TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Thursday, September 30, 2004

Marshall University will move from the Mid-American Conference into Conference USA a year from now and when the Thundering Herd makes this jump they should have two of the better players in the league from day one, because earlier this week Marshall head coach Ron Jirsa and his staff landed 6'9 Jean Francois Bro-Grebe from Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO and 6'4 Travis Aiken from Daytona Beach (JC) FL.  Bro-Grebe, who originally is from the Ivory Coast and played high school basketball at Chamblee (H.S.) GA, is one of the best junior college players in the nation, as was evident by the fact that he was ranked as the #1-ranked power forward at one of Jerry Mullen's Junior College Showcase's in July.  We're talking about an extremely athletic/shot blocking/rebounding/power foward who can score in a variety of ways at 6'9, 220 lbs.  Bro-Grebe picked Marshall over Pittsburgh, Kansas State, South Carolina, USC, Wyoming, and Utah and he'll have three years to play, because he red-shirted last year after having surgery to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.  So obviously we're talking about a major steal for the Thundering Herd and it all starts to make sense when one remembers that Bro-Grebe signed two years ago with the University of Dayton, where, at the time, Jirsa was an assistant coach.  Jirsa also was the head coach at the University of Georgia during the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons, which means he had all the right contacts in the Peachtree state to get this one done in the first place.  Further evidence of this also is provided by the fact that the Thundering Herd also landed 5'8 Ryan Lamb from Mableton (Whitefield) GA and 6'10 Jesse Ogelsby from Lithonia (Martin Luther King) GA a year ago and, as a result, we suspect that Georgia will continue to be a fertile recruiting ground for Marshall in the future.  And while Bro-Grebe is expected to step in immediately next year and be a power presence inside, Aikens appears to be ideally suited to step into one of the guards spots, which will be vacated when 6'3 Sr Ronnie Dawn and 6'3 Sr A.W. Hamilton graduate next spring.  In other words, we're talking about a a strong athletic 2-guard who is an excellent 3-point shooter, gets to the basket, and, and thrives in transition.  And the perfect complement to Aiken would be 6'5 Markel Humphrey from Stockbridge (H.S.) GA, who is ranked #196 nationally in the senior class and was in Huntington, WV on an official visit, along with Bro-Grebe and Aiken during the first weekend in September.  And, if the Thundering Herd can pull this off, then their recruiting class, which currently is tied at #31, along with Clemson, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, would move up into a tie at #23, along with Tennessee and Wisconsin.  We also have confirmed that 6'10 Michael Harrison, who is Bro-Grebe's teammate at Northeastern Colorado (JC) CO, has verbally committed to Colorado State.  And this too is huge, because Harrison is ranked as the #2 junior college power forward in the nation by the Lindy's 2004-2005 Basketball Yearbook.  However, in contrast to Bro-Grebe, who has more of an inside/outside game, Harrison has more of an outside/inside game, as finesse and being able to step away from the basket is more of his game.  The addition of Harrison moves the Rams' recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 C.J. Clark from Cypress Creek (H.S.) TX and 6'2 Stephan Gilling from Chino Hills (Ayala) CA, into a tie at #26, along with Oklahoma, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, despite the fact that 7'0 Sr Matt Nelson will graduate after this season, Harrison and 6'10 Soph Stephen Verwers, who continues to gain valuable experience and has the talant and potential to become one of the better players in the league, are expected to provide Colorado State head coach Steve Layer with a great one-two punch inside in the future.  We also understand that 6'3 Wesley Washington from Yavapais (JC) AZ is visiting Oregon State this weekend and, if everything goes as expectd, a verbal commitment to the Beavers may be forthcoming almost immediately.  And, if it does, then the Beavers recruiting class, which already includes 6'9 Calvin Hampton from New Hampton (Prep) NH and 6'3 Josh Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR and is tied at #73, along with Southern University, Texas A&M, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois, Delaware, Liberty, Wyoming, and Arkansas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, would move up dramatically.  It also would provide Oregon State head coach Jay John with several of the final pieces to the puzzle, as the Beavers could become on the surprise teams in college basketball a year from now.  Remember, Oregon State has two experienced point guards in 6'4 Jr Lamar Hurd, who had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league last year, and 5'10 Jr Jason Fontenent, who sat last season after starting two years at New Mexico State; they should be excellent at the wing spots next season with Washington, 6'8 Jr Nick Dewitz, who sat out last season after transferring from Iowa, 6'2 Jr Chris Stephens (15.8 ppg), 6'8 Frosh Marcel Jones, and Tarver; and they should be more than adequate inside with 6'9 Soph Kyle Jeffers, who emerged into the starting center last season, Hampton, 7'2 Liam Hughes, who red-shirted last season and 6'10 Alek Sandarsasacuic, who was a late addition to last year's recruiting class, and, as a result, will be eligible to play this season.  This is important, because Sandarsasacuic is 6'10, 240 lbs., and can score in a variety of ways, which will allow the Beavers to put five players on the court who can score at the same time.  But a year from now, our guess is that John will move Dewitz to the power forward spot, which would allow the him to play Washington and Stephens at the wing spots, Jeffers at center, and Hurd and Fontenent point guard.   And when Stephens graduates two years from now, we'd be surprised if the Beavers also haven't already replaced him with Tarver's younger brother - 6'6 Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, who is ranked #64 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We also have confirmed that Arkansas pulled off a major surprise by beating Mississippi State for 6'9 Cyrus McGowan from Meridian (H.S.) MS, who is ranked #104 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has a huge upside.  McGowan also should provide an excellent complement to all the good young players that the Razorbacks landed a year ago when they signed 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) MO, 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS, and 6'10 Darian Townes from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  When also remember that Arkansas landed 6'5 Dontell Jefferson from Atlanta Metro (JC) GA, who averaged over nine assists per game in junior college and is expected to step in and immediately run the show, in last year's recruiting class and 6'7 Soph Ronnie Brewer, 6'5 Soph Olu Famutimi, 6'10 Soph Vincent Hunter, and 6'9 Soph Michael Jones two year's ago, then it's easy to see why we think this could be one of the better teams in the Southeastern Conference this year and one of the best teams in the league a year from now.  

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Several days ago we told you that the University of Memphis was close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, so it came as no surprise this morning when our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman called this morning to tell us that it was official.  Douglas-Roberts is not a great outside shooter, but he's a multi-dimensional athlete who is capable of playing the one, two, and three spots.   However, we don't expect him to play much at the point guard spot, because the Tigers are absolutely loaded at that position, as 6'0 Frosh Darius Washington, who was ranked #13 in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2004, is expected to step in and start immediately; 6'0 Soph Clyde Wade returns; 6'2 Frosh Tank Beavers will provide valuable depth; and 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, who counts as part of their current recruiting class, promises to be the heir apparent to Washington when and if he decides to enter the NBA Draft in a year or two.  The Tigers also should be well stocked at the two and the three spots next year with the additions of Douglas-Roberts, 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'11 Ricky Sanchez from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL and 6'8 Soph Sean Banks, 6'7 Jr Rodney Carney, and 6'4 Jr Jeremy Hunt, all of whom are expected to return.  And they also should be pretty good inside, as 6'9 Jr Waki Williams, who was one of the top junior college big men in the nation last year; 6'8 Frosh Richard Dorsey, 6'10 Jr Simplice Njoya, and 6'10 Almany Thiero also should all be back next year.  In other words, if Memphis was a stock now, would be a good time to buy, because the Tigers should be a legitimate top 20 team this year and they should be one of the best teams in the college basketball a year from now.  The addition of Douglas-Roberts also gives the Tigers three more players (Williams, Douglas-Roberts, and Anderson) who are ranked in the 11-40 range nationally in this recruiting class, plus it moves their recruiting class up to #3, behind Louisville and Duke and ahead of North Carolina, LSU, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, Marquette, and Mississippi State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And this is extremely interesting because Conference USA with Louisville, Memphis, and Marquette and the Southeastern Conference with LSU, Mississippi, and Mississippi State have three schools apiece and the Atlantic Coast Conference with Duke and North Carolina and the Big-12 Conference with Kansas and Oklahoma State have two school apiece ranked among the top 10 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed that Georgia Tech has landed 6'6 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA, who is ranked #190 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a big time athlete and a physical specimen with the potential to be ranked a lot higher, if he ever develops a better 3-point shot.  However, he may not have to, because Bell should be an excellent complement to 6'3 Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA, who is an excellent 3-point shooter, a big time athlete, and a legitimate top 60 senior nationally.  And when you also add 6'9 Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA, who is ranked #111 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, it's easy to see why Georgia Tech's recruiting class has moved into a tie at #31, along with Stanford, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed that Southern University has landed 6'7 Rashad Adams from Lee (JC) TX, who is best described as a slasher/athlete that jumps out of the gym, and 6'10 Jamahl Stokes from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who is an excellent shot blocker and good defender.  And this is huge, because Southern University, which is in a conference at the bottom of the Division I spectrum, suddenly is tied at #71, along with Texas A&M, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, Illinois, Delaware, Liberty, and Wyoming, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, the Jaguars are tied at #13, along with William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, Delaware, and Liberty, among schools that do not belong to one of the top 10 conferences (ACC, SEC, Big-12, Big East, Big-10, Pacific-10, Conference USA, Mountain West, Western Athletic, and Atlantic-10) in college basketball.  And the 12 schools (College of Charleston, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Western Michigan, Gonzaga, Southern Illinois, Central Michigan, Valparaiso, Northern Iowa, Buffalo, High Point, Illinois State, and Southwest Missouri State) that are ranked ahead of Southern University reads like a Who's Who List of the Schools that are Getting it done at the Mid-Major Level.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Brian Moten from Cincinnati (Christian Center Academy) OH has verbally committed to the University of Virginia.  We're talking about somebody who signed with Western Michigan when he was a senior at Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI a year ago, but didn't make it academically and decided to go the prep school route.  And, if the Cavaliers, which already have 6'4 Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD in the fold, are looking for another player who can shoot the lights out, then this probably is a good catch.  However, neither Diane or Moten will probably ever be more than good role players behind 6'6 Soph Gary Forbes and 6'2 Soph J.R. Reynolds, both of whom are expected to start for the Cavaliers the next three years.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Calvin Hampton from New Hampton (Prep) NH has verbally committed to Oregon State, 6'6 Barney Anderson from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ has verbally committed to Rider, 6'4 Troy Bowen from Nashua (North) NH has verbally committed to High Point, and 6'3 Corey Hassan from Manchester (Merricmack) NH has verbally committed to Boston University.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the top two schools for 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA are Villanova and Maryland and 6'5 Bilal Benn from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA is getting the most interest from Villanova, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Georgetown, and La Salle. 

Since Sunday evening we're tracked 29 new verbal commitments and when you also throw in things like traveling home on Monday and just dealing with the business of the day from being gone for four days, it's not surprising that for the second consecutive week we have not gotten around to writing about what we've seen over the weekend until the middle of the week.  We're talking about the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament in College Park, MD and Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness High School Showcase at Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, NJ.  And while the Midnight Madness High School Showcase didn't feature any incredible performances like the one a year ago when 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA 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, this year's event did reinforce a lot of things that we already knew.  Like the fact that 6'8 Jr Lance Thomas from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who scored 25 points in the Junior All-American Game and turned in the best performance by anybody the entire evening, still has a long way to go before he is ready to project as a wing forward.  Thomas is tough around the basket, has an excellent in-between game, has big time athleticism, and always gives us 110%, but he's still not a 3-point shooting threat, as is evident by the fact that all his points came off lay-ups or from within 15-feet of the basket.   Thomas also needs to get bigger and stronger, if he wants to project as a power forward, but we still like his upside, because he has the work ethic, heart, and desire necessary to someday project as a wing foward at the highest level.  Thus, explains why we rank him #17 nationally in the junior class.  Like, 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, who once again impressed us with his athleticism, versatility, and outside shooting (we had him with four 3-pointers and 21 points).  In other words, we think Arizona, which beat Connecticut and Maryland for his Williams' services, got what is one of the biggest steals in the class.  Like 6'6 Brandon Rush, who received one of the two MVP awards given to players in the Senior All-American Game, despite scoring only 12 points and living off of one incredible dunk near the end of the game.  Sure, it might be nice to be able to use this for future marketing purposes, assuming that some NBA General Manager is stupid enough to draft Rush next spring, but it sends a terrible message to the kid.   Remember, we're already talking about somebody who doesn't know how to play hard and appears to have already bought into all the hype.  Like, 6'5 Stephon Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, who had a field day in transition, as he scored numerous lay-ups and finished with 22 points.  Like 6'7 Leo Criswell from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who simply picked up where he left off when we saw him last summer at the Reebok ABCD Camp, as he finished with 16 points and nailed a pair of 3-pointers.  Like 6'6 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who impressed us with his athleticism and upper body strength, as he did all of his damage in transition en route to 16 points.  Like 6'10 Amir Johnson from from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who blocked shots, rebounded, and did most of his damage around the basket.  Like 6'3 Jr Travon Willis from Fresno (Union) CA, who scored 25 points and was the second best player behind Thomas in the Junior All-American Game.  Like 63 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who scored 19 points and, once again, proved that he has more of a scorer's mentality, despite the fact he is a good ball handler and passer and, as a result, often plays point guard.  Like 6'5 Jr Derrick Jaspers from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, who is a big time athlete and is ranked #88 nationally in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but is not in the same class as Willis.  Like 6'11 Jr Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA and 6'11 Jr Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, both of whom are just oozing with talent and potential, but have to get a lot bigger and stronger before they should be ranked among the very elite players in the class, much less start thinking about playing in the NBA.  And like 6'5 Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, who used his big time athletic to thrive in transition and finish with 17 points.  There also were a few surprises like the 25-point performance turned in by 6'8 Jr Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC in the Junior All-American Game, and the 23 point performance that 6'3 Jr Charles Boozer from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC had in the Junior All-American Game.  Pondexter also scored 17 points in the other Underclassman All-American Game, but the big story here were the three freshmen from Ohio - 6'8 Frosh Yancy Gates from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, 6'10 Frosh B.J. Mullins from Canal Winchester (Harvest Prep) OH, and 6'2 Frosh Rayshawn Goin from Cleveland (Rhodes) OH - who were three of the best players on the court while playing against primarily sophomores and juniors.   The DC Warriors beat the DC Hawks, 65-49, in the championship game of 17-Under Division and DC Assault beat the Philadelphia Phoenix, 53-43, in the championship game of the 16-Under Division, but the big story at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament was all the great young players in attendance.  And right at the top of the list was 6'7 Soph Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who is equally effective both inside, where he blocks shots, rebounds, and scores around the basket, and outside, where he puts the ball on the floor, handles, passes, and shoots the three.  Add the fact that Beasley is both a phyiscal specimen and an excellent athlete and he's playing consistently harder than when we've seen him in the past and there is no doubt that he has superstar written all over him.  And, if Beasley grows three or four more inches, then it becomes really scary.  DC Assault also featured two other two top 10-ranked sophomores nationally in 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD and 6'0 Soph Chris Wright from Washington (St. John's) DC, but this was our first opportunity to see all of the other good young players in the DC Assault program, like 6'0 Frosh James Stewart from Washingon (Dunbar) DC, 6'4 Frosh Terrance Boyd from White Plains (Southern Maryland Christian) MD, 6'8 Frosh Roscoe Davis from Leonardtown (St Mary Ryken) MD, 6'5 Soph Shawn Hawkins from Washington (St. John's) DC, and 5'5 Soph Jordan Brooks from Landover (Flowers) MD.  The biggest surprise in the tournament was 6'7 Soph Donte Green from Towson (Catholic) MD, who scored 29 points when we saw him against the Team Maryland 16's.  Not only is Green a big time athlete/shot blocker/rebounder, but he reminds us Rudy Gay at the same stage.  In other words, we're talking about a killer inside and, if, he grows several more inches and continues to develop his low post moves, we're could be talking about a guy who could play a lot of years in the NBA.  Or, if, like Gay, he develops a 3-point shot and perimeter skills, Green really could be become the next Rudy Gay, although he hails from the same high school that originally produced Carmelo Anthony.   However, Green wasn't the only good young player on the Baltimore Select team, as 6'2 Soph Malcolm Delaney from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'6 Jr Ben Goetsch from Baltimore (Gilman) MD, 5'3 Soph Eric Barksdale from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD, and 6'4 Soph Aric Brooks from Baltimore (St. Frances) MD also were worth noting.  The best performance by a freshman in the 16-Under Division was turned in by 6'4 Frosh Tyreek Evans from Aston (American Christian) PA, who now must be ranked among the top five freshmen nationally.   If you will recall, this is the guy who led the Philadelphia Raiders to the 14-Under AAU National Championship and, at 6'4, is capable of playing either guard spot, because he's got, excellent athleticism, great ball handling and passing skills, makes excellent decisions, is great in transition, and scores both inside and outside.  We also were very impressed with 6'6 Frosh Nasir Robinson from Aston (American Christian) PA, who is a physical specimen and an aggressive rebounder inside, but also is versatile enough to play some on the perimeter.  The biggest disappointment in the 16-Under Division was 6'2 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn (I.S. #7) NY, who never seemed to get into the flow while playing for the New York Panthers team.  Maybe Stephenson has been reading his press clipping too much or maybe he just wasn't used to playing with this group (he normally plays with Team Next in the lower age groups and with the New York Panthers in the 17-Under Division).  However, we were impressed by 6'3 Frosh Sylvan Landesberg from Flushing (Holy Cross) NY, 5'9 Frosh Terrel Holloway from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'3 Soph Darius Gabriel from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'7 Soph Devin Eubanks from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'8 Soph Christian Morris from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'4 Soph Markey Deans from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY.  We also have to mention Team Maryland, which lost by 40 points to Baltimore Select, because 6'4 8th Grader LaShon Edwards from Baltimore, MD, 5'10 8th Grader Chad Wilson from Upper Marlboro (James Madison) MD, and 5'6 7th Grader Kendall Marshall from Woodbridge (Rippon) VA were all playing against players two and three years older than they are.  And, of course, there were all the good young players on the DC Blue Devils, like 6'4 Soph Austin Freeman from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'11 Soph Mike Williams from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, 6'9 Soph Shane Walker from Alexandria (Bishop Ireton) VA, 6'1 Jr Corey Almond from Brandywine (Gwynn Park) MD, 6'2 Jr MarcusAshton from Brandywine (Gwynn Park) MD, 6'6 Jr Hillary Hailey from Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD, 6'9 Soph Jerai Grant from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 5'11 Soph Jeff Peterson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and the DC Warriors, like 6'7 Jr Jeffery Allen from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 5'11 Jr Nigel Munson from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, and 5'11 Jr Jamal Robinson from Martinsburg (H.S.) WV.  However, the big reason why the DC Warriors won the championship in the 17-Under Division was 6'9 Desmond Adedeji from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who finished with 21 points in the title game and is physical specimen that is very strong, very active, and very skilled inside.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'8 Robert Diggs from Gwynn Park (Brandywine) MD, who is ranked #206 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to George Washington.  And we think this is a great catch for the Colonials, because Diggs is an athletic power forward with an excellent mid-range range game, the ability to score around the basket, and a huge upside, especially if he gets bigger and stronger and/or continues to develop his perimeter skills.  Also very important is the fact that Diggs is a local kid, which means that GW head coach Karl Hobbs and his staff are still able to get it done with players in their backyard.  If you will recall, 5'10 Sr T.J. Thompson from Kensington (Newport School) MD, 6'8 Jr Jaz Cowan from Owings Mills (McDonogh) MD, 5'10 Soph Lafonte Johnson from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD, 6'4 Soph Ricky Lucas from Herndon (H.S.) VA, and 6'9 Soph Dokun Akingbade from Bowie (Bladensburg) MD are all from the Washington, DC/Baltimore Area and this is important from a recruiting standpoint, because per capita no area in the country produces better talent year-in and year-out.  The addition of Diggs moves George Washington's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'7 Montrell McDonald from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, into a tie, along with Michigan State, Iowa State, Illinois State, Colorado State, Boston College, and Dayton, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And the best of all might be the fact that Diggs promises to be the ideal back-up a year from now and then the heir apparent two years from now to 6'8 Jr Mike Hall, who is one of the best rebounders in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  Rubin also tells us that 6'7 Adam Teague from Newton (Fred C. Foard) NC has verbally committed to Navy and he thinks the Midshipmen may have hit the jackpot on this one, because we're talking about an excellent 3-pointer and somebody who is multi-dimensional enough to play four different positions (the one, two, three, and four spots).  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Anthony Teague from Dodge City (JC) KS, who should not be confused with Adam Teague, has verbally committed to New Mexico; 6'8 Ryan Reid from Lauderdale Lakes (Boyd Anderson) FL, who is ranked #170 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Florida State; and 6'10 Abdul Herrera from Miami (South Miami) FL, who right now is in no-man's land on our list of the top players, because we originally had him on our 5th Year List, but more recently found out that he's a true high school senior and, as a result, took him off the 5th Year List (we'll add him to the senior list next time we update our rankings of the top seniors), has verbally committed to Cincinnati.  Obviously new Cincinnati assistant coach Frank Martin's strong Miami, FL connections came into play on this one and Herrera does have the size, athleticism, and potential to develop into an excellent player down the road.  However, if Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins thinks Herrara is the guy who will replace 6'8 Sr Jason Maxiell next season, he'd better think again, because Herrara is far from being a finished product who is ready to step in and make an immediate impact at the next level.  In other words, the Bearcats still needs to go the foreign or junior college route in order to get the quick fix that they will need inside a year from now, especially since all the rest of the pieces are already in place.  Remember, the Bearcats landed 6'0 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC in last year's recruiting class; they already have Herrera, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 5'10 Deven Downey from Chester (H.S.) SC in the fold in this year's recruiting class; and they will have 6'7 Jr James White, 6'8 Jr Armein Kirkland, 6'6 Jr Eric Hicks, 6'2 Jr Chadd Moore, 6'7 Soph Mike Pilgrim, and 6'8 Frosh Asrangue Souleymane all back a year from now.   However, when it is all said and done, we think Herrera has a lot more potential than Reid.  But that's not a knock on Reid, because we expect him to be able to step in next year and help the Seminoles with his defense, rebounding, and ability to score around the basket.  Johnson also tells us that 6'5 Jamelle Cornelly from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, whose final two schools recently appeared to be St. Bonaventure and Dayton, has pulled a major suprise and picked Penn State.  If you will recall, Dayton dropped out of the hunt for Cornelly when they recently landed 6'6 Charles Little from Cleveland (H.S.) TN and 6'9 Desmon Adedeji from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  And everybody just assumed at that point that Cornelly was a done deal for the Bonnies, unless somebody big came calling at the last minute.   Well, it looks like the Nittany Lions are the perfect compromise, because the Bonnies have a stockpile of good young guards and perimeter players in the program, including 6'0 Soph Marlon Smith, 6'0 Soph Ben Luber, 6'2 Frosh Danny Morrisey, 6'5 Frosh Geary Claxton, and 6'1 Frosh Mike Walker, but need immediate help inside.  And Cornelly, who is ranked #143 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a tough hardnosed athletic undersized power forward, is good enough to step in and make an immediate impact.  Johnson also has the scoop on 6'1 Brandon Ewing from Chicago (Julian) IL, who has verbally committed to Wyoming, and 6'5 Jarvis Walker from Rich Central (Olympia Fields) IL, who has verbally committed to Mississippi.  Obviously the connection with Walker, who is Antonie Walker's younger brother, is Ole Miss assistant coach Tracy Didly, but, just as important, is the fact that Walker gives the Rebels another perimeter player to complement 6'3 Clarence Sanders from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL and all of the good inside players, like 6'10 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL,6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL, 6'7 Trey Hampton from Birmingham (Hoover) AL, and 6'9 Xavier Webb from Atwood (West Carroll) TN, that are already in this recruiting class.  Speaking of Mississippi's recruiting class, it currently is ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if they also get back 6'5 Bobby Clark from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, who signed with the Rebels a year ago, but has gone the prep school route, then this recruiting class would move up to #4, behind Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina and ahead of LSU, Kansas, and Oklahoma State.  The verbal commitment by Ewing is noteworthy for several reasons.  First, Ewing, who is a combo guard that is ranked #193 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, appears to be ideally suited to step in and take over at point guard a year from now after 5'11 Sr Jay Straight graduates.  Second, Ewing will keep the pipeline into the Chicago area in place.  If you will recall, the only two players (Straight and Justin Williams) from Chicago, IL on the Wyoming roster will graduate after this season and next season.  Third, this once again illustrates why we think Wyoming assistant coaches Leroy Washington and Silvey Dominguez, are two of the best there is on the recruiting trail.  We also have confirmed that Oral Roberts has landed 6'0 Darren Jordan from Phoenix (Trevor Browne) AZ, who is ranked #260 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Central Michigan has landed 6'7 Aaron Richie from Decatur (Bellmont) IN, who is ranked #308 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; St. Mary's has landed 6'7 Ian O'Leary from Woodland (Christian) CA, who is ranked #352 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; Bowling Green has landed 6'7 Erick Marschall from New London (H.S.) OH, who is ranked #497 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP; and Washington State has landed 6'7 Caleb Forrest from Pagosa Springs (H.S.) CO, who is regarded by some as a major sleeper, but is unranked among our top 625 senior nationally. 

