks like the recruitment of 6'2 Jamual Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has picked up dramatically as schools like Pittsburgh, Fordham, Cincinnati, Temple, Miami-FL, and St. John's are all showing interest.  We also understand that 6'8 Jermaine Griffith from Houston (Milby) TX is making an official visit to South Florida this weekend, which means we are no longer counting him as verbally committed to UT-Arlington.  Apparently those people advising Griffith think he pulled the trigger too early and, if waits and goes through the recruitng process, the value of his stock will rise dramatically. 

Tomorrow I will be going East to attend the Eddie Griffin Challenge, which will held Sunday, October 19th, at Merion Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, PA, and will get to see three games matching the top players from the state of New Jersey against the top players from the Greater Philadelphia area.  The Sophomore Game, which will tip off at 3:00 PM, will feature the New Jersey team with 6'9 Soph Derrick Cararcter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Soph Jerell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'7 Soph Terell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'0 Soph Jawad Carter from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Soph Casiem Drummond from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'4 Soph Kimanni Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'5 Soph Deshawn Butler from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'1 Soph Geoff Risk from Delbarton (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, and 6'10 Soph Brian Zubek from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ versus Philly Team with 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Soph Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'1 Soph Darren Govens from Chester (H.S.) NJ, 5'8 Soph Raymond Sims from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'3 Soph Reggie Redding from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's) PA, 6'4 Soph Derrick Rivera from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'4 Soph Ken St. George from Philadelphia (Central) PA, 6'7 Soph Andrew Jones from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, and 6'8 Soph Jason Love from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA.  The Junior Game, which will tip off at 4:30 PM, will feature the New Jersey team with 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'8 Jr Gerald Inman from Montvale (St. Joseph) NJ, 6'9 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'2 Jr Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'2 Jr Craig Moore from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'1 Jr Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, 6'6 Jr Jeron Griffin from Lakehurst (Manchester) NJ, 6'0 Jr Terrance Grier from Cranford (H.S.) NJ, 6'11 Jr Andrew Bynam from Metuchen (St. Josephs) NJ, and 6'2 Jr Andrew Pusar from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ versus the Philly Team with 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'5 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Ken Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'7 Jr Brian Grimes from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'3 Jr Noel Wilmore from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'9 Jr Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'2 Jr Aron Cohen from Jenkintown (Abington Friends) PA, 6'1 Jr Harris Mansell from Wyncote (Cheltenham) PA, 6'0 Jr Antoine Brown from (South Philadelphia) PA, and 6'2 Jr Devon McClendon from Chester (H.S.) PA.The Senior Game, which will tip-off at 6:00 PM, will feature the New Jersey team with 6'5 Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'11 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'1 Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ, 6'7 Chris Alvarez from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'1 Albert Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, 6'11 John Oates from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'6 Jonathan Hart from Roselle (H.S.) NJ, and 6'6 Kyle Hines from Sicklerville (Timber Creek) NJ versus the Philadelphia team with 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'9 Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'7 DeSean White from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'4 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'8 Stanley Branch from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'4 Bilal Benn from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 5'8 Rich Cummingham from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'4 Marshall Taylor from Philadelphia (West Catholic) PA, and 6'8 Matt Walden from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA.

Thursday, October 16, 2003

It looks like 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is ranked #9 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has finally made it official for the University of  Louisville.  It happened at 4:30 PM and this comes as no surprise, especially to us.  Remember, we've been way ahead of the competition with regards to Telfair dating all the way back to when we had him ranked as the #1 4th Grader in the nation.  We also were the first to mention in print several years ago that Louisville would be tough to beat for Telfair's services and several months ago we told you that Telfair was a done deal for the Cardinals.  If you will recall, on July 30th we cited several sources who told us that Telfair had called Louisville Rick Pitino the previous evening and verbally committed to the Cardinals.  There is no question that landing Telfair is huge for both the Cardinals and Pitino for a number of reasons.  First, Telfair is the high prolife player who establishes that the Cardinals can once again recruit anybody in the nation.  In other words, Telfair does for Louisville what Jamal Mashburn did for Kentucky in the early 90's.  Second, getting Telfair reaffirms the fact that Pitino can get the top players from New York City.  Third, Telfair gives Louisville the great point guard that they can  use to help recruit other players.  And you can bet that the University of Louisville coaching staff used this as a selling point to 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and verbally committed to the Cardinals a week ago.  You also can be sure that they will mention this to 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, who made an official visit to Louisville a week ago, and 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is expected to wait and until next spring to make a decision, but has Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Florida at the top of his list.  Remember, Telfair is an incredible passer, great ball handler, and he has the ability to change speeds about as well as anybody I've ever seen.  He also is a good outside shooter, but physically he needs to get a lot bigger and stronger and, like most players his age, needs time to develop.   In other words, all the talk about Telfair by-passing college and going straight to the NBA is ridiculous.  However, it is a distinct possibility, especially if Telfair thinks he's going to be a lottery pick or even a first round draft pick next spring.   While Telfair has let it be known that he'd like the become the first point guard ever to make the jump straight from high school into the NBA, we think he's closer Omar Cook, who made the jump after his freshman year at  St. John's, but has not been able to stick in the league.  Illustrating our point even further is the fact that if you were a general manager in the NBA, you need a point guard to come in and help you right away, and the two choices are Cook and Telfair, there is no question you'd take Cook.  The verbal commitment by Telfair solidifies Louisville's recruiting class, which also includes into a tie at 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, right behind Indiana and Texas on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if the Cardinals also get Palacios, their recruiting class would move up to #1.  However, if that happens, something else would have to happen, like Telfair or Smith enters their name into the NBA Draft next spring, Wade doesn't make it academically, or Farley goes to prep school.  And, if Telfair does go to the NBA, then the Cardinals will probably take 6'2 Rajon Rondo from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA in the spring and, if Telfair does go to college for a year or two, then our guess is that Rondo, who played his first three years of high school basketball at Louisville (Eastern) KY and appears to really want to go to Louisville, will probably go the prep school route and then get a scholarship from the Cardinals a year from now.  However, regardless of whether Telfair ever plays a minute at Louisville, it appears the Cardinals are a year away from making a serious run at the NCAA Championship, as they will have Brandon Jenkins and Telfair or Rando at point guard; Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean, Nate Daniels, and Smith at the wing spots; Ellis Myles, who will red-shirt this season; Nauha Diakite, Johnson, and maybe Palacios inside, which means the Cardinals will be two deep at every position.  And adding even more depth would be players like Farley, Wade, Larry O'Bannon, and Otis George and, as a result, this might be the deepest team that we've seen in college basketball since the 1996 NCAA Championship University of Kentucky team that was coached by Rick Pitino. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2003

It looks like Purdue continues to load up with junior college players, as the Boilermakers have added 6'8 Carl Landry from Vincennes (JC) IN to a recruiting class that already includes 6'8 Gary Ware from Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'6 Bryant Dillion from Southwestern Illinois (JC) IL, and 6'4 Xavier Price from Belleville (West) IL.  In other words, it looks like any way to slice it, Purdue head coach Gene Keady not only is reloading, but is getting ready to go out on top.  Don't believe it?  Well, Landry is a First Team Junior College All-American in Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and is the #2 ranked power forward in the junior college ranks by the the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook; Dillion is ranked #2 among shooting guards in the junior college ranks by the the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook and #6 among wing guards in the junior college ranks by Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook; Ware is ranked #7 among centers in the junior college ranks by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, #8 among power forwards in the junior college ranks by Lindy's College Basketball Yearbook, and #9 among power forwards in the junior college ranks by NBADraft.Net, and Price is ranked #67 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  So it should come as no surprise that the Boilermakers have moved into a tie at #9, along with Mississippi State and Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  This also gives the Boilermakers #2-ranked recruiting class to-date among teams in the Big-10 Conference behind Indiana and ahead of Iowa and Michigan State.  And they may not be done yet, because the Boilermakers have six seniors - 6'10 Chris Booker, 6'11 Ivan Kartelo, 6'0 Austin Parkinson, 6'3 Kenneth Lowe, 6'8 Brett Buscher, and 6'11 Kevin Garrity - on their roster and they only signed two players - 6'7 Ije Nwankwo from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI and 6'7 Adam Liddell from Waterloo (DeKalb) IN - last year's recruiting class.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'7 Frank Eleger from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #278 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked Drexel over Hofstra, Marist, and Canisius, and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson thinks Duquesne has hit the trifecta by landing 6'7 Chauncey Duke from Springdale, MO, 6'7 Brian Kelly from Decatur (Columbia) GA and 6'6 Devario Hudson from Decatur (Columbia) GA.  Hudson, who is a scorer and shot blocker around the basket, and Kelly, who is an intense competitor who makes things happen on the perimeter, apparently have developed a great chemistry while playing together since their freshman days and, as a result, it appears that Georgia and Duquesne both were trying to get them as a package.  Kelly, who is a straight "A" student, also was considering Clemson, Navy, and Georgia State.  Southeastern Louisiana, UAB, and McNeese State also showed interest in Hudson.  Duke is a great outside shooter, but he too apparently got lost in the shuffle, because he's a home-school kid and he broke his wrist prior late in the spring and was missing in action during the Summer Evaluation Period.  However, Johnson tells us that schools like Florida State, Georgetown, and Arkansas had shown interest and believes that Duke is just as good a prospect as 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO, who picked Southwest Missouri over Arkansas and Texas Tech.  Speaking of Texas Tech, the Red Raiders got a verbal commitment last week from 6'8 Damir Suljafic from Tucson (Salpointe) AZ and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Martin Zeno from Baton Rouge (Sulphur) LA and 6'8 Phil Harbaugh from Corvallis (H.S.) OR, moves into a tie #58, along with Lamar, Colorado State, and Saint Louis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Shane Foster from Kenner (Bonnabel) LA has verbally committed to Vanderbilt, 6'8 Robinson Louisme from Ft. Myers (H.S.) FL has verbally committed to Tulane, 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS has verbally committed to Arkansas, and 6'5 Dwayne Day from Mt Vernon (Montgomery County) GA has verbally committed to South Carolina, all within the last 24-hours.  The verbal commitment by Foster, who is ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is absolutely huge, because he is the best player that Vanderbilt has signed during the four-and-a-half years that Kevin Stallings has been the head coach of the Commodores.  Not only is Foster a big time athlete, but he also can shoot the lights out, is a great kid, excellent student, and has a tremendous upside, which means he's ideally suited to build the program around.  Foster also should provide the perfect complement to 5'11 Alex Gordon from Pensacola (H.S.) FL and 6'6 Demarre Carroll from Birminghan (John Carroll) AL, both of whom also are excellent athletes, as the Commodores' recruiting class moves into a tie at #36, along with the College of Charleston and Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Ironically, Vanderbilt was helped by the fact that Kansas, which at one time was believed to be the leader for Foster, used its last available scholarship recently to take 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that the guy who got the Commodores involved in the first place with Foster is Kansas assistant coach Tim Jankovich, who previously was an assistant coach at Vanderbilt from 1999 to 2002.  It also appears that LSU helped force Foster's hand when they went ahead and took 6'7 Spencer Ford from Dixie (JC) UT a couple of days ago.  Other schools still on Foster's list were Marquette, Georgia, and Tulane.  Louisme is ranked no higher than #313 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because he did not play well during he summer and does not have a killer mentality inside.   However, he is an excellent shot blocker, deceptive athlete, and a physical specimen.  He also has great hands and a knack for scoring around the basket, which means he has potential to develop into one of the best players to ever play at Tulane.  The addition of Louisme moves Tulane's recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 David Gomez from Baton Rouge (Episcopal) LA, into a tie, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, Butler, Western Kentucky, South Carolina, Hartford, James Madison, Rutgers, Northwestern, and Stanford, at #73 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And the Green Wave aren't done yet!  As a matter of fact, you can bet that the Tulane coaching staff will attempt to sell 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, who is ranked #86 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and will be making his official visit to Tulane this weekend, on the fact that they already have Gomez and Louisme in the fold in this recruiting class and an excellent nucleus that includes 6'9 Soph Quincy Davis, 6'3 Frosh Vincent Camper, 6'7 Frosh Dan Fitzgerald, 6'4 Chris Moore, 6'0 Troy Aaron, and 6'8 Cory Castine from Marrero (Archbishop Shaw) LA already in the program.  The verbal commitment by Charles Thomas means that the Razorbacks have totally reloaded inside with their current recruiting class, which also already includes 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) AR,  and 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and is now ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Sure, there is still the possibility that Jefferson could by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring or Thomas, who hasn't made it yet academically, may first need a year of prep school, but Arkansas' ability to reload and/or adapt in a hurry already reminds us a lot of what Rick Stansbury has done at Mississippi State after losing Mario Austin, 6'10 Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, and 6'8 Wojciech Barycz from Poland to the pros and 6'10 Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, who didn't qualify academically and, as a result, had to go to prep school at Laurinburg (Institute) NC, all in the same year.  If you will recall, 6'8 Lawrence Roberts transferred from Baylor to Mississippi State and 6'10 Terry Licorish from Toronto, ON finally became academically qualified and enrolled at Mississippi State in August.  In contrast, Arkansas only lost one player that they signed a year ago in 7'0 Julius Lamptey from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who didn't qualify academically, but the Razorbacks did finish in the photo recently with 6'8 Taj Gray from Redland (JC) OK, who verbally committed to Oklahoma, and 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO, who verbally committed to Southwest Missouri State.  However, the Arkansas coaching staff never missed a beat, as they, instead, have landed Townes and Thomas.  Day, who is ranked #138 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is an intriguing catch for the Gamecocks, but he has not developed the way we thought he would when he was one of the four great sophomores, along with 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, playing for the Atlanta Celtics two years ago.  Day also doesn't handle it well enough and make good enough decisions to play point guard, he doesn't shoot it well enough and physically he's not strong enough to be a prototypical 2-guard in the Southeastern Conference, and, at times, he appears to lack the heart and desire necessary to achieve greatness.  However, Day is a big time athlete with tremendous natural talent and an incredible upside.  In other words, the sky's the limit and getting Day to live his potential is why South Carolina head coach Dave Odom makes the big bucks. 

