HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 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

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Monday, July 31, 2000

We told you yesterday that the first week of August was going to be busy and, sure enough, 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that Allen's going to pick Seton Hall over Villanova.  Originally, we thought Seton Hall would take only one guard, but apparently they are willng to give their last available scholarship to 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  However, if this happens, it would be very impressive for the Pirates, because Seton Hall will be loaded for some time at the one, two, and three spots.  Remember, Darius Lane will be back for two more years, Andre Barrett and Marcus Toney-El will only be freshmen this year, and Allen is bigger and appears to be better than Gordon.   Still, Seton Hall is the heavy favorite for Gordon, because his other top choice, which was Duke, was no longer in the picture even before they got a commitment yesterday from 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  All this important, because Gordon's recruitment would start over, although Connecticut and Villanova have made inquries lately, if either 6'9 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT or 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, both of whom are also high on the Pirates priority list, beats Gordon to the punch and commitments first to Seton Hall.  Moral to the story, if you know where you want to go school and the offer is on the table, don't fool around.  Things can change quickly in the recruiting game and it just might not be there next week.    However, if you aren't sure or are unconfortable about making your college decision, don't be pressured into doing something prematurely.  Remember, deciding on a college is one of the most important decisions most people (whether they're an athlete or not) will ever make.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson was at Five-Star Pitt IV tonight and he tells us that 6'5 Adam Sommer from Pickerington (H.S.) OH was the MVP in the Orange-White All-Star Game with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two assists.  Sommer, who camp director Howard Garfinkel calls a miniature Mark "Mad Dog" Madsen, has received mail from schools like Bowling Green, Davidson, Eastern Michigan, and Miami-OH, but as of tonight has not had one Division I offer.  That will likely change in a hurry.  The best player at the camp was 6'10 Larry Turner from Milledgeville (Baldwin) GA, but Johnson also was impressed with 6'2 Dan Oglesby from Hammond (Hammond Hall) CT, 6'8 Nehimiah Ingram from Milledgeville (Baldwin) GA, and 6'2 Juan Manaure, who is originally from Venezuala, but was at Troy (Redemption) NY last year and will enroll at London ((H.B. Beal) ON this fall.  Johnson will provide us with all the award winners from Five-Star Pitt IV tomorrow, plus our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin will fill us in tomorrow on the highlights from Eastern Invitational III.

Portland Legends beat ARC Burbank earlier today, 68-56, in the championship game of the Las Vegas Grand Finale, but the biggest story of the day was who was in the gym to make sure that 6'2 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR , who was sidelined all week with an injury, knows that he is one of their prime targets.  Miles' list, which includes UCLA, Arizona, Kansas, and Duke, hasn't changed since June and the three serious contenders (UCLA, Arizona, and Kansas) all had assistant coaches at the game even though they knew he wasn't going to play.   Also in the house was Arizona head coach Lute Olson and we think the Wildcats are one the co-favorites, along with UCLA, because the word is that Miles wants to play in the Pac-10.  However, when it is all said and done, UCLA assistant coach Michael Holton, who saw every game the Legends played all week, will be very tough to beat.  Did you know that Holton played two years with the Portland Trailblazers, plus he was an assistant coach at both the University of Portland and Oregon State, before moving onto UCLA?  As a matter of fact, there isn't anyplace on earth where Holton has stronger contacts than in Portland, OR.  He's been a close friend of Miles' AAU coach Troy Berry from 15 years and he's known his high school coach just as long.  Getting back to the championship game, 6'3 Mike McGrain from Portland (Jesuit) OR, who is already getting interest from schools like Utah, Oregon State, Santa Clara, and Illinois, was clearly the best player in the game.  He finished with 29 points and beat ARC inside, outside, and at the fou line.   He was complemented by 6'3 Michael Lee from Portland (Jefferson) OR with 19 points and 6'4 Jr Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR, who is an excellent shooter/slasher.  The leading scorer for ARC with 21 points was 6'5 Earnest Williams from Sylmar (H.S.) CA.  He did most of his damage inside, while 6'5 Casey Markovich from Burbank (Bell-Jeff) CA kept the defense honest from beyond the arc with four treys and 6'2 Alex Cabagnet from Los Angeles (Eaglesrock) CA impressed us with his point guard skills and ability to find the open man.

Saturday, July 29, 2000, and Sunday, July 30, 2000

July is always the toughest month of the year, as is evident by the fact that I've been on the road since June 30th and I've been all over the country watching high school players at many of the numerous camps and tournaments.   And it's almost over, at least for the college coaches, because the live evaluation period for recruiting ends on Monday, July 31st.  But not for me, because right now I'm in Las Vegas, NV for the Grand Finale and the next stop will be Portland, OR for the NIKE Tournament of Champions, which will be held August, 3rd-6th.  Also, the busiest week of the year for verbal commitments in the last year was the first week of August a year ago.  And it looks like that trend will continue, as we've picked up four new verbal commitments over the weekend.  The biggest is 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who had a press conference earlier today and announced for Duke.  This is no surprise, because Ewing, who was ranked # 32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP pre-summer, but who has to move up after terrific performances at the adidas ABCD Camp and the Best of the Summer Boys' High School Basketball Tournament, has always been a Duke fan.   It's also been common knowledge for the last several weeks that Ewing wanted to commit to the Blue Devils.  All they had to do was pull the trigger.  Well, it happened today and it's a perfect fit, because Ewing has a 4.0 gpa, can shoot the lights out, and is a terrific defender.  As a matter of fact, he can shut down the one, two, or the three defensively.  Which means that Houston Superstars head coach John Eurey, who has been grooming Ewing and 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX since they were in 8th grade, has one down and one to go.   Speaking of Ford, Eurey tells us that his top three schools are Texas, Georgetown, and Louisville and he warns us that it may happen very soon, like maybe the first week in August.  Getting back to the other commitments, Oregon State has gotten 6'2 J.S. Nash from Moreno Valley (H.S.) CA, 6'9 Matt Gibson from Burkburnett (H.S.) TX has picked the University of Oklahoma, and 6'2 Michael Liggons from Rome (Coosa) GA is heading to the University of Georgia.  We find the Liggons commitment especially interesting, because he didn't have a good summer while playing for the Georgia Stars club team.  However, he averaged 27.0 ppg last winter as a high school junior and is regarded by many as the best point guard in the state of Georgia.  Part of the problem this summer may stem from the fact that Liggons had to play out of position.  Actually, he's a scoring point guard, but 5'11Cornelius Mitchell from Augusta (Josey) GA was the guy who ran the show for the Georgia Stars.  But Liggons figures to see quality minutes at Georgia right away, especially if 5'9 Kenneth Brunner from Southern Idaho (JC) ID fails to materialize (we should know one way or the other in about three weeks), because the only other point guard in the entire program is 6'2 Rashad Wright from Statesboro (H.S.) GA.  And we don't think Wright's good enough to be more than a good role player in the tough SEC.  Liggons, who picked Georgia over Florida, Tennessee, and N.C. State, also is important, because he may help the Bulldogs get his teammate and buddy on the Georgia Stars - 6'10 Larry Turner from Milledgeville (Baldwin) GA, who is one of the Georgia's prime targets.  And as long as we're talking about Georgia's recruiting, the possibilities are almost endless, as 6'6 Michael Collins from Commerce (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA, 6'6 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'5 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, 6'5 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) GA, and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL are all on their wish list. 

Well, our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson just missed on his prediction that Cincinnati AAU Black would win the National 17-Under AAU Junior Boys' Basketball National Championship in Orlando, FL.  Instead, the championship trophy went to the Boo Williams Summer League Team, which prevailed over Cincinnati AAU Black, 51-46, in the title game.  Tournament MVP honors went to 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA, but he certainly didn't win it based on his performance in the championship game.  He did have 13 rebounds in the title game, but he only scored nine points and hit just 1-8 field goals, as he missed all the easy shots.  As a matter of fact, six of his nine points came off free throws, while his only field goal was a 3-pointer.  Instead, Brown took home the MVP trophy based on his play from earlier games, including the semi-finals when he had 19 points and the quarterfinals when he had 21 points.  Also not shooting well in the title game was 6'4 J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, as he hit only 2-8 field goals.  Riddick and 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA both finished with 12 points apiece, but the big hero of the day was 6'3 Bryan Randall from Bruton (H.S.) VA, who scored five straight points to ice the victory for Boo Williams in the final minute of the game.  The Boo Williams Summer League team had jumped out to a 15-3 lead at the end of the first quarter and they were up 22-6 late in the second quarter, but then they took the air out of the ball.   Not only did that totally destroy their momentum, but it also let Cincinnati AAU Black back into the game, as they outscored Boo Williams 9-1 to make it 23-15 at halftime.  And Cincinnati AAU made it even more interesting in the second half, as they cut it to three at the end of the third quarter and to two with a minute left.   But then Randall took over.  The leading scorer in the title game for Cincinnati AAU Black was 6'7 Matt Sylvester from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH with 15 points (12 of which came in the second half).   He was complemented by 6'5 Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell-Marion) OH with nine points and 6'8 Jordan Cornette from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH with eight points.  In the quarterfinals 6'1 Chris Thomas shot the lights out with six 3-pointers against Team Texas Red and that was the big reason why Bloomington Red pulled off what appeared to be a major upset.   As a matter of fact, a lot of people at the time thought Team Texas Red might win the tournament.  However, Thomas hit only 4-16 field goals, including 0-3 in the 4th quarter, in the semi-finals against Cincinnati AAU and that proved to be the difference in the game.  Boo Williams overcame a major 4th quarter comeback by NIKE Team Florida in the other semi-finals game.  NIKE Team Florida also lost 61-59 in the third place game when 6'0 Terren Wilson from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN drove in for a layup with 3.5 seconds left to hit the game winning shot.   The leading scorer in the tournament with a 32.5 ppg average was 6'4 Clayton Hanson from Reedsburg (Area) WI.  He was followed by 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC with 30.2 ppg, 6'6 Eric Swiezynski from Wilmington (H.S.) MA with 28.6 ppg, 6'9 Jr Amarie Stoudamire from Lake Wales (H.S.) FL 25.1 ppg, 6'1 Greg Jennings from Kalamazoo (Central) MI with 25.0 ppg, 6'6 Bryan McCollough from Spencer (North Rowan) NC with 24.9 ppg, 5'9 Michael Ross from Beckley (Woodrow Wilson) WV with 24.5 ppg, 6'6 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY with 23.6 ppg, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY with 23.0 ppg, and 6'9 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX with 22.7 ppg.  The First Team All-Tournament Team included Brown, Hodge, Randolph, Redick, Stoudamire, Sylvester, Thomas, 6'2 Mitchell Bittle from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NY, 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St Jude) AL, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL,  6'2 Jr Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, 6'5 Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell-Marion) OH, 6'1 Stanley Jackson from Dunnellon (H.S.) FL, 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'8 Wayne Simien from Leavenworth (H.S.) KS, and 6'5 Marcellus Sommerville from Peoria (Central) IL.  Named to the Second Team All-Tournament team were Clark, Cornett, Hanson, McCullough, 6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN, 6'8 Jr Yusaf Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, 6'5 Eddie Basden from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosvelt) MD, 6'1 Charles Frederick from Baco Raton (Pope John Paul VI) FL, 6'3 Luther Head from Chicago (Manley) IL,6'6 Danny Horace from Cincinnati (Western Hills) OH, 6'8 Rob Kampman from Forest City (H.S.) IA, 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX, 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD, 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, and 6'0 Clyde Wade from Memphis (Kingsbury) TN.

