HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER 2000

Hot Recruiting Information available for previous months June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000

Tuesday, October 31, 2000

Memphis got the expected verbal commitment today from 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks #58 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but that's not the only big story that is brewing in Conference USA.  As a matter of fact, Saint Louis has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'10 Kenny Brown from Western Iowa (JC) IA and Louisville appears to have landed 6'6 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL.  Both commitments are important, but for different reasons.  Brown, who ranks #6 among junior college centers by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, will give the Billikens a great player in the middle upon which to build around.  As a matter of fact, Brown will be the perfect replacement for 6'9 Matt Baniak and 6'11 Chris Heinrich, both of whom will graduate after this season.  Another starter - 6'4 Maurice Jeffries - will also graduate, but everybody else will be back, plus Romar landed three players a year ago who figure to contribute immediately in 6'5 Jason Edwin from Warsaw (H.S.) IL, 6'3 Floyd McClain from Houston (Eisenhower) TX, and 6'6 Chris Sloan from St. Charles (H.S.) MO and they've gotten verbal commitments recently from 6'3 Randy Pulley from Raleigh (Word of God) AL and 6'8 John Seyfert from Stevensville (H.S.) MT.  So just like at Pepperdine, Romar appears to be setting the table for somebody to walk in and win big.  In other words, we don't expect Romar to be at St. Louis very long, because his name has already popped up with several jobs that may come open next spring.  The most noteworthy is the University of Washington, which would be a natural, because Romar played there and he has especially strong ties in Southern California dating back to his days when he was an assistant coach at UCLA and the head coach at Pepperdine.  The Davis commitment to Louisville moves the Cardinals recruiting class into the #10 position nationally on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date. And they could into the top five, along with Memphis and DePaul, if they land 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL and/or  6'9 Terry Licorish from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Davis does not rank along the top #10 junior college players at his position by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, but several sources who have seen him play tell us he's good enough to make an immediate impact for the Cardinals.  The word we get is that he'd rank somewhere in the 50 to 100 nationally if he were a high school senior.  He's not as good as Reece Gaines, but he's better than 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, who verbally committed to Louisville a month ago.  He can shoot the three, but he also is explosive going to the hole.  He also is a great kid.   However, this leaves head coach Denny Crum with only two scholarships to left offer under the new NCAA five and three rule, whereby, a school can sign a maximium of five players one year and only three the next.  As a result, Davis would have been a great player to get, if they hadn't already gotten a verbal commitment from Coutee.  But now Crum can only bring in two front-line players and this is important, because they only have one player (Ellis Myles) in the entire program who is good enough to see quality inside minutes on a team that is trying to win a NCAA Championship. 

In addition to today's major commitments by 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who committed to Memphis this morning, 6'10 Kenny Brown from Western Iowa (JC) IA, who has made it official for Saint Louis, and 6'6 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL, who picked Louisville over UAB and Alabama, we also have confirmed that 6'0 Jonathan Hargett has finally made it official for West Virginia.  Hargett, who is ranked #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, also has found a new home at Ft. Washington (American Christian) MD.  If you will recall, Durham (Emmanuel Christian) NC ran into problems and was forced to close several weeks ago.  Speaking of that debacle, the last time we talked with our Virginia Editor Tony Squire, he told us that the necessary funding had been found to keep the school open.  However, it was too late, because all players had already scattered and found other schools.   So let's run down the list:  6'8 Marco Killingsworth has transferred to Birmingham (Central Park Christian) AL, 6'6 Tyrone Sally has enrolled at Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA, 6'6 Soph Jelani Lawrence is at Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'6 Donte Hammonds is at Richmond (John Marshall) VA, 6'6 Soph Marcus Sikes is at Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'10 Deonic Smith has surfaced at Brandywine (Gwynn Park) MD.  Speaking of Smith, we can add him to our list of recent commitments, because Squire tells us that Smith has picked George Washington.  The only player who is still missing in action is 6'9 Tony Key, who is supposed to be back in Russellville, KY, but currently not in school.  As for Emmanuel Christian, Squire tells us that the school may reopen again next year.  "But that will probably depend upon decides Mike White decides to do," says Squire.  If you will recall, White was the guy who replaced Joel Hopkins as head coach at Emmanuel Christian last spring when Hopkins got the Shaw University head coaching job. 

Slam Dunk to the Beach tournament director Bobby Jacobs is on top of the world right now, because he's got 10 of the USA Today's Pre-Season Top 25 Teams in this year's field.  We're talking about #2-ranked Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, #3-ranked Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, #8-ranked Compton (Dominguez) CA, #10-ranked Lilburn (Berkmar) GA, #11-ranked Baltimore (Southern) MD, #14-ranked Midwest City (H.S.) OK, #18-ranked New York (Rice) NY, #19-ranked Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, #20-ranked Jackson (Murrah) MS, and #24-ranked Montgomery (St. Jude) AL.  Plus, Jacobs also has some other excellent teams, including Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, Washington (Archbishop Carroll) DC, Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, Louisville (Pleasure Ridge Park) KY, Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, and Towson (Catholic) MD, that aren't ranked in the USA Today's Top 25.  It may not be the "Greatest Show on Earth," but Jacobs, who might just be the best self-promoter in all of basketball, has put out a press release that proclaims "this national showcase has made history with the field that Jacobs has assembled.  It is unprecedented in the history of high school basketball.  Two nationally respected and known basketball scribes said it best.  Clark Francis of the HOOP SCOOP recruiting publication:  'To look at this years field Bob Jacobs will end up having more McDonald's All Americans than the McDonald's All American Game' or Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News:   'No where in the history of high school basketball has so much national talent and this many top 25 nationally ranked teams ever been assembled under one roof.'  These two statements are what pushes Jacobs to constantly excel every year bringing to Delaware what others in the nation only wish they had.  We are truly fortunate to have a icon like Bob Jacobs in the fraternity of national basketball."  He also calls attention to the fact that he's got the nation's #1 senior in 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, the nation's #2 junior in 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and the nation's #1 freshman in 5'10 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.  Well, Telfair is the best freshman in the nation, but Jacobs had better be careful about overhyping Williams and Chandler.   Williams is a force inside, but he who ranks no higher than #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Chandler ranks #7 nationally and he's talking about going straight into the NBA out of high school, but the last time Chandler met 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, who ranks #2 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is wasn't a pretty sight.  We're talking about Chandlers' encounter with Cisse at the NIKE All-American Camp on Sunday, July 10th, in the evening session, where Cisse showed Chandler what life will be like next year in the NBA.   Well, Jacobs isn't taking any chances on missing the rematch, because he's got Dominguez and St. Jude scheduled to go head-to-head in the open round.   If that weren't enough, Jacobs also proclaims himself to be the "Nation's Best Recruiter," because he appears to be well on his way towards having his most talented field ever a year from now in December of 2001.  As a matter of fact, the list already includes 6'6 Soph LeBron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary's) OH, who really is the #1 sophomore in the nation, 7'0 Soph Jermaine Bell from Rochester (Ben Franklin) NY, 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Springs) VA, 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Soph Omari Isreal from Wheaton (Good Counsel) MD, and 6'7 Jr Mike Burditt from New Orleans (John Ehret) LA.  Plus, he'll get both Williams and Telfair back for a second consecutive year.  You can get more information on Slam Dunk to the Beach by going to their web site at http://slamdunktothebeach.org.

Monday, October 30, 2000

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis has the scoop on 6'8 Travon Bryant, who is currently in prep school at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  The word as of today is that Bryant, who recently took the SAT, has gotten a qualifying score on the test and, as a result, will be academically eligible to play at Missouri in mid-December. This is an important break for head coach Quin Snyder, because the Tigers are in the need of immediate help inside and, then, a year from now, when 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI and 6'9 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, Bryant will also get to play a lot at the wing forward spot.  We also have confirmed that Purdue has gotten a commitment from 6'5 Darmetries Kilgore from Tyler (JC) TX and Wisconsin has landed 6'3 Latrell Fleming from Milwaukee (Marshall) WI.  Kilgore is ranked as the #3 wing guard in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Basketball Yearbook, but we remember him as the sleeper out of South Bend, IN that our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg was touting during the middle of season three or four years ago.  I also remember Kasberg telling me that then Purdue assistant coach Bruce Weber had come back raving about Kilgore after having gone up to see him play.   However, Kilgore didn't have the grades necessary to get into Purdue as a high school senior, so obviously he slipped through the cracks and went the junior college route.  Ironically, Wisconsin recently lost out to Marquette on 6'1 Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI, who ranks #27 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And the reason appears to have been that Marquette had made Diener a top priority a lot earlier.  Instead, Fleming, who is ranked #76 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, had been Wisconsin's prime target all along and we think that was a great move, because he better fills their need for quickness and athleticism in the backcourt.   So looks like a win-win situation for both of the big-time schools from the state of Wisconsin. 

Unfortunately they can't all have happy endings and a prime example is the battle that is being waged between UAB and Memphis for 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks #58 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  It appeared that Erwin was about ready to make a verbal commitment to UAB late last week, but Memphis turned up the heat and did a great job of getting him to change his mind.  As a matter of fact, it now looks like we'll be able to add him to Memphis' recruiting class as soon as tomorrow.  And if that happens, that would not be good news for UAB, because it's always important to get the best kids in your own backyard.  However, Memphis will move back into the #1 spot nationally on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date. If you will recall, the Tigers got early commitments from 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, who ranks #1 nationally in the senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, who ranks #52 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, prior to Summer Evaluation Period in July.   And recently they got a commitment from 6'8 Chris Massey from Oxnard (JC) CA, who ranks as the #1 junior college power forward in the nation by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearboork.  That commitment pushed Memphis' recruiting class into the #2 spot and, unless Erwin does something unexpected, which has already happened once in the last week, they should be #1 again by tomorrow.  Obviously, head coach John Calipari has done an amazing job since taking the Memphis job six months ago and one of the many reasons  for his success is his coaching staff.  Just like at UMass, where Calipari had great young assistants like Bill Bayno and James "Bruiser" Flint, his current staff, which includes Steve Roccoforte, Tony Barbee, and Derek Kellogg, is on the fast track for good Division I head coaching jobs.

