TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION

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Tuesday, September 30, 2003

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that it's finally official for 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, as the player who is the #13-ranked senior and the #4-ranked point guard nationally by the HOOP SCOOP picked the University of Connecticut earlier today.   Price not only is the ideal replacement for Taliek Brown, who has been the starting point guard for the Huskies for four years, but he also ironically gets the edge over 6'1 Josh Wright from Utica (H.S.) NY, who recently picked Syracuse over Connecticut, because he's more of prolific scorer.  Price also is a pure point guard, which means that Connecticut could be even better with him in the line-up a year from now.  And that's saying a lot, because the Huskies currently are the consensus pre-season #1-ranked team in college basketball.  We also don't think 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who is ranked #8 in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, won't be too far behind.   Remember, we've already reported that we think Gay's final two schools are Connecticut and Maryland and, if it happens any time soon, it's going to the Huskies.  However, the longer Gay drags it out, the more time the Terrapins will have to take advantage of the fact that Gay has always been a Maryland fan.  But let's say that Connecticut does get Gay.  Not only would this move their two-man recruiting class up to #11 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it also would mean they've already replaced all three of the players that may declare hardship and enter the NBA Draft after the current season.  Obviously the three players we're talking about going pro are Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, and Charlie Villaneuva and three players replacing them would be Price, Gay, and 6'7 Ed Nelson, who transferred from Georgia Tech to Connecticut last spring and will sit out this season.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Brian Clifton tells us that 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, appears to be on-again for Georgia Tech, as the press conference is scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd.   And we don't think Frederick's best friend and AAU teammate - 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP - will be too far behind.  But it is still possible that 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, whose final two appear to be Louisville and Georgia Tech, may beat him to the punch.  And that happens, may put Dickey on hold and wait to see what happens with 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, whose top four are still Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Louisville, and Kentucky, and even 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, who has Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Duke on his list, but is expected to by-pass college altogether and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.   Another player who likely will by-pass college altogether is 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON.  Not only is Chiriaev that good, but he also might be the best kept secret right now on the North American continent.  We say that because several people that we've talked to who have seen Chiriaev play and/or work out recently think he is one of the best players they've ever seen at his age.  One person tells us that Chiriaev reminds you of Charlie Villaneuva, but he's bigger, stronger, and a much better ball handler than Villanueva.  Another person tells us that the Dirk Nowitzki comparison is a good one, but Nowitzki is bigger and stronger physically and that Chiriaev is a better passer and handler.  And making the story even more interesting are the reports that we get about Chiriaev being such a good playmaker that he can play some point guard at 7'1.  He also has the 3-point shooting range and athleticism to play on the perimeter and the toughness, timing, and skills to play inside, which means the schools, like Kentucky, Iowa State, Memphis, and LSU, that have been recruiting him may be out of luck when it comes time to get him into college.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'3 Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA has verbally committed to North Carolina.  Are we missing something here?  First of all, we don't think Thomas is a pure point guard.  Second, with Roy Williams at the helm, the Tar Heels can get somebody comparable to Thomas even if they wait until next spring.  Remember, we have Thomas ranked #94 nationally in the senior class and it seems like everybody wants to play for the Tar Heels right now.  Third, North Carolina was in great shape with 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, or 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, we've been hearing lately that North Carolina (not Duke) was the leader for Livingston.  Sure, one-in-the-hand is worth two-in-the-bush and Williams is one of the most astute recruiters, as well as one of the best coaches, in the business, but we still question whether taking Thomas right now was the best move. 

Monday, September 29, 2003

This is not confirmed, but our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio is telling us that it looks like 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Kansas.  And, if this is the case, then that would make 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL a must recruit for the University of Kentucky.  If you will recall, we thought the Wildcats were the team you had to beat for both Robinson and Rich.  Not only did we not see this coming, but it puts to rest the theory that Kansas can't get a top level player from the Northeast.  If you will recall, the last player that went to Kansas from the Northeast was Wilt Chamberlain.  So, if the verbal commitment by Robinson to Kansas holds up, you can also bet that the Jayhawks coaching staff will be using this as a selling point as they attempt to get 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, whose final two schools appear to Kansas and Connecticut.  You also can rest assured that some Dee Brown and Deron Williams comparisons will be in order, if the Jawhawks hit the daily double and get them both.   Remember, Brown and Williams both played last year as freshman togother at Illinois for new Kansas head coach Bill Self.  However, our guess is that Price will pick Connecticut, but we expect the Jayhawks to win another big one, as 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, who is ranked #37 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is expected to pick Kansas over Duke later this week.  Naclerio also tells us that Providene and Pittsburgh are the leaders for 6'0 Ronald Ramone from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, but, if Ramone picks Pittsburgh, it will be interesting to see if the Panthers accept the verbal commitment.  Remember, Pittsburgh is also one of the favorites, along with Kansas, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Connecticut, for 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who is ranked #26 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, Pittsburgh may be able to take a borderline top 100 player now or get a borderline McDonald's All-American later.  Lowry also tells us that he's still open and that other schools can still get involved.  If you will recall, Lowry was close to verbally committing to Syracuse, but then the Orangemen got 6'1 Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  One school that may want to take our advise about jumping into the hunt for Lowry, if they can't close the deal in the immediate future with 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, is the University of Louisville.  If you will recall, we've been reporting since the end of July that Telfair has told Louisville head coach Rick Pitino that he plans to become a Cardinal, but he has yet to publicly announce his decision.  Sure, Lowry isn't quite as good as Telfair, but Lowry will be a four-year player, is a tremendous competitor, and he doesn't have the attitude.  We also are anticipating decisions in the immediate future from 6'9 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO, who is expected to pick Arkansas or Texas Tech, and 6'8 Taj Grey from Redlands (JC) OK, whose final three are Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M.  If Arkansas gets either or both, then the Razorbacks will be well stocked with great inside players in this recruiting class, as 6'9 Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who is the #2-ranked senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'11 Steve Hill from Bronson (H.S.) MO, who is ranked #61 nationally in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, are already in the fold.  Our guess is that Texas Tech may have the edge with Richards, because he was in Lubbock, TX on an official visit over the weekend.  In Grey's case, it's too close call between the Razorbacks and the Sooners.  Colorado, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, Richmond, and Washington are the favorites for 6'7 Richard Robey from Lawrence (Groton Academy) MA.  The list for 6'2 Cliff Clinkscale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL includes Florida State, Georgia, South Florida, Connecticut, Providence, and Charlotte.  Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas appear to be the early favorites for 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC and the early leader for 6'9 Jr Chad Millard from Manchester (Trinity) NH appears to be, believe it or not, Missouri.   The top three schools for 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY are Pittsburgh, Florida, and Louisville, which leads us to believe that if you're Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino, you might not want to take a verbal commitment from 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, if one is forthcoming, until you know what Palacios and 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA are going to do.  Our guess is that Johnson will verbally commit to the Cardinals almost immediately, but, in the case of Palacios, this one will probably drag out until spring.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, who is ranked #78 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the upside, talent, and potential to move much higher, has verbally committed to Miami-FL..  Obviously this is the result of the efforts of Hurricanes assistant coach Kurtis Townsend, who also recruited Giles's teammates - 6'4 Lodrick Stewart and 6'4 Rodrick Stewart - a year to USC. 

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, who is ranked #15 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, has verbally committed to the University of Memphis and this is huge for a number reasons.  First, Dorsey is a big time athlete who does all the dirty work inside, but also is capable of playing out on the perimeter, which is where he will project down the road in the NBA.  Second, while he has played so well this fall at Laurinburg (Institute) NC that head coach Chris Chaney thinks Dorsey is the best player on team, ahead of 6'10 Jackie Butler and 6'10 Longar Longar, we're still talking about somebody who should be in college for three or four years.  Remember, there is a premium on size and, as a result, undersized inside guys who are trying to make the transition to wing forward are a dime a dozen when it comes to the NBA.  Third, getting Dorsey gives the Tigers a strong connection to the Laurinburg program, which could prove to be extremely valuable in the future, as this promises to be one of the premier prep school programs in the nation for years to come.  Fourth, getting Dorsey moves Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'7 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'9 Robert Dozier from Lithonia (H.S.) GA, and 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, up to #3, behind Indiana and Texas and ahead of Missouri and Louisville, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Fifth, Dorsey should give Memphis head coach John Calipari  as good a forward duo as there is in the league for years to come.  If you will recall, Williams is ranked #23 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and he led Memphis YOMCA to the 17-Under AAU National Championship in Orlando, FL en route to MVP honors.  Sixth, getting Dorsey establishes that Calipari and his staff have not lost their touch, despite the fact that Steve Roccaforte, who is one of the top assistant coaches in the nation, has moved onto a similar position at Lamar, where he is the heir apparent to become the head coach when Billy Tubbs finally retires for good.  Remember, Memphis had the best recruiting class in the nation when they landed 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ; 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, 6'0 Antonio Burks from Hiwassee (JC) TN, and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL in the Class of 2001.  They also had the #45-ranked recruiting class by the HOOP SCOOP when they landed 6'8 Almamy Thiero, 6'8, PF, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Jeremy Hunt from Memphis (Craigmont) TN, 6'5 Rodney Carney from Indianapolis (Northwest) IN, and 6'0 Clyde Wade from Winchendon (School) MA, and 6'9 Kamua Canton from Mineral Area (JC) MO in the Class of 2002 and the #78-ranked recruiting class last spring, despite the fact they lost 6'10 Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozen) TX to the NBA, with 6'7 Sean Banks from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ, 6'8 Ivan Lopez from Norfolk (Ryan Academy) VA, and 6'7 Keena Young from Beaumont (Ozen) TX.   They also added Billy Richmond, who transferred from Vanderbilt to Memphis two years ago. 

We told you many times when Scott Drew was at Valparaiso that nobody recruited international players any better than he did.  We also have mentioned on several occasions during the last year that Jerome Tang, who was the the head coach at Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX and is now an assistant coach at Baylor, was one of the best recruiters in the nation.  So when Drew hired Tang several weeks ago, we knew that this was great move.  Not only will Baylor have a tremendous advantage in terms of recruiting all the good young players that already are at Heritage Christian, but now the Baylor coaching staff will have a place where they can stash foreign players that they're involved with who want to come to the United States to play basketball and get an education.  And in both cases this already is happening, as 6'7 Jr Rashad Woods from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX made a verbal commitment to the Bears over the weekend and 5'8 Soph Brandon Brown from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX will likely make a verbal commitment to the Bears in the near future.  Speaking of the early verbal commitment by Woods, he hasn't blown up nationally yet, but those in the know in Houston, TX are telling us that Woods is a legitimate top 50-100 range junior nationally and that if Baylor hadn't pulled the trigger right away, Arizona would have offered this lefty combo forward who is strong and physcial inside, but also shoots it very well from beyond the arc.  Baylor also already has a verbal commitment from 6'11 Manadou Diene from Senegal in this year's recruiting and several more verbal commitments from foreign players may be in the way.  As a matter of fact, Drew is overseas working on getting that done as we speak.  We also have confirmed that Fordham has beaten IUPUI, Austin Peay, Murray State, Bradley, Assumption, and Youngstown State for 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN.  However, don't let Greene's list of schools fool you.  Remember, this is the guy who used his athleticism to block shots, rebound, and score around the basket and hit big 3-pointers when we saw him against the Atlanta Celtics in the adidas Big Time Tournament in July.  Thus, explains why we have Greene ranked #85 nationally in the senior class.  It also appears that 5'8 Ryan Lamb from Mableton (Whitefield) GA has verbally committed to Marshall, 6'4 Paul Cummins from South Kent (Prep) CT has verbally committed to Lafayette, 6'2 David Bauman from Freeport (Area) PA has verbally committed to Albany, and 6'5 Ben Coblyn from Amherst (H.S.) MA has verbally committed to Boston University.  Lamb is small, but he makes people better, is fundamentally sound, and more than just keeps you honest with his outside shooting.  Cummins is an excellent catch for Lafayette, because he plays hard, shoots it well, and is an excellent defender.  Bauman can flat out shoot the lights out and Coblyn is a physical specimen inside. 

Saturday, September 27, 2003, and Sunday, September 28, 2003

Earlier this week we told you that we thought Seton Hall was close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, but we didn't expect him to make it official last night at the 2003 Gym Rat Midnight Madness at Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, NJ.  Obviously this is huge for the Pirates, because Cerasoli will provide Seton Hall head coach Louis Orr with a point guard with size, athleticism, the ability to get to the basket, and deep 3-point shooting range.  Cerasoli also promises to be one of the best players in the Big East, as is evident by the fact that he is ranked #17 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, plus he put on one of the top performances at the adidas Big Time Tournament in July and last night had 28 points and hit five 3-pointers in the All-American Game at the 2003 Gym Rat Midnight Madness.  Cerasoli tells us that he picked the Pirates for Georgia Tech, Georgia, and Memphis and, as result, Seton Hall's recruiting class, which also includes 6'5 Brian Lainge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #79 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, moves into a tie at #23, along with Michigan State, Michigan Purdue, and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And it could move even higher, if Pirates assistant coach Billy Garrett is able to once again take advantage of his strong Illinois ties and get either 6'6 Gordon Wyatt from Evanston (Township) IL or 6'7 Ollie Bailey from Chicago (Farragut) IL, both of whom are undersized power forwards, but are ranked #115 and #148, respectively, nationally.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report also thinks Saint Louis is close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'5 Tommie Liddell from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, who is ranked #198 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Big Apple Sports is reporting that 6'3 Marcus Elliott from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL has verbally committed to Louisiana Tech, 6'7 Dillion Sneed from Colby (JC) KS has verbally committed to Nebraska, 5'11 Mose Howard from Iowa Western (JC) IA has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City.  Actually we reported the Howard commitment a week ago, which is ironic, because Big Apple Sports is usually one of our best sources of information with regards to junior college signings.  We also have received word for our Washington, DC Area Editor Steve Turner that Georgetown has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'8 Jeff Green from Hyattsville (Northwestern) MD, who has come on like gangbusters during the last six months, but didn't play on the national circuit during the summer and, as a result, might be one of the most underrated players in the nation.  As a matter of fact, Turner is thinking about ranking Green, who runs the court, blocks shots, shoots the three, and has big time athleticism, as the #1 senior in his area when he finalizes his updated rankings later this fall.  Green also is versatile enough to play the three, four, and the five spots, which means he would be the perfect complement to 7'0 Roy Hibbert from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, if Hibbert ever lives up to his early hype.  If you will recall, Hibbert has incredible athleticism and natural talent, but he has not developed the toughness nor the consistency necessary to step in and make an immediate impact at the big time college level, much less be ranked among the top high school players in the nation.  However, if the light ever clicks on for Hibbert and Green continues to develop at his current pace, we could be talking about one of the best one-two inside punches in the Big East Conference in a couple of years.  But, for now, Georgetown's three-man recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Tyler Crawford from Staunton (Robert E. Lee) VA, is tied at #45, along with Colorado State and Washington State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also understand that 6'8 Jared Gaither from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD has verbally committed to South Carolina, 6'4 Chris Matthews from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD has verbally committed to James Madison, and 6'2 Mark Porter from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ and 6'5 Jamal Smith from Towson (Catholic) MD have both verbally committed to Wagner.  Porter, who teams with Columbia-bound 6'8 Ben Nwachukwu at Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, is one better two-guards in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey area, but he also has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to develop into a point guard and the quickness and athleticism  necessary to defend smaller and quicker guards, which means he will likely project as a point guard at the next level.  And Porter will need to make that transition, because Smith should project as one of the better players in the league from day one.  In other words, Smith not only is a legitimate sleeper who should be ranked in the 100-300 range nationally, but he is a strong physical 2-guard with a scorer's mentality and an excellent mid-range game.  We also expect Wagner to get 6'6 Justin Drummond from Baltimore (McDonough) MD, who is best described as a point/forward, because he's got good ball handling and passing skills and rebounds well, despite the fact he is long and lanky and only weighs 180 lbs.  Obviously new Wagner head coach Mike Deane and associate head coach Jim Meil, who was also part of the previous regime, have done a great job of identifying and landing players who will fit into their system.  But another key to their success is the fact that Meil's alma mater is Baltimore (McDonough) MD, which explains, at least in part, why we think Drummond is already a done deal for Wagner.  And, assuming that we're right, Drummond's verbal commitment will move Wagner's recruiting class into a tie at #48, along with Northeastern, Penn State, Texas A&M, and Nebraska, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004. 

Friday, September 26, 2003

We should nickname 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, "Off-again On-again" Frederick.   If you will recall, we told you in early August that Georgia Tech was the leader for Frederick.  Then, after five weeks went by, we reported that Frederick was not only a near lock to pick the Yellowjackets, but that a verbal commitment was imminent in the near future.  However, earlier this week it not only appeared that Frederick had opened things back up, but he was scheduled to make an official visit to the University of Kentucky this weekend.  But now we've received word that the visit to Kentucky has been cancelled and, once again, we've confirmed that Frederick plans to verbally commit to Georgia Tech.  Instead, we think Kentucky will get 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who is ranked #32 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and/or 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who is ranked #36 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, depending upon whether they decide to sign one or two guards in this recruiting class.  Rich made a visit to Southern Cal earlier this fall, but the word we get now is that Georgia Tech and Indiana are both out of the picture, which means it's really just a two-horse race.  And, if the Seminoles get 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, that will likely make Rich's decision easier, because the Seminoles will suddenly be stocked at the 2-guard spot.  If you will recall, a year ago Florida State landed 6'5 Vaketon Wafer from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, who finished tied at #10 in our final  ranking of the top players in the Class of 2003.  So by process of elimination, it appears that Rich is a near lock for the Wildcats.  We also believe that Kentucky's chances of getting Robinson are enhanced by the fact that St. John's appears to be totally out of the picture, Frederick is believed to be a near lock for Georgia Tech, Swann is believed to be a near lock for Florida State, and 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY is believed to be a near lock for Connecticut.  So let's assume the Wildcats decide to take both Rich and Robinson, they also get 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, who is ranked #6 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players, and they send 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WV to prep school for a year.  That would move Kentucky's recruiting class up to #5 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, plus it would give the Wildcats' coaching staff three outstanding players in this recruiting class.  Editor's Note: Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis tells us that LuAnn Humphrey of the NCAA has informed him that the open gym that he plans to have this weekend is considered an organized event and, as a result, NCAA Division I college coaches are not allowed to attend.  We find this interpretation amusing, because, by the definition of the rule, Davis is totally in compliance with the rules.  In other words, this is just more example of how the NCAA makes it up as they go along.  It's also too bad that Davis isn't independently wealthy and/or has a good lawyer who would work pro bono, because the NCAA would lose once if somebody had the time and the money to challenge them in court.  