Friday, July 28, 2000

Most people are wondering if 6'1 Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN will honor the commitment that he made a month ago to Notre Dame.  Well, he told us an hour ago that there are no if's, and's, or but's about it - his commitment to the Irish is firm.  Speaking of Notre Dame, we have two very reliable sources who tell us that the new Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey will hire Clemson assistant coach Anthony Solomon.  We also look for St. Louis assistant Cameron Dollar to get the head coaching job at Albany and for University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith to move up assistant coach Mike Sutton and hire former Kentucky player Reggie Hanson into the on campus position. The word on the street in Washington, DC is that former University of California head coach Todd Bozeman may be in line for the job at Riverdale (Baptist) MD.  And guess who his first recruit might be?  If you said 6'7 James White from Kensington (Newport Prep) MD via York (Cripus Attucks) PA, you are right on the money.  We still haven't heard for sure if Crispus Attucks will close down their program next year, but White isn't the only player who was slated for this basketball factory in Eastern Pennsylvania who is now looking elsewhere.  Remember, 6'8 Sherrod Ford has changed his mind and is now heading to Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA. 

We reported yesterday in the Members Section that we thought Duke was out with 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, but we didn't tell you that North Carolina is a lot stronger than most people realize.  However, in the end we still think Louisville will be tough to beat and one of the big reasons is that head coach Denny Crum has lived with Cisse and 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, who verbally committed to the Cardinals in early June, most of the summer.  As a matter of fact, Crum wins our Most Visible Head Coach of the Summer Award, because he's been at all the major events this summer.  This is especially important for Louisville's recruiting, because it looks like the Cardinals are not only on the verge of landing their second top five ranked senior nationally in Cisse, but also because Crum spent a lot of time watching numerous young players.  All this becomes especially important, because in recent years Louisville was behind the eight ball in recruiting and, as a result, has had to scramble around and recruit only for the present.  However, now Crum has seen many of the top underclassmen and, as a result, Louisville should be way ahead of the game when it comes to recruiting in the future.  And if you don't believe it, just ask some of the freshmen and sophomores that Crum has seen this summer what it's like to have a Hall of Fame coach who has won two NCAA Championships and been to the NCAA Final Four six times watching their every move.

Things are winding down at the National 17-Under AAU Junior Boys' Basketball National Championship in Orlando, FL, as we are half way through the round of 16.  Earlier today Illinois Gold, without 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, who was sidelined with a foot injury that he received yesterday while playing the first quarter in the big matchup against 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, survived an overtime thriller against Philly Hoops-Airborne.  So Illinois will meet the Boo Williams Summer League Team, which beat Iowa Break Zone, in the first quarter finals game at 5:30 PM.  The second quarter finals game, which will be at 7:00 PM,  should feature All-Ohio Red against NIKE Team Florida.  Neither game is currently over, but both teams had a substantial lead early in the 4th quarter.  On the other other side of the bracket, the winners of Bloomington Red versus Team Michigan and the Kansas City 76ers versus Team Texas Red will play at 8:30 PM and the winner of Cincinnati AAU Black versus the Charlotte Aces and New York Ravens versus Martin Brothers Select (IA) will play at 10:00 PM.  We're still going to put the monkey on the back of Cincinnati AAU Black by making them the favorite, but Boo Williams Summer League Team, Team Texas Red, and Bloomington Red all have a lot of weapons.  So does the New York Ravens, which features 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  Not only does Hodge just get better and better every time we see him play, but he does it so deceptively.  The perfect example was night before last when the Ravens lost to Boo Williams.  Hodge had 35 points, including 11-21 and 10-10 3-pointers, and three 3-pointers, but you would never have known it without looking a the box score.  He just does everything so effortless!  Sure, Hodge needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's one of the most improved players in the nation over the last year and he's not close to being done.   As a matter of fact, we'd be surprised if he doesn't continue to grow at least another inch or two.  Remember, he was only 6'1 heading into his junior year.   Hodge, who is now the obvious choice for Player-of-the-Summer, also has a good supporting cast with 6'5 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who does most of the dirty work inside, and 6'6 Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT, who is tough on the boards and has surprised with his clutch 3-point shooting.  So it wouldn't be a major surprise if the Ravens picked up where they left off at the adidas Big Time Tournament and knocked off the Cincinnati AAU Black tonight.  And Hodge has to be one of the top four players in the tournament, along with Cisse, Curry, and 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire from Lake Wales (H.S.) FL, who was on fire, as he didn't miss a shot in the first half just a little while ago.  We were especially impressed with Stoudamire's 15-foot jumper, as well as several of his teammates, including 6'3 Bryant Marlyn from Leesburg (H.S.) FL, who is one of the athletes in the class, and 6'1 Stanley Jackson from Dunnellon (H.S.) FL, who scored 26 points and shot the lights out today.  However, neither Marlyn nor Jackson was one of the best players in the tournament.  Rounding out our top five best is 6'9 Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who had a 47 point game and, as a result, was by-far-and-away the leading scorer in the tournament.  We didn't think Randolph started off the summer very well at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions, but, as his confidence has continued to grow, we thought he was terrific at the NIKE All-American Camp, where we ranked him #7 at the center position, and he's been even better here.   As a result, he has to be one of the top ranked juniors in America, along with Stoudamire, 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappon (H.S.) NJ, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) IN, 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, and 6'9 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN.   Speaking of May, he too was terrific at NIKE, but has been even better here.  May has a huge frame, but he's also got soft hands, excellent post moves, and surprising mobility.  Plus, he'll likely grow some more, because he has a size 19 shoe.  May wouldn't give us a list of schools, because he says he hasn't started narrowing it down.  However, we know a lot of coaches who say they won't even try to recruit him, because his father is former Indiana University star Scott May.   As a result, we believe his top three schools are Indiana, Indiana, and Indiana.    Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports had 6'8 Anthony Richardson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC ranked #22 pre-summer, but most everybody else in the business (including us) had never heard of him prior to the NIKE All-American Camp, where he finished ranked #31 overall and #6 at his position, according to the HOOP SCOOP.  And he was ever better here, as he scored 27 points and hit five 3-pointers in the game we attended earlier in the week.   Richardson is a multi-dimensional athlete out of the DerMarr Johnson and Scottie Pippen mold.  In addition to his outside shooting, his ball handling, shot blocking, rebounding, and ability to score inside are all very impressive.   He may not have gotten enough notoriety early enough to make the prestigious McDonald's American Team next spring, but he may have shot anyway because the game will played right in his backyard.  That's right!  We're talking about a legitimate top 20 senior nationally, although many in our business still have no clue how good he is.    Another multi-dimensional athlete who most people haven't picked up on yet is 6'9 Jayson McCoy from Houston (Milby) TX.  He's primarily a perimeter player right now, because he's so thin he just gets pushed around too much inside.  However, he is a nice shot blocker, excellent ball handler, and good 3-point shooter.  He also has a soft touch, long arms, and is extremely active, which is why we think he could become a top 100 player in his class once he gets stronger and somebody teaches him how to play the game.  Yet another multi-dimensional athlete who emerged in this tournament is 6'7 Raymond Dickens from Baltimore (Douglass) MD.   Dickens is almost as skinny, but he's a lot more skilled.  Dickens also has great timing and rebounds extremely well for his size.  However, as the game wears on he also shows you his mid-range jumper, plus he helps bring the ball up the court and passes the ball surprisingly well.  And Dickens wasn't the only player who impressed us on the Oliver Rec Center Owls, which took the New York Ravens to the wire last night.    He didn't shoot it like he did at the NBA Players Association Camp, but 6'3 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD played great defense and was terrific in transition.  And 6'2 Jr Deshawn Lucky from Baltimore (Southern) MD, who is an excellent athlete, is a lot better than we thought.   Also moving way up in our rankings based on their performances here are 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL,  6'8 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA. and 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  We could go on and on, but it's time for us to get back to live action.