Monday, September 27, 2004

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'6 Sam Young from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has verbally committed to the University of Pittsburgh and this is important for a number of reasons.  First, Young is ranked #7 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players and is the equivalent of a top 40 high school senior nationally, if we included on our list of the seniors.  Second, Young is a   tremendous athletic, an outstanding rebounder, and a killer around the basket.   Third, getting Young should more than make up for the fact that the Panthers lost out to St. John's for 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and North Carolina for 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, both within the last week.  Fourth, Young should be the perfect replacement for 6'7 Sr Chevon Troutman, who will graduate after this season.  Fifth, Young also would be the perfect to 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, if he picks the Panthers, in this recruiting class.  And, if the Panthers get Goodridge, then they will have replaced 6'11 Sr Mark McCarroll, who also will graduate after this season, and they will be able to go to war next year with three of the better inside players in the league in 6'9 Soph Chris Taft, Young, and Goodridge.  Speaking of Goodridge, his mother confirmed to us when we talked to her on Saturday night at the Midnight Madness High School Basketball Showcase in Cherry Hill, NJ that her son was down to two schools (Pittsburgh and Georgetown).  She also told us that Mississippi State was too far away for her to go watch her son play and, as a result, the Bulldogs' chances are slim and none.  Sixth, the verbal commitment by Young means that 12 of the top 23-ranked 5th Players are already verbally committed, as we're already tracked commitments by 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC to Memphis, 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX to Oklahoma State, 6'8 Jonathan Kale from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI to Providence, 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH to Connecticut, 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME to Memphis, 6'9 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL to Mississippi, 6'3 Tyree Evans from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Cincinnati, 6'5 Harvey Perry from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH to Washington, 6'6 Will Harris from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME to Nebraska, 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX to UNLV, and 6'4 Roburt Sallie from Laurinburg (Institute) NC to Washington.  That leaves 6'11 Andray Blatche from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'6 Rob Thomas from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'6 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'0 Eric Price from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'5 Bobby Clark from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'3 Chris Howard from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, 6'0 Justin Dentman from Carbondale (H.S.) IL, 6'11 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, which means that 11 of our top 23-ranked 5th Year Players have yet to make a college decision.   And that number is important, because the 23 players mentioned above would all be the equivalent of top 100 seniors nationally, if we included in our rankings of the top seniors nationally.  In other words, just over 50% of the Top 5th Year Players are already off the board in contrast to over 75% of the Top 100 Seniors.  We also understand that LSU has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'1 Ben Voogd from Florence (Siuslaw) OR and, if you're wondering who he is, you're not the only one.   However, we assume that Voogd is a solid back-up point guard who will be the equivalent of what 6'8 Ross Neltner, who is a good role player, is for the Tigers inside.  But, regardless of whether Voogd is a major sleeper or just a solid role player, his addition moves LSU's recruiting class, which already includes 6'8 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, 6'9 Kentrall Gransberry from San Jacinto (JC) TX, 6'11 Magnum Rolle from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, and 6'11 Chris Johnson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, up to #4 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  The addition of Voodg also probably means that the Tigers are out of scholarships.  If you will recall, they landed 6'8 Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, and 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA in last year's recruiting class and two years ago they signed 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'8 Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'7 Darrell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA.  5+3+5=13, but in a day-and-age when the top players in the nation more often than not don't stick around in college very long, the Tigers very well may keep on recruiting 6'4 Keith Menifee from Butler County (JC) KS and 6'1 Shane Morrison from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, both of whom have LSU high on their list.  Remember, LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre is one of the best recruiters in the business and that's why he makes the big bucks (the word we get is that he's the highest paid assistant coach in the Southeastern Conference).  We also have received word from our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff about 7'0 Bamba Fall from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA making a verbal commitment to SMU.  Not only is Fall the first recruit that new head coach Jimmy Tubbs and his staff have signed, but he's probably the most important player that SMU has signed since they landed 6'1 Bryan Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX in 2001.  Ironically, Tubbs, who, at the time was an assistant coach at SMU, also was the one primarily responsible for getting Hopkins.   And it appears that Tubbs' strong Dallas area connections came into play once again, because Fall played club team basketball for Team Texas during the spring and summer.  Fall needs to get a lot bigger and stronger, but he runs the court like a deer, is very athletic, is an excellent shot blocker and intimidator, and has an incredible upside.  As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if Fall doesn't end up making money playing the game someday.  However, right now we stand by where we have him ranked at #182 nationally in the senior class.  In other words, Fall is far from being a finished product and, as a result, we're more than willing to let him earn it. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us 6'8 Kendric Price from Cambridge (Buckingham, Brown & Nichols) MA has verbally committed to Michigan and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT has verbally committed to Ohio State and in both cases this should be enough to raise more than a few eyebrows.  As a matter of fact, as recently as late last week we thought Vanderbilt was the leader for Price, but appears that the Wolverines knocked his socks off when he made an official visit to Ann Arbor, MI over the weekend and the rest appears to be history.  Price is a big time athlete, can play either forward spot, and is capable of putting up prolific numbers.  However, he's got a soft label and, as a result, most people don't have him ranked among their top 100 nationally.  But we do!  And, when it's all said-and-done, #85 nationally in the senior class may turn out to be way too low.  In other words, this guy has a tremendous amount of natural talent and potential and, once he gets to the next level, where he is challenged day-in-and-day-out, the sky should be the limit.  Price also is an extremely bright kid, as is evident by the fact Vanderbilt was recruiting him and he goes to one of the best academic schools in Boston, MA.  Price also is ideally suited to complement 6'6 Jevon Shepherd from Scarborough (West Hill) ON, who is another player in Michigan's recruiting class who is just oozing with talent, athleticism, and potential, and 6'2 Jarrett Smith from Westland (John Glenn) MI in a recruiting class that is tied at #39, along with Nebraska and USC, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Bell isn't going to win any awards for his speed, quickness, and athleticism, but he's a physical specimen, extremely skilled around the basket, and ideally suited to fit into a system.   However, even more important, at 6'10, 250 lbs., Bell is a tough hardnosed competitor and an overachiever, which is exactly what the doctor ordered for new Buckeyes head coach Thad Matta.  Making the story even more interesting is the fact that the Buckeyes beat Utah and Indiana for Bell's services (Indiana was one of the favorites due to the fact that new IU assistant coach Kerry Rupp had recruited Bell when he held a similar position at the University of Utah).  The addition of Bell moves Ohio State's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'0 Sylvester Mays from Redlands (JC) OK, into a tie at #34, along with Minnesota, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And, if they also beat DePaul for 6'6 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #50 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is a big time athlete and excellent outside shooter, then Ohio State's recruiting class would move into a tie at #15, along with Alabama, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  In other words, Matta is getting the same type of overachieving skilled players that he was so successful with at Xavier.  The only difference being that Mays, who is one of the top 10 junior college players in the nation, is ranked a lot higher than anybody that Matta had at Xavier, except for Romain Soto, who was ranked #18 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2000 when he was at Dayton (Christian) OH.  However, if the Buckeyes don't get Chandler, the smart money says they will go the junior college route.  Apparently they have backed off 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because he doesn't shoot it well enough from beyond the arc.  Instead, Johnson thinks Douglas-Roberts will end up at Memphis.   And, if he's right, the Tigers would have the #3-ranked recruiting class, behind Louisville and Duke, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed via Curtis Malone, who runs the DC Assault club team program, that 6'7 Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD has reclassified again and, as a result, is now a sophomore, instead of a freshman.  If you will recall, a year ago Beasley was listed as a freshman in high school at the adidas ABCD Camp, but then reclassified back to the 8th Grade upon enrolling at Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL last fall.  And, if this and the fact that Beasley recently transferred to Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD isn't enough to confuse you, it also appears that he recently verbally made a very early verbal commitment to Charlotte.  No, we're no talking about the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA.  We're talking about the UNC-Charlotte 49ers of Conference USA and the connection appears to be former UNCC player and current assistant coach Dalonte Hill, who not only played in high school, but upon graduating from college was an assistant for DC Assault.  However, we may have been closer to being right the first time, because Beasley was so outstanding at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament that he must now be ranked as the #3 sophomore in America behind 6'5 Soph O.J. Mayo from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and 6'5 Soph Bill Walker from Cincinnati (North College Hill) OH and, as a result, will probably never see a day of college basketball. 

Saturday, September 25, 2004, & Sunday, September 26, 2004

When 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NJ announced for North Carolina on Friday evening, it came as no surprise to us, because the day before we flip-flopped on our prediction that he would pick Pittsburgh due to the fact that we had additional information, which indicated Green would pick the Tar Heels, instead of the Panthers.  Obviously this is a great catch for North Carolina, because Green, who is #47 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, can shoot the lights out, has a great feel for the game, and is a perfect complement to the rest of the Tar Heels' recruits - 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, and 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL - in a recruiting class that is now ranked #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   If you will recall, Hansbrough is a skilled power forward who can beat you both inside and outside, Ginyard is a big time athlete and one of the best defenders in the class, and Frasor can play both the one and two spots and is an outstanding 3-pointer shooter who reminds us a lot of Syracuse's Gerry McNamara.  So obviously all North Carolina needs to do now is land a quality center.  And, if they get either 6'9 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, or 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then their recruiting class would move up to #2, behind Louisville on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   Our guess us that Hendrix will pick Alabama over North Carolina and Bynum will pick Connecticut over North Carolina, but let's say the Tar Heels really hit the jackpot and get either Hendrix or Bynum and also get 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, who is ranked #13 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the talent and potential to be as good as anybody in the Class of 2005, next spring.   Then we'd be talking about a recruiting class that is ranked #1, ahead of Louisville, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And that would be saying a lot, because the Cardinals have 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, and 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA in the fold.  That's right!  As predicted, Harvey visited Louisville over the weekend and earlier tonight he told us that he plans to sign with the University of Louisville this fall, which means that Cardinals now have filled all of their needs.  If you will recall, Louisville also landed 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'10 Terrance Farley from Louisville (Pleasure Park Park) KY, and 6'5 Lorenzo Wade from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA in last year's recruiting class; they have 6'10 Scott Padgett, who transferred from Kansas to Louisville in the spring, sitting out this year; and they could potentially have 5'11 JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Park Park) KY, who is ranked #98 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and recently verbally committed to play football at Louisville, but also plans to walk-on in basketball.  In other words, a year from now Louisville could have Padgett, Palacios, Brian Johnson, Amir Johnson, Holloway, and Farley inside; 6'3 Jr Taquan Dean, Harvey, Wade, Williams, Millard, and Huffman on the perimeter; and McGee, 6'3 Soph Brandon Jenkins, and Spillman all at the point guard spot.  The only problem is that they'd be one over in terms of scholarships.  However, after signing 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'6 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL last fall and losing them to the NBA Draft in spring, you can't blame the Cardinals for signing as many good players as possible and worrying about how they will work it all out later.  Getting back to Harvey, he's strong and physical, a big time athlete, great outside shooter, and talented enough to be ranked #32 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And while Arizona State, which was Harvey's second choice, missed out on this one, it still appears the Sun Devils are well positioned to have an excellent recruiting class.   As a matter of fact, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis told us earlier tonight that the Sun Devils have landed 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Jeff Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA, and 6'10 Sylvester Seay from Winchendon (School) MA.  We told you that Henry would probably pick Arizona State, if Harvey verbally committed to Louisville, but we didn't expect it to happen quite so fast.  We also knew that the Sun Devils had the right connections to get Pendergraft and Seay, both of whom play on the Inland club team for Elvert Perry.  If you will recall, several of Perry's previous players - 6'2 Sr Jason Braxton and 6'2 Soph Tron Smith - already are at Arizona State.  So suddenly Arizona State's recruiting class goes from not being on the list yesterday to #28 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 today.  And the verbal commitments by Green to North Carolina, Harvey to Louisville, and Henry and Pendergraft to Arizona State suddenly mean that 76 of our top 100 seniors nationally are now verbally committed.  Yes, that's 76% of our top 100 that's already off the board and the first day of the Fall Signing Period, which is always the second Wednesday in November, is still over a month-and-a-half away.  So obviously we're starting to wonder, if things continue at their present pace (we have tracked 14 verbal commitments from players ranked among our top 100 senior nationally in the last week), who's going to be left when the Fall Signing Period finally does arrive?  We also have picked up verbal commitments from our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, who tells us that 5'11 Elvin Lora from Laurinburg (Institute) NC has verbally committed to Florida International, and Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, who tells us that 6'5 Gary Garris from Princeton (Hun School) NJ and 5'9 Derrick Mercer from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ both have verbally committed to American University and that 5'8 Jason Greene from Whitehall (H.S.) PA has verbally committed to Maryland-Baltimore County.  We also have confirmed that Liberty has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'4 Anthony Smith from Plano (East) TX and that 6'9 Jerome Habel has not only reaffirmed his commitment to Florida State, but has surfaced at Palm Beach (JC) FL.   If you will recall, we previously had reported that 6'9 Jerome Habel and 5'11 Steve Harley, both from Washington (Marriott Charter) DC, were heading to Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, as 5th Year Players this fall.  However, Harley didn't last either, because he kept cutting class.

Friday, September 24, 2004

This promises to be a busy weekend, as tonight, tomorrow during the day, and Sunday during the day I will be attending the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD and tomorrow night I will attend the Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness High School Showcase at Cherry Hill East High School in Cherry Hill, NJ.  The Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament will kick off tonight with three sets of games on nine different courts at beginning at 8:00 PM at both the Comcast Center and the Reckford Amory and most of the top players in the Washington, DC area are expected to be in attendance.   The list of teams in the 17-Under Division will include the Atlanta All Stars, Blue Chip Basketball (DC) Cecil Kirk, Cegep de Ste-Foy (Canada), Central Jersey Hawks Graziano, Central Jersey Hawks Westrol, DC Assault, DC Blue Devils, DC Hawks, DC Warriors, Eastern Ontario Guardsman, First Baptist (MD), Ft. Washington Clippers (MD), Georgia Junior Hawks, Hudson Valley Edge (NY), Hunting Park, I-270 Roadwarriors, Long Island Thunder, Lynchburg Hoops, Martinsville Magic, Maryland Elite, Maryland Jaguars, Maryland Spurs, Mason-Dixon (PA), Mt. Pleasant (MD), National Christian Academy, New Hampshire Playaz, NC Disciples, Nova United (VA), Penn Jersey Panthers, Philly Heat, Philly Hoops, Positive Image I (PA), Positive Image II (PA), Raleigh's Finest, Reach One Teach One (PA), Run-N-Gun (DC), Sam Rines, Student Athlete Broncos (NY), Shooters (MD), Silver Spring Bengals, Spartans (MD), Team Maryland, Team Richmond, We R One (MD), and Youth Interlock (PA) and the list of teams in the 16-Under Division will include Abyssinian Church (NY), Baltimore Select, Baltimore Stars, BBA (VA), Cecil Kirk, Central Jersey Hawks, Central Jersey Hawks, DC Assault, DC Hawks, District All Stars, East Coast Scholar Athletes (VA), Fairfax Stars, First Baptist Crusaders (MD), Georgia Junior Hawks, Jersey Cyclones, Maryland Madness, Maryland Stealth, Main Event Cobras, Metro Players (DC), Monmouth Power (NJ), Montco Red Raiders, New York Panthers, Nova United, PAL of Delaware, Philadelphia Phoenix, Raiders (PA), Raleigh's Finest, Sam Rines, Team Maryland, Team Rhode Island, and Virginia Renegades.  The Midnight Madness High School Showcase will feature a Best of the Top Players in the Philadelphia/South Jersey Area Game at 7:00 PM, two underclassmen All-American Games at 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM, and the Senior All-American Game at 10:00 PM and some of the top players who are expected to be in attendance include 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) VA, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) RI, 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Leo Criswell from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'7 Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'4 Stephon Jackson from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 5'10 Korey Spates from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH, 6'11 Brook Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'11 Robin Lopez from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'5 Jr Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'3 Jr Trevon Willis from Fresno (Washington Union) CA, 6'0 Jr Jawan Carter from Wilmington (Tatnall) DE, 6'7 Jr Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'4 Jr Derrick Jaspers from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Jervaugh Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'5 Jr Quincy Pondexter from Fresno (San Joaquin Memorial) CA, 6'10 Jr Franklin Jones from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 5'11 Soph Jessie Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Soph Senario Hillman from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, and 6'8 Frosh B.J.Mullins from Columbus, OH.  We will have all the highlights, as well as any recruiting information and scuttlebutt that we pick up during the course the weekend in this section early next week.  So stay tuned!

