HOT RECRUITING INFORMATION  

FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2000

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

Saturday, September 30, 2000

Two weeks ago the Breakdown website, which ranks the top players and covers basketball recruiting in the state Florida, reported that 6'7 Rafael Luis from Miami (Northwest Christian) FL had verbally committed to Florida International, along with 6'9 Taurance Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA and 5'11 David Luber from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA.  However, Donnie Wilkie, the Southeast Editor for HighWired Sports, who was the person who originally brought this to our attention, does not confirm Luis' commitment and his source on this is pretty good, because he talked with Luis' high school coach Anthony Pujol earlier today.  We also talked with Sam Rines, who is Johnson's club team coach, earlier today at the adidas Hoop Challenge and he tells us that first year Florida International head coach Donnie Marsh has a recruiting trip planned into the Northeast within in the next few days.  This is important, because if Luis had already committed to Florida International, they  would be out of scholarships.  If you will recall, new NCAA rules only allow schools to sign eight players two years (five players one year and only three the next).  Currently Florida International already has Johnson, Luber, 6'2 Carlos Morbein from Miami (Christian) FL, and 6'8 Johan Rivera from Miami (Christian) FL, which is a story in itself, because their recruiting class is ranked #9 nationally behind Florida, North Carolina, Auburn, Syracuse, Memphis, Ohio State, Missouri, and Clemson.  The addition of Luis would have moved the class up to #3 and, if that had been the case, everybody in the nation, including us, would have been asleep on one of the biggest recruiting stories of the fall.  Still, any way you slice it, Marsh, who previously was an assistant coach at Virginia Tech and Florida State, as well as the head coach at College of New Jersey, is recruiting like crazy.

It looks like Greg Swaim of GregSwaim.com was right on the money when he told us in late June that the verbal commitment by 6'4 Keith Langford from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX wasn't firm.  However, we ignored him, because Langford's mother was telling us otherwise.  Well, now it looks like Kansas, Oklahoma, and Baylor are also in the picture, along with Mississippi, so we're putting Langford back on the recruiting board.  And we're talking 6'7 Eric King from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'3 Robert Swaim from Milford (Academy) CT, and 6'8 Brandon Robinson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA off the board.  If you will recall, a year ago King signed with St. John's, Swaim signed with Connecticut, and Robinson signed with Auburn.  In each case, everybody tells us that they will re-sign this fall, but no official announcement has been forthcoming.  The same also can be said about 5'9 Andre Collins from Crisfield (H.S.) MD, who never made it official for Maryland last year, but who would have made it official, if he had qualified academically under NCAA guidelines. Another verbal commitment that is being reported by others is 6'9 Kei Madison from Iowa Western (JC) IA to Indiana.  Obviously the connection on this is IU head coach Mike Davis, but why would Madison pick the Hoosiers, if Davis is only the head coach on an interim basis.  Instead, Madison would be smart to wait until spring and see what happens.  Remember, when I ran into Madison airport in Chicago, IL in July, he told me that he'd sign with Tulane, if Davis got the Green Wave job.  Speaking of Indiana, we're still waiting to see where IU head coach Bob Knight ends up this season.  Our guess is that he'll be out of coaching for a year, because there currently are no Division I head coaching jobs open and we just have a hard time seeing Knight being an assistant someplace.  However, the other Knight (Pat Knight), who was previously at Indiana, has already landed on his feet by getting an assistant coaching job at Akron.  And this is no surprise, because while the younger Knight has always extremely loyal to his father, he also has always his own person.  As a result, has always had the respect of his peers and gotten the both the name and personalilty to become one of the best recruiters in the business. 

Friday, September 29, 2000

Today has been a travel day (we've been on the road to the adidas Hoop Challenge at Yale University in New Haven, CT), but we have picked up several commitments, including 6'7 Brandon Krug from Dwight (H.S.) IL to New Hampshire, 6'8 Andy Osborne from Longmont (H.S.) CO to Loyola-Marymount, 6'5 Tom Kelati from Walea Walea (H.S.) WA to Washington State, and 6'1 Corey Santee from Flint (Southwestern) MI to Texas Christian.  Krug's commitment is interesting, because New Hampshire was able to steal him away from in-state schools, like Bradley, Loyola-Chicago, and and Illinois-Chicago.   Prior to the summer we had Krug ranked #38 in Illinois, but he played well at the 17-Under National AAU Tournament in Orlando, FL and, as a result, should move up 10 or 15 spots.  Krug is best described as a combo forward, because he's good around the basket and can step out and shoot the three.  He's also a terrific student, as is evident by his 23 ACT and 3.5 gpa.  Osborne, who ranks #146 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, also is a steal, especially after his performance in July at the adidas Big Time Tournament, where he was one of the leading scorers in the tournament, as well as a member of the all-tournament team.  Santee is ranked #11 in the state by our Michigan Editor Steve Bell, but Kelati is a mystery man (until now we'd never heard of him).  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson also tells us that Bowling Green may have gotten a commitment from 6'4 Leon Petty from Indianapolis (Cathedral) OH, who is ranked #12 in the state by our Indiana Editor Jim Kasberg.  But that's still unconfirmed.  We also have gotten word from Rob Matera of All-Star Sports Report that 6'9 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, who ranks #31 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, may be close to making an early commitment to Notre Dame.  Thompson is also somewhat of a mystery, because he's played extremely well each of the last two summer at the NIKE All-American Camp, but he is nothing more than a role player whenever we see him with the Illinois Warriors club team.

Thursday, September 28, 2000

Sometimes things get lost in the translation.   Apparently that's what happened on Tuesday when we reported that our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff had told us that 6'8 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX had a great visit to the University of Kentucky.  However, apparently that isn't right, because now he's telling us that it was an in-home visit.   Speaking of Kentucky, the Wildcats have already landed two players - 6'3 Rashaad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA and 6'5 Josh Carrier from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY - in the fold and, as a result, their recruiting class currently is ranked #18 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, if they get Maxiell, 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, 6'6 Chuck Hayes from Modesto (Christian) CA, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL, all of whom appear to be prime targets, their recruiting class would move into the top five nationally and, if they get any combination of the two, their recruiting class would move into #1 spot ahead of Florida. Kentucky also is making 6'2 Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, who ranks #4 nationally among juniors and who reminds of Stephon Marbury in many ways, although he lacks Marbury's strength, a prime target  However, that one may be just as difficult to get done as 6'1 Chris Duhon from Slidell (Salmen) LA, who Kentucky lost to Duke a year ago, because all the heavy weights, like Duke and North Carolina, are involved.  Plus, you can bet that Michigan and Michigan State will make things interesting.

Mike Waters of the Syacuse Post-Standard has confirmed that 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, who ranks #114 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has finally made it official for Syracuse.  This is important not just because he gives the Orangemen another quality inside player, but also because it moves their recruiting class into the #3 position nationally.  And the best still may be yet to come if they also land 6'6 Julius Hodge from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   If you recall, Syracuse is believed to be the co-favorite, along with N.C. State, for Hodge, although Florida is making a strong push, as is evident by the fact that yesterday Gators head coach Billy Donovan and assistant coach John Pelphrey were both in New York City to watch Hodge play at IS8. Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson has confirmed that 6'8 Sam Hoskins from Schoolcraft (JC) MI has verbally committed to DePaul and Rob Matera of the All-Star Sports Report tells us that Baylor has gotten a commitment from 6'9 Lawrence Roberts from Houston (Lamar) TX.  Hoskins, who originally was signed by Eastern Kentucky, but transferred when the old regime got fired last spring, apparently has really blossomed into a player and, as a result, now ranks among the top 30 junior college players in the nation.  Roberts, who ranks #60 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is an absolute steal for Baylor, which appears to be on the verge of big recruiting year.  If you will recall, in July they landed 6'3 Dandrick Jones from Dallas (Kimball) TX and more recently they got a commitment from 6'3 Kenny Taylor from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  Taylor is lights out 3-point shooter, Jones can step in and help run the show at point guard, and Roberts is a dominant force inside. 

Wednesday, September 27, 2000

One of our favorite events of the year is Wayne Simone's adidas Hoop Challenge, which will be held September 29th-October 1st at Yale University in New Haven, CT.  Not only will we get to see most of the top players in New England, but we'll also see some of the loaded prep school teams, including Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, Milford (Academy) CT, and Cheshire (Academy) CT.  And we won't have to wait very long to for Cheshire and Milford, because both teams are scheduled to play in the opening round of games at 5:30 PM at Lehman Rec Center.  It will be Cheshire versus Norwalk on Court 1, Milford versus Connecticut Starters A on Court 2, Connecticut Starters B versus Connecticut Jammers on Court 3, and Connecticut North Stars versus Big Ballers on Court 4..  Then, at 6:45 PM it will be St. Thomas More versus Mass Hysteria on Court 1, Connecticut Select and Connecticut Gold II on Court 2, NHA Peak versus NE Rockets on Court 3, Glastonbury versus Dawson (Canada) on Court 4, and New Zoo Crew versus CMAC at the Payne Whitney Gym.  The 8:00 PM Games will feature Connecticut Gold I versus NEPA White at Payne Whitney Gym, Jersey Shore Warriors versus AC Rocks III on Court 1, New York Wolfpack versus Power Player (NY) on Court 2, St. Michael's versus Willie Howie on Court 3, and Jersey Shore Warriors versus Slamma Jamma on Court 4.  All the games mentioned thus far are in the 17-Under Bracket, except the last one between Jersey Shore Warriors-Slamma Jamma game, which in is 16-Under Bracket.  So are the games between Monmouth Power versus Connecticut Comets on Court 3 and the Connecticut Select versus Bristol Stars on Court 4 at 9:15 PM.  Also at 9:15 PM, it will be St. Thomas A versus versus Rhode Island Breakers (Blue) at Payne Whitney Gym, Riverside versus Massachusetts Wildcats on Court 1, and Connecticut Rebels versus Connecticut Warriors on Court 2 in the 17-Under Bracket.  At 10:30 PM all the game are in the 17-Under Bracket, as it will be the Student Broncos versus Central Jersey Hawks in the Payne Whitney Gym, Long Island Lightning versus BANG on Court 1, New Jersey Rap versus Greater Boston on Court 2, Gauchos vesus Jersey Jaguars on Court 3, and the AC Rocks (Orange) versus 92nd Street Y on Court 4.  On Saturday morning Simone will have two additional courts at Hillhouse High School and Jackie Robinson Middle  School.  Games will resume at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning and run until 11:30 PM.  Then, things really will get interesting on Sunday morning, because the 16-Under Quarterfinals are at 9:00 AM, followed by the 17-Under Quarterfinals are 10:15 AM, 16-Under Semifinals are at 11:30 AM, the 17-Under Semifinals are 12:45 PM, and the 16-Under Championship at 2:00 PM, and the 17-Under Championship at 3:15 PM.  For the matchups on Saturday, directions, and hotel information, click on Simone's website at http://eteamz.com/connselect.

The senior class in Southern California is one of the best of all-time, but the big story at the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Showcase at Long Beach Millikan High School on Monday, September 25th, were the overwhelming number of outstanding players in the Sophomore All-Star Game.  At the top of the list is 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who already ranks among the top five sophomores in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.  Others who played well and, as a result deserve mention, include 6'3 Soph Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'4 Soph Fred Washington from Torrance (Bishop Montgomery) CA, 6'6 Soph Trevor Azisa from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'11 Soph Jared Bosewell from Lakeside (El Capitan) CA, 5'10 Soph Trevante Nelson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 5'8 Soph Kevin Bell from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'8 Soph Sean Phaler from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6'4 Soph Drew Terry from Irvine (Northwood) CA, 6'2 Soph Omar Wilkes from Los Angeles (Loyola) CA, 6'5 Soph Wendall White from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, and 6'0 Soph Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'6 Soph Alex Bosley from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, and 6'3 Soph Kyle Hogan from Villa Park (H.S.) CA.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA was once again sensational and that 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oak (Notre Dame) CA continues to take his game to another level.  Also playing well in the junior game were 6'7 Jr Jamaal Walls from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'7 Jr Adam Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'2 Jr Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'6 Jr Bryant Markson from Monrovia (H.S.) CA, 6'7 Jr Kevin Gardner from Rolling Hills (Peninsula) CA, 6'8 Jr David Patton from Placentia (El Dorado) CA, 6'7 Jr Travis Niesen from Mission Viejo (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Patrick Haddan from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, and 6'10 Jr Moulaye Niang from El Cajon (Christian) CA.  Among those who played well in the senior game were 6'7 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, 6'4 Floyd North from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, 6'4 Eric Osmundson from San Diego (St. Augustine) CA, 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'11 Martin Iti from Villa Park (H.S.) CA.  Speaking of Iti, we recently reported that Iti was in his 7th semester of high school and, as a result, would only have one year of high school eligibility left.  Well, now it looks like he won't be able to play this year either.  Donnie Wilkie, the Southeast Editor for HighWired Sports, tells us that Iti has been declared ineligible to play this year by the school due to problems with his transcript.  And Iti's not the only one in Southern California who appears to be too old to play and/or has had immigration problems due to the fact documents and official papers were either falsified or not in order  If you will recall, 6'8 Jr Charlie Rodriguez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA is having visa problems getting back into the United States from the Dominican Republic and 6'9 Apolinar Fernandez and 6'8 Jack Martinez were both ruled academically ineligible at Lakewood (Artesia) CA last spring and, as a result, are now attending a high school in Canada. 

No program in college basketball has done a better job of filling their needs in recent years than Cincinnati.  Don't believe it?  Well, just look at the evidence.  In 1998 the Bearcats had the #7 ranked recruiting class when they landed 6'6 Pete Mickeal from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'11 Donald Little from Winchendon (School) MA, 5'11 Steve Logan from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, 6'7 Eugene Land from Cincinnati (Roger Bacon) OH, and 6'0 Alvin Mitchell from Indian Hills (JC) CA.  In 1999 the Bearcats had the #8 ranked recruiting class when they signed 6'9 DerMarr Johnson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'2 Kenny Satterfield from New York (Rice) NY, 6'11 John Grove from Grove City (George Jr. Republic) PA, and 6'5 Leonard Stokes from Buffalo (Turner-Carroll) NY.  Last year the Bearcats had the #5 ranked recruiting class when they brought in three of the top junior college players in the nation in 6'7 Antwan Jones from from Tallahassee (JC) FL, 6'4 Immanuel McElroy from Tyler (JC) TX, 6'8 Jamaal Davis from Barton County (JC) KS, plus they signed two good high school players in 6'3 Field Williams from Houston (Waltrip) TX and 6'8 Rod Flowers from Huntsville (Butler) AL.  And if things fall right again, the Bearcats could be on the verge of a 4th straight top 10 recruiting class.  As it stands now, they are the co-favorite, along with Michigan State, for 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who ranks #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  They also are right there, along with Kentucky, Texas, and Arkansas, for 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Neuman Smith) TX, who ranks #36 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And they're battling it out with Texas and Louisville for 5'11 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   But that's it, unless you include 6'11 Hiram Fuller from Wabash Valley (JC) IL. Apparently he was stashed there by Fresno State, but Cincinnati's strong ties to the Wabash Valley program are enough to make them a factor.  If you will recall, new Bearcats assistant coach Keith LeGree was an assistant coach at Wabash Valley at year ago and Wabash Valley head coach John Loyer was an assistant coach at Cincinnati during most of the 90's.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that West Virginia may be a lot closer to getting a verbal commitment from 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, who ranks #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, than most people realize.  However, this is not a surprise to us, because recently we found out that new Mountaineers assistant coach Chris Cheeks previously was the high school coach of one of Hargett's older brothers.  As a result, he not only has a preexisting relationship with the family, but he also seems to have the trust of Hargett's mother, which is always important in the final stages of recruiting.  So don't be surprised if Hargett picks West Virginia and don't be surprised if it happens soon, like later this week.  Assuming that we're right on this West Virginia will be beating some pretty strong company, like Arizona, Tennessee, and LSU.  Rubin also tells us that Temple, Virginia, Florida State, and N.C. State are among the final four for 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA and he still thinks Villanova is the school you have to beat for 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ.  However, Turner had better do it soon, because the Wildcats are also in hot pursuit of 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA.  Their other remaining scholarship will also likely go to a perimeter player, but they'd like to sign somebody in the 6'5 to 6'8 range.  The newest name on their list is 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who has emerged as the #1 senior in Philadelphia this fall, but right now he's primarily a high post player. 

Tuesday, September 26, 2000

With Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, and Wake Forest all just up the road, it is especially important for the UNC-Charlotte coaching staff to identify who they can get early and out work everybody else during the recruiting process.  Well, it looks like they've been doing a great job, because with two consecutive top 25 recruiting classes, which include players like 6'9 Rodney White from Kensington (Newport School) MD, 6'7 Cameron Stephens from Vincennes (JC) IN, 6'7 Tory Reed from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, 6'5 Kevin Johnson from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'5 Rodney Zimmerman from Indian Hills (JC) IA, 6'8 Kenkay Jones from West Plains (JC) TX,  and 6'1 Demon Brown from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, the 49ers could emerge as one of the biggest surprises in college basketball in the near future.  No, UNC-Charlotte doesn't have any McDonald's All-American's or any real high profile players who will raise a lot of eyebrows.   Instead, they're more like the great Seton Hall team in 1989, which also was unheralded, but featured at least 10 players who were ranked among the top 100 nationally or the equivalent of top 100 in junior college or prep school.  Well, it looks like the 49ers have done it again, because yesterday they got a verbal commitment from 6'2 Mitchell Bittle from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, who ranks #92 nationally and is capable of playing either guard spot.  Actually, Bittle is the perfect combo guard.   He doesn't have the decision making necessary to be a pure point guard and he's not big enough to matchup against bigger 2-guards.  However, it really doesn't matter, because Bittle is so athletic, explosive in transition, and naturally talented.  And he's not the only guy they may steal this fall.  Believe it or not, the 49ers may be the leader for 6'7 Quemont Greer from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, who ranks #50 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   Greer is an unsized power forward, but nobody in the nation rebounds better.  Greer had a monster summer, as is evident by the fact that he finished ranked #9 at the adidas ABCD Camp by the HOOP SCOOP and was one of the best players at the adidas Big Time Tournament.   And the 49ers may also re-sign 6'5 Hector Romero from Venezuela, who is currently stashed in junior college.  But, if they get Greer, they may run into the same problem (no available scholarships) they faced when 6'9 Jason Parker from Fork Union (Military) VA suddenly became available in August.