Thursday, July 27, 2000

We had reported earlier in the month that Wake Forest was the favorite for 6'9 Jamal Levy from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, who currently is ranked #28 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Well, write it down!   We confirmed earlier today that this multi-dimensional athlete with a tremendous upside (he's only 16-years-old) has picked the Demon Deacons and he promises to be only the first in what is starting off to be an excellent recruiting class for head coach Dave Odom.  Their next commitment will likely come from 6'2 Mitchell Bittle from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC and they are a lot stronger than most people realize for 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Clark also has Virginia Tech high on his list, but the smart money is on Virginia, which is trying to package Clark and 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA.  Can the Cavaliers get both Clark and Brown, even though they play a similar position? Their AAU coach Boo Williams thinks so.   We also still think that the Cavaliers are the leader for 7'1 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and, with 6'1 Keith Jenifer from York (Crispus Attucks) PA already in the fold, this could become a monster recruiting class for the Cavaliers.  Duke appears to be out on both 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, but 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX may be a done deal for the Blue Devils.  Apparently all they have to do is decide to pull the trigger.   We'd be surprised if the Blue Devils don't get either 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO or 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN.   However, we not ready to tell you which one, because as it stands now we believe Florida is the leader for Lee and Arizona is the leader for Rickert.  But the longer it goes, the better we like the Blue Devils chances in both cases.  Now that Duke is no longer recruiting Gordon, we think this athletic combo guard will likely pick Seton Hall and that should start a chain reaction.  Currently Seton Hall is also the favorite for 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, but we'd be surprised if the Pirates sign two more guards in the same recruiting class.  Instead, that would mean Allen would stay home and attend Villanova, which appears to be his second choice over Rutgers.  And if that happens, Rutgers would have a better shot at getting 6'2 Ernest Turner from Sterling (Somerdale) NJ, because Seton Hall and Villanova would no longer be interested in signing a guard.  Florida State appears to be the heavy favorite for 6'1 Charles Frederick from Baton Raton (Pope John Paul VI) FL, because they're the only school that has expressed a serious interest in letting him play both football and basketball.  However, his best friend is at the University of Washington and his cousin is a football player at Auburn, so they're both on his list.  So is Miami-FL.  Georgetown, N.C. State, Maryland, Virginia, UCLA, Seton Hall, and Connecticut are all involved with 6'8 Harvey Thomas from Durham (Emmanuel) NC.  Seton Hall, Maryland, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Fresno State are the leaders for 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD.  The University of Washington has gotten a pair of commitments from 6'8 Anthony Washington from Seattle (Garfield) WA and 6'7 Josh Williams from Yakima (Davis) WA.   The latest list for 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL includes DePaul, Missouri, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Cincinnati, and UCLA.  Utah may be the leader for 6'2 Kyle Hankins from Bloomington (South) IN, but he also mentions Indiana, Marquette, Xavier, Dayton, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Ball State, UNC-Wilmington, and Valparaiso.  Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, West Virginia, Connecticut, and Seton Hall are showing the most interest in 6'6 Tyrone Salley from Durham (Emmanuel) NC.

It will likely go down as the best battle of the entire summer.  We're talking about the matchup earlier today between 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL in the 17-Under AAU Junior Boys' Basketball National Championship in Orlando, FL.  If Curry hadn't shown up, Cisse likely would have done what he did to 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA at the NIKE All-American Camp two and a half weeks ago.  And just like the game at Chandler at the NIKE Camp, Cisse, who has the reputation for being the ultimate warrior, had been eagerly anticipating this game.  On the other hand, Curry, who has a reputation for not always playing hard, told several people we know before the contest that to him it was just another game.  However, very early in the game Curry found out that he was in for a challenge, as Cisse made a powerful move to the basket that resulted in an earthshattering slam dunk.  And Curry responded! He  still needs to get into better shape, but he played harder than we've seen him play all spring or summer and he used his monmouth frame to push Cisse around and dominate in the paint.   However, Cisse wasn't intimidated and he did his share of pushing back.  In the end Cisse finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks, while Curry had 16 points, four rebounds, and four blocks.  But don't let the statistics deceive you.   It was a near draw, because Cisse had plenty of help putting the double and triple team on Curry throughout the game. The bottom line is that with his incredible athleticism, quickness, and strength, Cisse is every bit as good as advertised.   That's right!  His performance at the NIKE All-American Camp was no fluke and anybody who thinks he'll just be a role player in the NBA will be in for a major surprise.  Not only was Cisse a force inside on the boards and blocking shots, but he also showed that he has the ability to shoot over somebody with Curry's size from out to about 10'.  Curry, on the other hand, needs to play like this all the time.  And if the light ever clicks on and he does, he could quickly become one of the most dominating players to ever play the game, as well as the #1 or #2 choice in the NBA draft.   However, for now he remains an enigma.  And he may even be too nice a kid.   Certainly he has both the talent and the potential to rank along with 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, as one of the truly special players in a great class, but we still want him to continue to earn.  So we'll leave him at #6 in the class for now, behind Wagner, Cisse, 6'4  Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) FL, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX.  Also impressing us in the Illinois Gold's 55-49 second round playoff win over Pepsi Challenge (AL) was 6'7 Marcellus Sommerville from Peoria (Central) IL and 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL.  Sommerville hit a number of big 3-pointers, which helped kept the defense honest against Curry.  As a matter of fact, Sommerville, who previously had strictly been a post player, has shot the lights out all summer and, as a result, has to be one of the most improved outside shooters we're seen in a long time.  Erwin has always had a reputation for being soft, but he did a great job of helping Cisse double team Curry, plus he had  several big blocks, was tough on the boards, and very aggressive at the defensive end. 

Wednesday, July 26, 2000

We've already sung the praises of 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'6 Jr Kelenna Azuibuke from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'4 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, who was terrific at the adidas Big Time Tournament, but was missing from this tournament, because he was in Columbus, OH watching his brother play baseball.   Instead, it was another rising junior - 6'6 Jr Marques Hayden from Putnam City (H.S.) OK - who stepped up and hit the game tying layup and the game winning 12-footer against New York Riverside Church in the championship game at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL yesterday afternoon.  The final score was 44-42, so it was easy to see why Hayden, who finished with 13 points, was the only player for either team to finish in double-digits.  The leading scorer for Riverside Church was 6'0 Jr Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY with nine points, followed by 5'11 Ted Mumford from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY with seven points and 6'3 Jr Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY and 6'7 Tremayne Singletary from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who each had six points apiece.  Our choice for tournament MVP honors would have been Williams, because he's such a physcial presence inside.  However, Hayden took home the MVP trophy.  Also named to the all-tournament team from Athletes First were 6'4 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'9Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK.  The Houston Hoops with 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX and 6'4 Marcus Spears from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, Riverside Church with 6'6 Wendall Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY and 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, Shreveport Bossier City with 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA and 6'1 Bruce Edward from Slidell (Salmen) LA, and Bray Center NIKE with 6'0 Wil Bynum from Chicago (Crane) IL and 6'7 Barry Thompson from Winchendon (School) MA also all each placed two players on the all-tournament team.  Also named to the team were 6'1Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI, 6'9 Thomas Fairley from Long Beach (H.S.) MS, 6'4 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL, 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA, 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO, 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX, 5'10 Jr Mario Moore from Antioch (H.S.) TN, 6'4 Earnest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN, 6'3 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Patrick Sparks from Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY, 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'4 J.J. Sullinger from Worthington (Thomas Worthington) OH, and 6'7 Orin Thompson from Charlotte (Christian) NC.

One of the more interesting stories out there right now involves North Carolina's recruitment of wing players.  Can you believe the new coaching staff is out with 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who our was runnerup choice for MVP honors at both the adidas ABCD Camp and the adidas Big Time Tournament?  Instead, the Tar Heels got a verbal commitment two weeks ago from 6'6 Jackie Manuel from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Newman) FL and they appear to be the heavy favorite for  6'7 James White from York (Crispus Attucks) PA.  Remember, White's father has always been a Tar Heels fan and, as a result, most people in the know believe it's only a matter of time before White makes it official for North Carolina.  So why is North Carolina recruiting the heck out of 6'6 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA?  Well, at least that's what our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis, who also happens to be Thompson's club team coach, tells us.  "They're showing a strong interest," says Trigonis.  "Somebody from North Carolina calls me everyday and they're showing up at all of our games.  They even came to see us at Fairfax High School, which was why out of the way."  In addition to North Carolina, Thompson also has USC, Arizona, Connecticut, and UCLA at the top of his list, but Oregon, UNLV, Utah, Kansas, and Kentucky are also still in the hunt. 

The consensus among people in the business was that 6'6 David Holmes from Washington (Coolidge) DC via Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA would not make up enough ground academically in a single year to become eligible as a college freshman this year at Manhattan.  However, miracles do happen, as it evident by the fact that Holmes has gotten the necessary score on the SAT and, as a result, it appears that it is only a matter of time before he's eligible.  And if that happens, Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzalez will look like genius for taking the chance on this undersized power forward who could be one of the best players in the league the moment he puts on a uniform.   There are others that are trying to get involved, but our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the serious contenders for 6'7 Kenny Adelake from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY are Rutgers, Providence, Boston College, Rhode Island, Hofstra, Clemson, and New Mexico.  It no longer looks like 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA is a lock to bypass college and go directly to the NBA out of high school.  And if that happens, UCLA is still believed to be the favorite, although Cincinnati Michigan, Arizona, and Memphis are a lot stronger than you might think.  Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Rice, Houston, USC, St. Louis, and Notre Dame are the leaders for 6'9 Emeka Okafor from Houston (Bellaire) TX.  The favorites for 6'7 Anthony Vassor from Birmingham (Woodlawn) AL are Georgia Tech, Alabama, UAB, Clemson, Virginia, Arkansas, and Mississippi State.  Miami-FL, Rutgers, Rhode Island, Iowa State, and Wisconsin are all in the hunt for 6'7 Barry Thompson from Winchendon (School) MA. Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Arizona State has received a commitment from 6'2 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson was at the Bobby Kortsen Summer Shootout in Columbus, OH over the weekend and the two best teams were Cincinnati AAU and Albany Westover High School.  However, neither of those teams won the tournament, as the Indy Metro's #3 pulled off a string of upsets to win the open division.  They knocked off Westover in the final.  However, Johnson believes that Cincinnati AAU would have marched through the tournament like Sherman marched through Atlanta, if they had stayed for the entire tournament.  They crushed everybody in pool play, including Albany Westover, but had to leave for Orlando, FL on Sunday for the National 17-Under AAU Tournament.  As a matter of fact, Johnson was so impressed with Mike Price's star-studded team, which features four high major Division I players in 6'7 Matt Sylvester from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH, 6'8 Jordan Cornette from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, 6'8 Adam Waleskowski from Kettering (Alter) OH, and 6'5 Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell Marian) OH, that he is willing to go out on a limb and predict that Cincinnati AAU will win the National 17-Under Tournament in Orlando, FL.  We find it interesting that Cornette told Johnson that he still plans to attend Notre Dame, despite the coaching change, although that commitment is not a 100%.  In other words, if the new coaching staff at North Carolina comes calling, it could make things interesting.  Johnson also talked to Jackson and his top schools are Michigan State, Xavier, Dayton, Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia Tech, and Connecticut.  Waleskowski's likes Dayton, Xavier, Purdue, and Tennessee, which is where he had planned to make an unofficial visit on the way down to Orlando, FL.  The tournament MVP was 6'5 Michael Crawford from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, who more held his own battling Westover's 7'0 Marcus Campbell and 6'5 Greg Tinch in the championship game.   Although Campbell and Tinch are well known nationally after touring with the Atlanta Celtics, the Westover player who impressed Johnson the most was 6'5 Darryl Williams.  Johnson thinks Williams will end up being better than Tinch, because he's a deadly 3-point shooter and has better ball handling skills.  However, we may have to wait several years for that to materialize, because this Michael Cooper-play-alike will likely have to go the junior college route.  Others who impressed Johnson at the Shootout were 6'4 Ben Reed from Battle Creek (Central) MI, 6'3 Jr Chris Hartley from Noblesville (H.S.) IN, 6'3 Dave Teague from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 6'8 Cullen McCarthy from Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'3 Jr Logan White from Bedford (Chanel) OH, 6'7 Corey Eyink from Maria Stein (Marion Local) OH, 6'5 Jr Alex Carmona from Troy (H.S.) OH, 6'7 Soph Ivan Harris from Springfield (North) OH, 6'5 Issian Redding from Sandusky (H.S.) OH, 6'6 Doug Scott from Reynoldsburg (H.S.) OH, 6'1 Jr Chris Quinn from Dublin (Coffman) OH, 6'2 Soph Kevin Anderson from Worthington (Thomas Worthington) OH, and 6'5 Adam Zoellner from Hamburg (H.S.) NY.

