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TODAY'S HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION
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Monday, May 1, 2000
It came as no surprise that the Michigan Mustangs beat Illinois Gold in the championship 2000 Show-Me Shootout in Columbia, MO. Despite the fact that their star point guard 6'0 Soph Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI has been sidelined this spring with a leg injury, the Mustangs are absolutely loaded, as is evident when one looks at their roster, which includes 6'4 Jr Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'9 Jr Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'5 Jr JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI, 6'6 Soph Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI, 6'10 Jr Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, 6'3 Jr Cecil Hood from Detroit (Central) MI, 6'0 Jr Ricky Morgan from Pontiac (Northern) MI, and 6'5 Frosh Oluf Famutimi from Flint (Northern) MI. Torbert, who ranks top five juniors in the nation, along with 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'11 Jr Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 7'0 Jr Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, and 6'11 Jr Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, by the HOOP SCOOP, combines a terrific feel for the game, excellent athleticism, good shooting range, and great skills to be the model of consistency in his class. Has anybody ever seen this guy have a bad game? Everybody assumes that he will follow in a long line of players from Flint, MI, who have gone to Michigan State, but Cincinnati, Missouri, Connecticut, and Ohio State also have to be mentioned. Whaley hasn't lived up to his early press clippings for over a year now, but he's still a legitimate top 20 player nationally in his class due to his incredible frame and excellent skills. And you can almost write this one down as well. His list does include Michigan State, Connecticut, Ohio State, and Cincinnati, but it would a major upset if he goes anywhere but Missouri. Remember, Whaley lives with the parents, who also are his legal guardian, of Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey. We also think Ferguson will be part of the Whaley package to Missouri. Did you know that Ferguson also lives with Harvey's parents? Hart, who is one of the fastest rising players in the class, is a world-class athlete who can beat you to the hole and drill it from outside. His early list includes Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Cincinnati, and Wisconsin. Roberson's early favorites are Michigan State, Cincinnati, and Kentucky. Trannon is another excellent athlete, but right now his position at the next level is a question mark. However, he's got time to develop a perimeter game or grow some more, because he's just a sophomore. Morgan and Hood share the point guard spot, while Famutimi, who recently transferred from Canada to Flint, MI, is a big time athlete, as well as a legitimate top 20 freshman in America. Remember the name, because Famutimi promises make some major noise this summer at the adidas ABCD Camp, where he will get an opportunity to be more than just a role player on a great team. We talked a lot about the top players in the tournament on Saturday, but the biggest surprise over the weekend was 6'5 Jr Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, who is currently one of the best kept secrets in the nation. He's not as good as 6'3 Jr Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who also plays for the Georgia Elite program, but who was missing in action this weekend. As a result, Rice got to show just how good an outside shooter (almost as good as Carruth) he is in his own right, plus he's more athletic and he gets his shot better off the dribble than Carruth. He also has a 3.3 gpa and has a long list of schools, including Florida State, Auburn, Miami-Fl, Clemson, Mississippi, Mississippi State, Kentucky, N.C. State, Georgia, South Carolina, and Arkansas, that are already showing a lot of interest. We also have to mention a number of players from the Bossier Select, including 6'4 Kr Corey Dean from Ruston (H.S.) LA, 6'5 Jr Antonio Hudson from Grambling (H.S.) LA, 6'2 Jr Ben Benfield from River Ridge (John Curtis) LA, 6'7 Jr Danny Granger from Metairie (Grace King) LA, 6'6 Jr Kevin White from Springhill (H.S.) LA, all of whom will be recruited at the mid-to-high major level. We also liked 6'2 Jr Keenan Jones from Oesso (H.S.) MN, 6'4 Jr Andy Hannan from Minneapolis (Holy Angels) MN, both of whom played for the Howard Pulley Team, and 6'1 Jr Jerrod Jones from Mascoutah (H.S.) IL, who was the guy who got 6'8 Jr David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) IL the ball for the St. Louis Eagles I. We also were very impressed with 6'1 Jr Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who led Kentucky Select, but we're still not sure what position he plays at the next level. However, it may not matter, because he's so athletic and so strong, which is why he's so deadly when he gets into the lane and pulls up on his 15-foot jumper. And no Chiles isn't a lock to stay home, although Louisville, Kentucky, and Western Kentucky are all on his list. So are Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Cincinnati, Indiana State, and Iowa State. As a matter of fact, he told us that if he had to decide to today, he'd pick the Volunteers. Two names to remember for the future are 5'10 Soph Daniel Brown and 6'0 Frosh Shannon Brown, both from Maywood (Proviso East) IL. Daniel is a jet quick point guard with great penetrating and defending skills. Shannon is more of wing guard and he to his a big-time athlete. We also have to mention 6'7 Frosh Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is one of the top five freshmen in the nation. Schaen still needs to get stronger physically, but he's already are priority for schools like UCLA, Syracuse, Stanford, Kentucky, Arizona, California, San Francisco, and Iowa State.
Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has the scoop on where 6'9 Carlton Aaron from Winchendon (School) MA is going to sign this spring. Write this huge physical specimen down for Temple! And that appears to be the perfect fit, because Aaron has always had problems in terms of weight and grades. Rememeber, Temple has worked miracles with a lot players who were academic casualties in the past, plus Aaron may finally get the discipline he needs via head coach John Chaney's infamous early morning practices to get into great shape. Aaron has always been a physical specimen, but when he's in shape, he's a potential NBA player. Rubin also tells us that the University of Georgia is on the verge of getting signing 6'10 John Toombs from York (Crispus Attucks) PA and that would make perfect sense, because Toombs is a Georgia native. Also still on Toombs list are Villanova and Tulane.
Right now this is unconfirmed, but we believe that the University of Iowa is on the verge of getting an early commitment from 6'4 Jr Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL. And it may happen sooner than later. Currently the HOOP SCOOP only has Pierce ranked #12 in Illinois' loaded junior class, but G.J. King, who is the major contributor to these rankings questions his high school competition. However, we suspect all this will change once everybody sees him this summer. Not only has he grown three inches in the last year, but the word we're getting from source independent of King tell us that this phenomenal has come on like gangbusters during the last six months. Pierce is best described as an excellent ball handler and passer and good 3-point shooter, but driving to the hoop, making jumpshots off the dribble, and locking opponents up defensivley with his long arms are the things he does best. If Pierce does pick Iowa, you can be sure that 6'1 Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN will be looking elsewhere, most likely Notre Dame or Stanford. However, one thing is for sure! Thomas won't add Indiana back to his list. If you will recall, he wasn't even serious about the Hoosiers before the Bob Knight scandal errupted this spring. But that doesn't mean that all the top kids in the state of Indiana are looking elsewhere. As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if 6'7 Jr Sean Kline from Huntington (North) IN doesn't commit to the Hoosiers sometime this spring or summer. We also believe that Indiana is still a lot stronger than most people realize for 6'5 Jr Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, who is ranked #2 in the state by the HOOP SCOOP, behind Thomas and ahead of Kline.
We also are hearing that 6'9 Darius Miles from East St. Louis (H.S.) IL, who ranks #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in the senior class, will have a press conference on Friday and we would be surprised if he doesn't announce that he will bypass college and declare for the NBA draft. Apparently his chances are slim and none of making it academically. As a matter of fact, we hear that was his plan all the time, so he never bothered to do much in the classroom or in terms of preparing for the SAT. This is also important, because if Miles put his name into the draft, we will no longer count him with St. John's recruiting class, which currently is #1 in the nation. And if that happens, Oklahoma State's class would move into the #1 spot. However, we'll talk more about that when it happens. Getting back to Miles, we'd probably draft him in the top 10, but not the top five, based on his tremendous athleticism and vast potential. However, Miles currently weights less than 200 lbs. and he appears to have lost his outside shooting touch this spring. So that pick is based on what he could be in five or 10 years and not what he will be next year or the year after. Moral to the story, if you're a NBA General Manager and you are worried about keeping your job next year, this is not your man.