Another program that appears to be on the of verge of being a major surprise in the near future is Holy Cross.  If you will recall, the Crusaders stole 6'0 Jave Meade from Northfield (Northfield-Mt. Hermon) MA, 6'5 John Bucaro from South Huntington (St. Anthony) NY, and 6'5 Greg Rector from Gaithersburg (Quince Orchard) MD a year ago and, as a result, their recruiting class, which included only three players, was ranked #2 in the Patriot League behind Lafayette.  The trend appears to be continuing, because earlier this fall they landed 6'7 John Hurley from Braintree (Thayer Academy) MA and yesterday got a commitment from 6'11 Nate Lufkin from Round Rock (H.S.) TX, who is ranked #26 in the state of Texas by Mike Kunstadt, who is widely regarded as the foremost authority on high school basketball in the state.   "He not there yet," says Wes Grandstaff, the Texas Editor of the HOOP SCOOP.  "But I really like his upside.  He's skinny, but he's got long arms and legs, excellent timing, and good mobility, all of which helps make him a good shot blocker.  He also runs the court well for somebody his and has a nice shooting touch out to 18-feet."  Lufkin picked Holy Cross over Colorado State, Kansas State, Rice, Stephen F. Austin, and SMU.  Grandstaff also tells us that another player in his state who committed within the last few days is 6'5 Nathan Doudney from Rockwell (H.S.) TX.  Doundey is a terrific 3-point shooter and, as a result, is a good catch for Tulsa. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'4 J.J. Sullinger from Columbus (Thomas Worthington) OH is finally official for Arkansas.   If you will recall, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman jumped the gun on this one two weeks ago.  Another one we appear to have jumped the gun on is 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD, who ranks #59 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  But we're not retracting this one, because at the time we reported this, he had told Rob Matera of All-Star Sports Report that he was going to North Carolina.  Unless somebody tells us that it's off the record, that's good enough for us.  However, the official announcement was made yesterday.   We also have confirmed 6'8 Levi Watkins from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, who ranks #93 nationally, to N.C. State.  While Watkins is a better player right now than 6'10 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, who also is high on N.C. State's priority list, Collins is two inches bigger and has a much getter upside.  As a result, it will be interesting to see if Watkins commitment has any effect on Collins, whose final two appear to be Virginia and N.C. State.   However, the player who would instantly make N.C. State one of the elite teams in college basketball is 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Hodge was at Florida over the weekend, but Syracuse is still the school most people think you have to beat.  And don't forget Maryland, because Terps assistant coach Billy Hahn is second to none on the recruiting trail.  We still haven't confirmed 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, but Mike Waters of the Syracuse Post-Standard tells us there is press conference scheduled for Thursday and it would be a major surprise to everybody, if it wasn't Syracuse.  Buffalo has gotten one of the biggest steals of the year in 6'3 Turner Battle from Kernerville (East Forsyth) NC, who ranks #138 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. 

Greg Swaim, the Editor and Publisher of GregSwaim.com, tells us that Oklahoma State and Texas Chrisitian are the co-favorites for 6'4 Antonio Falu from San Jacinto (JC) TX.  However, the smart money is on the Cowboys, because Falu and current Oklahoma State freshman 6'10 David Anderson and Falu are not only good friends, but were teammates on the Houston Jaguars club team two years ago.   Swaim also tells us that we may look real good down the road, because nobody else has listed Arkansas with 6'9 Jr Shelden Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who ranks #11 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a matter of fact, Swaim thinks Arkansas will be the team to beat, because Oklahoma and Oklahjoma State don't play his style of game and Duke and North Carolina are too far away from home.  So the Razorbacks appear to be the perfect fit and if it happens, remember where you heard it first!  Our Texas Editor Wes Grandstaff tells us the final four for 6'7 Jason Maxiell from Carrollton (Newman Smith) TX, who ranks #36 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, are Cincinnati, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Texas.  Most people think this one is a slam dunk for Cincinnati, but Grandstaff tells us that he had a great visit over the weekend and others are telling us that the Wildcats may actually be a lot closer to getting a verbal commitment than most people realize.  This is especially interesting, because Marvin Stone is just a sophomore and Marquis Estill and Jason Parker are both freshmen, plus Jules Camara, who is sitting out this year, is also waiting in the wings.  We also have confirmed that 6'7 Sean Kline from Huntington (North) IN, who ranks #96 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has reaffirmed his commitment to Indiana.  If you will recall, there was some question about whether his commitment would hold up after Bob Knight was fired two weeks ago.  

Monday, September 25, 2000

Reggie Tisdale, the Editor & Publisher of Indiana Basketball News, is reporting that 6'2 Chris Hill from Indianapolis (Lawrence North) IN, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the senior class nationally, has made a verbal committed to Michigan State.  If you will recall, the Spartans wanted to bring in three wing players in this recruiting class.  Well, last week they got 6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN, who ranks #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Now they have Hill, who ranks #142 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   With those two players the Spartans just miss making our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes To Date, but if they get 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who ranks as the #3 senior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, then their class would move all the way up to #3 behind Florida and North Carolina and ahead of Memphis. Another school that continues to move up in our rankings of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes is Syracuse, but anybody who has reported that 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT has made it official for the Orangemen has jumped the gun.  Konecny was on campus over the weekend, but nothing happened.  Apparently he decided to return home and talk it over with his parents before making it official.  So suddenly the question becomes, is Connecticut turning up the heat, because they don't want to let the top player in the state get away, especially to a big rival like Syracuse.  Or maybe the Huskies have gotten   Konecny to hold off for a day or two so they can to turn the heat up on 6'8 Isaiah Fox from Santa Monica (Crossroads) CA, who was made an official visit to Connecticut over the weekend.  We also have confirmed that 6'8 Jason Carter from Las Vegas (Bishop Gorman) NV, who ranks #156 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has verbally committed to Colorado and 6'2 Jason Williams from Aurora (Hinckley) CO, who ranks #100 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked Xavier.

The Converse Jam Fest at Rutgers University featured an all New Jersey Final Four in the Open Division, as the New Jersey Rap beat the Jersey City Boys Club and the Tim Thomas Playaz beat the New Jersey Roadrunners in the semi-finals yesterday afternoon.  That set the stage for the New Jersey Rap, which doesn't travel to national tournaments, but which has at least five players who are good enough to get scholarships at the mid-to-low Division I level, to pull off a surprising upset in the championship game, as they beat the Tim Thomas Playaz, 69-61.  The key to their success was the outstanding guard play provided by 6'1 Dezmond Morgan from Columbia (H.S.) NJ, 6'1 Jr Anthony Drejaj from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, and 6'3 Aaron Davis from East Orange (Bishop Francis) NJ. Morgan is quick to the basket and good at coming off the screen to hit the open three.   Drejaj is a tough hardnosed white kid who can shoot the lights out.  Davis is a point guard who can score, as was evident when he scored 28 points in the championship game and took home MVP honors.  Also scoring 16 points in the championship game and doing most of the dirty work inside was 6'6 Scott Findlay from West Morris (H.S.) NJ.  He was complemented inside by the physical presence of 6'9 Kevin Martin from Columbia (H.S.) NJ and the athleticism of 6'6 Brian Robinson from Jersey City (St. Peter's) NJ.  The leading scorer in the championship game for the Tim Thomas Playaz was 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA with 20 points, but one of the big surprises of the tournament was 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, who finished with 18 points and played consistently harder than we've ever seen him play in the past.  As a result, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin will have to move him up on his next report, which should be completed sometime in October.   The Tim Thomas Playaz also featured 6'3 Jr John Winchester from Bayonne (Marist) NJ, who had 10 points in the championship game, 6'6 Danny Hinds from Allentown (Central Catholic) PA, 6'9 Jr Eric Davis from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, and 6'0 Jeremiah King from Winchendon (School) MA, but they didn't seem to want it as bad as the New Jersey Rap and, as a result, they came up short in the championship game. The Tim Thomas Playazz also came up short in the championship game of in the 11th grade Division against New York Riverside Church, which featured 6'4 Jr Ricky Soliver fron Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 6'0 Jr Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, and 5'9 Jr Keydren Clark from New York (Rice) NY outside and 6'9 Jr Shakiem Mitchell from New York (Rice) NY and 6'9 Jr Roberto Medares from Milford (Academy) CT inside.  The Tim Thomas Playazz were equally talented, but a little bit younger, as their top players included 6'4 Soph Marquis Webb from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'6 Soph Demetris Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrews) RI, 6'9 Soph Darryl Watkins from Paterson (Passaic County Tech) NJ, 6'2 Soph Jamar Nutter from West Orange (Seton Hall Prep) NJ, 6'9 Jr Eric Davis from Camden (H.S.) NJ, 6'5 Soph Willie Irick from Teaneck (H.S.) NJ, and 6'8 Soph William Sheridan from Bear (Samford) DE.  In the other age brackets, Brooklyn USA won the 6th and 8th Grade Divisions, the New York Gauchos beat the Jersey City Boys Club in the 7th Grade Division, and Connecticut Select knocked off the New York Gauchos in the Sophomore Division.  However, the championship game that we found most interesting was the game between the Jersey City Boys Club and the Philadelphia Patriots in the 9th Grade Division.  The Jersey City Boys Club, which won in overtime, features 6'1 Frosh Marcus Williams from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 5'10 Frosh Ahmad Mosbey from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'2 Frosh David Whitehurst from Tinton Falls (Monmouth Regional) NJ, 6'1 Frosh Otis Campbell from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Frosh Matthew Givens from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'4 Frosh Jimmy Mindingall from Randolph (H.S.) NJ.  Remember the names, because all of these guys have high major talent and potential and four of them will be playing for the legendary Bob Hurley for the next four years.  But they're also pretty good right now.  Remember, the Jersey City Boys Club  team, which featured 5'11 Jr Dwayne Lee, 5'10 Jr Donald Copeland, 6'4 Jr Zackie Boyd, and 6'8 Jon Kobryn, advanced to the Final Four in the Open Divison, even without their best player - 6'1 Jr Elijah Ingram, also from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Lee, Copeland, and Boyd were all very impressive, but the most impressive junior in the entire tournament was 6'4 Jr Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, who this fall has emerged as one of the top 20 players in his class nationally.  As a result, he's a high priority for Rutgers.  So are Ingram, Lee, 6'1 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, and 6'0 Jr Mike Lesma from Burlington (Life Center) NJ and will be Scarlet Knight's assistant coach Danny Hurley's job to deliver at least two of these guards a year from now.  It may come down to whoever commits first, but one thing is for sure, all Rutgers fans have to do is be patient, because the pipeline is already clearly in place.  Another program that has great young talent is Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, which features 6'10 Soph Grant Billmeier, 5'11 Soph Michael Nardi, and 5'8 Soph Jason Patterson.  Billmeier has improved dramatically in the last year and, as a result, now ranks among the top big men in the nation.  So has Nardi, who reminds us of a young Bobby Hurley.  But we already knew about Billmeier, Nardi, 5'10 Sam Lake, and  6'6 Jamie Sowers.   Instead, Patterson, who is a lights out 3-point shooter, is the surprise and, as a result, St. Patrick's Kevin Boyle once again could have one of the best high school team's this year.  But his best team ever could be when Billmeier, Nardi, and Patterson are seniors, because that's when 6'7 Derrick Character will be arriving into 9th grade.  Since the State High School Association in New Jersey doesn't allow recruiting, Boyle already has a major jump on this 12-year-old 7th grader who has attended the St. Patrick's Basketball Camp each summer since he was in third grade.  Character also already is playing with Boyle's club team and last week he had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocked shots while playing against juniors and seniors in high school.  As a matter of fact, the word is that this 6'7 man-child is already so good that he would be the best 9th grader in the nation, although he's still only in 7th grade.  Another great young player in the tournament was 6'8 Soph Lou Deng from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, whose older brother is Connecticut's Ajou Ajou Deng.  The younger Deng more than lived up to his earlier billing with his athleticism, shot blocking ability, and ability to shoot the three.  Not only is he a legitimate top five sophomore in America, but he's really good right now.  So is his teammate, 6'9 Soph Charlie Villanuava from Blairstown (Academy) NJ, who is a repeat sophomore, but unfortunately New Jersey Demons Rich Leary, who is back after spending the last four years coaching girls, lacked the guard support necessary and, as a result, got beat bad when we saw them against New York Riverside Church in the Junior Division.  Another big story this weekend at the Converse Jam Fest was the continuing emergence of 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who now has to be regarded as a top 100 senior nationally.   If you will recall, led Positive Image to the championship at the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament in College Park, MD, but he was even better here, as he blocked shots, rebounded, and scored in the paint.  So was 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  Walsh reminds us of Matt Carroll, who was the best player in Eastern Pennsylvania a year ago.   However, Walsh is a lot more athletic and, as a result, better than Carroll at the same stage.  Walsh has a great nose for the ball, is an excellent outside shooter, and is extremely versatile, which is why he's suddenly become a top priority for numerous big time schools.  This future potential McDonald's All-American has Virginia, Maryland, Louisville, North Carolina, and Florida at the top of his list, but Kansas, Villanova, Pennsylvania, and Stanford also have to be mentioned. 

Sunday, September 24, 2000

The big story at Rick Barrett's Gym Rat Midnight Madness was not who showed up, but who didn't show up.   Among those who were missing in action were six of the top players - 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'7 Jr Stanley Gaines from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, 6'4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, and 6'8 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL - who were supposed to be in the game.  Not only did they disappoint the several thousand fans, coaches, and scouts who came to see them play, but even more important, they missed the very important four-hour session put on by the Princeton Review people on Saturday morning.  During the first three hours the players actually take the test and, then, during the last hour, are taught things that they need to know in order to do better on the test.  Obviously, this will be a big help for those who attended and are interested in passing the SAT or the ACT.  While at least several of the players who were missing in action will need all the help they can get when it comes to becoming eligible to play college basketball as a college freshman , 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, who already is a great student, represents the other extreme.  He not only took advantage of the opportunity, but he then drove an hour North to play with his team in the Converse Jam Fest at Rutgers University.  He also came back that night to play in the National Underclassmen Game at the Gym Rat Midnight Madness.  And he was one of the best players in the game with 12 points, even though his outside shot wasn't falling.  The leading scorers in the Underclassmen Game were 6'8 Soph Leon Powe from Oakland (Vocational Tech) CA and 6'5 Jr Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, who finished with 14 apiece.  Several area players - 6'8 Jason Herring and 6'5 Ronnie Lemelle - who were last also chipped in with 13 points apiece, but our favorite player in the game was 5'11 Soph Dewayne Green from Saginaw (Arthur Hill) MI, who hit several 3-pointers, scored in transition, and created havoc at the defensive end.   Also deserving a mention were 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'2 Soph John Winston from Richmond (H.S.) CA, 6'3 Jr Tim Drisdom from Downey (H.S.) CA, and 6'8 Jr Maurice Shaw from Fresno, CA.  Despite the no-shows, the All-American Game still featured a number of big name players, including 6'9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) CA, 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, and 6'7 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA.  However, the players without big reps were really the guys who stole the show.  Let's start with 6'2 Solomon Brown from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, who was the leading scorer with 18 points, as he hit four straight 3-pointers and impressed us with his quickness and ability to get to the basket in transition.  Also scoring 16 points and hitting several 3-pointers was 6'0 Ricky Morgan from Pontiac (Northern) MI, who thrived in this uptempo setting.  Most of the 14 points scored by Is'mail Muhammed from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammad) GA came from offensive rebounds or drives to the basket, but he brought the house down with his earth-shattering dunks on several occasions.  Barry Elder, the 6'4 2-guard from Madison (Morgan County) GA, who is bound for Georgia Tech along with Muhammed, also did his thing, which is outside shooting, as he went to the trifecta from 3-point land and finished with 11 points.  Also scoring 11 points and impressing us with both his outside shooting and ablity to go to the hole was 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA.  The biggest surprise was 6'11 Nate Vandersluis from Oak Harbor (H.S.) OH, who was ranked no higher than #19 in Ohio in Chris Johnson's pre-summer rankings.  Vandersluis doesn't pass the look test, but you can't teach size and heart like this guy's got.  He also has excellent skills and effects the game, which is why schools like Pittsburgh, St. Bonaventure, and Miami-OH are knocking down his door.   Game MVP honors went to Turner, who finished with 14 points, and Brown, who finished with 18 points, but the real MVP was Ford, despite the fact he only finished with two points.  Ford had a least 10 assists, but he also remembered his teammates, which is important in a game like this.  Also, deserving special mention is Sensley, who was the leading scorer for his team with 16 points, as well as the most talented player in the game. 

Saturday, September 23, 2000

We've heard rumors about Arizona being out with 6'9 Dennis Latimore from Halstead (H.S.) KS, who ranks #44 nationally by tee HOOP SCOOP, but nothing could be further from the truth.  As a matter of fact, nothing has changed with either Latimore or 6'11 Rick Rickert from Duluth (East) MN, who ranks #12 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, since July.  That's right!   We still think you can write both of them down for Arizona.  And if Arizona also gets one of the three outstanding point guards - 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, and 5'9 Jason Fontent from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ - to go along with 6'10 Channing Frey from Phoenix (St. Mary's) AZ and 6'2 Salim Stoudamire from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR, both of whom also rank among our top 100 nationally, then the Wildcats would be in a position to challenge Florida and North Carolina for the #1 ranked recruiting class.  Speaking of North Carolina, the Tar Heels, which currently are ranked #2, could move into that elite position if they get 7'1 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA.  However, right now you can be sure that Virginia is turning up the heat, because he's making his official to Charlottesville, VA this weekend, along with 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA and 6'7 Erik Bond from Seattle (Prep) WA.  Virginia also has 6'4 Jr J.J. Reddick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, who ranks #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, in this weekend for an unofficial visit and that too is a very important visit, because Reddick's top two schools are Duke and Virginia.   He's always been a Duke fan and he's a terrific student, but the smart money is on Virginia, because the Blue Devils recently got 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who plays an identical position..  Instead, we think it's more likely that Duke will land another great point guard, like 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, and 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, to replace Jason Williams and Chris Duhon, both of whom likely will be gone to the NBA by that time.  Getting back to North Carolina, don't be surprised if the Tar Heels get an early commitment from 6'6 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn ((Bishop Loughlin) NY, who has emerged as the #1 junior in New York City. Apparently new North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty loves Sumpter's game and Sumpter has a mutual feeling about the Tar Heels.  And if this happens, it wouldn't be good news for St. John's, which is already targeting Sumpter and 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, as priorities for next year.  Apparently Sumpter and Fraser, both of whom are considering St. John's, North Carolina, Connecticut, Duke, Seton hall, and Ohio State, are already talking about going to the same school and, as a result, an early commitment by Sumpter would make the Tar Heels the team to beat for Fraser. 

It's not done yet, but Mike Waters, a sportwriter for the Syracuse Post-Standard, tells us that 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, who ranks #114 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is in Syracuse, NY this weekend making his official visit and it would be a major shock if he returns home  before making it official for the Orangemen.   When that happens, Syracuse's recruiting class will move from #8 to #3 on our list of the top recruiting classes to date.  If you will recall, the Orangemen got 6'3 Billy Edelin from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD last spring and last week they got 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY and 6'6 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA.  But the big prize that make this a great recruiting class for the Orangemen is 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  However, that's easier said than done, because we're hearing that N.C. State may actually be the leader for Hodge and Maryland, and Florida are also very dangerous adversaries.  We also have confirmed that Hartford has 6'1 Saun Swan from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA, who averaged 20-plus ppg last season while playing with a broken hand and promises to be one of the biggest sleepers in the nation, and the University of Maine has gotten a commitment from 6'9 David Dubois from Laval (Montmorency College) QU.