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also attended the final day of Five-Star Pitt III on Monday and 6'5 Soph Lebron James from Akron (St. Vincent-St. Mary) OH was the talk of the camp.  James was the first player in the history of Five-Star to play in two all-star games (the Developmental League all-star game and the NBA all-star game) on the same night.   This occurred when 6'5 Devin Green from Akron (Buchtel) OH had to leave early to go to Orlando, FL for the National 17-Under AAU Tournament. James took Green's spot on the Jazz in the NBA and, as a result, played over half the league games, which qualified him for the all-star game.  In addition, James also continued to play in all the Developmental Games.  As a result, he took home the following hardware:  Top Scorer in the Developmental League (16.6 ppg), Most Outstanding Player in the Developmental League, and the Most Promising Prospect in the entire camp.  The legandary Tom Konchalski, who has created the Developmental League for Five-Star years ago, told Johnson that James is the most talented and advanced prospect in that league since Duane Ferrell in 1981.  And that includes players like Stephon Marbury, Rasheed Wallace, Felipe Lopez, Tim Thomas, et al.  "In addition to his natural talent and skills, what separates James from all the rest is his ablitity to make his teammates better," says Johnson.  And that's why James, who also was very impressive at the adidas Big-Time Tournament (26.0 ppg), will be ranked as the #1 ranked sophomore nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Apparently Ohio State and Cincinnati agree, because both the Buckeyes and the Bearcats have been following him around all summer.  Johnson thought the second best player in the Developmental League was 6'4 Soph Mike Sawyer-Jones from Braintree (Thayer) MA, who was named the MVP in the Orange-White Developmental All-Star Game.  Others worth mentioning are 6'5 Soph Wendell White from Redando Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'6 Soph Ije Nwankoo from Birmingham (Detroit Country Day) MI, 6'7 Soph Craig Cashen from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, 6'6 Soph Parnell Smith from Indianapolis (Pike) IN, 5'11 Soph Michael Word from Fairburn (Creekside) GA, and 5'5 Soph Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, who was voted the top playmaker and playoff  MVP in the Developmental League.  The MVP of the NBA Orange-White All-Star Classic was 6'5 Reggie Stovell from Lakeville (Hotchkiss School) CT.  He scored 13 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the victorious Orange Team, plus he was named the Best Rebounder in the NBA.  The Most Outstanding Player in the NBA was 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD, the Best Defender was 6'8 Guy Sarargba from the Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, the Most Improved and the Playoff MVP was 5'11 Cymere McLain from Worcester (Holy Name) MA.

Tuesday, July 25, 2000

We've heard a lot of names for the vacant University of Kentucky assistant coaching position, but until now we haven't been comfortable even speculating on who will replace Shawn Finney, who last week became the new head coach at Tulane.  However, last night our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis threw a name at us that makes perfect sense.   Have you ever heard of Jeff Schneider?  Well, I sure have!  Schneider was an assistant coach at Bowling Green when I first met him in the mid-80's and I've known he was one of the bright young guys in the business ever since.  He later moved to Tulsa, where he worked for both J.D. Barnett and Tubby Smith,and more recently has been the head coach at Cal-Poly San Luis Obispo.  Not only has Schneider recruited well to this up and coming program in the Big West Conference, but he's done a great job of getting the Mustangs through the transition period after moving into the Division I ranks in the early 90's.  This also makes sense, because night before last we saw Tubby at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL.  We also saw Schneider here yesterday.  And that's a little surprising, because most of the players Schneider is involved with are on the West Coast.  As a result, he'd be wasting his time here, unless he was meeting with Tubby about the Kentucky job.  Also, interesting is the fact that we saw another one of Tubby's former assistants yesterday who, by the way, also has previous head coaching experience and has been rumored for the Kentucky job.  We're talking about New Mexico assistant coach Joe Dooley, who previously was an assistant coach under Smith at Georgia, as well as the head coach East Carolina.  Apparently one of the reasons that former Alabama head coach David Hobbs, who is a very close friend of Smith's, wasn't considered for the job is because Kentucky needs somebody on their staff who is young and able to relate to the players.  Being able to send emails to players and keeping track of what's being said on the internet also are becoming increasingly important.   And this brings us back to Schneider, because in this area he also appears to be well ahead of the curve.  As a matter of fact, when we saw him Las Vegas at the adidas Big Time Tournament last week, Schneider showed us his new hand held device that allows him to access the internet from anywhere. 

Finally all the head coaching positions have been filled, except for one, and Albany University doesn't seem to be in any big hurry to get that one done.   The candidates include three bright young assistant coaches - Pennsylvania's Steve Donahue, George Mason's Bill Courtney, and Saint Louis' Cameron Dollar, a successful Division III head coach - Mike Lonergen of Catholic University, and several former college coaches - George Blaney and Paul Cormier.

Last night Athletes First (OK) beat Shreveport Bossier City, 79-63, and New York Riverside Church edged out the Houston Hoops, 63-62, in the semi-finals of the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL.  Despite the fact that Athletes First is missing one its best players in 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, they still just picked off where they left off in Las Vegas, NV last week, when they shocked everybody by advancing all the way to the final four of the adidas Big Time Tournament. Picking up the slack inside was 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who was one of the leading rebounders in the tournament, but the difference in last night's game was the outside shooting by 6'6 Jr Keleena Azibuke from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK and 6'4 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who combined for 45 of the 79 points scored by Athletes First.  In the other game, 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX was on fire early, as he hit five 3-pointers.  However, in the second half Hurt was tired and double-teamed and, as a result, was held scoreless.  Instead, the player who proved to be especially dangerous down the stretch for the Houston Hoops was 6'4 Marcus Spears from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA, who is almost impossible to stop inside, because he's so strong, physical, and mobile for somebody his size.  Spears had 23 points, as together he and Hurt accounted for 42 of the Houston Hoops 63 points.  However, that wasn't quite enough, as 6'6 Wendall Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY and 6'3 Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY combined for 44 of Riverside Church's 63 points.  And like Hurt, Soliver shot the lights out, as he had six triples of his own, most of which came in the first half.   The scoring leaders for the tournament, which were compiled by Stephen Wacaser, the Editor of Assists, Turnover, and Loose Balls, do not include last night's semi-final games, but they do include everything else.  The leading scorer was 6'4 Earnest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN with 28.7 ppg.  Hurt was second with 26.7 ppg, followed by Spears with 23.3 ppg, 5'10 Will Holloman from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL with 21.0 ppg, 6'0 Tom Femminella from Massapequa (H.S.) NY with 21.0 ppg, 6'5 Terry Hill from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ with 20.6 ppg, 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX with 20.2 ppg, 6'4 Erick Osmundson from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA with 20.0 ppg, 6'5 Keith Langford from North Crowley (H.S.) TX with 20.0 ppg, 6'4 Vincent Grier from Charlotte (South Mecklenburg) NC with 19.4 ppg, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC with 19.3 ppg, 6'0 Wil Bynum from Chicago (Crane) IL with 19.0 ppg, 6'3 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY with 18.8 ppg, 6'4 Anthony Rice from North Clayton (College Park) GA with 18.6 ppg, 6'7 Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT with 18.6 ppg, 6'2 Aaron Fitzgerald from Seattle (Kennedy) WA with 18.6 ppg, 6'6 Danny Horace from Cincinnati (Western Hills) OH with 18.2 ppg, 6'6 Samuel Villegas from Lima (Senior) OH with 18.0 ppg, 6'1 Stanley Jackson from Dunnellon (H.S.) FL with 18.0 ppg, 6'7 Barry Thompson from Winchendon (School) MA with 17.4 ppg, 6'5 Solomon Forbes from Jackson (Lanier) MS with 17.0 ppg, 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO with 16.8 ppg, 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA with 16.8 ppg, 6'0 Mike Lesma from York (Crispus Attucks) PA with 16.7 ppg, Azibuke with 16.7 ppg, 6'3 Jim Moore from Worcester (Holy Name) MA with 16.7 ppg, 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA with 16.3 ppg, 6'2 Patrick Sparks from Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY with 16.2 ppg, 6'1 Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI with 16.2 ppg, 6'4 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL with 16.2 ppg, 6'1 Jr TaQuan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ with 16.0 ppg, and 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Winchendon (School) MA with 15.7 ppg.