Well, a slow weekend in terms of recruiting information has allowed us to publish our Top 40 Pre-Season 2000-2001 College Basketball Rankings earlier than anticipated.  The order of teams is as follows:   1) Michigan State, 2) Arizona, 3) Duke, 4) Illinois, 5) Utah, 6) Maryland, 7) Kansas, 8) Connecticut, 9) Florida, 10) Seton Hall, 11) Tennessee, 12) Cincinnati, 13) Xavier, 14) Oklahoma, 15) Stanford, 16) Kentucky, 17) North Carolina, 18) Arkansas, 19) DePaul, 20) Notre Dame, 21) UCLA, 22) Virginia, 23) UNC-Charlotte, 24) Wisconsin, 25) Southern California, 26) Alabama, 27) Texas, 28) UNLV, 29) Wake Forest, 30) Missouri, 31) South Florida, 32) Temple, 33) Marshall, 34) N.C. State, 35) Long Beach State, 36) Butler, 37) Georgetown, 38) Massachusetts, 39) Mississippi State,  40) College of Charleston, and 40) Auburn.  In addition to the rankings, we have provided you with a chart that shows the number of returning starters for each team, last year's conference and overall records, and short commentary on each team.  Our can get all this by clicking HOOP SCOOP's Pre-Season 2000-2001 College Basketball Rankings.

Saturday, October 28, 2000, and Sunday, October 29, 2000

Last spring we said that if Bob Knight gets fired as the head coach at Indiana University, he could always become something he hates - a member of the media.  Well, it looks like that's exactly what's going to happen!  This is not confirmed, but a source, who we regard as very reliable, tells us that Knight will be doing the color commentary for CBS games this winter.  Making the story even more intriguing are the reports that Knight will team with Dick Enberg, who was the best play-by-play man in the business, when he teamed with Billy Packer and Al McGuire, for NBC in the late '70s and early '80s.  Enberg would be the perfect teacher for Knight, who has the charm, wit, and knowledge, but not the experience to be terrific in broadcast both.  If you will recall, when McGuire retired as the head coach of Marquette after winning the NBC championship and went into the broadcast both, he had a tremendous knack for relating what was going on to the common fan.  However, Enberg used to tap McGuire on the knee to let him know when he could talk on the air.  This also makes perfect sense when one finds out that Enberg is an alumnus of Indiana University and got his start in broadcasting doing the play-by-play for IU basketball games.  As a matter of fact, Enberg went straight from doing IU games to the big time.  However, we suspect that Knight won't be asked to broadcast any Indiana games this season. That way, Knight won't have to worry about talking to Mike Davis, who Knight hasn't spoken to since Davis replacement him as the interim head coach.  Also, it will be interesting to see if CBS uses a seven or 10 second delay in order to cover themselves.  Remember, Knight has a history of swearing like a sailor.  Again, this is not confirmed, but our sources are pretty good.  So if and when it happens, remember where you heard it first! 

Friday, October 27, 2000

Courtney Goldwire, who formerly published Full Court Magazine and Full Court Mag.com, tells us that he is getting back into the web game.  He's launching a new internet site by November 5th, which will be just in time for the beginning of the fall signing period on Wednesday, Novmeber 8th, and you will be able to find it at http://www.Elitehoops.com.   Goldwire also wants to go on record, because "I have seen them all" - 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'9 Jr Michael Thompson from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, and 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK - "and Alexander Johnson from Douherty in Albany, GA is the best power forward in the nation in his class," says Goldwire.  "With the exception of Randolph, he's more fundamentally sound and he's just as athletic as any of them, he can run the floor, is a great shot-blocker, rebounder, and passes extremely well for a big man. He has been well schooled by his high school Coach Charlie Givens.  Maybe just enough people haven't seen him, but I look at everyone's rankings and he's not even in there top five"  Goldwire also tells points out Johnson held his own against 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA and outplayed 6'11 David Harrsion from Brentwood (Academy) GA twice this year.  "Also don't forget that fact that Johnson is 6'10 and flat out shoots the ball for a big man.  He will also qualify with no problem."  I agree that Johnson, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has lot of talent and tremendous potential, but those other players mentioned above have already earned it against the top competition in the nation.  Johnson wasn't invited to the NIKE All-American Camp, because he didn't play very well at the Boo Williams Tournament in April, which is when NIKE's George Raveling and Don Crenshaw both saw him several times.  Also, after the way the "great" senior class in the state of Georgia has busted, it might be a good idea to be a little conservative when it comes to ranking Georgia players nationally.   As a matter of fact, our highest ranked senior in the state is 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, who ranks #51 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and earns it the old-fashioned way by giving it 110% every time out.  He's followed by 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA, who ranks #52, and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, who ranks #54 nationally.  Speaking of Brown, there appears to be a heavy lobbying campaign being aimed at the HOOP SCOOP to get Brown moved back into our top five or 10 nationally.  And I agree with that based on potential, but based on the way he's played the last several times I seen him, #52 nationally is what he deserves.  Brown was sensational when we saw him at the Boo Williams Tournament in the spring and he was named the MVP at the Boo Gibbons Tournament of Champions during Memorial Day Weekend.  However, the only time I saw Brown at the Gibbons's Tournament, which was on Saturday evening on Court #2 against DC Team Assault, he was a no-show, as was evident by the fact that he only scored two points in the entire game.   He also managed to score 10 points or more only twice during the entire week and average only four rebounds per game at the adidas ABCD Camp.  And after that he was missing in action every time I saw the Georgia Stars play the rest of the summer. As a result, I don't think players who are from Southern Georgia play very hard and, as a result, I am automatically suspicious, because we're part of the problem.  We overhyped these guys way too early and they don't seem to be able to handle it.   Don't believe it?  Well, what ever happened to guys like Dontonio Wingfield, Melvin Drake, Michael Spruell, et al?  Tinch is probably underrated nationally, because he can't shoot and he doesn't have true position, but his teammate - 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA - is also overhyped due primarily based on his size, potential, and athleticism.  In fairness to Campbell, his come a long way in the last year, but he's still not ready to be ranked in our top 100 nationally and he's definitely not reay to walk in and make an immediate impact as a college freshman. 

We haven't confirmed it, but it is still being reported that 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who ranks #23 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to the University of California.  While this would be great news for the Golden Bears, it would put UCLA into a tough spot, because the only big man nationally in the senior class who is good enough who they are still involved with is 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Beating schools like Vanderbilt, Duke, North Carolina, Colorado, and Louisville becomes especially important if UCLA's starting center Dan Gadzuric declares hardship for the NBA draft next spring.  And the timing for UCLA might be perfect, because it looks like Harrison won't be doing anything soon.   As a matter of fact, his father, who is an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt wants his son to hold off making a decison until spring.  The determining factor will likely be if the coaching staff at Vandy gets fired after the current football season. Yesterday we reported that 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks #56 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was a done deal for the UAB.  However, it looks like the University of Memphis has really turned up the heat on Erwin. "They (Memphis) just won't take no for an answer and now Erwin is really confused," says a source close to the kid.  In other words, yesterday it was done, but now it's not. 

Thursday, October 26, 2000

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that 6'6 Pat Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA has committed to St. Joseph's and our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg tells us that Morehead State has gotten 6'2 Kyle Hankins from Bloomington (South) IN.  Neither player ranks among our top 100 nationally, but they're both fairly close and, as a result, are terrific catches for both schools.   Carroll, who is the younger brother of Notre Dame's Matt Carroll, is the perfect complement to the other excellent wing player - 6'4 Delonte West from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD - that the Hawks got a commitment from earlier this fall.  Carroll is a terrific outside shooter and West is a big-time athlete and their commitments make them the heir apparent to replace 6'5 Na'im Crenshaw, who graduates after this season, and 6'4 Marvin O'Connor, who is currently a junior at St. Joseph's.  Rubin also believes that St. Joseph's may be the team to beat for 6'9 Dwayne Jones from Ashton (American Christian) PA, who is the best rebounder and shot blocker in the area.  Jones, who was at Rhode Island last weekend and will be at Virginia Tech this weekend, would give the Hawks the big man they need to land in this recruiting class.  Hankins, who was one of the unsung heroes for the Bloomington Red AAU team during the summer, is a tough athletic white kid who has excellent shooting range and a great feel for the game.  As a matter of fact, he has some of the same intangibles that made his future college coach Kyle Macy such a great player in his day.  Hankins doesn't shoot it as well as Macy, but he's quicker and more athletic, which is why we think he might be the best player Macy has signed during his three year stint as head coach of the Racers.

Alabama head coach Mark Gottfried has yet to sign anybody in his backyard (the state Alabama) in this recruiting class, but he's still lived up to his reputation as one of the best recruiters in the college basketball today by beating out the local schools for the top player in two neighboring states.  If you will recall, during the summer 6'1 Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS, who ranks #13 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, committed to the Crimson Tide and last night 6'3 Earnest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN, who ranks #39 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, followed suit.   Shelton, who is an excellent athlete, good outside shooter, and outstanding student, and Williams, who is an exceptional point guard with depth shooting range, are both good enough to make an immediate impact at just about any school in the nation.   However, they will have to battle 6'2 Terrance Meade and 6'8 Rod Grizzard, both of whom started and averaged in double digits last year as freshmen for the Crimson Tide, 6'3 Demetrius Smith, who was a legitimate top 75 high school senior last year, and 5'11 Travis Stinnett, who has missed the last two years due to injuries, for playing time in the future.  While having guard depth like that is a great problem for any coach to have, it's scary how good Alabama could be in another year (the Crimson Tide already appears to be the best team in the tough SEC Western Division).  The big key would be keeping 6'7 Gerald Wallace, who was a legitimate top 10 senior nationally a year ago, as well as one of the premier athletes in the class, from going hardship to the NBA prematurely. Williams would run the show, while Shelton, Meade, and Smith battle it out at the 2-spot and Grizzard steps into the wing forward spot.  Wallace would fit nicely into the power forward spot and 6'8 Erwin Dudley 6'10 Jeremy Hays, and 6'9 Kenny Walker would all get minutes at center. 

Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman tells us that Memphis is out with 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks #56 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the potential to move much higher as he gets bigger, stronger, meaner, and tougher.  So that means predicting Erwin will verbally commit to UAB fairly soon would be a a very safe bet, especially if you already know that Blazers assistant coach Andy Kennedy, who is widely regarded as one the premier recruiters in the south, has done a great job recruiting Erwin.  UAB is also one of the finalists, along with Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia Tech, for 6'7 Anthony Vasser from Birmingham (Woodlawn) AL, who ranks #87 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And if UAB pulls that one off as well, then head coach Murray Bartow would be able to take the program to another level.  If you will recall, UAB's recruiting class was ranked #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP last spring, thanks mainly to the fact they landed two of the premier junior college players in the nation in 6'9 Eric Batchelor from Northeast Mississippi (JC) MS and 6'5 George Arnold from Holmes (JC) MS.  Assuming UAB gets Erwin (our guess is that it will happen next week), that also could give them an inside track for 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore, who is Erwin's high school teammate Huntsville (Lee) AL, next year.  However, that one will be tough, because Auburn has the inside track and Indiana University interim head coach Mike Davis has been a close friend of the family for years.  Speaking of Moore, who currently ranks #6 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP in the junior class, we continue to hear rumors that he will transfer to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA a year from now for his senior year of high school.  Stay tuned!

Wednesday, October 25, 2000

Another big question everybody seems to be asking right now is when will 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, make it official for the University of Arizona?  We have sources who tell us that Rickert wants to go to Arizona, but he's been having trouble saying no to Minnesota.  Apparently he wanted to wait to see what the NCAA did when they levied sanctions against the Gophers program yesterday.  If Minnesota  had gotten banned from post-season play, then it probably would have been easy for Rickert to make the case that he wants to play for the one of the premier head coaches in the history of game (Lute Olson) at the program that is currently ranked as the consensus pre-season #1 team in the nation (Arizona).  However, Minnesota didn't get banned from post-season play and, as a result, it looks like they've turned up the heat even more in an attempt to get Rickert to stay home.  So it should come as no surprise that his press conference, which was scheduled for last night, had been cancelled.  However, we still believe Rickert is going to Arizona.  But one that will go off as scheduled at 3:30 PM EST will be the announcement by 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who will pick Michigan State over Cincinnati and Connecticut. This is huge for the Spartans, because Torbert ranks #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and provides the perfect complement to the two superstars the Spartans landed a year ago in 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN and 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI and the other two perimeter players they landed earlier this fall in 6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN and 6'2 Chris Hill from from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN.  And that might be not be all.  We're also hearing that University of California may be close to getting commitments from 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who ranks #23 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'8 Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA and N.C. State may be on the verge of getting 6'8 Dominic Martin from Asheville (A.C. Reynolds) NC.  We still haven't confirmed whether Rickert has made it official for Arizona, but now unless something strange happens, once again it appears to be only a question of when - like later tonight.  Our Michigan Editor Steve Bell has confirmed that Torbert did make it official of Michigan State earlier this afternoon and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson predicts that 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who is Torbert's best friend, won't be too far behind. 

Chris Monter, the Editor and Publisher of Monter Draft News, has confirmed that 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN has verbally committed to the University of Arizona.  This comes as no surprise, because it has been widely known that the Wildcats were the leader for both Rickert and 6'9 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, who committed to Arizona several week ago, since the middle of July.   However, we are surprised that it took so long.  This moves the Wildcats recruiting class into the #3 spot on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  But even more important, it gives the Wildcats a player who is similar to former Duke All-American Christian Laettner in many ways.  Not only does Rickert rank #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he also finished ranked as the #1 big guy at the adidas ABCD Camp, ahead of more highly touted guys like 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA.   He also finished as one of the leading scorers in camp, plus he was one of the statistical leaders in field goal, 3-point field goal, and free throw percentage in camp.   As a matter of fact, he had the second best 3-point shooting percentage in camp, which is important, because it shows his ability to play away from the basket.   However, Rickert also has excellent post moves and is a good rebounder and shot blocker inside.  And the Wildcats aren't done yet!  If they also get 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, who ranks #15 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, which will likely happen next week, Arizona's recruiting class would move into the #1 position nationally.  And it would likely start there, unless UCLA lands 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA or the equivalent of somebody with his talent rating.  Speaking of Sampson, we have heard rumors today that Sampson has verbally committed to the University of California, but our California Editor Dinos Trigonis doesn't believe it.  He tells us that Sampson is one of the those players who tells every school what they want to hear.  As a result, California, UCLA, Kansas, and St. Louis all probably think they are getting this injury prone shooting blocking athlete who ranks #23 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  "I won't believe anything  Sampson says until he puts his name on the National Letter-of-Intent and it is reported by the NCAA," says Trigonis.  "It's the most screwed up recruiting situation that I've seen since Jason Kapono two years ago.  UCLA was out for a long time, but then got back in and ended up getting Kapono late.  I predict the same thing will likely happen here.  He'll probably drag it out until spring and end up signing with somebody not even currently on his list."

Last night Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA scrimmaged in Mouth of Wilson, VA and their may have been more talent on the floor than in a lot of NCAA Final Four games.  Hargrave won the first 20-minute half, 53-44, and Oak Hill won the second 20-minute half 69-54. "Both teams had trouble stopping each other on the offensive end," says Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith.  "We led by as many as 25 points midway through the second half before substituting."   Hargrave was led by 6'7 James White, who had  31 points.   He as complemented by 6'8 Jason Clark with 20 points and 6'2 Keith Jennifer with 15 points and 9 assists.  Oak Hill was led by 6'3 Billy Edelin with 30 points and 11 assists, 6'3 Rashaad Carruth, who had 26 points and was 5-10 from beyond the arc, and 6'11 DeSagana Diop with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks.  Speaking Diop, Smith tells us he visited North Carolina last weekend, but still plans on signing in April.  "It should get interesting!" says Smith.

Other commitments that we've confirmed with the last 24 hours include 6'11 Chris Jackson from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM to Utah, 6'0 Rick Willis from Detroit (McKenzie) MI to Western Michigan, and 6'8 Matt Carroll from Aurora (Smoky Hill) CO, and 6'3 DeVaughn Peace from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA to UC-Irvine.   The Jackson and Carroll commitments are especially interesting, because both players picked schools where they should excel.  Carroll is a tough hardnosed white kid who also can step out and fill it up on the perimeter.  "He reminds me of Brian Cardinal, except he may have a little more finesse," says our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson, who liked Carroll at the NIKE All-American Camp.  Jackson is still a project, but Rick Majerus is one of the best coaches in the game today and, as a result, there is no doubt that he'll just get better and better during the course of his college career.  It looks like a horse race among New Mexico, Tulsa, and St. Louis for r 6'6 Jamal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, who ranks #99 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and it hasn't taken Cincinnati long to find a replacement in their scheme of things for 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who picked Michigan State earlier today.   As a matter of fact, our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that 6'4 Keith Langford from North Crowley (H.S.) TX, who ranks #76 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will be making an official visit to Cincinnati tomorrow.   Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Baylor are also still in the hunt for Langford, but the smart money is on Kansas or Cincinnati.  Remember, Langford's teammate on the Team Texas AAU Club team - 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX - committed to the Bearcats several weeks ago and, well, Kansas is Kansas.  Remember, head coach Roy Williams turned down North Carolina in early July to remain the head coach of the Jayhawks, which obviously means that Kansas is one of the premier jobs in college basketball.  Getting back to Cincinnati, it also looks like the Bearcats are going to go hard after the best player they realistically have a chance to get who is still available.  So now that Torbert is gone, 7'0 Moustapha Diagne from Trinity Valley (JC) TX, who is ranked as the #2 center in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook, becomes a top priority.  However, we don't look for Diagne to sign with the Bearcats until spring. 

The only thing that is harder to do than get to the top is stay there.  Last summer Tom Izzo, who is the head coach of the defending national champion Michigan State Spartans, told me that must be true, because he's never worked harder in his life, especially when it comes to recruiting.  Well, it looks like all that hard work has paid off in a big way, because Michigan State has kept the pipeline into Flint, MI going, as 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI announced for the Spartans this afternoon.   And in doing so, Michigan State held off serious challenges from Cincinnati and Connecticut and, as a result, appears to be in a better position than ever to become the next dynasty in college basketball.  Don't believe it?  Well, when we come out with our pre-season college rankings within the next 10 days, Michigan State will be at the top of the list.  Actually, we think it's a no-brainer to rank the Spartans #1, even though most of the so-called experts don't agree.  However, we like to be different, just like we were a year ago when we picked Arizona as our pre-season #1 team over Cincinnati. Michigan State has lost senior leadership, a great point guard in Mateen Cleaves, outside shooting and athleticism from Morris Peterson, and an experienced inside player in A.J. Granger off their NCAA Championship team.  But they are replaced by 6'8 Zach Randolph from Marion (H.S.) IN, who was easily the best high school player in the nation last spring, and 6'3 Marcus Taylor from Lansing (Waverly) MI, who will step in and replace Cleaves at point guard, as well as fill some of the scoring void created by Peterson's departure.  If that weren't enough, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is predicting that 6'6 Soph Jason Richardson, who averaged 5.1 ppg and 4.1 rpg last year for the Spartans, will have a monster year and end up being a lottery pick in the NBA draft in the not too distant future.  In other words, with a NCAA Final Four Appearance two years ago, a NCAA Championship last March, and a team that is potentially better than the one they just had, there may be no end in sight, especially if Michigan State keep the pipeline going into Flint, MI and gets 6'7 Jr Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI, who ranks #24 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who ranks #4 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and has Stephon Marbury-like talent and scoring capabilities.   Roberson isn't from Flint, but he is Torbert's best friend, so he still has to be lumped into the Flint-connection.