Speaking of the NBA, we continue to hear rumors about Isiah Thomas becoming the General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks and University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith being hired to fill the void that was created last week when Lenny Wilkens resigned. Now that Stan Kroenke has bought the Denver Nuggets, we're hearing that Bobby Huggins will be hired as the new head coach. However, there is one problem - Dan Issel is extremely popular in Denver. So throw that theory out the window, unless Issel gets the Kentucky job, if Smith gets the Hawks job. We also are hearing that St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis still may be bound for the NBA. The New Jersey Nets or the Boston Celtics are a possibility, but we think the Washington Wizards are more probable. We also still think Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino will be someplace else next year. If Smith were to leave Kentucky and Pitino took the job again, there would be 5,000 Celtics fans at the airport in Boston to make sure he gets on the plane and 15,000 Kentucky fans at the airport in Lexington, KY to welcome him with open arms. However, we still think the New Jersey Nets are also a possibility for Pitino. And that might be good for the owner of the Celtics, Paul Gaston, because then maybe he could move back to Boston. Did you know that Gaston recently bought a house in Greenwich, CT in order to get away from Pitino and all the heat he was taking in Boston? As for Smith, he continues to deny any interest in the Hawks job, but we know for a fact that he has been contacted by the Hawks on more than one occasion in the last week.
As predicted by the HOOP SCOOP last week, Manhattan assistant coach Chuckie Martin has taken a similar position at the University of Masschusetts. So that means Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez will move Mike Bramucci up from the third spot into a recruiting position and Travis Lyons, who was at New Mexico this past year as a graduate assistant, will return to Manhattan, where he had a tremendous college career after graduating from high school at Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD. Speaking of coaching changes in New York, Bayside (Cardozo) NY head coach Ron Naclerio may be in line for the job at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY if Gary DeCesare gets the job at Memphis. That's right! Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman ran into DeCesare while he was in town interviewing for the job last Friday and the word is that DeCesare has a great shot a getting the non-recruiting position. We also are still waiting to see if new Tigers head coach John Calipari hires former Louisville All-American Milt Wagner, but we'd be surprised if he doesn't.
Did you know that 6'9 Ronnie Griffin from Tallahassee (JC) FL has gone to the University of Oklahoma? We didn't until a coupe of days ago. Another one that slipped right past us is 6'6 Cedric Knight from Louisville (Ballard) KY to Illinois State. UNC-Charlotte had 6'8 Mac Wilkinson from Louisville (Ballard) KY on campus over the weekend, but Georgia Tech, Dayton, Louisville, and Clemson also still on his list. Speaking of Louisville, they had been trying to get Wilkinson to walk-on. However, now that they have as many as five or six scholarships available (a week ago Quintin Bailey and Caleb Gervin were suspended for a year due to their use of marijuana), they need all the size they can get, and time is running out to sign anybody, they should make Wilkinson a recruiting priority. Wilkinson isn't real tough inside, but offensively he's extremely skilled and he's a tremendous kid.
Houston Hoops are now the undisputed #1 AAU team in Texas after knocking off Team Texas Red last week in the Tops in Texas Tournament, which was run by Mike Kunstadt, in Austin, TX, and yesterday beating the Houston Superstars, 73-72, in the Kingwood Spring Classic in Kingwood, TX. And just like last week 6'2 Jr Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX was named the tournament as he scored 31 points in the championship game. Hurt now ranks as the #1 junior in the state over 5'11 Jr Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, but the race is still almost too close to call, because Ford, who had 28 points of his own in the title game, also ranks among our top 10 juniors nationally. Ford was complemented by 6'3 Jr Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who scored 14 points for the Houston Superstars, while 6'2 Jr Darrell Mason from College Station (Bryan) TX chipped 14 points for the Houston Hoops. And this isn't the only good news for Josh Pastner, who is the head coach of the Houston Hoops, as well as a walk-on at the University of Arizona. The Wildcats have an early commitment from 6'11 Jr Channing Frey from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ. We're not sure if Frey should be ranked among our top 100 nationally yet, but he has a tremendous frame and he plays extremely hard, which is just one of the reasons why we think getting him so early is a major coup for head coach Lute Olson. He's also an in-state kid, plus he's the high school teammate of 5'10 Jr Jason Fontenot and 6'0 Jr James Fontenot, both from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ and both of whom are being recruiting by Arizona.