Thursday, September 23, 2004

Today we've tracked verbal commitmets by 6'1 Bryan Mullins from Downers Grove (South) IL to Southern Illinois, 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarro (JC) TX to Western Illinois, 6'7 Octavious Spann from College Park (Banneker) GA to Georgetown, 6'5 Chris Bethel from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY to Fordham,  and 5'11 JuJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY to Louisville as a walk-on in football.  And the verbal commitment by Spillman is at least a week old.  If you will recall, almost three weeks ago we told you that this was going to happen, but our original source on this just assumed that we knew that it had happened.  And we just assumed that it hadn't happened yet, because our source never followed up on it with us.  Remember, it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP to confirm that a verbal commitment or signing actually has happened before we report that it is official.  This also is important for our purposes, because Spillman's first love is basketball and his jet-like speed and quickness, ability to shoot the lights out, excellent ball handling and passing skills, and ability to create havoc defensively make him tailor made to be the back-up point guard behind 5'10 Andre McGee from Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley) CA, if at some point down the road Spillman decides to focus exclusively on basketball.  The verbal commitment by Bethel, who is ranked #240 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is important, because he is ideally suited to fit into Dereck Whittenburg's uptempo system.  We're talking about an undersized aggressive athletic power forward who doesn't take any prisoners inside and plays every possession like it might be his last.  Bethel also is ideally suited to complement all the other good front-court players, like 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN, 6'8 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, and 6'7 Michael Binns from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, that Whittenburg and his staff signed a year ago and 6'6 Soph Devon Evertsen, who transferred from Boston College to Fordham last spring and will sit out this year.  Spann was hurt all summer and, as a result, out of sight of mind explains why he's ranked no higher than #151 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, we are talking about a multi-dimensional athlete who shoot the three, plays good defense, handles and passes well, and is a good shot blocker and rebounder for his size.  Thus, explains why Georgetown's recruiting class, which already includes 6'1 Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE, moves into a tie at #40, along with Georgia Tech and Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But the best is yet to come if the Hoyas also get 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, whose final two appear to be Pittsburgh and Georgetown.  However, we continue to hear rumblings about Mississippi State still being the darkhorse, which brings us right back to where we started on this in early July when we first mentioned that the Bulldogs were the sleeper to watch in the Goodridge sweepstakes.  The verbal commitment by 6'8 Chris Gonzalez from Navarro (JC) TX is big for Western Illinois, because he was ranked as one of the top 10 freshmen in the junior college ranks last season, but was seriously injured in an automobile accident in early March.  Thus, explains why a number of big time schools, which originally had been recruiting Gonzalez, have taken a wait and see attitude and Western Illinois head coach Derek Thomas was able to walk in and steal him.   And this won't be the first time that Thomas and his staff have done this.  As a matter of fact, every player in their recruiting class a year ago, which finished ranked #29 in our Final Rankings of the Top Recruiting Classes for 2004 and included 6'7 Fred Oguns from Sheridan (JC) WY, 6'8 Eliz Cepeda from Southeastern Iowa (JC) IA, 6'3 David Jackson from Memphis (Westside) TN, 6'4 Troy Okelson, 6'4, 2G, Dodge City (JC) KS, 6'0 Nathan Kester from Illinois Central (JC) IL; 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, 6'8 Navanta Kentel from Pine Bluff (H.S.) AR, and 6'5 Allen McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, is more than good enough to help thte program.  But this comes as no surprise to us, because we've heard Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report say on more than one occasion that no college coaching staff in the state works harder or does a better job of recruiting than the the one at Western Illinois.  And we might have agreed with that statement if Southern Illinois hadn't landed Mullins earlier today.  Remember, is Mullins, who is ranked #154   nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is your prototypical point guard and is ideally suited to step in and run the show immediately for the Salukis next year.  Mullins also should be the perfect complement to 6'5 Josh Tabb from Ullin (Century) IL, who is ranked #137 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is verbally committed to the Salukis.  Moral to the story, it appears that Salukis head coach Chris Lowery is perefectly positioned to replace 6'3 Sr Darren Brooks and 6'3 Sr Stetson Hairston, who will combine to form the best backcourt in the league this year, with potential an even better backcourt down the road. 

The verbal commitment by  5'11 Juan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY to play football at Louisville brings the number of players ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally who have already made verbal commitments to 72, which means it's now easier to provide you with a list of who is still available, instead of telling you who is off the board.  As things stand now the highest ranked senior who has not made up his mind is 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, who is ranked #4 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   But we think it's only a matter of time before Hendrix picks Alabama over North Carolina.  The only other player who is still available that is ranked among our top 10 seniors nationally is 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL and he checks in at #8 and likely will pick either Florida or Florida State.  However, we also think Brumbaugh should be right at the top of the early list of players who are expected to by-pass college and enter into the NBA Draft next spring.  Next on the list are 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, 6'7 Korvotney Barber from Manchester (H.S.) GA, and 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, who are ranked #11, #12, and #13, respectively.  Our guess is that Brockman will pick Washington over Duke, because the Blue Devils already have three inside players in this recruiting class in 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) RI, and 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA.  But, then again, we've learned never to count out the Blue Devils (i.e. Chris Duhon picked the Blue Devils when Duke already had a great freshman point guard in Jason Williams).  The race for Barber appears to be too close to call between Kentucky and Auburn, but the Wildcats may have the advantage because he's supposed to visit Lexington, KY during Midnight Madness and Barber's visit to Auburn, AL, which was cancelled due to last weeks hurricane, has not yet been rescheduled.  Webster is not expected to make a decision until spring, which probably will eliminate Arizona and help Washington, especially if Brockman picks the Huskies this fall.  However, don't rule out UCLA or North Carolina, if the Tar Heels don't get 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY tomorrow.  The sixth player ranked among our top 20 who is still available is 6'6 C.J.Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX and his final three appear to be Georgia Tech, Texas, and Kansas.  Right now there appears to be no favorite, but we're still guessing Georgia Tech, because the Yellowjackets are in the best position to package Miles and 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX.  Next on the list of who's still available is 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and his final six are Arizona, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Miami-FL.  Unless something unforeseen happens, we look for 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominuez) CA, who is ranked #32 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, to pick Louisville as soon as next week (he's scheduled to make his official visit to Louisville, KY this weekend).  And that should open the door for Arizona State to get 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #100 nationally in the senior class to pick the Sun Devils.  The list for 6'9 Ryan Wright from Mississauga (Loyola Catholic) ON, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, includes UCLA, Michigan State, Stanford, Wisconsin, and Georgia Tech.  Connecticut's top recruiting priority is now 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but the Huskies are in pretty fast company, along with North Carolina, Duke, Rutgers, Georgia Tech, and Georgia.  The list for 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco Prep) NJ, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class, includes Pittsburgh, Villanova, Syracuse, Miami-FL, and Virginia, and we still think it's really just a two-horse race between Memphis and Tennessee for 6'4 Jamont Gordon from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #46 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Next is 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who is ranked #47 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and is expected to pick either Pittsburgh or North Carolina tomorrow.   Yesterday we thought Green would pick the Panthers over the Tar Heels, but today we've done a 180 degree turn, because it looks like our sources were wrong about Green's younger brother - 6'3 Jr Rashard Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who is ranked #83 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP - being apart of the package.  And, assuming that this is true, we think Green is a done deal for the Tar Heels simply because he wants to go to the highest school possible and Connecticut is suddenly no longer in the hunt.  The 14th and final unsigned player ranked among our top 50 seniors nationally is 6'6 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI and his final three are DePaul, Ohio State, and Michigan State.   From there we have to drop all the way down to #62 to 6'9 Jeff Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA to find our next senior who is still available and right now UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Virginia Tech, Utah, and Oregon are all in the hunt.  Right behind Pendergraft at #63, #65 and #66, respectively, are 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, who we expect to pick Georgia Tech over Arizona; 6'8 Alfred Aboya from Tilton (School) NH, whose final three are Virginia, UCLA, and Georgetown; and 6'6 J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, whose top five are Vanderbilt, N.C. State, Florida, Arizona, and Memphis.  Next is 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #71 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and appears to be totally wide open, although he did make an official visit to Florida State last weekend.  Also still on the board at #77, #78, and #80, respectively, are 6'8 Gary Flowers from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, who list includes Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, Kansas State, USC, and UNLV; 6'2 Jeremy Pargo from Chicago (Robeson) IL, whose top four are Florida State, Illinois, DePaul, and Gonzaga; and 5'10 Levance Fields from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, whose final four are St. John's, South Florida, Pittsburgh, and Miami-FL.  And rounding out the rest of the list of unsigned players who are ranked among our top 100 are 6'6 Dior Lowhorn from San Francisco (Riordon) CA at #84, 6'8 Kendric Price from Cambridge (Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols) MA at #85, 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA at #91, 6'9 Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA at #92, 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC at #94, and 6'2 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA at #100.   The list for Lowhorn includes UCLA, Texas Tech, Florida, Washington, and Kansas State. Vanderbilt is still believed to be the leader for Price.  Williams will probably go to prep school next year, but right now Oklahoma State, USC, Washington, and Kansas are the leaders.  Tribbett likes Rutgers, Villanova, Navy, Virginia Tech, Penn State, Rhode Island, and George Washington.  Among those showing the most interest in Johnson are Rhode Island, George Washington, Dayton, St. Joseph's, Maryland, Notre Dame, Villanova, Virginia, and West Virginia.  And, as we mentioned earlier, Henry will probably pick Arizona State, unless 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA picks the Sun Devils.   And, if that happens, Henry will likely pick San Diego State, UNLV, or Washington.  

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman was the first person to tip us off this morning about 6'11 Ricky Sanchez from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL verbally committing to the University of Memphis.   And this is a big catch for the Tigers for a number of reasons.  First, Sanchez is ranked #79 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's good enough to step in next year and make an immediate impact.  Second, Sanchez has a tremendous amount of athleticism and potential, which is why some of our competitors rank him among the top 40 players in the nation (i.e. Van Coleman has Sanchez ranked #31 in the Lindy's Basketball Pre-Season Yearbook).   However, Sanchez needs to get bigger and stronger, meaner and tougher, and continue to develop a feel for the American game for us to rank him that high.  Third, what Sanchez does best is shoot the three and play out on the perimeter, which means he'll be the perfect replacement for 6'8 Soph Sean Banks, if he has a great season this winter, decides to forgo his final two years of college, and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring, and 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who may by-pass college altogether and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Fourth, getting Sanchez should provide Memphis head coach John Calipari with an important connection into Puerto Rico, which is where Sanchez is originally from.  Fifth, the addition of Sanches moves Memphis' recruiting class, which already includes Williams, 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and 6'9 Robert Dozier from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, up to #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   Sixth, this comes on the heels of Memphis' #3-ranked recruiting class from a year ago, which included Shawne Williams, 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'9 Waki Williams from Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA, 6'7 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Andre Allen from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, and 6'1 Tanqueray Beavers from Athens (H.S.) AL.  And this is important, because no staff in the nation has consistently brought in better players in recent years than the one at Memphis.  Obviously part of the credit has to go to Calipari, who is one of the hardest working and most visible head coaches on the recruiting trail in the business, but Tigers' assistants Tony Barbee and Derek Kellogg are second to none when it comes to identifying who they can get and then getting it done.  In other words, Memphis is perfectly positioned to surprise a lot of people this year and become one of the powerhouse teams in college basketball a year from now.  And, if you don't believe it, consider the fact that a year from now Memphis could have Washington, Anderson, Beavers, and 6'0 Soph Clyde Wade at the point guard spot; 6'4 Jr Jeremy Hunt and Shawne Williams at the two-guard spot; Banks, Sanchez, and 6'7 Jr Rodney Carney at the wing forward spot; Dozier, Dorsey, and 6'10 Soph Almamy Thiero at the power forward spot; and Waki Williams, Cooper, and 6'10 Jr Simplice Njoya at the center spot.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ has verbally committed to N.C. State, 6'6 Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX has verbally committed to DePaul, and 6'3 Josh Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR has verbally committed to Oregon State.  The verbal commitment by Tarver, who is ranked #339 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, might not appear to be that important to Oregon State, but it really is, because he's a local kid, a good athlete, and probably will be the entrée that will help the Beavers get Tarver's younger brother - 6'6 Seth Tarver from Portland (Jesuit) OR, who is ranked #64 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   The verbal commitment by Woods was expected (we told you that this would probably happen two weeks).  However, it's still important, because Woods, who is ranked #51 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is the perfect complement in this recruiting class to 6'5 Jabari Currie from Detroit (Pershing) MI, who also recently picked the Blue Demons.  And the verbal commitment by Costner is absolutely huge, because he is ideally suited to develop into the next great player for the Wolfpack.  Sure, they play different positions, but eventually we believe that Costner will develop into the next Julius Hodge, who has been the team leader, as well as the best player during most of his career.  Costner is versatile enough and skilled enough to play both inside and outside, but, with his athleticism, ability to shot the three, and other perimeter skills, is it our guess that it won't take him too long to develop into one of the best wing forwards in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Remember, we're talking about the #6 player overall and the #2 wing forward at the adidas Superstar All-American Camp in July and the #26-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the press conference is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 PM and that 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who is ranked #47 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, will pick North Carolina, St. John's, or Pittsburgh.  Our guess is that Green will pick the Panthers for several reasons.  First, Green's younger brother - 6'3 Jr Rashard Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who is ranked #83 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, also may be apart of the package.  And, assuming that this is true, we'd be surprised if North Carolina would make a commitment to two similar players this early.   Second, St. John's already has 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and, although they would be able to play both Torres and Danny Green together, Rashard Green might have to wait three years for his turn to start.   Third, Pittsburgh assistant coach Barry Rohrssen is second to none when it comes to recruiting in New York City, as is evident by the fact that they Panthers already have a number of players, including 6'2 Jr Carl Krauser, 6'1 Frosh Ronald Ramon, 6'10 Soph Chris Taft, and 6'2 Frosh Keith Benjamin, all from the Big Apple on their team.  A week ago we told you that 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC and 6'7 Frosh Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who are both top five players nationally in their respective classes, are both transferring to White Plains (Southern Maryland Christian) MD.  However, we now understand that Smith's mother vetoed the move and, instead, it now appears that both Smith and Beasley will be at Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD.  As a matter of fact, Smith reportedly played with the Riverdale Baptist team last night.  Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that 6'3 Darren Avery from Corinth (H.S.) MS, who will be ranked #8 in the senior class in the state in Johnson's next report, has verbally committed to Middle Tennessee State and 6'2 Clarence Sanders from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL has become Ole Miss' 5th recruit.  If you will recall, the Rebels already have a recruiting class that includes 6'10 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL, 6'7 Trey Hampton from Birmingham (Hoover) AL, and 6'9 Xavier Webb from Atwood (West Carroll) TN and is ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  So obviously Sanders, who is an excellent 3-point shooter, will be an excellent complement to all the size that's already in the fold.  And Mississippi's class could move all the way up to #3, behind Louisville and Duke and ahead of Kansas, LSU, Oklahoma State, North Carolina, and Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, if they also get back 6'5 Bobby Clark from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, who originally signed with the Rebels a year ago as a high school senior at Jackson (Callaway) MS.  Actually some of our competitors are reporting that this has already happened, but Johnson assures us that they have jumped the gun.  Johnson also tells us that 6'9 Cyrus McGowen from Meridian (H.S.) MS, who already has taken visits to Mississippi State and Georgia Tech, will be at Arkansas this weekend.  But when it's all said and done, we'd be surprised if he doesn't pick the Bulldogs. 

For the second consecutive year the deck appeared to be stacked for Belmont Shore in the Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic, but in both cases Dinos Trigonis and the host team didn't win their own tournament.  If you will recall, a year ago a loaded Belmonst Shore team, which included 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Matthew Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'10 Jr Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Soph Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'2 Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvary Chapel) CA, and 6'5 Jr Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, was upset in the quarterfinals by the Arizona Cagers Blue Team.   And this was no fluke, because 5'10 Germaine Calvin from Tempe (McClintock) AZ, 6'6 DuBois Williams from Tempe (Marcos De Niza) AZ, and 6'7 Calvin Chitwood from Phoenix (Paradise Valley) AZ, who, at the time were three of the biggest sleepers in the nation, also led their team to easy victories in the semi-finals and championship.  This year history appears to have repeated itself, as Sunday afternoon Branch West Team Reebok jumped out to 32-17 lead in the semi-finals and to a 10-1 lead in the title game, as they beat H-Squad, 87-62, and Belmont Shore, 74-56, in route to the championship of the 2004 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic in Cypress, CA.  And the big reason why Branch West Team Reebok was so good were the two players that program director Bob Gottlieb imported from Wisconsin.  We're talking 6'3 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, who is ranked #14 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Marcus Landry from Milwuakee (Vincent) WI, who is ranked #90 in the senior class nationall by the HOOP SCOOP.  Smith had 32 points in the semi-finals and 24 points in the championship en route to tournament MVP honors, but even that doesn't begin to tell you how good he was in this tournament.  He easily was the best player, as he made great passes, tough shots, and displayed court savvy and maturity well beyond his years.  The fact that he has deep 3-point range and has the quickness, athleticism, and moves necessary to get his shot against anybody means that Smith should be listed as a second guard right now.  However, he also has the ball handling skills and passing skills and understanding of the game necessary to play the point guard spot, which means he'll probably make a lot of money running a team someday at the highest level.  Yes, Smith is that good!  As a matter of fact, we have him ranked as the fifth best guard nationally in the loaded Class of 2006, behind 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'3 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, and 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA.  And only one of the four (Augustine) is a point guard, which makes the statement that Frank Burlison of the Long Beach Press-Telegram about Smith being the best point guard in the junior class nationally close enough to where we aren't going to argue with him.  Landry chipped in with 22 points in the semi-finals and 14 points in the championship, but we expected that from this athletic combo forward who is ranked #90 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and already is verbally committed to the University of Wisconsin.  However, we weren't prepared for the fact that 6'9 Jr Deon Thompson from Torrance (H.S.) CA, who had nine points in the semi-finals and 14 points in the championship, is one of the best big men on the West Coast.  As a matter of fact, Thompson was such a sleeper that Trigonis, who also is our West Coast Editor, had never heard of him prior to watching him in his own event.  We're talking about a 6'9, 270 lbs. physical specimen with soft hands, excellent post moves, and an incredible upside, if he drops some weight and gets into better shape.  Thus, explains why Thompson was a last minute addition at #191 to our Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (Juniors), which was published in the Members Section on Monday. And providing the perfect complement to Smith, Landry, and Thompson were 5'10 Richie Williams from Spring Valley (Steele Canyon) CA, who is a quick little point guard with good handling and passing skills, and 6'3 J.P. Noland from Southlake (Carroll) TX, who is an athletic wing players who can shoot the lights out, as was evident by the fact that he hit four 3-pointers, including the first two baskets of the game, in the first half against Belmont Shore in the championship game.  Belmont Shore featured 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Jr Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'5 Donald Thomas from Garden Grove (Pacific) CA, 6'3 Sean Cunningham from Los Angeles (Murphy) CA, and 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA; the H-Squad featured  6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'2 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, 6'8 Diamond Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA, 5'10 Trae Clark from Newark (Memorial) CA, 6'8 Jr Matt Shaw from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'5 Jr Jerron Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'2 Jr Calvin Haynes from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA; The Hood had 5'10 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA and 6'2 Jr Dezon Otis from Compton (Dominguez) CA; the Compton Magic had 6'3 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA and 5'10 Soph Jessie Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA; the ICAN All-Stars featured 6'6 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA and 6'6 Jerell Lake from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA; Inland featured 6'9 Jeffrey Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA; and Southern Nevada had players like 6'1 Jr Marcus Lawrence from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'4 Khalid Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, 6'5 Jr Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, and 6'7 Soph Billy Wise from Henderson (Green Valley) NV.   However, Southern Nevada got beat by Branch West-Team Reebok in pool play and, as a result, didn't get to play in the winner's bracket.  We also were disappointed that Inland didn't have 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA didn't play for The Hood, because he was on his official visit to Arizona State, coaches, like Rick Issacs and Elvert Perry, didn't even bother to put the names of their players into the book, over half the coaches didn't turn in a roster, and the facility that they used on Friday and Sunday wasn't available on Saturday.  In other words, it is becoming more and more obvious that the fall appears to be a bad time of year to hold events such as this one.  Remember, school is back in session, players are taking official visits to colleges, and Division I college coaches are no longer allowed to be at tournaments and events this time of year. 