Tuesday, October 24, 2000

When Pete Gillen left Providence College for the University of Virginia three years ago, the Cavaliers were in a major need of an overhaul.  If you will recall, two years ago they landed the #3 ranked recruiting class, according to the HOOP SCOOP, when they signed 6'7 Travis Watson from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'0 Majestic Mapp from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Roger Mason from Wheaton (Good Counsel) VA, 6'9 Jason Rogers from Alexandria (Episcopal) VA, and 6'8 Stephane Dondon from Collin County (JC) TX.  Last year they added 6'5 Maurice Young from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD and 6'8 J.C. Mathis from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY and already this fall they had commitments from 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA.  So today's commitment from 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA appears to be one of the final pieces to the puzzle. With Watson, Mathis, Clark, and Brown all battling for playing time inside, all the Cavaliers need now is that aircraft carrier inside to block shots, rebound, and control the paint.   And the player who is at the top of their list is 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and has the athleticism, mobility, and potential to be a superstar at the highest level.   How important would getting Diop be for the Cavaliers?  If they get Diop, Virginia's recruiting class up from #4 nationally into the #1 spot on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.   If they get Diop, Gillen and his staff will have landed Virginia's most important recruit since Ralph Sampson, who went onto become the two-time College Basketball Player-of-the-Year.  And if they get Diop, the Virginia program will have arrived as one of the premier programs in college basketball, along with other league foes Duke, Maryland, and North Carolina.  And the competition for Diop appears to be pretty stiff, because he's also the player who could make or break North Carolina's recruiting class, which currently checks in at #5 on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date, right behind Virignia.  However, getting Brown who ranks #40 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who will likely move up about 10 spots next time we update our rankings, was pretty big all by itself.  Brown is a physical specimen who is suprisingly mobile and athletic for somebody his size.  He also has explosive quickness, good offensive post moves, nose for the ball when it comes off the glass, and an aggressive nature in the paint, which is why he often makes us think of former Duke All-American Elton Brand.

We've been promising you Jim Kasberg's Indiana Prep Report for over a month now and finally it's done.  However, it raises some very interesting questions, like who really is the best senior in the state - 6'0 Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'7 Vytas Danelius from Indianapolis (Park Tudor) IN, or 6'6 Ali Bierdiel from Gary (Andrean) IN?  We've seen plenty of Thomas, who is ranked #38 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, dating all they way back to his freshman days, but Danelius, who was the best player on the Lithuanian 18-Under National Team that finished 7th in Croatia in July, and Bierdiel, who was the best player on the Puerto Rican 22-Under National Team, are both foreign imports with impressive international creditials.  Both are also likely to have future NBA players.  So right now your guess is as good as ours regarding who should be the #1 player in the state.  So Kasberg has made it a tie for #1, which will get us off the hook, at least until the season starts and we can both see Danelius and Bierdiel for ourselves.  Kasberg also raised some other intriguing questions, like how good is 7'2 Soph Rodney Norman from Marion (H.S.) IN, who has transferred from Georgia to Marion, IN this fall?  And how good is 6'6 Frosh Lowell Levingston from Ft. Wayne (Snider) IN, who is ranked as the #2 ranked freshmen in the state by Kasberg sight unseen?   Well, Kasberg's track over the years has always been second to none.  As a matter of fact, last year at this time Kasberg was the first person to start touting 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN as the #1 player in his class in the state and few had ever even heard of 6'4 Frosh Robert "Darth" Vaden from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN when Kasberg was touting him a year ago that this time as the best 8th grader he'd ever seen.  Well, it looks like Kasberg is still right on top of his game.  As a matter of fact, in his commentart on how "Mystery and International Intrigue Mark the 2000-2001 Indiana Prep Pre-Season," Kasberg raised the possibility that 6'5 Aaron Patterson may transfer from Indianapolis (Ben Davis) IN to Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN.   Write it down!  It actually became official this afternoon!  Kasberg's list of the top 105 seniors, top 100 juniors, top 103 sophomores, top 67 freshmen, and top five 8th graders can be gotten by clicking on Kasberg Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in the State of Indiana.  His report, which also includes his all-state teams regardless of class and position, can be gotten by clicking on Indiana Report.

It looks like new Hartford assistant coach Chris Pompey, who just got the job two months ago when Keith Legree moved onto a similar position at Cincinnati, is quickly establishing is reputation as one of the best recruiters in the business.  If you will recall, a month ago Pompey got a major sleeper in 6'1 Saun Swan from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA and now it looks like Pompey has packaged Swan with 6'9 Trevor Goode from Virginia Beach (Cape Henry) VA.  Apparently both players were in Hartford making official visits over the weekend and Swan convinced his buddy (Goode) to follow in his footsteps.  Goode, who committed to the Hawks earlier today, is best described as a project.  However, they don't make too many this big.  He also has surprising athleticism for his size and he can score down on the blocks.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 G.J. King from Hinsdale (Central) IL has picked Brown over Lafayette, Maryland-Baltimore County, Rider, and Youngstown State and Cornell has gotten 6'8 Gabe Stephens from Denver (Mullen) CO.  However, the most interesting verbal commit of the day is 6'7 Quemont Greer from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, who has picked DePaul.  This moves the Blue Demons recruiting class into the #3 position nationally behind UCLA and Memphis on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  But even more important, it means DePaul now has five verbal commitments, which is now the maximum number a school can sign under the new five-and-three rule over a two-year period.   If you will recall, DePaul already has commitments from 6'4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, 6'8 Sam Hoskin from Schoolcraft (JC) MI, 6'7 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) IL, and 6'4 Drake Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI.  That's four commitments, plus Greer makes five.  And that brings us to a very interesting question.  How is DePaul going to take 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL and/or 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL?  If DePaul head coach Pat Kennedy can pull this off, he ought to go into politics, because he has the right last name and he's good at fuzzy math.  On the more serious side, DePaul may be thinking one or two of the players mentioned above may not make it academically and, as a result, may have to go the junior college or prep school route.   But is also might put them into a very tough spot.

Monday, October 23, 2000

It is official for 6'5 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who ranks #11 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  He picked Stanford over Kansas last night and this should have a ripple effect on several other of the top players on the West Coast, like 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR and 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  Our guess is that Sampson won't go to Kansas without Childress.  Instead, the smart money for Sampson now appears to be on the University of California, although UCLA definitely is still in the hunt, despite the fact he cancelled his official visit to Westwood over the weekend.  Miles' high school teammate - 6'3 Michael Lee from Portland (Jefferson) OR - picked Kansas a week ago, but without Childress as part of the package, most people in the business think Childress' decision actually helps Arizona.   Not only is Miles' buddy (Childress) not heading to Lawrence, KS, but Miles is scheduled to visit Arizona next weekend and immediately following that visit a decision is expected to be forthcoming.  Assuming that Miles and 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, both pick the Wildcats, Arizona's recruiting class would move from #14  to #1 ahead of UCLA on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  However, if Sampson picks that would put UCLA back into the top spot, just ahead of Arizona.  Two things are for sure:  1) all this isn't good news for Kansas, which appeared to be on the verge of a recruiting class when Jayhawks head coach Roy Williams turned down the North Carolina in early July; 2) all this is good news for the Pac-10, which appears to be on the verge of outrecruiting every other conference in college basketball.  And this makes perfect sense, because the senior class in Southern California is absolutely loaded and, as a result, the early returns recruiting returns look extremely good.  We've already talked about UCLA and Arizona, but Southern California's recruiting class, which includes 6'7 Jerry Dupree from San Bernardino (JC) CA, 6'2 Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'2 Derrick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, and 6'10 Rory O'Neil from Ridgecrest (Burroughs) CA, also ranks among the top dozen and Stanford's recruiting class, which now includes Childress, 6'9 Robert Little from Fairfax (Paul VI) VA, and 6'2 Chris Hernandez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA moves into a tie at #14, along with Arizona and Virginia.    Also, the University of Washington, which has landed 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 6'5 Erroll Knight from Seattle (Chief Sealth) WA, 6'10 Jeffrey Day from Seattle (Prep) WA, 6'7 Josh Williams from Yakima (H.S.) WA, and 6'8 Anthony Washington from Seattle (Garfield) WA, is ranked among the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date, and Oregon State with 6'4 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, 6'0 Joe See from Concord (DeLaSalle) CA, and 6'2 J.S. Nash from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA have done extremely well.  This recruiting bonanza by the Pac-10 Conference also was needed, because a year ago the Pac-10, as a conference, finished ranked only #9 nationally among all Division I Conferences.  Also, the team that recruited best in the league (Washington State) finished ranked no higher than #33 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and the best player signed by any school in the league - 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR - didn't qualify academically and, as a result, never enrolled at Arizona State.  However, that too appears to have turned out for the best, because Brooks has gone the junior college route and Arizona State has landed a point guard this year who might even be better than Brooks in 6'4 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA. 