Tuesday, October 14, 2003

Last week we thought it was only a matter of time before the University of Kentucky received a verbal commitment from 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is ranked #13 on our 5th Year list, which would make him the equivalent of a top 40 senior nationally if we included him with the Class of 2003.  However, now Bradley is talking about taking all of his visits to Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Kentucky before making up his mind.  But we wouldn't be surprised if his plans change again, if all goes well on his official visit to Kentucky this weekend.  Speaking of taking an official visit to Lexington, KY for Midnight Madness, we also understand that 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will both be at Kentucky this weekend and you can bet that the Wildcats' coaching staff will turn the heat up as they attempt to get verbal commitments from Morris and Crawford and/or Bradley.  An important verbal commitment that we talked about on our radio show on Sunday night, which can be found by clicking on HOOP SCOOP On-Radio, but neglected to get to yesterday involved 6'6 Gordon Watt from Evanston (Township) IL picking Boston College.  Watt is undersized power forward, but he is ranked #115 nationally in the senior class and is one of our favorite players because he is an incredible athlete and plays with a reckless abandon that it hard to find in this day-and-age.  Watt, who locked up 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT when they went head-to-head at the Pangos All-American Camp last June, also is outstanding defensively, which leads us to believe that he may be able to play some wing forward at the next level, despite his lack of outside shooting.   In other words, we think Boston College got another steal to go along with 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX and 6'8 Akida McLain from Pittsburgh (Penn Hills) PA, both of whom already are a part of the Eagles recruiting class, which is currently tied with at #45, along with Providence, George Mason, Wright State, Kent State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Boston College also gets Bradley, their recruiting class would move not only move up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but they would be adding an impact player at every position in this recruiting class, as the Eagles get ready to enter the tough Atlantic Coast Conference a year from now.  Remember, we think Williams down the road may have NBA potential; McLain, who promises to be an excellent complement to Watt at the other forward spot, was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge at the NIKE All-American Camp during the summer; and Bradley shoots, handles, and passes it well enough to play either guard spot.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 5'8 Rich Cunningham from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA has picked La Salle over Siena and our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman is kind of surprised by the fact that Colorado has accepted a verbal commitment from 6'5 Jr Calvin Williams from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN.  Williams is a big time athlete and does have a lot of natural talent and potential, but he's not very skilled and players from Hillcrest High School traditionally don't do real well at the next level.  Thus, explains Williams' low ranking.  Cunningham is a quick point guard who knows how to run a team, play good defense, and use his body and athleticism to get into the paint area.  The fact that La Salle will be able to use Cunningham and Jermaine Thomas, who can play either guard spot, a lot at the same time is just an added bonus.  We also have confirmed that Albany has landed 6'8 Brent Wilson from Cedar Rapids (Prairie) IL and 6'5 Brian Lillis from Des Moines (West Dowling) IA and it appears that UT-Arlington has added to 6'8 Jermaine Griffith from Houston (Sterling) TX and 6'5 Larry Posey from Houston (Milby) TX to a recruiting class that already includes 6'3 Myle Guidry from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, who is ranked #245 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but could move much higher, if he consistently shoots it as well as he did for the Houston Westside All-Stars when we saw him play in the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV. These two additions move the Mavericks' recruiting class into a tie at #66, along with Wagner, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the press conference that was scheduled for earlier today by 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who is ranked #5 on our 5th year list, was cancelled.  Instead, Noah just faxed his signed National Letter-of-Intent to the University of Florida basketball official and, as a result, what we told you was going to happen a week ago is now official.  This is huge because it gives the Gators an inside player with incredible athleticism, great shot blocking ability, and a tremendous upside.  Remember, Noah came out of nowhere during the spring and summer to emerge into one of the top players in the nation, is was evident by the fact that he finished ranked #2 at the adidas ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  Noah also has an incredible work ethic, the potential to grow several more inches, and is a great kid and a good student, which means this is the latest in a long line of great catches for the Gators.  Remember, no staff in college basketball does a better job of identifying who they can get and then turning up the heat once the hunt is on.  And one of the best illustrations came last spring when the Gators beat Louisville and Kentucky for 6'9 Mohamed Abukar from San Diego Rancho Bernardo) CA.  As a matter of fact, Abukar, Noah, and 6'8 Chris Richard from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, who are the three big guys that the Gators have landed within the last year, should complement one another extremely well, because they all do different things.  Abukar is an excellent outside shooter, which means he can step out and put up big numbers on the perimeter.  Noah needs to get bigger and stronger physically, but he promises to be an intimidating presence inside.  Richard is a warrior inside and very effective at scoring around the basket.  And, if the Gators also get 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, then they would have the perfect blue collar inside guy to go with this already extremely talent group.  Speaking of Horford, we still think the Gators are the leader and the fact that 6'7 Mario Boggan recently announced that he is transferring from Florida should only enhance their chances.   And, if the Gators do get Horford, their recruiting class would move up to #5, behind Indiana, Texas, Louisville, and Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, right now Florida's three-man class checks in at #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have receieved word from Naclerio and several other sources, including Mike Weinreb of New York Newsday, that 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who is ranked #9 nationally in the senior class, has a press conference scheduled for Thursday, October 16th, and only one of three things can happen.   First, Telfair could announce that he's going to enter his name into the NBA Draft long before he has any idea of whether where he might get drafted.  Second, Telfair could announce that he plans to go to a school that has not done an in-home visit and that he has never visited.  Third, Telfair could publicly re-affirm the decision he privately made in late July when he called Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino and told him that he planned to go to become a Cardinal.  The smart money obviously is on Telfair making it official for Louisville.  And, if we are correct, it will mean the Cardinals' recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley, 6'10, C, Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, will remain tied with Texas' recruiting class at #2 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Louisville also were to get 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, or 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, then their class would move up to #1, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, if Louisville were to add another big man to this recruiting class, something would have to happen later, because the Cardinals only have five available scholarships.  Some of the options included Farley going the prep school route for a year, Wade not making it academically, and Smith and/or Telfair opting to declare for the NBA Draft next spring.   We also find it interesting that 6'2 Rajon Rondo, who transferred from Louisville (Eastern) KY to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this fall, continues to mention Louisville prominently on his list.  Our guess is that Rondo will be offered a scholarship, if he is willing to go the prep school route next year.  However, if Telfair goes pro, then Rando would probably be rewarded for his willingness to wait it out and get his scholarship in the spring. 

Sunday, October 12, 2003, and Monday, October 13, 2003

After personally covering the National 14-Under AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL a year ago, I knew that we were already way ahead of our competition in terms of covering what potentially could be one of the best classes in high school basketball history.  We're talking about the Class of 2006, which has all the ingredients necessary - size; great players at the top, like 6'11 Soph Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Soph Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 5'11 Soph Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 5'9 Soph Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, 6'9 Soph Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'2 Soph Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'7 Soph Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Soph Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Soph Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'7 Soph Jon Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, and 6'0 Soph Jawan Carter from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ; 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'8 Soph Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Soph Pierre Niles from Memphis (Treadwell) TN, 6'4 Soph Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'4 Soph Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, and 6'9 Soph Keith Clark from Midwest City (H.S.) OK; and depth.  And this is where we have taken it to another level, as I've not only gone over all of our notes from tournaments and events that I covered during the last year, but also I've spent the better part of the last week talking with our numerous editors, correspondents, and other people in the know about where players in this class from their area should be ranked and have come up with what I think is the best list that's ever been published with regards to a class this early.  This list includes our ranking of the top 280 sophomores in order regardless position and can obtained exclusively in the Members Section by clicking on Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2006.  This list also provides the perfect complement to the our ranking of the Top 5th Year Players For the Class of 2004, which was published on August 25th and now is 96 players deep; our ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, which was published on August 27th and goes 445 players deep; and our ranking of The Top Players in the Class of 2005, which was published on August 16th and goes 240 players deep.  And this drives home our point about just how deep this class is, as well as just how far ahead of the game we really are, as we've already got 40 more names on our sophomore list than we do on our junior list.  And coming right on the heels of our rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2006 will be our ranking of the Top 100-Plus Players in the Class of 2007.  Actually we had hoped to get this list out long before now, but covering a number of events in September and the number of verbal commitments that we've had to stay on top of have thrown us behind.  However, we should have this list finalized by the end of the week and then we'll start compiling updated lists for the Class of 2008, Class of 2009, and Class of 2010.  So stay tuned!