Monday, July 24, 2000

There is no doubt that one of the premier places in the nation to hold a basketball tournament is the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. FL.  We can say that first hand, because we arrived in Orlando late Saturday night and spent all day in the gym yesterday watching the AAU Super Showcase.   We also plan to stick around the next five days, because just when  the Super Showcase ends tomororw, the AAU 17-Under Junior Boys' Basketball National Championship begins.  Last night playoffs began in the Supercase and two of the players we spent a lot of time watching were 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kent (Kentwood) WA and 6'1 Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI.    Jensen was one of the biggest sleepers in the class due to the fact that he missed most of the spring and early summer due to injuries.  As a result, we has missing in action when his team played at Boo Williams and in the NIKE Bluegrass Classic in the spring.  He also didn't attend either the NIKE or adidas Camp, so the adidas Big Time Tournament was the first national exposure he got.  However, even in that tournament, most people, including us, missed seeing him, because his team got upset in the first round of the playoffs.  One person who did see Jensen was Frank Burlison, who is now the recruiting guru for Fox Sports, and ever since he's been touting Jensen as one of the top five players on the West Coast.  And in a normal year he might be.  However, this is not a normal year, because the senior class in Southern California is absolutely loaded.  So top 10 on the West Coast and in the 50 to 75 range nationally is more realistic.  Jensen, whose list of schools includes Gonzaga, Washington, Oregon, Kentucky, and North Carolina, is best described as an athletic white kid with outstanding dunking ability and an excellent shooting touch out to 3-point land.  However, he needs to not only get bigger and stronger, but also must develop more of a killer mentality.  Diener has the killer mentality, but he lacks the size and strength to pass the big time look test.  However, he passes the big time play test, which is why schools like Iowa State, Illinois, Marquette, St. Louis, Utah, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin are all in the hunt.  And don't be surprised if Indiana jumps into the mix.  As a matter of fact, IU assistant coach Pat Knight was at both of his games yesterday and the Hoosiers definitely are in need of a quality point guard.  And Diener, who reminds us of former Ohio State star Jay Burson, is like a coach on the floor.  He also can shoot the lights out and doesn't need anybody to help him get his shot, because he's got plenty of moves, as well as excellent quickness off the dribble.  He's also a winner, which was evident when he led the Wisconsin Playground Warriors to the championship in both the NIKE Bluegrass Classic in Lexington, KY on Memorial Day Weekend and the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA last week.  However, last night his team lost in the first round to Coast to Coast at the Super Showcase.  Another big first round upset was pulled off last night by Potomac Valley, which surprised the Illinois Warriors.  Earlier today the Charlotte Aces, Shreveport/Bossier City, Tennesse Travelers, New York Riverside Church, Georgia Stars, Bray Center, and Houston Hoops all advanced into the quarterfinals.  The other spot was filled by the winner of the Athletes First (OK) Potomac Valley Blue Devils game, but we did not get the results of the game.  As it stands now, the championship appears to be up for grabs, but the deepest team in the field is the Tennessee Travelers, which won easily this morning against Coast to Coast (FL) and, as a result, got a lot for rest their starters.  Speaking of the Travelers, after their game  today we got an updated list of schools from 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN.  Duke, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Colorado, Kentucky, and Louisville were the schools that he mentioned.  Harrison didn't give us a leader, but he said that Lousiville is slipping.

Baylor got a commitment yesterday afternoon from 6'4 Dandrick Jones from Dallas (Kimball) TX, who shares the point guard duties for Team Texas with 51'0 Jr Byron Hopkins from Dallas (Lincoln) TX.  Jones, who is a legitimate top 150 senior nationally, has excellent size, is super quick in transition, and has good ball handlng and passing skills.  However, Jones, Hopkins, 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'8 Jason Maxeill from Carrollton (Neuman Smith) TX, 6'5 Keith Langford from North Crowley (H.S.) TX, et al.  were not enough to overcome 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX and the Houston Hoops earlier today in the round of 16 in the playoffs at the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL.  As a matter of fact, Team Texas has never beaten the Houston Hoops, although every game is like a war and usually goes down to the wire.  As usual, Hurt shot the lights out and even our buddy Patrick Jira of the Recruiting Beat was telling us that we might be right about Hurt being ranked among our top five nationally.  So it comes as no big surprise that Hurt finished ranked among the top five in the tournament in scoring at the end of pool play yesterday with 23.0 ppg.  Ranked ahead of Hurt were at the end of pool play were 6'3 Earnest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN with 27.3 ppg, Wright with 25.0 ppg, and 6'4 Marcus Spears from Baton Rouge (Southern Lab) LA with 23.4 ppg.   It happened before we arrived, but Wright, who is legendary for being able to shoot the lights out, apparently did just that has he may have had the best individual performance of the entire tournament.  Among the others who have played especially well since we arrived are 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) FL, 6'9 Sherrod Ford from York (Crisus Attucks) PA, 6'4 Vincent Grier from Charlotte (South Mecklenburg) NC, 6'2 Aaron Fitzgerald from Seattle (Kennedy) WA, 6'3 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kent (Kentwood) WA, 6'5 Soph Michael Bush from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'10 Steve Allen from Ft. Lauderdale (Dillard) FL, and 6'1 Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI.

Saturday, July 22, 2000, and Sunday, July 23, 2000

Two of the best players in camp at the adidas ABCD Camp after the first day were 6'9 Robert Little from Fairfax (Pope John Paul VI) VA and 6'1 Tony Bethel from Forestville (Bishop McNamara) MD.   They were also pretty good on the last day of camp. However, when I was at the NIKE All-American Camp during the second and third days, I suspect our staff paid more attention to reputation than to performance in camp.  Thus, explains how 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL was ranked as the #1 center in camp by the third day, but gave little effort and, as a result, dropped dramatically on the last day of camp.  It also would explains why Little dropped to #34 and Bethel dropped to #52 in our final rankings.  However, we'll fix that when we come out with our post summer top 100 rankings in August.  I guarantee you that Little will be ranked among our top 100.  He's not real quick and/or athletic, but he's a force inside with his huge frame and ability to score and dominate on the boards.  He's also come on like gangbusters since spring.  Add the fact that he's a great kid, as well as 4.0 student, and it's easy to see why his list includes Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Virginia, Stanford, Virginia Tech, N.C. State, Georgia Tech, and USC.  Bethel may not make our top 100, but I'll sure consider it.   He can beat you downtown with his outside shooting, but his confidence, decision making, and ability to create for his teammates have all dramatically improved.   He tells us that Georgetown, Massachusetts, George Washington, West Virginia, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Texas are all in the hunt.  Another player whose really impressed at both the adidas Big Time Tournament and at the Best of the Summer High School Boy's Basketball Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA was 6'5 Erroll Knight from Seattle (Chief Sealth) WA.  Knight is versatile enough and athletic enough to play four different positions, but he's being recruited by schools like Washington, UCLA, Kansas, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington State, USC, Texas, Utah, Syracuse, and Louisville as a wing guard.  UCLA, Washington, Pepperdine, Syracuse, Connecticut, and Kansas are all still in the hunt for 6'11 Mike Fey from Olympic (Capital) WA.  Some of the early favorites for 6'5 Jr Antonio Jackson from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL are Florida, Duke, North Carolina, St. John's, Connecticut, and Rutgers.  Georgia, Xavier, Clemson, Purdue, Penn State, Western Kentucky, and Eastern Kentucky make up a very interesting list for 6'9 Richard Sadler from Mt. Airy (Habersham Central) GA.  One of the biggest sleepers on the West Coast is still 6'10 Jeffrey Day from Seattle (Prep) WA.   Injuries have slowed him down this summer, but Washington, USC, San Diego State, Pepperdine, Washington State, and Portland State are all involved with Day.  He also tells us that he likes Arizona, but hasn't heard from the Wildcats yet. 

Friday, July 21, 2000

One of the most interesting things that happened earlier today at the Best of the Summer High School Boy's Basketball Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA occurred during the game between the Atlanta Celtics and 2TheHoop.  In walks Arizona head coach Lute Olson with his assistant coach Jay John.  Olson went and sat behind the basket at one end of the court, while John went to the opposite end and sat directly across from Olson.  Obviously there was somebody in the game that they were really interested in, but we were curious, because nobody on either team fit the description.  Upon further reflection, we decided that it had to be 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC.  Hargett has always had Arizona on his list, but until now we didn't know the Wildcats had any serious interest.  Remember, Hargett has always been an academic question mark, plus he had played last year at Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, which might have been the most controversial high school program in the nation during the Joel Hopkins era.  As a matter of fact, one of the our competitors erroneously reported in January that Hargett had verbally committed to the Wildcats.  However, when we tried to confirm it, we found that Arizona was not only not recruiting him, but they'd never even heard of him.   But after his brilliant performance all week at the adidas Big Time Tournament, it's hard not to know about Hargett.  As a matter of fact, he's emerged as one of the top 10 seniors in the nation.  So we asked Hargett who was on his list and the first school out of his mouth was Arizona.  He also confirmed that it's not just a one way street anymore.  Indeed, the Wildcats are showing more interest in him than just full court pressing him at this game.  The second school he mentioned was Tennessee, which also was there watching his every move.   That's also noteworthy because the Volunteers had been rumored at the adidas Big Time Tournament to be the strong leader.  Hargett also mentioned North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Seton Hall.  Grades are still a major question, but those who have seen his transcript tell us that becoming academically qualified is within his reach, if he buckles down and does well during his senior year.  And if that happens, his list will likely get longer before it gets shorter.

It's not official yet, but we have confirmed through a very reliable source that former Blue Devils player Chris Collins will be named as the new assistant coach at Duke University.  This is especially good news for the University of Louisville, because one of the other leading candidates being mentioned for new Delaware head coach David Henderson's old job at Duke was Louisville assistant coach Vince Taylor.   Had Taylor gone back to his alma mater, it would probably have put Blue Devils in the lead for 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, who currently ranks as the #2 senior in America by the HOOP SCOOP.  They may get him anyway, especially if the recruiting process drags on several more months.  Remember, the Blue Devils started making a strong push for Cisse at the NIKE All-American Camp and they're very tough to beat when they get a kid on campus for an official visit in the fall.    However, Taylor, who is now emerging as one of the best recruiters in the nation, has done a great job recruiting Cisse for Louisville.  As a matter of fact, Cisse's legal guardian Don Jackson told us at the NBA Players Association Camp on July 1st that Taylor is the big reason why Louisville is so high on their list.  The same also can be said about Taylor and his relationship with 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, who has let it be know that he may have to re-think his commitment to Louisville, if Taylor were to leave for another job.    Well, now that the Duke job is being filled by Collins, that isn't likely to happen.  Speaking of Hurt, he told us at the NBA Players Association Camp that he may transfer to Louisville (Male) KY for his senior season.  If that were to happen, Louisville (Male) KY would become one of the premier high school teams in the nation next year.  However, we're now hearing that won't happen.  Instead, it looks like he will end up at Louisville (Moore) KY.  Either way, Hurt instantly would become the leading candidate for Mr. Basketball honors in the state over 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'9 Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY, et al.  This should come as no surprise, because it's common knowledge that Hurt's parents are planning on moving back to Louisville so they can follow their son's college career.  Don't forget, Hurt's parents are originally from Lousiville and his grandmother, as well as a number of other relatives, still live in Louisville, KY.   This also would make sense if you knew that the head coach at Moore High School is somebody with strong ties to the University of Louisville.    We're talking about Larry Miller, who was regarded as one of the premier high school coaches in the nation when he was previously the head coach at Cincinnati (Woodward) OH.  More recently he hasn't had the same success at Moore, but all that could change quickly, if he gets Hurt.  