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that UNC-Greensboro has a commitment from 6'4 Danny Hargrove from Sellersville (Faith Christian) PA, Drexel has landed 6'8 Steve Showers from New Tripoli (Northwestern Lehigh) PA, and 6'9 Matt Czaplinski from Stratford (Bunnell) CT has announced for Boston University.  Hargrove, who is following in the footsteps of another excellent player - 6'4 Jay Joseph from Landsdale (North Penn) PA - from this area who signed with UNC-Greensboro a year ago, has improved dramatically in the last six months.  This is especially evident when one looks at Rubin's report, which was published about a week ago and can be gotten exclusively in the Members Section, because Hargrove is the #5 ranked Most Improved Player in the Area, plus he has risen from #40 in the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey last spring to #16 on Rubin's current senior list.  Hargrove is an athletic wing player who knows how to get the basket, but he's developed a good outside shot.  Showers, who is ranked #24 in the area by Rubin, is crafty inside, plus he has an excellent mid-range jumper.  Czaplinksi is power player who scores and rebounds around the basket.  However, his best days are still ahead of him.  Rubin and our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson both are telling us that William & Mary is getting a tranfer in 6'7 Adam Hess, who was the leading 3-point shooter on the team at Eastern Michigan last year.  Obviously, this is just more example of the Tribe taking advantage of their Midwestern connections.  If you will recall, new William & Mary head coach Rick Boyages was the associate head coach at Ohio State last three years with Jim O'Brien.  So it makes perfect sense that he would go back into the Midwest to get 6'8 Steve Sorensen from Hudson (Western Reserve) OH, who committed to William and Mary several weeks ago, and Hess, who originally is from Grosse Pointe (South) MI.  William & Mary also has gotten a good one out of the Southeast in 6'0 Nick D'Antoni from Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC and is looking into the Northeast to fill their final scholarship, which will likely go to either 6'6 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY and 6'5 Tim Begley from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ.   

Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'6 Soph LeBran James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH, who is ranked as the #1 sophomore nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has Ohio State, Cincinnati, California, Duke, North Carolina, and Michigan State all on his early list.   But we won't have to worry about where James is going for another two years.   Instead, our focus is on players like 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA, who will pick Virginia, Temple, or Florida State tomorrow; 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, who was at West Virginia over the weekend and who is expected to commit to the Mountaineers any day now; 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who is expected to pick Arizona later this week; 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, who will likely pick either Arizona or Kansas early next week. We also are eagerly anticipating the decision by 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI.  Will it be Michigan State or Cincinnati?  Or will Connecticut be the compromise choice?  Will Louisville get 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL or will somebody like Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Purdue, Memphis, or Arkansas pull off a major upset?   And will Cisse commit in the fall or will he keep us all in suspense until spring?   Is Syracuse the heavy favorite every thinks they are for 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY or will Maryland, N.C. State, or Florida sneak in the backdoor and beat the Orangemen?  Will 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA pick Virgina or North Carolina and will Vanderbilt keep home 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN?  Is Florida State the lock everybody thinks they are for 6'0 Charles Frederick from Boca Raton (Pope Paul VI) FL and will he be able to play both football and basketball if he picks the Seminoles?   Will 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA pick California or UCLA or will he shock us all by going to Kansas or St. Louis?  Will it be Iowa or Michigan for 6'5 JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI and is 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL bound for Illinois, Missouri, Houston, or DePaul?  However, two we're not too concerned about are 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL and 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  We hear Chandler already has an agent, so even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to go to college next year.  But that does solve some problems for him, like worrying about his grades or trying to pass the SAT.   Curry may verbally commit to DePaul this fall, but they just don't make guys this big very often and, ready or not, some NBA team will probably make him a high lottery pick.  In other words, just like Chandler, Curry really doesn't even have a choice.  

Saturday, October 21, 2000, and Sunday, October 22, 2000

On paper Florida State has the least amount of talent of any team in the always tough Atlantic Coast Conference.  So the verbal commitment the Seminoles got late in the week from 6'9 Anthony Richardson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, who ranks #21 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is similar in many ways DerMarr Johnson, has to be considered on one of the biggest commitments of the entire fall.  Not only is Richardson a multi-dimensional athlete with tremendous natural talent and superstar written all over him, but he also has a tendency to be very inconsistent (just like Johnson at the same stage).  However, Johnson grew up fast when Max Good got ahold of him two years ago at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME and Bobby Huggins didn't let up on his one bit a year ago at Cincinnati.  And the similiarities don't end there.  Just like Johnson, Richardson has academic questions and, as a result, he may have to go the prep school route for a year before he enrolls at Florida State. While that wouldn't good news for head coach Steve Robinson in the short run, it could help make his team one of the most improved not just in the league, but in college basketball year after next.  And Richardson might not be the only superstar that Robinson can see on the horizon, because we still think the Seminoles will likely also get back 6'6 Tony Bobbit, who is now at Southern Idaho (JC) ID, after he graduates from junior college in the spring of 2002.  How good is Bobbit?  He too has NBA-like talent and potential, because he's an incredible athlete who is almost unstoppable going the hole and he is regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation.  The last time we saw him, which as at the Charlie Weber Tournament in the fall of 1999, Bobbit scored 30 points for the Tallahassee Wildcats en route to tournament MVP honors.  He also made all the big shots down the stretch, which is evidence of just how good he is in the clutch.  No doubt he'll be one the top five junior college freshmen in the nation this year, as well as a prime target once again for the Seminoles a year from now.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that New York Riverside Church beat Youth Enpowerment in the championship game of the I.S.8 Fall High School League earlier today. Riverside Church was down, 40-38, at halftime, but they coasted to 88-74  victory, thanks to the inside play of 6'6 Wendall Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, who finished with 27 points and took home Playoff MVP honors.  Youth Empowerment was led by 6'2 Jr Curtis Stinson from Bronx (Morris) NY, who finished with 24 potins, and 6'9 Soph Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, who had 17 points.  Riverside Church had an even easier time last night in the semi-finals, as they manhandled the Bronx Gauchos, 81-56, thanks largely to the efforts of Gibson with 25 points and 6'3 Jr Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, who chipped in 17 points.  The best player for the Gauchos was the rapidly improving 7'2 Sagari Allegne from New York (Rice) NY, but we also have to mention 6'3 Jr Don McCrath from Somers (John F. Kennedy) NY, because this white 3-point shooter who finished with had 12 points against Riverside Church is rapidly on the rise.  The other semi-finals game last night between Youth Empowerment and the New York Wolfpack was a 96-88 thriller in overtime.  Youth Empowerment was led by 6'1 Roscoe Biggers from Durham (Emmanuel) NC with  39 points, Stinson with 32 points and Villanueva with 21 points.  However, the highlight of the day was 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NY, who dominated the game in every way, as he finished with 38 points, 22 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks.  Cooke also continues to play hard, which will be important as he continues to take his game to a higher level and challenges 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire from Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'2 Jr Anthony Robeson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  As a matter of fact, Naclerio doesn't think Cooke will see a day of college basketball.  "By the time he's ready to go to college, he'll he 20 years old," says Naclerio.  "And he already dominates when he plays against men."  This was especially evident during the summer when he was one of the best players in the Rucker League in New York City.  Needless to say, Cooke was the tournament MVP.  He also was named to the first team all-tournament team, along with Gibson, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'6 Rashad Bell from Fresh Meadows (St. Francis Prep) NY, and 5'10 Darrel Hill from Bayside (Cardozo) NY.  The second team consisted of Stinson, 6'2 Ryan Williams from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, 6'3 Luis Rodriguez from Bronx (John F. Kennedy) NY, and 5'10 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who was also named the Rookie-of-the-Year in the league.

It looks like the University of Kentucky has gotten a verbal commitment 6'6 Chuck Hayes from Modesto (Christian) CA, who ranks #63 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  This is an intriguing commitment, because Hayes has the athleticism and slashing ability, but lacks the perimeter skills and outside shooting necessary to be a big-time wing forward.  And this may prove especially important, if he is going to step into Tayshaun Prince's spot, assuming Prince goes hardship to the NBA after this season.  Hayes was ranked #19 at adidas ABCD Camp, but he also was ranked as the #5 power forward.   Sure, he's shown signs of being able to shoot the 3-pointer and he's tremendous in transition, defensively, and on the boards.  However, Hayes still runs the risk of getting recruited over, especially if all of Kentucky's outside shooting question marks don't get solved with the addition of Gerald Fitch this year and 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'5 Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY next year.  Speaking of a recruiting class that includes Carruth, Carrier, and Hayes, this moves the Wildcats class back onto our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  Actually, they are now tied at #8, along with Ohio State, and Missouri, and it could move into the #4 position behind Florida and behind North Carolina, if they get 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, who is ranked #45 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, Bender's appears to be a long way away from making a decision and, as a result, we wouldn't be surprised, if he's one of the few players still left in the spring.

Earlier this week we reported that 6'8 Richard Sadler from Mt. Airy (Habersham Central) GA had verbally committed to Virginia Tech, but late in the week we mentioned that his commitment might be as firm as we originally thought, because Sadler was visiting Eastern Kentucky this weekend.  Let's first look at why we jumped the gun.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin does a great job of digging up information, but he often doesn't make a distinction between whether something is going to happen or whether it has already happened.  In this case, Rubin got the word from somebody who had spoken directly to someone on the Virginia Tech coaching staff about the Hokies losing out 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, who, instead, went to South Florida.  The people at Virginia Tech weren't too concerned, because they thought they were getting  Sadler.  Whether it had happened or not, I don't know.  However, Rubin translated that into a commitment.  But doesn't mean we aren't happy to see that Eastern Kentucky head coach Travis Ford has stolen another one during his short time as the head coach of the Colonels.  We respect anybody who works hard and there is doubt that Ford, who is both a class act and one of the hardest working young guys in the business, is doing it the same way he did as an overachieving player in both college and high school and more recently as a rookie head coach at Campbellsville College.  Sadler is still inconsistent, plus he can be soft at times, but he ranks in the 100-300 range nationally, is very mobile and athlete for his size, and excellent on the boards.  He also has a lot of potential, as well as the desire to work hard and get better. 