I continue to get emails from people who try and defend Indiana University head coach Bob Knight. Obviously they just don't get it! However, the general public, which is being influenced by newspaper columnists from all over the nation who are having a field day with what's happened this spring, does get it. Remember, the investigation by Indiana University and the athletic department that found no evidence that Knight had abused Neil Reed or any other player in his 29 years as head coach of the Hoosiers. Which brings us to our very important Question of the Day. During the course of the investigation one of three things had to have transpired in order for them to have reached that conclusion. Which was it? A) they did not talk to any of the players who have since come forward and provided evidence to the contrary; B) they did talk to the players, but the players lied to them; C) they talked to the players and they told them the truth, but they decided to cover it up and/or disregard facts. Sure Knight said that he may have done something, but he doesn't remember chocking Reed. He also down played the incident by saying that he would never do anything to physically harm one of his players. However, the videotape makes it obvious that he went over the line of what is acceptable behavior by coach when teaching a player. As a result, Knight's defenders are arguing over what "is" means and when that happens right and wrong suddenly are tossed right out the window. Anybody else would be long gone. However, most people still think Knight will survive. But if he does, the University, the NCAA, and the game in general will be cheapened and compromised forever and, in the process, they all become the poster boy for the game's hypocrisy. Indiana University can either do the right thing and get rid of Knight or they can line up all their ducks in a row and tell everybody they've arrived at a compromise with which everybody can hopefully live. Unfortunately that's not possible. And they'd better not do it, because we hear the worst is yet to come. Our guess is that one of Knight's latest targets - former Indiana University assistant coach Ron Felling - may be the one who drops the next bomb. Remember, Felling has been accused of leaking the videotape of Knight chocking Reed to CNN/SI. But if they can't prove it, Felling has one hell of a lawsuit. Also, remember that Felling mysteriously quit in December and that was never really properly explained. And do you really think Knight wants it explained? We also have to wonder which former player will be next? First it was Reed, then it was Ricky Calloway alleging that Knight hit Steve Alford. Next it was Butch Carter alleging racial slurs and most recently it was Andre Patterson saying that if he'd known what he knows now, he would have gone elsewhere. And don't forget the incident with athletic director Clarence Doninger. Can't Knight get along with anybody? Obviously not, which is just one of the many reasons why Bob Knight has to go. He's an embarrassment to the University and he has proven to be exactly the opposite of everything he's always preached and claimed that to have stood for. What a lousy role model! As a result, Indiana fans have a right to be very disappointed, but they should not defend him, because they only make themselves look blind and stupid. And by doing so they themselves are telling us that they condone Knight's behavior and, as a result, become part of the problem. For years I have laughed about Knight's antics, but now I am appalled. There is no wiggle room and no changing my mind. So instead of making excuses for Knight, tell me who you think will be the next head coach at Indiana? Dan Dakich, Jim Crews, Quin Buckner, Randy Wittman, and all the other former Indiana players and coaches will be mentioned, but with the exception of Iowa head coach Steve Alford, none of them should even be given a look. Obviously, it may be impossible to get Alford to leave Iowa. So, instead, they should go after somebody like Utah head coach Rick Majerus, who is widely regarded as one of the top five coaches in the game today. Majerus is also like Knight, because he is very demanding on the court. However, unlike Knight, Majerus is a wonderful person and, as a result, would be able to recruit like crazy. Every player in the state would be lining up to play for him. Another tremendous candidate would be Tulsa head coach Bill Self, who young, good looking, well spoken, and tremendously respected by the media. He guided the Golden Hurricane to within one game of the NCAA Final Four a month and a half ago and at about the same time turned down close to a million dollars a year from University of Nebraska. Self is a great recruiter, excellent motivator, and chip off the old block (he was an assistant under Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State before moving onto Oral Roberts and Tulsa as a head coach) as a bench coach. Ironically, Self was in Indianapolis, IN today for a golf outing? While this is a total coincidence and nothing should be read into this, maybe it is a prelude of things to come. Remember, Indiana is the one of the best basketball jobs in the nation. Not only did Indiana win NCAA Championships long before Knight ever arrived, but the potential is there to win big after Knight is long gone. Hopefully, Knight will follow general Douglas MacArthur's quote about old soldies never dying. Instead, they just fade into the night.
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