The last 24-hours have been big in terms of verbal commitments by junior college players, as our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio and Tom "Tippy" Siano of Big Apple Sports both have told us about the verbal commitment by 6'7 Adrian Uter from Broward (JC) FL to Hofstra.  And we think this is big for several reasons.  First, Uter is ranked #9 among power forwards in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  Second, Uter is a rebounding machine, as is evident by the fact that he was the leading rebounder last year in the junior college ranks.  Third, Uter started playing organized basketball when he was a junior in high school and he only recently turned 19-years-old, which means he still has a major upside.  Fourth, Uter played high school basketball at Springfield Gardens (H.S.) NY, which means he's returning home.  And that's important, because Hofstra not only needs to get their fair share of the top players from the city to stay home, but they also need to be able to get them on the rebound.  Big Apple Sports also is reporting that 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA has verbally committed to Virginia Tech and 6'8 Gary Ware from Dodge City (JC) KS has verbally committed to Purdue.  And these two verbal commitments also are important, as is evident by the fact that Holt is ranked #3 among wing forwards by Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Magazine and #5 among wing forwards by NBADraft.Net and Ware is ranked #8 among power forwards by Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Magazine, #7 among centers by Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, and #9 among power forwards by NBADraft.Net.  In other words, it looks like Purdue is loading up with quality junior college players and Virginia Tech is off to the races with the recruiting that new Hokies head coach Seth Greenberg and his staff have already done and their new spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  If you will recall, Virginia Tech got a verbal commitment last week from 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, who is ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and we also know that the Hokies are involved with 6'6 Mario Boggan, who is transferring from Florida, and have been mentioned with number of other excellent players, like 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'6 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'7 Richard Robey from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA, 6'3 Robert McIver from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Jarhon Giddings from Blacksburg (H.S.) VA, 5'9 Kashif Payne from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Herman) MA, 6'1 Darnell Harris from Baltimore (St. Francis) MD, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'8 Jr Laurynas Mikalouskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA.  The verbal commitment by Ware moves Purdue's recruiting class up to #15 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, as he joins 6'4 Xavier Price from Belleville (West) IL, who is ranked #67 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Bryant Dillion from Southwestern (JC) IL, who is ranked #4 among shooting guards by the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, in the Boilermakers' recruiting class.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Lamont Arrington from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, who ranked #8 among centers by NBADraft.Net and have heard that 6'7 Spencer Ford from Dixie (JC) UT has verbally committed to LSU.  No, Ford is not ranked on any of the pre-season junior college lists that we've been mentioning lately, but he was ranked #175 nationally as a high school senior two years ago by the HOOP SCOOP when he signed with Louisiana-Lafayette and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has heard that Ford is the third best player on the Dixie Junior College team this year behind 6'0 Jamaal Brown and 6'6 Vincent Grier and ahead of 6'9 Dustin Villiupegue and 6'6 Tyler Amaya, all of whom are ranked by somebody among the top junior college players in the nation.  Arrington runs the court, has good skills, and is very active, but the reason this is such an excellent catch for the Cougars is the fact that we're talking about a somebody who has grown four inches during the last two years and he still has a huge upside.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Colin Laforme from Toronto (Westdale) ON has verbally committed to Youngstown State, 6'7 Andrew Reid from New Port Richie (Ridgewood) FL has verbally committed to Louisiana-Lafayette, and 6'9 Rell Porter from Pittsburg (H.S.) TX has verbally committed to Stephen F. Austin.  The verbal commitment by Porter is very significant, because we're not just talking about a player who is ranked #141 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but also somebody who at a younger age was ranked among the top players in his class nationally.  In other words, Porter may thrive at the next level where he will play against better competition, get coaching, and have somebody who will work with him on a daily basis.  Laforme has good hands, runs the floor, and can step out and shoot on the perimeter.  Reid needs to get bigger and stronger, but he runs the court, is very athletic, and can score both inside and outside, which means he probably will project as a big wing forward down the road. 

Saturday, October 11, 2003

We have confirmed via Big Apple Sports that 6'10 Solomon Brown from Daytona Beach (JC) FL has verbally committed to South Florida and 6'9 Derek Quinet from West Valley (JC) CA has verbally committed to Cal State-Fullerton.  But that's it, which means now is a good time to see who is left among the top seniors in the nation.  As things stand now, 80 of the top 100-ranked seniors by the HOOP SCOOP have already verbally committed and, as a result, the only players still available are 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spaulding) TX, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Andre Blatche from Syracuse (Henninger) NY, 6'6 Shane Foster from Kenner (Bonnabel) LA, 6'8 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS, 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, and 6'8 Kevin Langford from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX.  However, Howard is believed to be a near lock to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft and, if 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY doesn't go to Louisville, he will probably follow in Howard's footsteps.  Speaking of Telfair, he also appears to be following in the footsteps of 6'11 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, as the player in this class who has made the biggest farce out the recruiting process.  Also interesting is the fact that Crawford, who verbally committed to Michigan, Horford, who verbally committed to Michigan, and Allen, who verbally committed to USC, have all since reneged on their verbal commitments and, as a result, are back on the board.  We also believe that Duke is the leader for Livingston, Hairston will end up at Ohio State, Gay is a near lock for Connecticut, Morris will pick Georgia Tech over Kentucky, Crawford will eventually reaffirm his commitment to Michigan, Lowry will follow 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA to Villanova, Palacios will pick Louisville in the spring, Dickey will follow 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC to Georgia Tech, Horford will go to Florida, Blatche will go to prep school next year, and Temple will go to prep school and then to LSU.  In other words, Bright, Galindo Foster, Charles Thomas, Allen, Tyrus Thomas, Washington, and Langford are the only players ranked among our top 100 where there is still some doubt in our mind as to where they will go to school.  And the 5th Year ranks have been equally depleted, as 16 of our top 25 5th Year Players are already off the board.  Still available are 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'6 Roosevelt Lee from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA,6'7 Richard Robey from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA, 6'2 Robert McIver from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'8 Stanley Branch from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, and 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Winchendon (School) MA, but Chiriaev is supposed to be a near lock to by-pass college and go straight to the NBA, Noah appears to be near lock for Florida, and Kentucky is believed to be the favorite for Bradley.  And 10 of the consenus top 30 junior college players are already verbally committed, as 6'7 Donte Smith from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA is going to Louisville, 6'8 Taj Gray from Redland (JC) OK is going to Oklahoma, 6'7 Jean Felix from Bevill State (JC) AL is going to Alabama, 5'11 Jamaal Brown from Dixie (JC) UT is going to  Oklahoma State, 6'6 John DeGroat from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO is going to Pittsburgh, 6'0 Aking Elting from Southern Idaho (JC) ID is going to DePaul, 6'10 Derrick Ford from Olney (JC) IL is going to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 6'9 Justin Williams from Colby (JC) KS is going to Wyoming, 6'5 Bryant Dillion from Southwestern Illinois (JC) IL is going to Purdue, and 7'0 Mike Kinsella from Minneapolis Community & Technical (JC) MN is going to Marquette.  And 6'2 Tyrone Jackson from Fresno City (JC) CA was verbally committed to Fresno State, but recently reneged.   Other consensus Top 30 Junior College Players who are still available include 6'8 Jason Parker from Chipola (JC) KS, 6'10 Aaron Pettway from Hutchinson (JC) KS, 6'11 Sani Ibrahim from Gulf Coast (JC) FL, 6'11 Mohammed Camara from Riverside (JC) CA, 7'0 Randy Orr from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, 6'8 Joao Batista from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'8 Carl Landry from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'9 Robert Faulkner from South Plains (JC) TX, 6'8 Doug Thomas from Southeastern (JC) IA, 6'7 Waki Williams from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, 6'8 E.J. Drayton from Colby (JC) KS, 6'8 Quinton Hosley from Lamar (JC) CO, 6'6 Bryson Krueger from Yavapai (JC) AZ, 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'4 Vincent Grier from Dixie (JC) UT, 6'5 Anthony Davis from Los Angeles (City) CA, 6'3 Travis DeGroote from New Mexico Military (JC) NM, 6'1 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, and 6'1 Michael Ford from Los Angeles (Southwest) CA. 

Friday, October 10, 2003

We've already reported that Lamar has a verbal commitment from 6'9 Thomas Fairley from Redlands (JC) OK, but it also appears that the also Cardinals got verbal commitent from 6'4 Chuck Foster from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX in August and more recently also landed 6'2 Jeremy Long from Eastern Arizona (JC) AZ.  While none of these guys are highly touted, the word we get is they're all pretty good.  At 6'9, 230 lbs., Fairley is extremely athletic, is an intense competitor, and has a soft touch around the basket.   Foster is a strong physical athlete with an incredible wing span and the ability to shoot, defend, and beat you both inside and outside.  Long, who can play three different positions (the one, two, and three), has an excellent mid-range game and is a tough hardnosed competitor who can lock you with his defense.  In other words, Fairley, Foster, and Long all appear to be ideally suited to fit into new Lamar head coach Billy Tubbs uptempo style.  They also move Lamar's recruiting class into a tie at #55, along with Saint Louis and Colorado State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Obviously former Memphis assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, who was ranked #8 on our list of the Top Assistant Coaches when we updated that list last January and is the heir apparent to replace Tubbs when he eventually retires at Lamar, hasn't lost is touch.   If you will recall, Roccaforte was instrumental in helping Memphis land the #1-ranked, as the Tigers landed 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, 6'2 Antonio Burks from Hiwassee (JC) TN, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (H.S.) AL, recruiting class in 2001, plus he also helped lay the foundation for Memphis' current recruiting class, which is ranked #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004 and includes 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'7 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  And, despite the fact 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX by-passed college and entered his name into the NBA Draft last spring, Roccaforte beat all his peers for Perkins' services a year ago.  But this does not come as much of a surprise, because Roccaforte originally is from Beaumont, TX, where grew up being a fan of Billy Tubbs and Lamar University Basketball.  However, just like at Memphis, where head coach John Calipari recruits like he's still an assistant coach and Tony Barbee and Derek Kellogg are two of the best assistant coaches in the business, Roccaforte has plenty of help at Lamar, as Brandon Aldridge and Kenyon Spears are two of the bright young assistant coaches in the business.  Another one that appears have slipped past us is the verbal commitment that 6'7 Tim Pierce from Oakland (Hercules) CA made a week ago to Arizona State.  Sure, Pierce is ranked no higher than #110 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, if he ever learns how to play the game and develops more consistency, he could be pro someday.  Not only does Pierce have world-class athleticism, but he's also an excellent 3-point shooter.  Pierce should be an excellent complement to the recruiting class that Arizona State landed a year ago when they signed 6'4 Steve Moore from Eastern Oklahoma (JC) OK, 6'3 Tron Smith from Moreno Valley (Canyon Spring) CA, 6'9 Keith Wooden from Lawrence (Free State) KS, 6'8 Chris Low from Tyler (Thomas Gorman) TX, and 6'8 Wilfred Famini from Amelia (Academy) VA.  And they aren't done yet this year, as the Sun Devils also are involved with players like 6'0 Michael Ford from Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA, 6'11 Mohamed Camera from Riverside (JC) CA, 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, 6'6 Ty Morrison from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, 6'6 DuBois Williams from Tempe (Marcos DeNiza) CA, and 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, plus they one of the earlier leaders for 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Thursday, October 9, 2003