Thursday, July 20, 2000

Yesterday, we provided you with who we thought would make the 30-man all-tournament team from the adidas Big Time Tournament, but we only 21 out of 30 correct.  Let's take a closer look, because it will provide some insight into why certain players made the team and why others were left off.   The nine players we voted for who didn't make it were 6'7 Chris Williams from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Martin Osmani from Miami (Champagnat) FL, 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5'10 Jason Fontenet from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, 6'0 Brandon Fuss-Cheatham from Beaver Falls (Blackhawk) PA, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'8 Deion Dixon from Fork Union (Military) VA, and 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS.   Let's start with Williams and the Texas Blue Chip team, which had five excellent players in Williams, 6'9 Jr Chris Bosh from Dallas (Lincoln) TX, 6'3 Jr Daniel Horton from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jaison Williams from Aurora (Hinkley) CO, and 6'6 Larry Freeman from Buffalo (H.S.) TX.   While Williams is a warrior inside and, as a result, dominated on the boards and around the basket, he wasn't the much better than several of his teammates.  Plus, Bosh and Horton clearly have the most potential and Freeman was at times like a highlight film with his incredible athleticism and acrobatic dunks.  So it's easy to see why nobody from this team made the cut, even though they advanced to the final 16 and played the New Orleans Jazz close in their final game.   Team Breakdown didn't get past the final 32, but they took Pump & Run to overtime, and they were one of the better teams in the tournament.  So we would have been happy if either Osmani or 6'11 Simplece N'Joya from Homestead (Berkshire) FL had made it.  However, their best player was 6'8 Jamal Levy from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, but he left early to play in an international tournament in South America.  So he didn't play the last two days.  Chiles led the Derek Smith All-Stars to the "B" Division Championship and was named MVP in that Division, so apparently that was reward enough for him.  Fontenet averaged 21.5 ppg and did a marvelous job running his team, but little guys don't seem to get a lot of respect.  Picking 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN from Pump & Run was any choice, but it was tough call picking anybody else.   Actually, we originally had 6'2 Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, who did make the 30-man all tournament team, but I changed my mind and wenrt with Latimore after Craven had mediocre game in the quarterfinals against the Atlanta Celtics.  Fuss-Cheatham carried the Pittsburgh Jots about as far as he could (into the round of 32), but apparently that wasn't far enough.  Bender played well, but he was on the bubble anyway, so I'm not  going argue that one very much.   Which brings us Dixon and Christie, both of whom are terrific when I saw them, but apparently were not as good when other members of the selection committee saw them,   In case you were wondering, Brick Oettinger, Bob Gibbons, Dave Telep, Frank Burlison, and myself were each asked to come up with a list of 30 names for the all-tournament.  Apparently, any player   who got two or more votes automatically made the team, but what kind of politics were involved with the final player or two is anybody's guess.  Have you ever heard of 6'3 Sam Jackson from Las Vegas, NV?  Neither had we until he was named to the all-tournament.  However, this is easily explained, because he was the 4th leading scorer in the tournament with a 28.8 ppg average, plus he's a local kid.   The other eight players named to the team that we didn't vote for were 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 5'10 Terrance Ford from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, 6'3 Mario Jointer from Jackson (Jim Hill) MS, 6'9 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX, 6'3 Chris Hill from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, 6'5 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, 6'6 Jackie Manuel from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Newman) FL, and 6'2 Errick Craven from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA.  We've already talked about Craven and we didn't see the Tallahassee Wildcats, which was Manuel's team.  However, if Manuel was anything like he was at adidas, it would have been a no-brainer.  If you wanted to put four players from the Atlanta Celtics on the all-tournament team, Elder is acceptable, because he did shoot well from beyond arc.   However, he was not one of the 30 best players in the tournament.  We looked at Hill, as well as two others from the Municipal Gardens team - 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA and 6'5 Aaron Patterson from Indianapolis (Ben Davis) IN, but decided none of them made the cut.  Roberts was terrific on the boards and he scored 30 points when we saw him, but his team got beat early in the playoffs and we only saw him once.  As a result, we never considered him, although we do like the choice.  We didn't think Jointer belonged on the team, but he hit 3-pointers against Pump & Run.  Instead, Christie was the man when we saw the Jackson Panthers against FBS Long Beach.   I didn't vote for Ford, but I can live that one, because he almost always makes his teammates better.  However, putting Roberson on the 30-man all tournament is a real stretch.  Obviously, he made it based on his name and not his play.  Analyzing it all more carefully, if I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't have voted for Bender.  Instead, I would have replaced him with 6'6 Quemont Greer from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who picked up right where he left off at the adidas ABCD Camp in this tournament.   Among those who had no business on the the all-tournament team was 6'7 James White from York (Crispus Attucks) PA.  As a matter of fact, we had that discussion in the airport in Las Vegas earlier today with White's AAU coach Curtis Malone and he didn't say anything to make me change our mind, unless you pick the team based only on reputation.  And right now that's one of the biggest problems with people in our business.  Don't heart, merit, and hardwork mean anything anymore?   We actually have to go back a few years to find the best example.  Ever hear of Ralph Sampson?  He may have more in common than you think with 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 7'0 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, and 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunwick (Glynn Academy) GA, all of whom are supposed to be can't miss superstars someday in the NBA.   However, each of the three also has developed a reputation for being lazy in high school and, as a result, could just as easily become the next Antoine Walker or Tim Thomas, instead of the next Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan.  Which brings us to the point of all this.  Our rankings are also based on merit, instead of just reputation and size.  So if we had to do it right now, our top five players in the senior class nationally would be 6'2 Dujuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'2 Carlos Hurt from Alief (Alief-Elsik) TX, and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  And remember where you heard about Hodge being in the top five nationally first.  He's not only tremendous right now, but his upside is scary.   We may be talking about the next Tracy McGrady.  However, unlike McGrady, Hodge is a good student, so he'll get the time he needs to physically get bigger and stronger in college.  Also just missing our top five is 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO and don't be surprised if 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN and 6'0 Johnathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC both get strong consideration for our top 10.  And they're doing it the old-fashioned way - they've earned it!  As for Curry, Brown, and Chandler, I refuse to put them in the top five until the earn.  If they prove me wrong and any of them turn out to the greatest thing since sliced bread, our credibility certainly can withstand it.  And I'll be the first person to congratulate him.  But for now, I hope I piss them off and,as a result, it translates into more effort on the court.  I doubt anything I write or say will have much influence, but actually, it's worked before with certain players, including Shawn Kemp, Harold Minor, and maybe even 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI.   Speaking of Whaley, his shot wasn't falling in the adidas Big Time Tournament and he still has no idea how to use his manchild-like body, but at least he played harder.   Apparently he wasn't happy with the fact that we had him ranked #29 at the adidas ABCD Camp.  Maybe there is hope after all. 

Wednesday, July 19, 2000

The Atlanta Celtics now appear to be well on their way towards becoming the Team of the Summer after their impressive performance in the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV.  They beat the New York Ravens, 77-76, to take home their second title in a major tournament this summer.  This first was the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC on Memorial Day Weekend.  Once again 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY had a big game with 30 points.  He was complemented by 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY with 29 points.  The leading scorer for the winning Atlanta Celtics was 6'0 Johnathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC with 21 points.  He was complemented by 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Atlanta (Mohammed) GA, who had 19 rebounds.  We'll have more later!

The New York Ravens survived yet another overtime game against Athletes First, 86-85, in the semi-finals of the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV and, as a result, will advance into the championship against the Atlanta Celtics at 7:00 PM PST.  The Celtics, which beat the New Orleans Jazz, 80-65, in the other semi-finals game this afternoon, are the heavy favorite, because physically it will be very difficult for the undersized Ravens to matchup physically with 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'6 Is'mail Muhammad from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammed) GA, 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammed) GA, 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, and 6'6 Rod Whipple from Irwinton (Wilkinson County) GA, all of whom provide the Celtics power inside.  Also, the Ravens have to be tired after winning two very physical games earlier today against the Michigan Mustangs and Athletes First.  If the Ravens are to have any chance to win in the title game, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY has to come through similar to the way he did in the semi-finals when he scored 36 points and went 6-10 from beyond the arc, including a 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.  They also have to naturalize the Celtics inside, which is something the Ravens didn't do against Athletes First, as 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams and 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK combined for 25 rebounds.  Bookout also scored 32 points and hit 11-14 field goals and 10-14 free throws in what has to be one of the outstanding performances of the tournament.   In the other semi-finals game, Tinch, Ibrahim, and 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC all secured spots on the all-tournament team with as they combined for 58 of the Celtics 80 points.  Ibrahim also finished with 15 rebounds.   Hargett, who hit  4-10 3-pointers continued to impress with his long distance shooting.  Tinch may not be able to hit an outside shot, but when you're 10-13, mostly off incredible dunks, and you totally shut down your man, which is something he's done throughout the entire tournament, shooting range becomes a mute point.   Apparently Seton Hall and Tennessee both agree, because they are both recruiting the heck of him.  The all-tournament team won't be announced until after the championship game, but we can tell you who we voted for on the 30 man-team.  But first let's talk about who should be the tournament MVP.  The best player in the tournament was 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, but the Michigan Mustangs lost this morning in the semi-finals, so he won't get it.  Instead, it looks like Hargett if the Celtics win or Hodge if the Ravens win.  In particular order we also voted for Tinch, Ibrahim, Bookout, Sheldon Williams, 6'1 Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS, 6'2 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Jamaal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, 6'7 Chris Williams from Cedar Hill (H.S.) TX, 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA, 5'11 Jr Elijab Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'5 Martin Osmani from Miami (Champagnat) FL, 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 5'10 Jason Fontenet from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, 6'9 Wayne Simone from Leavenworth (H.S.) KS, 6'8 Andy Osborn from Longmont (H.S.) CO, 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, 6'0 Brandon Fuss-Cheatham from Beaver Falls (Blackhawk) PA, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, 6'8 Deion Dixon from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 6'1 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'4 Clayton Hanson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, and 6'3 Steve Sir from Griffins, Canada.  And yes, we saw every one of those players play, except McNamara, Hanson, and Sir.  However, we know what McNamara can do and his numbers were impressive enough that he had to be on the all-tournament team.  And the same holds true for Hanson and Sir, both of whom didn't play in the open Division.   Hanson had games where he scored 45 points, 44 points, and 42 points, which explains how he finished with 173 points in six games.  Obviously, this was by far and away the most points scored by anybody in the tournament.  Sir broke Ernest Turner's previous all-time adidas Big Time scoring record (32.2 ppg) with 33.3 ppg, plus he had 31 3-pointers, including two games where he combined for 19 treys.  Getting back to the all-tournament team, if by some chance the Ravens win in the championship game, 6'5 Jr Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT would replace Bender on our 30-man all-tournament team.  We got a vote on the all-tournament team, but we're sure there will be some minor adjustment, so we'll pass them along, along with the results from the championship game, later tonight.