Friday, September 22, 2000

For the third consecutive week we are eagerly awaiting the weekend, because we're heading East again to attend the Converse Jam Fest at Rutgers University on Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday, plus we'll drive down to Cherry Hill, NJ on Saturday night for Rick Barrett's Midnight Madness.   And, as you will see in a minute, both events are loaded!  One of the things will be interested in at the Jam Fest is whether Positive Image and Connecticut Select, which played in the championship game last week at Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament, can do it again.  Also getting first round byes are the Tim Thomas Playaz, the Long Island Panthers, Mickey Walker, Virginia's Finest, Brooklyn Beast, Redemption, Philly 3 on 3, Broncos, Gauchos, and Dewey Street.  The rest of the field includes Cheshire, NEPA White, New Jersey Roadrunners, MBA Hoops, City Rocks Black, South Jersey Shore, New York Wolfpack, West Pennsylvania All Stars, City Rock Orange, Jersey State Cyclones, Toronot Ballhawks, Sullivan Eagles, James Lee (VA), Salvation Army, NEPA Green, Jersey Jaguars, Long Island Lightning, Les Nomades, Metro Boston,  Washington Heights Warriors, Youth Inter Soc., JCBC, East Windsor PAL, St. Mike's, Elizabeth Hilltoppers, Central Jersey Hawks, Berg Yellow Jackets, Original Celtics, Shore Rockets, Sam Rines, 92nd Street Y, Jersey Shore Warriors, On Top Their Game, New Jersey Celtics, TR Wolfpack, New Jersey Rap, Binghampton, and B-Ballers.  First round games will tip off beginning at 6:15 PM tonight at Rutgers University in what Steve Keller calls "a NCAA Tournament-like format."  If you lose you get to keep playing the losers bracket.  However, those that are fortunate enough to keep winning will contiue to advance in the winners bracket.   Loser bracket games will begin at 9:00 AM Saturday morning and winners bracket games tip off beginning at 11:20 AM.   Everybody who continues to advance in the winners bracket will get two games on Saturday, and three games on Sunday concluding with the championship game at 2:00 PM.   Barrett's event tips off with his 8th grade game at 5:00 PM on Saturday evening, followed by a freshman and sophomore game at 6:00 PM, a junior and senior game at 7:00 PM, and a game that features many of the top players in South Jersey regardless of class at 8:00 PM. Then, the highlight of the night will be his two national showcase games at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM.  The 9:00 PM game will feature many of the top underclassmen in the nation, including 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, 6'5 Jr Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL, 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'5 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'5 Soph Olymuyiwa Famuttimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'3 Soph Dionne Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'6 Soph Jordan Ingram from Radnor (Archbishop Carroll) PA, 6'3 Jr Tim Drisdom from Downey (Calvery Chapel) PA, 6'8 Jr Leon Powe from Oakland (Vocational Tech) CA, 6'2 Soph John Winston from Richmond, CA, and 6'9 Jr Maurice Shaw from Fresno, CA.  The All-American Classic at 10:00 PM will feature 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, 6'7 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, 6'9 Dermarshay Johnson from Oakland (Vocational Tech) CA, 6'6 Is'mail Muhammad from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammed) GA, 6'5 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA, 6'1 Solomon Brown from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge) VA, 5'9 Brian Swift from Bedford (Chanel) OH, 6'4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL, 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, and 6'3 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA.  We also plan to be in the East again next weekend for Wayne Simone's Adidas HOOP Challenge at Yale University, September 29th-October 1st, which could be especially interesting if Simone's Connecticut Select team does well in the Converse Jam Fest this weekend.    Obviously, several final four appearances at Charlie Weber and the Jam Fest and a championship in the Adidas Hoop Challenge would put Simone's team in a great position to win the HOOP SCOOP's Team-of-the-Fall.  For the list of teams and other pertinent information about Simone's event, click on http://eteamz.com/connselect.

Thursday, September, 21, 2000

Tennessee may have lost the football game to Florida last weekend, but they won the recruiting battle for 6'7 Elgrace Wilborn from Springfield (South) OH, who ranks #152 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Wilborn, who was in Knoxville, TN over the weekend making his official visit, not only verbally committed to the University of Tennessee yesterday, but he did so without taking any other official visits.  He was supposed to visit Georgia Tech this weekend and Nebraska next weekend, but that's been cancelled.  He also was being recruited by Michigan State, Old Dominion, and Miami-OH, but they too are looking elsewhere for another player who plays Wilborn's position.  And Wilborn isn't the only top player in the state of Ohio's elite eight seniors who is gone.  As matter of fact, Johnson points out that only two of his top eight are still uncommitted.  If you will recall, 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH,who ranks as the #1 senior in the state, made it official for North Carolina two weeks ago.  The #2 and #3 seniors - 6'7 Matt Sylvester from Cincinnati (Moeller) OH and 6'9 Terrance Dials from Youngstown (Boardman) OH - are long gone to Ohio State.  Johnson's #4 ranked senior - 6'5 Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell Marion) OH - recently announced for Xavier and 6'7 Jordan Cornette from Cincinnati (St. Xavier) OH, who ranks #5 in the state, still plans to honor his committed to Notre Dame, despite the coaching change.   That leaves 6'9 Adam Waleskowski from Kettering (Alter) OH, who ranks #6, as the top unsigned player in the state.  Right now Dayton and Xavier appear to be the leaders, but Purdue and Tennessee are factors, plus Penn State is making a strong push.  Next is Wilborn, followed by the only other unsigned player - 6'4 J.J. Sullinger from Columbus (Thomas Worthington) OH, who will be making an official visit to Arkansas this weekend.  Sullinger also still has  Houston, Ohio University, and Bowling Green on his list, but the smart money is on the Razorbacks and, as a result, a commitment may be forthcoming immediately after the visit.

Anybody who thinks the Atlantic Coast Conference isn't still one of the elite conferences in college basketball needs to take a closer look.   Duke and North Carolina are two of the very elite programs in college basketball, Maryland has solidified its status as a top 10 team for years to come, Virginia great young talent in the program and, as a result, has emerged into a top 20 program, and Wake Forest will always be good as long as Dave Odom is the head coach.  That leaves Georgia Tech, which now has some margin for error, because head coach Paul Hewitt is only in his first year, Clemson, N. C. State, and Florida State.   N.C. State would emerge into that upper echelon if they get 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY and 6'10 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  So would Florida State, if Seminoles head coach Steve Robinson can continue to get his share of the top high school players in Florida and add a superstar or two to the mix.  However, it looks like Clemson has pulled into the lead  in this race.  Last spring head coach Larry Shyatt's recruiting class, which included 6'8 Chris Hobbs from Chapel Hill (East Chapel Hill) NC, 6'2 Tony Stockman from Medina (H.S.) OH, 6'5 Jamar McKnight from Northwest Mississippi (JC) MS, 6'5 Dwon Clifton from High Point (Westchester) NC, and 6'8 De'on Dixon from Fayetteville (Seventy-First) NC, was ranked #29 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And actually that was probably too low, because Dixon has dramatically improved.  He still needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's a multi-dimensional athlete who, at 6'8, is a terrific 3-point shooter and surprisingly good ball handler.   Dixon didn't make it academically, but he still counts in last year's recruiting class, because he signed a National Letter-of-Intent with the Tigers.  He tells us that he plans to do so again (sign with Clemson) after his junior college career is over.   And the timing would be perfect, because by that time we expect 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS and 6'9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, both of whom have verbally committed to the Tigers in the last week, to have developed into two of the better players in the league.  That would give Shyatt three potential NBA players to go along with a terrific supporting cast, which bring us to the real point of all this.  Today Clemson got a verbal commitment from another player who figures to be an important part of that supporting cast in 6'7 Olu Babalua from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, who ranks #113 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Babalua is a physical specimen inside, but actually he'd prefer to be a wing forward and he might be able to get away with it, because he's surprisingly mobile in transition for somebody his size.  He also plays hard, has a good nose for the ball, and makes things happens.  As a result, he should be perfect complement to Ford, who right now is best at the power forward spot, but who has the perimeter skills to eventually develop into an outstanding wing forward down the road.  Ford is a big-time athlete, while Babalua has the ability to do the blue collar work and, as s result, be a great role player.  However, if Babalua grows another inch or two, all bets are off, because the sky could be the limit.  So with the addition of Babalua, Clemson's recruiting class moves up from #10 nationally into the #6 position behind Florida, North Carolina, Memphis, Ohio State, and Missouri and ahead of Syracuse, Florida International, Washington, and Georgetown.  While these rankings of the top 20 recruiting classes are sure to change dramtically between now and when we wrap up recruiting at the end of both the fall and spring signing periods, they do provide a great indicator as to how has done the best to date.  For the top 20 list, click on Top 20 Recruiting Classes.

Wednesday, September 20, 2000

Along with the month of July and the Holiday Tournament time in late December, this has to be our busiest time of the year.  Not only are there major tournaments and events all over the nation every weekend, but we also have verbal  commitments coming in at a near record pace.  Yesterday we mentioned that 16 players who rank among our top 100 nationally in high school or the equivalent in junior college or prep school had committed in the last week alone.  Well, at three more to that list today, as 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA has picked UCLA, 6'6 Alan Anderson from Minneapolis (DeLaSalle) MN committed to Michigan State, and 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY made it official for Hofstra.  That's right!  Hofstra head coach Jay Wright has stolen another one.   As a matter of fact, McRae might be his biggest catch yet and that's a huge statement when one remembers that former Hofstra point guard Craig "Speedy" Claxton was drafted #12  in the NBA draft in June.   "Chris doesn't really have a defined position," says Gary DeCesare, who is the head coach at St. Raymond's. "He's just a basketball player who is willing to do whatever his team needs him to do in order to win."   This was especially evident this summer when McRae and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY led the Bronx Ravens to a runnerup finish in the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas, NV.  Hodge, who ranks #4 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, got all the glory, but McRae was really the unsung hero.  He did all the dirty work both inside and defensively and, as a result, nobody really knows whether he has the perimeter skills necessary to be successful at the wing forward position at the next level.  Although we suspect that he does, by picking Hofstra it won't matter right away.  Not only will he be a big a fish in a little pond, but he'll have the time he needs to develop.  Currently McRae ranks #62 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but if he develops a consistent 3-point shot and turns into a good ball handler, the sky is the limit! Anderson, who ranks #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is exactly what Michigan State needs, because Spartans are looking to land three wing players in this recruiting class.  So he should plug in nicely at the wing forward spot and, as a result, that shouldn't have any effect on their recruitment of 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who ranks #3 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is a prime target for Michigan State, Cincinnati, and Connecticut.  UCLA getting Bozeman, who ranks #10 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is also huge, because that could start the domino effect for the Bruins.  If you recall, there had been a lot of talk about a possible package with Bozeman, 6'11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, and 6'5 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA.  Well, UCLA is out with Childress, so unless he shocks everybody and changes his mind, Bozeman will only be able to push Sampson, who is his teammate at Mater Dei, and Miles, who developed a close friendship with Bozeman during the last year, UCLA's way.  Previously, we thought Kansas might be able to get all four (Bozeman, Childress, Sampson, and Miles), but Bozeman's commitment to UCLA has to put the Bruins back into the driver's seat and if UCLA head coach Steve Lavin can pull this off, it would be a major coup, because a great pure point guard (Miles) and a quality big man (Sampson) are exactly what the Bruins need. 

Last week we pointed out the many similarities basketball-wise between 6’3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA   and Kevin Gaines, a former Wolverine player who has had more than his share of problems and, as a result, is transferring from Michigan to another school.  Both are tremendous athletes, scoring machines, and potential NBA players.  However, the comparison should end there, because any questions that have been recently raised about Ingerson’s academics, attitude, and background need to be put to rest here and now.   Despite rumors to the contrary, Ingerson has made it academically. As a matter of fact, somebody who has seen his transcript tells us that he is a surprisingly good student, especially in light of the fact that he’s had a tough home life while growing up.  He not only just survived, but he’s managed to stay out of trouble and in the process become a terrific basketball player, as is evident by the fact that he ranks #19 nationally in the HOOP SCOOP.  We bring all this up because Ingerson obviously is a major success story and that’s important in this day and age when it seems like all we hear about are players academic problems, police records, and other off the court problems. 

It looks like there is a new kid on the block in the Philadelphia Area.   We're talking about 6'8 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, who, after terrific performances at the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA and the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament in College Park, MD the last two weekends, has emerged as the #1 ranked senior in Philadelphia and the #2 senior in Eastern Pennsylvania behind 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA.  Warrick is a good shot blocker, mobile athlete, and aggressive rebounder, but he still needs to get bigger and stronger to play for the schools that are now knocking on his door.  He's already had in-home visits with Rhode Island, Providence, Xavier, San Diego State, and Virginia.  La Salle will be in his home tonight and Syracuse will get the last in-home visit on September 28th, unless 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT makes it official for the Orangemen first.  Currently Warrick doesn't rank among our top 100, but at the rate he's progressing, that might turn out to be too low.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin also tells us that Lehigh has gotten a major steal for a school at their level.  He's talking about 6'8 Eric Heil from Bettendorf (Pleasant Valley) IA, who impressed us enough this summer to get ranked #513 nationally.   And it looks like the Mountain Hawks beat out some good competition, as Heil's list also included South Alabama, Central Florida, Air Force, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Harvard, and Dartmouth.  Another inside player with the potential to move way up in Philadelphia is 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA, who ranks #173 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  We've always seen flashes from this wide body who can be a dominant force on the boards, but if the light ever licks on and he decides he wants it.  As a result, his final four includes Virginia Tech, South Florida, Rhode Island, and Penn State. Also, Rutgers has landed 6'3 Jual Wiggin from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA. 

No, we haven't been ignoring the entire Bob Knight situation, but we've been busy with all the verbal commitments and travel to major events lately.  Especially amusing is the hypocrisy of it all.  Imagine one of Knight's players telling him that he didn't understand what he meant.  Knight's players, his assistant coaches, and everybody else associated with the program have always been first class, because Knight has only allowed there to be room for one jerk in the program (himself).  Last week, with press conferences and television interviews seemingly daily, I thought Knight and his supporters were going to stage a coup d'etat and oust IU President Myles Brand.  Sure, Knight was a great coach and he did a lot of positive things for Indiana University over the years, but his supporters just don't get it.  It's time for a change!  Based on tradition, facilities, conference, fan interest, and players already in the program (all they need is a point guard), Indiana is one of the top five jobs in the college basketball.  And if they had a coach whose passion was coaching basketball, instead of hunting and fishing, there would probably be several more NCAA Championship banners hanging in Assembly Hall.   Obviously Knight doesn't like to recruit, but neither do all the other head coaches who spend the entire month of July on the road watching 17 and 18-year-old kids every day.   In other words, Knight is a major underachiever!  Just imagine if IU had a head coach who got out and worked.  Instead, Knight's idea of  working hard a year ago was going to see 6'9 Jared Jeffries from Bloomington (North) IN play in three different settings (Indianapolis, IN, Augusta, GA, and San Diego, CA) during the entire summer.  Knight got Jeffries anyway, but recruits would be standing in line to go Indiana, just like they do when Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski comes calling, if Knight had just put in the effort.  Sure, Knight may coach again, but he also would have to recruit.  No, it will never be the same!  Just like with Woody Hayes, whether he likes it or not, Knight will always be synonymous with IU basketball.  The tradegy of it all is that he's had it his way for far to long, but he still doesn't get it either.  Hopefully, he still has time to learn that it's far better to treat everybody the way you would want them to treat you, instead of like a pesky fly you would swat any time somebody disagrees with you or something doesn't go your way.  If he doesn't, the future may be even tougher, at least until he realizes he has a problem and decides to really change.  Maybe he'll have to get fired from more jobs and eventually hit rock bottom, just like a drug addict or drunk, before he finally gets it.  One things is for sure, we haven't heard the last of Bob Knight....

Also extremely interesting is the situation that IU interim head coach Mike Davis is inheriting.  As both a person and a recruiter, Davis is second to none.  But can he coach?  Who knows, because he's never had the opportunity before.  But let's say somebody steps up and fills the point guard role or they are able to hide that weakness, it's is not inconceivable that Indiana could be very good this year, as well as  go deep into the NCAA Tournament.  If that happens, Davis would likely get the job on a permanent basis and short of that, it would be a great stepping stone career-wise.  So obviously Davis needed to hire the right interim assistant coaches.  However, he didn't hire the perfect candidate.  We're talking about San Diego State assistant coach Brian Dutcher, who already has established himself as the best interim assistant coach in the history of the game.   Think I'm kidding don't you?  Recall back to 1989 when Bill Frieder got fired and Steve Fisher took over as the interim head coach at Michigan right before the NCAA Tournament began.  If you will recall, Dutcher was an interim assistant coach on that NCAA Championship team and, as a result of their success, Fisher got the job on a permanent basis.  Then, when Fisher got fired at Michigan several years ago and Brian Ellerbe was moved into the interim position, history repeated itself.  Dutcher stayed around for a year as an interim assistant and Ellerbe got the job on a permanent basis and, as a result, is still the coach today.    Instead, Julius Smith and Dan Panaggio, who was a three time coach of the year in the CBA, were announced to fill the voids created at Indiana when Bob Knight was fired and his son and assistant coach Pat Knight resigned. 

Tuesday, September 19, 2000

Late last week we told you that 6'9 Taurance Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA and 5'11 Dave Luber from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA would both verbally committed to Florida International over the weekend.  Well, write it down!  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA, as expected, verbally committed to Auburn and, if you add 6'8 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who picked Clemson on Sunday, and 6'5 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL, who announced for Mississippi State, we were five for five on those predictions.  We also think it's only a matter of time before 6'10 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD announces for N.C. State and 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA commits to Auburn.  However, when if you put it on line enough, you're going to surprised once in a while and that's what happened yesterday when 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who ranks #82 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who has the talent and potential to move much higher, announced for Villanova.  Actually, this wasn't any big surprise, because Austin's mother had been pushing the Wildcats all along and in the final analysis the mother often is the one who makes the final decision.  In the case of Austin, who always had been a Syracuse fan, he  apparently changed his mind on his official visit to Villanova over the weekend and, as a result, Syracuse won't even get a visit.  Instead, the Orangemen will likely take 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, who ranks #114 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  If you recall, last week we reported that Konecny's first choice was Seton Hall, but when 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA picked the Pirates, Konecny let it be known that he wanted to commit to Syracuse.  However, Austin was Syracuse's #1 recruit at the power forward spot, so they've been holding Konecny off until they knew what Austin was going to do.  It also looks like we are going to wrong about Clemson getting either Campbell or 6'8 Ed Nelson from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL.  The word is that Nelson has gone to Georgia Tech and Campbell will likely make it official for Auburn sooner than later.  Instead, Clemson will likely turn the heat up on some other inside players, like 6'8 Olu Babalua from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ, who ranks #113 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and fits the blue collar role that the Tigers need.