When we tried to tell people in July that Florida State was the team to beat for 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL we got some criticism, because at the time the top five schools on Rich's list were Kansas, Indiana, Connecticut, Kentucky and Georgia Tech and the Seminoles were nothing more than an after thought.  Well, it looks like we knew what we were talking about, because Rich picked Florida State over the University of Kentucky at his 2:30 PM press conference earlier this afternoon.  Obviously this is huge for the Seminoles, because Rich is a terrific athlete, prolific scorer, and excellent outside shooter.  However, what Rich, who is ranked #32 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, does best is beat you from mid-range.  As a matter of fact, Rich might be the best shooter in the class from 10 to 15 feet and, as a result, he will be the perfect complement to 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is great at getting to the hole, and 6'6 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, who signed with Florida State a year ago and is an incredible outside shooter.  The addition of Rich moves Florida State's recruiting class into a tie at #13, along with DePaul, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, plus it puts the Seminoles into the driver's seat with 6'9 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Did you know that there has been talk about Rich and Brumbaugh, who not only play on the same AAU team, but are extremely close friends, going to the same college?   The early list for Brumbaugh includes Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Florida State, Auburn, and N.C. State.  However, Florida State's gain is Kentucky's loss, as the Wildcats also already have missed this fall on 6'9 Josh Duncan from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, who verbally committed to Xavier, 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who verbally committed to Georgia Tech, and 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who verbally committed to Kansas.  That's the bad news for Wildcats head coach Tubby Smith and his staff.  The good new is that they appear to be the favorite over Pittsburgh and Boston College for 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL; they're the co-favorite, along with Georgia Tech, for 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA; they're one of the top three, along with Michigan and Cincinnati, for 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI; and they've back in the hunt for 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who has re-opened his recruitment and is now considering Ohio State, Michigan State, Kansas, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, and Michigan. The Wildcats are also mentioned with 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, but, if he's half as good as advertised, Chiriaev will probably by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Other verbal commitments that we've confirmed within the last 24 hours include 6'11 Scott Vandermere from St. John (Lake Charles) IN to Bowling Green, 6'5 Oliver Prince from Toronto (Jean-Vanier) ON to Pepperdine, 6'5 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Champlain-Lambert) QU to Western Carolina, 6'9 Charles Bronson from Philadelphia (Lutherna) PA to East Carolina, 6'9 John Bowman from Westport (Staples) CT to Columbia, and 6'8 Everett Schmidt from Hoopa (Hoopa Valley) CA to Lafayette.  Vandermere, who played for Larry Butler on the Illinois Warriors at the Boo Williams Invitational Tournament last spring, didn't play on the AAU circuit the rest of the spring and summer and, as a result, wasn't on most people's radar screen.  Thus, explains why Bowling Green was able to steal this one, as we're talking about a mid-major version of Jason Collier.   Not only is Vandermere extremely skilled, but he's good hands, can really shoot it, and is a decent athlete.  Prince, who is ranked #232 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a strong athletic combo forward, which makes him ideally suited to step in and become a blue collar player for the Waves.  McKenna is a terrific athlete with a 40-inch vertical jump who got lost in the shuffle after we saw him as a junior at the Adolph Rupp Classic in Lexington, KY two year ago.   Bronson has very good post moves and is a good rebounder, but he doesn't get the respect he deserves, because he's already been a 5th year player for several years.   Bowman becomes the 4th recruit for Columbia, which moves first-year head coach Joe Jones' recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Ben Nwachukwu from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'1 Brett Loscalzo from Greenwich (Brunswick) CT, and 6'4 Mack Montomgery, 6'4, 2G, Clayton (H.S.) NC, up to #47 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Schmidt is a physical inside player with great academics, as is evident by the fact that Harvard, Yale, and Navy were also recruiting him.

Our Washington DC area Editor Steve Turner tells us that 6'8 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by  the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Louisville.  And this is huge, because Johnson is exactly what the doctor order to fill the Cardinals' inside needs, because Johnson is very effective playing both with his back to the basket and facing the basket.   As a matter of fact, Turner thinks Johnson's versatility and ability to play both the power forward and center spots are the best thing about game.  "He very athletic, can alter shots, run the floor, rebound, and can hit the 12-foot jumper," says Turner.   However, a lot of people, including us, backed off Johnson as the summer wore on, despite the fact Johnson finished ranked as the #3 player overall at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP.  Turner reminds us that Johnson was slowed by a knee injury at the Olympic Festival in Colorado Springs, CO in late June and, as a result, his game appeared to have leveled off after the NIKE Camp.  Maybe it was a matter of conditioning or maybe the adrenaline that helped elevate him to the top at the NIKE All-American Camp had worn off.  "There is no doubt that Johnson is a top 20 player in the class," says Turner.  And Johnson, who transferred from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this fall, will get the opportunity to redeem himself this winter, because Oak Hill, which is arguably the premier high school program in the nation, once again will play a national schedule that will include scrimmages against Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA on October 21st and Fork Union (Military) VA on October 25th; games against Philadelphia (Christian) PA on November 1st, Laurinburg (Charter) NC on November 6th, Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA on November 8th, Mt. Ulla (West Rowan) NC on November 13th, Winston-Salem (Forsyth Country Day) NC on November 14th, Christiansburg (H.S.) VA on November 18th, Winston-Salem (Mt. Tabor) NC on December 3rd, Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC on December 9th, Charlotte (Providence Day) NC on December 10th, Hazard (H.S.) KY on December 12th, Louisville (Ballard) KY on December 13th, Charlotte (Christian) NC on January 27th, Laurinburg (Institute) NC on February 3rd, Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC on February 10th, Kernersville (Bishop McGuinnes) NC on February 13th, Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA on February 14th, Arden (Christ School) NC on February 17th, and Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA on February 24th; and tournaments and single-day events with two games against Lexington (Catholic) KY and Jackson (Lanier) MS in the Marshall County Hoop Fest in Benton, KY on December 5th-6th; four games in the Iolani Prep Classic in Honolulu, HI on December 17th-20th, three games in the Glaxo-Wellcome Invitational at N.C. State University in Raleigh, NC on December 26th-30th, one game against Rocky Mount (Franklin County) VA in the Sun Trust Classic on January 17th, one game in the Martin Luther King Classic in Greensboro, NC on January 19th, one game against Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in the Pyramid in the NIKE Extravaganza in Long Beach, CA on January 24th, three games in the Mountain State Coal Classic in Beckley, WV on January 29th-31st, two games in the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton, NJ on February 6th-7th, two games in the North Laurel Classic in London, KY on February 21st-22nd, and two games in the Champions Basketball Classic at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC on February 27th-28th.  Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith says that what he likes the most about Johnson is desire to get better.  "Nobody has worked any hard in practice this fall than he has," says Smith.  "I think he's read some of things about how his game may have hit a plateau and I think that's one the reasons he came here and picked Louisville.  I think he wants somebody who will push him.  He also has a great body and can really shoot it at 6'9, 235 lbs.  And those type of guys flourish while playing for Rick Pitino."  Smith tells us that Johnson picked the Cardinals over Notre Dame and Georgia Tech and, as result, Louisville's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, moves into a tie at #2, along with Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, if you count 6'0 Sebestian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY with Louisville's recruiting class.  And, if you don't cout Telfair with Louisville's recruiting class, it would be ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Remember, the HOOP SCOOP reported on July 30th that Telfair had called Pitino that night before and verbally committed to Louisville.  However, Telfair has yet to make an official announcement saying that he's going to Louisville.  However, he also currently has no other schools on his list and, as a result, his only other option appears to be to enter his name (ready or not) into the NBA Draft next spring.  Louisville also may sign another inside player, like 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA or 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, which would mean that the Cardinals could be in line to have the #1-ranked recruiting class, if Telfair does decided to become a Cardinal. 

Wednesday, October 8, 2003

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennyslvania/Editor Allen Rubin has the scoop on 6'6 John DeGroat from Northeastern (JC) CO, who has verbally committed to the University of Pittsburgh.  Not only is this the best player that first-year Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon signed since taking over the reins last spring from Ben Howland, but DeGroat is the perfect complement on the perimeter to 6'3 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who orginally verbally committed to Villanova in July, but reneged on the Wildcats and picked the Panthers last month.  DeGroat is ranked as a Second Team Junior College All-American by Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and is listed as the #1-ranked shooting guard in the junior college ranks by NBADraft.Net.  So it appears that Dixon and his staff have found the perfect replacements for 6'4 Sr Jaron Brown and 6'3 Jr Julius Page, both of whom will graduate after this season.  And they should fit in nicely a year from now when the Panthers have 6'7 Chevy Troutman back for his senior year and a year experience under the belt of 6'9 Chris Taft.  Pittsburgh also should be good for the three years with 6'2 Carl Krauser running the show at point guard, but the icing on cake would be if Pittsburgh also gets 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if they don't get Lowry, 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is ranked #12 on our 5th Year List and can play either guard spot, or 6'0 Ronald Ramone from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, who is ranked #117 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and can shoot the lights out, would be a heck of a consolation prize.  Then, we'd be talking about a recruiting class that would be ranked among the top 10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, as well as a team with all kinds of talent and depth in the backcourt.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised to see Dixon play Lowry, Bradley, or Ramone and Krauser a lot together.  And, giving Pittsburgh even more versatility is the fact that DeGroat played power forward in high school, which means that Dixon could go small at times and put Lowry, Bradley, or Ramone, Krauser, Benjamin, and DeGroat all on the floor at the same time.  And providing even more depth and versatility for years to come are 6'8 Frosh Dante Milligan from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY, 6'6 Frosh Ed Turner from Buffalo (Turner-Carroll) NY, 6'3 Frosh Antonio Graves from Mansfield (Senior) OH, and 7'0 Frosh Aaron Gray from Emmaus (H.S.) PA, which means that the the only thing the Panthers are missing now is an inside player to replace Troutman when he graduates the year after next.  The verbal commitment by DeGroat also means that his official visit to St. John's is off this weekend.  However, we still expect 6'11 Mohammed Camara from Riverside (JC) NY, who is ranked as the #6 center in the junior college ranks by both Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook and NBADraft.Net, to visit the Red Storm this weekend.  We also are still trying to figure out where 6'10 Jermaine Bell, who was supposed to attend Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA this fall, as surfaced.  The last thing we've heard was from Notre Dame head coach Bill Bartton, who tells us that Bell never enrolled in school and St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis was trying to stash Bell in a junior college.  The smart money is on Bell never playing a minute at St. John's, but if Jarvis and his staff do get Bell and Camara in this recruiting class, then all of the people who are bashing the current regime would have to eat their words.  And getting two inside players of this caliber also would give St. John's the momentum it may need when the time comes to step things up with 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NY and 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  We also have confirmed that Georgia Southern has landed 6'8 Louis Graham from Winchendon (School) MA, who is ranked #53 on our 5th Year List.   Obviously this is a heck of get for the Eagles, because we're talking about a rebounding machine who would be the equivalent of a top 200-300 range senior nationally.  