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Sometimes it's funny how things turn out!  If you will recall, most people, including us, thought the University of Arizona would end up with 6'6 Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, whose top four appear to be Arizona, UCLA, Washington, and North Carolina, but is expected to wait until spring before making a decision, and either 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, who recently verbally committed to Kansas, or 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, whose final three are Texas, Georgia Tech, and Kansas.  And then Sunday evening 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA picked Connecticut, which means the Huskies were no longer interested in 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA, who had been at Arizona over the weekend.  Our guess is that Wildcats head coach Lute Olson, who is the best there is at not allowing players to string it out, told Webester and Williams that they will take whichever one decides to commit first.  So obviously the stage had been set perfectly for today's verbal commitment by Williams to Arizona.  Sure, Williams needs to get meaner and tougher, but he's extremely skilled, very athletic, can play both inside and outside, shoots the lights, and is not ranked high enough where you will have to worry about whether he's going to enter his name into the NBA Draft any time soon.  In other words, Williams appears to be the ideal complement to 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, who was ranked #20 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Top Players in the Class of 2005, was a McDonald's All-American, and is expected to battle for serious playing time this year as a freshman, along with 6'4 Jr Hassan Adams and 6'4 Jr Chris Rodgers.  The Wildcats still may end up getting Webster, but not if they first get 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, or 6'6 J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN, who is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, first and a scholarship doesn't open up at Arizona between now and next spring.  And that may happen sooner than later, because Prince is supposed to make an official visit Tucson, AZ this weekend.  We also find it extremely interesting that 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA has eliminated UCLA and, as a result, now appears to be down to two schools (Duke and Washington).  Obviously you can never count out Duke, but we think the fact that the Blue Devils already have three inside players in 6'10 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE, and 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA in this recruiting class, has to favor the University of Washington, which is where Brockman will visit on October 9th.  And, if the Huskies get Brockman, that also puts them into a very enviable position with Webster, because they not only will have a great player already in the fold, but they will have all winter to turn the heat up and convince Webster that he needs to stay home.  And, at the same time, Lorenzo Romar and his staff also can work on Webster's high school teammate - 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, who is ranked #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the most potential of any of the players we've already mentioned.  If you think all this sounds familiar, it should, because we raised this very possibility over a month ago, long before there appeared to be a good chance that it actually might happen.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'7 Montrell McDonald from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME has verbally committed to George Washington and 6'7 Alvin Mofunanya from Englewood (Dwight Eisenhower) NJ has verbally committed to St. Joseph's.  The verbal commitment by Mofunanya is especially interesting, because, just like the other three players that the Hawks have landed this fall, Mofunanya's best days are ahead of him.  If you will recall, St. Joseph's already has 6'5 Jordan Fowler from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'9 Ahmad Nivins from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'4 Edwin Lashley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT and, as a result, their recruiting class moves into a tie at #30, along with Wisconsin-Green Bay, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, Hawks head coach Phil Martelli will have two inside players (Nivins and Mofunanya) who both are athletic, aggressive on the boards, and good defensively and a pair of perimeter players (Lashley and Fowler) who are excellent 3-point shooters.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'2 Chad Fender from Poland (Seminary) OH has verbally committed to Youngstown State, 6'3 Jeremy Chappell from Cincinnati (Northwest) OH has gone to Robert Morris, and 6'8 Ryan Childress from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH has picked Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Childress is ranked no higher than #433 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's exactly what the Phoenix need, because he's a good old-fashioned blue collar banger inside and, as a result, should be the perfect complement a year from now to 6'10 Derrick Ford from Olney Central (JC) IL, who is an excellent athlete and was one of the top junior college big men a year ago.  We also have confirmed via our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff that 6'2 Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX has verbally committed to the University of Oklahoma.  Sure, we only have Johnson ranked #102 nationally in the senior class, but he's still one of our favorite players, because he's an intangible guy.  He also always a big time athlete who gives you 110% effort, as he gets more than his fair share of steals, usually shoots the lights out, and has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.  Johnson does need to get bigger and stronger, but, when he does, the sky could be the limit.  The addition of Johnson also moves Oklahoma's recruiting class, which already includes 6'4 Michael Neal from Lon Morris (JC) TX, who is the #1-ranked wing guard in the junior college ranks by Lindy's Basketball 2004-2005 Pre-Season Yearbook, and 6'6 Taylor Griffin from Edmond (Christian) OK, up to #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also understand that 6'7 Nick Pontes from New Bedford (H.S.) MA has verbally committed to Bryant College and, as a result, once again it looks like Max Good has stolen a player who is good enough to play at the mid-to-low Division I level.   We're talking about somebody who is tough around the basket, can score with either hand, and has the ability to also shoot the three, although, unlike so many guys in this day-and-age, Pontes knows that his bread-and-butter is inside.  And last, but not least, our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead has the scoop on 6'5 Reginald Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN and 6'5 Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN, both of whom verbally committed to Mississippi State earlier this evening.  Obviously this is huge, because it will give Bulldogs head coach Rick Stansbury not one, not two, but three wing players who are ranked among the top 60 seniors nationally in this recruiting class.  Speaking of Mississippi State's recruiting class, these two additions move this class into a tie at #8, along with Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, as well as provide a great deal of insurance in case the Bulldogs' other recruit - 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who is ranked #5 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP - decides to follow in the footsteps of so many other highly rated players (i.e Jonathan Bender and Travis Outlaw) who have signed with Mississippi State, but later decided to by-pass college and enter the NBA Draft.   And, if Mississippi State also gets 6'9 Vernon Goodridge from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, then their recruiting class would move up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, behind Louisville and Duke.  But our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who apparently has better sources on this than our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, tells us that Goodridge is down to two schools (Pittsburgh and Georgetown).

Saturday, September 18, 2004, Sunday, September, 19, 2004, & Monday, September 20, 2004

We have already tracked early verbal commitment from 15 players in the Class of 2006, as 5'9 Jr Nic Wise from Houston (Kingwood) TX, who is ranked #69 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Arizona; 6'8 Jr Jimmy Graham from Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC, who is ranked #73 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Miami-FL; 6'4 Jr K'lein Morris from Grand Blanc (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #134 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Michigan; 6'10 Jr J.P. Gavinski from Wisconsin Dells (H.S.) WI, who is ranked #150 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Wisconsin; 7'0 Jr Jonathan Kreft from Parkland (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) FL, who is ranked #157 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Florida State; 5'11 Jr Vic Morris from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who is ranked #158 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Hofstra; 6'4 Jr Anthony Green from Beloit (Memorial) WI, who is ranked #166 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Marquette; 6'7 Jr Jerrod Johnson from Humble (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #184 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Texas A&M; 6'10 Jr Jordan Eglesder from Bellevue (Memorial) IA, who is ranked #232 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Northern Iowa; 6'7 Jr Tyrone Armstrong from Paso Robles (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #245 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Pepperdine; 6'3 Jr Grant Leiendecker from Ft. Wayne (Homestead) IN, who is ranked #330 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Butler; 6'2 Jr Sal Patricio from Lake Suzy (Florida Prep) FL, who is ranked #358 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Hofstra; 6'4 Jr Kerwin Dunham from Bondaurant (Farrar) IA, who is ranked #425 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is already gone to Northern Iowa; 6'10 Jr Luke Pauscher from Ft. Worth (Lancaster) TX, who is not ranked among our top 575 juniors nationally, is already gone to Texas Christian; and 6'6 Jr Semaine Harris from Garden City (Grove) GA, who is not ranked among our top 575 juniors nationally, is already gone to Savannah State.  So with this in mind, now is the perfect time to do two things.  First, we have published our ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2006, which can be found at the bottom of our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   Second, we have published our updated rankings of the top juniors nationally, which can be found by clicking on Ranking of the Top 575 Players in the Class of 2006 (Juniors).  This class has the size, depth, and number of outstanding players to be just as good as the great Class of 1995 and the great Class of 2004, which are the two best classes in the last 10 years.   The best players in the class obviously is 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN and he's followed in order by 6'9 Jr Derrick Caracter from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'9 Jr Brandon Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'9 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Thaddeus Young from Memphis (Mitchell) TN, 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, 6'10 Jr Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'9 Jr Darrell Arthur from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'8 Jr Damion James from Nacogdoches (H.S.) TX, 6'0 Jr Darryl Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, 6'11 Jr Spencer Hawes from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'3 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'5 Jr Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Espicopal Academy) PA, 6'2 Jr Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI, and 6'5 Jr Jonathan Scheyer from Northbrook (Glenbrook North) IN.  And this comes on the heels of our Ranking of the Top 77 5th Year Players, which was published on August 25, 2004, and our Ranking of the Top 625 Players in the Class of 2005 (Seniors), which was published on September 7, 2004.  It also precedes our Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2007 (Sophomores), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2008 (Freshmen), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2009 (8th Graders), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2010 (7th Graders), Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2011 (6th Graders), and Ranking of the Top Players in the Class of 2012 (5th Graders), all of which will published within the next month. 

We thought a verbal commitment by 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA would be forthcoming to the University of Connecticut upon his return from his official to the Storrs, CT over the weekend, so it came as no surprise when our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis called to tell us that it was official.   And this is huge for several reasons.   First, Johnson is a multi-dimensional athlete who is capable of playing both inside and outside, but has developed his perimeter skills enough during the last year that he will project as a wing forward at the big time college level.  Second, Johnson, who is ranked #29 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is good enough to also be the replacement for 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who will likely will be one of the premier freshmen in college basketball this season and likely will enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  Third, getting Johnson shows once again that the Huskies can go anywhere in the nation to get the top players.  If you will recall, a year ago the Huskies beat Maryland right in their own backyard for Gay and they also landed 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY and 6'2 Antonio Kellogg from Oakland (McClymonds) CA; two years ago they got 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 6'7 Ryan Thompson from Western Nebraska (JC) NE, 6'9 Josh Boone from Colora (West Nottingham Prep) MD, 6'2 Marcus Williams from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and originally from Los Angeles, CA; and three years ago they got 6'5 Denham Brown from Lakeland (Kathleen) FL, 6'8 Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, and 6'10 Hilton Armstrong from Peekskill (H.S.) NY.  Fourth, getting Johnson moves the Huskies' recruiting class, which also includes 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, into a tie at #15, along with Syracuse and Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   The additon of Johnson also means that Huskies will drop of the race for 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, because they both play a similar position.  However, Connecticut isn't done yet, because they still are believed to be one of the favorites for 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ.    Also over the weekend 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa) FL picked Miami-FL and this too comes as no surprise.  As a matter of fact, we dropped several hints in the last week about the Hurricanes being the school you had to beat.  Right now we have Clemente ranked #125 nationally in the senior class, but don't let that fool you, as comparisons to Northeastern All-American Jose Juan Barea are in order.  If you will recall, we liked Barea and thought he was a major sleeper, but didn't rank him any higher than #130 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Class of 2002, because we were leery about his lack of size.  Nobody in the senior class nationally is a better 3-point shooter and more of a prolific scorer than Clemente, but he's too small to be project as a big time 2-guard and we're not sure he's a pure point guard.  In other words, there are still some questions to be answered, but we say that with an asterisk, because the value of Clemente's stock at some point may rise dramatically.  The addition of Clemente moves the Hurricanes' recruiting class up to #24 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, don't let that fool you either, because Miami-FL's other three recruits - 6'7 Adrian Thomas from Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL, 6'5 Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, and 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX - are all just oozing with potential.  And, Bennett, who plans to play both football and basketball in college, is a killer on the boards, Asbury can shoot the lights out, and Thomas is versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'8 Allen Taylor from Columbia (Irmo) SC has verbally committed to Texas Christian, and 6'0 Byron Eaton from Dallas (Lincoln) TX has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, and 5'10 Deven Downy from Chester (H.S.) SC has verbally committed to Cincinnati.  The timing of all this also is very interesting, because Cincinnati also was very much involved with Eaton and Clemente and, as a result, when Clemente picked the Hurricanes and Downy, who visited Cincinnati over the weekend, picked the Bearcats, this might have been the deciding factor for Eaton.  If you will recall, Eaton was supposed to be a done deal for the Cowboys two months ago, but failed to pulled the trigger.  However, now that Eaton has finally made it official, Oklahoma State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, and 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX, moves into a tie at #4, along with LSU, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  The verbal commitment by Downy also is interesting, because he's pint sized point guard who makes things happen in transition, creates havoc defensively, and shoots the light out.  In other words, this might be the point guard who makes Cincinnati fans forget about NickVan Exel and Steve Logan.  And what about the College of Charleston getting a verbal commitment from 6'4 Ryan Scott from Reston (South Lakes) VA, who is ranked #474 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP?  If you will recall, Scott, who is the son of former Georgia Tech All-American Dennis Scott, started out playing at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, but now plays at Grant Hill's old high school.  The addition of Scott moves the College of Charleston's recruiting class up to #14 our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, Scott will give head coach Tommy Herrion and skilled played and valuable depth at the wing spot, where 6'7 David Lawrence from Daytona Beach (JC) FL and 6'5 Brian Greene from Santa Fe (JC) FL are expected to battle 6'7 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, all of whom were part of last year's recruiting class, for playing time during the 2005-2006 season.  We also have confirmed that 6'4 Mamadi Diane from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD has verbally committed to Virginia and, despite the fact, he ranks no higher than #254 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, Diane should fill an important need for the Cavaliers, because what he does best is shoot the basketball.  Diane joins 6'9 Laurynas Nikalauskas from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA and 6'10 Sam Warren from Englewood (Cherry Creek) CO in a recruiting class that now is tied at #39, along with St. Joseph's and San Diego State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But the icing on the cake would be if Virginia can get 6'8 Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, who is ranked #44 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Remember, Pete Gillen and his staff must replace 6'9 Sr Elton Brown and 6'8 Sr Jason Clark after the current season and, while Nikalauskas is a blue collar banger inside and Warren is long, athletic, and good defensively, neither one of them is expected to be ready to step in and make an immeidate impact in the Atlantic Coast Confernce a year from now. 

Friday, September 17, 2004

It looks like the Wisconsin-Milwaukee has done it again!  We're talking about the fact that two years ago they landed 6'3 Ed McCants from Paris (JC) TX, last year they landed 6'10 Derrick Ford from Olney (JC) IL, and now they have landed 6'3 James Douglas from Schoolcraft (JC) MI.  In other words, for the third consecutive year the Panthers have landed one of the top junior college players in the nation, as is evident by the fact Douglas is the #8-ranked wing guard in the junior college ranks by the Lindy's Basketball 2004-2005 Pre-Season Yearboook.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Douglas, who is best described as a long rangy athlete who can shoot the three and has an excellent mid-range game, averaged 5.5 ppg last season as a freshmena at Eastern Michigan and selected the Panthers over schools like Minnesota and Wyoming.   The addition of Douglas moves Wisconsin-Milwaukee's recruiting class into a tie at #69, along with St. John's, DePaul, Cincinnati, Lamar, and Richmond, all of whom have the equivalent of a high school senior ranked in the 71-100 range nationally in this recruiting class, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, the addition of Douglas will give Milwaukee-Wisconsin head coach Bruce Pearl the perfect replacement for McCants, who averaged 17.1 ppg a year ago, but will graduate after this season.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ has verbally committed to Arkansas.   And he should provide valuable depth at the point guard spot a year from now for the Razorbacks in a backcourt that already includes 6'1 Jr Eric Ferguson, 6'4 Jr Jonathan Modica, 6'6 Jr Dontell Jefferson, 6'7 Soph Ronnie Brewer, and 6'5 Soph Olu Famutimi.  But also very important, McCurdy has that Jersey City toughness and provides a valuable link to one of the best high school programs in the nation.  Rick Issacs, who is the head coach of the H-Squad and is like a father to 6'2 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, tells us that Oklahoma State, USC, Washington, and Kansas are the leaders for Williams.  However, when it's all said and done, we think Williams will go the prep school route and then end up at Oklahoma State.  If you will recall, last winter we reported that Williams was going to verbally commit to Oklahoma State, but it didn't happen and more recently the Cowboys landed 6'7 Gerald Green from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX, and 6'6 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX.  So obviously Oklahoma State is well stocked at the wing spots in this recruiting class and, as a result, they also probably won't take 6'8 Diamon Simpson from Hayward (H.S.) CA, who is really more of a power forward right now, but projects as a wing forward in college, unless one of the three just mentioned wing players doesn't materialize in Oklahoma State's current recruiting class.  We mention this because right now the top three for Simpson appear to be Washington, San Diego State, and Oklahoma State.  We also understand that San Francisco, Wyoming, and Boise State are the leaders for 5'10 Trae Clark from Newark (Memorial) CA; Charlotte leads Texas A&M and Utah State for 6'5 Moses Gonzales from Ventura (JC) CA; and UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Virginia Tech, Utah, and Oregon are all in the hunt for 6'9 Jeff Pendergraft from Etiwanda (H.S.) CA.   Another player who put up big number earlier this evening at the Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic was 6'2 Jerry Smith from Wauwatosa (East) WI and his list already is very impressive, as it includes Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Marquette, North Carolina, Wake Forest, San Diego State, Iowa, Purdue, Illinois, and Michigan State.  We also think that an official annoucement could be forthcoming as soon as early next week from 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who was at Louisville last weekend and is at Connecticut this weekend.  If Johnson picks Connecticut, that would moves the Huskies recruiting class, which already includes 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, into a tie at #14, along with Syracuse and Texas, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and it would give them the momentum that they need to get their other prime recruiting target - 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ.  On the other hand, if Johnson picks Louisville, that would once again, put the Cardinals one over on scholarships and, as a result, probably would prevent them from also getting 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who is expected to visit Louisville next weekend.  However, they might be able to finesse the verbal commitment they received last week from 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH by getting him to return to prep school for another year.  Remember, Millard is a true senior right now and he does need to get bigger and stronger.  And, if everybody in Louisville's current recruiting class, which is currently ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes Millard, 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, shows up next year, nobody on the team transfers, and they hit the jackpot and are able to get both Harvey and Marcus Johnson, then Millard might not be the only one going to prep school.  Remember, Holloway also has a tremendous amount of potential, but he's not going to beat out Juan Diego Palacios, Brian Johnson, David Padgett, and Amir Johnson a year from now.   So, if they need the scholarship, that would be an option.  And rolling the dice and overrecruiting sometimes is smart in this day-and-age, especially when one remembers what happened to Louisville two years ago when they landed 7'0 James Lang from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL and a year ago when they signed 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY and 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL.  And the most likely candidate to fall into that category this time around is Amir Johnson, who is borderline academically and ranked #9 nationally in the senior class nationally, which means he's not good enough to go straight to The League and make any kind of impact, but he is good enough, whereby, there will be people out there who will try and tell him that he is.  Also don't rule out Syracuse just yet in the Marcus Johnson-sweepstakes.  Remember, Johnson has always been a Syracuse fan and Orangemen assistant coach Mike Hopkins, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, has all the right connections to still get this one done.  And, if he does, Syracuse's recruiting class, which already includes 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY and 6'2 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, would move up to #6, behind Louisville, Duke, Kansas, LSU, North Carolina, and Marquette, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'4 Ricky Torres from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY has picked St. John's over Pittsburgh and Louisville and this is important for several reasons.  First, Torres is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's good enough to step in and be one of the best players on the team from day one.  Second, Torres is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation and players who can shoot are always at a premium.  Third, Torres is a local kid, which means that, contrary to what some people think, the Red Storm can still get the top players in their backyard.  And those same people will probably try and argue that Torres was the top level local player that the St. John's was supposed to get due to the fact that St. John's assistant coach Chuckie Martin previously was an assistant coach at St. Raymond's and, as a result, has all the right contacts.  However, Pittsburgh had even better contacts.  Remember, St. Raymond's head coach Oliver Antigua both played and coached at the Pittsburgh and his older brother (Orlando Antigua) is currently the Director of Basketball Operations for the Panthers.  So we think this is a major coup for St. John's head coach Norm Roberts and his staff.  Another major coup came today when Miami-FL landed 6'7 Adrian Thomas from  Pembroke Pines (Flanagan) FL, who is ranked #88 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you will recall, this is the guy who helped 5'11 Soph Edwin Rios from Miami (Senior) FL led Team Breakdown to a runner-up finish in the Reebok Big-Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV two months ago.  Thomas also is a tough hardnosed competitor who is more of a power forward right now, but has the athleticism, outside shooting, and perimeter skills necessary to develop into a big time wing forward at Miami-FL.  Thus, explains why schools like Cincinnati, UCLA, Florida, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh were also showing a lot of interest.  Thomas joins 6'5 Brain Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, who can flat out shoot the lights out, and 6'7 Martellus Bennett from Alief (Taylor) TX, who will get a football scholarship, but also plans to play basketball, in a recruiting class that is tied at #31, along with Southern California, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And we also wouldn't be surprised if 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL, whose final five includes Miami-FL, Ohio State, Arkansas, Cincinnati, and South Florida, picks the Hurricanes.  Remember, 6'2 Soph Guillermo Diaz also is one of Art Alverez's former players.  And this could be very important in the future, because nobody is better connected in the city of Miami and in Puerto Rico right now than Alverez.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'4 Edwin Lashley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT has verbally committed to St. Joseph's.  And this is the second commitment that the Hawks have received this week.  If you will recall, yesterday we reported that St. Joseph's had landed 6'9 Ahmad Nivins from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ and in July they got 6'5 Jordan Fowler from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  And, while none of these three players (Lashley, Nivins, and Fowler) are the equivalent of a top 100 senior nationally, Rubin thinks all three of the Hawks' recruits fit the stereotypical of the player that St. Joseph's has been highly successful with in recent years.  In other words, no staff in the country has done a better job of evaluating and developing talent than this one and already Lashley is an excellent 3-point shooter, Fowler is a strong physical athlete who can both shoot the three and slash to the basket, and Nivins is an excellent shot blocker, rebounder, and defender who can also keep you honest at the offensive end from 15-feet and in.  We also have confirmed that Nebraska has landed 6'7 Chris Balham from Shawnee Mission (West) KS, who appears to be a big time sleeper.  We say that because he was not list among the top 625 seniors nationally in our recent rankings.  But those who have seen him tell us that Balham is a big time athlete and an excellent rebounder and shot blocker.  And apparently schools like Tulsa, Dayton, Boston College, and Indiana agreed because they too were showing a lot of interest.  However, this time the credit should not go to Nebraska assistant coach Scott Spinelli, who was primarily responsible for landing 6'3 Jamel White from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 6'6 Will Thomas from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, both of whom have already verbally committed to the Cornhuskers.  Instead, it appears that Reggie Rankin, who also is one of the best recruiters and evaluators of talent in the business, was the one who got this one done.  Our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'6 Calvin Williams from Memphis (Hillcrest) TN, who verbally committed to Colorado over a year ago, has reneged on the Buffaloes and that 6'4 Jamont Gordon and 6'9 Jr Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN both will be in Knoxville, TN this week for Tennessee-Florida football game.  And this is very interesting, because up until now the Volunteers have not been mentioned by Wright on any of his early lists.  Whitehead also notes that 6'5 Reggie Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN and 6'5 Richard Delk from Jackson (Northside) TN have already taken visits to Mississippi State and UAB and that Auburn, Mississippi, and Tennessee also are among the finalists.  And would you believe that Whitehead thinks Mississippi State is the team to beat for the Delks?  However, we find that hard to believe because the Bulldogs already have 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, who plays the same position as the Delk's, in this recruiting class.   But, then again, Rick Stansbury and his staff are second to none on the recruiting trail.  Whitehead also notes that Vanderbilt, N.C. State, Florida, Arizona, and Memphis appear to be the leaders for 6'6 J.P. Prince from Memphis (White Station) TN; 6'7 Lawrence Kinnnard from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN has a list that includes Auburn, Baylor, Florida State, Arkansas State, Mississippi, and UAB; 6'5 Daniel Puckett from McEwen (H.S.) TN is being recruited by Tulane, Murray State, East Tennessee State, Austin Peay, and Belmont; 6'6 Anthony Mason from Memphis (Fairley) TN has already been to Washington State and also likes Oklahoma, Miami-FL, St. John's, and UAB; 6'4 Jeff Smith from Chattanooga (Tyner) TN has interest in Chattanooga, UNC-Asheville, Murray State, Lipscomb, and Arkansas-Little Rock on his list; and the list for 6'5 Jonthan Adams from Chattanooga (Baylor) TN, which includes Old Dominion, James Madison, Georgia Tech, Wofford, and Western Kentucky, is very interesting. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