Final score New York Ravens 70, Michigan Mustangs 65.   Talk about surviving and building momentum along the way.  The New York Ravens won two overtime games and then hung on to upset the Michigan Mustangs, 70-65, in the final eight of the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV in what has to be the biggest upset of the tournament.  6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who gets our vote as the Most Outstanding Player in the Tournament, had 20 points and 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI scored 15 points, but 6'5 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, and 6'5 Jr Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT combined for 55 points and made most of the big plays down the stretch for the Ravens.  The win by the Ravens advances Gary Decesare's team into the final four where they will face the winner of the game between the Tim Thomas Playazz and Athletes First, which is a young team from Oklahoma that features 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'6 Keleena Azvibuke from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, 6'4 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, and 6'6 Jr Marques Hayden from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, all of have big-time talent and/or potential.  The Tim Thomas Playaz were down 23-12 early and trailed 37-22 just before half-time.  However, you just knew that the Playaz were going to make it interesting in the second half.  Well, they did that and more, as they took the game into overtime, thanks primarily to the efforts of 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA and 5'11 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, who made big play after big play down stretch.   However, in the end Williams and Bookout were too powerful inside and 5'9 Jonathan Bluitt from Oklahoma City (McGuinnes) OK, who is the only senior on the roster, really stepped up his game, as Athletes First won 85-78 and, as a result,  advanced to the final four.  The other two quarterfinals games, which are currently in progress feature the New Orleans Jazz against the Ft. Worth Lions and the Atlanta Celtics against Pump & Run (CA), which are the two most talented teams remaining in the tournament.  Then, at 2:20 PM PST, in the semi-finals the New York Ravens will Athletes First and at 3:40 PM PST it will be the New Orleans Jazz-Ft. Worth Lions winner versus the Atlanta Celtics-Pump & Run winner.

The player who has helped himself the most at the NIKE Peach Jam in Augusta, GA appears to be 6'4 Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL.   We say that not because he's not ranked high (among our top 40 nationally), but, because he was hurt and didn't play well until the last day at NIKE.   Otherwise, there have been no major surprises at the NIKE Peach Jam, except some of the upsets that we reported from pool play yesterday.  Later this afternoon the quarterfinals round will begin, as it's the Houston Hoops versus the Illinois Warriors, Boo Williams versus the Georgia Stars, Southern California All-Stars versus Tennessee Travelers, and the Playground Warriors versus New York Riverside Church.  

The University of Virginia picked up a commitment yesterday, but it wasn't the one we were expected.  If you recall, we said several days ago that we thought the Cavaliers were a lot close to getting a commitment from 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA than most people realize.  We still stand by that statement, but the player were talking about is 6'3 Keith Jenifer from York (Cripus Attucks) PA.  Jenifer is best described as an athletic combo guard with big time talent, but without a true position at the college level.  He's too small and doesn't shoot it well enough to be a 2-guard and he doesn't make good enough decisions to be a pure point guard, although he is better with the ball in his hands than without it.  As a result, we think he initially will be the perfect role player backing up both the one and two spots at Virginia, plus he'll have the time he needs to groom himself into a point guard down the road.  In other words, it's a great fit for both parties.   Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin also has a verbal commitment to pass along.  Temple has gotten 6'8 Glen Elliot from Jacksonville (Bolles) FL, who ranks #175 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is best described as a shot blocker and rebounder.  George Mason also could be on the verge of getting a verbal commitment from 5'8 Dennis Bowden from Fairfax (Pope John Paul VI) VA, who led the adidas ABCD Camp in assists a week ago.  One of the best players at the adidas Big Time Tournament yesterday was 6'2 Johnathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanual) NC and, as a result, he edges out 6'1 Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS and 5'9 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, as the #3 ranked point guard nationally in the class by the HOOP SCOOP.  Hargett's decision making isn't a good as Ford's, but he's bigger and stronger than either Ford or Williams, plus he shoots it better, which was especially evident by the number of NBA 3-pointers he made yesterday.  Speaking of Hargett, Tennessee may now be the school to beat for this explosive point guard.   We thought Louisville was strong with 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, but we're hearing more and more that Vanderbilt is a lock.   And this would make sense, because Harrison's father is an assistant football coach at Vanderbilt.  It also looks like University of Kentucky assistant coach Shawn Finney will get the Tulane today and Duke assistant David Henderson will beat out Indiana University assistant coach Mike Davis for the Delaware job.  Instead, we think Davis may be the leading candidate to replace Finney at Kentucky.  And if that happens, Kentucky would instantly become the leader for 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, who ranks as the #2 point guard nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Right now Auburn appears to be the heavy favorite for Moore, but Moore's like a son to Davis, who has been close to the Moore family for years.  

Tuesday, July 18, 2000

Things are starting to get interesting in the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV, as they're down to the round of 32 in the open division.   The Michigan Mustangs, Cleveland BBall 17's, Athletes First (OK), and the USA Players have already advanced into the round of 16 with wins this morning.   The Michigan Mustangs, which features 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, and 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, are the team to beat.     However, the Mustangs have not played well and, as a result, it would not be a surprise if somebody pulls off the upsets, like maybe The USA Players, which is who they will likley meet in the next round.  As a matter of fact, last night 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA almost single-handedly knocked off the Mustangs in what was the best performance we've seen so far in the tournament.  He had 35 points, including 10 consecutive points when his team was making a come back late in the game and 14 points in the last six minutes.  He also is the second leading scorer in the entire tournament with 146 points (29.2 ppg) with a high game of 41 points versus SC Area.  However, you have to keep winning to earn tournament MVP honors and, unless something unforeseen happens and the Mustangs get beat, Torbert will be the likely choice.  He is the model of consistency, as is evident by the fact that he has shot the lights out every time we've seen him during the last three days, plus he ranks among the top dozen players in the tournament in scoring.  As a result, he's our early favorite for player of the summer honors.  Getting back to the top teams in the tournament, the Long Island Panthers, Atlanta Celtics, Pump & Run are the favorites to win the tournament.  We also think the New York Ravens, Municipal Gardens, New Orleans Jazz, Fort Worth Lions, DC Assault, Kansas City 76ers, and the USA Players all have a shot at making the final four.  Some of the biggest surprises in the tournament and/or players who have really elevated their games, include 6'8 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX, 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kentwood (Covington) WA, 6'9 Wayne Simien from Leavenworth (H.S.) KS, 6'6 Kendrick Fox from Oxford (Lafayette) MS, 6'5 Francisco Garcia from Cheshire (Academy) CT, 6'4 Soph Lodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'8 Deion Dixon from Fork Union (Military) VA, 6'5 Aaron Patterson from Indianapolis (Ben Davis) IN, and 6'10 Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY.   We already knew that 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN was terrific after his performance at the adidas ABCD Camp, but we're starting to hear Christian Laettner comparisons.  Another player who simply reinforced what he did at the adidas Camp is 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammed) GA.  Brandon Fuss-Cheatham, the 6'1 point guard from Beaver Falls (Black Hawk) PA, carried the Pittsburgh Jots until they were eliminated last night.  The quickest guy in the tournament is 5'10 Jason Fontenet from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ, but his twin brother 6'1 James Fontenet from Phoenix (St Mary's) AZ shot the lights out when we saw him last night and, as a result, ranks among the top 10 in the tournament in scoring.  One of the most balanced teams in the tournament is the Ft Worth Lions, which features 6'2 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'6 Matt Williams from Temple (H.S.) TX, 6'5 Aaron Curtis from South Grand Prairie (South) TX, 6'6 Josh Jacobs from Mesquite (North) TX, and 6'4 Nick Williams from Mansfield (H.S.) TX, and 6'11 Erek Hanson from Trinity (Euless) TX.   We could go on and on, but we'll do that later exclusivley in the Members Section. 

We're slow reporting this, because we've been in the gym no-stop most of the last three days at the adidas Big Time Tournament, but Ohio Editor Chris Johnson informed us yesterday that 6'9 Josh Powell from Riverdale (H.S.) GA has committed N.C. State.  We're also hearing that N.C. State may be close to getting a verbal commitment from 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, but his high school coach Willie Boston doesn't confirm it.  As a matter of fact, Boston says Campbell too wide open to even give us a list.  Johnson also tells us that Gonzaga has gotten a commitment from 6'1 Josh Reisman from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) WA.  Another player we were very impressed with at the adidas Big Time Tournament yesterday was 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS.  He simply picked up where he left off at the NBA Players Association Camp and the NIKE All-American Camp and, as a result, will move into our top 40 nationally when we update our national top 100 senior list in August.  Christie needs to get stronger, but he shoots it better than most people think and he's got an excellent nose for the ball, which might be why he's such a good rebounder for somebody with his lack of size.  Yesterday we also talked with the mother of  7'0 Chris Jackson from Los Alamos (H.S.) NM and she says that Utah, Stanford, and Purdue are the leaders for her son, although Texas and New Mexico are also still on his list.  Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff called to tell us that his Team Texas team has pulled off the biggest upset in the team's history in the NIKE Peach Jam with a nine point victory over the Boo Williams' Hampton Roads AAU team earlier today by nine points.  Grandstaff also tells us that those weren't the only major upsets that have occured in Augusta, GA, as the Charlotte Royals upset Houston Hoops and the Illinois Warriors knocked off the Southern California All-Stars.