This will be a big weekend for the HOOP SCOOP, because we'll be covering both the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament at College Park, MD, which will tip off tonight at 5:20 PM at the University of Maryland, and the 2003 Gym Rat Midnight Madness, which will be held tomorrow from 4:00 PM until Midnight at Eastern High School in Voorhees, NJ.  Some of the top players expected to participate in the Top Senior and Junior games, which will be the last two games of the evening, at the Gym Rat Midnight Madness, are 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 Josh Morris from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'9 Spencer Tollackson from Chaska (H.S.) MN, 6'1 Cliff Clinkscale from Ocala (Shores Christian) FL, 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'9 Jr Theo Davis from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, 6'9 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'2 Jr Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, and 6'9 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA.  The teams particpating in the Open Division at the Charlie Weber Invitational are the Atlanta All Stars, Baltimore Cecil Kirk, The Blue, Cegep de Ste-Foy, CIA, Charlotte United, Chesterfield Hawks, Clutch Performance, Connecticut Gold, Connnecticut Select, DC Assault, DC Blue Devils, DC Hawks, East Carolina Basketball, Eastern Ontario Guardsmen, Ft. Washington Clippers, First Baptist Crusaders, Greenbelt Raiders, Groove, Laurenberg Club, Long Island Panthers, Lynchburg Hoops, Harry's Cafe, Harvey Developmental, Maryland Blue, Maryland Stealth, Middesex Magic, Mustangs Basketball, National Christian Academy, New Hampshuire Playaz, New Jersey Roadrunner, Northeast Basketball, Norwalk Blue Blazers, Nova United, New York Elite, Pennsylvania Red Storm, Philadelphia Youth Organization, Philly Heat, Playaz Basketball Club Gold, Playaz Basketball Club Red, Positive Image, Run N Gun, Sam Rines, Southern Region Xplosion, Shooters, Topp Sports, Virginia's Finest, West Philly Bulldogs, and Woodbridge Hawks.  There is no doubt that many of the top players from the East Coast will be in attendance at the Charlie Weber Invitational, but the player we're looking forward to seeing the most is 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, Palacios returned to Columbia this summer and did not play in any of the events during the Summer Evaluation Period in July.  So it should come as no surprise that nobody to our knowledge has a good handle on his recruitment and which way he might be leaning.  We also are looking forward to seeing Palacios and comparing how he plays this weekend to when we saw him last.  We also hope to see 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, but when we talked to Charlie Weber yesterday, he was not prepared to give us a list of players who would in attendance.  However, some of the big names that we do expect to see include  6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, 6'5 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NJ, 6'8 James Gist from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, and 6'5 John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  For more information about this event and all Charlie Weber events, click onto www.charlieweberbasketball.com.

Thursday, September 25, 2003

Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton tells us that the press conference that the press conference that 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC had scheduled for earlier today was cancelled and that out of nowhere the legendary Joel Hopkins, who was the head coach at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC during the Tracy McGrady era and more recently was the head coach at Shaw University, has gotten involved with Bright's recruitment.  And that's too bad, because suddenly it looks like the decision is no longer in Bright's hands.  It also looks like Bright's recruitment may be starting over and, as a result, where he will end up now is anybody's guess.  We also understand that one of the biggest surprises in the prep school ranks so far this fall has been 6'8 Josh Jackson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA.  If you will recall, Jackson, who is originally from Aiken (South Aiken) SC, signed with the College of Charleston last spring, but didn't make it academically and, as a result,  they stashed him in prep school this year.  So it should come as no surprise that he Jackson has reaffirmed his commitment to the Cougars.  However, it probably will be a surprise to many that we are now ranking Jackson #16 on our list of the Top 5th Year Players behind 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC and ahead of 6'7 Richard Robey from Groton (Lawrence Academy) MA.  Not only has Jackson turned into a  monster inside, as he scores, rebounds, and doesn't take any prisoners in the paint, but he also has the ability to step out to mid-range and keep you honest with his 15-foot jumper, which means he potentially could play three different positions (center, power forward, and wing forward) at the college level.  Jackson also is so good right now that he would be a legitimate top 50-100 range player nationally, if we ranked him along with high school seniors.  We also might be talking about the best player that the College of Charleston has ever landed, which is saying a lot when one remembers former College of Charleston head coach John Kresse retired a year-and-a-half ago with a 560-143 record over 23 seasons and their current head coach Tommy Herrion, who already is well on his way towards establishing himself as one of the bright young head coaches in the business, picked up where Kresse left off last year with a 25-8 record.  Herrion and is staff also have been recruiting like crazy, as is evident by the fact that they signed Jackson, 5'11 (3) Dontaye Draper from Pawling (Trinity Pawling) NY, 6'9 Jeff Horowitz from Charlotte (North Mecklenburg) NC, and 6'7 Jabyron Wilson from Lake City (H.S.) SC in last year's recruiting class and already have Jackson, 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, and 6'10 Ben Brown from Richmond (Steward School) VA in the fold for this year.  Speaking of the College of Charleston's current recruiting class, the addition of Jackson moves their class into a tie at #27, along with Gonzaga, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'10 David Ellis from Sacramento (Capital) CA has verbally committed to Nevada and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Bucknell has landed 6'2 John Griffin from Philadelphia (St. Joseph's Prep) PA.   And Rubin thinks this is a good get, because Griffin, who is ranked #27 in the area by the HOOP SCOOP, is like a coach on the floor, as he shoots the three, is cocky and confident, and knows the game.  As a matter of fact, Griffin's father, John Griffin, Sr, used to be a Division I head coach at Siena and St. Joseph's.   Ellis originally committed to California a year ago, but has since backed out of that commitment.  Instead, Ellis will join 6'11 Nick Fazekas from Arvada (Ralston Valley) CO, who signed with the Wolf Pack a year ago, to give Nevada a pair of twin towers. 

We also have been wondering who Mike Byrnes has at Winchendon (School) MA.  As it turns out, Byrnes doesn't have any great players, but like he has had in recent years, but, top-to-bottom, this could be one of his best teams ever, which is saying a lot when one remembers that this is one of the best prep school programs in the nation year-in and year-out.  We start with 6'3 Robert McKiver from New Haven (Hillhouse) CT, who was the 2nd leading scorer at the adidas ABCD Camp.  And we think this is the perfect marriage, because McKiver is a strong physical guard with tremendous natural talent and athleticism, but he needs to learn how to play under control and in a system and Byrnes is an excellent coach, good teacher, and tough hardnosed disciplinarian.  Right now Virginia Tech, Clemson, and Cincinnati are showing the most interest.  They also have 6'4 Jesus Verdejo from Miami (Christian) FL, who originally signed with Temple, but now appears to be wide open.   In other words, this is one somebody that a school at the high major level could jump in on and steal, as Verdejo is a big time athlete who can shoot the three, is physically strong (benches 225-pounds), and has unlimited endurance and stamina.  Also with high major talent is 6'8 Frantz Dorsainvil from Elizabeth, NJ, who is best described as a beast around the basket.  Not only are we talking about somebody who "dunks with amazing strength, but also controls the backboards at both ends.  If he would play every possession, he could play anywhere."  Back from a year ago is 6'4 Donovan Morris from San Bernadino, CA, who scored 15 ppg and was recruited last season by schools like Providence, Marquette, and Penn State.  Morris has long arms, benches 225 lbs., and is a big time scorer, but he too needs to learn to play harder.  We reported several weeks ago that 6'7 Mantas Griskenas from Lituania and 6'7 Stuard Baldonado from Columbia both had verbally committed to Northeastern, but it appears that we jumped the gun with Baldonado.  Both are described as good mid-major players by Byrnes.   "Griskenas is very athletic (puts elbow in the basket), great perimeter shooter, strong, needs to learn the American game."  Baldonado has a very ugly game, everything around the basket, very long arms (Cedric Maxwell), looks sloppy, but produces stats (51 points against Puerto's Junior National Team last summer)."  Winchendon also will have plenty of depth, as 6'7 Louis Graham from West Palms, FL, 6'6 Jermaine Johnson from Anaheim, CA, 5'10 Dominique White from Champaign, IL, 6'7 Doug McLaughlin Williams from Reston, VA, 6'1 Jr Lukasz Grys from Poland, 6'4 Majiej Szlachtowicz from Poland, and 6'3 Michael Kach from Carmel, NY all figure to quality playing time.  Graham, who projects as a mid-major power forward, is major steal for Southern University.  Not only is he a great leaper, very strong, and active around the basket, but he also blocks shots, runs the court, and makes the 15-footer.  Byrnes tells us that Rhode Island is way out in front on Johnson, who is strong around the basket, plays much bigger than his size, and can step out and make the 17-footer.  White, who is returning for another season at Winchendon, is a very solid floor leader, a great on-the-ball defender,  and phyisically is strong enough to bench 275 lbs.  Illinois State, Evansville, Toledo, and Maine are showing the most interest, but right now White is still wide open.  Williams signed with Boston University last year, but they took the scholarship back and, as a result, this skilled wing guard is still available.  Grys was the first 16-year-old to make Poland's National Team.  Szlacktowicz, who is just learning the American game, is a shooter/slasher who doesn't back down from anybody.  Kach has a 38-inch vertical leap, Ivy League like guards, and a smart basketball mind. 

Wednesday, September 24, 2003

Last weekend 6'0 Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY was supposed to make an official to the University of Louisville, but it apparently was cancelled at the last minute.  Instead, Telfair plans to visit Louisville this weekend, along with 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  And it might be the perfect time for the Cardinals to close the deal in both cases.  If you will recall, we've already reported that on Tuesday, July 29th, Telfair called Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and told him that he plans to become a Cardinal.  However, Telfair has yet to make an official announcement.  Normally we would not count this as a a verbal commitment, but we can't name another school that is currently recruiting Telfair, so obviously the only other option would be for him to by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA Draft next spring.  And our guess is that will happen.  But first, we expect him to make it official publicly for the Cardinals this fall.  Johnson says that he is still considering Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Arizona, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina, but we don't think the Tar Heels are still in the hunt.  As a matter of fact, we've been told that North Carolina head coach Roy Williams has told Johnson that they are no longer interested.  We also understand that 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD and 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY not only had great visits to the University of Connecticut over the weekend, but also both may be close to making a verbal commitment to the Huskies.  But the longer it goes, the more we like Maryland's chances when it comes to Gay.  Remember, Gay has always been a Terrapins fan.  The competition for Price is Kansas and we've learned never to underestimate Jayhawks assistant coach Norm Roberts, who not only is one of the best recruiters in the nation, but has all kinds of Northeast ties, because he's originally from Queens, NY.  However, the last player from the Northeast to go to Kansas was Wilt Chamberlain and Storrs, CT is only a couple of hours drive from Amityville, NY.  Ironically, Roberts closed the deal on last fall on 6'9 Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NY when he was an assistant coach at Illinois, but after Bill Self left to take the Kansas job in the spring, Villanueva reneged and went to Connecticut.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio thinks Florida and Maryland are the leaders over UCLA, Villanova, and Virginia for 6'10 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, who was ranked #2 at the adidas ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and is ranked #4 on our 5th Year List, and he tells us that schools like Louisville, Indiana, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Kansas, UCLA, Florida, Texas, Memphis, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Connecticut, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Cleveland State have been calling the most about 6'9 Jr Theo Davis, who is now at Bayside (Cardozo) NY.   However, to our surprise, Naclerio has yet to get a call from St. John's about Davis.  In July we thought Temple was a near lock for 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, but with the limited number of scholarships the Owls have available in this recruiting class (as things stand now, they can only sign two - a guard and a big man), they appear to have more interest in 6'4 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, who is ranked #139 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but also is one of the most rapidly rising players in the senior class nationally.  So our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin thinks this puts St. Joseph's into the perfect position to close the deal with Carr.  We also believe that LSU is a lot stronger than most people realize with 6'4 Shane Foster from Kenner (Bonnabel) LA, who is ranked #57 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'10 Goran Sutton from Lansing (Everett) MI, who is ranked #134 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, especially after they made their official visits to Baton Rouge, LA last weekend.  St. Bonaventure, James Madison, Evansville, Eastern Kentucky, Furman, and Boston University are the schools you have to beat for 5'10 Artavius Fisher from Kingston (H.S.) NY and Georgia Tech and North Carolina are hanging in there with 6'3 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY just in case Syracuse can't close the deal.  We also have received  word via our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman about the University of Memphis getting a verbal commitment earlier today from 7'0 Kareem Cooper from Laurinburg (Charter) NC, who is ranked #320 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Wright, who also was ranked #12 at the center position by the HOOP SCOOP at the adidas ABCD Camp, does have the potential, upside, and skills to be ranked a lot higher, if he learns to play harder.   So like they say, you can't teach somebody to be 7-feet tall.  Besides, Memphis' recruiting class, which also includes 6'0 Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, 6'8 Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, and 6'9 Robert Dozier, 6'9, WF, Lithonia (H.S.) GA, is already ranked #8 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   In other words, Cooper appears to be a pretty good 4th player in what already is an excellent recruiting class.  We also understand that 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, who is ranked #33 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and it will be either Tennessee or Iowa State.  Our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton thinks it will be Iowa State, at least in part, due to Cyclones assistant coach Fred Quartlebaum's strong ties to the area.  Remember, Quartlebaum lived just down the road from Bright the last three years when he was an assistant coach at North Carolina. 

Our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis, who also is now the head basketball coach at McDonough (Community Christian) GA, tells us that he will have an open gym this Saturday from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Community Christian School in McDonough, GA and that the top prospects in the state are invited to attend.  So are Division I college coaches, plus Division I college coaches can encourage players that they want to see work out to attend.  In other words, this is a supervised work-out at a high school with the head coach present and, as a result, anybody who wants to show up and participate will be in compliance with the current NCAA rules and regulations.  And this should provide the coaches who show up with a major head start in terms of recruiting 7'0 Frosh Issa Bialla from Mali, 6'5 Soph Mamadou Marega from France, 5'7 Frosh Tyrone Bramble from Canada, 6'5 8th Grader Olu Sayey from Canada via Nigeria, and 6'0 8th Grader Jamal Crook from Louisville, KY, all of whom are already at Community Christian and attending classes.  Bialla is the 7-foot freshman that Davis thinks will be one of the best freshmen in the nation.  Marega was good enough to play on the African team that came to play in Dallas, TX against the United States Team 19-Under Team in June.  Bramble not only was the best freshman in Canada, but he also is being tabbed as the next Andrew Lavender.  Crook has a tremendous amount of potential, but it's his bloodline that gets your attention.  Did you know that Crook is related to former University of  Louisville starter Herb Crook and former UT-Chattanooga star Flenoil Crook, who was one of the best high school players to ever come out of the state when he played at Louisville (Central) KY in 70's?  Davis also expects to get 6'4 Soph Solomon Tat from Nigeria, 7'0 Soph Samba Dialo from The Senegal, 6'11 Soph Papedoudou Mdeng from The Senegal, 6'8 Soph Alonna Ejike from Nigeria, 6'5 Soph Ejike Ogbola from Nigeria, and 7'0 8th Grader Hakemed Fall from The Senegal all enroll into school this fall and, as a result, will likely go to war this winter with a starting line-up that includes Bramble at point guard, Marega and Tat at the wing spots, and Dialo and Mdeng inside.  And making the story even more amazing is the fact that Davis will have all of these players playing together as a high school team during the winter and a club team during the spring, summer, and fall for the next three years.  In other words, we could be talking about a team that has the potential to win both the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, SC and Slam Dunk to the Beach in Lewes, DE in the same year.  For more information about Davis' open gym this weekend, his team, and players in the state of Georgia, click on his web site at GeorgiaEliteMagazine.  Or you can call Davis on his cell phone at (678) 207-7331.    

Tuesday, September 23, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Joseph Jones from Normangee (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #72 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Texas A&M, and 6'0 Mike Redell from Rockford (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #345 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Cleveland State.  Obviously Jones, who is a physical specimen inside and tough to stop around the basket, is a big catch for Texas A&M, which already has a stockpile of good young guards and perimeter players already in the program, but needs several more horses inside.  If you will recall, Antoine Wright was one of the best freshmen in the Big-12 Conference last year and their recruiting class a year ago included 6'1 Bobby Leach from Neosho County (JC) KS, 6'4 LaKeith Blanks from Laurinburg (Insititute) NC and 6'2 Acie Law from Dallas (Kimball) TX.  Redell is a good catch for Cleveland State, because he can shoot the lights out, has good ball handling and passing skills, although he played primarily the 2-spot when we saw him playing for the Michigan Mustangs at the adidas Big Time Tournament, and he gives the Cleveland State coaching staff the pipeline they need to get players in the future out of Detroit.  We also have confirmed that Clemson has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'6 Sam Perry from Piedmont (Woodmont) SC, who is ranked #146 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, Perry not only may turn out to be better than that, because he's a tremendous competitor, incredible athlete, and flat out just a winner, as was evident by the way he went head-to-head against 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD and single-handedly almost knocked off Cecil Kirk in the 6th Place quarterfinals at the National 17-Under AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL.  Perry is a slasher/athlete without a true position at the offensive end, but he is still one of our favorite players in the class, because he has the potential to emerge into one of the best defensive players in the Atlantic Coast Conference.  The addition of Perry moves Clemson's recruiting class, which also already includes 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, up to #28 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And the Tigers aren't done yet, as they also are in great shape for 6'8 Emmanuel Willis from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked #13 on our list of the top 5th year players, 6'3 Marquie Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond River) VA, who is ranked #73 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Rajon Rando from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #102 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP. 

We also have confirmed via Jim Hart, who is the head coach of the Albany City Rocks, that 6'7 Dayshaun Wright, who is ranked #46 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committed to Syracuse last night and 6'7 Will Daniels from Hyde Park (Franklin D. Roosevelt) NY, who is ranked #240 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked Rhode Island on Sunday.  The commitment by Wright is important, because the Orangemen had previously been holding him off in an attempt to also get 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who is ranked #8 in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Remember, Gay is expected to be a three in college, but he is more of a power forward than a wing forward right now, which means Gay and Wright play similar positions.  However, we have to assume that the Syracuse coaching staff got the same information over the weekend that we did (that the final two for Gay are Maryland and Connecticut), because it appears they really turned the heat up and got it done yesterday.  Getting Wright not only moves the Orangemen's recruiting class into a tie at #15, along with Duke, Arizona, and N.C. State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it also probably means that 6'3 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who is ranked #14 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, won't be too far behind.   As a matter of fact, we're surprised that Mayben hasn't already pulled the trigger for the Orangemen.  If you will recall, we told you in July that we thought Mayben would make an early verbal commitment in August.  The verbal commitment by Daniels is also significant, because this not only moves Rhode Island's recruiting class into a tie at #32, along with Wisconsin-Milwaukee, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, but it also gives the Rams two impact players in this recruiting class.  Remember, 6'5 John Lucky from Waterbury (Sacret Heart) CT, who is ranked #64 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, verbally committed to Rhode Island in July.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Brian Laing from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #79 nationanlly in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Seton Hall.  And we think this is an excellent catch as well, despite the fact that Laing, who, in the end, picked the Pirates over Richmond, because he wanted to play in the Big East, doesn't have a true position.  Instead, Laing is just a basketball player, as he has big time athleticism, rebounds extremely well for his size, plays excellent defense, is a tough hardnosed competitor, and shoots it and handles it well enough to keep you honest out on the perimeter.  Laing's verbal commitment to Seton Hall moves the Pirates' recruiting class into a tie at #71, along with Washington, South Alabama, Iowa State, Notre Dame, Kansas, Miami-FL, Eastern Kentucky, Richmond, and Nebraska, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  However, it may not stay there very long, because the word on the street is that Seton Hall is also close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, who is ranked #17 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   And if a verbal commitment does materialize by Cerasoli in the near future, then their recruiting class would move into a tie at #23, along with Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, and Florida, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   However, even more important, Cerasoli would be the impact player that Pirates head coach Louie Orr needs to move the program into the upper echelon of the Big East.   Cerasoli also would be the best player that Orr has landed since taking over at Seton Hall a year-and-a-half ago, as well as the perfect complement to last year's recruiting class, which includes 6'2 Jamar Nutter from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'10 Grant Billmeier from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 6'9 Emmanuel Messy from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.