CollegeBasketball News Editor & Publisher Chris Monter has the scoop on 7'0 James Davis from Garden City (JC) KS, who has made a verbal commitment to the University of Minnesota.  Obviously this is about as huge as it gets, because Davis, who originally is from Minneapolis (North) MN, is regarded by many as the best center in the junior college ranks.  And this is good news for Minnesota head coach Dan Monson, who almost got the ax last spring after Golden Gophers finished 12-18 overeall and tied for last in the league with a 3-13 conference record.  This comes on the heels of the verbal commitment that 6'5 Brandon Smith from Minneapolis (Patrick Henry) MN made to the Golden Golphers a month ago and last year's recruiting class, which was ranked #32 in our Final Ranking of the Top Recruiting Classes for the Class of 2004 and included 6'5 Vincent Grier form Dixie (JC) UT, 6'6 J'Son Stamper from Independence (JC) KS, 6'9 Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'3 Miles Webb from Brooklyn Park (Park-Center) MN, and 6'0 Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA.  We also think it important to point out that Smith is the first high school player from the city of Minneapolis who has elected to stay home since Monson became the head coach seven-and-a-half years ago.  However, according to Monter, the person who deserves the credit for getting the two commitment done is this fall is former Bradley head coach Jim Molinari, who was hired as an assistant coach last spring and is one of the most astute and well connected people in the business.  We say this because it appears that Smith was the entrée that helped them get Davis.  Did you know that Smith and Davis are extremely close friends?  But we're still not sure whether this will be enough for Monson and his staff to survive after the coming season, unless they show considerable improvement.   And that might be easier said than done after Kris Humphries, who averaged 21.7 ppg an 10.1 rpg last season, decided to by-pass the rest of his college career and entered his name into the NBA Draft.  In other words, if Monson and his staff don't get the time they need for these players to mature and develop, then the new coaching staff next spring could find the cupboard close to full.  And even more help could be on the way, because the state's junior class features some excellent juniors, including 6'6 Jr Isaih Dahlman from Brahm (H.S.) MN, 6'9 Jr Bryce Webster from St. Paul (St. Thomas) MN, 5'10 Jr DeAngelo Johnson from Minneapolis (North) MN, 6'7 Jr Corey Johnson from Duluth (East) MN, and 6'10 Jr Xavier Crawford from Richfield (H.S.) MN.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that four years ago 6'11 Rick Rickert originally had planned to go to Arizona, but then changed his mind and elected to stay home; 6'3 Aaron Boone originally signed with North Carolina, but transferred to back to Minnesota two years ago; and Humphries originally signed with Duke, but got out of his National Letter-of-Intent and was one of the top freshmen in the nation last year.  We also have confirmed that that Virginia has landed 6'10 Sam Warren from Englewood (Cherry Creek) CO; St. Joseph's has landed 6'9 Ahmad Nivins from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ; Central Michigan has landed 6'4 Mike Kramer from Cincinnati (Oak Hills) OH has landed Central Michigan; and Dayton has gotten verbal commitments from 6'6 Charles Little from Cleveland (H.S.) TN and 6'9 Desmon Adedeji from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  The most important of all these commitments obviously is the one the Flyers got from Little.  We're talking about a big time athlete who was good enough to have been ranked #18 overall and #4 at the power forward spot at the Reebok ABCD Camp in July.  Little does need to improve his outside shooting, but he is good enough to be ranked #116 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  The commitment by Adedeji also is significant, because he too is ranked in the 100-300 range nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and hails from one of the premier high school programs in the nation.  So, with these two verbal commitments already in hand, it appears that 6'5 Jamelle Cornelly from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, whose top two schools are Dayton and St. Bonaventure, suddenly becomes a lock for the Bonnies, unless a big-time school decides to come in and offer Cornelly.  Our advise to Cornelly would be to realize that you're undersized power forward, take the scholarship offer from St. Bonaventure, and run.  In other words, as a wing forward, Cornelly would be hard pressed to get recruited any higher than at the mid-major level. However, as undersized power forward, he's good enough to get ranked #143 nationally inthe senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and likely will have a good career after he graduates from college in four years playing overseas.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Indiana Basketball News editor and publisher Reggie Tisdale provides us with the scoop on 6'0 Sylvester Mays from Redlands (JC) OK, who now appears to be the piont guard of the future for Ohio State.  We're talking about somebody who can flat out shoot the lights out from beyond the arc, but also makes great decisions and is a genius between the lines.  Thus, explains why Tisdale had Mays ranked as the #1 player in the state of Indiana and we had Mays ranked #19 nationally in our Final Rankings of the Class of 2003.  However, most people have probably never heard of Mays, because he was a ward of the state as a junior in high school and never played outside the state until the spring of his senior year in high school.  He also never had the stability in his life and the support system necessary to succeed until last season at Redlands (JC) OK, where he made the honor roll and helped lead his team to a 26-2 record and a runner-up finish in the National Junior College Tournament.  And Tisdale tells us that this was a major factor in Mays' decision, because Ohio State has a great support system academically and, as a result, after Mays plays at Ohio State and in the NBA, there will be life after basketball.  Yes, Mays, who averaged 14.5 ppg and 5.0 apg a year ago, is that good!  Mays, who picked Ohio State over Indiana, UNLV, Purdue, Missouri, and Ball State, also is exactly what the Buckeyes need, because, in addition to projecting as the best point guard in the junior college ranks this year, Mays also brings a toughness that the Ohio State lacked a year ago.  We also have confirmed that the University of Louisville has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and this is extremely interesting, because up until yesterday the Cardinals had not been seriously recruiting him since last spring.  If you will recall, in April we thought Millard was a near lock to go to Louisville.  However, as the value of his stock rose during the spring, Millard decided he wanted to go through the recruiting process and, as a result, the Cardinals went ahead and got other players.  Then, in the summer Millard did not play well, as is evident by the fact that we now have him ranked #110 nationally in the senior class, and his list changed dramatically as schools like Louisville, N.C. State and Missouri dropped out and schools like Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Villanova, and Florida State were added to the list.  So when Louisville head coach Rick Pitino called yesterday and offered Millard a scholarship, he jumped at the opportunity.  And this also is a good fit for the Cardinals for several reasons.  First, Millard is an excellent 3-point shooter.   Second, he is quick enough and athletic enough to also defend out on the perimeter.  Third, he's white, which is important from a recruiting standpoint in the future.   We also understand that 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL now plans to go the junior college route and, as a result, will no longer count towards Louisville's recruiting class, which currently is ranked #1 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 and includes Millard, 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL, and 7'0 Jonathan Huffman from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL.  However, this comes as no surprise to us.  If you will recall, when Roberson originally made his verbal commitment to the Cardinals in early June, we told you that we'd be surprised if his commitment holds up for the simple fact that the Cardinals will probably get somebody better down the road.  And that somebody might be Roberson's old high school teammate at Compton (Dominguez) CA.  Obviously we're talking about 6'5 Bryan Harvey, who is expected to visit Louisville weekend after next and, unless something strange happens, a verbal commitment will probably be forthcoming right after he makes the visit.  And, if Louisville does get Harvey and we also counted 6'10 David Padgett, who transferred from Kansas to Louisville in the spring (it is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes), then we'd be talking about a recruiting class with a total of 53 points.  Not only would that blow away Duke's class in 2002, which included Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick, Shavlik Randolph, Sean Dockery, Michale Thompson, and Lee Melchionni, but it would be the third best recruiting class in the 21 years that we've been in the business, behind the great Indiana class in 1989, which included Calbert Cheaney, Lawrence Funderburke, Greg Graham, Pat Graham, and Chris Reynolds and the Iowa State class in 1997, which included Marcus Fizer, who was the Freshman-of-the-Year in the League in 1998, and Jamaal Tinsley, who led the Cyclones to 32-5 and 25-6 seasons in 1999 and 2000. 

Our New York Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'2 Craig Austrie from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, who is ranked #198 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of Massachusetts.  However, Austrie is expected to wait until spring to sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent, due to the fact that the Minutemen have to show improvement upon last year's 10-19 record or else.  But, assuming that this does happen, Austrie is an excellent catch, because he's a great kid, an excellent 3-point shooter, and has the basketball IQ necessary to develop into a good point guard in the Atlantic-10 Conference.  We also have confirmed that William & Mary has landed 6'1 Calvin Baker from Newport News (Woodside) VA and this is an important pick-up for several reasons.  First, Baker is another in-state kid, which is important, because currently the Tribe only has two in-state players on the team.  If you will recall, William & Mary also recently got a verbal commitment from 6'9 Chris Darnell from Stafford (North Stafford) VA.  Second, Baker plays for the Boo Williams Summer League Team and this could be an entrée to future players.  Third, Baker can shoot the three, has good handling and passing skills, excellent athleticism, and is very good academically.  We also have confirmed via our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that 6'10 Kellen Lee is now at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  If you will recall, Lee, who was at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA for a part of last season, was expected to return to this basketball factory in Philadelphia this season.  But it hasn't happened!   Instead, Rubin tells us that 6'9 Jerome Habel and 5'11 Steve Harley, both of whom were at Washington (Marriott Charter) DC last season, have surfaced at Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA.  It also will be interesting to see if Habel, who would be the equivalent of a player in the 50-100 range nationally if he we included him with seniors (he's actually now a 6th Year Player), re-signs with Florida State or whether he re-opens his recruiting.  We also understand that 6'3 Soph Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC and 6'7 Frosh Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, who are both top five players nationally in their respective classes, are both transferring to White Plains (Southern Maryland Christian) MD.  And it appears that 6'8 Soph Herb Pope, who has left Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, may not be too far behind, which would make this one of the premier high school teams in the nation for the next three years.  Rubin also tells us that the two leaders for 6'7 Shane Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA are Villanova and Florida, but that Maryland and N.C. State also are in the hunt.  If you will recall, Clark made an early verbal commitment to Villanova over a year ago, but recently decided to re-open is recruitment.  We also are getting reports that 6'8 John Garcia from Brentwood (H.S.) NY has verbally committed to Seton Hall.  And, assuming that this is correct, Garcia, who is ranked #115 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is ideally suited to step in and do the dirty work inside for Pirates head coach Louie Orr.  Remember, Garcia is a physcial specimen who scores around the basket, dominates on the boards, and has a blue collar work ethic.  Garcia also will provide an excellent complement 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'5 Brian Lainge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'9 Marcus Cousin from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, all of whom signed with the Pirates a year ago.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Simon Farine from Toronto (Northern Secondary) ON has verbally committed to Wisconsin-Green Bay and this too looks like a major steal.  Not only was Farine the MVP at the NIKE All-Canada Camp this summer, but he is the best point guard in Canada and has been called a "bigger, stronger version of Steve Nash" by Wayne Dawkins, who was Farine's AAU Coach this past summer.  Farine can score and distribute the ball, as is evident by his 25.5 ppg and 4.5 apg last season, and this makes him the perfect complement to 6'5 Cordero Barkley from Racine (St. Catherine) WI, 6'8 Mike Schachtner from Somerset (H.S.) WI, and 6'9 Randy Berry from Almond (Almond Bancrodft) WI, all of whom are ranked in the 100-300 range nationally and counts towards Wisconsin-Green Bay's recruiting class.  Speaking of The Phoenix's current recruiting class, it is ranked #25 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more telling is the fact that Wisconsin-Green Bay's recruiting class is ranked second behind the College of Charleston among teams that are not in the top eight conferences (ACC, SEC, Big-12, Big East, Big-10, Pacific-10, Conference USA, and the Mountain West) in college basketball.  But this should come as no surprise when one remembers that Phoenix head coach Tod Kowalcyzk was ranked among the top assistant coaches in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP when he was at Rutgers and Marquette and it appears that Kowalcyzk and his staff are getting after it with the same zest and zeal that he did when he was a big time assistant coach.  

Monday, September 13, 2004

It's too bad that NCAA Division I college coaches can't attend anything except a work-out or an open gym during the fall recruiting period, because many of the top players in Southern California were in attendance yestereday at the 2004 Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, CA.  The highlight of the day was the Top 25 Senior Game, which had more spectacular dunks than most dunking contests, as countless times 6'3 Danny Williams from Los Angeles (Fremont) CA, who currently is ranked #91 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but needs to be higher based on yesterday's performance, impressed everybody with his flair for the spectacular and 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA played like a man possessed, as he scored 41 points and once again showed why our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis thinks Boykin is the best senior on the West Coast.  However, unlike the Top 25 Senior Game, which was pretty much status quo as the other top players in the game included 6'8 Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'3 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, and 6'4 Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA, the Top 25 Junior Game had several major surprises.  Like the fact that 6'8 Jr Alex Stepheson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who finished with 18 points and played much harder than we've ever seen him play, actually outplayed 6'8 Jr James Keefe from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, who finished with 13 points and once again impressed with his work ethic, skills and toughness around the basket.  However, that doesn't mean that we're ready to rank Stepheson ahead of Keefe, who is one of the top junior power forwards in the nation.  And speaking of Keefe, he would be a pretty good consolation prize a year from now if UCLA fails to land 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, who is the Bruins' top recruiting priority in the senior class.  We say that because UCLA appears to be the early favorite for Keefe, but, if they get Brockman, that would probably change, because they play a similar position.  Getting back to the business at hand, we also were surprised by the fact that 6'4 Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA was the leading scorer in the Top 25 Junior Game, as he finished with 25 points and shot the lights out for a while (late in the game his shot stopped going down, but he still kept jacking them up). We also were surprised by the athleticism displayed by 6'5 Jr Josh Guillory from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, as he finished with 12 points and had several incredible dunks of his own, and 6'2 Jr Tim McLauren from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, which means that with Jefferson, Henry, Guillory, and McLauren, this team will have four of the best athletes in the city this season.  And, of course, we have to mention 6'6 Jr Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'3 Jr Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'11 Jr Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'7 Jr Jon Jaques from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'2 Jr Calvin Haynes from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, and 6'7 Jr A.J. Tolbert from Compton (Dominguez) CA, all of whom also scored in double-digits in the Top 25 Junior Game.   Speaking of Tolbert, he's also a part of one of the other interesting stories of the day, which was how many good young players that Russell Otis, who is the head coach at Compton (Dominguez) CA, had participating in this event.  As a matter of fact, the two best players in the Top 25 Freshman Game were 5'10 Frosh Brandon Jennings from Compton (Dominguez) CA and 6'4 Froph Demar Derozan from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  Jennings, who is one of the top 10 freshmen in the nation, was the leading scorer in the game with 23 points and clearly is the better player of the two.  However, Derozan got the nod yesterday, as he finished with 19 points and was the most dominant player in the game.  We also were impressed with 6'4 Soph Quentin Watkins from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who needs to grow in order to do the same things at higher level, but is a tough hardnosed aggressive athlete who got it done on the boards and around the basket in the Top 25 Sophomore Game.  But the two players who really went nuts in the Top 25 Sophomore Game were 6'1 Soph Jordan Block from Claremont (H.S.) CA with 39 points, and 6'4 Soph Dane Suttle from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 28 points.  Also playing well in the Top 25 Sophomore Game were 6'6 Soph Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 5'8 Soph Terrell Jones from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'1 Soph Cheyne Martin from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Soph Drew Viney from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Soph Gabe Adler from Poway (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Isaiah Jenkins from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'4 Soph Joey Redding from Long Beach (Poly) CA.  Redding also was one of the two best players in the Top 48 Sophomore Game, along with 6'4 Soph Tyler Bernardini from San Diego (Parker) CA.  Redding, who finished with 17 points in the Top 48 Sophomore Game, is a multi-dimensional athlete who handles, rebounds, passes, and gets to the basket extremely well.  Likewise for Bernardini, who had 19 points and is more skilled, but not as athletic as Redding.  We also were impressed with 6'3 Frosh Jacob Ranger from Carpinteria (H.S.) CA, as he finished with 18 points and displayed a blue collar work ethic around the basket, didn't take any prisoners, and dominated on the boards in the Top 48 Sophomore Game.  Getting back to the Top 25 Freshman Game, when 6'4 Frosh Malik Story from San Juan Capistrano (J. Serra) CA is hitting his outside shot, he's terrific.  But yesterday he was not, which explains why we ranked Story as the 8th best player in the game in order behind Derozan; Jennings; 5'8 Frosh Percy Miller from Los Angeles (Windward) CA, who made some of the best passes we saw all day and beats people off the dribble seemingly at will; 6'6 Frosh Richard Sims from Gardena (Serra) CA, who has a soft touch, rebounds well, and is very coordinated for somebody so big and so young; 6'3 Frosh Jamal Trice from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is a blue collar athlete inside; 5'10 Frosh Keion Bell from Gardena (Serra) CA, who shoots the three, has quick hands, and thrives in transition; and 5'11 Frosh Jason Pruitt from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who is like a younger version of his brother (Gabriel Pruitt).