We've suspected it was going to happen for several weeks now, but Clemson sealed the deal today with 6'9 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, who is ranked #128 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this is huge for several reasons.  First, it gives the Tigers three players with the talent and potential to be ranked among the top 100 nationally.  If you will recall, earlier this fall Clemson also landed 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, who is ranked #11 on our 5th Year List, but would be a top 30 player nationally if we included 5th Year players when we rank seniors, and 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, who is ranked #146 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Second, the verbal commitment by Mays will give the Tigers three of the better athletes in the league.  Third, the verbal commitment by Mays will give first-year Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell an immediate impact player next year at three different positions.  Getting back to Mays, he had a mediocre spring and summer, but the word we get is that he's back on track now that he's no longer being slowed down due to injuries.  We also think this is a great fit, because Clemson plans to use him exclusively as a power forward.  If you will recall, there was a lot of talk about Mays converting to the wing forward spot at the next level, which was a real reach, because he doesn't handle it well enough or shoot it will enough to play out on the perimeter.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Michigan State has landed 6'10 Goran Suton from Lansing (Everett) MI, who is ranked #134 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and we like this addition, as well, because we're talking about a blue collar white kid who is tough on the boards and who can score around the basket.  In other words, Suton promises to be a heck of role player, plus he should be a crowd favorite, because he's a local kid who elected to stay home.  The addition of Suton moves Michigan State's recruiting class into a tie at #16, along with USC and California, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, plus it eliminates the Spartans from the race involving 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI.  As a matter of fact, Johnson tells us that the two leaders for Horford are Florida and Ohio State, although he warns us not to totally rule Florida State and Iowa out of the picture.  However, if our New York Editor Ron Naclerio is correct about the Gators getting 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, that could complicate things for Horford, because, by our count, the Gators are already out of scholarships.  A closer look shows that Florida has only one senior in Bonell Colas; only one junior in David Lee; six sophomores in Anthony Roberson, Christian Drejer, Matt Walsh, Marion Bogan, Adrian Moss; and Rashid Al-Kaleem and four freshmen in Chris Richard, Ryan Appleby, Mohamed Abukar, and Lee Humphrey; in the program.  So with their two current commitments from 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN and 6'0 Taurean Green from Ft.Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, it is obvious that the Gators already are at their limit of 13 scholarship players for next season.   However, if Roberson Drejer, and/or Lee have a great year and decide to declare hardship for the NBA Draft next spring and/or somebody like Al-Kaleem transfers, it's not inconceivable that the Gators will be able to sign two more players in this recruiting class.  But will they take two this fall or sign one now and wait to see what happens next spring?  It also appears that Virginia Tech has landed 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA and suddenly the Hokies are also back in the hunt for 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Apparently Hairston has eliminated UCLA and added Virginia Tech, Kentucky, and Michigan back onto his list, which also includes Ohio State, Michigan State, and Kansas.  We also expect 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL to pick either Florida State or Kentucky at a press conference tomorrow, which is scheduled for 2:30 PM.  The smart money is on Florida State, because Seminoles head coach Leonard Hamilton doesn't lose many players out of his backyard.  However, right now this one appears to be too close to call.  We also believe that 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL will verbally commit by the end of the week and we're hearing it's going to be Kentucky.  However, Pittsburgh and Boston College are riding high after getting verbal commitments within the last 24 hours from DeGroat and 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX, so it wouldn't be a surprise, if Bradley picked any one of the three finalists on his list.  We also are waiting to see what happens tonight with 6'9 Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) OR, who is ranked #97 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Leunen has a press conference scheduled for 6:00 PM local time and it appears to be too close to call among Oregon, UCLA, and Gonzaga.  The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that Leunen has verbally committed to Oregon.  This moves the Ducks recruiting class into a tie at #16, along with USC, California, and Michigan State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Leunen needs to get bigger and stronger physicially, but he is a tough hardnosed competitor, who does just about everything well, as he rebounds, passes, and shoots it well.  So it should come as no surprise that we like the Wally Szczerbiak comparison.   However, only time will tell if he'll ever be as good. 

Verbal commitments continue to come in at a fast and furious pace.  As a matter of fact, late last night our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Allen Rubin called me three different times to tell me that 6'6 Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA has verbally committed to Villanova, 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX has verbally committed to Boston College, and 6'6 Kyle Hines from Sicklerville (Timber Creek) NJ has verbally committed to UNC-Greensboro. We also got a call from our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis to tell us that 6'3 Matt Sargeant from Huntington Beach (Oceanview) CA has picked Princeton and Tom "Tippy" Siano from Big Apple Sports informed us that 6'1 Branden Miller from Colby (JC) KS has verbally committed to Montana State and 6'2 Andrew Carpenter from Daytona Beach (JC) FL has verbally committed to Denver.  Another source who would prefer to not be quoted tipped us off about 6'9 Cornelio Guinbunda from Stamford (King & Low Heywood Thomas) CT, who is supposed to make it official for Georgetown today, plus we learned that 6'8 Tai Finger from Bedford (Fox Lane) NY recently picked Stanford and 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has verbally committed to Arkansas.  Obviously the most important commitment was by Clark, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Remember, Clark and his teammate - 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both visited Villanova over the weekened and there has been a lot of talk in the past week about Clark and Lowry going to the same school as a package.  And, if the Wildcats pull this off, it will be huge, not just because we're talking about two potential future McDonald's All-Americans, but, also because Villanova has not been able to get the top players in their backyard to stay at home in recent years.  As a matter of fact, the last player from Philadelphia, PA to sign with Villanova was Marvin O'Connor, who was in the Class of 1997.  Instead, the Wildcats head coach Jay Wright and his staff have made a living getting the top players from New York City, North Jersey, and Delaware, as they signed 6'8 Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'1 Allan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'3 Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ in their first recruiting class and they got 6'1 Michael Nardi from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ and 6'8 Will Sheridan from Hockessin (Sanford) DE a year ago.  The verbal commitment by Williams to Boston College is also huge, because we're talking about a 6'9 athletic shot blocking center with long arms, good hands, and the ability to score around the basket.  Currently we have Williams, who is still only 16-years-old, ranked #150 nationally in the senior class, but he has the potential necessary to develop into one of the best players in the Big East down the road.   In other words, we could be talking about the type of player that the Eagles coaching staff has made a living off of in recent years.  We also may be talking about an inside player who makes the same type of impact that Troy Bell made in the backcourt the last four years for Boston College.  Hines is ranked #413 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he is a rebounding machine, which makes him an excellent catch for anybody at the mid-major level.  Sargeant needs to get bigger and stronger, but athletic white kids who can shoot the lights out are at a premium.  Miller, who is a legitimate combo guard, is an excellent catch for Montana State, because he has the ball handling skills necessary to play point and he's an excellent outside shooter.  So is Carpenter, who is extremely well traveled, as he's originally from Toronto, ON and played last year at Dixie (JC) UT.  Guinbunda, who is ranked #98 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was one of the biggest surprises this summer at the NBA Players Association Camp in Richmond, VA and, as a result, we think he will be the perfect complement to the other two inside players that Hoyas head coach Craig Esherick has already landed in this recruiting class.  The addition of Guinbunda moves Georgetown's recruiting class, which also includes 7'0 Roy Hibbert from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, 6'8 Jeff Green from Hyattsville (Northwestern) MD, and 6'4 Tyler Crawford from Staunton (Robert E. Lee) VA, up to #33 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   However, this class has the potential to be ranked much higher, if Green continues to come on like gangbusters and Hibbert ever lives up to his early press clippings.   If you will recall, one of our competitors liked Hibbert's size, potential, and athleticism so much that he was ranked among the top 10 players in his class nationally prior to his sophomore year.  Finger, who is ranked #126 nationally in the senior class, is a great catch for Stanford, because he's extremely skilled, does all the little things that help you win games, and just knows how to play the game.  In other words, Finger is the ultimate blue collar player, plus he's good enough to make an impact at the high Division I level.  Townes verbally committed to Georgetown when he was a junior in high school, but apparently he didn't make it academically and, as a result, has gone the prep school route.  However, that doesn't diminish the fact that Townes was ranked #59 nationally in our final rankings of the Class of 2003 and is an excellent shot blocker, rebounder, and defender.  So obviously he's a pretty good consolation prize for the Razorbacks, which already have lost out in the sweepstakes for players, like 6'1 Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) MO, who verbally committed to Missouri; 6'8 Taj Grey from Redlands (JC) OK, who verbally committed to Oklahoma; and 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO, who verbally committed to Southwest Missouri State.  The addition of Townes moves Arkansas' recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) AR, and 6'7 Marcus Monk from Lapento (East Poinsette) AR, who will sign a National Letter-of-Intent for football, but also is expected to play basketball, up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   But, if they also get 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is expected to visit Arkansas later this month, then the Razorbacks' recruiting class would move up to #3 behind Indiana and Texas.  And that would come on the heels of last year's class, which finished tied at #9 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003, which featured 6'5 Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI and 6'4 Ronnie Brewer from Fayetteville (H.S.) AR.  In other words, Arkansas head coach Stan Heath and his staff landed two great perimeter players a year ago, they've already added plenty of inside fire power in this recruiting class, and now they're trying to sell Lowry on the fact that he'd be the final piece to their puzzle, as the Razorbacks attempt to become one of the most improved teams in college basketball a year from now. 