We've been telling you for a month now that it's only a matter of time before Sonny Vaccaro, who announced that he is retiring from adidas in August, will take over as the top basketball person at Reebok.   So it may come as a surprise that we're hearing Reebok plans to hire somebody else into this position.  However, when one finds out that the person we're talking about is Pam Vaccaro, suddenly it all makes perfect sense.  In other words, Vaccaro has a six month non-compete clause with adidas, but his wife is free to step in right away and take over at Reebok.  Not only is this a stroke of genius, but Pam Vaccaro has more than paid he dues, as she has not only been Vaccaro's wife, but also his best friend and right hand man.  In other words, she's played a significant role for years as adidas has grown into NIKE's biggest rival in terms of grass roots basketball.  We' also hope this happens, because Pam Vaccaro is a first-class person, as well one of our favorite people in basketball.  We also find it extremely interesting that Sonny Vaccaro thinks that Larry McKay's troubles won't affect the adidas Big Time Tournament.  In an article in yesterday's Las Vegas Review-Journal by Steve Carp, Vaccaro is quoted saying "hopefully, it will be in Las Vegas forever.  But, yes, the plan is to have it in Vegas, and as long as everything is OK, I want Larry McKay to run it.  If Larry can't run it, I'll find an appropriate person to run it."  In case you weren't aware, last week the Las Vegas Review-Journal broke a front-page story about McKay being investigated by the Clark County School District for alleged improprieties involving funds form the Holiday Prep Classic, another prep basketball tournament for which he served as the director.  Yesterday's article also quotes Agustin Orci, the district's deputy superintendent for instruction, who said staging the event at district schools this year is not in question, but he didn't know if McKay could participate. "It's speculative at this point, Orci said.   "We're currently in the process of reviewing all the procedures for handling tournaments in the future.  Beyond that, it would be premature to comment on Larry's or anyone's participation."  The article also mentioned that in the school district's internal audit report, officials claim approximately $39,000 of funds earmarked for the Holiday Prep Classic were deposited in a separate account that McKay used for the adidas Big Time Tournament.  It also says the audit claims that McKay used $18,000 in fund from the adidas Big Time Tournament to make short-term loans to the Southern Nevada Officials Association to help cover its payroll.   However, the most interesting new item that the article revealed is that the adidas Big Time Tournament, which will be held July 22nd-26th next summer, will have a new sponsor, Reebok.  The article also goes so far as to say that Vaccaro "recently left shoe manufactures adidas after 12 years and will work for Reebok as its director of grass roots basketball."  In other words, this is just one more confirmation of what we've been telling you for a month.

One of the things that separates the HOOP SCOOP from our competition is the fact that I (Clark Francis, Editor & Publisher of the HOOP SCOOP) have stayed out of the event business and, as a result, have continued to fine-tune what we do best, which is covering basketball and recruiting on a national basis at the grass roots level.  However, that does not mean that I have discouraged our numerous correspondents and editors from running tournaments, camps, and events.  As a matter of fact, our California Editor Dinos Trigonis has emerged into the top event operator on the West Coast and he pulled off one of the all-time great coups last winter when LeBron James and Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH played before the biggest high school basketball crowd in the history of California basketball.  And now our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin, who is one of the best evaluators of talent in the country, and our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio, who is second none in terms of individual instruction and teaching fundamentals, have teamed up with RPI Basketball Camps to run two-day shootouts.  The first shootout will be Saturday and Sunday, October 11th-12th, at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ.  The cost will be $165 per camper and the schedule will be as follows:  9:00 AM - Daily Registration, 10:00 AM - on Court Skill Instruction, 12 noon - Lunch Break/Classroom, 12:30 PM - Games/Evaluation, 4:00 PM - Camp Dismissal.  Obviously the players who attend the shootout will get exposure, but the true purpose of the shootout is "rating and instructional," as is evident by the fact that Rubin will rank every player and Naclerio, who is best known as Rafer "Skip To My Lou' Alston's high school coach and through is association with the Rucker League and IS8; Gary Lapergola, who is the Director of RPI's most popular program "The Point Guard School" and the founder of Shooting Stars Basketball Service; et al.; will teach the plays skills and provide instruction that will benefit them long after the weekend is over.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.  The classroom instruction will cover on Day #1 "The Recruiting Process and How to Navigate it Effectively" with Allen Rubin and on Day #2 "Mental Toughness" with George Zogratos, Sports Psychologist.  A minimum of two games per day will be evaluated by a member of the HOOP SCOOP staff and statistical breakdown of individual performance will be mailed out after the shootout with summary evaluation by one of the coaches.  There also will be professional measurement of vertical leap, wing span, and more....  For more information call 1-877-774-5267 or go to their web site at www.RPICAMPS.com.  Shootout enrollment is limited to the first 40 players per grade level from 7th-11th.  And it appears they're already off to a great start as 6'8 Jr Kent Tribbett from Chester (H.S.) PA, 6'5 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'5 Jr Dave Burton from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'5 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'3 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA, 6'5 Soph Earl Pettis from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'11 Soph Brian Zoubeck from Haddonfield (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Frosh Antonio Jardine from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, 6'3 8th Grader Anthony King from Aston (Village Charter) PA, all of whom are ranked among the top players in the area in their respective classes, are expected to be in attendance.

Saturday, September 20, 2003, Sunday, September 21, 2003, & Monday, September 22, 2003

In the past we've tried to combine Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, but we've never been as strong as we would like to be in Louisiana and our people in Alabama are way behind on getting us an updated list of the top players in that state.  In contrast, Lavel Johnson, who is the Mississippi Editor for the both the HOOP SCOOP and MidSouth-Hoops.com, is totally on top of his game and, as a result, today we published his Mississippi Report, which includes his ranking of the top 85 seniors, top 42 juniors, top 33 sophomores, top nine freshmen, and top five 8th graders.  To get these rankings, which are in numerical order, click on Johnson Ranks 'Em: The Top Players In Mississippi.  There is no question that this is an extremely important area to cover, as a disproportionate number of sleepers still emerge annually in the Deep South and, as a result, most of our competition is way behind in this part of the country.  However, this is not the case with us in Mississippi, thanks to Johnson's efforts.  As a matter of fact, this is one of the states that we now cover best.  The same also can be said about Tennessee, where our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman, who has been following high school basketball in Memphis for over 30 years, and Andre Whitehead, who is another one of the HOOP SCOOP's rising stars, as he covers most of the rest of the state, form what now appears to be an unbeatable combination covering the Volunteer state.  Don't believe it?  Well, just check out their Tennessee Report, which also was published today and includes their ranking of the top 112 seniors, top 106 juniors, top 42 sophomores, and top eight freshmen.  To get these rankings, which are in numerical order, click on Whitehead & Rothman Rank 'Em:  The Top High School Players in Tennessee.  And these new rankings come out just in the nick of time, because late last week 6'3 Labrien Lyons from Murphreesboro (Riverdale) TN, who is ranked #33 in the senior class in the state, verbally committed to Lipscomb, and now Whitehead is telling us that 6'2 Brandon Burney from Cunningham (Montgomery County) TN, who is ranked #24 in the senior class in the state, has verbally committed to Austin Peay.   Whitehead also tells us that 6'6 Jamar Jenkins from Chapel Hill (Forrest) TN, who is ranked #29 in the seniori class in the state has changed his mind about going to UT-Chattanooga.  Instead, it appears that Jenkins plans to go the prep school route a year from now, most likely to Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Whitehead also tells us that Appalachian State gas gotten a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jeremy Clayton from Greensboro (Smith) NC and our Washington, DC area Editor Steve Turner tells us that George Mason has landed 6'8 Will Thomas from Baltimore (Mt. St. Joseph's) MD.  Thomas is a combo forward who bangs, mixes it up, and finishes extremely well inside thanks to his strength and athleticism, which is exactly what the doctored to complement 6'5 John Vaughn from Laurel (H.S.) MD and 6'4 Folarin Campbell from Silver Springs (Springbrook) MD, both of whom verbally committed to the Patriots a week ago.  In other words, it appears that George Mason head coach Jim Larranaga once again is on the verge of taking the program to another level, as his current is the pre-season favorite to win the league and they have three of the better players in Maryland already in the fold in this recruiting class.  If you will recall, George Mason almost knocked off Maryland, which was bound for the NCAA Final Four, two-and-a-half years ago in the NCAA first round.  Also that same spring they landed two of the top junior college player in the nation in 6'3 Darren Tarver from Wabash Valley (JC) IL and 6'6 Steven Bonner from North Idaho (JC) ID, but Bonner didn't make it academically and Tarver only played one year for the Patriots, because he experienced cardiac arrest due to heart arrythmia, while take a break during a pick-up game in May 2002.  Thomas, who is ranked #221 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, picked George Mason over schools like Xavier, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Fordham, and the College of Charleston.  Thomas' verbal commitment to George Mason moves their recruiting class into a tie at #31, along with Providence, Wright State, and Kent State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And it could move even higher, if they get the last piece to their puzzle, which is either a dominating big man or a great player. 

Friday, September 19, 2003

Five weeks ago our North Carolina/South Carolina Editor Brian Clifton told us that 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC, who is ranked #80 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, were both leaning towards going to Georgia Tech.  Well, it hasn't happened yet, but our guess is that a verbal commitment by Frederick to the Yellowjackets could be forthcoming as soon as tonight or tomorrow and that Dickey will be soon to follow.  And assuming that both of these dominos fall as expected, this could be the start of a number of other interesting twists and turns that influence where a number of players go this fall.   And right at the top of the list should be 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, once they get Dickey, you can bet the Georgia Tech coaching staff will be telling Morris that he'll have plenty of help inside as they bring in a pair of twin towers in this same recruiting class.  Getting Frederick also means that Georgia Tech will probably be out with 6'2 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY and 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  Speaking of Rich, a week ago his top four schools were Indiana, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and Florida State.  But when 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN verbally committed to Indiana, that eliminated the Hoosiers.  And when Frederick verbally commits to Georgia Tech, that should eliminate the Yellowjackets for Rich.  In other words, the schools are making Rich's final decision easy as they eliminate themselves, especially if Robinson picks Kentucky.  So in addition to Dickey and Frederick, both of whom are expected to pick Georgia Tech, we're predicting that Robinson go to Kentucky, Rich will go to Florida State, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI will go to Michigan, and 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY will go to either Kansas or Connecticut.  We also still believe that Georgia Tech is the leader for Morris, but it's tough to bet against schools like North Carolina and Kentucky, both of which are also still on his list.  And, if, by some chance, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA decides to go to college and some other dominos fall right, then Georgia Tech or Duke could have one a great recruiting class.  Let's say that Georgia Tech hits the jackpot and gets Howard, Morris, Dickey, Frederick, and either 6'5 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL or 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD.  Then, we'd be taling about the school with the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation ahead of both Texas and Indiana on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if the Blue Devils add Howard, 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, and 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL to a class that already includes 6'2 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA and 6'5 Dave McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, then the Blue Devils would have the #1-ranked recruiting class on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.   However, it is our guess that Georgia Tech and Duke will both lose out and, instead, Howard will enter the NBA Draft next spring. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin that Lehigh has landed 6'6 Bryan White from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL and 6'1 Joe Knight from Tarrant County (JC) TX.  White, who also is an outstanding student, picked Lehigh over schools like Tulane, Pennsylvania, Florida International, William & Mary, Yale, South Florida, and Stanford.  Knight started the last two years at High Point, where he averaged 16.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg, but now is sitting out this year at Tarrant County (JC) TX.  In other words, it looks like Lehigh has stolen a pair of wing players.  Big Apple Sports continues to keep us on top of other news about junior college players as 6'7 Johnny Dukes from San Bernardino (JC) CA has verbally committed to San Francisco and 6'2 Tyrone Jackson from Fresno City (JC) CA, who is the top junior college point guard on the West Coast, has reneged on Fresno State.  We also have confirmed that 6'9 Randall Hanke from Pawling (Trinity-Pawling) NY has verbally committed to Providence, 6'7 Mike Christensen from Oakton (Flint Hill) VA has verbally committed to New Hampshire, 6'7 Daven Harmeling from Fruita (Monument) CO has verbally committed to Washington State,and 5'11 Mose Howard from Iowa Western (JC) IA has verbally committed to Missouri-Kansas City.  Howard is one of those guys who qualified late and, as result, slipped through the cracks.  That's the bad news.  The good news is that Howard will have three years to play, he's still only 17-years-old, and he should be good enough to battle 6'1 Brandon Temple from West Plains (JC) MO, who signed with Missouri-Kansas City as year ago, when it comes time to replace Michael Watson, who is the leading candidate for Player-of-the-Year honors in the Mid-Continent Conference this season, at point guard a year from now.  Hermeling, who was an honorable mention all-state player as a junior, is described by Greg Hicks of TheInsidersHoops.com as a player with "a good frame, nice hops and a solid outside shot.  Harmeling has a chance to be a very good player down the road."  Hicks also reports that Harmeling drew interest from schools like Texas Tech, Utah, and Colorado State.  The verbal commitment by Harmeling moves Washington State's recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Derrick Low from Honolulu (Iolani School) HI and 6'9 Robbie Cowgill from Palestine (Westwood) TX, into a tie at #42, along with Colorado State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Christensen is a skilled wing forward who shoots it and handles it well enough to have also attracted interest from schools like Monmouth, Vermont, and Loyola-Maryland.  However, in the end, New Hampshire prevailed for this tough hardnosed kid who played for Nova United at the adidas Big Time Tournament in July.  Hanke attracted a lot of interest with his performance at the adidas Three Striples Classic at the Rebounds Basketball Complex in Neptune, NJ in mid-July.  Not only does he have long arms, excellent skills, and the ability to score around the basket, but, once he gets bigger and stronger, his upside could be unlimited.  In other words, this is an excellent catch for the Friars, which have a history of taking players like this who are underrecruited and developing them (i.e. Ryan Gomes and Abdul Mills). 

Thursday, September 18, 2003

It looks like Dave Telep of TheInsidersHoops.com has scooped our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio on the verbal commitment that 6'1 Sundiati Gaines from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, who is ranked #89 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made the University of Georgia.  Not only does this give the Bulldogs two excellent guards in this recruiting class, which also includes 6'4 Channing Toney from Snellville (Brookwood) GA, but it also will give new Georgia head coach Dennis Felton an incredible amount of firepower in the backcourt, because Toney is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally and Gaines is second to none when it comes to slashing to the basket and scoring off transition.  The verbal commitment by Gaines moves the Bulldogs' recruiting class up to #40 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, plus it should provide an important in to New York City and the Northeast for Felton and his staff in the future.  Gaines' commitment also probably means that 6'1 Rajon Rando from Louisville (Eastern) KY, who currently has Louisville, Charlotte, Georgia, and Clemson on his list, won't be going to Georgia, because, if the Bulldogs are going to sign another guard, they will need a pure point guard to complement Toney and Gaines.  Speaking of pure point guards, it appears that Utah has pulled off a major coup by landing 5'10 Germaine Calvin from Tempe (McClintock) AZ, who is a legit top 150 senior nationally, as well as one of the quickest point guards in the senior class nationally.  As a matter of fact, Calvin reminds us of Kenny Brunner with his tough hardnosed demeanor, excellent defense, and ability to make things happen in transition.  However, Calvin isn't as strong as Brunner, but he shoots it better, plus he appears to be a much better kid, as is evident by his 2.7 gpa and excellent demeanor when we spoke to him last Sunday.  Calvin, who is one of the biggest sleepers in the senior class nationally, as is a winner, as is evident by the fact that he was the catalyst for the Arizona Cagers Blue Team that won the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA last weekend.   We also understand that Radford University has landed 6'8 Colby Trent from Richmond (Henrico) VA and 6'7 James Coley from Hillsborough (JC) FL.   We're talking about a pair of bangers inside, as Trent check in at 250 pounds and Coley checks in at 240 pounds.  Coley also should step in right away and assume a leadership role (he's 23-years-old, has two kids, and has spent three years in the military).  Trent, who is coming off a broken leg that sidelined him as a junior, also has a lot of potential, but he's not ready to step in and make an immediate impact as quickly as Coley, who is described as a major sleeper by those who have seen him play.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Jr David Weaver from Swannanoa (Owen) NC, who is ranked #191 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to Wake Forest, which means the Demon Deacons are the only school that is keeping up with Duke in terms of landing early commitments from players in the Class of 2005.  If you will recall, the Blue Devils became the first school in the nation to get a second verbal commitment from a junior when they got 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN yesterday.  Duke already had a verbal commitment from 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY and Wake Forest already has a verbal commitment from 6'7 Jr Kevin Swinton from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, who is ranked #21 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our Tennessee Editor Andre Whitehead tells us that 6'5 Labrien Lyons from Murfreesboro (Riverdale) TN has verbally committed to Lipscomb and that it now appears to be a two-horse race between Iowa State and Tennessee for the services of 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  We also told you yesterday that Kent State had landed 6'5 Michael Scott from Indianapolis (Northwest) IN, but we didn't get a chance to tell you the rest of the story, as the Golden Flashes now have a total of nine players who will be added into the program either this year or next year.  In addition to the two players - 6'4 Demetrius Johnson from Warrenville Heights (H.S.) OH and 6'6 Scott Cutley from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA - who counted towards last year's recruiting class, Kent State also got a late commitment during the summer from 6'5 Jason Edwin from Southeastern (JC) IA, who averaged 9.2 ppg and 3.3 rpg while starting every game as a sophomore two years ago at Saint Louis, and they had 6'2 Armon Gates from Brewster (Academy) NH and 5'10 Rashard Turner from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME both sitting out as red-shirt freshmen last year.   They also have 6'8 Kevin Warzynski, who averaged 14.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg and was an all-league player last year at Charleston Southern, sitting out this year, as well as three recruits already in the fold in Scott, 6'6 Issac Knight from Detroit (Crockett) MI, and 5'10 Marcus Crenshaw from Detroit (MacKenzie) MI.  In other words, it looks like Kent State head coach Jim Christian and his staff have totally reloaded since Stan Heath left for Arkansas, after guiding the the Golden Flashes to the NCAA Elite Eight in the spring of 2002. 