He is not as good at the same stage as Brian Cook or Marcus Griffin, both of whom played for Lon Kruger at Illinois, but he still might be the most important player that Kruger will ever land.  We're talking about 6'8 Devon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who, after he returned from making his official visit to UNLV over the weekend, told us last night at the 2004 Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase at Long Beach City College in Long Beach, CA that he had picked the Runnin' Rebels.  And the reason that landing Jefferson, who is currently ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and has the potential to be ranked a lot higher, is so important for Kruger and his staff is that his commitment establishes that they can get the best players in the nation and they can get the top players in California.  And that's exactly why Kruger hired former USC and San Diego State assistant coach Marvin Menzies.  So it appears that at least part of the mission has already been accomplished.  Jefferson does need to get meaner and tougher and player harder, but athletically he's second to none, as he can play either forward spot and is a prolific scorer.  Jefferson also should fit in well along with 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who is a scoring point guard; 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA, who is a force to be reckoned with inside; and 6'7 Joe Drager from Riverton (H.S.) UT, who is a lights out 3-point shooter; all of whom also have verbally committed to the Runnin Rebels.  Thus, explains why we now have UNLV's recruiting class ranked #11 on Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.   And they aren't done yet.  As a matter of fact, we also wouldn't be surprised if UNLV lands Jefferson's high school teammate - 6'2 Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who is ranked #100 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And, if this happens, their recruiting class would move up to #6, behind Louisville, Duke, Kansas, LSU, and North Carolina and ahead of Marquette, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Mississippi, and Georgia, on our list the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, Henry is not a done deal for the Runnin' Rebels, as Arizona State and Washington also appear to be right at the top of his list and San Diego State, Fresno State, and Wyoming are showing serious interest.  But, if Arizona State gets 6'5 Bryan Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, then that would probably eliminate the Sun Devils, because Harvey and Henry both play the 2-guard spot.  We mention this because Arizona State and Louisville now appear to be the favorites for Harvey.  But since a verbal commitment from 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who made his official visit to Louisville this weekend, was not forthcoming yesterday, it's our guess that Johnson will end up picking Connecticut and Louisville will get Harvey after he makes his official visit to Louisville, KY in two weeks.  We also have confirmed that USC has landed 6'8 Mike Freeman from Alexandria (Hayfield) VA, who is ranked #146 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'3 Sead Odzic from Skokie (Niles West) IL, who is ranked #232 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, don't let their rankings fool you, because a great outside shooter, like Odzic, to complement 6'5 Nick Young from Resada (Cleveland) CA, 6'5 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Wsetchester) CA, and 6'1 Dwayne Shackleford from Allegany (JC) MD out on the perimeter, and a skilled power forward, like Freeman, to challenge 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA inside was exactly what the doctor ordered.  And the final piece to the puzzle is physcial specimen inside and right at the top of USC's list is 6'8 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX.  We also understand that 6'5 D'Andre Bell from Los Angeles (Palisades) CA was at Georgetown over the weekend, will be at Michigan State next weekend, Georgia Tech the following weekend, and will likely set up a visit with Arizona before making a final decision sometime later this fall.  Reggie Tisdale of Indiana Basketball News tells us that 6'8 Andy Hampton from Shelbyville (H.S.) IN, who is the #12 ranked player in the state by Indiana Basketball News, has IUPUI picked over Central Michigan and Eastern Kentucky.  In other words, IUPUI assistant coach Todd Howard strikes again, because a year ago he stole 6'2 George Hill from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN, who is ranked #146 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and they also have 6'7 Angelo Smith, who transferred from Xavier to IUPUI, and 6'2 Brandon Cameron, who transferred from Penn State to IUPUI, waiting in the wings.  It also appears that 6'10 Jimmy Sutton from Boca Raton (Cardinal Gibbons) FL has picked the University of Florida, which means the Gators now have a dominating center inside to complement the two wing players - 6'4 David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL and 6'3 Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL -they already have landed in this recruiting class.  Not only does this move Florida's recruiting class into a tie at #16, along with Wake Forest, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005, but it also proves just how strong the Gators are in their own backyard, which actually is a question that we heard recently raised.  Remember, in recent years Florida has recruited extremely well nationally as they've landed players like 6'8 Mike Miller from Mitchell (H.S.) SD, 6'7 Donnell Harvey from Cuthbert (Randolph-Clay) GA, 6'2 Brett Nelson from St. Albans (H.S.) WV, 6'9 Matt Bonner from Concord (H.S.) NH, 6'3 Ryan Appleby from Stanwood (H.S.) WA and have a roster that currently includes 6'9 Sr David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'1 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Adrian Moss from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'2 Soph Lee Humphrey from Maryville (H.S.) TN, 6'10 Soph Mohamed Abukar from San Diego (Rancho Bernardo) CA, 6'8 Frosh Corey Brewer from Portland (H.S.) TN, 6'11 Frosh Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, and 6'8 Frosh Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI.  In other word, if you include 6'4 Frosh Cornelius Ingram from Hawthorne (H.S.) FL, who is a walk-on football player, and 6'6 Jack Berry from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who we assume is a walk-on, then the Gators have four in-state players currently on the team and they all are freshmen and sophomores, as the other two in-state players are 6'8 Chris Richard from Lakewood (Kathleen) FL and 6'0 Frosh Taurean Green from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Gibbons) FL.  So it looks like this might be the beginning of a new trend.  However, the Gators can't them all and, as a result, 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL, who reminds us in many ways Northeastern All-American Jose Juan Barea, has a final five that includes Miami-FL, Ohio State, Arkansas, Cincinnati, and South Florida. 

Saturday, September 11, 2004, & Sunday, September 12, 2004

The most frequently asked question I get from parents of players is where should I send my son to get the most exposure?  Normally I tell them not to worry about it, as, in this day and age, there already are too many events and most players are overexposed, instead of underexposed.  Then, I point out that players today are bigger, stronger, faster, and more athletic than ever, but they also are not as skilled, not as dedicated, and don't work as hard as they did 10 or 20 years ago.   So, instead of exposure, their #1 priority should be making sure their son works on his game and gets better.  If you do that, the rest will take care of itself.   So, whether you're in high school, junior high school, or elementary school, the best place to learn the skills necessary to get better is at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, which over the last 40 decades is second to none when it comes to teaching and developing players.  As a matter of fact, "the teaching never stops" is one of the phrases they live by at Five-Star, as year-after-year camp directors Howard Garfinkel and Will Klein line up many of the best coaches in the game to lecture and work stations at the camp's numerous sessions.  And, as usual the best session of the summer was Five-Star's August Honesdale session, which was as deep as it's been in the 10-years that Tony Bergeron, who is the recruiting coordinator for the camp, has been associated with the camp.  And providing a perfect illustration of what we're talking about is 6'1 Brandon Ewing from Chicago (Julian) IL, who is too small to be 2-guard, but doesn't have good enough ball handling skills and doesn't make good enough decisions to get recruited at the high Division I level as a point guard.  So, with this in mind, Ewing sacrificed scoring a lot of points, which is probably why he did not make the NBA Orange-White All-Star Game, despite the fact he had a great week, in order to improve his game while playing against all the best point guards in camp.  In other word, what really matters is where you end up in the end and Ewing went a long way towards achieving this goal based on his performance in Honedale.  We already have provided you with a list of the award winners and the names of the players who played in the Orange-White All-Star Classic on August 31st, but Bergeron tells us that the player who impressed him the most all summer was 6'8 Jr Earl Clark from Rahway (H.S.) NJ.  We're talking about somebody who has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard at 6'8, but also the versatility, skills, and athleticism necessary to block shots, rebound, and score in a variety of ways.  We also mentioned that The Most Outstanding Player in the Developmental League went 6'5 Soph Corey Stokes from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, that 5'8 Soph Malik Boothe from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY edged out 5'10 Soph Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY for top playmaker honors, and the Best Rebounder in the Developmental League in 6'9 Soph Brandon Waters from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  However, we didn't mention just how good the Developmental League was, as it also featured 6'2 Soph Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Soph Jesse Woodard from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'5 Soph Theo Jones form Peekskill (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Soph Nayal Koswal from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'8 Soph Julian Vauhn from Reston (South Lakes) VA, 6'2 Frosh Khalif Staton from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, and 5'11 Soph Jeremiah Kelly form Chicago (Julian) IL.  Kelly, who was the alternate in the Developmental League Orange-White All-Star Classic, deserves special recognition, because he won head-to-head battles against Stokes, Coburn, and Beatty and was as good as anybody in camp before he broke his wrist.  Five-Stars's Hamden-Syndey Session in June also was as good as advertised, as it featured 6'8 Jr Kevin Durant from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Jr Tywon Lawson from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'8 Uche Echefu from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC, 6'10 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'2 Soph Nolan Smith from Washington (St. John's) DC, 6'7 Frosh Michael Beasley from Upper Marlboro (Riverdale Baptist) MD, 6'8 Soph Herb Pope from Rockville (Montrose Chrisian) MD, 6'1 Soph Adrian Bowie from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD, 6'4 Craig Moore from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'4 Jr Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC, and 6'6 Jr David Booker from Moss Point (H.S.) MS.  The best player at Five Star's June session at Fordham University was 6'8 James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY; 6'3 Soph Ricardo Brown from Harrisburg (John Harris) PA stole the show at Five-Star's Pitt I session; 6'7 Mike Copeland from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, 6'1 Dan McGeary from West Roxbury (Latin) MA, 6'0 Jr Brian Heasley from Pflugerville (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Ryan Leak from Bayside (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Ralph Jennings from Douglasville (Douglas County) GA, 5'10 Jr Kevin Sims from Jackson (Forest Hills) MS, 6'6 Dorian McDaniel from Westchester (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Mike Harry from Marlton (Cherokee) NJ, 6'4 Craig Moore from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'2 Jr Osiris Eldridge from Chicago (Phillips) IL, and 6'0 Kevin Gholson from Dix Hills (Upper Room) NY all have to be mentioned from Five-Star Pitt II; 6'9 Ahmad Nivins from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'3 Kendall Toney from Charlotte (Phillip O'Berry) NC, 5'8 Michael Mercer from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'3 Terry Delion from Ft. Pierce (Westwood) FL, 6'2 Travis Walton from Lima (Senior) OH, 6'4 Jr Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC, 6'6 Jr William Graves from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 6'2 Eric Maynor from Fayetteville (Westover) NC, 6'3 Sean Cunningham from Los Angeles (Daniel Murphy) CA, 6'1 Aaron Caruthers from Tyrone (Sandycreek) GA, and 6'2 Kaimondre Owens from Sheffield (Berkshire School) MA all played well at Five Star Pitt III; 6'4 Richard Kohnke from New Orleans (Newman) LA and 6'2 Jr Dijon Knight from Naperville (Nequa Valley) IL were the two best players at Five-Star Pitt IV; and 6'10 Sam Herrick from Duxbury (H.S.) MA, 6'4 Jr Doneal Mack from Charlotte (Independence) NC, 6'4 Aubrey Lampkins from Germantown (Northwest) MD, 5'11 Brian Watkins from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'2 Jr Dijon Knight from Naperville (Nequa Valley) IL, 6'3 Jalon Perryman from Detroit (Rogers) MI, 6'7 Chris Hickox from Mobile (Faith Academy) AL, and 6'4 Rodney Legion from Detroit (Rogers) MI all are worth noting from Five-Star Pitt V.  We also have to mention 6'10 Soph Scott Moviel from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'2 Frosh Paul Williams from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 5'9 Soph Chicago (Foreman) IL, 6'9 Soph Aaron Ellis from Germany, 6'5 Soph Delvon Roe from Lakewood (St. Edwards) OH, 6'1 Soph Bakari Lewis from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 6'5 Soph Jailziel Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and 6'3 Soph Reggie Revels from Cincinnati (Hughes) OH, all of whom enhanced their reputations in the Developmental League at Five-Star's Pitt III session.  Five-Star also had several junior camps in early August that need to be mentioned.  The top players at the Junior Five-Star Camp at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL in the NBA Division were 5'9 Soph Bruce Durham from Joliet, IL (Most Outstanding Player and Playoffs MVP), 5'9 Soph Rashee Wallace from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL (Best Playmaker), 6'2 Soph Aaron Ragsdale from Chicago (Julian) IL (Best Rebounder), 5'5 Frosh Keith Smith from Chicago (St. Ignatius) IL (Best Defender), 5'10 Soph Mark Dell from Farmington Hills (Harrison) MI, 5'5 Frosh Deshawn Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'2 Soph Geoff McCammon from Hoffman Estates (Conant) IL, and 6'4 Soph Leroi Catlin from Chicago (Gwendolyn Brooks) IL; in the NCAA Division were 5'9 8th Grader Glen Wallace from Westchester (Roosevelt) IL (Most Outstanding Player), 5'11 8th Grader Charlie Goro from Park Ridge (Emerson) IL (Playoff MVP), 5'9 8th Grader Xavier Humphrey from Chicago (Christ the King) IL (Best Rebounder), and 5'4 8th Grader Cairtney Frison from North Chicago (Neal) IL (Best Defender), 5'3 8th Grader Tyler Sugiyama from Wilmette (Marie Murphy) IL, and Fred Gates from Chicago, IL; and in the NIT Division were 5'0 6th Grader Zach Monaghan from Palatine (Thomas Jefferson) IL (Most Outstanding Player), 5th Grader Aaron Vialdores from Evanston, IL (Playoffs MVP and Best Defender), 5'9 5th Grader Tony Terrell (Best Rebounder); 5'5 6th Grader Alex Sykes from Redland (Moore) CA, 5'0 6th Grader Michael Banks from Phoenix (New Covenant) IL; and 5'0 7th Grader Mark Mamnla from Downers Grove (O'Neill) IL.  The top players at the Junior Five-Star Camp at Camp Wayne in Reston Park, PA in the NBA Division were 6'3 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn, NY (Most Outstanding Player and Playoff MVP), 5'3 Soph Ronique Colbert from Brooklyn (Bishop Ford) NY (Best Playmaker), 6'7 Soph Adam Marshall from London, England (Best Rebounder), 6'6 Frosh Gabriel Fumudah from Boston, MA (Best Defender), 6'2 Frosh Chisolm Azubuke from Boston, MA, 6'5 Soph Ashley Hamilton from London, England, and 6'0 Soph Anthony Nelson from Metuchen (St. Joseph's) NJ; in the NCAA Division were 5'9 7th Grader Steve Whittingham from Bronx (P.S. #301) NY (Most Outstanding Player), 5'7 8th Grader William Williams from New York (Mt. Carmel/Holy Rosary) NY (Playoffs MVP), 5'2 8th Grader Carl Jones from Cleveland Heights, OH (Best Playmaker), 6'0 7th Grader Len Touissant (Best Rebounder), 5'8 8th Grader Dustin Van Liea from Grahamsville (Tri Valley Central) NY (Best Defender), 5'4 Frosh Shaquille Stokes from New York (P.S. #125), 5'9 8th Grader Juan Diaz from New York (St. Nicholas) NY, 5'10 8th Grader Willie Lyons from Newton (Brocon) MA, 5'4 7th Grader Tavon Sledge from Spring Valley (Elmwood) NY, 5'11 7th Grader Joe Sharkey from Boston, MA, and 5'10 7th Grader Davontay Grace from Brooklyn (P.S. #113) NY; and in the 5'6 7th Grader Rodney Beldo from Boston (McCormick) MA (Most Outstanding Player), 5'1 7th Grader Brendon Dixon from Philadelphia (Jenkins Henry) PA (Playoff MVP), 5'0 7th Grader Jordan Federer from Bronx (Horace Mann) NY (Best Playmaker), 5'4 7th Grader Jeremy Ennist from Poughkeepsie (Arlington) NY (Best Rebounder), 5'2 6th Grader Sterling Gibbs from Scotch Plains, NJ (Best Defender), 4'5 5th Grader Namir Williams from New York (P.S. #145) NY, 4'5 6th Grader Malik Suber from New York, NY, and 4'11 6th Grader Greg Garfinkel from Scarsdale, NY.   Especially notworthy is the fact that Camp Wayne was absolutely loaded and the best player in the entire camp was 6'3 8th Grader Lance Stephenson from Brooklyn, NY, who played up and was named the MVP in the 14 & 15 year-old division.   A special thanks to Five-Star's Tony Bergeron for compiling all this information, which for future reference should be invaluable.

Friday, September 10, 2004

Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that Kansas is out of the running for 6'8 Kevin Rogers from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, who is ranked #63 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, because the Jayhawks have sealed the deal with 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And making this story even more ironic is the fact that last winter we told you that Kansas was a near lock for Wright.  Remember, Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report told us it was a done deal, because then Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts had such close ties to Illinois Warriors head coach Larry Butler, who is Wright's AAU coach.  Then, when Roberts got the head coaching job at St. John's in early April, it looked like all bets were off for the Jayhawks, as schools like Illinois, DePaul, and Arizona jumped into the lead.  However, a week ago we warned you that Kansas was back in business with Wright and it appears that the in-home visit that Kansas head coach Bill Self did with Wright and his family last night was so successful that he wasted no time making it official for the Jayhawks.  The verbal commitment by Wright moves Kansas' recruiting class, which also includes 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA and 6'2 Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK, up to #3, behind Louisville and Duke and ahead of Kansas, LSU, and North Carolina, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  This also is huge, because Wright is the highest ranked player in the Class of 2005 who was still available.  It also means that eight of our top 10 seniors are already verbally committed, as 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinett) GA has already gone to Georgia, 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN has already gone to Duke, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS has already gone to Mississippi State, 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO has already gone to North Carolina, 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA has already gone to LSU, 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA has already gone to Louisville, and 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA had already gone to Syracuse.  And we'd be surprised if 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL doesn't make it official fairly soon for Alabama and, if, when it is all said and done, 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL doesn't by-pass college in order to enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  So now the big question is where will 6'7 Jon Brockman from Snohomish (H.S.) WA, who is ranked #11 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP go, Duke, UCLA, or Washington?  Getting back to Kansas, Grandstaff tells us that Wright's decision should not effect the decision that 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX, who final three are Kansas, Texas, and Georgia Tech, is supposed to make.  If you will recall, there was talk in July about Miles and Rogers going as a package to the same school.  And it appears that Grandstaff agrees with us about Miles, who is a wing player, and Wright, who is best at the power forward spot, not having a position conflict.  As a matter of fact, Grandstaff thinks Kansas is the leader right now for Miles after his recent visit to Lawrence, KS.  However, Miles has not visited Georgia Tech, which will continue to attempt to land both Rogers and Miles together as a package, or Texas, which will attempt to get Miles to stay home.  And Wright isn't the only big name player from the state of Illinois who made a verbal commitment to today, as our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'2 Tony Freeman from Westchester (St. Joseph) IL, who is ranked #87 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the University of Iowa.  And this is important for several reasons.  First, Freeman is a little a bit undersized for the 2-guard spot and doesn't have a point guard's mentality, but he can shoot the lights out, knows how to play in the game, and he reminds us of Taquan Dean with his competitiveness, tenacity, and athleticism.  Second, getting Freeman helps Iowa re-establish its pipeline into Chicago, IL.  If you will recall, the last player Iowa landed from the state was 6'6 Ben Rand from Rochelle (H.S.) IL two years ago and the last player they landed from the Chicago area was 6'4 Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL four years ago. 