Friday, October 20, 2000

Well, it looks like we were one for two yesterday, because 6'3 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA has made it official last night for Rutgers, but 6'4 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA didn't opt for Georgia, as we expected.  Instead, he verbally committed to Oregon State.  And this is very important, because, while the new regime hasn't landed anybody from their backyard (the states of Oregon and Washington) yet, it does show the Beavers can go successfully into California and compete for the better players in that fertile recruiting ground.  If you will recall, during the summer Oregon State got commitments from 6'0 Joe See from Concord (DeLaSalle) CA and 6'2 J.S. Nash from Moreno Valley (Rancho Verde) CA, but North, who ranks #82 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is clearly the prize of the class.  Not only is he a big time talent, but he has excellent skills, shooting range, athleticism, and grades.  He's also a terrific baseball player!  It also is being reported today that Vanderbilt has gotten a commitment from 6'5 Jason Holwerda from Chattanooga (Christian) TN, who ranks #121 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Holwerda is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, but even more important than his talent, skills, and outside shooting is the fact that he and 6'2 Jr Mario Moore from Nashville (Antioch) TN, who made a very early commitment to the Commodores earlier this fall, both were teammates on the Tennessee Travelers AAU Team, along with 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   Speaking of Harrison, he is the most important player Kevin Stallings has recruited during his eight year career as a head coach at both Illinois State and Vanderbilt.  He also would be the most important player ever to set foot on campus at Vandy, if he picks the Commodores.  Our guess is that will happen, not just because his father is an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt, but because he's a local kid and it's going to be tough to leave home.  However, schools like Duke, Colorado, Louisville, UCLA, and North Carolina promise to make interesting.  We also are looking for Vanderbilt to land 6'6 Corey Smith from Houston (Lamar) TX and for Texas Christian to get 6'8 Marcus Sloan from Aldine (Eisenoower) TX.  Both Sloan and Smith were at the adidas ABCD Camp last summer, both rank in the 100-300 range nationally, and both are expected to announce their decisions today. 

The new coaching staff at the University of Tulsa has simply picked up where the old staff left off, which is a quite a statement when one looks back on the Golden Hurricane's NCAA Final Eight finish last March.  Already in the fold was 6'4 Nathan Doudnay from Rockwell (H.S.) TX, who is one of the best 3-pointer shooters in the state of Texas, and earlier this week they landed 6'6 Jarius Glenn from Avondale Estates (Avondale) GA, who is a big-time athlete and well as a top 100 senior nationally according to a lot of scouting services.  They also on campus next weekend for an official visit will be 6'6 Jamal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, who ranks #99 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and they are one of the finalists, along with Temple and Rice, for 6'4 Nile Murry from Houston (Klein Forest) TX, who is one of the biggest sleepers in the nation.  As a matter of fact, will likely slip into our top 100 nationally next time we update our nationally rankings, because at 6'4 he's extremely talented, plus he's capable of coming in and running the show as a point guard at the big time college level. 

Where is our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio when we need him?  Not one, but two of the top players from City - 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, who picked DePaul, and 6'1 Adrian Walton from Milford (Academy) CT, who picked Miami-FL - have made verbal commitments to big-time schools within the last 24 hours.  However, we have yet to get confirmation from Naclerio.  And we also would have been the last to know about 6'1 Carl Krauser from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who picked Pittsburgh earlier this week, if we'd been depending upon Naclerio.  However, we don't expect to get scooped when it comes time for 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, to commit to Syracuse, N.C. State, Florida, or Maryland.  The reason is that Gary DeCesare, who is Hodge's high school coach, always keeps us in the know when it comes to his players.  As a matter of fact, if Naclerio ever moves onto a college job, DeCesare and/or  Long Island Panthers head coach Gary Charles would be the two most likely candidates to replace Naclerio as our New York City Editor.  Speaking of adding new people to our staff, our old buddy Jon Reidel, who used to publish Reidel's Roundball Review, may soon be joining the HOOP SCOOP.    More on that later!

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'9 Hiram Fuller from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, who ranks as the #2 power forward in the junior college ranks, isn't the lock that some people think he is for Cincinnati.  As it stands now Cincinnati, Fresno State, and Oregon are the top three schools on his list.  However, the Fresno Bee is reporting that there is no way Fuller's mother will co-sign his National Letter-of-Intent for any school, except Fresno State, which, by the way, placed him at Wabash Valley in the first place.   As a matter of fact, the newspaper quotes Fuller's mother saying that she doesn't like Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins.  So it appears there is no way she will let her son go there.  Fresno State also appears to have stolen one in 6'5 Dennis Nathan from Clark (JC) WA, who originally signed with the University of Oregon after attending prep school at Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT.   Apparently he's already enrolled in school at Fresno State and, yes, he will be eligible to play this season.  At 6'5, Nathan can play either guard spot and he's got the talent and potential to eventually play in the NBA.  Which means head coach Jerry Tarkanian would have tremendous size in the backcourt if he plays Tito Maddox and Nathan some at the same time.  Johnson also point out that this could be Tarkanian's best team yet at Fresno State, because he's not only loaded in the backcourt with Maddox, Nathan, Demetrius Porter, and Nick Irvin, but he also has the talent and athleticism inside with Melvin Ely, and several transfers like Chris Jeffries and Shannon Swillis.   Plus, he's got five players - Ely, Jeffries, Swillis, Noel Felix, and Mustafa Al-Said - with a wing span of 7-feet or more.

We're also hearing that 6'8 Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA has cancelled making an official visit to a Pac-10 school for the second consecutive weekend.  Last week he was supposed to have been at Arizona and this week he's supposed to be at Oregon.  Instead, he plans to either commit to the University of California today or tomorrow or postpone making his college decision until spring.  We also are hearing that 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA has postponed his official visit to UCLA, which was also scheduled for today.  Apparently he couldn't afford to miss a test in school today, so he has re-scheduled his visit for next weekend.  Another one that we're watching very closely, because it could break at any time is 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who is expected to make it official for Arizona. When that happens, the Wildcats recruiting class will move into the #4 position nationally right behind Florida and ahead of North Carolina on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  We also are looking for 6'6 Chuck Hayes from Modesto (Christian) CA, who ranks #63 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has gotten underrecruited by many of the West Coast schools, because he's really an undersized power forward, to make it official sometime in the near future for the University of Kentucky.

Thursday, October 19, 2000

Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis is predicting that 6'4 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, who ranks #82 nationally, will make it official for the University of Georgia next week.   However, Oregon State and Rutgers are also still in the hunt, although Rutgers might not be for long, despite the fact that North has an official visit scheduled to New Brunswick, NJ this weekend.  Already Rutgers has gotten a verbal commitment today from 6'9 Jason McCoy from Houston (Milby) TX, who ranks among our top 200 nationally, and they appear to be on the verge (like later today) of getting 6'3 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is a 5th year player, but who would be ranked among our top 75 nationally if he were still a high school senior.    McCoy ranks among our top 200 nationally, but this shot blocking athlete also has the ability to step away from the basket and hit the mid-range shot.  In other words, we think he has a big upside and, as a result, is an excellent catch for Rutgers.   Shields, who also is still considering Maryland, George Mason, South Florida, and Syracuse, doesn't shoot it as well as North, but he's got that Washington, DC toughness and he's got tremendous natural talent and athleticism. Rutgers, which wants to sign two wing players in this recruiting class, landed 6'3 Jual Wiggin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA a month ago and whoever commits first between Shields or North will get the other scholarship.  Then, they will go after the best available player they can get in the spring or save another scholarship for any one of a number of outstanding juniors who are already prime targets for next year.  Everybody expects the Scarlet Knights to land 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram, who ranks #20 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, and/or 6'1 Jr Dwayne Lee, who is a legitimate top 100 junior nationally, because Rutgers assistant coach Danny Hurley's father (Bob Hurley, Sr) is their high school coach at Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ.  However, Rutgers also has several other outstanding juniors in their backyard, like 6'1 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 64 Jr Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, and 6'1 Mike Lasme from Burlington (Life Center) NJ.  As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised if Lasme made an early commitment to the Scarlet Knights.   Not only is he a legitimate top 100 senior nationally, but he also has incredible athleticism and leaping ability, as is evident by his 45-inch vertical leap.

Donnie Wilkie, the Southeast Editor for HighWired Sports.com, called Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL head coach Theo McWhite yesterday in an attempt to track down 6'9 Amare Stoudamire, who recently left Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  No, Stoudamire isn't at Dr. Phillips, but McWhite did point Wilkie in the right direction.  Stoudamire has enrolled at Winter Garden (West Orange) FL, which is right outside of Orlando, FL, but it is doubtful that Stoudamire will be eligible to play right away.  However, Wilkie, who also is the tournament director for the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL, which is one of the premier holiday tournaments in the nation, already is considering West Orange High School as a possibility for his 2001 field.  Remember, Stoudamire is the #1 ranked junior in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP and is the closest thing to Kevin Garnett that we've seen since Kevin Garnett.  And like Garnett, most people think Stoudamire will skip college and go straight out of high school into the NBA.   However, Clint Jackson of highmajorhoops.com tells us that Stoudamire and 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who verbally committed to Georgetown a month and a half ago, are extremely close friends and, as a result, the Hoyas not only are already showing a lot of early interest, but also may have the inside track.  Jackson also tells us that 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who ranks among our top five juniors nationally, will make unofficial visits to both Duke and N.C. State next weekend and he will be at Florida unofficially on November 11th.  If you will recall, Randolph also was at North Carolina unofficially last weekend during their Midnight Madness.   Jackson also is hearing the same thing we're hearing about 6'0 Johnathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, who ranks #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   Hargett will be at West Virginia for an official visit this weekend and a lot of people think the Mountaineers will get a verbal commitment while Hargett is on campus.   West Virginia also got a verbal commitment earlier this fall from 6'3 Travis Eisentrout from Berlin (Berlin-Brothers) PA and yesterday from 6'7 Tyrone Salley from Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA.  However, if they also get Hargett, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY and 6'10 Tony Key from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, then the Mountaineer recruiting class would move into the #3 spot nationally behind UCLA and Memphis and ahead of Florida and North Carolina on our list of Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date.  