They are dropping like flies, as 16 players who either rank among our top 100 nationally or are the equivalent of a top 100 player nationally have made verbally commitments within the last week. In other words, 48 of the top 100 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP have already been taken off the recruiting board. And if you include 5th school players, the number is even higher, as 6’9 Julian Sensley from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT to California, 6’9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Clemson, and 6’7 James White from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA to Florida have also made verbal commitments. Just today 6’8 Ed Nelson from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL picked Georgia Tech. Yesterday 6’8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ made it official for Villanova yesterday and 6’5 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA made it official for Auburn over the weekend. So did 6’9 Taurance Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA, who, as expected, picked Florida International, and Ford, who became Clemson’s second big recruit in the last week. A week ago the Tigers also got 6’3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS. UNLV has gotten 6’1 Marcus Banks from Dixie (JC) UT and 6’11 Simplece N’Joya from Homestead (Berkshire) FL and Syracuse has added 6’5 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA and 7’1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY. DePaul got 6’4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, Mississippi State has landed 6’5 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL, and Michigan got a steal in 6’3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA. North Carolina got 6’2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD, Seton Hall took 6’5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA, and Washington landed 6’5 Erroll Knight from Seattle (Chief Sealth) WA. However, that doesn’t mean the best isn’t yet to come, because most of the top seniors have yet to make verbal commitments. As matter of fact, only three of the top 10 seniors - 6’2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ to Memphis, 6’2 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY to Louisville, and 6’8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO to Florida - have already committed. Also only three players in the 11-20 range - 6’1 Maurice Williams from Jackson (Murrah) MS to Alabama, 6’3 Rashad Carruth from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA to Kentucky, and Ingerson to Michigan - and four players in the 21-30 range - 6’9 Jamal Levy from Homestead (Berkshire) FL to Wake Forest, 6’3 Daniel Ewing from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX to Duke, 6’9 Harvey Thomas from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD Georgetown, and Frazier to Mississippi State - have committed. However, in the 31-70 range 23 of the 40 players are already gone and in the 70 and in the 71-100 range half the players already have committed.

Monday, September 18, 2000

A year and a half ago UNLV had the #2 ranked recruit class in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP, but head coach Bill Bayno's most important addition to the program wasn't any of the players he signed.  Instead, it was former Maine Central Institute Max Good, who was hired because Bayno wanted somebody to push the players and up the tempo every day in practice.   Among the players in that recruiting class was a little known and underrated point guard - 6'1 Marcus Banks from Las Vegas (Cimarron) NV.  However, Banks didn't make it academically, so he went to Dixie (JC) UT, where he averaged 17 ppg and was one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks last year.  Well, now it looks like he's heading back to UNLV.  That's right!  We confirmed late last night that Banks has committed again to the Runnin' Rebels and he's the perfect fit for the way Bayno wants to play.  Kris Vance, who was an assistant coach at Dixie last season, tells us that Banks will lock you up defensively.  "He reminds me of Darnell Valentine," says Vance. "He's a tough hardnosed defender just like all those guys who played for Good at MCI, but he also can run the show and put points on the scoreboard."  And Banks isn't the only player UNLV has landed this fall who will be fits this description.  If you will recall, a week ago 6'11 Simplece N'Joya from Homestead (Berkshire) FL, who ranks #91 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, made it official for UNLV.  While Simplece is raw offensively, he's an excellent shot blocker, good rebounder, and a force to be reckoned with at the defensive end.  This is important, because it moves the Runnin' Rebels into a tie with Kentucky for #13 on our list of the Top 20 Recruiting Classes to date, which currently is being updated daily.  To get this list click on Top 20 Recruiting Classes.  And if they get 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, who ranks #49 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, their recruiting class would move into the top five nationally based on our currrent list to date.  However, our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin doesn't think that will happen, because he doesn't think Turner wants to go that far from home.  Instead, Rubin is predicting that Turner will pick Villanova over UNLV and Rutgers. 

Everybody seems to think that 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL has narrowed his list to DePaul, Cincinnati or the NBA, but that's not what we're hearing.  Believe it or not, our source, who is extremely well placed, thinks Illinois is the team you have to beat for this giant who ranks who ranks #6 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  And Memphis is in a lot better shape than most people realize.  Speaking of Memphis, Tigers head coach John Calipari has already done in-home visits with Curry, 6'9 Brandon Bender from Louisville (Ballard) KY, and 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St Jude) AL, he's on the West Coast today making in-home visits with Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA and 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and he'll make in-home visit on Wednesday with 6'9 Duane Erwin from Huntsville (Lee) AL.  Obviously, since the Tigers are so well stocked at the wing positions, the last pieces to Calipari's championship puzzle are several more quality big men and, as you can see, they are involved with nearly everybody, except, ironically, 6'10 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN.  Another interesting twist involves Bender, whose father was the college roommate of the father of Missouri assistant coach Tony Harvey.  So now you know why Bender had Missouri so high on his list early, but then the Tigers dropped out, because they already had all the inside players they need with Arthur Johnson and Travon Bryant, both of whom signed last spring, and 6'9 Robert Whaley from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI and 6'9 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, both whom verball committed in early June, all in the fold.  However, now that Bryant's recruitment may open back up, if he doesn't make the necessary test score at Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME this fall, and Bender's recruitment will likely drag on until spring (he likes to be recruited), we still think it's possible that Missouri will get back involved with Bender.  We also really like University of Colorado's chances, because assistant coach Larry Gay, who is widely regarded as one of the best recruiters in the nation would like nothing more than to walk into Louisville and take several of the top players.  Also on Gay's list are 6'1 Adam Chiles from Louisville (Ballard) KY and 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY.

Virginia, North Carolina, Miami-FL, and Michigan are the final four for 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak HIll) VA.  Missouri and Illinois now appear to be the final two for 6'6 Najeeb Echols from Chicago (Morgan Park) IL.   N.C. State and Virginia are the final two for 6'10 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD.  Wake Forest is the leader over Georgia Tech, Virginia, and N.C. State for 6'8 Levi Watkins from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  Villanova had 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ on campus over the weekend, but we still think he's Syracuse to lose.   However, we don't think you'll be able to write it down for several more weeks, which is when Austin will be at Syracuse on his official visit. Maryland, Syracuse, George Mason, Rutgers, South Florida, and Hartford are all in the hunt for 6'5 Ricky Shields from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA.  Our guess is that he'll go to Maryland, unless they don't offer.  However, Hartford makes the list because Shields' AAU coach Chris Pompay recently was named to replace Keith Legree, who left Hartford to take the open assistant coaching job Cincinnati.  This is especially important, because Pompay, who is a former car salesman and respected AAU coach, will use his connections to make Hartford a major player in recruiting DC area kids.   And the first player Pompay will likely go after is a major sleeper he stashed at 6'1 Saun Swan from Virginia Beach (Coastal Christian) VA.

Our Washington, DC Editor Steve Turner tells us that things really got interesting after I left the Charlie Weber Invitational Tournament Saturday night (I was already en route to the Five-Star Hoops Classic at Staten Island, NY).  It started when 6'8 Levi Watkins from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD was ejected early in the third quarter of the opening round playoff game between DC Assault and Montrose Christian.  At the time of the ejection, DC Assault was up 40-33, but Montrose had been making a run.  However, the ejection destroyed their momentum and, as a result, DC Assault coasted to a 81-64 victory.  And from there it was upset city, as Connecticut Select knocked off DC Assault, 85-70, in the quarterfinals and then beat the Charlotte Aces, 75-54, in the semi-finals. Speaking of the Charlotte Aces, they knocked off the heavily favored Atlanta Celtics in the quarterfinals. On the other side of the bracket, Positive Image beat the Raleigh Heat, which featured 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, in the quarterfinals and Face Systems, which really was the Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD high school team, in the semi-finals.  That set up the unexpected championship game between Positive Image and Connecticut Select. Positive Image emerged as the victor, 68-64, and 6'8 Hakim Warrick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA simply picked up where he left off when we saw him last weekend at the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA. Not only did Warrick, who had 17 points in the championship game, edge out 6'3 Jr Mike Cook from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA for tournament MVP honors, but he also now has to get top 100 consideration nationally in the senior class.  Cook, who was the leading scorer in the championship game with 23 points, also deserves top 100 consideration in the junior class, especially if he continues to develop better perimeter skills. Connecticut Select was led by 6'7 Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, who finished with 16 points and easily would have been the tournament MVP if Connecticut Select had won the championship game. Gomes is best described as a combo forward, because physically and athletically he's a force on the boards inside, but he also has enough of a perimter game to develop into a wing forward at the next level.  Plus, he's a 5th year player and, as a result, he will sit out this year, but that added year of maturity also should be important when he goes to the next level.  Gomes was complemented by 6'1 Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT and 6'1 Jr Charles Easterline from Hartford (Bulkeley) CT, who combined for 24 points in the championship game.  Jones didn't have a good summer, but after his performance here his value is back on the rise.   Easterline,who promises to be Connecticut Select head coach Wayne Simone's next star,  played with 16-Under Team, but moved up to help the 17-Under Team once the younger team was eliminated.  A week ago we mentioned that we thought that 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA was the best junior in the nation.  Well, the ultimate test would have been when Belmont Shore with Burns played the New York Wolfpack, which featured 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NY, in their 1:20 PM game on Saturday afternoon.  However, Cooke failed to show this weekend, so Burns, whose upside is also much greater (Cooke already is an 18-year-old senior) wins by default.  However, Burns isn't better than 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  Stoudamire still needs to develop better post moves, but at this level it doesn't matter, because he's just shoots over you.  As a matter of fact, his jump shot is deadly from 15' and in and he's so aggressive and quick inside that he's the closest thing we've seen to Kevin Garnett since Garnett himself was playing at this level.  And like Garnett, he plays a lot harder than most of the overhyped pampered big men in the senior class, like 7'0 Tyson Chander from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, and 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL.  Stoudamire teamed with 6'9 Terry Licorish from Mt. Zion (Christian) NC to form the best one-two punch we saw in the entire tournament. Licorish, who is a legitimate top 30 senior nationally now that he has moved into the United States from Canada, is extremely athletic and active inside, but he also is versatile enough to quick enough to play out on the perimeter.  Stoudamire and Licorish were both playing for the Maryland Stallions, so we thought their matchup against Jersey Shore, which featured 6'10 Deng Gai from Milford (Academy) CT would be on the highlights of the tournament. Unfortunately it wasn't, because the Stallions played a zone and Gai seemed content to stay out on the perimeter.  As a result, he rarely scored.  Instead, the killer inside for Jersey Shore was 6'6 Soph Camel Drummond from Montclair (Montclair-Kimberly) NY, who has to rank among the top 50 sophomores in the nation.  However, several college coaches who saw Gai play in an early game tell us that he made a number of 3-pointers, plus he was more of dominant force inside.  Still, we like his athleticism, long arms, and incredible quickness and jumping ability.  In other words, the sky is the limit!  Speaking of Gai, did you know that Penn State might be the early favorite.  Apparently he was on campus during the Charlie Weber Tournament in late July and fell in love with the place.  Connecticut also is pushing strong and Seton Hall, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke, St. John's, Louisville, Florida, Missouri, and Boston College are all on his list.  Howver, the lucky winner of this recruiting battle may have to wait two years, before he actually enrolls into school, because their are questions about whether he will be able to pass the SAT in his first year in the United States.  Apparently he is a smart kid, but he's still learning the language, so a second year of prep school may be necessary.  Getting back to the tournament, no official all-tournament team was selected, so we asked Turner to help us and we came up with our own all-tournament team.   It includes Warrick, Cook, Gomes, Stoudamire, Burns, Licorish, Randolph, Drummond, 6'7 Jr Curtis Withers from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'8 E.J. Drayton from Charlotte (Vance) NC, 6'6 Jr Carmelo Anthony from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'10 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD,   6'2 Jon Popofski from Guelph (H.S.) ON, 6'5 Eddie Basden from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, 6'2 Lamar Butler from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD, 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'7 James White from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'9 Harvey Thomas from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD, 6'10 Tony Key from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC,6'6 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathhurst) ON, 6'6 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY, and 6'3 Soph Ricky Lucas from Falls Church (Bishop O'Connell) VA, whose team was eliminated after pool play, but who averaged 25 ppg.

Saturday, September 16, 2000, and Sunday, September 17, 2000

We've been telling you for the last four or five days that it was only a matter of time before 6'9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA verbally committed to Clemson.  Well, write it down!   It's confirmed!  He joins 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS, who ranks #41 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP to give the Tigers not one, but two potential NBA players in this recruiting class.  Ford is ranked among the top five 5th year players nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but if he was still a high school senior, he would be ranked among the top 25 nationally.  He also might be the most improved player nationally in the last six months, as is evident by the fact that he was ranked no higher than #29 in the Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia area by the HOOP SCOOP last spring.  However, since he exploded at the NBA Players Association Camp in late June, he has been dynamite. With the addition of Ford, Clemson's recruiting class moves into a tie for #9 nationally with Louisville and Seton Hall and, if they add 6'8 Ed Nelson from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL, which also appears likely, their recruiting class would move all they way up to #3 behind Florida and North Carolina and ahead of Memphis.  Nelson, who ranks #54 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, would be the perfect complement to Ford, because he's your blue collar banger who does all the diry work inside.  We also have confirmed that 6'5 Meshak Bennett from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has verbally committed to Northeastern, 6'5 Jamie Sowers from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ has committed to Wichita State, and 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY is on the verge of making it official for Boston College and it may happen as soon as tomorrow. 

New York Riverside Church pulled off two major upsets in the semi-finals and championship against Boo Williams and BABC (Boston Amateur Basketball Club) to take home the championship of the Five-Star Hoop Classic for the second time in the event's three year history.  The MVP of the Tournament was 6'7 Wendell Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, who finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game.  Gibson ranks no higher than #200 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but it's amazing how he dominates games at this level.  He doesn't have great quickness or leaping ability and, as a result, his game is totally below the rim.  However, he has skills, heart, and a mammoth sized body, which is why schools like Miami-OH, Hofstra, Fairfield, Ohio University, Boston University, Siena, Marist, Manhattan, and Buffalo are all in hot pursuit.  Also playing well for the Riverside Church were 6'0 Teddy Mumford from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'2 Jr Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, 5'5 Tyquan Good from Brooklyn (Grady) NY, and 6'7 Hank Rivers, who will be in his 5th year of high school at Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ and, as a result, ineligible to play this year.  However, the best player in the entire tournament was 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA.  He averaged 12. 5 ppg and shot over 70% from the field, but even more important, he averaged five assists and won the Mr. Hustle Award, which shows just how complete a player he's become.  As a result, his ranking as the #10 junior nationally is more than justified and so is the early interest he's getting from schools like Duke, Virginia, and Florida.  Another candidate for our unofficial Most Outstanding Player Award is 6'3 Jermaine Watson from Marion (Tabor Academy) MA, who was largely reponsible for BABC's advancement all the way into the championship game.  Not only has Watson's decision making improved dramatically, but he's virtually unstoppable when he penetrates to the basket.  As a result, the value of his stock goes way up and it will do so even more, if he ever develops a consistent 3-point shot.  Still, Watson was the high scorer in the tournament with 17.5 ppg.  The Best Defender in the tournament was 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, who, along with 6'2 Jason McKrieth from Schenectady (H.S.) NY, led the Albany City Rocks to the Consolation Championship.  Good was named Best Playmaker, 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA was named Best Rebounder, and 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Lab) LA got the Sportsmanship Award.  No all-tournament team was named, but we came up with an unofficial 20 man team that includes Gibson, Redick, Watson, Mumford, Good, Forth, Brown, Hudson, 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD,  6'4 Pierre Pierce from Westmont (H.S.) IL, 6'6 Roger Powell from Joliet (Township) IL, 6'2 Johnny Gilchrist from Salem (H.S.) VA, 6'8 Brandon Robinson from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'4 Ryan Williams from Milford (Academy) CT,6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA, 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, 6'6 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'6 Jeff Varem from Buffalo (Traditional) NY, and 6'3 Juan Manuare from London (H.B. Beil) ON.  Especially noteworthy was Robinson, because he's improved at least 500% since we first saw him a year ago playing with the Alabama Lasers out West.  Robinson make a living dunking alley oops and getting put-backs inside, but with his versatility and athleticism, we're projecting him as a wing forward down the road.  Numerous college coaches were talking about him, but Robinson signed with Auburn a year ago and BABC head Leo Papile tells us that the commitment is firm.  Several other names to write down the future are 6'2 Frosh Marquis Cook from Sulfolk (Nansemond River) VA, who promises to be the next great point guard for Boo Williams; 6'6 Jr Michael Hall from Palos Heights (Shepard) IL, who not only is a terrific athlete with long arms and an excellent 3-point shot, but also is a legitimate sleeper for our top 100 national junior list; and 6'4 Jr Randy Foye from Newark (East Side) NJ, whose size, athleticism, passing and handling skills make him one of the best point guards in the junior class nationally.

Friday, September 15, 2000

It looks like our Georgia Editor Linzy Davis has been asleep at the switch, because 6'6 Is'mail Muhammad from Atlanta (W.D. Mohammed) GA and 6'5 Barry Elder from Madison (Morgan County) GA both committed to Georgia Tech several weeks ago, However, we didn't know it until earlier tonight at the Charlier Weber Invitational Tournament in College Park, MD when we talked with Wallace Prather, who has Muhammad and Elder both on his loaded  Atlanta Celtics AAU Team.  We also finally confirmed that LSU has gotten a commitment from 6'10 Shawnson Johnson from Lee (JC) TX.  If you will recall, in early August we said that was being reported that Johnson had verbally committed to the Tigers, but we hadn't confirmed it until tonight.  Another top priority for LSU is 6'5 Antonio Hudson from Grambling (Southern Lab) LA, who ranks #90 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and we're hearing that one is a lot closer to be done than most people realize. Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman has jumped the gun by reporting that 6'4 J.J. Sullinger from Columbus (Thomas Worthington) OH has committed to Arkansas.  "How can he be verbally committed to Arkansas when Dan Dakich went into his home last night," asks Johnson.   Obviously Bowling Green is still on Sullinger's list, along with Arkansas, Houston, and Ohio University.   Sullinger will be at Arkansas this weekend and that may be the only visit he takes.  But right now he is still on the board, so we're retracting this one. "It's kind of like when Marc Maggart reported that Terrance Dials was done for Ohio State in early June," says Johnson.  "It's probably going to happen, but it's not over yet."  We also reported that 6'9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA would be at Clemson this weekend on his official visit, but apparently that is wrong.  Instead, he is participating in the Charlie Weber Tournament in College Park, MD.  As a result, we don't know when or if Ford will be making an official visit to Clemson.  But that's not really important to the story, which is the Tigers are very close to getting this one done.  As a matter of fact, our Washington, DC Editor Steve Turner points out that Ford and 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS have developed a close friendship while playing together this summer and fall on the Potomac Valley Blue Devils club team and, as a result, have talked about going to the same school together as a package.  So don't be surprised if this one is done before Ford ever arrives on campus.  Getting back to Christie, the first person to tip us off about Christie going to Clemson was our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson, who seems to have a monopoly on information from that state.  So we have to pay attention when Johnson also tells us that Southern Mississippi appears to be close to getting a verbal commitment from 6'8 Jasper Johnson from Hollandale (Simmons) MS.