We already knew that Hal Pastner, who is the excecutive director of the Las Vegas Easter Classic, Houston Kingwood Classic the Las Vegas Summer Classic, and the Academy National Invitiational in Houston, TX, had opened an office in Las Vegas, NV and had big plans to continue expanding into that market.  But we still were a little surprised when Pastner made the big announcement on our radio show, which can be found by HOOP SCOOP On-Radio,on Sunday night. We're talking the fact that Pastner and the Las Vegas Summer Classic, which debuted right after the adidas Big Time Tournament in late July, plan to go head-to-head with the adidas Big Time Tournament next summer.  Pastner said that he plans to give the teams that participate in the adidas Big Time Tournament an option, whereby, traveling teams can pay less money than the $800 entry fee that is charged by the adidas Big Time Tournament to participate in his tournament, they will not have to drive all over Las Vegas, they will get just as good a competition, and younger teams will be able compete within their age own age group.   Remember, a lot of teams that participate in the adidas Big Time Tournament, play up as they attempt to gain experience for the future.  In contrast, Pastner also plans to have a very competitive 15-Under Tournament running simultaneously with the 17-Under Tournament.  Pastner also plans to use the facilities at UNLV, plus he already has secured several important sites, like Durango High School, which is one of the biggest gyms in Las Vegas, NV.  Obviously the timing couldn't be any better, because a lot of things are up in the air with adidas now that Sonny Vaccaro, who was in charge of basketball, has gone into temporary retirement (those in the know tell us that it's only a matter of time before Vaccaro resurfaces in a similar position with Reebok).  Also in Pastner's favor is the fact that NIKE promises to be loaded for the next several years as nine of the HOOP SCOOP'S top 10 juniors in 6'6 Jr Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'3 Jr Louis Williams from Snellville (South Gwinnette) GA, 6'11 Jr Luke Zeller from Washington (H.S.) IN, 6'7 Jr Julian Wright from Flossmoor (Homewood-Flossmoor) IL, 6'8 Jr Keith Brumbaugh from Deland (H.S.) FL, 6'8 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'8 Jr Richard Hendrix from Athens (H.S.) AL, and 6'9 Jr Tyler Hansborough from Poplar Bluff (H.S.) MO and eight of the HOOP SCOOP's top 10 sophomores in 6'11 Soph Greg Oden from Indinapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Soph Brandan Wright from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 5'10 Soph Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, 6'9 Soph Vernon Macklin from Portsmouth (Norcom) VA, 6'2 Soph Ramar Smith from Detroit (Martin Luther King) MI, 6'7 Soph Ramar Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'8 Soph Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY play for NIKE sponsored teams and/or attended the NIKE All-American Camp this past summer.  And this is important, because Pastner not only has strong NIKE contacts (the Houston Hoops are sponsored by NIKE and the Academy National Invitational is a NIKE sponsored event), but we've heard that a number of  NIKE sponsored teams are looking for an alternative to the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL and, as a result, it would not be a major surprise to see most of those teams at Pastner's tournament in Las Vegas, NV next summer.  In other words, with most of the top NIKE sponsored teams, a high percentage of the teams that previously have played in the adidas Big Time Tournament, and a number of other teams that are just looking for a place to play late in the summer, the sky is the limit for the Las Vegas Summer Classic, especially after you factor in Pastner's incredible energy level, outstanding staff and organization, and tremendous enthusiasm for anything he does with regards to the game of basketball and helping kids better themselves.  However, all this is still almost a year away.  In contrast, the Academy National Invitational, which will be held at the Aldine Campbell Center in Houston, TX, December 27th-30th, is only a little over three months off.   And, once again, it is loaded, as Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK, Missouri City (Hightower) TX, Jackson (Lanier) MS, Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, and Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL will be participating in the National Division and Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, Houston (Jones) TX, Houston (Milby) TX, Houston (North Shore) TX, Houston (Aldine) TX, Sugar Land (Clements) TX, Houston (Westbury Christian) TX, and Kingwood (H.S.) TX will be participating in the Texas Division.  Among the top players in the tournament will be 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'4 Jr Monta Ellis from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'5 Jawann McClellan from Houston (Milby) TX, 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'8 Charles Rhodes from Jackson (Lanier) MS, 6'10 Chester Giles from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 5'10 Soph Nic Wise from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Quentin Chaney from Tulsa (Booker T. Washington) OK, 6'6 Marcel Jones from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'8 Jr Michael Freeman from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 5'11 Jr David Devenzin from Sugar Land (Clements) TX, 6'8 Soph Darris Santee from Sugar Land (Clements) TX, 6'0 Charles Jones from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, 5'10 Sean Morris from Katy (Cinco Rancho) TX, 6'1 Mario Kersee from Houston (Aldine) TX, 6'9 Chris Henry from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'0 Jr Michael Gerrity from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'7 Chris Rawls from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL.  For more information about these events, click onto http://www.visionsports.com.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

We've been telling you for almost a month now that Duke was the heavy favorite for 6'9 Jr Josh McRoberts from Carmel (H.S.) IN, so when he picked the Blue Devils yesterday, he was just reaffirming what we thought was inevitable.  McRoberts needs to get bigger and stronger physically and become tougher inside in order to be a power forward at the big time college level, but he has an incredible skill level and outstanding post moves, which explains why he is ranked #15 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Speaking of where McRoberts is ranked, he is the highest rated player nationally by the HOOP SCOOP to have made an early verbal commitment in the junior class.  He edges out 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP and, ironically, also is verbally committed to Duke, which is the only school to have already landed more than one player in the junior class.  In other words, Duke appears to be well on its way towards landing what is potentially its fourth #1-ranked recruiting class over a nine-year period.  If you will recall, their Class of 1997, which featured Elton Brand, Shane Battier, William Avery, and Chris Burgess, was widely regarded as the best recruiting class in the nation; their Class of 1999, which included Jason Williams, Michael Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Nick Horvath, and Andre Buckner, was the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; and their Class of 2002, which included Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick, Shavlik Randolph, Sean Dockery, Michael Thompson and Lee Melchionni, was the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  And this could come on the heels of this year's recruiting class, which already includes 6'2 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA and 6'5 Dave McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT and could also include 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, and/or 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that, if Duke were to land Livingston, Howard, and Kaun, they could be in line to become the first school the we know about to have had the #1-ranked recruiting class two years in a row.  It also would give them five #1-ranked recruiting classes during a nine-year period.  We also have confirmed that Kent State has landed 6'5 Michael Scott from Indianapolis (Northwest) IN, which means that their recruiting class includes a little bit of everything.  If you will recall, the Golden Flashes already have verbal commitments from 6'6 Issac Knight from Detroit (Crockett) MI, who is an undersized power forward, and 5'10 Marcus Crenshaw from Detroit (MacKenzie) MI, who is a prolific scoring point guard.   Scott is a slasher/athlete who does most of his damage in transition.  Scott's commitment moves Kent State's recruiting class into a tie, along with Wright State, at #31 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And the reason Kent State is tied with Wright State is due to the fact that the Raiders have added 6'10 Lamoris Wallace from Triton (JC) IL to their recruiting class, which already includes 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Ft. Loramie (H.S.) OH.  Wallace is best described as a poor man's Kenyon Martin, because he's extremely athletic, physically very strong, and a warrior on the boards.   He also is very active, has quick hands, great timing, and excellent shot blocking ability.  If Kent State also gets 6'6 Brandon Ivery from Columbus (Walnut Ridge) OH (we think it's only a matter of time before they do), then their recruiting class would move up to #27 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, right behind Gonzaga and ahead of Northeastern.  We also understand that UCLA has finally offered a scholarship to 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who is ranked #41 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and we're wondering what he's waiting for.  Remember, Oregon, Boston College, Washington, and Stanford are also still on Shipp's list, but the Bruins are believed to be the heavy favorite.  However, if, by some chance UCLA were to get a verbal commitment from 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, before Shipp makes up his mind, you can almost be certain that the Bruins won't take Shipp.  But, if Shipp verbally commits first and later Hairston also decides to become a Bruin, the smart money is on UCLA taking them both.  Our Washington DC Area Editor Steve Turner tells us that 6'8 David Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD, who is ranked #114 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, had such a great visit to Arizona over the weekend that a verbal commitment could be forthcoming almost at any time.  And that's not all Turner tells us, as he also thinks Florida State, Connecticut, and Arizona are now the schools you have to beat for 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and that Louisville is still the leader for 6'9 Brian Johnson from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA.  It also looks like Manhattan is the leader for 6'7 Arturo Dubios from New York (Rice) NY and 6'7 Ben Coblyn from Amherst (Regional) MA.  Coblyn, who is a 230 lbs. physical specimen, also is considering Tulane, Massachusetts, and Boston University.  Actually we think the race for Dubios is already over due to Jaspers head coach Bobby Gonzalez's strong New York City ties, but that could change if somebody from the Big East makes a strong push. 

With today's verbal commitment by 6'1 Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY to Syracuse and yesterday verbal commitments by 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI to Michigan and 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL to Illinois, 64 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 100 seniors and 99 of the HOOP SCOOP's top 200 seniors are already off the board.   Wright picking the Orangemen probably comes as a surprise to many, because Connecticut was believed to be the favorite all along.  However, Syracuse not only was the school in his backyard, but they also had another very important connection that in the end proved to be very tough to overcome.  We're talking about Wright's uncle, Kenny Davis, who played at Syracuse during the Louie Orr days and was present during all of Wright's in-home visits.  Also apparently important in the final decision is the fact that Syracuse has hired Allen Griffin to replace Clay McKnight, who left to go to Oregon State to take a similiar position, as Director of Basketball Operations.  If you will recall, Griffin, who played high school basketball at Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, signed with the Orangemen in 1997 and graduated from Syracuse in 2001.  In other words, the fact that Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim has a lot of loyalty to his former players was important when it came time for Wright to make a decision.  Wright, who is ranked #21 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has beaten 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, who visited Syracuse last weekend, along with Josh Wright and 6'7 Dayshawn Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, who was supposed to visit Syracuse this weekend, to the punch.  As a matter of fact, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin thought that the Orangemen would probably get a commitment from Lowry while he was on the visit this weekend.  Instead, it looks like Connecticut and Pittsburgh are suddenly the favorites for Lowry now that Syracuse and Xavier, which got a verbal commitment from 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD two days ago, are no longer recruiting Lowry.  Wright is a pure point guard, big time athlete, and prolific scorer, but what makes this such a big catch is the fact that he also is a great kid and has an incredible upside.  Did you know that Wright is only just beginning to scratch the surface of his potential and that he has never lifted a weight in his life?   Wright also should provide the perfect complement to Gerry McNamara, as they both should be interchangeable at the one and the two spots.  And when you add 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who also is a near lock for the Orangemen, into the equation, Syracuse could have the best backcourt in college basketball when McNamara is a senior, Wright is a sophomore, and Mayben is a freshmen.   Syracuse also appears to be in great shape with Dayshawn Wright, but they appear to be waiting to see what happens with 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD before they pull the trigger.  Remember, Dayshawn Wright is an undersized power forward all the way, in contrast to Gay, who is more of a power forward right now, but projects as a wing forward at the big time college level.  Our guess is Syracuse, which has two more scholarships available in this recruiting class, will take them both, but it might be easier to get Gay, if Dayshawn Wright isn't already in the fold.  The verbal commitment by Horford to Michigan also is huge for a number of reasons.  First, Horford is a blue collar athlete, which is exactly what the Wolverines need, as they continue to stockpile inside players.  If you will recall, they landed Chris Hunter, Graham Brown, and Amadou Ba in the recruiting class that they brought in a year ago and this year they are adding 6'9 Brent Petway from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 6'10 Courtney Sims from Dedham (Noble & Greenough) MA, and  6'8 J.C. Mathis, who transferred from Virginia a year ago, into the mix.  Second, Horford is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, which means he's already an excellent player.  Third, Horford has an incredible upside, as is evident by the fact that he was one of the most improved players from start-to-finish this summer.   Fourth, he's a winner, as is evident by the fact that he and 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) MI led the Michigan Mustangs to a runner-up finish at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV in July.  Fifth, this once again firmly establishes that the Wolverines can get the top players in their backyard.  As a matter of fact, four of the top six players - 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, Neitzel, Horford, 6'7 Marquis Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI, and 6'6 Ron Coleman from Romulus (H.S.) MI - in the state have elected to stay home, as Neitzel and Gray are both bound for Michigan State and Horford and Coleman are both bound for Michigan.  We also expect Crawford, who originally committed to Michigan, but opened his recruitment back up in July, to reaffirm his verbal commitment to the Wolverines by the end of the month.  Sixth, the addition of Horford will give the Wolverines a starting line-up that should consist of Daniel Horton at point guard, Dion Harris or Crawford at 2-guard, Lester Abram at wing forward, Horford at power forward, and Hunter, Petway, or Sims at center that is capable of winning the NCAA Championship year after next.  Pruitt's commitment comes as no surprise, as we're been telling you for weeks that it would be either Illinois or Michigan State.  However, the fact that it took him this long and that he played it as close to the vest as he did all the way was a surprise.  Even Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report had no idea where Pruitt was going right up until the last minute and Schmidt usually has his finger right on the pulse of what's going to happen in the state of Illinois.  Speaking of Schmidt, last year at this time he had Pruitt ranked as the #1 player in the state in the Class of 2004, but Pruitt was sidelined last winter with a leg injury and he's never fully recovered.   Thus, explains why Pruitt is ranked no higher than #133 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  But Pruitt's low ranking should not diminish the importance of his picking the Fighting Illini.  Remember, athletic inside players with the natural talent and potential that Pruitt possesses are hard to find, plus this proves that the new coaching staff can keep the top players in the state at home.    

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

Sometimes it's funny how things turn out.  In the case of Western Kentucky University, the new coaching staff had to have been disappointed when Patrick Sparks, who was the Sun Belt Conference Player-of-the-Year last season, transferred to the University of Kentucky in the spring.  However, they replaced Sparks almost immediately by signing 6'0 Antonio Haynes from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA, who was ranked #1 in the junior college ranks in both assists (14. 6 apg) and steals (7.1 spg) and #8 in field goal percentage and averaged 13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, shot 46.9% from beyond the arc, and 93.5% from the foul line last season, and 6'8 Ryan Lambert from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  They also already have verbal commitments from 6'2 Ty Rogers from Eddyville (Lyon County) KY and 6'4 Courtney Lee from Indianapolis (Pike) IN in their current recruiting class, which is tied at #45, along with Mississippi, Marquette, Providence, West Virginia, Auburn, George Mason, Vanderbilt, Butler, Kent State, and the College of Charleston, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if we also counted transfers when ranking recruiting classes, the recent addition of 6'7 Elgrace Wilborn, who is transferring from Tennessee to Western Kentucky, would mean the Hilltoppers recruiting class would be ranked even higher, as it would be tied at #28, along with Minnesota, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  In other words, Western Kentucky is now 5-1 when it comes to adding and substracting players who are better than the level.  They also will have four excellent guards in the program a year from now with Haynes, Rogers, Lee and 6'4 Soph Anthony Winchester.  Lee, who is ranked #167 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, teamed with 6'5 Robert Vaden from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME to lead Indianapolis (Pike) IN to the Indiana State Championship last year and, prior to Vaden transferring to a prep school at week ago, was ranked #8 in the senior class in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, behind Vaden, 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN, 6'6 J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN, 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN, 6'2 George Hill from Indianapolis (Broad Ripple) IN, 6'5 Anthony Passley from Indianapolis (North Central) IN.  However, if Lee played all the time like he did when we saw him last spring at the Spiece Run N' Slam in Ft. Wayne, IN, he would be the #3-ranked senior in the state and a top #100 senior nationally.  In other words, we're talking about a tremendous athlete with the skills, athleticism, and explosiveness necessary to become an impact player, if Hilltoppers head coach Darrin Horn and his staff can get him to play consistently harder and become more consistent.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Steve Thomas has decided to transfer from the University of Georgia to Middle Tennessee State and this makes perfect sense when one finds out that 6'2 Michael Liggons, who is Thomas' best friend, also transferred from Georgia to Middle Tennessee a year ago.  And when Thomas becomes eligible a year from now, don't be surprised if he immediately becomes one of the best players in the league.  Remember, Thomas was Georgia's third leading scorer 10.2 ppg and leading rebounder (7.2 rpg) last season.  We also have received word from our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio that 6'9 Jr Theo Davis has officially enrolled at Bayside (Cardozo) NY and he will start school beginning today.   If you will recall, we told you that was going to happen almost a month ago, but it took more time than expected, because Davis' family had to find a place to live that was in the Cardozo's school zone.  We also believe that a verbal commitment by 6'6 Garrett Temple from Baton Rouge (University Lab) LA, who has an in-home visit set up with LSU tonight, could be forthcoming almost immediately.  Not only did both Temple's father and brother both play for the Tigers, but he goes to the same high school as 6'8 Glenn Davis, who also made it official recently for the Tigers.  And how about 6'3 Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA to North Carolina?  Patrick Stanwood thinks this could be on the verge of happening.  And, if he's right, this would create an interesting problem, if 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL also wants to sign with the Tar Heels.  Remember, North Carolina's recruiting class, which currently is ranked #7 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, already includes 6'9 Marvin Williams from Bremerton (H.S.) WA, 6'5 Earl "J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, and 6'2 JamesOn Curry from Mebane (Eastern Alamance) NC.   So the Tar Heels don't have any more scholarships, unless somebody, like Damien Grant or Byron Sanders, transfers and/or Raymond Felton declares hardship for the NBA Draft next spring.  And North Carolina's needs another quality inside player, like 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, 6'9 Brian Johnson from Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) VA, a lot more than they need two more guards.