Thursday, September 9, 2004

A week ago we told you that a verbal commitment by 5'11 David Devezin to Texas A&M, who is transferring from Sugar Land (Clements) TX to Ft.Bend (Marshall) TX, could be forthcoming in the near future.  And, once again, it look like were right on the money, because he made it official today.  And we think this is an important catch for Aggies for several reasons.  First, Devezin is ranked #199 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's tough to stop when he penetrates to the basket, is a tremendous competitor, and is gym rat and self-taught player.  In other words, Devezin has the smarts, court savvy,  and understanding of the game necessary to develop into a coach on the floor.  He also is quick enough, athletic enough, and talented enough to have a huge upside.  Devezin does need to improve his outside shooting and get bigger and stronger, but when you put him with four great players, we think he will be the glue.  Second, this solidifies Texas A&M's ties in the Houston area and with the Houston Hoops AAU program.  Remember, Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie is a great recruiter, but his ties are stronger in the Dallas area than the Houston area.  Another important step that Gillispie has made to lock up the top players in the Houston area was made this spring when he hired former Colorado State assistant coach Buzz Williams, who recruiters Texas about as well as anybody.  Did you know that Williams was the primary reason why Colorado State already has landed 6'8 C.J. Clark from Cypress Creek (H.S.) TX in this recruiting class, 6'0 Charlie Jones from Katy (Cincho Rancho) TX and 5'10 Sean Morris from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX a year ago; 6'10 Steve Verwers from Weatherford, TX, 6'9 Phil Thomasson from Burleson (H.S.) TX, and 7'0 Stuart Creason from Coppell (H.S.) TX two years ago; and 6'5 Shelton Johnson from Arlington (Oak Ridge) TX and 6'4 Michael Morris from Katy (Cinco Ranch) TX three years ago.  We also suspect that Gillispie will be doing some recruiting in his old stamping grounds in Illinois, because he's added another one of the top up-and-coming assistant coaches in the business to his staff in Illinois State assistant coach Steve Forbes.  However, having great assistant coaches is normal for Gillispie.  If you will recall, one of this assistant coaches (Doc Sadler) last year at UTEP got the head coaching job when Gillispie moved onto Texas A&M and another former UTEP assistant coach Sergio Rouco is now the head coach at Florida International.  We also understand that 5'9 Jr Nic Wise has transferred from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX to Houston (Kingwood) TX, where he will join 6'5 Soph MIke Singletary, who is one of the top 10 sophomores in the nation, and 6'6 Soph Josh Simmons, who is a major sleeper who has transferred from San Antonio, TX to Kingwood (H.S.) TX, to form one of the best 1-2-3 punches in the nation for the next two years.  When it's all said and done, another player that we probably have ranked too low at #283 nationally in the senior class is 6'8 Jeremy Barr from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX and right now it appears to be a two-horse race between Southern Cal and Texas Tech for his services.  Did you know that Trojans head coach Henry Bibby will be in Barr's home later this week and that Barr now is Bob Knight's #1 recruiting priority?  Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA has once again verbally committed to the University of Memphis.  If you will recall, a year ago last spring Dozier made an early verbal commitment to the Tigers.  However, he did not sign a binding National Letter-of-Intent last fall and, as a result, was free to change his mind and sign with the University of Georgia during the Spring Signing Period.  Dozier also appears to have changed his mind with regards to which prep school he will attend this fall.  Originally he had planned to attend Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, but now is heading to Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  And this should come as no surprise, because it appears that Laurinburg has become Memphis' farm team.  Remember, 7'0 Kareem Cooper, who transferred from Raleigh, NC to Laurinburg (Institute) NC; 6'7 Richard Dorsey, who transferred from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC to Laurinburg (Institute) NC; and 6'9 Shawne Williams, who transferred from Memphis (Hamilton) TN to Laurinburg (Institute) NC; all signed with Memphis a year ago.  So with all this in mind, we also wouldn't be surprised if 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME also transfers to Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  The addition of Dozier moves Memphis' recruiting class into a tie at #6, along with Oklahoma State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, Dozier may not count in the final analysis next spring, as Davis tells us that Dozier is talking about becoming academically qualified this fall at Laurinburg (Institute) NC and enroll at Memphis at the beginning of the second semester.  This also means that three of the top six recruiting classes on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 belong to schools in Conference USA, as Louisville checks in at #1, Marquette is #5, and Memphis is #6.   However, when Louisville and Marquette join the Big East a year from now, the real winners appear to be the Southeastern Conference, which has five schools (#3-ranked LSU, #8-ranked Mississippi, #9-ranked Georgia, #11-ranked Alabama, and #16-ranked Tennessee); the Big East Conference, which will have four schools (#1-ranked Louisville, #5-ranked Marquette, #10-ranked Notre Dame, and #12-ranked Syracuse); and the Big-12 Conference, which has four schools (#6-ranked Oklahoma State, #12-ranked Kansas; #12-ranked Texas; and #20-ranked Texas Tech); ranked among the top 20 recruiting classes on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also find it it interesting that three of the top 15 recruiting classes on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005 belong to schools in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as Duke is ranked #2, North Carolina is ranked #4, and Wake Forest is ranked #15.  Moral to the story, the rich continue to great richer, despite the fact a lot of the top high school znd college players are leaving earlier and earlier to go the NBA, in college basketball.

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

Last Thursday we told you that a verbal commitment by 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, was imminent in the very near future.  What we didn't tell you was that we had been tipped off about Mitchell having a press conference last Friday to announce for the Tigers.  However, until today nobody confirmed it and, as a result, we actually assumed that it didn't happen.  Thus, explains why Mitchell's verbal commitment was not included yesterday when we noted that 54 players who are ranked among our top 100 seniors nationally were off the board.  And when you also include 6'11 Magnum Rolle from Freeport, Bahamas, who verbally committed to LSU today, the number of players ranked our our top 100 seniors nationally becomes 56.  Rolle is a big time athlete/shot blocker/defender and, if his offense ever catches up with his defense, the sky's the limit.  And Rolle is making an important step in the right direction, because this fall he is enrolling at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  And this too makes perfect sense, because LSU sophomore 6'7 Regis Koundjia also played at Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  As a matter of fact, Laurinburg head coach Chris Chaney was Koundjia's legal guardian when he signed with LSU two years ago.  In other words, if you're LSU, Laurinburg is a place where you can stash Rolle and be sure to get him back.  And that's important, especially in light of the fact that Rolle already made a verbal commitment to Florida State, but later reneged.  Normally LSU assistant coach Butch Pierre, who was ranked #9 on our list of the top assistant coaches last winter, is the guy who would get the credit for getting it done for Tigers.  However, LSU assistant coach Nikita Johnson deserves the credit for getting this one done.  The addition of both Mitchell and Rolle moves LSU's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'9 Kentrell Gransberry from San Jacinto (JC) TX and 6'11 Chris Johnson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, up to #3 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  And they aren't done yet, because LSU also is close to getting verbal commitments from 6'4 Keith Menifee from Butler County (JC) KS and 6'1 Shane Morrison from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  However, our guess that they won't take them both, because they need to save room for 6'0 Jr D.J. Augustine from New Orleans (Brother Martin) LA, who is a consensus top 10 junior nationally.  Remember, LSU landed a recruiting class two years ago, which included 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'8 Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'7 Darrell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA.  Then, a year ago they landed 6'8 Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, and 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA.  So with four players already in the fold for this year and Augustine their top priority for next year, the last thing they need to do is sign two more guards.  And looking even further ahead, the Tigers also are the early favorite for 6'6 Frosh Olu Ashaolu from Stockbridge (Community Christian) GA.  Did you know that Ashaolu's older brother of  was recruited to New Orleans by Nikita Johnson?  And just like we were asleep at the switch on Mitchell's verbal commitment to LSU, it also looks like our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis got scooped by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson with regards to the verbal commitment that 6'10 Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA made to San Diego State.  And what really makes this ironic is the fact that Hoerner played for Trigonis on the Belmont Shore Club Team this spring and summer .  Johnson also tells us that San Diego State has landed 6'2 Khalif Watson from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, which means the Aztecs now have three players ranked in the 101-200 range in this recruiting class, as Hoerner checks in at #118; 6'7 Kyle Spain from Newark (Memorial) CA, who verbally committed to San Diego last spring, is ranked #148; and Watson is ranked #194 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   These two additions also move San Diego State's recruiting class into a tie at #32, along with Miami-FL and Wisconsin-Green Bay, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, it looks like the Aztecs have added the perfect complement to 6'4 Matthew Thomas from Riverside (Martin Luther King) CA, who was the big steal in last year's recruiting class, and, as a result, they will be good for a long time.  Speaking of Wisconsin-Green Bay, they're where they are, because yesterday they got a verbal commitment yesterday from 6'9 Randy Berry from Almond (Almond Bancroft) WI.  While Berry isn't as good as the other two in-state players - 6'5 Cordero Barkley from Racine (St. Catherine) WI and 6'8 Mike Schachtner from Somerset (H.S.) WI - who have already verbally committed to the Phoenix, he's a good low post scorer and is the type of blue collar player that every coach loves.  Purdue appears to have landed 6'4 Chris Lutz from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who is ranked #250 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   But don't let that fool you, because Lutz is one of the best 3-point shooters nationally in the class and, as a result, should be an excellent complement to 6'3 Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales (Franciscan) IL, 6'0 Korey Spates from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH, and 6'4 Marcus Green from Franklin Park (Leyden) IL in a recruiting class that is now ranked #19 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Mitch Malone of the Texas Blue Chip tells us that 6'5 Ryan Boyd from Dallas (Seogoville) TX recently verbally committed to Southeast Missouri State and our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'9 Xavier Webb from Atwood (H.S.) TN has verbally committed to Mississippi.  And while this is no surprise (we told you that the Rebels were among the favorites for Webb's services several weeks ago), it still is interesting, because, at 6'9, Webb is versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  And, it's a good thing, because Ole Miss already has 6'10 Carl Swanigan from Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL and 6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL, both of who are huge physical speciemens, and 6'7 Trey Hampton from Birmingham (Hoover) AL, who is a big time athlete with a great upside, but lacks the skills to play out on the perimeter, in this recruiting class, which currently is ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Johnson also tells us that N.C. State had landed 6'8 Ben McCauley from Pittsburgh (Yough) PA, which also comes as no surprise due to the strong ties that Wolfpack head coach Herb Sendek and assistant coaches Larry Harris and Arch Miller have in the Pittsburgh area.  We also have confirmed that 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, who is ranked #19 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, has verbally committed to UNLV, where he will join 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA and 6'7 Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT in a recruiting class that is now tied at #26, along with Rutgers and Washington, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  Adams is best described as a scoring point guard who can score in punches, but he also has big time athleticism and is the exciting uptempo player who will help new Runnin' Rebels head coach Lon Kruger get the fans excited again about UNLV basketball.  Essengue will be called upon to provide a physical presence inside and Darger is an excellent 3-point shooter.  It also looks like Valparaiso has landed another player from Minnesota in 6'8 Urule Igbavboa from Oakdale (Tartan) MN.  If you will recall, Valparaiso also has received a verbal commitment from 6'10 Arden Skoglund from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN in this recruiting class.  Sure, Igbauboa is on the soft side and needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's versatile enough and athletic enough to play both inside and outside and, as a result, is ranked #257 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And how about South Carolina taking 6'7 Dominique Archie from Augusta (T.W. Josey) GA, who is ranked #456 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP?   Archie is extremely raw, but he's a world class athlete and, as a result, it will be interesting to see if Gamecocks head coach Dave Odom can develop him into an impact player in the tough Southeastern Conference.  But, of course, that's why Odom makes the big bucks.  We also have confirmed that Wyoming has landed 6'8 Travis Nelson from Marion (Linn-Mar) IA and New Mexico has landed 6'9 Daniel Farris from Albuquerque (El Dorado) NM, 6'7 Chris Dunn from Mesa (JC) AZ, and 6'9 Joel Box from John Wood (JC) IL. 

Monday, September 6, 2004, and Tuesday, September 7, 2004

I've been promising for the better part of the last two weeks to publish our updated ranking of the top seniors nationally, which came be found by Class of 2005, and it should come as no surprise that 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA gets the nod as the #1 player in the class.  However, it gets a little more difficult after that as there is not a lot of difference among 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, and 6'8 Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, who are the next seven players in order on the list.  We also find some interesting things that deserve special attention.  First, while the top of the class is mediocre at best, the class appears to have more depth than we originally thought, as is evident by the fact that 7'0 Rashaad Singleton from Graceville (H.S.) FL, 6'2 Austin Johnson from Amarillo (Palo Duro) TX, 6'8 Rashad Chase from Atlanta (Mays) GA, 6'9 Cyrus McGowan from Meridian (H.S.) MS, 6'6 Jevon Shepherd from Scarborough (West Hill) ON, 6'1 Curtis Jerrells from Del Valle (H.S.) TX, 6'10 Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT, 6'8 Brandon Wolfe from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'7 Lawrence Kinnard from Memphis (Raleigh-Egypt) TN, 6'9 Chad Millard from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, 6'9 Alade Aminu from Stone Mountain (Stephenson) GA, 6'1 Darryl Merthie from Lake Mary (H.S.) FL, 6'6 Joey Shaw from Chandler (H.S.) AZ, 6'8 Cassan Breeden from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'8 John Garcia from Brentwood (H.S.) TN, 6'5 Charles Little from Cleveland (H.S.) TN, 6'1 Austin Jackson from Denton (Ryan) TX, 6'5 Brian Asbury from Miami (South Miami) FL, 6'10 Brett Hoerner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA, 5'11 Deonta Vaughn from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN, 6'7 Derrick Brown from Dayton (Chaminade-Julienne) OH, 6'6 Kiwan Smith from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, 6'3 Jessie Sapp from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, and 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL are all good enough to be ranked among our top 100 nationally, but end up being ranked in order from 101 to 125 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Second, seven different schools have already landed more than one player ranked among our top 40 seniors nationally, as Duke already has verbal commitments from 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE; North Carolina already has verbal commitments from 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL, and 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA; Louisville already has verbal commitments from 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, and 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA; Syracuse already has verbal commitments from 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY; Kansas already has verbal commitments from 6'2 Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK and 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA; Texas already has verbal commitments from 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY and 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX; and Marquette already has verbal commitments from 6'2 Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL and 6'3 Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI.   And, if you include our ranking of the top 5th Year Players, Memphis would also be included on this list, because the Tigers already have verbal commitments from 6'9 Shawne Williams from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and 6'5 Antonio Anderson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and Mississippi would come close to making the list, because 6'9 Carl Swanigan would be the equivalent of a top 40 senior nationally and 6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL just misses being ranked among our top 40 seniors.  Ironically, Duke, Syracuse, Kansas, Texas, and Marquette have made NCAA Final Four appearances in the last two years and North Carolina and Louisville are two of the top programs in college basketball.   In other words, Memphis and Mississippi are in pretty fast company!  Third, six of the top 10, 15 of the top 25, 28 of the top 50, and 54 of the top 100 seniors are already off the board.  We're talking about 6'2 Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA to Georgia, 6'9 Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN to Duke, 6'4 Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS to Mississippi State, 6'9 Tyler Hansbrough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO to North Carolina, 6'9 Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA to Louisville, 6'3 Eric Devendorf from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Syracuse, 6'3 Bobby Frasor from Chicago (Brother Rice) IL to North Carolina, 6'11 Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN to Notre Dame, 6'2 Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY to Syracuse, 6'2 Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY to Duke, 6'2 Mario Chalmers from Anchorage (Bartlett) AK to Kansas, 5'10 Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA to Louisville, 6'9 Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY to Texas, 6'7 Fendi Onobun from Alief (Taylor) TX to Arizona, 6'7 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA to Duke, 6'8 Micah Downs from Bothell (H.S.) WA to Kansas, 5'10 A.J. Abrams from Austin (McNeil) TX to Texas, 6'11 Eric Boateng from Middletown (St. Andrews) DE to Duke, 6'2 Jerel McNeal from Country Club Hills (Hillcrest) IL to Marquette, 6'6 Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles County) TN to Tennessee, 6'5 Marcus Ginyard from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA to North Carolina, 6'3 Wesley Matthews from Madison (Memorial) WI to Marquette, 6'9 David Weaver from Swannanoa (Owen) NC to Wake Forest, 6'5 Terrance Williams from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA to Louisville, 6'7 Joe Krabbenhoft from Sioux Falls (Roosevelt) SD to Wisconsin, 6'3 Michael Mercer from Snellville (South Gwinnett) GA to Georgia, 6'9 Marquis Young from Chicago (Austin) IL to Mississippi, 6'4 K.C. Rivers from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Wake Forest, 6'10 Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA to California, 6'5 Terrel Harris from Garland (South Garland) TX to Oklahoma State, 6'3 Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL to Purdue, 6'8 Lawrence Hill from Glendale (Deer Valley) AZ to Stanford, 6'3 Derwin Kitchen from Jacksonville (Raines) FL to Florida, 6'3 Lewis Clinch from Cordale (Crisp County) GA to Georgia Tech, 6'1 Dominic James from Richmond (H.S.) IN to Marquette, 6'8 Julius Powell from Newton (Conover) NC to Clemson, 6'6 Alonzo Gee from West Palm Beach (Dwyer) FL to Alabama, 7'0 Clarence Holloway from Chicago (Harlan) IL to Louisville, 6'4 David Huertas from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL to Florida, 6'5 Roderick Fleming from De Soto (H.S.) TX to Oklahoma State, 6'1 Josh Thornton from Wyoming Park (Caesar Rodney) DE to Georgetown, 6'4 Harvey Hale from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM to Wake Forest, 6'6 Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA to Notre Dame, 6'5 Jabari Currie from Detroit (Pershing) MI to DePaul, 6'6 Jaron Griffin from Manchester (H.S.) NJ to Rutgers, 6'6 Martellus Bennett from Sugar Land (Hightower) TX to Miami-FL for football, 6'6 Ben Raymond from Toledo (St. John's) OH to Xavier, 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL to Tennessee, to 6'7 Marcus Landry from Milwaukee (Vincent) W to Wisconsin, 6'7 Kevin Swinton from Greenboro (Dudley) NC to Wake Forest, 6'6 Courtney Fells from Shannon (H.S.) MS to N.C. State, 6'1 Henry Dugat from Dayton (H.S.) TX to Baylor, 6'5 Jose Garcia from Charlotteville (St. Annes-Belfield) VA to Richmond, and 6'2 Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ to Rutgers.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'6 Will Harris, who originally attended Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, then attended Troy (Redemption) NY, and is now at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, has verbally committed to the University of Nebraska.  And this comes on the heels of the verbal commitment that 6'3 Jamel White from Laurinburg (Institute) NC made to the Cornhuskers during the summer and the signings by 7'0 Alexis Maric from Burlington (Life Center) NJ and 6'5 Joe McCray from Laurinburg (Institute) NC a year ago.  Obviously this is a case, whereby, Nebraska assistant coach Scott Spinelli, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, has been able to take advantage of his strong international and prep school contacts.  Did know that Spinelli began his coaching career in the early 1990's when he was the head coach at Milford (Academy) CT and he actually is the one who started the program at Winchendon (School) MA in 1993?   Originally we had Harris pegged as an undersized power forward, but he convinced us during the summer that he shoots it well enough and is athletic enough to project as a wing forward at the big time college level.  Combine that with the fact that Harris is an excellent athlete and is a physical specimen and we're talking about a match-up problem waiting to happen.  Harris and White, who originally is from Brooklyn (Grady) NY, also will give Nebraska that New York City toughness.  The addition of Harris also moves Nebraska's recruiting class into a tie at #38, along with Xavier, Saint Louis, Michigan State, and UNLV, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, this is just one more illustration of why we think the Cornhuskers are on the right path.  Remember, the Cornhuskers showed dramatic improvement as they went from being 11-19 two years ago to 18-13 last season.  They also landed a recruiting class a year ago that included Maric, McCray, 6'9 Jim Ledsome from Severna Park (H.S.) MD, and 6'2 Marcus Perry from Southern Union (JC) AL, who was one of the best 2-guard in the junior college ranks last year.  We also have confirmed via our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson that 6'5 Jabari Currie from Detroit (Pershing) MI has verbally committed to DePaul.  Currie, who is a big time athlete and intense competitor who can shoot the lights out, can play both guard spots, as is evident by the fact that he was ranked as the 7th best point guard at the Reebok ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP in July.  Landing Currie right now also should give the Blue Demons the momentum that they need to get 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, who will be ranked #3 nationally in the senior class when we publish our national rankings later today.  Currently Wright's top four include DePaul, Illinois, Arizona, and Kansas.  But, if Wright picks the Blue Demons, it would more than make up for the fact that they lost 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT to the NBA last spring, plus it would show the new regime can get the top players in their own backyard to stay home.  Remember, they have done a great job recruiting nationally, as they landed 6'4 Draelon Burns from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'11 Aking Elting from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, 6'9 Jamal Nichols from Globe Tech (JC) NY, 6'1 Cliff Clinkscale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL, and 6'5 Marcus Malone from Compton (Dominguez) CA in last year's recruiting class and signed 6'5 Sammy Mejia from Cornwall on the Hudson (Storm King Prep) NY, 6'2 Tyler Smith from Philadelphia (Lutheran) PA, 6'8 Lorenzo Thompson from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'7 Marcus Heard from Springfield (Southeast) IL, and 6'9 Wesley Green from Eustis (H.S.) FL two years ago.  However, only two of the 12 players that the current regime has landed during the last two years are in-state kids.  And only one them is from Chicago, IL.  We also expect DePaul to land 6'6 Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX in the immediate future and when this happens, their recruiting class will move up to #27 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also understand that the University of Connecticut has moved up Andre LaFleur, who was the Director of Basketball Operations, to replace assistant coach Clive Vaughn.  LaFleur played at Northeastern for Huskies head coach Jim Calhoun and both played and coached professional in Australia prior to re-joining Calhoun's staff three years ago.  And LaFleur, who is an aggressive go-getter, is expected to play an important role this fall, as Calhoun and his staff attempt to land another inside player to complement 6'6 Jeff Adrian from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, who recently announced for the Huskies, and an athletic wing player.  As things stand now, it appears that 6'6 Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA will visit Connecticut on September 17th, 6'6 Marcus Williams from Seattle (Roosevelt) WA will visit Connecticut on September 24th, 6'11 Andrew Bynum from Metuchen (St. Joseph) NJ will visit Connecticut on October 22nd, and 6'6 Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY and 6'8 John Garcia from Brentwood (H.S.) NY both will visit Connecticut on October 29th.