Well, it looks like the University of Michigan coaching staff wasted no time finding a replacement for Kevin Gaines, who recently was kicked out of school, as 6'3 Dommanic Ingerson from Santa Barbara (H.S.) CA, who ranks #20 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, announced for the Wolverines earlier today.  Ingerson is more of a 2-guard than Gaines, but Ingerson is just as natural talented, just as prolific scorer, and just as capable of dominating a game from the guard position.  Syracuse, which landed 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, on Wednesday, has picked up their second verbal commitment in two days, as 6'6 Josh Pace from Griffin (H.S.) GA, who ranks #88 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has picked the Orangemen today.   However, the big prize for Syracuse would be 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, but that's easier said than done, as he was the focus of attention tonight at the Charlie Weber Invitiational Tournament from the final four schools on his list.  No, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim was not in the house, but assistant coach Troy Weaver was watching his every move.  So were both Florida assistants, N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek and assistant coach Sean Miller, and the entire Maryland coaching staff, all of whom can be in the gym, because the tournament being held in their on-campus facility at Cole Fieldhouse.  We still think Syracuse is the school you have to beat, but three other three all have a legitimate shot.  This one comes as no surprise, but another major commitment that we confirmed today is 6'5 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL, who ranks #30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, to Mississippi State.   Frazier needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's a world-class athlete and he showed he can shoot the lights out from beyond the arc at the NIKE All-American Camp last summer.  If that weren't enough for one day, we also have confirmed that 6'4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL has verbally committed to DePaul.  You know he's the guy who was supposed to have committed to Siena prior to the summer, but later denied it.

Greg Swaim, the Editor of Midwest Basketball, tells us that SMU has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Eric Castro from Oklahoma City (Mt. St. Mary's) OK, who ranks #184 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Swaim also tells us that he's been getting a lot of heat from people in Oklahoma, because he's been focused more on the loaded junior class, instead of what appears to be a subpar senior class.  Our advise to Swaim is not to worry about it, because per capita the junior class in the state of Oklahoma has more talent than any other state in the nation.  Don't believe it?  Well, five juniors - 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who ranks #11 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'9 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, who ranks #18 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; 6'6 Jr Kelenna Azuibuke from Tulsa (Victory Christian) OK, who ranks #53 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'3 Jr DeAngelo Alexander from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, who ranks #58 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'7 Jr Marques Hayden from Oklahoma City (Putnam City) OK, who ranks #97 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; - from Oklahoma rank among the top 100 players nationally in the Class of 2002 and as a group they won the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, FL and finished among the final four at the adidas Big Time Tournament in Las Vegas,  NV.  And If they were able to accomplish all this as juniors, just imagine how good they'll be if they all stick together next summer as seniors.  Swaim tells us that North Carolina, Duke, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State are the major players for Williams.  Oklahoma apparently made an early push for Bookout, but since the Sooners' attempt wasn't successful, it now appears to be a three horse race among Oklahoma, Stanford, and Oklahoma State.  However, when it's all said and done, Swaim still thinks Bookout will sign with Oklahoma due to the fact that his parents and numerous relative have graduated from the school.  Illinois, Oklahoma State, Duke, and North Carolina are all showing a lot of interest in Azuibuke and Alexander's early favorites are Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. 

We've heard rumors that N.C. State may have gotten a verbal commitment from 6'9 Jordan Collins from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, but it hasn't happened yet.  It looks like a war between LSU and Auburn for 6'6 Kedrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, so it is only fitting that he's taking his official visit to Auburn this weekend for the Auburn-LSU football game.  UCLA appears to be out for 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, who ranks #11 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  As a result, Childress appears to be down to only two schools - Stanford and Kansas. UCLA also appears to be out and Cincinnati is in with 5'10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX, who ranks #17 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Actually that's no big surprise, because Cincinnati assistant coach Mick Cronin first saw Ford play when he was in 8th grade.  So naturally he's been recruiting him via his AAU coach John Eurey for years, but Texas still appears to be the leader and Louisville is also very high on his list.   Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis is now confirming that 6'8 Travon Bryant from Long Beach (Jordan) CA, who signed with Missouri last spring, but falled to make the necessary test score to be eligible this year as a college fresham, is heading to Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME.  However, if Bryant doesn't get the necessary score this fall, he may not be heading to Missouri after all.  Instead, he would open up his recruitment and then things would really get interesting again.  Trigonis also tells us that 6'11 Jr Martin Iti from Villa Park (H.S.) CA is in his 7th semester of high school, if you include when he took several semesters of classes in Australia.  So he probably won't be eligible to play as a high school senior next year and, as a result, will probably have to go the prep school route in 2001-2002.  Ironically another one of the top juniors in Southern California also appears to be quickly running out of eligibility.  We're talking about 6'8 Jr Charlie Rodriguez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, who is ranked #8 nationally in the junior class, but is already 19-years-old.  However, he may not be able to even play this year, because, as we reported earlier, he's stuck in Puerto Rico with visa problems.  Our Memphis Editor Jim Rothman tells us that the latest list for 6'3 Ernest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN, who ranks #32 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, includes Tennessee, Alabama, Wake Forest, Tulane, Georgetown, and Memphis.   Dayton appears to be the leader for 6'0 Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT, but Boston University, Manhattan, Fairfield, Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, and La Salle are also interested. 

Thursday, September 14, 2000

It's not over yet, but you should be able to write it down after this weekend, which is when 6'5 Dwayne Mitchell from New Orleans (John F. Kennedy) LA will be at Auburn on an official visit for the Auburn-LSU football game.  LSU, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas A&M are also still on Mitchell's list, but we'd be surprised an announcement by Mitchell for Auburn isn't forthcoming by early next week.  And it won't be the first time Mitchell has made a verbal commitment.  If you will recall, Mitchell committed to Mississippi State in early May.  However, he not only later reneged, but he also said the commitment never took place.  Instead, Mississippi State head coach Rick Stansbury has focused his attention on 6'6 Winsome Frazier from Miami (Northwestern) FL and it looks like he's gotten his man.  That's right!  We hear Frazier is done for the Bulldogs, although that one isn't confirmed yet either.   Ironically, there is absolutely no difference between the two, as Frazier ranks #30 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, while Mitchell checks in ranked at #31.  Frazier is a better 3-point shooter, but Mitchell is bigger and stronger.  Both are phenomenal athletes and both are very explosive to the hole.  Getting back to Auburn, the Tigers are also believed to be the co-favorite, along with Clemson, for 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA and they're also in great shape for 6'1 Will Bynum from Chicago (Crane) IL, who ranks #94 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'6 Kedrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, who ranks as one of the premier junior college players in the nation.

Earlier this week the University of Washington became the first school to use all five scholarships under new guidelines that limit schools to five scholarships one year and three the next (a total of eight over a two year period).  The two latest editions for the Huskies are 6'5 Erroll Knight from Seattle (Chief Sealth) WA, who ranks #85 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'10 Jeffrey Day from Seattle (Prep) WA, who was slowed by injuries during the spring and summer, but who has a lot of natural talent and potential.   That comes on the heels of the three commitments they got in August from 6'8 Anthony Washington from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'7 Josh Williams from Yakima (H.S.) WA, and 6'8 Mike Jensen from Kent (Kentwood) WA, who ranks #77 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but, like Knight, has the potential to move much higher.  Obviously, there will be some schools that will pass Huskies, as time goes on, but right now their recruiting class ranks #6 nationally behind Florida, North Carolina, Memphis, Ohio State, and Missouri.   If you will recall, when ranking recruiting classes, we assign every player a ranking on a 1-10 scale, whereby, a top five player nationally gets 10 points, a top 10 player gets nine points, a top 40 player gets eight points, a top 70 player gets six points, a top 100 players gets four points, a player in the 100-300 range gets three points, a player in the 300-1000 range gets two points, and anybody not ranked among the top 1000 only gets one point.  Obviously these rankings won't mean much in the final analysis, as they are subject to change on a daily basis, but just like a horse race, everybody watches the entire race from start to finish.  So we've decided to provide you with our list of the top 20 recruiting classes and keep it updated on a daily basis.  To get the current list, which currently has Georgetown, Louisville, Seton Hall, Iowa State, Kentucky, Syracuse, Massachusetts, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Southern Cal, California, Xavier, Illinois, and Minnesota rounding out the top 20, click on Top 20 Recruiting Classes.  However, it should by change tomorrow.  Maybe you'd better sit down before we tell you this one.  If things happen as expected, Florida International not only would make the list, but they would move all the way up to #6 head of Washington.  Our Philadelphia Area Editor Allen Rubin tells us that the rumors about 6'9 Taurence Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA leaning toward Florida International not only are true, but it's supposed to happen tomorrow.  And his source on this is Johnson himself.  Johnson has had academic, as well as personal problems in the past, but it finally looks like he's getting his act together.  As a result, he's an absolute steal.  That's right!  If he develops as expected, he's got NBA written all over him.  Rubin also tells us that 5'11 Dave Luber from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA is supposed to announce for Florida International at the same time.  Luber also is a good get because he's a solid point guard, good floor general, and comes from a great basketball family.  If that weren't enough, new Florida International head coach Donnie Marsh also got commitments from 6'8 Johan Rivera from Miami (Christian) FL and 6'2 Carlos Morbein from Miami (Christian) FL, both of whom rank in th 100-300 range nationally.  Morbein, who can play either guard spot was especially impressive at the NIKE All-American Camp, as he finished ranked #13 among point guards and #58 overall in camp by the HOOP SCOOP.

The Charlie Weber Invitational Basketball Tournament, which is widely regarded as the premier fall event in the nation,  tips off tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 PM in College Park, MD.  The list of teams in the open Division includes ACC (Philly/NJ), Atlanta Bulldogs, Atlanta Celtics, Baltimore Blue, Baltimore Cecil Kirk, Baltimore Select, Belmont Shore, Beltway All Stars (DC), Blue Ridge Wildcats (VA), Capital Athletics (PA), Carolina Ballers, Championship Sports, Charlotte Aces (NC), Charlotte Aces, Connecticut Gold, Connecticut Gold I, Connecticut Jammers, Connecticut Rebels, Connecticut Select, DC Assault's, DC Stars, Delaware Sharpshooters, Dewey Street (Buffalo), Diaper Dans (VA), Durham Disciples, Eastern Ontario, FACE Systems (DC/DE), Foot Stoppers (DC), Garner Road Y (NC), Georgia Jazz, Greater Boston, Hunting Park Warriors (PA), James Lee (VA), Jersey Shore Cyclones, Keystone Blazers (PA), Long Island Lightning, Maryland Stallions, Mark Trail Georgia Select, Maryland Buffalo Soldiers, Mason Dixon, Metro All Stars, Metro Boston, Montrose Christian, North Carolina Gaters, New England Force, New York Ravens, New York Wolfpack, New York Gauchos, NOVA Panthers, Oliver Owls, Park Flava (DC/MD), PG Select (MD), Philly Hoops, Pittsburgh Shockers, Positive Image (Philly), Potomac Valley Blue Devils, Raleigh Heat (NC), Rhode Island Breakers, Richland AAU (NJ), Richmond Metro, Rising Stars/Long Island Thunder, St. Michael's Union City, Sam Rines All-Stars, Sky's the Limit,  South Jersey Select, Squires Richmond, Stormin's Classic (PA/DE), Student Athletes Broncos (NY), Tallahassee Wildcats, Team Excel (DC), Team Georgia, Team Philly, Tennessee Travelers, Toronto Elite, Tru Playaz B-Ball (CO), Upstate South Carolina, West Virginia Green Rangers, and Youth Interlock.  For the complete schedule on both Friday and Saturday, click onto http://www.charlieweberbasketball.com.   We plan to be at Weber's event tomorrow night and all day Saturday.  Then, on Sunday we will be at the Five-Star Hoops Classic at the College of Staten Island in Staten Island, NY.  The field isn't as large as Weber's, but it is equally impressive, as New York Riverside Church, Tim Thomas Playaz Gold, Illinois Warriors, BABC, Howard Pulley, Boo Williams, Shreveport-Bossier Select, Tim Thomas Playaz Red, New Jersey All-Stars, Albany City Rocks, Prep Star International, Gauchos, Jersey Shore Warriors, New Jersey Roadrunners, Long Island Panthers, and Brooklyn Beats all are scheduled to participate.  For more information, click on Five-Star.

Wednesday, September 13, 2000

Well, it looks like 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS is finally following in his older brother's footsteps.  If you will recall, Tony Christie graduated from Clemson in 1999.  Just like his brother, the younger Christie started his high school career in the state of Connecticut, where he was ranked as one of the top freshman in New England.  Then, his father, who is in the military, transferred to Las Vegas, NV, where Christie was ranked as the #1 sophomore in the state, and a year ago the family moved again to Biloxi, MS.  As a result, Christie got lost in the shuffle nationally until we saw him this summer.  He really impressed us at the NBA Players Association Camp and was terrific at both the NIKE All-American Camp and the adidas Big Time Tournament.  But it wasn't until the National 17-Under AAU Tournament that he went off the Rickter scale.  However, he still never got the full credit that he deserved, because his number was listed wrong on the roster in Las Vegas, NV (many scouts thought they were watching somebody else) and many scouts and coaches thought he was playing on a different team in Orlando, FL.  In other words, Clemson, which had Christie on campus last weekend for an official visit and did an in-home visit at his school two days ago, has an absolute steal.  Christie still needs to work on his outside shooting and he needs to get bigger and stronger, but he's terrific in transition.  Not only does he have outstanding moves to the hole, but his handling, passing, and rebounding skills are all terrific and it wouldn't surprise us a bit if he someday is the best defender in the ACC.  His footwork, quick hands, and lateral quickness are exceptional.  As a result, Christie ranks #41 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and he has the potential to move a lot higher.  How big is this for Clemson?  Well, Christie was their top priority at the 2-guard spot.  As a matter of fact, we undertand that Christie was the only 2-guard they even recruited.  So with Christie already in the fold, the Clemson coaching staff can concentrate all their efforts on landing a pair of big men, like 6'8 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, and 6'8 Ed Nelson from Ft. Lauderdale (St. Thomas Aquinas) FL.  And it may happen sooner than later.  Like maybe in a couple of days with Ford, who has an official visit scheduled at Clemson this weekend.  And just like Christie did at the NBA Players Association Camp in late June, Ford established his national reputation (previously he wasn't on anybody's top 100 list) at that camp and hasn't looked back since, as he now ranks among the top five on our 5th year list and has superstar written all over him.  This is especially important, because if Ford picks Clemson, it would give the Tigers not one, but two commitments from players with NBA-like talent and potential.  Then, the Tigers last scholarship likley would go to a player who is either a project (Campbell) or a blue collar banger inside (Nelson).  Campbell ranks #154 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he's improved dramatically in the last year and his upside is tremendous.  Nelson, who ranks #53 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, is a relentless warrior, excellent rebounder, and tremendous competitor.  

The other big news of the day involves the commitment by 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, who ranks #69 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but he has the potential to move much higher as he continues to develop and gets bigger and stronger.  Actually, Forth reminds us of former North Carolina All-American Eric Montrose, although Forth isn't as developed physically nor is he as advanced skill-wise at the same stage as Montrose.   Forth's commitment obviously makes it decision time for the Orangemen coaching staff.  Do you take three inside players in the same recruiting class or do you take whoever commitments first between 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who ranks #82 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, and 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, who ranks $114 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP?  The word is that Austin has always wanted to go to Syracuse and he's got a lot better upside than Konecny, but Konecny appears to be ready to pull the trigger, especially after Seton Hall, which took 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA yesterday.  If you will recall, the Pirates also were the leader for Konecny.  Speaking of players from upstate New York, Jim Hart, who is the head coach of the Albany City Rocks, tells us that Siena head coach Louie Orr has officially landed his first recruit in 6'8 Gary Holley from Troy (Catholic Central) NY and he also expects 6'10 Brent Sniezyk from Broadalbin (H.S.) NY to pick the Siants in the near future.  Holley might be the most athletic 6'8 white kid in the nation, but Sniezyk would be even more of a steal, because he often outplays Forth in their head-to-head matchups in practice.  However, Sniezyk doesn't have the confidence and experience that Forth has - at least not yet.   As a result, Sniezyk is nothing more than a role player in games.  However, the supreme coup would be if the commitment that 6'4 Levar Seals from Chicago (Providence-St. Mel) IL, who ranks #55 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, holds up.  If you will recall, Seals gave Orr a verbal commitment in early June, but since has denied making the commitment.  His mother even told a source close to the HOOP SCOOP that she doesn't even know where Siena is located.  Well, it doesn't really matter, because the connection is Siena assistant coach Billy Garrett, who was Seals' high school coach the last three years. 

In addition to the two big commitments today by 6'3 Chey Christie from Biloxi (H.S.) MS and 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, we've also confirmed several other commitments, including 6'11 Simplece N'Joya from Homestead (Berkshire) FL to UNLV.  Actually we heard that Simplece had verbally committed to the Runnin' Rebels over the weekend, but nobody seemed to be able to confirm it until earlier today.  Simplece is raw offensively, but he's an outstanding shot blocker, excellent rebounder, and good defender.  As a result, he ranks among our top 100 nationally, but he has the potential to move a lot higher.   We also think he's the perfect fit for UNLV's uptempo style and we like the fact that he's winner, as was evident by the fact that he led his team to the chamionship at the prestigious Spiece Tournament at Purdue University in early May and every team he played for overachieved all spring and summer.  Also earlier today our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman called to tell us that Arkansas had gotten a surprise commitment from 6'4 J.J. Sullinger from Columbus (Thomas Worthington) OH, who ranks #271 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Obviously this is a surprise, because the Razorbacks don't sign players from Ohio very often, but we also thought Sullinger, who is young for his age, would go the prep school route and then sign with Ohio State next year.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has confirmed that 6'1 Jason Morton from Charlotte (Christian) NC has committed to Richmond, 6'5 Brian Novitsky from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA has picked Jacksonville, and 6'8 James Smith from Virginia Beach (Cape Henry) VA has elected to stay home and attend Old Dominion.   Actually, the Smith commitment is almost a week old, but we have yet to report it.   We're also behind on reporting that 6'2 Eddie Starks, who didn't get into Rutgers academically, has instead enrolled at Iona.  It appears that Georgetown has hit the Stu Vetter trifecta, as 6'4 Drew Hall has become the latest player from Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD to pick the Hoyas.   If you will recall, several weeks ago Georgetown also got commitments from 6'9 Harvey Thomas and 6'1 Tony Bethel, both of whom have transferred to Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD within the last few weeks .  Last, but not least, Rob Matera of the All-Star Sports Report has confirmed that 6'3 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD has picked the Tar Heels.  For more details, click on http://www.allstarreport.com.   Speaking of Matera, he's asked me to do an online chat on Bob Gibbons' web site tomorrow night at 8:00 PM.  Believe it or not, I have never done an online chat before, so you might want to tune in to see whether I deserve a thumbs up or a thumbs down. 