Several days ago our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin told us that Rider beat Manhattan for 6'2 Rich Baker from Lackawanna (JC) PA.  However, today Manhattan got the other point guard they were involved with, because 6'0 Justin Gatling from Falls Church (Bishop O'Connell) VA has committed to the Jaspers.   This is an important  long term get for head coach Bobby Gonzalez, because the last two points guard Gonzalez has signed have both been junior college players and, as a result, only in the program for two years.  Speaking of Manhattan, the Jaspers are also fighting it out with UNC-Greensboro for 6'6 Kasib Powell from Butler (JC) KS.  However, if they don't get Powell early, schools like Tulsa, George Washington, and St. Louis may jump into the picture.  So ideally, Manhattan would like to sign Powell and then go big with their last scholarship.  Rubin also had reported that 6'9 Richard Sadler from Mt. Airy (Habersham Central) GA had verbally committed to Virginia Tech.  However, now the inquiry sign is up, because we understand that Sadler is supposed to visit Eastern Kentucky this weekend.   Hampton University has a commitment from 6'5 Devin Green from Columbus (Beechcroft) OH, who was ranked #17 in the state when Chris Johnson last updated his Ohio list last spring.  However, he's better than that, as is evident by the fact that Hampton beat out George Mason, Kent State, and Bowling Green and schools like Pittsburgh, Iowa, and Notre Dame also had shown interest.  Making Green even more of a steal for Steve Merfeld, who not only is a great evaluator of talent, but also is one of the brightest and hardest working young head coaches in the business, is the fact that Green can play point guard at 6'5.  He also can play the two and the three spots, plus he's got a 7-foot wing span. 

Wednesday, October 18, 2000

The are several important commitments that are supposed to go down later today, including 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'5 Marcellus Sommerville from Peoria (Central) IL, who ranks #119 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  We'd be shocked if Ford doesn't pick the University of Texas.  No, it didn't happen on Monday, October 23rd, as we had originally anticipated, but that's a minor detail in the grand scheme of things, as five years from now nobody will remember anything, except that he went to Texas.  So unless something totally unexpected happens, chalk up a big one up for Rick Barnes.  Not only is Ford the great point guard that the Longhorns need to immediately come in and run the show next year, but he's also the best player Barnes has landed during this two year stint as the head coach at Texas.  We also are anticipating that Sommerville will pick Iowa over Purdue and Kentucky at press conference, which will be held early this evening.   Sommerville isn't a superstar, but Hawkeyes head coach Steve Alford doesn't need any more great players.  As a matter of fact, he doesn't need many more players period.  No program in college basketball has recruited better since Alford took the job at Iowa a year and a half ago.  And really it isn't even close.  If you recall, last spring Iowa finished with the #4 ranked recruiting class nationally with a consensus top five junior college player in 6'8 Reggie Evans from Coffeyville (JC) KS, 6'8 Glen Worley from Iowa City (West) IA, 6'11 Jared Reiner from Tripp (Tripp-Delmont) SD, 5'10 Brody Boyd from Dugger (Union) IN, 6'6 Courtney Scott from Lansing (Waverly) MI, and 6'9 Sean Sonderlieter from Des Moines (Christian) IA.  And that weren't enough, Alford also had two excellent players waiting in the wings last winter in 6'3 Ryan Hogan, who transferred from Kentucky, and 6'5 Luke Recker, who transferred from Indiana via Arizona.  That's eight new players that Alford will have to work with this year, but more are also on the way.  If you will recall, the Hawkeyes also got a verbal commitment a year ago from 6'3 Jr Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, who is ranked #23 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  They also got an early commitment from 6'4 Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL, who ranks #43 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and more recently landed 6'11 Eric Hansen from Euless (Trinity) TX, who is a project right now, but has a big upside.  Assuming that Sommerville also falls as expected later today, the Hawkeyes would only have one more scholarship to left and our guess is that the guy who will get it is 6'5 JaQuan Hart from Flint (Northern) MI, who ranks #24 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff has confirmed that 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX did have his press conference and did officially announce for the University of Texas.   With this commitment, the Longhorns are done recruiting this year and, as a result, can focus all their efforts on recruiting 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who ranks as the #15 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation regardless of class.  Wright also is a terrific athlete and an outstanding talent who, if teamed with Ford, would form not just one of the best backcourts in college basketball, but also one of the most exciting backcourts.  Texas also got an early commitment from 6'9 Chris Wright from Redwater (H.S.) TX, who is a still a sleeper nationally, because he didn't play anywhere during the summer.  We also find it interesting that the Longhorns waited on Ford, instead of going hard after 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX.  Maybe they knew something.  Maybe they thought they needed a point a great point guard.  Maybe they knew they had too much ground to make up, because Cincinnati had gotten in so strong so early.  Whatever the case, it turned out well, because Ford might be the best pure point guard in the senior class nationally.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Marcellus Sommerville from Peoria (Central) IL, who ranks #119 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, did indeed pick Iowa tonight.  While we thought both we Ford and Sommerville's commitments were slam dunks, I always like to make sure it happened the way we expected to happen, before reporting it as fact.  The best example of why this is so important was Ralph Sampson, who thought he was going to Kentucky right up until the final moments at the press conference when he announced for Virginia.

We also have confirmed that 6'6 Tyrone Sally from Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA, who was previously at Durham (Emmanuel) NC, has verbally committed to West Virginia and our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'0 Jonathan Hargett may be right behind him.  But haven't we heard that one before.  As a matter of fact, we reported that we thought Hargett would end up at West Virginia soon two weeks ago.   Well, we're still waiting, but we expect the Mountaineers beat Arizona, Tennessee, and LSU for Hargett's services and we won't be surprised if it happens before the end of the week.  Speaking of Emmanuel Christian, every thinks the school is closed for good.  We've heard that Hargett is heading to either Fairfax (Paul VI) VA or Brandywine (Gwynn Park) MD, 6'10 Tony Key is heading to Ft. Washington (American Christian) MD, 6'7 Tyrone Sally is going to Richmond (Meadowbrook) VA, 6'6 Soph Jelani Lawrence has enrolled at Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, and 6'6 Soph Marcus Sikes and 6'10 Deonic Smith both will be visiting Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA this weekend.  However, our Virginia Editor Tony Squire tells us that is never over until the fat lady sings and apparently that isn't going to happen. As we mentioned yesterday, head coach Mike White was still trying to savage the situation and apparently that has happened.     "They have found an anonymous donor who plans to write a check to the school tomorrow for $50,000," says Squire.  "And they have several other potential donors lined up as well.  It's a storybook ending." As a result, the school will remain open and most of the players, including Hargett and Key, will probably be back in school at Emmanuel Christian by the end of the week.  Stay tuned!     

Tuesday, October 17, 2000

We've all known that the situation at Durham (Emmanuel Christian) NC was a little shaky, but this still comes as a major surprise.  It's so surprising that, if you haven't already heard, you might want to sit down.  The school closed last Friday and, as a result, the whereabouts of all their players is now a mystery.  This creates all kinds of problems, because it will be very difficult for may of these players to transfer to another school right in the middle of the semester and legitimately pass the necessary classes in order to be eligible to play next semester.  In other words, an entire year of basketball may be lost for many of the Emmanuel players, who include 6'0 Jonathan Hargett, 6'8 Marco Killingsworth, 6'11 Tony Key, 6'7 Tyrone Sally, 6'4 Shawn Smith, 6'3 Darius Hargrove, 6'10 Deonic Smith, 6'0 Soph Vern Hamilton, 6'6 Soph Jelani Lawrence, and 6'6 Soph Marcus Sikes.  And it's a total shame, because first year head coach Mike White wanted to turn things around.  In other words, White appeared to be very concerned about making the program more legitimate and, as a result, not totally controlling where all his players went to college.  If you will recall, former Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC head coach Joel Hopkins ran a program that was so questionable that most Division I schools shied away from recruiting his players.  However, last spring Hopkins and Pastor Artis Plummer left Mt. Zion to start Emmanuel Christian.  Soon after, Hopkins took the head coaching job at Shaw University, which is a Division II school in Raleigh, NC.  While it appears that White had good intentions, it looks like it was business as usual for Plummer, who was both the owner and principal of the school.  One theory is that the school, which included 12 basketball players and three other students, was shut down due to lack of funding.  Another is they couldn't get state accreditation.  But the real story involves housing for the players and if they can find a place for the players to live by the end of the week, the school may still be in business.  Also very interesting is the fact that 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire, who ranks as the #1 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has left Mt. Zion Christian.  While we have been unable to verify the whereabouts of Stoudamire either, Donnie Wilkie, who is the Southeast Editor for HighWired Sports.com, thinks Stoudamire is back in Florida, probably at Orlando (Dr. Phillips) FL.  And this would make perfect sense, because Stoudamire was supposed to have enrolled at Dr. Phillips in August, but later surfaced at Mt. Zion Christian.  Where most of the players will end up, if the school does indeed close for good, is anybody's guess, but we already have confirmed that Killingsworth won't be back.  Instead, he's heading to Birmingham (Central Park) AL and the word is that he's not going to be dramatically effected academically.  Another thing that is certain is that none of these guys will be going to Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  As a matter of fact, Oak Hill head coach Steve Smith, who has worked long and hard to establish a reputation for being one of the most legitimate and ethical people in the business, tells us that he will not touch any of them.  "So don't write that any of them are looking at Oak Hill," says Smith. 