Saturday, September 4, 2004, & Sunday, September 5, 2004

We've been predicting since the middle of July that 6'6 Tyler Smith from Pulaski (Giles (County) TN would go pick the University of Tennessee, so when our Tennessee Correspondent Andre Whitehead called today to tell us that's what happened, we weren't surprised.  However, this is still huge for the Volunteers for several reasons.  First, getting Smith, who is the #-ranked senior in the state, shows the Tennessee head coach Buzz Peterson and his staff can now get the top players in their backyard.  If you will recall, the Volunteers landed 6'4 Dane Bradshaw from Memphis (White Station) TN from the Class of 2003 and 7'0 Justin Herndon from Nashville (Donelson) TN from the Class of 2002 and they got 6'5 Scooter McFadgon, who transferred from Memphis to Tennessee, two years ago, but otherwise, the current regime has relied on out-of-state players to build the program.  And they aren't done yet, because right now it's a war between Memphis and Tennessee for 6'4 Jamont Gordon, who transferred from Nashville (Glencliff) TN to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA this summer.   Second, Smith is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Volunteers, because he's the big time athlete that they will need to help replace McFadgon a year from now and 6'5 Jr Stanley Asumnu and 6'7 Jr Andre Patterson, who sat out last year after transferring from UCLA, two years from now.  Third, the addition of Smith moves Tennessee's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Joey Cameron from Leeds (H.S.) AL and 6'3 Jarvis Hill from Starkville (H.S.) MS, into a tie at #15, along with Wisconsin, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We also have confirmed that the College of Charleston has pulled off a major coup this weekend, as the Cougars have beaten schools like Texas A&M, Baylor, and UNLV for 6'7 David Lawrence from Daytona Beach (JC) FL.  We're talking about somebody who can shoot the lights out and is widely regarded as one of the top junior college wing players in the nation and, as a result, the College of Charleston's recruiting class moves up into a tie at #15, along with Wisconsin and Tennessee, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  But even more important, Lawrence and 6'5 Brian Greene from Santa Fe (JC) FL, who verbally committed to the College of Charleston last month, will step in and immediately challenge 6'7 Tavon Nelson from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'7 J.R. Hairston from Fork Union (Military) VA, all of whom were a part of last year's recruiting class, for immediate playing time at the wing spots.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that all of these players will be the same age, because Nelson, Hammond, and Hairston all got an extra year of high school by going the prep school route.  And the same also can be said about other three players that the College of Charleston landed a year ago, as 6'8 Josh Jackson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA and 6'8 Jermaine Johnson from Winchendon (School) MA will be freshman this year and 6'11 Ben Brown from Richmond (Steward School) VA, who is going to prep school this year at Winchendon (School) MA, recently reaffirmed his commitment to the Cougars.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Brian Clifton tells us that over the weekend North Carolina offered 6'6 Soph Eric Wallace from Kernersville (Glenn) NC a scholarship and Clemson offered 6'7 Soph Marshall Moses from Aiken (H.S.) SC a scholarship and our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley tells us that 5'10 JaJuan Spillman from Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY is expected to verbally commit to the University of Louisville to play football tomorrow or the next day.  Our guess is that Spillman's 307 yards, five touchdowns, and a huge interception a triple-overtime thriller against Louisville (Seneca) KY helped seal the deal.  However, this is important for our purposes too, because Spillman also is the best basketball player in the senior class in the state and, as a result, wants to also explore his options on the hardword.  So it's safe to assume that Spillman will red-shirt in football his first year in college and play basketball.  Then, Spillman will sit down and make the real decision with regards to which sport he actually is going to play.  And it wouldn't surprise us if he ultimately picked basketball because he's got jet-like speed and quickness, can shoot the lights out, and has a lot of savvy at the point guard spot.   In other words, the only thing holding Spillman back in basketball is his lack of height, which is why he may also pick football (when we start talking about long range potential football he may have NFL potential as a defensive back).  Spillman also appears to be following the footsteps of 6'4 Maurice Gridner from Louisville (Fairdale) KY, who also is one of the top five seniors in the state in basketball and already has verbally committed to play football and be a walk-on for the Cardinals.

Friday, September 3, 2004

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Boston College has landed 6'3 Marquez Haynes from Irving (H.S.) TX, Delaware has landed 6'4 Zaire Taylor from Goldsboro (Charis Prep) NC, and 6'2 Craig Moore from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ has picked Northwestern over Pennsylvania, Monmouth, Rider, American University, and Boston University.  Haynes is a legitimate sleeper nationally, as is evident by the fact that he didn't attend any of the three major shoe company camps and is no place to found on most peoples national rankings.  However, Haynes is a big time athlete, excellent student, and is capable of playing either guard spot, although he's more of a slasher than a shooter.  Taylor was ranked as #93 in the senior class in New York City by Ron Naclerio in his report in late June, but it appears that Taylor developing into a point guard and, as a result, the value of his stock is dramatically on the rise.  Moore is the lights out 3-point shooter who helped lead the New Jersey All-Stars to the championship at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC.  So he should fit into Northwestern's system perfectly.  We also have confirmed that George Mason has landed 6'8 Chris Fleming from Osborne Park (H.S.) VA, but the best may be yet to come, because the Patriots also are among the leaders for 6'6 Sammy Hernandez from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, 6'8 Robert Diggs from Gwynn Park (Brandywine) MD, and 6'6 Paul Johnson from Washington (Gonzaga) DC.  And, if they get two of these three, George Mason, which currently doesn't hav a senior on the roster, will be perfectly positioned, as 6'1 Jr Tony Shine and 6'2 Jr Lamar Butler form what arguably will be the best backcourt duo in the league; 6'7 Jr Jai Lewis is the best center in the league; and 6'3 Frosh John Vaughn, 6'7 Frosh Will Thomas, 6'4 Frosh Florian Campbell, and 6'0 Frosh Jordan Carter promise to be four of the best freshmen in the league, for years to come.   And, while that's good news for the the Patriots, our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio gives us bad news about Hofstra, because 6'8 Sr Kenny Adeleke, who averaged 13.6 ppg and 9.2 rpg and was one of the best players in the league, has been dismissed from school.  We also understand that Dan McHale, who was a student manager at the University of Kentucky for four years and was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Louisville for two years, has been hired as the Director of Basketball Operations at Manhattan.  And, this is important, because McHale not only is the only person that we know of who has worked for both Tubby Smith and Rick Pitino, but he's also one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business.  Another one of the bright up-and-coming guys in the business - Mike Jarvis, II, who coached the New England Playaz club team this summer - has re-surfaced as an assistant coach for player development and is the head team manager at Duke University.  Obviously this puts Jarvis into a great position, because he not only is now in line for the next opening on the Duke coaching staff (Steve Wojciechowski, Johnny Dawkins, and Chris Collins have all been mentioned for numerous head coaching jobs in recent year and the smart money says one of them will move onto bigger and better things), but it also should enhance his chances of getting a head coaching job (i.e. Boston University when Dennis Wolff moves up the ladder).  This move also will help make the St. John's debacle a thing of the past for Jarvis.  And it's too bad that this also isnt' the case for Redmen.com.   As a matter of fact, it appears that Redmen.com has slipped from being the best source of information on St.  John's basketball into just another fan web site that is usually a day late and a dollar short on providing fans with the best information available.  Part of the problem stems from the fact they can't get over Jarvis', who may not have been a great fit at St. John's, but are two of the best people in the business, as well as excellent basketball coaches.   However, an even bigger part of the problem is that Sam Albano, who for years was the driving force behind this web site, as well as extremely well connected not only to St. John's, but also to numerous people in the basketball world, no longer is contributing to this site.  And that is too bad.  Speaking of being a day late and dollar short, our source appears to have been wrong earlier this week with regards to 6'11 Jr Jarosaav Tyrna from the Czech Republic, 6'9 Jr Pierre Epouner from Cameroon, and 6'11 Frank Monge from San Juan Puerto Rico, all of whom have surfaced this fall at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  If you will recall, we reported that all three would be playing for the Houston Hoops club team program next summer and that Tyrna was already verbally committed to Baylor.  Well, Al Jones of the Houston Westside All-Star tells us that he was responsible for helping bring all three players to the United States by him and he assures us that they will be playing for the Houston Westside All-Stars and not the Houston Hoops next summer.  We also have been told by a source close to Baylor that a verbal commitment to the Bears by Tyrna has not been forthcoming.  At least not yet!  So stay tuned!  We also have received word from our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff about 6'6 C.J. Miles from Dallas (Skyline) TX having narrowed his list of schools down to Texas, Kansas, and Georgia Tech.  And right now it looks like it's too close to call!

Thursday, September 2, 2004

We've been telling you for the better part of the last year that 6'7 Tasmin Mitchell from Denham Springs (H.S.) LA, who will be ranked #7 nationally in the senior class when we publish our updated rankings within the next several days, was a done deal for LSU.  Well, the word we're getting is that we won't have to wait much longer, as a verbal commitment by Mitchell to the Tigers is imminent in the very near future.  And, assuming that we're right, the addition of Mitchell would move LSU's recruiting class, which also includes 6'9 Kentrell Gransberry from San Jacinto (JC) TX and 6'11 Chris Johnson from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, into a tie at #4, along with Marquette, and Oklahoma State, and Georgia, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, even more important, Mitchell appears to be the final piece to the puzzle.  If you will recall, LSU landed a recruiting class two years ago, which included 6'8 Brandon Bass from Baton Rouge (Capitol) LA, 6'7 Regis Koundjia from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 5'10 Taurean Minor from Houston (Washington) TX, 6'8 Ross Neltner from Ft. Thomas (Highlands) KY, and 6'7 Darrell Lazare from Baton Rouge (Woodlawn) LA.  Then, a year ago they followed with a class that included 6'8 Glenn Davis from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, 6'8 Tyrus Thomas from Baton Rouge (McKinley) LA, and 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA.  In other words, when Mitchell finally makes it official for LSU, the Tigers will be perfectly positioned to become one the most dominant teams in college basketball a year from now.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 Harvey Hale from Albuquerque (Rio Grande) NM has verbally committed to Wake Forest and both Johnson and Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report inform us that 6'3 Nate Minnoy from Chicago (Hales Franciscan) IL has verbally committed to Purdue.  Hale is one of the best defensive guards in the nation, which is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Demon Deacons.   Hale also should provide an excellent complement to 6'9 David Weaver from Swannanoa (Owen) NC and 6'7 Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, both of whom already have verbally committed to the Demon Deacons, and, as a result, Wake Forest's recruiting class moves up to #14 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  We still question whether Minnoy is quick enough to play on the perimeter and big enough to play inside, but nobody has more heart or plays any harder, which explains why we will plan to rank him #53 nationally in the senior class when we publish our rankings of the Top 500-plus Seniors within the next several days.  Minnoy also is an important catch for the Boilermakers, which are in the process of making the transition from Gene Keady to Matt Painter, because he helps re-establish Purdue's recruiting base in both the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois (currently the Purdue's roster includes seven players from Indiana, two from Michigan, and one each from Wisconsin, Colorado, and the St. Louis area).  In another interesting turn of events, it looks like 6'8 Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL has added Kansas back onto his list, which also includes Arizona, DePaul, and Illinois.   If you will recall, last winter Schmidt predicted that Kansas would get Wright primarily due to former Kansas assistant coach Norm Roberts strong Illinois ties.  However, when Roberts left to take the St. John's job, the Jayhawks faded out of the picture.  But now Kansas has an in-home visit scheduled with Wright for a week from today on September 9th, and, then, things could really get interesting, if they can get him to make an official on-campus visit later this fall.  We also have confirmed that Northeastern assistant coach Frank Martin, as predicted, has accepted a similar position at the University of Cincinnati.  And it appears that Martin is working fast, because Johnson tells us that the Bearcats are now one of the final five, along with Ohio State, Miam-FL, Arkansas, and Wake Forest, for 6'0 Denis Clemente from Miami (Calusa Prep) FL.  Johnson also tells us that Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Xavier are fighting it out, along with N.C. State, for 6'8 Ben McCauley from Pittsburg (Yough) PA.  And this is interesting, because Ohio State head coach Thad Matta and assistant coaches John Groce and Alan Majors previously were at Xavier and Ohio State assistant coach Dan Peters previously was at Cincinnati and Xavier assistant Monte Mathis was previously at Ohio State, which means they all started out recruiting McCauley when they were at another school.  Johnson also tells us that 7'0 Jr Greg Oden from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 60 Jr Michael Conley from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Jr Richard Semrau from Rocky River (Lutheran West) OH, 6'4 Jr Daequan Cook from Dayton (Dunbar) OH, and 6'5 David Lighty from Cleveland (St. Joseph) OH will all be making unofficial visits to Ohio State this weekend.  And this is important, because the Buckeyes obviously are taking advantage of Matta's strong contacts from his days at Butler and Ohio State to get a great head-start on the future.  Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Wilson Chandler from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI will make unofficial visits (Chandler hasn't take the the SAT yet, so he can't take any official visits) to DePaul, Michigan, and Ohio State within the next month, that 6'10 Brayden Bell from Salt Lake City (Brighton) UT plans to visit Ohio State sometime this fall, and that the Buckeyes also are targeting 6'5 Chris Douglas-Roberts from Detroit (Northwestern) MI.

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Did you know that Steve Flint is no longer at the University of San Diego?  We're talking about one of the most astute assistant coaches and best recruiters in the nation and this is important, because 6'11 Abdolaye Ndiaye from Southern Idaho (JC) ID, who signed with the Toreros last fall, now appears destined to return to junior college for another year and, as a result, is suddenly back on the board.  Remember, Ndiaye arrived in the United States a year ago, thanks primarily to Flint's strong international contacts, and emerged into one of the best freshmen in the junior college ranks last winter.  So it stands to reason that wherever Flint ends up, Ndiaye will follow.  And, despite the fact that Ndiaye already is academically eligible and, as a result, would be able to step in and play at a four-year Division I school this fall, Ndiaye going back to junior college will give Flint the time he needs to surface someplace else.  Another player who falls into a similar category is 6'11 Jr Jarosaav Tyrna from the Czech Republic, who has surfaced this fall at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  And it appears that Baylor stashed him there, as is evident by the fact that we've added Tyrna to our list of verbal commitments.  But, unlike 6'6 Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'8 Chris Roquemore from Alvin (Livingston Christian) TX, and 6'0 Jihad Muhammed from San Jacinto (JC) TX, all of whom verbally committed to Baylor in the last year, but later reneged, the verbal commitment by Tyrna will hold up, just like their verbal commitments did a year ago when they landed 6'11 Mamadou Diene from the Senegal and 6'2 Aaron Bruce from Horsham, Australia, who were the two best players in Baylor's 2004 recruiting class.  We're talking about a 6'11 skilled wing player who is good enough to be ranked in the 50-100 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and will play for the Houston Hoops club team program next summer.  In other words, it looks like Baylor head coach Scott Drew and his staff have a major steal on their hands.   And you can bet Baylor also will make a strong push for 6'9 Jr Pierre Epouner, who originally is from Cameroon, but also has surfaced this fall at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  Not only are we talking about a big time athlete and extremely smart player both on and off the court, but at 6'9, 280 pounds, Epouner is skilled and versatile enough to play the two, three, four, and five spots.  He also is good enough to be ranked even higher than Tyrna.  Epouner also plans to play for the Houston Hoops club team program next summer, so you know that Hal Pastner has to be smiling ear-to-ear.  And, if that weren't enough, it also appears that 6'11 Frank Monge from San Juan Puerto Rico has surfaced at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX.  However, unlike Tyrna and Epouner, Monge is more of a project, plus he's a senior, instead of a junior.  But, like they say, you can't teach somebody to be 6'11. We also understand that Russell Johnson, who is the new head coach Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX has several other foreign players in the program and, as a result, it appears that he is doing a great job of following the footsteps of Jerome Tang, who build the program, but left Heritage Christian to become an assistant coach at Baylor at this time last year.  We also understand that 5'11 David Devezin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX is close to making a verbal commitment to Texas A&M.  And this would be a great catch for the Aggies, because Devezin has the talent, athleticism, and work ethic necessary to develop into a coach on the floor at the next level.  So while Baylor is using their numerous international contacts to build a strong foundation, it appears that Texas A&M head coach Billy Gillispie and his staff, whose first recruiting class included 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, 6'7 Edjuan Green from Temple (JC) TX, 6'4 Dominique Kirk from Dallas (Bryan Adams) TX, 6'2 Kenneth White from Dallas (Molina) TX, and 6'9 Slade Weishuhn from Wall (H.S.) TX, are using their strong in-state contacts to get it done right in their backyard.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'3 Steve Profeta from Bridgeville (Charters Valley) PA has verbally committed to St. Francis-PA, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson reports that 6'4 Jr Ron Lewis is transferring from Bowling Green to Ohio State, and our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'8 Gaston Essengue from Compton (JC) CA has picked UNLV over USC and Wyoming.   Essengue joins 6'7 Joe Darger from Riverton (H.S.) UT, who picked the Runnin' Rebels a week ago.  Essengue, who is a 6'8, 240 pound beast inside, also could be the first domino to fall among the four players that UNLV had on campus this past weekend, all of whom are prime recruiting targets for the Runnin' Rebels.  As things stand, now we have UNLV's recruiting class tied at #35, along with College of Charleston, Xavier, Saint Louis, and Michigan State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.  However, if Runnin' Rebels also get 6'1 Jovan Adams from Houston (Gulf Shores) TX, 6'3 Sylvester Mayes from Redlands (JC) OK, and 6'6 Wendall White from Antelope Valley (JC) CA, then their recruiting class would move up to #4, behind Louisville, Duke, and North Carolina and ahead of Marquette, Oklahoma State, Georgia, Notre Dame, Mississippi, Memphis, and Alabama, our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2005.