Tuesday, September 12, 2000

Most of the top players in the loaded senior class in Southern California were present at the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA, so we took advantage of the opportunity and got the latest on their recruiting. Not surprisingly the one common denominator was UCLA, except in the case of 6’6 Jamal Williams from Corona (Centennial) CA, who ranks #99 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP. Instead, Williams has Long Beach State, New Mexico, St. Louis, Villanova, Pepperdine, Memphis, Purdue, UC-Santa Barbara, San Francisco, and Tulsa all on his list. Actually Williams wanted to go to UCLA, but when he recently wanted to pull the trigger, the Bruins coaching staff wouldn’t accept his commitment. You see, while Williams is a warrior inside, he’s also an undersized power forward. As a result, he’s not what UCLA is looking for, especially now that the NCAA has limited to the number of players a school can sign to eight over two years (five on year and only three the next). If you will recall, UCLA also got a verbal commitment a month ago from 6’11 Mike Fey from Olympia (Capital) WA. Fey has the potential to develop into an excellent big man in the Pac-10, but he also needs a year or two to do that. In other words, he’s not ready to step in and make an immediate impact next year for the Bruins. And the same holds true for 6’11Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, who in addition to UCLA, is also considering New Mexico, Kentucky, North Carolina, Memphis, and Villanova. Instead, what UCLA needs is a big guy who is ready to step in and replace 6’11 Dan Gadzuric, who will likely go pro after next season, right away. Fitting that description are 6’11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN and 6’11 Jamal Sampson from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, both of whom rank among our top 20 nationally. If the Bruins land either or both, they will likely stop recruiting Bell. However, if they don’t land either one or Bell wants to commit first, it becomes a very interesting predicament. UCLA has a chance to land any combination of the following: 6’1 Aaron Miles from Portland (Jefferson) OR, 6’5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6’6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6’7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA, 6’5 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, and 5’10 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX. Right now it’s a three horse race for Miles among UCLA, Kansas, and Arizona. Florida appears to be the leader for Bozeman, but UCLA still has to be considered the co-favorite. Childress told us that Kansas came into his home last week and Stanford has an in-home visit scheduled for next week. He also mentioned UCLA, Arizona, and maybe still North Carolina, although the Tar Heels already have commitments from 6’9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH and 6’6 Jackie Manuel from West Palm Beach (Cardinal Neumann) FL, both of whom are also wing players. Patterson still has the same four schools - Michigan, UCLA, Kansas, and Kentucky - on his list, while the top three for Thompson are Arizona, UCLA, and Connecticut. Texas is believed to be the leader for Ford, but UCLA, Louisville, and Georgetown are also still in the hunt. Ideally UCLA would like to get either Miles or Ford at point and Bozeman who is capable of playing either the one or the two spot. Obviously, UCLA could take the first two to commitment from among Childress, Patterson, and Thompson. However, then they wouldn’t be able to land another big guy, like Sampson or Harrison, in this class and they would be overloaded at two and the three spots in the immediate future. And that wouldn’t be good, because 6’7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who now ranks as the #1 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, tells us that UCLA is one of his early favorites, along with Duke and Cincinnati. Looking even further ahead Stanford is the early favorite for 6’8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who ranks as the #1 sophomore in California by the HOOP SCOOP. However, he also mentioned UCLA, Califoria, USC, Arizona, Purdue, Syracuse, Tulsa, Pepperdine, San Diego, San Francisco, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, and Virginia.

Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that there is press conference scheduled for tomorrow and 6'5 Greg Tinch from Albany (Westover) GA,who ranks #51 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, will announce for Seton Hall.  This is big for the Pirates, because Tinch is a world-class competitor and defensive stopper.  He may not be able to shoot at all, but his field goal percentage is in the 70%-80% range, because most of his shots are dunks.  This also will directly effect the recruitment of several other players that Seton Hall is recruiting, including 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) CT, and 6'2 Melvin Scott from Baltimore (Southern) MD.  As a matter of fact, Rob Matera of All-Star Sports Report tells us that Tinch's commitment should have a direct effect on both Scott's and Konecny's decisions, which also both could come as soon as tomorrow.  Apparently Seton Hall only has one scholarship left and the Pirates also were in the lead for Konecny and Scott.  So Matera thinks that both Scott and Konecny are a little nervous.  In other words, the smart money says Scott, who had North Carolina in his home today for an in-home visit, will give the Tar Heels a verbal commitment within the next 24 hours and Konecny will make it official for Syracuse sooner than later.  Which brings us to another interesting question.  Does Syracuse want to sign three inside players - Konecny, 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, and 7'1 Craig Forth from Columbia (East Greenbush) NY- in the same recruiting class?  If you will recall, Syracuse has always been the heavy favorite for Austin and Forth apparently is down to two - Syracuse and Boston College.  

Monday, September 11, 2000

The Hood beat the Los Angeles Palladins in the championship game of the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA last night, but it was the outstanding underclassmen who stole the show.  At the top of the list is 6'7 Jr Evans Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who currently is ranked as the #12 junior nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, as well as the #1 junior in California.  But this weekend he took his game to another level!  As a matter of fact, there is nothing this phenomenal athlete can't do.  He can beat you inside or outside, he can spot up or take you off the dribble, and he's got the hang time and explosiveness necessary to defy both gravity and description.   As a result, Burns, who likes UCLA, Duke, and Cincinnati, now ranks as the #1 junior nationally ahead of 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ and 6'9 Amare Stoudamire from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.  He also might just be the best player on the West Coast regardless of class and that's pretty strong statement, because the senior class in Southern California is absolutely loaded.  We also were impressed with 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'5 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'7 Jr Antoine Wright from Lawrence (Academy) MA, 6'7 Jr Adam Zahn from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'8 Jr Brian Feeney from Gilbert (Mesquite) AZ, 6'9 Jr David Chiotti from Mountain View (St. Francis) CA, 6'11 Jr Martin Iti from Villa Park (H.S.) CA, 6'11 Jr Maurier Indui from Phoenix (Washington) AZ, 6'2 Jr Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'5 Jr Robert Blackshear from Philadelphia (Simon Gratz) PA, 6'4 Jr Martrel Johnson from Las Vegas (Durango) NV, 6'5 Jr Darius Sanders from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'6 Jr Bobby Jones from Compton (Dominguez) CA, 6'7 Jr Jamaal Walls from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA, 6'6 Jr Reggie Butler from Long Beach (Poly) CA, 6'7 Jr Bryant Markson from Monrovia (H.S.) CA, 6'6 Jr Bryson Kruger from Phoenix (Mt. Pionte) AZ, 6'5 Jr Keith Everage from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'0 Jr David Gale from Sherman Oaks (Buckley) CA.  As usual, Collins used his body and athleticism to be a dominant force inside.  Walsh hit 3-pointers and impressed everybody, including Kansas head coach Roy Williams, who made it a point to watch one of his games, with his mobility, quickness, and skills.  Previously Wright, who is a multi-dimensional athlete with long arms, good rebounding skills, and excellent 3-point shooting range, has been unranked among our top 100 juniors nationally, but he's got superstar written all over him.   As a result, we'll move him into our top 25 nationally and don't be surprised if he moves even higher.  Zahn is a lot more athletic and versatile than his older brother (Andrew Zahn).  As a result, he can beat you both inside and outside at this level.  However, down the road Zahn projects exclusively as wing forward and ranks in the 50-100 range nationally.  Feeney also moves into our top 50 nationally, because he's is a man-child and, as a result, a force to be reckoned with on the inside.   The more you watch Chiotti, the more he grows on you.  Not only does he have surprising mobility, but he's good moves to the basket, excellent skills inside, and surprising shooting range.  Iti is a good shot blocker and his offensive skills continue to get better and better.  However, he still needs to work on his agility and coordination.  But like they say, you can't teach somebody to be almost 7-feet.   Indui also has a tremendous upside, because he's extremely mobile and quick inside, plus he knows how to score.  But he needs to develop physically and become more of a warrior on the boards.  Heath is extremely quick off the dribble and he's a great penetrator and passer, but he needs to work on his outside shooting and at times he needs to make better decisions.  Blackshear and Johnson both possess the tweener tag, but they both showed us some range and are such warriors that they have to get top 100 consideration nationally in the junior class.  Sanders and Jones provide the perfect complement to 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA.  Right now we like Sanders better, because he's such a prolific scorer in transition.   However, Sanders doesn't have Jones ability to play out on the perimeter, so Jones projects as the better of the two down the road.  Another inch or two would ensure Walls' status as a prime Pac-10 recruit, but he is still mobile inside, where he makes his living off rebounds and put-backs.  Butler is raw, but he's got incredible leading ability and natural talent.  However, where he gets recruited at the next level will be determined by how much more he grows or whether he develops perimeter skills.   Markson has the skills, athleticism, and god-given talent, but is he willing to work hard enough to become a great player.  Kruger is a big time athlete/slasher with top 100 potential, if he continues to develop his perimeter game.  Everage is a good rebounder for size, but he's another one who will likely fall into the tweener trap when get recruited for the next level.  As a result, Everage projects as an excellent mid-major player.  Gale also is prime target for somebody at the mid-to-low Division I level, because he gets the most out of his ability, usually makes good decisions, and is an excellent floor general. There also were some outstanding sophomores at 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic, including 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, 6'6 Soph Trevor Azisa from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'8 Soph Lawrence Carrier from Salisbury (School) CT, 6'3 Soph Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA,  6'10 Soph Levar Halsell from San Leandro (H.S.) CA, and 6'0 Soph Darrius Parker from Oakland (H.S.) CA.  Schaen, who already ranks as the #1 sophomore in Southern California, as well as top five nationally, by the HOOP SCOOP, got more than his share of rebounds and finished better than when we've seen him in the past.  But he still needs to get bigger and stronger.  So does Azisa, who right now is like a deer just learning to how to run.  He doesn't finish much of anything, but he's got good moves and is very explosive to the basket.  In other words, his upside is tremendous, especially if he work hard and continues to grow, which appears likely (his father is 6'10 and his mother is 6'0).  Carrier already has grown, plus he's gotten bigger and stronger.  Combine that with his versatility outside and it is easy to see why he continues to rank among the top five sophomores nationally.  Washington is a versatile combo guard who reminds Dinos Trigonis, who is Washington's coach on Belmont Shore, as well as the tournament director, of former Missouri star point guard Keyon Dooling.  Halsell has surprising mobility for somebody so big and so young, which is why we love his upside and potential are unlimited.  Parker has great handling skills, excellent 3-point shooting skills, and is extremely quick off the dribble, which is why he too is one to watch in the future.   Also on the Oakland Hotshots is a player college coaches need to become aware of before it's too late.  We're talking about 6'7 Jeff Jones from Alamo (Monte Vista) CA, who currrently is only being recruited by Sacramento State, Cal-State Fullerton, Santa Cruz, and Long Beach State.  What he like the most about Jones are his explosive athleticism and tremendous intensity, but he also rules the boards.  As a matter of fact, we'll rank him among our top 200 nationally, because he would be an excellent role player at the high Division I level or a total steal at the mid-major level.   Somebody we obviousy missed on last summer is 6'3 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA.  He's got that incredible quickness just like several of the other top point guards in the senior  class, including 6'0 Jonathan Hargett from Durham (Emmanuel) NC, 6'0 Charles Frederick from Boca Raton (Paul VI), and 510 Terrance Ford from Sugar Land (Willowridge) TX.  While he's not quite as naturally talented nor is he as prolific a scorer, his decision making might be better than all three.  As a result, Braxton should be ranked among our top 30 or 40 nationally and it is easy to see why Arizona State was willing to let 6'0 Brandon Brooks from Portland (Jefferson) OR, who signed with the Sun Devils last spring, go the junior college route, instead of trying to get him to sit out as a non-qualifier.  The MVP of the tournament (Dinos are you listening?) should have been 6'2 Terrell Stovall from Inglewood (H.S.) CA.  Stovall had 21 points in the championship game, but even more more important he had 39 points in the semi-finals and 36 points in the quarterfinals.  Obviously Stovall is a scoring machine, as he beats you inside, outside, and in-between, but he's not very flashy about it and, as a result, almost goes unnoticed until you start looking at the box score.  Also, he's at that in-between size, which is why he won't get recruited schools at the big-time level.  And Stovall wasn't the only one putting up numbers for the Los Angeles Palladins, as 6'7 Andre Patterson from Los Angeles (Washington) CA also had 19 points in the championship game.  Instead, the difference in the game the lack of production inside by 6'7 Doug Thomas from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, who scored only four points and was unable to get it done inside against Chandler, Sanders, et al.  No, Chandler didn't rise to the occasion and dominant the game.  As a matter of fact, he only had 12 points.  But he did show flashes and is a presence inside at this level whether he plays hard or not.  It's too bad you can't combines Chander's size with the intensity and body of 6'6 Jamaal Williams from Corono (Centennial) CA.  Williams is a tweener, but you have to love his warrior like demeanor on the court.  We also thought 6'7 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA really played well this weekend.   He's much better than #42 nationally, which is where we had him ranked when we came out with our rankings of the top seniors nationally a month ago.  However, he's not as good as Trigonis thinks he is and, if you don't believe it Dinos, just refer back to that sensational performance that 6'6 Josh Childress from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA turned in on Court #1 in his final game.  While we've always been high on Childress due to his incredible understanding of the game, excellent 3-point shooting, and tremendous skills level, he's not the best player in the Southern California over Chandler.  Instead, that honor goes to Burns.  And remember where you heard it first!

Saturday, September 9, 2000, and Sunday, September 10, 2000

It was like the death of terminally ill patient.  You've had plenty of time to prepare.  You think you're ready.  But when it finally happens, it's still a shock.  That's the way people in the basketball world reacted today when they heard that Indiana head coach Bob Knight had been fired by university president Myles Brand.  With the new zero tolerance policy that was established after Knight's close encounter in May, most people thought it would only be a matter of time before he did something that would force the university to get rid of him.   Maybe at the heat of the moment during a road game in the Big-10 or at a press conference after a humiliating loss.  But not like this!  Not this soon!   In the 17 weeks since Knight was given one last chance by Brand on May 15th, Knight had proved to be unwilling to work within the normal chain of command in the athletic department, made angry statements, refused to attend alumni events, and made an outburst at female employee.  But he still had a job.  It's obvious that he could still do anything he damn well pleased, as long as he didn't publicly embarrass the university by doing something negative to make national headline.  So obviously the straw that broke camel's back was Knight's incident with IU student Kent Harvey and when he refused to delay his trip to Canada in order to meet with Brand over the weekend, that was just the icing on the cake.  Who cares if  Knight was set up or whether Knight used some choice four-letter words.  When Knight touched a regular student in front of witnesses (not a basketball player behind closed doors), it was all over.    Sure, Knight may get another coaching job, but the result will be the same at his next stop, unless he changes his ways.  Can you image being the athletic director at some mid-major school trying to justify to the president or chancellor of the school why you should hire Knight?  Knight graduates his players and doesn't break NCAA rules, but three or four times a year the school will be the subject of intense national media coverage, because Knight thinks it's hitting, punch, pushing, choking, and abusing people (both mentally and physically) is acceptable behavior.  Speaking of hiring a basketball coach, Indiana University is one of the best jobs in all of college basketball, right along with Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, and UCLA.  Which means they need to hire a big name head coach who can bring instant credibility and prestige back to the program.  Obviously Iowa head coach Steve Alford, who played at Indiana from 1983 to 1987, would be the natural candidate.  However, we'd be shocked if Alford took the job, because he's a man of his word (he said he planned to remain at Iowa when they hired him a year and half ago), he's making over a $1 million a year, and he's on the verge of building the Hawkeyes into a national power.  Other obvious candidates would be Utah head coach Rick Majerus and Boston Celtics head coach Rick Pitino.  But getting Majerus might not be so easy, because Utah is absolutely loaded.  As a matter of fact, we'll probably rank the Utes as one of our pre-season top three college teams, along with Michigan State and Arizona.   We still think Pitino will return to college basketball someday, but we question how much money is Indiana willing to spend?  Remember, Knight's based salary was only $170,000 per year.   From there the list is almost endless.  Xavier head coach Skip Prosser, Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings, Virginia head coach Pete Gillan, Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson, Seton Hall head coach Tommy Amaker, and Tulsa head coach Buzz Peterson all would be excellent candidates.  Former Knight assistants Jim Crews (Evansville), Dan Dakich (Bowling Green), and Dave Bliss (Baylor) will also be mentioned, but we suspect the school will want to hire somebody without any Knight ties.  Indiana probably will make current assistant coach Mike Davis, who is one of the best recruiters in the business, the interim head coach, but what they should do, especially if they can't get who they want right away (the timing on all this terrible), is hire former IU assistant coach Ron Felling.  Not only is Felling one of the best X's and O's coaches in the business, but if IU admitted they were wrong,, let him coach the team, and paid him the equivalent of Knight's salary for a year, he'd probably drop his lawsuit against the school. 

Friday, September 8, 2000

Our New York City Ron Naclerio tells us that 6'9 Mauricio Branwell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has verbally committed to the University of Massachusetts.  Branwell, who now is entering his 5th year of high school, began his high school career as a freshman at Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, but then transferred to Washington (Dunbar) DC and, as a result, played for Team Assault during the summer in recent years.  Branwell, who picked the Minutemen over Tennessee, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Temple, has a lot of potential, but right now he's not a finished product.  With the addition of Branwell, Massachusetts now has three players in the fold - Branwell, 6'5 Eddie Basden from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) MD, and 6'2 Jeremiah King from Paterson (Catholic) NJ.   This put them into a very enviable position, because they only had three scholarships to give this year.  So now the UMass coaching staff can start working exclusively on juniors.  However, we would be surprised if they don't stay involved several players in the senior class, like 6'9 Taurance Johnson from Philadelphia (Christian) PA and 7'0 Marcus Campbell from Albany (Westover) GA, because their is always a chance another scholarship will become available down the road. 