Sunday, September 14, 2003, & Monday, September 15, 2003

We were impressed when Xavier beat the University of Kentucky three weeks ago for 6'7 Josh Duncan from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, but that pales in comparison to the verbal commitment that the Musketerrs received last night from 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who is ranked #25 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We knew that Odia was making an official visit to Xavier over the weekend, but this still comes as a major surprise, because historically players who play for the legendary Stu Vetter keep their college options open until spring of their senior year.  Odia not only is a big time athlete with an excellent 3-point shot and good handling and passing skills, but he also is recognized as the best player in his age group on the African Continent.   In other words, we're talking about a 6'6 point guard and, just like Romaine Guessagba-Sato, who was ranked #18 nationally in the Class of 2000 by the HOOP SCOOP, but extremely underrated by everybody else, Odia is still one of the best kept secrets nationally in the senior class.  As a matter of fact, we several of our competitors still do not rank Odia among the top 100 seniors nationally.  Odia was seen at the NIKE All-American Camp and the adidas Big Time Tournament a year ago, last winter on his high school team, and in June at the NBA Players Association Camp, but he was missing in action this summer in the United States.  Instead, Odia played on the Nigerian National Team in the 19-Under World Junior Championship in Greece, where he was one of the top five players in the tournament.  The verbal commitment by Odia moves Xavier's recruiting class, which also includes Duncan and Burrell, into a tie at #18, along with Wisconsin and Iowa on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  We also understand that George Mason has landed 6'5 John Vaughn from Laurel (H.S.) MD and 6'4 Folarin Campbell from Silver Springs (Springbrook) MD, neither of whom were seen on the national circuit this summer, but both whom are regarded as two of the top seniors in the Washington, DC area.  And now you know why Patriots head coach Jim Larranaga, who normally is one of the most visible head coaches on the recruiting trail, was not seen at most of the major national events this summer.  Instead, Larranaga was back in the DC area recruiting Vaughn and Campbell and, as a result, he now has the perfect replacements for Mark Davis and Raoul Heinen, who, along with Richard Tynes, are the only three seniors in the program who play that will graduate after this season.  These two additions also ensure that there will be no drop off after the current season, as George Mason returns three starters and welcomes six newcomers to a team that is pre-season favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association this season.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has the scoop on 6'1 Brett Loscalzo from Greenwich (Brunswick) CT, who has verbally committed to Columbia.  No, Loscalzo isn't as good as 6'8 Ben Nwachukwu, who is ranked #246 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he is a tough hardnosed competitor with good ball handling and passing skills and a proven track record against top level competition while playing for the Westchester Hawks this summer at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV and the AAU 17-Under National Tournament in Orlando, FL.  Ro Russell, who is the Canadian Editor of the HOOP SCOOP, tells us that 6'11 Vlad Kuljanin from Toronto (Forest Hill) ON, who is ranked #177 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to UNC-Wilmington.   And this appears to be a trend as the Seahawks now appear to have a strong Siberian connection.  If you will recall, 6'8 Dejan Grkovic from Sherwood (H.S.) ON signed with UNC-Wilmington in the spring.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'0 Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA has verbally committed to Minnesota, 6'8 Phil Harbaugh from Corvallis (H.S.) OR and 6'5 Martin Zeno from Baton Rouge (Sulpher) LA have both picked Texas Tech.  Tucker's commitment was expected not just because he made an official visit to the Golden Gophers recently, but also because Tucker's father had his heart set on his son playing at the highest level possible.  If you will recall, Tucker originally verbally committed to San Diego, but later reneged.  Harbaugh, who is ranked #8 in the state by OregonPreps.com, is "an athletic 6'8 wing who can shoot, score inside, and finish on the break."  Harbaugh picked the Red Raiders over Oregon, Oregon State, Portland, Boise State, UC-Northridge, UC-Irvine, UC-Santa Barbara, and UC-Riverside.  Zeno is ranked #247 nationally in the senior class, but he the explosiveness, athleticism, outside shooting, and upside necessary to move much higher as he continues to develop as a player. 

One of the questions we were hoping answer this weekend at the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA was just how good is 6'6 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ.  However, Cummard remains an enigma for a number of reasons.  First, he needs to get bigger and stronger physically.  Second, he played his best this weekend when he was not playing against top level competition.  As a matter of fact, when Cummard was matched up against 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA and 6'5 Chris Fields from Long Beach (Poly) CA, Cummard only scored 13 points and had a hard time getting open looks.  Third, Cummard reminds us of a shorter version of 6'9 Sean Phaler, who signed last fall with UCLA, but was released from his scholarship after the new coaching staff arrived this spring and now is enrolled at New Mexico.  Cummard is not as good an outside shooter as Phaler and is three inches shorter, but he is more athletic than Phaler and, as a result, is better suited defensively to play out on the perimeter.  But, unlike Phaler, who isn't quick enough to be a good defender, Cummard doesn't work very hard at the other end.   Cummard also reminds us a poor man's Michael Dunleavy.   Dunleavy was a better 3-point shooter, better ball handler, and more coordinated and savvy at the same stage.  However, Cummard has comparable athleticism to Dunleavy and he has that same wiry type frame.  Fourth, Cummard is a competitor and he does have the potential to improve dramatically, especially after he gets back from the Mission that he plans to go on for the next two years.  Fifth, if Cummard is a top 100 senior, then why is Lute Olson and the Arizona coaching staff, which is second to none in terms of evaluating talent, not all over Cummard?  Sixth, those same competitors always seem have a tendency to overhype and go off the deep end when they find an athletic white kid who can play.  In other words, there is no question in our mind that Cummard can play, but we're still not sold on the fact that Cummard is a top 100 senior nationally, which suddenly seems to be a consensus among people in the know on the West Coast.  Remember, Greg Hicks and Tracey Pierson of Insiders.com's have gone on record saying that they think Cummard is the best 2-guard on the West Coast.  However, there is no way we would rank Cummard ahead of 6'2 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'4 Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA and, if you include 5th Year Players and Underclassmen, we also would not rank him among ahead of 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA, 6'6 Soph Martell Webster from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  We also aren't sure that Cummard is any better right now than the three players - 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 - on the Arizona Cagers Blue Team that we saw play four times this weekend in the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic.  And, if you don't believe it, just ask Dinos Trigonis, who is the head coach of the loaded Belmont 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, that lost to the Arizona Cagers Blue Team in the quarterfinals.  None of these three players are currently ranked among the HOOP SCOOP's top 445 seniors nationally, but they will be.  Calvin, who is the best of the three, makes this team go with his incredible speed and quickness, excellent court savvy, ball handling and passing skills, and ability to play defense and create havoc in defense.  Calvin also is a tremendous competitor and he more than keeps you honest with his outside shooting and ability to get to the hole.  And, if Calvin finished a little better against top notch competition and was a little bigger, we'd be talking about a legitimate top 100 senior nationally.   Williams, who is a legitimate top 150 senior nationally, is a multi-dimensional athlete who can play four different positions at the high school level, because he has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to play point guard, the 3-point shooting ability and size necessary to play both the two and the three spots, and the rebounding ability necessary to play inside.  Chitwood, who is a legitiamte top 250 senior nationally, also can step out and shoot the 3-point shot, but he really is an undersized power forward, as he scores around the basket, is tough on the boards, a good shot blocker, and a tremendous competitor.  Williams averaged 20.0 ppg, Chitwood averaged 18.0 ppg, and Calvin averaged 12.7 ppg in the quarterfinals, semi-finals, and championship game, but it was Calvin's 32 points in pool play against the ICAN All-Stars that really got our attention.  As a matter of fact, this was the best individual performance we saw in the entire tournament.  In other words, we're talking about three of the biggest sleepers on the West Coast, as well as three players who are in the same 101-250 range as Cummard.  Currently Calvin is attracting the most interest from Northern Arizona, Oral Roberts, Liberty, Lehigh, Cal State-Sacremanto, St. Mary's, Florida Atlantic, UC-Davis, Montana, Colorado, and Oregon State, but, once the word gets out, you can bet that this list will increase dramatically.  And the same can be said with regards to Williams, who is getting the most attention from Clemson, Oregon State, San Diego, Colorado State, Arizona State, Evansville, Southern Utah, and Northern Arizona, and Chatwood, is receiving the most interest from UC-Northridge, Northern Arizona, San Diego, St. Joseph's, and Santa Clara.  Another one of the top performances of the tournament was turned by 6'5 Nick Young from Cleveland (Reseda) CA, who scored 29 points in the semi-finals and continues to remind us of former USC star Jeff Trepagnier, due to his incredible athleticism and ability to get to the basket.   Also playing well enough to deserve special mention from the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic are 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'4 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'5 Chris Fields from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'1 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 5'10 Jr Shane Mahoney from Malibu (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Anthony Goods from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'7 Lamar Roberson from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'1 Loren Leath from Cleveland (Reseda) CA.  Pruitt played excellent defense, made big shots, and ran the show, as he played well enough to move back into the top 50.  Currently we have Pruitt ranked #73 nationally in the senior class.  Boykin is still a power forward all the way, but he does show the ability to step out and hit the open three, plus he was one of the best passing big men in the tournament.  Harvey and Roberson overcame a stunning to loss to Belmont Shore Black in pool play, as they led The Hood into the semi-finals of the tournament.  Fields really is an undersized inside guy, but he is extremely active inside, very athletic, and excellent on the boards.  Henry is a lights out 3-point shooter.  Mahoney is small, but is a tremendous competitor and he always seems to find a way to beat you.  As a matter of fact, he played an instrumental role in Belmont Shore Black's shocking win against The Hood.  Goods is a point guard with size who also gets to the basket, shoots the three, and knows how to run a team.   Leath was one of the best 3-point shooters in the tournament, as was evident by the fact that he hit six 3-pointers in the championship game. 

Saturday, September 13, 2003

With the verbal commitment by 6'3 A.J. Ratliff from Indianapolis (North Central) IN to Indiana Universitiy earlier today, suddenly the race between the Hoosiers and the Longhorns is almost too close to call when looking at our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  As things stand now, Indiana appears to have a slight edge over Texas, but both schools are well within the margin of error and both could sign at least one more player in this year's recruiting class.  If you will recall, Texas already has landed 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'11 LaMarcus Aldridge from Dallas (Seogoville) TX, 6'7 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'10 Conner Atchley from Clear Lake (H.S.) TX, they had 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX on campus this weekend, and they are among the favorites for 6'5 Chamberlain Oguchi from Houston (George Bush) TX.  Indiana's recruiting class also includes 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'9 Josh Smith from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'5 Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, and 6'7 James Hardy from Ft. Wayne (Elmhurst) IN, they also are still believed to be one of the leaders for 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, and they had 6'11 Robert Rothbart from Cupertino (Monta Vista) CA on campus this weekend for an official visit.  Ratliff is athletic, versatile, and skilled enough to play the one, two, and the three spots and, as a result, he promises to provide value depth a year from now at the point guard spot and insurance in case Vaden and/or Hardy don't make it academically.  Ratliff also is a huge get, because his commitment reinforces the fact that the current regime is able to take its pick from among the top players in their own backyard, as the Hoosiers have already locked up three of HOOP SCOOP's top five seniors in the state in Vaden, Hardy, and Ratliff.  The other two top five-ranked seniors are 6'8 Sebastian Greene from Lafayette (Central Catholic) IN, who is believed to be a near lock for IUPUI, and 6'6 J.R. Angle from Trafalgar (Indian Creek) IN, who already has verbally committed to Iowa.  However, we'll have to stop counting Vaden as a player from Indiana, because he is now enrolled at North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, where he will spend either one or two years, depending upon how well he does academically this school year.  The Hoosiers beat Iowa and Xavier for Ratliff's services, plus, once again, this shows why we think Mike Davis and Dusty May provide the Hoosiers with one of the best one-two recruiting punches in the business.  Sure, May has only been on the road since last spring, but he's spent the last year laying the foundation for this class to materialize while serving in an administrative position.  We also have a list of schools for 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, which includes Washington, Kansas State, Oregon, Miami-FL, Texas, and Colorado; 6'6 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, which includes Brigham Young, Arizona State, UCLA, Oregon, and Oregon State; 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, which includes Arizona, Louisville, Kansas, Duke, UCLA, USC, Pepperdine, and Iowa State; 6'4 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominquez) CA, which includes Kentucky, USC, Stanford, and Washington.  Boykin also tells us that it's always been his dream to play at Duke, but that right now Arizona is the leader.  Compton (Dominguez) CA head coach Russell Otis adds that Harvey wants to go to Kentucky, which really should come as no surprise when one remembers that another one of Otis' former players, Tayshaun Prince, had a great career while playing for the Wildcats from 1998-2002.  Otis also tells us that Washington, Oregon State, Mississippi State, Arizona State, and Long Beach State are among the schools showing the most interest in 6'7 Lamar Roberson, who transferred this summer from Baton Rouge (Christian Life) LA to Compton (Dominguez) CA, and that the early favorites for 6'3 Jr Davon Lloyd from Compton (Dominguez) CA are Oregon, Washington State, and Long Beach State. 

Friday, September 12, 2003

We're not sure if it has been officially announced yet, but the word we get is that 6'7 Gavin Grant from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who is ranked #56 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to N.C. State.  Obviously this is huge, because Grant aand 6'9 Cedric Simmons from Shallotte (West Brunswick) NC, who is ranked #35 nationally in the senior class and verbally committed to the the Wolfpack over a year ago, will give N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek one of the best forward combinations in the league.  And it also could be one of the deepest forward combinations, if they also get 6'9 James Mayes from Garner (H.S.) NC and/or 6'9 Joakim Noah from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, both of whom have been prime recruiting targets of the Wolfpack.  However, for now their recruiting class is tied at #15, along with Duke and Arizona on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Grant has big time athleticism, the ability to play both inisde and outside, and he may grow some more, which means he has a tremendous upside.  Also add in the fact that he's a great kid and blue collar-like competitor and it is easy to see why he's one of our favorite players in the senior class nationally.  Grant also had been recruited by schools like Pittsburgh, N.C. State, Villanova, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Iowa State, and Georgetown, but our guess is the deciding factor was the Julius Hodge connection.  If you will recall, Hodge was a senior  and Grant was a freshman three years ago at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  We also are still waiting to see what is going to happen with 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, who is supposed to make it official for either Illinois or Michigan State.  Rignt now it still is too close to call, but an official decision could be forthcoming at any time.  We also have heard from several sources that 6'3 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY may have reneged on Villanova and that schools like Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Georgia Tech are suddenly back in the hunt.  We also understand that the following players are making official or unofficial visits this weekend:  6'1 Josh Wright from Utica (Proctor) NY, 6'7 Dayshawn Wright from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY are visiting Syracuse; 6'10 Justin Williams from Colby (JC) KS, 6'7 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, and 5'11 Aking Elting from Southern Idaho (JC) ID are visiting DePaul; 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'8 Davis Nwankwo from North Bethesda (Georgetown Prep) MD are visiting Arizona; 6'8 Taj Grey from Redlands (JC) OK is visiting Oklahoma; 6'3 Daniel Gibson from Houston (Jones) TX; 6'8 Dion Dowell from Texas City (H.S.) TX, and 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX are visiting Texas; 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI and 6'8 Maarty Leunen from Redmond (H.S.) OR are visiting UCLA; 6'3 Quenitn Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA and 6'7 Tim Pierce from Oakland (Hercules) CA are visiting Arizona State; 6'6 Churchill Odia from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD is visiting Xavier; 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL is visiting Michigan State; 6'0 Rico Tucker from San Diego (University) CA is visiting Minnesota; 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY is visiting Connecticut; 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC is visiting N.C. State; and 6'5 Brian Laing from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and 6'4 Justin Cerasoli from Aurora (West Aurora) IL are supposed to visiting Seton Hall. 

After attending the Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic a year ago, we were talking about 6'4 Arron Afflalo being the best junior in Southern California long before most of our competition had figured it out and 6'7 Dorell Wright being a major sleeper long before most people had ever heard of him.  So how could we not come back?  Well, we have and we will be in the house when this year's event tips off at 5:15 PM tonight at the Warrior Center in Cypress, CA with Team Athletics versus The Land on Court #1, The Hood versus BWBA Purple on Court #2, and Golden Hawks versus Southern California All-Stars on Court #3.  Those games will be followed by Total Impact versus BWBA White on Court #1, BWBA Orange versus Cal Ruff Ryders on Court #2, and ABA Hoops versus CABC on Court #3 at 6:30 PM; ABC versus Spartans on Court #1, Belmont Shore Black versus LA/OC on Court #2, and Sprint of the North versus Knights on Court #3 at 7:45 PM; Inland versus Spot-Up on Court #1, Belmont Shore versus Arizona Capers Black on Court #2, and ICAN All-Stars versus BWBA Red on Court #3 at 9:00 PM, and LA Stars versus FORE on Court #1, Arizona Cagers versus SCBA on Court #2, and Bellflower Hoops versus Blacktop on Court #3.  All of these teams will also play two games apiece on Saturday, September 13th, when games run consecutively from 9:00 AM until 10:45 PM and in the playoffs, which begin at 8:00 AM and conclude with the championship game at 4:45 PM on Sunday, September 14th.  Two other teams (CBA and the Arizona Cagers Blue) will not play on Friday night, but will get three games in pool play on Saturday beginning with a 9:00 AM match-up between those two teams on Court #1.  Admission will be $5.00.  Among the top players expected to be in attendence will be Afflalo, who recently transferred from Compton (Centennial) CA to Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'5 Nick Young from Cleveland (Reseda) CA, 6'7 Lee Cummard from Mesa (H.S.) AZ, 6'9 Christian Marshall from Jackson (Wingfield) MS, 6'4 Matthew Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, 6'10 Todd Folmer from Rancho Santa Margarita (Santa Margarita) CA, 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'7 Jr Jerry Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Jr Jordan Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'10 Jr Brett Horner from Fullerton (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Jr Ed White from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'5 Soph Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 5'11 Soph Joseph Johnson from Gardena (Serra) CA, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodward from Compton (Centennial) CA.  While we've seen a lot of most of these players during the summer and last weekend at the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase, we have not seen Cummard, who recently was touted by Insiders.com as the best 2-guard prospect on the West Coast.  And you can bet that we'll be at all of Cummard's games so we can give you a first-hand report as to whether we're talking about one of the biggest sleepers in the nation or whether Insiders.com's West Coast scouts Greg Hicks and Tracey Pierson have jumped off the deep end.   Actually we're guessing that we'll find Cummard is someplace in between, but stay tuned!