Tuesday, October 7, 2003

Oregon State has landed 6'6 Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is ranked #147 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and we think he will fit perfectly into the Beavers uptempo style.  Remember, Oregon State has been stockpiling great athletes, like 6'4 Soph Lamar Hurd, 6'6 Kenny Hooks from Moss Pointe (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Kyle Jeffers from Santa Rosa (Montgomery) CA, and 5'9 Jason Fontent from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, who transferred from New Mexico State to Oregon State last spring, since Jay John got the head coaching job at Oregon State a-year-and-a-half ago.  Jones is best described right now as a combo forward, because he's not big, strong, and tough enough to play inside and is not a good enough ball handler and consistent enough 3-point shooter to be a pure three.   However, Jones is a big time athlete, a great kid, and he's got an incredible upside.  Another very important piece to the puzzle would be if the Beavers also land 6'9 Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) OR.  Right now Leunen's ranking a #97 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is very fair, but he too has a tremendous upside, especially after he gets stronger physically and has better players around him.  However, our guess is that Leunen will say no to Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA and, instead, pick Gonzaga at the press conference that he has scheduled for tomorrow.  And, if we're proven correct, Gonzaga's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Josh Heytvelt from Clarkston (H.S.) WA, 6'1 Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes from Montreal (Champlain-St. Lambert) ON, would move into a tie at #14, along with Iowa, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Speaking of Iowa, did you know that Hawkeyes landed 6'3 Carlton Reed from Waterloo (East) IA several weeks ago?  Neither did we didn't until today.  But this is still important, because the verbal commitment by Reed moves the Hawkeyes' recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Alex Thompson from Ames (H.S.) IA, 6'6 J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN, and 7'0 Seth Gorney from Vandalia (Butler) OH, up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Another one that appears have slipped past us is 6'11 Jeff Salovski from Bristol (H.S.) CT, who recently picked the University of Massachusetts.  At 6'11, 330 lbs., Salovski needs to trim down, but he has good skills, excellent hands, and a toughness about him that makes him a pretty good project.  Salovski joins 6'9 Olivier Lamoreaux from Montreal (Champlain Lambert) ON as the only other player in this year's recruiting class of Massachusetts.  It appears that 6'8 Stephane Lasme from Africa, who committed to Massachusetts during the summer, won't count with this class, because he has already enrolled in school and will play this season.  And when you also add 6'2 Art Bowers from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'5 Maurice Maxwell from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, and Rashaun Freeman, who sat out last season, but now is 6'9, 250 lbs., into the equation, it is easy to see why we think the Minutemen will be one of the most improved teams in college basketball this season.  However, Umass still is probably a year away, because the other player they signed in last year's recruiting class - 6'9 Lawrence Carrier from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA - didn't make it academically and, as a result, is enrolled in school, but is sitting out this year.   We also have confirmed that 6'0 Albert Fisher from Pennsauken (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked #173 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to James Madison and we think this is an excellent catch, despite the fact that Fisher is more of a combo guard than a pure point guard.  Not only does Fisher finish well in transition and more than just keep you honest with his 3-point shoot, but he also is an excellent athlete, good passer, hardnosed defender, and terrific competitor.  Fisher joins 6'4 Chris Matthews from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, who committed to James Madison about 10 days ago, and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #68, along with Mississippi, West Virginia, Auburn, Utah, Vanderbilt, Butler, Western Kentucky, Hartford, and Rutgers, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Speaking of Hartford, we told you last week that the Hawks were going to have 6'9 Tony Wallor from Westchester (JC) NY and 6'6 DeMarcquez Rembardant from Collin County (JC) TX, both on campus over the weekend.  So it comes as no surprise that Rembardant, who is an excellent 3-point shooter, has made it official for Hartford.   We also believe it's only a matter of time before 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, makes it official for the University of Connecticut.  And while this would be great news for the Huskies, it would also mean that the University of Maryland will have come up empty, as Gay, 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who picked Florida State yesterday, and 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who is expected to commit to Florida later this week, all will have gone elsewhere.  However, don't feel too bad for Maryland head coach Gary Williams, because the word on the street is that the Terrapins have slipped into the lead for 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, who is ranked #7 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   And several people who have seen Biggs lately think that might be too low.   Remember, Biggs, who is the guy who was the #1-ranked underclassmen at the NIKE All-American Camp by the HOOP SCOOP, is a physical specimen inside, plus he has great hands and excellent ball handling skills for somebody his size. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #24 on our 5th Year List, has verbally committed to Iowa State, which means that the Cyclones have filled their needs at the two and the three spots.  If you will recall, Iowa State got a verbal commitment from 6'6 Rahshon Clarke from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME in late July and, as a result, the addition of Carr moves their recruiting class into a tie at #50, along with Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And this comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which was ranked #15 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruting Classes for the Class of 2003 and included 6'4 Curtis Stinson from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'0 Will Blaylock from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'9 Damion Staple from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL, 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA, and 6'9 Reggie George from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  In other words, it looks like Iowa State head coach Wayne Morgan will be in good shape for years to come at the one, two, and three spots, despite the fact Holt didn't make it academically and is back at Tacoma (JC) WA.  Speaking of Holt, schools like Tennessee, Kansas, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Arizona Stae, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Washington, and Iowa State have all been mentioned for this wing forward who is ranked #3 and #5, respectively, among wing forwards in the junior college ranks by Lindy's Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook and NBADraft.Net.  However, it's our guess that Iowa State is out with Holt, 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'7 Richard Robey from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA.  Instead, look for the Cyclones to turn all their attention towards landing several quality big men.  And our guess is they will go the junior college route, because most of the top big men in high school and the prep school ranks are either already verbally committed or pretty fair along in the recruiting process.  We told you several days ago that we thought Virginia Tech was the leader for 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA.  Well, you can write it down tomorrow!  And assuming that we're on the money with this one, this promises to be a great catch for first-year Hokies head coach Seth Greenberg for several reasons.  First, Cooke is ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he should be able to walk right in a year from now and run the show.  Second, getting Cooke gives the Hokies an entrée into getting players out of the Boo Williams AAU program, which is one of the premier club team programs in the nation.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report appears to have been right on the money several weeks ago when he told us that 6'5 Tommie Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, who is ranked #199 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was a near lock to for Saint Louis.  Well, it became official over the weekend as Liddell joined 5'9 Dwayne Polk from St. Louis (Vashon) IL and 6'6 Luke Meyer from Washington (Borgia) MO in a recruiting class that is tied at #52, along with Colorado State and Georgetown, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And they aren't done yet, as the Billikens also appear to be the favorite for 6'5 Terry Evans from St. Louis (Cardinal Ritter) MO, who is an incredible athlete, but, who has fallen off the radar screen after not doing the necessary rehab after having orthoscopic surgery, and 6'7 Matt Shaw from Carbondale (H.S.) IL, who is ranked #215 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Schmidt thinks Shaw is just about a done deal for Southern Illinois.  Schmidt also tells us that 6'7 Ollie Bailey from Chicago (Farragut) IL, who is #148 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a done deal for Rutgers.  And this is a nice catch for the Scarlet Knights, because Bailey is a blue collar power forward who is best described as a poor man's Michael Wright.  This also is interesting, because it shows that the Midwest is still a fertile recruiting ground for Scarlet Knights head coach Gary Waters, who prior to taking over at Rutgers two-and-a-half year ago built Kent State into a mid-major powerhouse.  If you will recall, in Rutgers also got a verbal commitment from 6'10 Danny Waterstradt from Redford (Catholic Central) MI in July.

Saturday, October 4, 2003, Sunday, October, 5, 2003, & Monday, October 6, 2003

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who is ranked #5 on our 5th Year List, will pick the University of Florida over schools like Maryland, Virginia, and UCLA later this week.  And assuming that Naclerio is right about Noah picking the Gators, it would be a major coup for Billy Donovan and his staff.  We're talking about an incredible athlete who was one the biggest sleeper to emerge this summer, as is evident by the fact Noah was nowhere to be found on most people's radar screen last spring, but finished ranked overall by the HOOP SCOOP at the adidas ABCD Camp in July.  Noah does need to get bigger, stronger, meaner, and tougher, but he is a great competitor and has the potential to continue to grow several more inches, which means the sky's the limit, if he continues to work hard and improves his shooting rank.  And who better to improve a player's shot than Donovan?  When Noah does make it official for the Gators, it will move their recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN and 6'0 Taurean Green from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL, into a tie at #10, along with Kansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also have confirmed that the University of Oregon has landed 6'5 Chamberlain Oguchi from Houston (George Bush) TX, who is ranked #168 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Not only are we talking about one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, but we're also talking about an excellent athlete, which makes him ideally suited to complement 5'10 Frosh Aaron Brooks, who will be the heir apparent to Luke Ridnour, who declared hardship for the NBA Draft last after last season, at point guard; 6'5 Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who picked the Ducks last spring; and 6'9 Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) OR, who may verbally commit to Oregon as soon as tomorrow.   Today's verbal commitment moves Oregon's recruiting class into a tie at #33, along with Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, and, if we're right about Leunen, then the Ducks' recruiting class would move into a tie #14, along with California and USC, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  In other words, Oregon, which also landed two big men - 6'11 Ray Schafer from Wasilla (H.S.) AK and 6'10 Mitch Platt from Henderson (Green Valley) NV - who aren't ready yet, but who have a lot of potential, has done an excellent job of reloading during the last year. 

Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'3 Nedu Oneyuku from Western Iowa (JC) IA, as expected, has gone to Illinois State and 6'10 Justin Williams from Colby (JC) KS has picked Wyoming.  The verbal commitment by Williams to the Cowboys comes as a major surprise, because we thought that DePaul and Auburn were the heavy favorites for this 6'10 center who originally is from South Holland (Thornridge) IL.  And this has to be regarded as a major steal for Wyoming, because Williams is one of the top junior college players in the nation, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #3 among junior college centers by NBADraft.Net, #5 at the center position by Van Coleman in the Lindy's College Basketball Pre-Season Magazine, and among the top 25 junior college players by Street & Smith.  Oneyuku also is a big time catch for Illinois State head coach Porter Moser, because we're talking about a ridiculous athlete and an excellent 3-point shooter, as is evident by the fact that he shot 40% from beyond the arc last season.   We also have confirmed via our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that 6'2 Kamron Warner from Pleasantville (H.S.) NJ has verbally committed to Rider and 6'5 Sam McMahon from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME has picked Delaware and via our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead that 6'1 Kenny Hunt from Altavista (H.S.) VA and 6'11 Ryan Daniel from Madison (Goodpasture) TN have both picked UT-Chattanooga.  The verbal commitment by Daniel is especially significant, because we're talking about the #8-ranked player in the state by the HOOP SCOOP.  "Daniels is more like a European player than an American player," says Whitehead.  "He's a terrific outside shooter and extremely skilled for somebody his size out on the perimeter.   But he's not real strong and physical inside."  Also showing interest in Daniel were South Carolin and Auburn.  We also have confirmed that Dayton has landed 6'8 Chris Alvarez from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ and Austin Peay has landed 6'10 Kareem Matthews from Florissant Valley (JC) MO.   Matthews is a late developer and a project right now, but he is a good shot blocker and an excellent student with a great upside.  Alvarez is the blue collar player who can play both inside and outside who rounds out the Flyers' recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'1 Brian Roberts from Toledo (St. John's) OH, 6'2 Trent Meachum from Champaign (Centennial) IL, and 6'6 Jimmy Binnie from Johnston (H.S.) IA and is ranked #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.