Last week we published our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey list and one of the items that we thought was particularly interesting was the very little action we've seen in the area in terms of verbal commitments this fall.  As a matter of fact, only four of the players ranked among our top 20 - 6'2 Dujuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'7 Olu Babalua from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, and 6'0 Mike Slattery from Ft. Washington (Germantown (Academy) PA - had verbally committed prior to this weekend.  Well, now our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin is reporting that that number has doubled in the last 48 hours.  Last night George Washington got 6'6 Tamal Forchion from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA, who is ranked #12 in the area by Rubin.  This morning La Salle landed 6'10 Marcus Gantt from Camden (Woodrow Wilson) NJ, who ranks #19 in the area by Rubin.   And, as we reported yesterday, on Sunday 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, who ranks #8 in the area by Rubin, picked South Florida, and 5'8 Cantrell Fletcher from Philadelphia (St. John Newmann) PA, who ranks #10 in the area by Rubin, announced for Siena.  Which means that 12 players in the area remain unsigned.  So let's go down the list.  The highest ranked unsigned player is 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, who ranks #3 in the area by Rubin.  Right now his top three in order appear to be Villanova, UNLV, and Rutgers.  He's followed by 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who checks in at #4.  Syracuse, Virginia, Providence, San Diego State, and La Salle are the top schools on his list.  The next available player is 6'6 Pat Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, who ranks #6 in the area by Rubin.  Carroll's top three appear to be Duquesne, St. Joseph's, and Richmond.  The rest of the unsigned players who rank among our top 20 seniors in the area in order are 6'7 Jamal Nichols from Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA, 5'11 Walt Chavis from Steelton (Steelton-Highsphire) PA, 6'5 David Bell from Philadelphia (Olney) PA, 6'9 Dwayne Jones from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'2 Dominic Jackson from Concordville (Glen Mills) PA, 6'7 Anthony Thompson from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA, 6'4 Danny Hargrove from Sellersville (Faith Christian) PA, 6'6 Danny Hinds from Allentown (Central Catholic) PA, and 5'11 Andre Henry from Harrisburg (H.S.) PA.  Nichols list includes Temple, Duquesne, St. Joseph's, and La Salle.  Tt's a two horse race between Duquense and Cleveland State for Chavis.   Bell will likely go the junior college or prep school route. Virginia Tech, St. Bonaventure, St. Joseph's, and Rhode Island are battling it out for Jones.  Central Florida and South Florida are the leaders for Jackson, but James Madison and Rutgers are also showing interest.  UNC-Greensboro and Youngstown State lead for Hargrove.   Pennsylvania, Cornell, Duquesne, Virginia Tech and George Mason have all shown varying degrees of interestin Hinds.

On Sunday the University of Virginia got its third verbal commitment when 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA picked the Cavaliers.  However, we've been slow to report it, because we've just been busy reporting other things that were a little more surprising.  As a matter of fact, on Friday, October 1, 1999, we talked about what the great recruiting class that appears to be developing for Virginia as we speak in our Hot Recruiting Information Page.  "Virginia also will have 6'8 Jr Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA, 6'4 Jr Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge) VA, 6'11 Jr Sagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'8 Jr Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA all on campus for unofficial visits.  Plus, 6'2 Soph J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Caver Spring) VA, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation right now, may also join the crowd and come in for an unofficial visit."  Redick made an early commitment to Duke recently, but it looks like Virginia could land four of the the five who have been on campus together many times unofficially in Charlottesville, VA during the last year.  Clark and Harper both have already verbally committed to the Cavaliers and Brown, who is Clark's best friend, will likely pick Virginia over Temple on Friday, October 27th.  And the final piece to the puzzle obviously would be Diop, who ranks #14 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but also has enough  upside to be as good as anybody in the class.  All this is important, because it really shows the importance of idenifying who you want early, getting them on campus numerous times for unofficial visits, and getting the players your recruiting to develop close relationships that to be instrumental when making a final decision.  It's also important to recruit programs and to cultivate certain contacts and in both cases the Virginia coaching staff deserves an A+ in these areas as well, because Clark and 6'2 Keith Jenifer both attend Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, which  is right down the road from Charlottesville, VA.  And if that weren't enough of  a connection, current Virginia assistant coach Scott Shepherd was formerly the head coach at Hargrave and the current head coach at Hargrave (Kevin Keatts) was an assistant under Shepherd during his tenure at this basketball factory.  Another great example is Walt Fuller's long time friendship with AAU coach Boo Williams, who runs one of the best club team programs in the nation.  Three of Williams' players are Clark, Brown, and Redick.  Not putting all your eggs into one basket is also a smart move, which is why is should come as no surprise that Virginia is one of the top schools in the hunt for 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, who ranks #2 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, when that one is all said and done, we still think Cisse will end up at Louisville.

The University of Southern Mississippi continues to work toward a very good recruiting haul.  This time it is 6' 9 Carey Rigsby from Western Oklahoma (JC) OK, who averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Pioneers last season.   Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson tells us that Rigsby also visited Texas A&M and was being recruited by Colorado State and Oregon.  This brings the number of committments for Southern Mississippi to four on the season.  If you will recall, the Golden Eagles got commitments last week from 6'7 Jasper Johnson from Hollandale (Simmons) MS and 6'9 Ben Lambert from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL and two weeks ago from 6'2 James Pattman from Lilburn (Berkmar) GA.  However, that's not the only news from that part of the country.  Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us that 6'4 Keith Langford from North Crowley (H.S.) TX, who ranks #76 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has made it official - he's re-opened his recruiting and, as a result, schools like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Baylor are officially now in the hunt.  We're also hearing that 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will make it official sometime within the next week and Grandstaff stands by his earlier prediction - it will be the University of Texas!

Things continue to change day-to-day with 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who ranks #23 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   The lastest is that he plans to visit UCLA this weekend, but he says that his top two schools are still Kansas and California.  St. Louis is also still very much in the hunt, but Connecticut, which is the other school where he made an official visit, is no longer under consideration.  Another big man that UCLA was previously involved with is 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who verbally committed to New Mexico over the weekend.  However, our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis has the latest scoop on the West Coast, which is the commitment by 6'7 Desmond Penigar from Ventura (JC) CA.  This is huge, because Penigar, who picked Utah State over San Francisco, is ranked as the #8 power forward by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.   Penigar, who played his high school basketball at Upland (H.S.) CA, is a strong physical specimen who does most of his damage in the paint.  However, he has improved his perimeter skills as well since arriving at Ventura two years ago.  Trigonis also thinks the Aggies are one of the favorites for 6'9 Michael Ahmad from from Irvine Valley (JC) CA, who is a big-time sleeper.  "Ahmad has a great body and good offensive skills, including the ability to face-up and hit the 17-foot jumper," says Trigonis.  "He's also a year young for his grade and, as a result is a late bloomer."  He only played one year of varsity basketball at Glendora (H.S.) CA, where he is best remembered as Casey Jacobson's designated rebounder. 

We're been reporting that Auburn was the strong favorite for 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, but things can change quickly in the recruiting business and, as a result, don't be surprised if UNC-Charlotte pulls off a major upset.  We also hearing that Memphis and UAB are now the co-favorites for 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks #58 natiomally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has an incredible upside, if he ever gets big and stronger and meaner and tougher.   North Carolina had 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who ranks as one of the top five juniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, on campus for an unofficial visit this weekend.  While Randolph's father attended North Carolina, his grandfather's jersey is retired and hangs in the new Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh, NC, which is N.C. State's home court, and there are also strong ties on his mother's side of the family to Duke.  No doubt this one will be a war!   James Madison has a steal in 6'5 Todd Moret from Fairburn (Landmark Christian) GA, who was ranked as the #21 wing forward at the adidas ABCD Camp last summer, and Youngstown State has gotten 6'5 Jimmy Moore from Worcester (Holy Name) MA.  Moore also was at the adidas ABCD Camp, but he lacked speed and quickness to be one of the better players in camp.  However, he is an excellent 3-point shooter and, as a result, is an excellent get for the Penguins. We also have confirmed 6'9 Ottis George from Homestead (Berkshire) FL to Florida A&M and 6'6 Luke Jaukovic from St. Catherine (H.S.) ON to Texas-Arlington.  Pittsburgh has gotten 6'1 Carl Krauser from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Marshall has landed 6'1 Ronny Dawn from Louisville (Ballard) KY, and Seton Hall has a commitment from 6'5 John Blackgrove from Hillsdale (Pascack Valley) NJ.  However, we won't be counting Blackgrove with Seton Hall just yet, because he won't be signing a National Letter-of-Intent this year.   Instead, he plans to go to prep school for a year and then sign with the Pirates next year.  One that slipped past us last week is 5'11 Jason Straight from Chicago (Dunbar) IL, who verbally committed to Wyoming.  He too was at the adidas ABCD Camp last summer, but he didn't impress us, because he forgot to give his best friend - 6'11 Eddy Curry from Thornwood (South Holland) IL - the ball and, as a result, this was one of many reasons why Curry didn't live up to expectations at the camp. 

LSU lost Stromile Swift prematurely to the NBA draft last spring and they have several others seniors this year to replace, including Lamont Roland and Brian Bershara.  However, that shouldn't be much of a problem, because they already landed two of the top junior college players in the nation and a third one appears to be on the way.  The two who are already in the fold are 6'10 Shawnson Johnson from Lee (JC) TX, who verbally committed to the Tigers in August, and 6'7 Kendrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, who picked the Tigers yesterday.  And we also expect the Tigers to get 6'8 Thomas Davis from Kilgore (JC) TX.  Especially interesting is the fact that Johnson, who originally came out of Shreveport, LA at the same time as Swift, was regarded by many of the local folks as the better of the two players.  However, Johnson didn't make it academically and, as a result, had to go the junior college route.  But now it looks like he's following in the footsteps of Swift emerged into one of the top two or three players in college basketball last season.   Wouldn't it be ironic their parallel paths continued and Johnson had just as good a career at LSU and, as a result, followed Swift into the NBA after two years at LSU.   And that's not inconceivable, because Johnson is ranked as the #10 center in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook.  However, Brown is the big catch for LSU, because he is ranked by Ball as the #1 wing forward nationally and is a consensus top five junior college player.   This moves LSU's recruiting class into the top 20 nationally on our list of the