Thursday, September 11, 2003

Northeastern has gotten verbal commitments from 6'7 Mantas Griskanas from Winchendon (School) MA and 6'6 Steward Baldonado from Winchendon (School) MA and New Mexico State has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Delbert Simpson from Tyler (John Tyler) TX, who is ranked #217 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Simpson, who is best described as a finess inside player right now, has the talent, athleticism, and skills necessary to move a lot higher, as he continues to develop and make the transition from being an inside player into a perimeter player.  This also explains why the Aggies are still looking for two more back-to-the-basket players to round out this year's recruiting class.   New Mexico State beat schools like Nebraska, Fresno State, and South Alabama for Simpson's services, plus it offers another illustration of why we think Aggies assistant coach Tony Stubblefield is second to none as a recruiter.  Remember, a year ago New Mexico State landed 6'9 Andre Scott from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 6'6, David Fisher from Dallas (South Oak Cliff) TX, 6'2 Byron Davis from Detroit (Rogers) MI, and 5'10 Detris Roberson from Connors State (JC) OK.  Another one of the best recruiters in the business is Northeastern assistant coach Frank Martin, so it should come as no surprise that the Huskies have already stolen two of the excellent foreign players - 6'7 Mantas Griskenas and 6'6 Steward Baldonado - who have surfaced this fall at Winchendon (School) MA.  And they're both good enough to get top 100 consideration nationally, if we ranked them as high school seniors.   However, since they're both foreign players attending a prep school, we've instead added them to our 5th year list.  The word we get is that Griskenas is the better of the two and he does everything well, including shoot the three, run the court, go strong to the boards, and impress you with his incredible athleticism.  Baldonado reminds you of Cedric Maxwell.  Not only is he an excellent athlete, great rebounder, and terrific defensive player, but he also can keep you honest with his offensive skills.  Baldonado, who is one of former Miami head coach Art Alvarez's players from Puerto Rico, also helps keep the pipeline going to Northeastern University, which already has nine players on its roster from the state of Florida.  Usually players want to go from North to South, but obviously the Huskies have taken advantage of Martin's strong ties to the Miami area.   Remember, Martin was the head coach Miami (Senior) FL prior to becoming an assistant coach at Northeastern three years ago.  Griskenas and Baldenado should provide the perfect complement to Jose Juan Barea and Marcus Barnes year after next.  If you will recall, Barnes, who still has two years to play, transferred from Miami-FL, where he averaged 12.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, and 2.2 apg as a sophomore two years ago, to Northeastern, where he sat out last year.  Barea is the tough hardnosed point guard from Miami (Christian) FL that we gave you the scoop on two years ago.  However, we still weren't prepared for how well Barea did this summer in the 19-Under World Junior Championship in Greece.  In addition to being the top point guard in the tournament, Barea also was the second leading scorer, leader in assists, leader in 3-point field goal percentage, and leader in free throw percentage.  He also had 38 points the first time his team played against the United States Team and 32 points, 10 rebounds, and eight asssits when Puerto Rico lost to the United States in the 5th Place Game.  In other words, Northeastern head coach Ronnie Everhart appears to be well on his way towards making one of the biggest four-year turnarounds in college basketball, after going 7-21 two years ago and 16-15 last year to being one of the favorites in the American East Conference this year, as just about everybody is back, and potentially one of the best mid-to-low level teams teams in the nation the following year when Barnes is a senior, Barea is a junior, and Griskenas and Baldonado are both freshmen.  And they aren't done yet, as their final scholarship is being saved for the best available player they find, which means that Northeastern's recruiting class, which already is tied at #24, along with Ohio State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004, could move even higher. 

We've already told you that we thought the University of Kentucky was one of the favorites for 6'3 Joe Crawford from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, who is ranked #18 on our list of the top seniors nationally, 6'3 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, who is ranked #32 on our list of the top seniors nationally, and 6'3 Ramel Bradley from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, who is ranked #12 on our list of the top 5th year players, but it also looks like the Wildcats have really turned up the heat lately on 6'3 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, who checks in at #36 on our senior list.  And the fact that Kentucky landed Robinson's former teammate - 7'3 Shagari Alleyne from New York (Rice) NY - last spring should also give the Wildcats an advantage with 6'9 Soph Curtis Kelly from New York (Rice) NY, who will be one of the top 10 sophomores in the nation when we publish our rankings of the top players in the Class of 2006.   Speaking of our rankings for the Classes of 2006 and 2007, we've been delayed publishing them due to more breaking recruiting information than we expected during the last several weeks, travel (I'm currently on the West Coast), and an inability to get ahold of all of our editors, correpondents, and writers, as we attempt to put all the pieces together.  However, I'm working on it and expect to publish both lists sometime within the next week to 10 days.  Getting back to Kentucky's recruiting, we also hear that Wildcats are stronger than most people realize on 6'8 Rudy Gay from Severn (Archbishop Spalding) MD, who is ranked #8 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, 7'0 Randolph Morris from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who is ranked #16 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, 7'1 Ivan Chiriaev from Oakville (St. Thomas Aquinas) ON, who is ranked #6 on our list of the top 5th year players, and 6'9 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, who is ranked #43 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, if the Wildcats sign any two or three of the players mentioned above, then the people who like to talk about how the current regime can't recruit the top players in the nation will have to eat their words.  Right now the Wildcats can only sign two more players in this recruiting class, but, if Kentucky already had two of these players in the fold and suddenly needed another scholarship and 6'4 Adam Williams from St. Albans (H.S.) WA, who verbally committed to Kentucky when was a sophomore in high school, but hasn't developed as quickly as expected, opted to go the prep school route, then the Wildcats could potentially sign as many as three players who are ranked among our top 40 nationally, instead of just two.  It also appears that Rice has landed 6'9 Matt Hagan from Pekin (H.S.) IL, Wright State has landed 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, and Georgia has landed 6'4 Channing Toney from Snellville (Brookwood) GA.  The commitment by Toney is big, because we're talking about a player who is ranked #77 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and the commitment by Sullivan is very intriguing, because he's grown nine inches in the last two years and, as a result, is only starting to grow into his body.  Spencer is ranked #297 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but he may turn out to be better than that now that he is recovered from an injury that sidelined him this summer.  This is the second in-state player with a major upside that the Wright State coaching staff has landed this fall.  If you will recall, a week ago we told you that the Raiders had gotten 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Ft. Loramie (H.S.) OH and we also mentioned that Wright State was targeting Spencer and 6'7 Thomas Sander from Cincinnati (Elder) OH.  Well, we look pretty good right now with regards to Spencer and we still think they are they are one of the schools to beat for both Sander and 6'6 Brandon Ivery from Columbus (Walnut Ridge) OH, which is where former Ohio State assistant coach Dave Spillar now serves as the director of athletics.  Toney is similar to his father, former Southwestern Louisiana and Philadelphia 76ers star Andrew Toney, in that he has a natural feel for the game, is a big time athlete, and an excellent 3-point shooter.  And the younger Toney's best days are still ahead of him, which means this is first impact player that Bulldogs head coach Dennis Felton and his staff have signed since taking over at Georgia five months ago.  If you will recall, they inherited 6'8 Corey Gibbs from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA when the previous regime got fired in March and they signed 6'2 Levi Stukes from Randallstown (H.S.) MD, 6'8 Marcus Sikes from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA, and 6'8 Steve Newton from Orlando (The First) FL during the spring signing period.  We also have heard that Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX head coach Jerome Tang may be in line for an assistant coaching position at Baylor and, if this proves to be correct, this could be one of new Bears head coach Scott Drew's most important recruits.   Not only is Tang a great recruiter, as is evident by all the great young players he currently has in the program, but he's also a first class person and an excellent coach.

Wednesday, September 10, 2003

We have confirmed that 6'7 Danny Hess from Carunna (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #210 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Western Michigan.  If you will recall, this is the guy who was being recruited by Aquinas and Lake Superior State prior to when we saw him in late July at the adidas Big Time Tournament, but since has been attracting interest from schools like Iowa State, Buffalo, Oakland, Lehigh, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Dayton.  Hess is a little undersized to play the power forward spot at the big-time college level, but has the skills, athleticism, talent, and competitiveness necessary to be an absolute steal at the mid-major level.  And apparently Western Michigan was able to get this one done by taking advantage of the strong contacts that Broncos assistant coach Cornell Mann has to the Michigan Hurricanes club team program.  Did you know that prior to working as an assistant coach at Western Michigan for the past year and at Central Michigan for the previous two years, Mann worked for Chris Grier as an assistant coach for the Michigan Mustangs back when they had that starstunned team that included Michigan State's Paul Davis, Florida's Anthony Roberson, Cincinnati's Robert Whaley, and Michigan State's Kelvin Torbert?  We also understand that 6'10 Goran Sutton from Lansing (Evertt) MI had an excellent visit to Arizona State last weekend and, as a result, the Sun Devils may be the leader over LSU and Michigan State, both of which he plans to visit in the near future, and Dayton, where he already has made an unofficial visit.  We also continue to be amazed at the recruitment and hype surrounding 6'3 Quentin Thomas from Oakland (Tech) CA.  Arizona State, Kansas, and North Carolina are the top three schools on Thomas' list and Insiders.com's West Coast gurus Greg Hicks and Tracey Pierson rank Thomas as the West Coast's #1 point guard ahead of 6'2 Jordan Farmar from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA and 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Obviously this comes a surprise to us, because Thomas is ranked no higher than #94 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, plus we question whether he makes good enough decisions to be a point guard at the big time college level.  In other words, this combo guard is a heck of athlete and he can beat you either with his 3-point shooting or ability to get the basket.   But a pure point guard he is not!  We also want to raise a question regarding 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, whose final two schools appear to be Louisville and Oregon.  If you were Cardinals head coach Rick Pitino and Burgess called you today and wanted to commit to the Cardinals, what would you do?  Take the verbal commitment and be happy that you found blue collar white kid who can rebound, score inside, and defend or would you put Burgess, who is ranked #133 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, on hold and continue to recruit 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, who is ranked #27 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and/or 6'9 Brian Johnson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who is ranked #30 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, both of whom have Louisville high on their list?  And we can ask the same question with regards to 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL, whose final two are Illinois and Michigan State, as it pertains to the Spartans.  Remember, Michigan State also is among the finalists for 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, who is ranked #37 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Al Horford from Grand Ledge (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #49 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, we think both Kaun and Horford are clearly better than Pruitt, who is ranked #133 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but one in the hand it also worth two in the bush.  Speaking of Pruitt, Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report expects a verbal commitment to be forthcoming from this athletic power forward within the next 48 hours. who has failed to live up to his hype, after suffering a broken leg that sidelined him most of last winter.  And, if Pruitt does pick the Spartans, that could open the door for the Fighting Illini to get Horford in an interesting twist, whereby, a player from Illinois goes to Michigan State and a player from Michigan goes to the University of Illinois.  

Tuesday, September 9, 2003

It looks like Slam Dunk to the Beach Executive Director Bobby Jacobs has done it again, as the field for this year's tournament field includes Amityville (H.S.) NY, Birmingham (Parker) AL, Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, Potomac (Bullis School) MD, Lewes (Cape Henlopen) DE, Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, 6'5 Ft. Washington (Friendly) MD, Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, Laurinburg (Institute) NC, Burlington (Life Center) NJ, Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, Allentown (Parkland) PA, LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, Elizabeth (St, Patrick) NJ, Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, Provo (Timpview) UT, Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, and Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA.  The top seniors in the tournament will include 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 6'9 D.J. White from Tuscaloosa (Hillcrest) AL, 6'8 Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL,  6'6 Earl "J.R." Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Juan Diego Palacios from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Jason Rich from Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL, 6'6 Roy Bright from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'11 Jackie Butler from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'8 Richard Dorsey from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'11 Longar Longar from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'3 Vincent Banks from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'10 Ra'Sean Dickey from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC, 6'9 Mohamed Tangara from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Alex Galindo from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'2 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'4 Albert Webber from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'3 Tasheed Carr from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'7 Deron Washington from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'8 Rob Kurz from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'1 Courtney Nelson from Bloomfield (Tech) NJ, 6'0 Maureece Rice from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'1 Pierre-Marie Altidor Cespedes from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, 6'5 Joe McCray from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Walter Sharpe from Birmingham (Parker) AL, 6'6 Glenn Dandridge from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'10 Chris Miles from Provo (Timpview) UT, 6'8 Robbie Simpson from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'11 Benny Sougetov from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'6 Kevin Palacios from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'9 Shawn Taggart from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'8 Jared Gaither from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, 6'8 Ben Nwachukwu from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'2 Earl Risby from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'7 Loic Theophile from Laurinburg (Institute) NC, 6'5 Richard Hurd from Cleveland (Heritage Christian) TX, 6'6 Dexter Gray from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY,  6'8 Olivier Lamoureux from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, 6'0 Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'10 Keith Darden from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD, 6'5 Negus McKenna from Montreal (Champlain St. Lambert) QU, and 7'6 Jerry Sokolowski from Laurinburg (Institute) NC.  The top juniors in the tournament will include 6'6 Jr Brandon Rush from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr Ryan Ayers from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 5'10 Jr Eugene Harvey from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Jr Marcus Johnson from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'9 Jr Yamene Coleman from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'3 Jr Anthony Farmer from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, 6'7 Jr Brian Grimes from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Frank Tchuisi from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'7 Jr James Tchana from Centereach (Our Savior New American) NY, and 6'7 Jr Casaan Breedan from Bennettsville (Marlboro County) SC.  The top sophomores in the tournament will include 6'9 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'0 Soph Jawan Carter from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'6 Soph Jon Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Soph Tracy Smith from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'3 Soph Javaris Crittenton from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA, 5'9 Soph Demond Carter from LaPlace (Reserve Christian) LA, 7'1 Soph Jason Bennett from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL, and 6'7 Soph Lance Thomas from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ.  In other words, Jacobs has 20 players - Howard, White, Williams, Earl "J.R." Smith, Price, Juan Diego Palacios, Singletary, Rich, Bright, Butler, Dorsey, Longar, Rush, Caracter, Jawan Carter, Mitchell, Tracy Smith, Crittenton, Demond Carter, and Bennett - who rank among the top 40 players nationally in their respective class and, as a result, should be legitimate McDonald's All-American candidates when they are seniors in high school.  As always, Slam Dunk to the Beach will be held from December 26th-30th in Lewes, DE and with the help of our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin and our Northeast Editor Dave Schultz, we will once again cover it in its entirety.  For more information about this tournament, click on their web site at SlamDunktotheBeach.org.

Greg Swaim, who publishes GregSwaim.com, tells us that in addition to getting John Lucas, who announced that he is transferring from Baylor to Oklahoma State to weeks ago, it looks like 7'0 Julius Lamptey will finally end up at Oklahoma State.  If you will recall, two years ago we said that the perfect fit for Lamptey would be to play Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State.  Remember, Sutton is one of the best coaches in the nation at developing big men, plus Lamptey, who was ranked #68 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP two years ago, is originally from Oklahoma City (Northeast) OK.  However, he signed with Georgia during the spring of his senior year, didn't make it academically, went the prep school route to New Hampton (Prep) NH and, then, signed with Arkansas.  But Lamptey is till trying to get the necessary score to be eligible this year as a college freshman.  So now he's living in Stillwater, OK and is working with a tutor.  And our guess is that Lamptey will make it, because this time the test will be untrimmed and read to him, due to the fact that he has certified learning disabilities.  Obviously this is huge news for the Cowboys, because Lamptey not has improved dramatically during the last two years, but he's also lost all his baby-fat and grown several more inches.  Ironically, Lamptey told Swaim recently that it looks like we were right two years ago when we wrote that Oklahoma State was the perfect fit for him and hopefully three times will be a charm as this is the third college he's committed to in two years.  Swaim also tells us that 6'0 Jamal Brown from Dixie (JC) UT, who is one of the top ranked junior college point guards in the nation, has verbally committed to Oklahoma State, which means that the strong pipeline that the Cowboys have to Dixie Junior College is still intact.  And it should be, because Dixie Head Coach Jeff Kidder got his start in the business while working for Sutton at the University of Kentucky and they still maintain strong ties to this day.   So it came as no surprise when Oklahoma State landed 6'3 Maurice Baker from Dixie (JC) UT in the Class of 2000 and it also comes as no surprise that Brown has decided to follow in Baker's footsteps.   Swaim also tells us that Oklahoma State is a lot stronger than most people realize with 6'11 Aaron Petway from Dixie (JC) UT and 6'8 Jeremy Parnell from Blytheville (Gosnell) AR.  Speaking of Parnell, we'd already heard the rumor that he was no longer verbally committed to Ole Miss, but upon further investigation were unable to confirm it.  But now, thanks to Swaim, we can.  You can't be verbally committed to one school (Mississippi) and make an unofficial visit to another school (Oklahoma State), which was where Parnell was this weekend.  It is the editorial policy of the HOOP SCOOP not to count transfers when ranking recruiting classes, so Lucas does not count with Oklahoma State's current recruiting class.  However, Lucas does count as one of the five scholarships that Oklahoma State has to offer this year and, as a result, if the Cowboys also get Petway and Parnell, Oklahoma State will probably stash 6'3 Neiman Owens, who is ranked #213 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, in prep school for a year.  But right now Owens still counts with Oklahoma State's recruiting class, which, with the additions of Lamptey and Brown, moves into a tie at #8, along with UCLA and Memphis, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson reports that 6'3 Adam Walther from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, who is the best 3-point shooter in the senior class in the state, has verbally committed to the University of Akron.  Walther, who can play either guard spot, will team with 6'7 Josh Duncan and 6'8 Andrew Brackman this year on what promises to be the top high school team in Ohio and a year from now will join 5'8 Dru Joyce from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who was one of the best 3-point shooters in the state last year, to give Akron a tremendous amount of outside firepower.  Getting Walther also means the Zips will have only two more scholarships available in this recruiting class and they would like to sign a wing player and an inside player.  And right at the top of their list are 6'3 Tihon Johnson, who signed with Hampton as a high school senior, and 6'9 Jaki Williams, both of whom are originally from Columbus (East) OH and now attend Mt. San Jacinto (JC) CA.  Johnson also tells us that 6'5 Steven Leven, who orginally signed with Auburn, but more recently was at the University of Texas, has transferred to Wyoming and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Pat Calathes from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL has verbally committed to St. Joseph's.  Calathes is not ranked among our top 445 seniors nationally, but those who saw him this summer think he has Michael Dunleavy-like intangibles.  In other words, we're talking about a long lanky white kid who can shoot the 3-point shot and handle and pass it surprisingly well for somebody his size.  Calathes also has grown six inches in the past two-and-a-half years, which explains why he is more of a perimeter player than an inside player at 6'9, 200 pounds.  St. Joseph's beat schools like South Florida, Providence, Yale, Stetson, Mercer, and Elon College for Calathes' services, but, as Rubin likes to remind us, the St. Joseph's coaching staff has a knack for finding the diamond in the rough and turning him into a good player. 