With the verbal commitment by 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Florida State earlier today, the Seminoles appear to have picked up where they off last year when they landed the #2-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003.  Swann is ranked #6 on our 5th year list, but, if we included him as a high school senior, he'd be a legitimate top 25 senior nationally.  Swann also is a big time athlete, prolific scorer who can beat you both inside and outside, hardnosed competitor, and incredible talent, which means you find a spot for him even if he has to make the transition to point guard.  And apparently that is exactly what Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton plans to do.  As a matter of fact, we've heard that this was one of the major factors in Swann's decision.  And this does make a lot of sense, because, if Swann wants to make in the NBA, he's going to have to become a point guard.  This also makes perfect sense, because you can be sure that Hamilton would like nothing better than to replace 6'2 Nate Johnson and 6'4 Tim Pickett, who are his starting guards, with Swann and 6'2 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who is ranked #32 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And when Hamilton needs to go with more a pure point guard, he'll have Todd Galloway, who averaged 6.9 ppg and 3.3 agp as a freshman last year.  Florida State also will be loaded inside year after next, as last year's three recruits - 6'6 Vakeaton Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'11 Alexander Johnson from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 6'10 Diego Romero from Lon Morris (JC) TX - will battle 6'7 Jr Anthony Richardson, 6'8 Jr Adam Waleskowski, and 6'6 Jr Andrew Wilson, all three of whom started a varying degree of games a year ago, for playing time.  So suddenly is appears that Rich might just be the most important player that Hamilton has recruited to-date at Florida State for a number of reasons.  First, Rich fills an obvious need.  Second, he would be the perfect complement to Swann and Wafer.  Third, he would provide Hamilton with a top notch in-state player, which is important, if he wants to lock up the top players in the state in the future - i.e. 6'8 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who is ranked #6 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has Florida State right at the top of his list.  Fourth, Swann is one of the last pieces to the puzzle as Hamilton attempts to turn the Seminoles into a perennial power in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference, as well as year-in and year-out put the Seminoles into a position where they can compete for the NCAA Championship.  However, Kentucky, which appears to be the other finalist for Rich, also has two senior guards in Cliff Hawkins and Gerald Fitch and you can bet they too will be trying to seel Rich on the fact that the backcourt position next to 6'2 Patrick Sparks, who transferred from Western Kentucky to the University of Kentucky in the spring and, as a result, is sitting out this season, will be wide open a year from now.  Speaking of the Wildcats, it also appears that Kentucky is right there with both 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is ranked #12 on our 5th year list. Victoria Sun, who is the beat writer who covers Kentucky basketball for the Cincinnati Post, tells us that it now appears to be a three-horse race among Michigan, Cincinnati, and Kentucky for Crawford and that Bradley's final three appear to be Pittsburgh, Boston College, and Kentucky.  We also talked with Wallace Prather, who is the director of the Atlanta Celtics club team program yesterday, and he thinks it's a two-horse race between Georgia Tech and Kentucky for 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, although Louisville and North Carolina are also both still being mentioned. 

Friday, October 3, 2003

Do you suppose that 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA was listening when we recently said that he'd better hurry up and take the scholarship offer from UCLA?  That's because if 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, beats him to the punch, then Shipp will be looking elsewhere.  Obviously this is a great catch for the Bruins for a number of reasons.   First, it gives UCLA four players - Shipp, 6'5 Arron Afflalo from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 6'9 Lorenzo Mata from Southgate (H.S.) CA - from the Los Angeles area in this recruiting class.  Second, it give the Bruins four players who are ranked among somebody's top 100 (the HOOP SCOOP ranks Afflalo #22, Farmer #31, Ship #41, and Mata #105 nationally in the senior class).  Third, Shipp is an excellent athlete, a lights out 3-point shooter, and he came on like gangbusters this summer, as is evident by the fact that was ranked #9 overall at the NIKE All-American Camp in July.  Fourth, getting Shipp should also put UCLA into the driver's seat when it comes time to recruit his younger brother - 6'3 Frosh Jarron Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who potentially might be the best player in the family.  And that's saying a lot, when you remember that Joe Shipp was one of the better players in the Pac-10 last year at the University of California and Josh Shipp is a legitimate top 50 senior nationally.  Fifth, Shipp is an excellent student and a first-class person, which makes him a good role model and the type of player that will help attract future recruits.  Sixth, getting Shipp moves UCLA's recruiting class up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And they aren't done yet.  Our guess is that if they can still get Hairston, the 5th and final scholarship in this recruiting class would go to this athletic wing forward who reminds us of Carmelo Anthony and is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Should this happen UCLA's recruiting class would move up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, behind Indiana and Texas and ahead of Missouri, North Carolina, and Louisville.  UCLA also is still in the hunt for 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ and 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, but our guess is that the Bruins will take 6'8 Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) OR, if he decides to beat them to the punch and verbally commit to the Bruins.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson believes that 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, who has reneged on his verbal commitment to Michigan, will waste no time and make it official for the University of Florida while making his official visit to Gainesville, FL this weekend.  And, if they Gators do get Horford, it will be interesting to see what kind of impact it has on some of the other inside players that the Gators are seriously involved with, like Noah, Palacios, and 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA.  Johnson also tells us that 6'7 Marcus Monk from LaPento (East Poinsette) AR, who is ranked #169 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Arkansas and 6'9 Chris Henry from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is ranked #306 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Washington State.  Talk about a perfect fit!  Obviously Henry doesn't have the footspeed, quickness, or athleticism necessary to play at the big time level, unless he plays for somebody like new Cougars head coach Dick Bennett, who not only is one of the best coaches in the game, but proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt when he took a team to the NCAA Final Four in 2000 with a team full of players similar to Henry.  Remember, we're talking about a skilled hardnosed competitor who thrives in a team setting, as he makes a living setting picks and screens, scoring around the basket, and battling on the boards.   Johnson also points out that Monk will sign a National Letter-of-Intent to play football, but also plans to play basketball in college.  And this is important, because it means he's a free player in the Razorbacks' recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) AR and 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) MO.  The addition of Monk moves Arkansas' recruiting class into a tie at #11, along with Oklahoma State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but the Razorbacks coaching staff still has to be a little bit disappointed because they've already missed out on some pretty big fish, like 6'1 Jason Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) MO, who verbally committed to Missouri; 6'8 Taj Grey from Redlands (JC) OK, who verbally committed to Oklahoma; and 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO, who verbally committed to Southwest Missouri State.  However, if they get 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who now is a prime recruiting target for the Razorbacks, it certainly help would ease their pain.  But that might be easier said than done, because it looks like Villanova has jumped into the lead in the Lowry-sweepstakes.  As a matter of fact, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that Lowry, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both will be visiting Villanova this weekend and, if all goes well on the visit, a verbal commitment to the Wildcats could occur almost immediately.  Rubin also tells us that Boston College has landed 6'8 Akida McLean from Pittsburgh (Penn Hill) PA, who was a total sleeper prior the NIKE All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #44 overall in camp.  McLean still needs to get bigger and stronger to play power forward in the Big East, but we like his athleticism, skills, and potential.  In other words, this is just one more example of why the Boston College coaching staff is second to none in terms of identifying players that are going to improve dramatically at the next level and getting it done.

We knew it was supposed to have happened yesterday, but it wasn't until today that we knew for sure that 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had verbally committed to Georgia Tech (unlike many of our competitors, it is not the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to assume something happened and report it without first checking to make sure it happened).  And Frederick isn't the only player that the Yellowjackets have landed within the last 24 hours.  Did you also know that 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC, who is ranked #152 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Georgia Tech?  At least that's what our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us.  These two verbal commitments move Georgia Tech's recruiting class into a tie at #51, along with Northeastern, Penn State, Texas A&M, and Nebraska, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but this may just be the prelude for things to come.  Remember, Georgia Tech is one of the two finalists, along with Louisville, for 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; they are believed to be as strong as anybody for 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and who has talked about going the same school as a package with his best friend Zam Frederick; they are believed to be the leader over North Carolina, Louisville, and Kentucky for 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and, if 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who is the #1-ranked senior in the nation doesn't by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft, Georgia Tech has been there the strongest and the longest.  So let's say that the Yellowjackets hit the jackpot and get Dickey, Morris, and Howard or Johnson to go along with Frederick and Morrow in this recruiting class.  Then, we'd be talking about the #3-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, behind Indiana and Texas.  We also has confirmed that Illinois State has received a verbal commitment from 6'1 Justin Dentmen from Carbondale (H.S.) IL, who is ranked #191 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously this is a great start in terms of getting the better players in the state, but we wouldn't be surprised if the Redbirds also get 6'6 Gordon Watt from Evanston (Township) IL, who is ranked #115 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Nedu Oneyuku from Iowa Western (JC) IA, who was listed a Honorable Mention Junior College All-American by NBADraft.Net.   Right now it looks like Boston College is the competition for Watt and schools like Baylor, Iowa State, Houston, and South Florida have been showing interest in Oneyuku.   If this does happens and the Redbirds get both Watt and Oneyuku, then Illinois State not only should immediately become of the best teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, but this would provide even further evidence that Illinois State assistant coach Steve Forbes is one of the best recruiters in the business.   If you will recall, Forbes, who was at Louisiana Tech last year, helped land the #7-ranked recruiting class in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for Class of 2003 when the Bulldogs got 6'8 Paul Millsap from Grambling (H.S.) LA, 6'3 JueMichael Young from Chipola (JC) FL, 6'7 Barry Thompson from Odessa (JC) TX, 6'3 Donell Allick from Seward County (JC) KS, 6'1 Solomon Brown from Cypress (JC) CA, and 6'2 Fred Marshall from Coffeyville (JC) KS.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 James Mays from Garner (H.S.) NC, who is ranked #128 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is visiting Clemson this weekend and, if he picks the Tigers, their recruiting class, which already includes 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT and 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, would move into a tie at #22, along with Xavier, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if Clemson   gets both Mays and 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, who is ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, their recruiting class would #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  In other words, former Charlotte assistant coach Kevin Nickleberry, who played a pivotal role in the 49ers' recruiting class a year a year ago, which was ranked #25 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003 and included 6'11 Martin Iti from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Dedric Spooner from Colby (JC) KS, 6'3 Marcus Bennett from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, and 6'7 C.J. Pigford from Lon Morris (JC) TX, is doing the same thing at Clemson that Forbes is doing at Illinois State.  However, getting Cooke may be easy said than done, because right now we think Virginia Tech is the team you have to beat. 