Monday, July 17, 2000

He didn't go to either the NIKE All-American Camp or the adidas ABCD Camp, so despite the fact that 6'9 Jamal Levy from Homestead (Berkshire) FL is ranked #27 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, he is still one the best kept secrets nationally in the senior class.  Right now Wake Forest is the leader, but New Mexico, Colorado, Florida State, Central Florida, and Vanderbilt are also on his list.  When we first saw this multi-dimensional athlete who can score in bunches at the the Spiece-Run'N Slam and the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions he was listed as a center, but he really can play any position because he can handle, pass, shoot, and board.  Plus, he's extremely quick and athletic.  He also has grades and he tells us that he's still open.  While everybody else was at one of the two major camps, Levy was playing for the Panama's National Team in a tournament in Europe.  We're talking about a potential future NBA player here, but most people don't seem to know it yet.  Also impressing us yesterday at the adidas Big Time Tournament was 6'8 Marco Killingsworth from Durham (Emmanuel) NC.  His list of schools includes Kansas, Auburn, Florida, Alabama, UAB, and LSU.  Iowa State, Tennessee, Syracuse, Marquette, and DePaul are all involved with 6'6 Quemont Greer from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who was the #9 ranked played by the HOOP SCOOP at the adidas ABCD Camp, despite the fact he is an undersized power forward.  However, Greer says St. Louis and UNC-Charlotte are the leaders.  Greer's club team teammate - 6'3 Latrell Fleming from Milwaukee (Marshall) WI - says he's wideopen, but adds that Wisconsin, Iowa State, Marquette, Rutgers, Missouri, and Illinois are showing the most interest.  It appears to be a three horse race among Seton Hall, Connecticut, and Syracuse for 6'9 Mark Kornecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT.  The word is that the commitment made by 6'4 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA to Mississippi State is not solid and, as a result, schools like Auburn, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama are recruiting him like crazy.

Saturday, July 15, 2000, and Sunday, July 16, 2000

We have finished writing about the NIKE All-American Camp, so now you can get our final rankings and comments from both of the major camps in the form of a finished product.   We thought the centers, point guards, and athletic wing players at the NIKE All-American Camp were outstanding.  As a matter of fact, watching the terrific athletes, like 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, 6'4 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL, and 6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN, all of whom finished ranked among our top 15 in camp, was one of the highlights of the camp.  Overall, the NIKE Camp had better depth than the adidas ABCD Camp, but at the top we thought they were very comparable.  If the NIKE Camp had a weakness, it was depth at the power forward and, especially, at the 2-guard spots.  However, that was one the strengths are the adidas Camp, especially at the top, as the top three players in camp -  6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappon (H.S.) NJ, although Cooke was actually listed as a wing forward - all play that position.  We were impressed with the underclassmen at both camps, but we have to give adidas the edge in that department.

The HOOP SCOOP had learned that 6'6 Jackie Manuel from Ft. Lauderdale (Cardinal Newman) FL,who finished ranked #6 at the adidas ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP, made a verbal commitment to University of Florida on Sunday night, July 9th, but later last week reneged.  Instead, Manuel has now verbally committed to North Carolina, which is especially interesting when you consider that new head coach Matt Doherty has only had the job a few days.  And we thought Kansas head coach Roy Williams would recruit like crazy if he had taken the North Carolina job.  Actually Doherty had been recruiting Manuel when he was at Notre Dame, but the attraction that so many players have to the Tar Heels program obviously was enough to put North Carolina over the hump very quickly.  We also are looking for North Carolina to get a commitment fairly soon from 6'7 James White from York (Cripus Attucks) PA and the word on the street is that Virginia is a lot stronger than most people realize with 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  We also believe 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA will pick Seton Hall over Villanova and Rutgers and that would be especially tough on the Wildcats, because Villanova's Malik Allen is his cousin.  Did you know that growing up 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY has always been a Syracuse fan? Maryland, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Florida are also on his list, but we think the Orangemen will be very tough to beat for Hodge, who promises to be one of the best players Jim Boeheim has ever coached.   Syracuse also is going to be tough to beat on 6'8 Marcus Allen from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  Massachusetts appears to be a near lock for 6'3 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.   Seton Hall and Duke are the favorites for 6'1 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY.  Cincinnati head coach Bobby Huggins and Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun were both seen watching  6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI yesterday at the adidas Big Time Tournament, but so was Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo and in the end we still think the Spartans will be very tough to beat.  Speaking of the Michgan Mustangs, they're the favorite to win the adidas Big Time Tournament and their star point guard - 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI - had the Kentucky coaches watching his every move.  Did you know that Roberson is related to 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA?  That could turn out to be important, because Carruth verbally committed to Kentucky a week ago.  Kentucky also is still strong with 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, but we think USC would be the perfect fit. 

We are now projecting Arizona as the leader for 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who finished as the top ranked center in camp at adidas, according to the HOOP SCOOP.  We also think the Wildcats will get 6'8 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS and they're making a strong push 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  However, if Arizona gets 5'9 Jason Fontenet from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ first, Kansas and Duke are also still high Ewing's on his list.   Texas now appears to be way out in front for 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX and it looks like UCLA is now the leader over Kansas for 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, who was the #7 ranked player at NIKE by the HOOP SCOOP.  Speaking of the Bruins, they still have their sights on landing a Fab Five recruiting class that would include Miles and 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA.  However, if Miles and Bozeman continue to string the Bruins along, they may turn the heat up on both Ford and Ewing.   They also would love to have either 6'5 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA or 6'6 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, but the probably wouldn't take both, unless Bozeman went elsewhere and by some chance they still got Childress.  However, they may not take either one, if 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (George Washington) CA picks UCLA over Michigan   Latimore and several undersized forwards - 6'6 Chuck Hayes from Modesto (Christian) CA and 6'6 Jamal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA - are also on UCLA's priority list.  So are several big guys, like 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA and 6'11 Michael Fey from Olympic (Capital) WA.  We also know that UCLA is intrigued with the potential of 6'10 Mike Stephens from Napa (H.S.) CA and they are still involved with 6'5 Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY. 

Friday, July 14, 2000

Last night we attended the all-star games at the Rim Rattler All-West Camp at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA and we were excited to see that 6'4 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA and 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA simply picked up where they left off earlier this week at the adidas ABCD and NIKE All-American Camps. However, the two leading scorers in game didn't attend either camp.  We're talking about 6'5 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, who finished with at least six dunks, as well as several 3-pointers in route to a 24 point effort, and 6'5 Jr Darius Sanders from Compton (Dominguez) CA, who led all scorers with 26 points.  We also were very impressed with 6'3 Jaison Williams from Aurora (Hinkley) CO, who was at NIKE, but who impressed us more last night.   Williams can play either guard spot, but down the road he'll be exclusively a one, due to his ability to run a team and find the open man.  He also plays excellent defense and shoots it pretty well, which is why he's a legitimate sleeper for our top 100 nationally.  Right now it looks like Xavier is way out in front, but Arizona State, Colorado, Colorado State, USC, Brigham Young, and Utah also get mentioned by Williams.   Getting back to Ingerson and Patterson, they both were terrific, as they finished with 17 points apiece and made a living off dunks in transition.  Obviously not all the great players in Southern California's rising senior class will stay home and one that appears more likely to leave the most is Ingerson, who has St. John's, LSU, Georgetown, Michigan, California, and St. Louis all on his list.  Patterson needs to get stronger, but there aren't many better athletes in the class, which is why Michigan, UCLA, Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, Duke, and North Carolina are in the hunt.   Patterson says he's still open, but also confirms that Michigan and UCLA are one-two on his list.  Also playing well and/or worth mentioning in Top 25 All-Star Game were 6'6 Antonio Griffin from Phoenix (McClintock) AZ, 6'7 Jr Jamaal Walls from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'7 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Jr Bobby Jones from Compton   (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Kirk Snyder from Upland (H.S.) CA, 6'10 Donald Pierre from Compton (Centennial) CA, 6'6 Soph Travone Free from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'8 Brian Freeney from Gilbert (Mesquite) AZ, and 6'3 Steve Moore from Compton (Dominguez) CA.   Speaking of Moore, he also played in the Top 50 Game, where he proved to be unstoppable late in the game, as he finished 23 points.   Moore is listed a senior, but actually for our purposes he'll be a 5th year player, even though it appears he's been reclassified and, as a result, may be eligible to play another year at Dominguez.   Also playing well in the Top 50 game was 6'7 Jr Marcedes Lewis from Long Beach (Poly) CA, who finished with 13 points and a lot of rebounds (no stats were available). 

We always enjoy getting the scoop on our writers and today we have the scoop on Allen Rubin, because 6'8 Tyler Reynolds from Athens (H.S.) PA, who ranks among the top 500 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and #36 in Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey  by Rubin has verbally committed to Cleveland State.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Mike Monserez, who recently announced that he was transferring from Notre Dame, has decided to join the new coaching staff at Butler University.  Sources close to the Michigan program tell us that they are close to getting a commitment from 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, but are no longer involved with 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY.  This isn't that big a surprise, because the Wolverines already have one high maintainance guy already in the program in 7'0 Josh Moore.  And this becomes even more evident after Bender's comments earlier this week.  In case you hadn't heard, Bender made some negative comments about the University of Louisville and head coach Denny Crum to several reporters at the adidas ABCD Camp.  And after they appeared in print, he tried to deny what he'd said.  However, he independently told several different reporters the same thing and the word is that Jerry Tipton of the Lexington Herald-Leader even has Bender's comments recorded on tape.  Unfortunately, it looks like Bender will never learn.   If you will recall, this is the same guy who a year ago said he wanted the first player to go straight from high school to the NBA after his junior year of high school.   Then, after it appeared in print, he came back and said he was misquoted.  But he wasn't.   As a matter of fact, we called several people at the time at Louisville Courier-Journal and they said they would stand by the story.  It looks like Bender talks better than he plays, because he recently finished ranked #60 overall and #12 at his position, according to the HOOP SCOOP, at the adidas ABCD Camp. 

Earlier today we a