Saturday, September 6, 2003, Sunday, September, 7, 2003, & Monday, September 8, 2003

Many of the players from Southern California, including 6'4 Arron Afflalo from Los Angeles (Price) CA, 6'3 Gabriel Pruitt from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'4 Curtis Allen from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'4 Matthew Thomas from Riverside (King) CA, 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Jr Jamal Boykin from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'9 Jr Amir Johnson from Los Angeles (Verbum Dei) CA, 6'5 Soph Jervaughn Johnson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'8 Soph Alex Stephenson from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, 6'2 Soph Tyree Thompson from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'2 Soph Tim McLauren from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Frosh Taylor King from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodward from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Frosh Pierce Brooks from Woodland Hills (Taft) CA, 6'2 Frosh Austin Daye from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'8 Clint Amberry from Huntington Beach (Ocean View) CA, and 6'3 8th Grader Zach Zaragosa from Irvine, CA participated in the 2003 Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase yesterday at Los Alamitos High School in Los Alamitos, CA, but what made this event worth our trip to the West Coast were the number of new players who took their game to another level and/or established their reputation.  Let's start with the Top 24 Freshman Game where 6'1 Frosh Jordan Block from Claremont (H.S.) CA, who finished with 38 points and impressed us with his strength, athleticism, ability to get to the hole, and shoot the three, and 6'3 Frosh Kiernan Ramsey from North Hollywood (Harvard-Westlake) CA, who finished with 18 points, slashed to the basket, and rebounded well for his size, matched Woodard and King point for point.  Woodward, who was one of the top players at one of the sessions of Eastern Invitational earlier this summer, finished with 33 points and was almost possible to stop, as he ran the show, made good decisions, and went strong to the hole.  King, who is the #1-ranked freshman in the nation and already verbally committed to UCLA, finished with 18 points and did most of his damage inside as he was the second tallest player on his team.  Also making names for themselves in the Top 24 Freshman Game were 6'9 8th Grader Ari Allen from Pasadena (H.S.) CA, who is a physical specimen inside with a soft touch around the basket and 6'1 Frosh Shane Martin from Laguna Beach (H.S.) CA, who is surprisingly quick to the hole.   And believe it or not, two of our favorite players - 6'2 Soph Patrick Christopher from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA and 6'1 Laith Al-Jamie from Mission Viejo (Trabuco Hills) CA - from the entire day played in the Top 48 Sophomore Game.  Either the event director Dinos Trigonis didn't know how good Christopher and Al-Jamie both are or political considers prevented them from being selected to appear in the Top 24 Sophomore Game.  Al-Jamie only scored 10 points in the Top 48 Sophomore Game, but he displayed excellent court savvy, as he made good decisions and is an excellent ball handler and a terrific passer.  Al-Jamie also is a pretty good 3-point shooter, as was evident in the second half when he hit a pair of treys.  Christopher, who is a multi-dimensional athlete, put on one of the top individual performances of the entire day, as he scored 31 points and easily was the best player in the game.  We're talking about a player who thrives in an uptempo setting, shoots the lights out from beyond the arc, handles well enough to play point guard, and rebounds well enough to play some inside.  However, what we liked best about Christopher was the incredible intensity level that he played with in both in the Top 48 Sophomore Game and the Top 24 Sophomore Game.  Unfortunately Christopher only played sparingly in the second half of the Top 24 Sophomore Game, but we did see enough to be convinced that he would have been one of the best players in that game, which means he might be the best kept secret right now on the West Coast in his class.  Stephenson, Thompson, and Jervaughn Johnson combined for 51 points for the Black Squad in the Top 24 Sophomore Game, but the player who impressed us the most in that game 5'11 Soph Todd Lowenthal from Poway (H.S.) CA.  Sure, Lowenthal needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's deceptively quick, has excellent ball handling and passing skills, plays with reckless abandon, and is capable of playing either guard spot, because he's also an excellent outside shooter.   The best player and leading scorer with 14 points for the White Squad was 6'4 Soph Josh Guillory from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, who is ranked no higher than #13 in California by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, Guillory is a lot better than that, because he's extremely athletic, is an excellent 3-point shooter, and has great timing and anticipation.  We also were impressed by 6'5 Soph Andre McFarland from Las Vegas (Durango) NV and 6'6 Soph A.J. Tolbert from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who combined for 20 points and did most of their damage in transition and from mid-range and in.  It is our understanding that they both shoot it better than they showed us in the Top 24 Sophomore Game, which means they both have a chance to play at the big time level with normal development and improvement.  The only player worth mentioning in the Top 48 Junior Game was 6'0 Soph De'Andre Dunn from Lakewood (Artesia) CA, who hit five 3-pointers en route to 17 points while being the only sophomore to play in the game.  The leading scorer in the Top 24 Junior Game was 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey from Compton (Dominguez) CA, but he got 11 of his points in a span of about two minutes when he decided to take over the game.  Not only did Harvey hit three straight 3-pointers, but also displayed incredible athleticism, as he got the hole and impressed us with his quickness and anticipation, (he scored several of these baskets off steals and by creating havoc at the defensive end).  Unfortunately Harvey didn't play with the same type of zest and zeal the rest of the game and, as a result, the players who stepped up and impressed us the most in the Top 24 Junior Game were 6'2 Jr Seketoure Henry from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Jerry Davon Jefferson from Lynwood (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Lamar Falley from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'0 Jr Justin Thomas from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, and 6'4 Jr Jerard Moret from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  Henry, who scored seven of his team's first 13 points and finished with 20 points, can play either guard spot, because he has the ball handling and passing skills necessary to run the show and can shoot the lights out, as was evident by the fact that he had four 3-pointers in this game.  Falley is a silky-smooth athletic 2-guard who also filled it up from downtown, as he had three 3-pointers of his own.  Jefferson needs to get bigger and stronger and/or work on his perimeter skills and outside shooting, but he does have big time athleticism, the ability to score from mid-range and in, and the natural  talent necessary to be one of the most intriguing players in the junior class in Southern California.  Thomas is a combo guard who did a lot of things well (i.e. handle, pass, shoot, and defend), but nothing exceptional.  Moret finished with 19 points and showed us a 3-point shot, but he's more of a slasher than a shooter.  The best player in the Top 48 Senior Game was 6'0 Orlando Baeza from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, who finished with 24 points and impressed us with his 3-point shooting and excellent passing skills.  Also playing well in the Top 48 Senior Game were 6'6 Marcus Blackshire from Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Davon Roberts from Glendora (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Justin Williams from Placentia (El Dorado) CA, all of whom fall into the tweener combo forward trap, as they all are extremely athletic and more effective inside than they are out on the perimter.  The best two players in the Top 24  Senior Game were Pruitt, who scored 17 points and hit three 3-pointers, and Allen, who scored 23 points and hit three 3-pointers, but we were also very impressed, once again, by 6'6 Chris Berry from Compton (Centennial) CA, who finished with 18 points and was a force with his quickness, jumping ability, and tenacity around the basket.  And Berry wasn't the only unsung hero in the Top 24 Senior Game, as 6'3 Jonathan Toliver from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA with 15 points, 6'6 Marcus Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA with 14 points, and 6'2 Ralph Miley from Downey (Calvery Chapel) CA with 13 points also played well.

Friday, September 5, 2003

Yesterday we reported that 6'7 Elgrace Wilborn, who is transferring from the University of Tennessee, couldn't get into the University of Nebraska because he lacked the necessary 2.0 gpa and, as a result, would be enrolling at a junior college this fall.  Well, it looks like we were a day late and a dollar short on this one.  Did you know that Wilborn enrolled in school at Western Kentucky earlier this week and it was made public yesterday.  Obviously this is a major coup for the Hilltoppers, because Wilborn is the incredible athlete, great rebounder, and excellent shot blocker that every college coach covets.  Wilborn, who will sit out this season and then have two years to play, also promises to give Hilltoppers head coach Darrin Horn what might be the best one-two punch in the league a year from now, if 6'0 Antonio Haynes from Georgia Perimeter (JC) GA lives up to expectations.  If you will recall, Haynes, who is the replacement for Patrick Sparks at point guard, was ranked #1 in the junior college ranks in both assists (14. 6 apg) and steals (7.1 spg) and #8 in field goal percentage, plus he averaged 13.2 ppg, 6.8 rpg, shot 46.9% from beyond the arc, and 93.5% from the foul line last season.  One that we do have the scoop on is 6'2 Drew Hall, who transferring from Georgetown to the College of Charleston.  Hall, who averaged 22 minutes a game as a freshman and sophomore at Georgetown, not only is a huge catch for the Cougars, but he also provides them with an important in to the legendary Stu Vetter, who is ranked #6 on our list of the top high school coaches in America, and the Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD program.  Apparently former Georgetown assistant coach Ronny Thompson, who left to take a similar position at Arkansas this spring, was the link between Montrose Christian and the Hoyas and, thus, explains why both Hall and 6'2 Tony Bethel, who also played for Vetter at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, have transferred.  Remember, Bethel transferred from Georgetown to N.C. State in late May.  And this comes on the heels of last year's College of Charleston recruiting class, which included 5'11 Dontaye Draper from Pawling (Trinity Pawling) NY, 6'9 Jeff Horowitz from Charlotte (North Mecklenburg) NC, and 6'7Jabyron Wilson from Lake City (H.S.) SC, all of whom are expeced to step in and make an immediate impact this year.  The College of the Charleston also returns a strong nucleus that includes 6'9 Sr Mike Benton, 6'4 Sr Marcus Johnson, 6'8 Sr Thomas Mobley, and 5'11 Jr Tony Mitchell from a 25-8 team a year ago, plus they also already have two recruits - 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH and 6'10 Ben Brown from Richard (Steward School) VA - in the fold in their current recruiting class.  In other words, it looks like College of Charleston head coach Tommy Herrion, who is only beginning his second year as the head coach of the Cougars, already is well on this way towards turning this program into the Gonzaga or the Valparaiso of the East.  Speaking of Valparaiso, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the Crusaders have landed 5'11 Jarryd Lloyd from Skokie (Niles West) IL, who not only is ranked #151 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but also is one of our favorite players, because he's got jet-like speed and quickness, plays excellent defense, and makes everybody around him better.  So with Lloyd at point guard, 6'2 Jimmy Miles at 2-guard, 6'6 Oumar Sylla at the three spot, and 6'9 Kenneth Harris inside, a year from now Valparaiso head coach Homer Drew could be going to war in the Mid-Continent Conference with four starters who are just athletic and just as talented as most of the teams in the Big-10. 

We understand that Southern Idaho Junior College assistant coach Jay Cyriac is in line to be named as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers.  And, if Missouri head coach Quin Synder, who played with 76ers General Manager Billy King at Duke, used his influence to help Cyriac get the job, it's a move that would have to make Bill Clinton smile.  If you will recall, former Missouri point guard Ricky Clemons refuses to say a word about allegations that his ex-girlfriend is making involving academic fraud, illegal recruiting, and improper benefits that Clemons received from Missouri.  Right now it's a he-said, she-said deal, so, unless somebody steps forward and spills the beans, Synder should not have anything to worry about from the NCAA.  This also would be poetic justice for Cyriac, who recently was unable to accept the Director of Basketball Operations job at DePaul due to the NCAA's on-going investigation into the Missouri program.  We already have previously mentioned that 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL is visiting North Carolina, 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL will be visiting Illinois, 6'6 Anthony Morrow from Charlotte (Latin) NC will be at Tennessee, and 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI is visiting Ohio State this weekend, but our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also tells us 6'2 Jamar Butler from Lima (Shawnee) OH and 6'9 Matt Terwilliger from Troy (H.S.) OH also will be at Ohio State this weekend on unofficial visits.  Johnson also tells us that 6'2 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY and 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL both will be at Kansas, 6'7 Jermis Smith from Ft. Worth (Dunbar) TX and 6'2 Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun County) SC both will be at Georgia Tech, 6'7 Charles Thomas from Jackson (Callaway) MS and 6'3 Isaiah Swann from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA both will be at Florida State, 6'4 Channing Toney from Snellville (Brookwood) GA will be at Georgia, and 6'6 Shane Foster from Kenner (Bonnabel) LA will be at Vanderbilt this weekend.  Johnson also tells us that Hairston's originally scheduled official visit to UCLA a week ago, which was cancelled due to a family commitment, has been re-scheduled for the second weekend in September and that Hairston also has a tentatively scheduled visit to Kansas on the third weekend of the month.  The top five schools for 6'8 Andrew Brackman from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH are Ohio State, Dayton, N.C. State, Vanderbilt, anad Miami-OH and it now appears to be a two-horse race between Louisville and Oregon for 6'10 David Burgess from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA.  We suspected that UCLA would drop out of the running for Burguess when the Bruins recently landed 6'9 Lorenzo Matta from Southgate (H.S.) CA, but now it appears to be official, because sources in the know tell us that Burgess has been denied admission into school at UCLA.  Also being denied admission into school at the University of Minnesota is 6'3 Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Instead, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that, unless something unforseen happens, Washington will be heading to the University of Washington, which is probably where he should have gone in the first place.   Obviously this is a case, whereby, Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar has taken advantage of his strong Southern California ties to get this one done at the 11th-hour. 

Thursday, September 4, 2003

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Wright State has landed 6'9 Jordan Pleiman from Ft. Loramie (H.S.) OH, who will be ranked #13 in the senior class in the state next time we update our Ohio rankings.  We're talking about a powerful inside player who is deceptively athletic, has nice a shooting touch out to 15-feet, and had a good summer while playing for the Northeast Ohio Stars.  In other words, Pleiman, who also attracted interest from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, and Ball State, is the big man that first-year Raiders head coach Paul Biancardi and his staff needs to complement 6'6 Vadimiras Severovas from Beverly Hills (Graves) MI, who was signed  a year ago by the previous regime; 6'5 Zakee Boyd from Philadelphia (Luthern) PA and 5'10 DeShaun Lynch from Detroit (Crockett) MI, both of signed with Wright State last spring; and 6'2 Deauntay Scott from Cleveland (East) OH, who was was a late addition to Wright State's 2003 recruiting class.  And Scott is a pretty good addition!  Did you know that he was ranked #8 in the in the state in Johnson's final rankings of the Class of 2003, but still fell under the radar screen because he didn't play any AAU basketball and he didn't qualify academically until mid-way through the summer?  Wright State also added 6'7 Zach Williams, who transferred from Ohio State over the summer, so the Raiders only have three more scholarships available in this recruiting class and two of their top priorities are 6'6 Everett Spencer from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH and 6'7 Thomas Sander from Cincinnati (Elder) OH, who are ranked #8 and #10, respectively, in the state by Johnson.  They also are still hanging around, along with schools like St. Bonaventure and Middle Tennessee State, to see what happens with 6'7 Elgrace Wilborn, who has decided to transfer from Tennessee to Nebraska.  His legal problems have been settled and the assault charges have been dropped by Brandon Crump, due to an out-of-court settlement, but Wilborn still has another hurdle to overcome before being eligible to enroll at Nebraska.  Apparently, when Wilborn left Tennessee, he did not have the necessary 2.0 gpa to get into Nebraska and, as a result, he will have to attend a junior college this fall, as he attempts to get his academics into order and transfer to Nebraska at the semester break in December.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Josh Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA will make official visits to Oregon during the third weekend and UCLA during the fourth weekend of September and that Stanford, Washington, and Boston College are also still on his list.  We also have heard that Boston College is a lot closer to getting a verbal commitment from 6'9 Sean Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #150 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, than most people realize. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2003

When we told you last night that the verbal commitment by 6'6 Jimmie Binnie from Johnston (H.S.) IA to Dayton would probably also help the Flyers get 6'2 Trent Meachum from Champaign (Centennial) IL, we didn't expect it to happen quite so fast.  However, it appears that earlier tonight Meachum decided to make it official and, as a result, we have to wonder whether John Stovall and Vince Baldwin at the PrepSpotlight.com knew a lot more than they can actually tell us when they reported a week-and-a-half-ago on their web site that Binnie and Meachum were both going to Dayton.  In other words, if you put two-and-two together, it appears Binnie and Meachum at the time both may had already their mind made up, but wanted to take the rest of their visits.  Since that time Binnie and Meachum both visited Baylor, Meachum visited Purdue, and Binnie visited Dayton.   And apparently when Binnie visited Dayton over the weekend, he saw enough to seal the deal, as a verbal commitment to the Flyers was forthcoming almost immediately.   That may have been the deciding factor for Meachum, who had already made an unofficial visit to Dayton several weeks ago.  If you know where you want to go and one of your closest friends has already decided to go to the same school, why wait any longer and run the risk of letting somebody like 6'1 Rico Harris from Detroit (Denby) MI get your scholarship?  Remember earlier this month the Flyers landed 6'1 Brian Roberts from Toledo (St. John's) OH and they also got a verbal commitment from 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA in  late July.  In other words, Dayton is already more than set at the one, two, and the three spots in this recruiting class, as their fifth and final scholarship will probably go to the best inside player they can find who is still available.  How about 6'7 Danny Hess from Carunna (H.S.) MI, who was one of the biggest sleepers to emerge at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV in July?   Remember, Dayton head coach Brian Gregory, who previously was the top assistant coach at Michigan State, and Dayton assistant coach Billy Schmidt, who previously was an assistant coach at Michigan, have all the right contacts to get this one done.  Roberts, Meachum, and Binnie do not rank among our top 100 seniors nationally, but they all rank in the 100-150 range, all three are very skilled and have what it takes to win.  In other words, Gregory and his staff have picked up where the previous regime, which guided Dayton into the NCAA Tournament last March, left off.  Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bull-eye Report also tells us that 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL will be visiting the University of Illinois this weekend, 6'8 Mick Yelovich from Mt. Zion (H.S.) IL has verbally committed to Indiana State, and 6'6 Frank Clair from Chicago (Leo) IL has verbally committed to Northern Illinois.  However, the biggest item that we've picked up today involves 6'7 Eulis Baez, who is transferring from Florida International to Western Illinois.  We're talking about the best player on Florida International's team, as he averaged 13.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg, shot 51.2% from the field and was a Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference Selection as a junior last season.  And this isn't the first player that new Western Illinois head coach Derek Thomas has stolen.  If you will recall, earlier this month Western Illinois also landed 6'9 Kyle Lasek from Moline (H.S.) IL, who led the RBS All-Stars to a runner-up finish in the Division II Championship at the National 17-Under AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL, and last spring they landed 5'8 T.J. Gray from Chicago (Julian) IL, who emerged as one of the biggest sleepers in the state during the spring signing period.  And, if that weren't enough, Thomas also inherited 6'5 Doyle Cole from Jacksonville (JC) TX, who was signed by the previous regime, despite the fact he's good enough to play at a much higher level.  While Western Illinois may not be ready to become the next Valparaiso just yet, this could be one the most improved teams in the nation a year from now after Gray and Cole have added a year of experience; Baez, who will sit out this season, suits up for his senior year; and Lasek enrolls as a freshman.  We also have learned that, as expected, St. Joseph's has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'1 Abdulai Jalloh from Ft. Washington (National Christian) MD.  If you will recall, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin told us that this was probably going to happen in July.  Jalloh is ranked #280 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but, as he continues to develop into a true point guard and not just live off his athleticism, talent, and ability to get to the hole, the value of his stock should rise dramatically.  Remember, Hawks assistant coach Matt Brady is a master at finding players who will fit into and develop in St. Joseph's head coach Phil Martelli's system.  We also understand that 6'10 Chris Adams from San Francisco (JC) CA has finally made it official for Fresno State, as he enrolled into school today.  If you will recall, Big Apple Sports has been reporting that this was an on-again off-again type situation for the last week. 