If anybody knows where the bodies are buried in the state of Indiana, it is the HOOP SCOOP's Editor Jim Kasberg.  As a matter of fact, Kasberg tells us that the best senior in the state may not be Notre Dame-bound 6'1 Chris Thomas from Indianapolis (Pike) IN.  Nor is it 6'7 Sean Kline from Huntington (North) IN, who committed to Indiana in the spring, or 6'5 Dennis Coutee from Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, who picked Louisville last week.  Instead, Kasberg is talking about 6'6 Ali Bierdiel, who recently has moved from Puerto Rico to Gary (Adrian) IN.  Not only is Bierdiel the biggest sleeper in the state, but he may be the biggest sleeper in the nation, especially if the Indiana State High School Athletic Association doesn't rule him eligible to play this season.  And even if they do, most people probably won't pick up on it, similar to the way they all missed on 6'5 Romaine Guessagba-Sato from Dayton (Christian) OH who finished ranked among the top 20 nationally in the Class of 2000 by the HOOP SCOOP.  That's right!  Ohio Editor Chris Johnson ranked Guessagba-Sato #1 in the state of Ohio, but he didn't  get invited to any of the major post-season all-star games, because people in the business had a clue how good he is.   Well, Xavier, which signed him last fall, sure does.  While Guessagba-Sato is a phenomenal athlete, he still needs to develop better skills, as well as a better understanding of the American Game.  Well, Bierdiel promises to be even better!  Kasberg tells us that Bierdiel can do it all and if you don't believe it, you can see for yourself at Reggie Tisdale's Indiana News Basketball Workout, which will be held this weekend at the brand new state-of-the-art Spiece Fieldhouse in Ft. Wayne, IN.  And Bierdiel isn't the only new kid on the block who is expected to make major noise this weekend in Ft. Wayne, IN.   We reported several months ago that 6'8 Soph Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN had made one of the earliest commitments ever on record when he announced for Valparaiso.  Harris currently ranks #2 in the sophomore class, but Kasberg thinks this commitment will hold up even though a number of big time schools will eventually find out how good he is and, as a result, try and get him to change his mind.   "He's not concerned about all the hype and his parents want to see him play in college," says Kasberg.  "He's an excellent student, a great kid, and there is more to his life than just basketball.  So I'm betting the commitment to Valpo holds up.  And if it does, that program could go off the Richter scale."   Harris reminds Kasberg of 7'0 John Stewart, who was the player who died of a heart attack during the state tournament in March of 1999.  "Harris has a mammoth frame, but he's a lot more skilled than Stewart was at the same stage."   Having said that, a better comparison may be to Zach Randolph, who didn't win Mr. Basketball last year in Indiana due to politics, but who dominated every post season all-star game he played in and, as a result, finished as the #1 ranked player in the senior class nationally by anybody who was paying attention.  And we haven't even mentioned 6'4 Frosh Robert Vaden from Indianapolis, IN, who was the best 8th grader Kasberg has ever seen.  Kasberg will touch on all this and a lot more in his updated Indiana Report, which he is promising to have into our hands by the time we return home from the West Coast early next week. 

Thursday, September 7, 2000

Today is the first day college coaches can be on the road this fall, so now is the perfect time to publish the schedule for 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic, which will begin tomorrow at Lynwood High School in Lynwood, CA.  In Pool A are Belmont Shore, Las Vegas Stars, Oakland Hot Shots, and the Orange County Lakers.  Pool B has Hood, BWBA White, CABC II, and Level I.  Pool C features Los Angeles Rockfish, ABC Carson, Belmore Shore/M&M, and FBS-Long Beach. Pool D includes Philly Elite, Los Angeles Palladins, L.A. Rockfish Orcas, and Top Prospects Express.  Pool E has Top Prospects I, ICAN All-Stars, L.A. Rockfish Dolphins, and the Bay Area Ballers II.  Pool F includes BWBA, Belmost Shore/Dunk.Net/ IASAA, and San Francisco Smart Set.  Pool G features Arizona Slam, Inland, Pump-n-Run, and B&P Squad.  Pool H has the Ball Area Ballers I, Compton Magic, OC Players, and Total Impact.  Pool I includes Next Level, Belmore Shore East, CABC I, and BWBA Orange.  Tournament director  Dinos Trigonis also gave us the schedule last night and it kicks off at 4:00 PM with BWBA White against The Hoop on Court #2 and FBS-Long Beach against Belmont Shore/M&M on Court #3.  In other words, we expect to see 7'0 Tyson Chandler, 6'6 Jr Bobby Jones, and 6'6 Jr Darius Sanders, all of whom are from Compton (Dominguez) CA and play for The Hood, as well as  6'5 Josh Childress, 6'5 Edwin Draughan, and  6'6 Jr Jamal Walls, all of whom are from Lakewood (Mayfair) CA and play for Belmont Shore/M&M, right off the bat.  The 5:15 PM game between Belmont Shore and the Orange County Lakers also will get our attention, because Belmont Shore features 6'6 Dijon Thompson from Redondo Beach (Redondo Union) CA, 6'3 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA, 6'1 Jr Patrick Hayden from Irvine (Woodbridge) CA, 6'8 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, and 6'2 Soph Wesley Washington from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA. We'll also stay at Court #2 at 6:30 PM, because Trigonis tells us that BWBA has some good foreign kids and Belmont Shore/Dunk.net features 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, who ranks as the #1 wing forward nationally by the HOOP SCOOP nationally in the junior class.  He also ranks as the #1 junior in California by the HOOP SCOOP, as do Chandler in the senior class and Schaen in the sophomore class.   Also on Court #2 at 7:45 PM will be L.A. Rockfish Dolphins versus Top Prospects I, which will include 6'11 Chad Bell from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, 6'3 Jr Brandon Heath from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA, and 6'3 Jr Hassan Adams from Los Angeles (Westchester) CA.  At 9:00 PM will plan to move to Court #1 to watch the Oakland Hotshots versus Las Vegas Stars, which features 6'3 Jr Martrel Johnson from Las Vegas (Durango) NV.  We'll also stay on Court #1 for the final game of the night at 10:15 PM, because the Arizona Stars are supposed to be loaded and Inland features 6'2 Jason Braxton from Moreno Valley (Canyon Springs) CA and 6'9 Soph Lawrence Carrier from Salisbury (School) CT.

Another major event this weekend will be the New York Slam Jam Fest, which is sponsored by HoopsTV.com, at Hofstra University, September 8th-9th.  Our New England Editor Wayne Simone, who is running the tournament, along with Charlie Weber and Gary Decesare, tells us that 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'10 Deng Gai from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Blairstown (Blair Academy) NJ, 7'1 Craig Forth from East Greenbush (Columbia) NY, 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'10 Mark Konecny from Waterbury (Holy Cross) NY, 6'6 Ryan Gomes from Waterbury (Wilby) CT, 6'1 Carl Krauser from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 5'10 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, and 6'1 Mark Jones from Norwich (Free Academy) CT are some of the top players who are expected to be in attendance. Simone has posted the complete schedule of games on his website and you can access that and other pertinent information by clicking on http://eteamz.com/connselect.

Nobody knows the Philadelphia Area better than Allen Rubin, who has been the Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor for the HOOP SCOOP for the last decade.  So naturally he would be the person to ask about recruiting for each of the Big Five Schools (Temple, Villanova, Pennsylvania, La Salle, and St. Joseph's), plus Drexel.  So far Temple is the only school with a commitment.  If you will recall, the Owls landed 6'8 Glen Elliott from Jacksonville (Bolles School) FL in mid-July.  Temple also recently got an outstanding transfer in 6'4 David Hawkins, whose eligibility status will be determined after he appeals the National Letter-of-Intent that he signed last fall with Tulane. Temple also is involved with 6'8 Elton Brown from Warwick (Newport News) VA, 6'9 Mauricio Branwell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'4 Nile Murry from Houston (Klein Forest) TX.  Villanova only needs for the early signing period are a combo guard and an inside player.  At the top of their guard list are 6'2 Ernest Turner from Somerdale (Sterling) NJ, 6'1 Carl Krauser from Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT, 6'3 Juel Wiggan from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, and 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge) VA.  Among the inside players is involed with are 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, 6'11 Chris Charles from York (Crispus Attucks) PA, 6'9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, and 6'9 Jason Carter from Las Vagas (Bishop Gorman) NV.  Pennsylvania needs a little bit of everything.  Their top priority at point guard is 6'0 Mike Slattery from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.  Their list of wing forwards includes 6'5 Tim Bagley from Lincroft (Christian Brothers) NJ, 6'5 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic's) NY, 6'5 Jason McKrieth from Schenectady (H.S.) NY, 6'3 Jonathan Loe from Bartlett (H.S.) TN, and 6'6 Danny Hinds from Allentown (Central Catholic) PA.  The inside players they're involved with are 6'10 Nate Dornekamp from Odessa (Ernestown) ON, 6'9 Jan Fikiel from Ft. Lauderdale (Westminster) FL, 6'10 Jerry Gauriloff from Middletown (H.S.) NY, 6'10 Brent Snizyk from Broadalbin (Perth) NY, 6'8 Steve Sorenson from Hudson (West Reserve) OH, and 6'9 Dominic Martin from Asheville (A.C. Reynolds) NC.  In recent years La Salle and St. Joseph's have gone head-to-head for a lot players and this year appears to be no different, as 6'9 Dwayne Jones from Aston (American Christian) PA, 6'8 Hakim Warwick from Wynnewood (Friends Central) PA, 6'6 Nick King from Philadelphia (Frankford) PA, 6'7 Jamal Nichols from Philadelphia (Ben Franklin) PA, 6'7 Olu Bobalua from Richland (St. Augustine) NJ and 6'6 Tamal Forchian from Philadelphia (Roman Catholic) PA.  St. Joseph's is also involved with three other wing players 6'6 Pat Carroll from Horsham (Hatboro-Horsham) PA, 6'4 Danny Hargrove from Sellersville (Faith Christian) PA, and 6'4 Delonte West from Greenbelt (Eleanor Roosevelt) PA.  LaSalle, which has five scholarships to give, is also recruiting 6'5 David Bell from Philadelphia (Olney) PA, 6'5 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic's) NY, 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY, 6'5 Tom McLauglin from Andover (H.S.) MA, 6'10 Nate Dornekamp from Odessa (Ernestown) ON, 6'10 Brent Snizyk from Broadalbin (Perth) NY, 6'10 Marcus Gantt from Camden (Wilson) NJ, 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY, 6'8 Brandon Brigman from Philadelphia (St. John Newmann) PA, 6'8 Pat O'Malley from Charleston (George Washington) WV, 6'8 Jason Herring from Philadelphia (Christian) PA, and 6'7 Marcus Rossier from Kansas City (JC) MO.  Last, but not least, Drexel wants to sign a 2-guard and several inside players.  At the top of their 2-guard list are 6'2 Phil Goss from Oxon Hill (H.S.) MD and 6'2 Robert Traylor from Philadelphia (St. John Neumann) PA.  Among the inside players Drexel likes are 6'9 Steve Showers from New Tripoli (Northwestern Lehigh) PA, 6'10 Andre Seeley from Scotch Plains (H.S.) NJ, 6'8 Brad Fleccia from Scranton (Bishop Hannon) PA, 6'7 LaBraun Andrews from Lawrenceville (Prep) NJ, 6'8 Gary Holley from Troy (Catholic) NY, 6'9 Matt Czaplinski from Stratford (Bunnell) CT, and 6'6 Rob Barrett from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.

During the last several days we've been tied up flying across the country in order to attend the 2000 Fullcourt Press Fall Hoops Classic in Lynwood, CA this weekend and getting Jim Rothman's Tennessee Report ready for publication.  So all the action in terms of coaching changes have slipped right past us.  However, now our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin has brought us up to speed and we think Northwestern Athletic Director Rick Taylor looks like a genius, as he wasted no time hiring former Princeton head coach Bill Carmody.  Carmody, who was at Princeton four years as the head coach and 14 years as an assistant under the legendary Pete Carril, will have to recruit the same type of student-athlete that he's made a living with at Princeton.  However, just like Dick Bennett did when he moved from Wisconsin-Green Bay to the University of Wisconsin, Carmody will have to recruit a higher level player in order to be successful in the Big-10.  And almost as soon as Carmody was named the head coach at Northwestern we started hearing that John Thompson III, who has been an assistant coach at Princeton the last five years (one year under Carril and four years under Carmody), would be named the new head coach for Tigers.  Sure, being the son of former Georgetown head coach John Thompson certainly was a plus when trying to get the job, but Thompson III also had a history at Princeton as a player.  As a matter of fact, he was named both co-captain and co-MVP of the team as a senior in 1988.  Also mentioned for the Princeton job was Columbia head coach Armond Hill, so we find the rumor about Hill going to Northwestern as Carmody's #1 assistant particularly interesting.  As long as we're talking about coaching changes in the Ivy League, Cornell hired former  Pennsylviana assistant coach Steve Donahue yesterday.  This too looks like a great move, becaus Donahue has a reputation for being both a great recruiter and an excellent X's and O's coach.   Pennsylvania head coach Fran Dunphy also wasted no time filling Donahue's old position, as David Duke, who was  the former head coach at Lehigh, moves from being the #3 assistant into one of the recruiting positions for the Quakers.  Rubin also tells us that former University of California assistant Scott Beeten, who was hired in early August as the new head coach at Albany, has wasted no time getting his first commitment from 6'1 Rashee Durant from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA. 

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson says that 6'9 Jawad Williams from Lakewood (St. Edward) OH, who ranks #33 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was supposed to have verbally committed to the University of North Carolina, but currently that is still unconfirmed.  Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that nothing has changed for 6'9 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ, who ranks #83 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, as Syracuse, Villanova, DePaul, and Memphis are the four schools still in the hunt.  Our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman provides a very interesting list for 6'5 Jason Holwerda from Chattanooga (Christian) TN, who ranks #118 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class.  It includes Iowa, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, UCLA Alabama, Kentucky, and North Carolina.  Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, and Southeast Missouri State ar the top three for 6'3 Ralfael Golden from Memphis (Trezevant) TN, who ranks #4 in the state of Tennessee and #2 in the senior class in Memphis by Rothman.  Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin informs us that Clemson, Virginia, Villanova, Michigan, Xavier, and Connecticut are all in hot pursuit of 6'9 Sherrod Ford from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is one of the top five players on our prep school list.

Wednesday, September 6, 2000

The state of Tennessee's senior class is excellent at the top with 6'10 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN; who ranks #19 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, 6'3 Ernest Shelton from Memphis (White Station) TN, who ranks #39 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP; and 6'5 Jason Holwerda from Chattanooga (Christian) TN, who ranks #118 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   However, depth in the Class of 2001 in the Volunteer State is a major question mark, unless several sleepers like 7'2 Wesley Morgan from Gallatin (H.S.) TN, who verbally committed to Mississippi State in early July, and 6'3 Jonathan Loe, who has transferred from Northern Mississippi to Bartlett (H.S.) TN, reach their potential sooner than later.  Speaking of Loe, our Mid-South Editor Jim Rothman has some interesting commitments about Loe and 6'5 Jr Atiba Alexander from Memphis (Briarcrest) TN in his report on the Tennessee, which is now finished and can be accessed by clicking on Tennessee Report.  Also included in this report are his rankings of the top players by class in the Mid-South Area (Memphis), which can be found at the bottom of the report, and his rankings of the top players in the state of Tennessee by class, which can be found by clicking on Rothman Ranks 'Em:  The Top Prep Players in Tennessee.  Especially interesting is the fact that Rothman doesn't rank either 6'8 Frosh Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN or 5'7 Frosh Andre Allen from Memphis (Booker T. Washington) TN anywhere among his six all-state teams.  Either this is a case where Rothman, who doesn't like to rank players any earlier than their sophomore year in high school, is once again being conservative or he doesn't know how well Houston and Allen have done when matched up against players their own age in national competition.   When questioned further, Rothman does think that Houston and Allen both will start for their high school team's this year, but doesn't think they are ready to step up and dominate against juniors and seniors in high school.  "Houston has a way to go before tipping the scales at 200 lbs.," says Rothman, who also asks how much will Allen grow and improve?

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that 6'5 Keith Jackson from Cincinnati (Purcell Marian) OH, who  ranks #68 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has made a verbal commitment to Xavier University.  This is huge, because the Musketeers beat some pretty fast company, including Michigan, Michigan State, Connecticut, Dayton, and Tennessee, for this terrific athlete who will fit in nicely with the crop of wing players that head coach Skip Prosser has already amassed.  If you will recall, in the last three recruiting classes Xavier has landed Lloyd Price, David Young, and Romaine Guessagba-Sota and getting Jackson just has to be icing on the cake.  As a matter of fact, with the addition of Jackson, nobody in college basketball will have any more talent stockpiled at the two and three spots than the Musketeers.  They're also in great shape at the point guard spot for some time with Maurice McAfee and Lionel Chalmers and Kevin Frey is a terrific guy to build around inside.   If 6'9 Will Caudle from Indianapolis (Warren Central) IN, who recently committed to Xavier, continues to develop, he could provide the perfect complement, because he's huge.  He's a physcial specimen!  So could 6'9 Adam Waleskowski from Kettering (Alter) OH, who has Xavier near the top of his list.  But let's assume for a second that the Musketeers get both Caudle and Waleskowski.  That could be truly scary, because, with Prosser's coaching and quality depth at every position, Xavier would be the team to beat in the Atlantic-10 for a long time to come.  They also would have a shot at reaching the NCAA Final Four or even winning a NCAA Championship.  And if by some chance down the road that happens - remember where you heard it first!!!

Tuesday, September 5, 2000

Our Mississippi Editor Lavel Johnson has confirmed that the University of Mississippi has gotten a verbal commitment from 6'1 Justin Johnson from Fayetteville (71st) NC, who ranks #208 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Johnson tells us that Johnson was in Oxford over the weekend, along with 6'4 Keith Langford from Ft. Worth (North Crowley) TX, on his official visit.  If you will recall, Langford, verbally committed to Ole Miss before the summer started, but a lot of people questioned whether that commitment would hold up.    However, Langford's mother assured us that it would in late June and it looks like she was right.  Johnson's commitment also directly effects the Rebels recruitment of 6'1 Donald Perry from McCall (H.S.) LA.  Their scholarship offer to Perry is still on the table, but now that Ole Miss has a commitment from another point guard, Perry no longer seems interested.  Instead, Johnson tells us that Perry is considering Indiana, Utah, Tulane, and St. Louis. 