Thursday, October 2, 2003

We told you yesterday that 6'8 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #18 our list of the Top 5th Year Players, was a done deal for the University of Virginia.  Well, you can write it down!  Joseph joins 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, who is ranked #8 our on 5th Year List, in a recruiting class that is now tied for #16, along with Syracuse, Arizona, Duke, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And it could move even higher, if the Cavaliers also get 6'8 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, who is ranked #114 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, or 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who is ranked #5 on our 5th Year list.  This comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which included 6'5 Gary Forbes from Brooklyn (Banneker) NY, 6'3 J.R. Reynolds from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'9 Jason Cain from Philadelphia (John Bartram) PA, 6'1 T.J. Bannister from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, and 6'8 Donte Minter from Fork Union (Military Academy) VA, and was tied at #11 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2003.  And when you also add 6'7 Soph Derrick Byars, 6'5 Jr Devin Smith, 6'8 Jr Jason Clark, and 6'9 Jr Elton Brown into the equation, it's easy to see why we think the Cavaliers will be absolutely loaded a year from now, as Singletary is expected to challenge Bannister for the point guard spot, which will be vacated when Todd Billet graduates after this year; Byars, Forbes, and Bannister will battle for playing time the 2-guard spot; Smith should once again start at the three, but Byars, Forbes, and Joseph will also battle for playing time at the wing foward spot; and, if they get either Noah or Nwankwo, he would challenge for playing time inside, along with Brown, Smith, Cain, Minter, and Joseph.  In other words, Cavaliers head coach Pete Gillen has a stockpile of talent, but now he has to use that talent to go deep into the NCAA Tournament either this year or next year.  Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'8 Taj Grey from Redlands (JC) OK has verbally committed to Oklahoma, 6'9 Thomas Fairley from Redlands (JC) OK has verbally committed to Lamar, and 6'7 Chris Nance from Redlands (JC) OK has verbally committed to Charlotte.  The verbal commitment by Grey is especially significant, because he is widely regarded as one of the top junior college players in the nation, as is evident by the fact that his listed among the top five junior college players in the Street & Smith Pre-Season Yearbook and is ranked as the #1 power forward in the junior college ranks by Lindy's College Basketball and NBADraft.Net.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Columbia has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'4 Mack Montgomery from Clayton (H.S.) NC and, as a result, the Lions' recruiting class moves into a tie at #55, along with Wagner, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, Columbia already has verbal commitments from 6'8 Ben Nwachukwu from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ and 6'1 Brett Loscalzo from Greenwich (Brunswick) CT.  We also have confirmed that Massachusetts has landed 6'9 Olivier Lamoreaux from Montreal (Champlain Lambert) QU and New Hampshire has gotten 6'9 Ryan Gargaro from Maplewood (Hill-Murray) MN.  The verbal commitment by Gararo is especially intriguing, because we're talking about an athletic 6'9 center with long arms, good post moves, excellent footwork, the ability to run the court, and a great understanding of the game (his father is a basketball coach).  In other words, it looks like New Hamphshire as a steal, as Gararo picked the Wildcats over schools like Marshall, Wagner, and Boston University.   We also have gotten a report about 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, reneging on the University of Michigan, which means that not one, but two players have changed their mind about playing for the Wolverines in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI opened things back up in early July, but, when it is all said and done, we still think he will become a Wolverine.  However, with Horford, we not so sure, as they Wolverines will likely turn the heat back up again on 6'10 Goran Suton from Lansing (Everett) MI (we only expect Michigan to take one inside player in his recruiting class) and schools like Ohio State, Florida, Illinois, Michigan State, Miami-FL, Kansas, and UCLA are sure to get back into the hunt for Horford.

Wednesday, October 1, 2003

Our apologizes to Charlie Weber and Rick Barrett, both of whom held events that we covered last weekend, but have been unable to write about due to the fact I've been traveling and reporting on the surprising number of verbal commitments that we've tracked during the last three days.  We're talking about 25 verbal commitments in all and you can count them:   6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL to Seton Hall, 6'8 Jeff Green from Hyattsville (Northwestern) MD to Georgetown, 6'8 Dillion Sneed from Colby (JC) NE to Nebraska, 6'3 Marcus Elliott from Oklaloosa-Walton (JC) NE to Louisiana Tech, 6'8 Jared Gaither from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD to South Carolina, 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ to Wagner, 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD to Wagner, 6'5 Ben Coblyn from Amherst (H.S.) MA to Boston University, 6'2 David Bauman from Freeport (Area) PA to Albany, 6'4 Paul Cummins from South Kent (Prep) CT to Lafayette, 6'7 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX to Baylor, 5'8 Ryan Lamb from Mableton (Whitefield) GA to Marshall, 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafyatte (Central Catholic) IN to Fordham, 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA to Miami-FL, 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY to Kansas, 6'1 Chris Shovlin from Wilkes-Barre (Gar) PA to Monmouth, 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY to Connecticut, 6'4 David Ruffin from Connors State ((JC) OK to Hartford, 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD to Wagner, 6'3 Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA to North Carolina, 6'9 Drew Richard from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO to Southwest Missouri, 6'5 Shane Dansby from Harpeth (Kingston Springs) TN to Murray State, 6'4 Chris Matthews from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD to James Madison, 6'2 Quentin Young from Triton (JC) IL to Florida Atlantic, and 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL to Kansas.  The big story at Barrett's 2003 Gym Rat Midnight Madness was the incredible performance that was turned in by 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, as he scored 53 points, nailed seven 3-pointers, and had an overwhelming number of highlight film like moves to the basket and dunks, including several alley-oops that almost defy belief.  However, that doesn't really even tell the story, as Smith broke the previous Midnight Madness scoring record, which was set by Kobe Bryant in 1995, and brought the house down on numerous occasions with his incredible timing, explosiveness, and athleticism.   However, Smith wasn't the only one who put up big numers, as 6'6 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA had 32 points, 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL had 28 points, 6'4 Arron Affalo from Los Angeles (Price) CA had 23 points, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC had 22 points.  At several points in the game we thought Rush was the second best player in the game, as he impressed us with athleticism, outside shooting, and quickness around the basket.  But Rush isn't consistent and, thus, explains why he is ranked no higher than #12 in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Afflalo and Cerasoli took turns beating one another one-on-one to the basket and knocking down outside shots.  Cerasoli won the battle outside, as he drained five 3-pointers, but Afflalo, thanks at least in part to the fact he's physically a lot stronger, had the edge when it came to getting to the basket.  Boykin was the leading rebounder in the game with 17 boards, but a lot of that came off garbage around the basket.  As a matter of fact, that was probably the difference in the game, as Boykin, 6'8 Stanley Branch from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who chipped in with 16 points, and 6'9 Charles Bronson from Philadelphia (Luthern) PA, who added 18 points, owned the offensive boards and Blue Team pulled out a 139-134 victory.  Also playing well enough to mention were 6'8 Marshall Brown from Austin (Lyndon B. Johnson) TX, who finished with 10 points, 6'7 Richard Robey from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA, who finished with 15 points, and 6'2 Cliff Clinkscale from Ocala (Christian Shores) FL, who had only five points, but lots of assists.  Many of the top players who we thought would be in attendance at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament didn't show up, but the stellar 24-point performance by 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD on Friday night; all the good young players like  6'6 Jr Shane Clark from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'7 Jr Antonio Pena from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, 6'7 Jr Kaheem Seawright from Uniondale (H.S.) NY, 6'2 Jr Rudy "Junior" Mitchell from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, 6'5 Jr Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 5'9 Jr Victor Morris from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 7'2 Jr Kevin Mormin from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'2 Frosh Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'8 Frosh Mike Beasley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'6 Soph Hillary Hailey from White Plains (Southern Maryland Christian) MD, 6'8 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'6 Soph Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ, 6'4 Jr Malik Perry from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, 6'0 Jr Tyrese Rice from Chesterfield (Bird) VA, 5'10 Frosh Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC,  5'11 Soph Tywon Lawson from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'3 Soph Jason Love from Philadelphia (Abington Friends) PA, 6'8 Soph Andrew Jones from Philadelphia (Abington Friends) PA; seniors, like 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'9 James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, 6'2 Cedric Jackson from Columbus (North Burlington) NJ, 6'10 Alan Metcaffe from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, 6'5 Dwayne Anderson from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'6 Bougari Konate from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY; and 5th year players, like 6'3 Quantaz Robinson from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, 6'1 Evan Martin from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, and 6'7 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT; helped to make up for it.  The Long Island Panthers beat the Atlanta All-Stars in the championship game, 69-57, and, as a result, the Panthers picked up where the left off last week when they won the tournament that was put on by the Hoop Group last week in Morristown, NJ.  This Panthers team also finished second in the 16-Under National AAU Tournament in Bloomington, IN in early July.  This time the Panthers were led by Seawright and Mitchell, who combined 50 points in the championship game. 

We have confirmed that Wagner has landed 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, Hartford has landed 6'4 David Ruffin from Connors State (JC) OK, and Monmouth has landed 6'2 Chris Shovlin from Wilkes Barre (Gar) PA.  The commitment by Shovlin is an absolute steal.  Not only are we talking about the #14-ranked player in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey by Allen Rubin, but we're also talking about a combo guard who needs only 675 points to break Bob Sura's career scoring record at Gar High School.  Speaking of the former Gar High School and Florida State star, Shovlin also promises to be the second best player, behind Syracuse's Gerry McNamara, to come out of the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area since Sura.  Ruffin, who was also being recruited by Kansas State, Arkansas State, and San Francisco, is an excellent defender with excellent speed, quickness, and athleticism, as is evident by his 40-inch vertical jump.  Ruffin's verbal commitment also comes at the perfect time, because you know that Hartford head coach Larry Harrison and his staff will use this to sell 6'9 Tony Wallor from Westchester (JC) NY and 6'6 DeMarcquez Rembardant from Collin County (JC) TX, both of whom will visit this weekend.   The verbal commitment by Drummond to Wagner means the Seahawks are already way ahead of the game with three early verbal commitments in this recruiting class.  Remember, over the weekend we also told you that Mike Deane and his staff had landed 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ and 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD.  Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'2 Quinton Young from Triton (JC) IL has verbally committed to Florida Atlantic, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO has verbally committed to Southwest Missouri State, and 6'5 Shane Dansby from Harpeth (Kingston Spring) TN has verbally committed to Murray State.  The verbal commitment by Dansby is especially interesting for a number of reasons.  First, Dansby is an excellent player, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #7 in the senior class in Tennessee by the HOOP SCOOP. Second, Dansby will give Racers head coach Mick Cronin a great outside shooter, a tremendous competitor, and more size at the 2-guard spot to complement the three guards - 6'4 Trey Pearson, who transferred from Mississippi, 6'2 Keith Jenifer, who transferred from Virginia, and 6'1 Adam Chiles from Vincennes (JC) IN - that the new regime landed last spring.  Third, Dansby is a great kid and an excellent student.  Fourth, Dansby has a huge upside.  And, if Murray State also gets 6'8 Frank Holmes from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN, 6'7 Dennis Howard from Northeast (JC) CO, and/or 6'7 Mike Walker from Macon (Southwest) GA, then we would be talking about another great recruiting class.  If you will recall, last spring the Racers' recruiting class, which included Chiles, 6'7 Kelvin Brown from Ft. Scott (JC) KS, and 6'10 Pearson Griffin from Murray State (JC) OK, finished tied at #32, along with Michigan, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if you also had Pearson and Jenifer into the equation (we don't count transfers when ranking recruiting classes), then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that was ranked among the top 10 recruiting classes in the nation on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, Penn State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Providence, Connecticut, Boston College, and Pittsburgh are all in the hunt for 6'7 Adrian Joseph from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH.  However, not for long!  Not only do we hear that Joseph is going to pick Virginia, but sources close to the family tell us that it should happen by the end of the week.  It also comes as no surprise that 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, who is ranked #37 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Kansas earlier today.  This follows verbal commitments by 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Darnell Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who is ranked #76 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and, as a result, the Jayhawks recruiting class moves up to #9 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  This also comes on the heels of last year's recruiting class, which finished tied with Syracuse at #13 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  If you will recall, that class included 6'5 J.R. Giddens from Oklahoma City (John Marshall) OK, 6'10 David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'3 Omar Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and 6'1Jeremy Case from McAlester (H.S.) OK.  In other words, the cupboard is just as full with good young talent at Kansas for first-year Jawhawks head coach Bill Self as it would have been if he remained at Illinois.