Tuesday, September 2, 2003

Normally we would say that the early verbal commitment by 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY to Duke was a major surprise (for weeks we've been hearing that Notre Dame was the favorite, plus we thought playing football was at least somewhat of a factor, because Paulus is recognized as the best quarterback in the nation).  However, when the Blue Devils get a player, it should never be a surprise.  Remember, Duke is widely regarded as a top five or 10 school in the nation academically; head coach Mike Krzyzewski is widely regarded as one of the top three coaches in the history of the game, along with John Wooden and Adolph Rupp; the Atlantic Coast Conference year-in and year-out is as good a basketball league as there is in the nation; Steve Wojciechowski, Chris Collins, and Johnny Dawkins are three of the top bright young up-and-coming guys in the business; and the campus and facilities are among the best in nation.  In other words, it's tough to beat the Blue Devils when they really want a player and obviously they really wanted Paulus, who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Paulus is the #3-ranked point guard in the junior class nationally behind 5'10 Jr Andre McGee from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA and 6'2 Jr Tiki Mayben from Troy (H.S.) NY, who check in at #13 and #14, respectively, on our list of the top players in the Class of 2005.  Paulus not only becomes the highest ranked player nationally in the junior class to have made an early verbal commitment, but he also provides the Blue Devils with the floor general who will make everybody around him better, including 6'2 DeMarcus Nelson from Sacramento (Sheldon) CA, who is ranked #15 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and can play either guard position, but is more ideally suited to play the 2-guard spot due to his incredible scoring ability.  And making the story even more interesting is the fact that Duke is also believed to be the leader for 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, who is ranked #3 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, if the Blue Devils also get Livingston and he doesn't declare hardship for the NBA Draft after his first year of college, Duke will be absolutely loaded in the backcourt, as Daniel Ewing will be back for two more years, J.J. Redick and Sean Dockery are both also expected to be around for another three years, and 6'5 David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT will vying for playing time at both wing spots for the next four years.  Duke also should be dangerous at the wing forward spot with 6'8 Luol Deng from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, who was the #2-ranked junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP behind LeBron James in the Class of 2003, and inside with Sheldon Williams, Shavlik Randolph, and Michael Thompson.  So the only missing piece to the puzzle might be another inside player or two.  How about 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL and/or 6'11 Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Atlanta Christian) GA?  Everybody thinks Howard is a lock for the NBA, but he says he wants to go to college and, if he's true to his word, Georgia Tech and Duke are the favorites.  So let's say that Duke, by some chance, hits the jackpot and adds Livingston, Kaun, and Howard to a recruiting class that already includes Nelson and McClure.  Then, the Blue Devils would have a recruiting class that is every bit as good as their Class of 1997, which featured Elton Brand, Shane Battier, William Avery, and Chris Burgess and was widely regarded as the best recruiting class in the nation; their Class of 1999, which included Jason Williams, Michael Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer, Nick Horvath, and Andre Buckner and was the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP; and their Class of 2002, which included Sheldon Williams, J.J. Redick, Shavlik Randolph, Sean Dockery, Michael Thompson and Lee Melchionni and was the #1-ranked recruiting class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  In other words, Duke could be on the verge of landing their 4th #1-ranked recruiting class in the last eight years.

While Duke still is believed to be the leader for 6'6 Shaun Livingston from Peoria (Central) IL, the word we get is that North Carolina is making a strong push and that Livingston and 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, who verbally committed to the Tar Heels last week, are close friends.  As a matter of fact, we understand that Livingston and Smith both will making their official visits to Chapel Hill, NC this weekend.  We also continue to hear that it's only a matter of time before Sonny Vaccaro takes over at Reebok.  The official party line is that Vaccaro wants to take some time off, but sources close to Vaccaro tell us that he has a six month non-compete clause with adidas that will prevent anything from happening until this winter.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that Jermaine Harper is transferring from the University of Virginia to Cal State-Fullerton and this has to be a major feather in the cap of Titans assistant coach Jason Levy, who has the potential to become one of top up-and-coming guys in the business.  Trigonis also tells us that 6'10 Chris Adams from San Francisco (JC) CA wanted to go to Cal State-Fullerton after he found out recently that UNLV didn't have a scholarship for him.  However, Cal State-Fullerton, wouldn't admit Adams, who was the #3-ranked junior college player, according to CBS Sportsline's list of the Top 100 JUCO's for 2002-03, into school.  Instead, last week it looked like Adams was heading to Fresno State.  But now the people at Big Apple Sports, which is our best source for junior college information, are telling us that it's not done yet, as Adams wants to take more time to weigh all his options.  Apparently Cal State-Fullerton and UNLV are both still trying to find a way to get him into school and San Diego State and Fresno State are both pushing hard to get this one wrapped up.  Trigonis also informs us that 6'9 Chris Henry from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA will be visiting Washington State this weekend and he also is considering San Diego, Northwestern, Pennsylvania, Colgate, and Arizona State.  It also appears that USC-bound 6'5 Nick Young from Reseda (Cleveland) CA has won his appeal and will be eligible to play high school basketball in California this year, despite the fact he's a 5th year player, instead of having to go the prep school route.  Trigonis also is reporting that 6'4 Curtis Allen is transferring from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills) CA to Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'5 Jr Brian Harvey is transferring from Carson (H.S.) CA to Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'7 Jr Rashad Austin is transferring from Claremont (H.S.) CA to Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Jr Jan Burris is transferring from Santa Monica (St. Monica) CA to Bellflower (St. John Bosco) CA, 6'4 Soph Josh Guillory is transferring from Long Beach (Poly) CA to Lynwood (H.S.) CA, and 5'9 D.J. Wright from Palso Verdes (Rolling Hills) CA is transferring to Compton (Dominguez) CA.  And this comes on the heels of 7'0 Robert Swift transferring from Bakersfield (Highland) CA to Bakersfield (H.S.) CA and 6'4 Arron Affalo transferring from Compton (Centennial) CA to Los Angeles (Price) CA.  Trigonis also tells us that Compton (Centennial) CA is having school accreditation problems and, as a result, 6'5 Soph Jervaughn Johnson, 6'2 Tyree Thompson, and 5'11 Frosh Jesse Woodard also maybe exploring other options.  And, if that weren't enough Trigonis tells us that 6'3 Dawin Whiten from North Hills (Monroe) CA has verbally committed to Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo, 6'9 Joe Gates from Arcata (H.S.) CA has verbally committed to Mt. St. Mary's, and Tennessee, Virginia Tech, Kansas, and Ohio State are the leaders for 6'7 Justin Holt from Tacoma (JC) WA, who is widely regarded as one of the top wing forwards in the junior college ranks this year, along with Louisville-bound 6'7 Donta Smith from Southeastern Illinois (JC) IL and Alabama-bound 6'7 Justin Felix from Bevil State (JC) AL. 

We also have confirmed that 6'2 Isaiah Carson from Springfield (South) OH, who is ranked #9 in the state by our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, has verbally committed to St. Bonaventure.  Carson is a streaky outside shooter and he's a little undersized for the big time level.  However, this strong physical athletic 2-guard is excellent in transition and, just like his older brother, Johnny Carson, tough to stop when he goes to the hole.  He also is a good first piece to the puzzle as first-year Bonnies head coach Anthony Solomon and his staff attempt to sign three more in their first recruiting class.   It also appears that that 6'6 Jimmie Binnie from Johnston (H.S.) IA has verbally committed to Dayton.  Obviously this is a huge commitmemt for the Flyers, because Binnie, who is ranked #132 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, is a savvy skilled athletic white kid who knows how to play.  He also shoots it better than we originally thought, plus he may help the Flyers get 6'2 Trent Meachum from Champaign (Centennial) IL, who is ranked #119 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP and was the starting point guard on the Martin Brothers Select team that also featured Binnie and 6'8 Alex Thompson from Ames (H.S.) IA.  Speaking of Meachum, most people think that Dayton no longer is the hunt for the crafty point guard because they recently got a verbal commitment from 6'1 Brian Roberts from Toledo (St. John's) OH, who is ranked #142 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   But the word we get is that Dayton would like to take them both.  Remember, Meachum is a pure point guard and Roberts shoots well enough to also play the 2-guard spot.  Today's verbal commitment by Binnie moves Dayton's recruiting class, which already includes Roberts and 6'7 Norm Plummer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, into a tie at #23, along with Mississippi, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  And, if they also land, Meachum, their class would move up to #18.  The latest list for 6'3 Myles Guidry from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX includes Southwest Texas State, which is where he visited August 22nd-24th; UT-Arlington, which is where he will visit this weekend; Arkansas-Little Rock, which is where he will visit the third weekend in September; Elon College, which is where he will visit the fourth weekend in September; Howard University; Nicholls State; and Montana State.  Valparaiso, St. Bonaventure, Hartford, Delaware, and Northeastern are among those showing the most interest in 6'3 Nick Mattone from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI and the list for 6'8 Drew Richards from Rogersville (Logan Rogersville) MO includes Arkansas, Marquette, UCLA, Minnesota, Georgia, Colorado, Vanderbilt, Creighton, Butler, Southwest Missouri State, and South Florida.   

In hindsight, the best camp of the entire summer, except of the NIKE All-American Camp and the adidas ABCD Camp, which are superstar oriented camps and, as a result, not comparable, was Five-Star's Honesdale II session, which concluded last week.  Don't believe it?  Well, just look at the rosters for the Orange-White All-Star Classic, which was held, Wednesday, August 27th.  The Orange Team included 6'9 Ousmane Barro from Chicago (Julian) IL, 5'11 Sean Singletary from Philadelphia (Penn Charter) PA, 6'2 Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY, 6'6 J.R. Smith from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ, 6'4 Mark Tyndale from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'9 Goran Sutton from Lansing (Everett) MI, 6'9 Jerome Johnson from Bradenton (Pendleton School) FL, 5'11 Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia (Cardinal Dougherty) PA, 6'2 Keith Benjamin from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Kyle Hines from Sicklerville (Timber Creek) NJ, 6'6 Will Daniels from Hyde Park (Franklin D. Roosevelt) NY, and 6'5 Jr Danny Green from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY and the White Team included 6'7 Bryant Dunston from Astoria (St. John's Prep) NY, 6'1 A.J. Price from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Cheyenne Moore from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'6 David McClure from Stamford (Trinity Catholic) CT, 6'6 Dorell Wright from South Kent (Prep) CT, 6'9 James St. Robert from Copiague (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Tyrell Biggs from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'1 Nick Carter from Huntington Station (Walt Whitman) NY, 6'1 Jr Sean McCurdy from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'6 Dexter Gray from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, 6'6 Rahshon Clark from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, and 6'7 Jr Brandon Costner from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ.  The Most Outstanding Player for the Week was J.R. Smith.  The Best Rebounder was Kyle Hines, the Best Playmarker was Sean Singletary, and the MVP in the Playoffs was 6'6 Devon Clarke from Windsor (H.S.) CT.  The Most Improved Player was 6'10 Jr Hashim Bailey from Wayne (Passaic County Tech) NJ, the Most Promising Prospect was Tyrell Biggs, the Sportsmanship Award went to David McClure, and the 6th Man Award winner was 5'10 Chris Lowe from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  Also playing well and deserving a mention in the NBA were 6'1 Jr Chris Martin from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY and 6'1 Jr Brandon Ewing from Chicago (Julian) IL.  And the Developmental League was also loaded, as it featured 6'8 Soph Derrick Caracter from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, who was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Week; 6'6 Soph Jonathan Mitchell from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who was the Best Rebounder; 6'9 Soph Curtis Kelley from New York (Rice) NY, who was the MVP in the Playoffs; 5'11 Frosh Mike Coburn from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who was the Best Playmaker; 6'4 Soph Gerald Henderson from Merion Station (Esiscopal Academy) PA; 6'4 Soph Kimani Barrett from Paterson (Catholic) NJ; 6'2 Soph Anthony Gurley from Newton (North) MA; 6'2 Soph Nich Vier from Oradell (Bergen Catholic) NJ; 5'11 Soph Jawaan Carter from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ; 6'7 Soph Jerrell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ; 6'7 Soph Terrell Williams from Paterson (Catholic) NJ; and 6'3 Soph Wayne Ellington from Merion Station (Episcopal Academy) PA.  Also worth mentioning are 5'8 Soph Ben Johnson from Picoca (Northumberland) ON, who was the Most Improved Player for the Week in the Developmental League, and 6'1 Frosh Miles Beatty from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who was one of only two freshmen selected to play in the Developmental League's Orange White All-Star Classic.  Speaking of the Orange White Classic in the Developemental League, the Orange All-Stars included Carter, Gurley, Jerrell Williams, Terrell Williams, Henderson, Caracter, 5'9 Soph James Bryant from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ, 6'3 Soph Steve Kendall from St. George (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'0 Soph Geoff Rizk from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, and 6'4 Soph Ian Anderson from Portland (Wilson) OR and the White All-Stars included Coburn, Barrett, Kelley, Mitchell, Vier, Ellington, Beatty, 6'7 Soph Jabari Edwards from Brooklyn (Poly Prep) NY, 6'7 Soph Larry Davis from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, 6'5 Soph DeAngelo McIntosh from Chicago (Julian) IL, and 6'6 Soph Cory Magee from Fairport (H.S.) NY.  

Monday, September, 1, 2003

We have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Eric Devendorf from Bay City (H.S.) MI, who is ranked #24 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made a verbal commitment to Michigan State and 6'2 Jr Greg Paulus from Syracuse (Christian Brothers) NY, who is ranked #17 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has a press conference scheduled for noon tomorrow and you can listen to it live at www.i2sports.com.  Paulus is a tough hardnosed white kid who can shoot the lights out and run a team with his excellent court savvy and ball handling and passing skills, which explains why he was the top ranked point guard at the NIKE All-American Camp after the first several days in camp and prior to when he was sidelined the last day-and-a-half with an ankle injury.  However, Paulus, who comes from a great sports family that includes three older brothers who have played or are playing basketball and football at Georgetown and a younger brother and sister, both of whom also are extremely talented, might be a better football player than he is a basketball player.  As a matter of fact, we're talking about the #1 quarterback prospect in his class nationally and, as of right now, the possibility has not been ruled out that he will attempt to play both football and basketball in college.  The final five for Paulus are Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and Xavier, but our guess is that he will pick the Notre Dame, which means he not only will be the heir apparent to 6'1 Chris Thomas in the back-court, but he also should be the perfect complement to 6'1 Chris Quinn when Quinn's a senior and Paulus is a freshman, just like Quinn and were last season.  Devendorf is an athletic white kid who can shoot the lights out and this was especially evident on the first day at the adidas ABCD Camp, when he emerged as the biggest sleeper in camp.  He also finished ranked #15 overall, #3 at the 2-guard position, and #2 among underclassmen in camp, according to the HOOP SCOOP.   Devendorf is the next in long line of top level players who have elected to stay home and done so extremely early during their high school career.  If you will recall, the Spartans got an early verbal commitment from 6'10 Soph Paul Davis three years ago and prior to the beginning of last summer they got verbal commitments from 6'7 Marquis Gray from Flint (Beecher) MI and 6'1 Drew Neitzel from Wyoming Park (H.S.) WY, who are the foundation of what could be an outstanding recruiting class this year.  And the Spartans have a chance to follow up on last year's terrific 3-man recruiting class, which included 6'3 Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'0 Brandon Cotton from Detroit (St. Martin DePorres) MI, and 6'10 Drew Naymick from North Muskegon (H.S.) MI, by also landing 6'6 Malik Hairston from Detroit (Renaissance) MI, 6'11 Alexander Kaun from Melbourne (Florida Air Academy) FL, and/or 6'9 Shaun Pruitt from Aurora (West Aurora) IL.  Land any two of the above three and the Michigan State coaching staff would be happy, but, if they by some chance get Hairston, who is ranked #7 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and Kaun, who is ranked #37 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, then it would be safe to say that they'd not only hit the jackpot, but they also  strengthened their position as one of the premier teams in college basketball for years to come.  Ohio State and UCLA are the two you have to beat for Hairston, but don't ever count the Spartans out for somebody they've been recruiting for years who is in their own backyard.   It appears to be a three-horse race for Kaun among Duke, Kansas, and Michigan State and, according to Roy Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report, the two you have to beat on Pruitt are Michigan State and Illinois. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that West Virginia has landed 6'11 Luke Bonner from Manchester (Trinity) NH, who is ranked #144 nationally in the senior class, and this appears to be another excellent piece to the puzzle as second-year Mountaineers head coach John Beilein builds a strong foundation.  If you will recall, last year's recruiting class includes 6'0 Tyler Relph from Rochester (McQuaid Jesuit) NY, 6'5 Franklin Young from Tallahassee (Florida) FL, 6'8 Brad Byerson from Chester (Thomas Dale) WV, and 6'7 Jerrah Young from Chicago (St. Rita) IL and earlier this spring the Mountaineers also landed 6'2 Darius Nichols from Radford (H.S.) VA, who is ranked #124 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Bonner is best suited for a half-court setting, because he's not a great athlete, is extremely skilled, and is an excellent outside shooter.  And just like his older brother, Matt Bonner, who had an excellent college career at the University of Florida, the younger Bonner is capable of playing both inside and outside, although Luke is not nearly as tough as Matt was inside.  This also is an important catch, because Bonner's two high school teammates - 6'9 Jr Chad Millard and 6'3 Jr Chris Brickley are both ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally and, as a result, getting Bonner may help the Mountaineers' coaching staff get either or both in the future.  We also understand that Gonzaga has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'1 Pierre-Marie Altidor-Cespedes from Montreal (Champlain St.-Lambert) QU and this too is important, because we're talking about a big time athlete who thrived in transition when we saw him at the adidas ABCD Camp, where he finished ranked #49 overall and #10 at the 2-guard spot in our rankings of the top players in camp.  He also is ranked #109 nationally in the senior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and has the potential to move a lot higher in the Zags' uptempo setting.  Altidor-Cespedes should also provide the perfect complement out on the perimeter to 6'5 David Pendergraft from Brewster (H.S.) WA, who is ranked #42 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'9 Josh Heytvelt from Clarkston (H.S.) WA, who is ranked #137 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, but has the talent, athleticism, and skills to be ranked much higher if he ever becomes more of a consistent player when the game is on the line.  So it should come as no surprise that Gonzaga's recruiting class moves up to #21 on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  Speaking of players at Champlain-St. Lambert, we also understand that Wyoming is the leader for 6'10 Olivier Lamoreaux and 6'5 Negus McKenna already has official visits scheduled to Maine and Canisius.  We also have confirmed that the College of Charleston has landed 6'10 Ben Brown from Richmond (Steward School) VA and, as a result, their recruiting class, which also includes 6'2 Marcus Hammond from Wolfeboro (Brewster Academy) NH, moves into a tie at #43, along with Marquette, Xavier, Providence, West Virginia, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Butler, and Kent State, on our list of the Top Recruiting Classes To-Date for the Class of 2004.  No, we're not talking about somebody who is ranked among our top 440 nationally, but those who have seen him tell us that Brown would be ranked in the 200-300 range, if he had attended any camps or played on a traveling team this summer.  However, if everybody had seen Brown this summer, it probably would have made it next to impossible for the Cougars to steal him.   Remember, everybody is looking for size and this long lean athletic shot blocker has been under the radar screen until now.