Well, Ro Russell, who is the publisher of the Double Exposure Scouting Service and is the head coach of Team Toronto, has made our job a lot easier in terms of what to do with the top players in Canada.  As a matter of fact, over the weekend, he sent us a list of the top Canadian players in each class.  He ranks 6'6 Duane John, who is transferring from Toronto (Boylan) ON to Miami (Berkshire) FL, #1 over 6'9 Terry Licorish, who is transferring from Toronto (Westhill) ON to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, and 6'10 Jeff Ferguson from Benton Harbor (H.S.) MI, both of whom are tied for second on his list.  Next is 6'7 Anthony Ighodaro from Lutheran (H.S.) PA, followed in order by 6'8 Shami Gill from Toronto (Pocock) ON, 6'2 Jabulah Murray from Toronto (Eastern Commerce) ON, 6'5 Kevin Massiah from Toronto (York Memorial) ON, and 6'3 Steve Sir, who is transferring to St. Paul (Crete-Derham Hall) MN.  In case you've forgotten, Sir established his reputation at the adidas Big Time Tournament in July when when he hit 19 3-pointers in two games and was one of the leading scorers in the tournament.   Rounding out his top dozen seniors are 6'0 Sheldon Tingle from Toronto (North Albion) ON, 6'10 Nate Doornencamp from Toronto (Ernestown) ON, 6'0 Dave Hehm from Toronto (Christopher) ON, and 6'9 J.R. Bailey from Toronto (St. Mike's) ON.  At the top of Russell's junior list is 6'1 Jr Kyle Wilson from Whiterock (H.S.) BC, who tried to do too much at the NIKE All-American Camp and, as a result, didn't live up to his billing.   But we need to add that he excellent when we saw him later in the summer and, as a result, we'd rank him among our top 50 juniors nationally in the United States.  He's followed by 6'8 Jr Kareem Milson from Youngstown (Rayen) OH, 6'3 Jr Kern Carter from Toronto (Henry Carr) ON, and 6'5 Jr Aaron Hutchinson from Randallstown (H.S.) MD.  We need to give Hutchinson special mention, because Russell thinks he could be the next Duane John.  He also thinks he should have been ranked among our top 50 juniors nationally and back it up by telling us that Hutchinson finished ranked #13 overall at the NIKE Junior Camp.  We'll get to see for ourselves soon enough, because Hutchinson will be playing for Team Toronto at the Charlie Weber Invitational in College Park, MD.  He's followed by 6'5 Jr Justin Shepard from Toronto (Eastern Commerce) ON, 6'5 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathburst) ON, 6'1 Jr Junior Reid from Lutherna (H.S.) PA, 6'7 Jr Marlon Pompey from Toronto (Westwood) ON, 6'7 Jr Sam Ashaolu from Toronto (Memorial) ON, 6'1 Jr Jermaine Anderson from Toronto (Eastern Commerce) ON, and 6'4 Jr Dwight James from Toronto (Jeffreys) ON.  At the top of Russell's sophomore list is 6'6 Soph Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who is a phenomenal athlete and ranks among the top 20 sophomores in the nation by the HOOP SCOOP.   Then comes 6'6 Soph Sean Stewart from Whiterock (H.S.) BC, 6'7 Soph Jemino Sobers from Toronto (Laurier) ON, 6'4 Soph Shane Rowe from Toronto (Westview) ON, 6'5 Soph Oliver Prince from Vanier (H.S.) ON, 6'2 Soph Shane Morrison from Toronto (Bathurst) ON, 6'4 Soph Kevin Kloostra from Chatam (McGregor) ON, 6'6 Soph Brian DaSilva from Vanier (H.S.) ON, 6'3 Soph Levar Rose from Toronto (Notre Dame) ON, 6'0 Soph 6'0 Ton Holmes from Toronto (Westview) ON, and 7'5 Soph Jerry Sokolosky from Toronto (Silverthorn) ON.  Russell's top 10 freshmen in order are 6'8 Frosh Theo Davis from Toronto (Pocock) ON, 5'11 Frosh Nkrumah Murray from Toronto (Eastern Commerce) ON, 5'10 Frosh Kerchel Carter from Henry Carr (H.S.) ON, 6'4 Frosh Donal Corkum from Halifax (Grade School) Nova Scotia, 6'0 Frosh Lamar Robinson from Toronto (Runnymeade) ON, 6'2 Frosh Yomi Adebrega from Toronto (Runnymeade) ON, 5'8 Frosh Donald Burton from Whiterock (H.S.) BC, 5'10 Frosh Kaino Davis from Toronto (Downsview) ON, 6'2 Frosh Jodie Watley from Jeffreys (H.S.) ON, 6'0 Frosh Orlando Hall from Toronto (North Albion) ON.  Anybody who wants more information players in Canada or wants to subscribe to his scouting service should call 1-(416)-398-1355.

Monday, September 4, 2000

Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that the new coaching staff at William & Mary has gotten its first commitment of the 2000-2001 recruiting year from 6'0 Nick D'Antoni from Myrtle Beach (Socastee) SC.   Actually, D'Antoni, who also had Marshall, Coastal Carolina, Clemson, Princeton, Boston University, and Pennsylvania on his list, is a steal for the Tribe.  Not only is he a terrific 3-point shooter, but just like his older brothers, he's plays like a coach's son and, as a result, is excellent at running a team.  With D'Antoni in the fold, head coach Rick Boyages will concentrate all his efforts on getting a good wing player, as 6'6 Mark Lovett from Pittsburgh (Shady Side) PA will be on campus for an official visit this weekend and 6'5 Mike Grinnon from Oyster Bay (St. Dominic) NY will be on campus the next weekend.  Also, over the weekend, Herb Welling, who is the widely regarded as the foremost authority on basketball in the state of Nebraska, called to tip us off about 6'5 Corey Sims from St. Louis (Normandy) MO verbally committing to the Cornhuskers.   Sims isn't a great athlete, but he is a terrific outside shooter and, as a result, should fit in nicely as new Nebraska head coach Barry Collier and his staff start to put the pieces together.  If you will recall, Collier got an early commitment in April from 6'9 Jr Roy Enright from Omaha (Burke) NE, who ranks #44 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  We had heard that 6'6 Najeeb Echols, who rnaks #28 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, was transferring from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL to Chicago (Leo) IL, but apparently that fell through.   Instead, it looks like Echols will be at Chicago (Morgan Park) IL.

Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio tells us that the level of talent in New York City in recent years isn't what it used to be in the 60's, 70's, and early 80's.  "We still have good players at the top of every class, but there isn't the depth there used to be.  In the old days when New York City was the Mecca of High School Basketball, there were at least 15 to 20 high Division I players every year.  But recent years, if we had half that, it was a great year.  And this year there is only one."  Naclerio is talking about 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who emerged this summer as one of the top five seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.   However,  other than Hodge, there is not a single top 50 senior nationally from New York and only two others, if you include 6'2 Ben Gordon from Mt. Vernon (H.S.) NY, who ranks #57 nationally, and 6'4 Chris McRae from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks #62 nationally, are ranked among our top 100.  The junior class would be better, but the top two players - 6'6 Jr Leonard Cook transferred from New York (La Salle) NY to Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ in late spring and 6'9 Jr Charlie Villanueva from Newtown (East Elmhurst) NY has transferred to Blairstown (Academy) NJ and is supposed to be reclassified as a sophomore, although for our purposes he will be ranked as a 5th year player when most people list him as a high school senior - have both transferred to schools in New Jersey.  Instead, it's the sophomore class that really gets Naclerio excited, especially when he starts talking about the size in the class.  "When was the last time New York City produced any quality size?"  asks Naclerio.  However, that isn't the case with the sophomore class, because 7'2 Soph Sageri Allegne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Soph Chris Taft from Brooklyn (Xaverian) NY, and 7'0 Soph Peter Ramos from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY all are still growing and have unlimited potential.  As a matter of fact, Allegne and Ramos squared off yesterday in the Real Scout Underclassmen All-Star Game in Elmcor Rec Center in Corona, NY.  Ramos won the battle, as he finished with 20 points, but Naclerio thinks Allegne, who had 12 points of his own, has a lot more potential.   However, the player Naclerio ranks #1 in the class is 5'8 Soph Daon Merritt from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY.  "He's got incredible talent, but there are some off the court questions that have yet to be answered."  And there are a number of others, like 5'11 Soph Marlon Smith from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, 5'10 Soph Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 6'3 Soph Dominic Lewis from New York (Rice) NY, all of whom have a chance to be real good.  And the freshmen class promises to be even better, as 5'10 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY is now the consensus #1 freshman in America after his performance this summer at the adidas ABCD Camp and 6'0 Frosh Sundiata Gaines from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY and 6'3 Frosh Russell Robinson from New York (Rice) NY both have the talent and potential to be ranked among our top five nationally in the Class of 2004.  Also challenging for spots among the top five in the freshman class in New York City are 6'3 Frosh Phil Murphy from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY, and 5'11 Frosh Ronald Ramone from Bronx (All Hallows) NY.  And of course, there are all those good young freshmen from Brooklyn, like 6'0 Frosh James Walker, 6'3 Frosh Basil Leslie, 6'2 Frosh Abdoulaye Fall, and 5'9 Frosh Dan Corrigan, all of whom need to start growing, if they want to remain near the top of this class.  Also add into the mix 6'9 Frosh John Oates from Ramsey (Don Bosco) NJ.  He plays with New York Riverside Church in this age group and should be ranked among the top 25 nationally in the freshmen class.  The "Renaissance of New York City Basketball" also stems down into the middle school ranks and just like with Oates, there is a player who doesn't live in the city, but who plays with Riverside Church who has to be mentioned.  As a matter of fact, he may be the best 8th grader in the nation.  They call him "Baby Shaq, because at 6'7, 230 lbs, and just turned 14-years-old, it's already pretty scary how good 6'7 Tyrell Biggs from Nanuet (H.S.) NY may become.   "And he's already got legitimate skills to go with all the other intangibles," says Naclerio. 

Saturday, September 2, 2000, and Sunday, September 3, 2000

Academically 6'10 Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY has always been a major question mark.  As a result, a year ago he transferred to Limestone (Washington College) KY, but he was only there a short time before returning home.  While this was a good thing for Russellville, because he led his high school team to the Final Four of the Kentucky State Tournament, it apparently wasn't good for him, as he appears to be more of an academic risk than ever.  So it looks like history is repeating itself.  That's right!  Tony Squire, who is the director of the Squires AAU program in Virginia, tells us that Key is bound for Durham (Emmanual Christian) NC.  No doubt, Key, who ranks #64 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but who could be much higher if ever gets into top playing shape and shows he wants it on a consistent basis, is the perfect replacement for 6'9 Harvey Thomas, who ranks #29 nationally by HOOP SCOOP.  If you recall, Thomas was supposed to attend Emmanuel Christian, but last week verbally committed to Georgetown.  He also decided to enroll at Rockville (Montrose Christian) MD.  And Key isn't the only one who is transferring to Emmanuel Christian.  As a matter of fact, they'll be absolutely loaded this year.  Running the show will be 6'0 Jonathan Hargett, who ranks #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Key and 6'8 Marco Killingworth, who ranks #75 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, should dominate inside.  They also have two other players who came to Emmaneul Christian, along with Killingsworth, from Alabama in 6'8 Darrell Thomas and 6'3 Jeremy Law, as well as 6'7 Tyrone Sally, 6'10 Deonte Smith, and 6'5 Donte Hammond.  Plus, they recently got two of the best underclassmen  in the state of Virginia - 6'6 Soph Marcus Sikes from Petersburg (H.S.) VA and 6'5 Jr Kevin Lathers from Amelia (H.S.) VA.   And now, in addition to Key, Squire tells us that 6'6 Jr Jelani Lawrence from Richmond (Heritage) VA, who ranks #96 nationally in the junior class, and 6'2 Roscoe Biggers from New York (Wadleigh) NY are also transferring to Emmanuel Christian.   Our New York City Editor also confirms that Biggers is heading South to Emmanuel Christian, along with 5'8 Soph Kendal Provet from New York (Wadleigh) NY, who was named the Best Playmaker in the Developmental League at Five-Star Honesdale II last week. 

Late last week we told you that 6'8 Kenny Adeleke from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY scored 22 points and was named the MVP in the Orange-White All-Star at Five-Star Honesdale II.  However, we didn't tell you that he also was the leading scorer for the week in the NBA with 13.5 ppg.   Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio also tells us that 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY picked up right where left off this summer, as he was named the Most Outstanding Player for the Week in the NBA.  The Best Playmaker Award went to 5'4 Tyquan Goode from Brooklyn (Grady) NY, the Playoff MVP was 6'6 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, and 6'6 Jr Leonard Cook from Old Tappan (H.S.) NY was named the Most Promising Prospect in the NBA.  The Developmental League at Honesdale II is always outstanding and this year it looks like it was even better than usual.  The Most Outstanding Player was 5'10 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who ranks as the #1 freshman in American by the HOOP SCOOP.  The leading scorer for the week was 5'8 Soph Daon Merritt from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who ranks as the #1 sophomore in the City by Naclerio.  The leading scorer with 22 points and the MVP in the Developmental Orange-White All-Star Game was 6'4 Soph Brian Williams from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.  The Best Playmaker was 5'8 Soph Kendal Provet, who is transferring from New York (Wadleigh) NY to Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC.    The MVP in the Playoffs was 6'4 Karone Clark from ??????? (N.A. Lutheran) NY and 5'10 Soph Jamaal Lynch from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY won the Mr. Hustle Award. 

In early July Kevin O'Neill told us that he wouldn't be the head coach Northwestern much longer, because he expected to take an assistant coach position in the NBA.  Obviously at the time O'Neill was thinking he might be joining new head coach Isiah Thomas, who had just taken over with the Indiana Pacers.  However, as it turns out, it was more reminiscent of when he left Tennessee four years ago - he was going to take the first job he could get.  Well, this time it looked like O'Neill lucked out, because you can't do much better than the New York Knicks.  So now our attention turns onto who wants what might be college basketball's toughest big time job.  As a matter of fact, Northwestern has become a graveyard for great coaches in recent times, because the administration won't make the necessary exceptions academically to get the great athletes that they need to compete at the top level.  Bill Foster was a great coach and a class act, but he couldn't win at Northwestern in the late 80's and early 90's.  The late Ricky Byrdsong was one of the best recruiters, as well as people in the business, but he couldn't get it done either during the mid-90's   Neither could O'Neill, who still is second to none on the recruiting trail.   As a matter of fact, this job may be so tough that even Cincinnati assistant coach Mick Cronin, who is quickly emerging into the best recruiter in the business, would be wise to pass on this job.  Not that he could get it anyway.  If you will recall, Northwestern athletic director Rick Taylor was previously in charge of the athletic department at University of Cincinnati, where he and head coach Bob Huggins didn't get along.  Well, Huggins is still there and Taylor is long gone.  Moral to the story, we'd be surprised if Taylor would hire one of Huggins' guys.  Instead, Taylor will likely go further into his past and hire somebody with Boston University connections, like St. John's assistant coach Kevin Clark, who was there at the same time with Taylor during the Mike Jarvis era or current Boston University head coach Dennis Wolff.  Another interesting name that our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio has tossed out is Princeton head coach Bill Carmody.  Actually that might be the perfect fit, because Carmody has been taking the same type of achieving student-athletes for years and has dominated the Ivy League.  Or perhaps they should look at somebody like Carmody's former top assistant Joe Scott, who recently took the Air Force job, because he's the guy who recruited all those players to Princeton.  Another good candidate might be Kentucky associate head coach George Felton, who is widely regarded as not only one of the best recruiters in the business, as well as pretty good head coach when he was at South Carolina.  If you will recall, he won 20 games his last year with the Gamecocks and he had a staff that was second to none.  Getting back to Cincinnati for a moment, we mentioned that former Cincinnati point guard Keith Legree was the leading candidate to replace Rod Baker, who recently took the top assistant coach job at Rutgers.  Well, write it down, Legree was officially hired sometime last week.

Friday, September 1, 2000

We have finalized our rankings of the top 100 juniors nationally and it looks like the Class of 2002 is very comparable to the Class of 2000, as it appears to be very good at the top, but lacks depth, especially inside.  While we don't like ties, especially at the top, it is almost impossible take one over the other when considering 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ and 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudamire from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC for the #1 ranking.  So we made it tie for now and we'll who earns it later.  If you will recall, Cooke was the #1 ranked player by the HOOP SCOOP at the adidas ABCD Camp and Stoudamire finished a strong #2 at the NIKE All-American Camp behind 6'9 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL.  Both also were terrific the rest of the summer.  After that is gets easier, because 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI had a tremendous spring, but wasn't as good as Cooke or Stoudamire during the summer.  Next and very difficult to separate are 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL, and 6'5 Jr Antonio Lawrence from Jacksonville (Jackson) FL.   Checking in at #8 is 6'8 Jr Charlie Rodriguez from Fresno (Clovis West) CA, but he may not stay there for long, because he's stuck in the Dominician Republic with visa problems.  And if he does regain entrance into the United States, he may not play at all this year and, if he does, he may get reclassified as a senior, because he's already 19-years-old.  Rounding out the top 10 are 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL and 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA.  The next 10 in order are 6'9 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA, 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Jr Marshall Strickland from Hyattsville (DeMatha) MD, 6'6 Jr Lester Abrams from Pontiac (Northern) MI, 6'8 Jr Kevin Bookout from Stroud (H.S.) OK, 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, and 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ.  Our complete top 100 junior list can be found by clicking on Class 2002.

Now that 6'8 David Lee from St. Louis (Chaminade) MO has verbally committed to the University of Florida, it looks like Florida head coach Billy Donovan is well on his way towards landing his best recruiting class yet.   And that alone is a pretty tall order, because three years ago Florida's recruiting class with Ted Dupay, Miller Miller, Ladarius Halton, Udonis Haslem, and Sylbrin Robinson was ranked #8 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP.  Then, he followed that class up with another top 10 class two years ago, that included Donnell Harvey, Brett Nelson, Matt Bonner, Justin Hamilton, and Robinson again.   Last year Florida didn't need much, but they still landed a top 40 player nationally in 6'5 Orien Green from Gainesville (H.S.) FL and a top 150 player in 6'9 Bonell Colas from Miami (North Miami) FL.  The Gators are already loaded, but somehow Donovan continues to bring in new faces at seemingly every position.  In addition to Lee, who ranks #9 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, Florida also got a recent commitment from 6'7 James White from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is our #3 ranked 5th year player and would rank among our top 10 nationally if he counted among seniors, and over a year ago the Gators got a very early commitment from 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA.   Currently Brown ranks #54 nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, but before the summer we had him ranked #3 in the senior class behind 6'2 Jr Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ and 7'1 Tyson Chandler from Compton (Dominguez) CA.   In other words, we don't question is talent, just his heart, as he laid an egg at the adidas ABCD Camp and was missing in action for the Georgia Stars late in the summer.  However, Brown does have outstanding skills and he's surprisingly mobile for his size on the perimeter, so Lee should provide the perfect complement inside, because he's just your good old-fashioned blue collar warrior around the basket.  Obviously, the addition of Lee moves the Gators recruiting class into the #1 spot well ahead of Memphis, Missouri, and Ohio State.  All they need now are a pair of great guards in order to have a Fab Five recruiting class that would be better than the original Michigan Fab Five Class itself.  Well, as we mentioned a week ago, we think Florida is the leader for 6'5 Cedric Bozeman from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA and 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY has final four includes Syracuse, N.C. State, Maryland, and, you guessed it, Florida.

---

To Return today's Hot Recruiting Information Page click on Today

---