SCOOP OF THE DAY

FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2001

Previous SCOOP'S OF THE DAY available by month - October 1997 November 1997 December 1997 January 1998 February 1998 March 1998 April 1998 May 1998 June 1998 July 1998 August 1998 September 1998 October 1998 November 1998 December 1998 January 1999 February 1999 March 1999 April 1999 May 1999 June 1999 July 1999 August 1999 September 1999 October 1999 November 1999 December 1999 January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000 May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000 September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000 January 2001 February 2001 March 2001 April 2001 May 2001

EDITOR'S NOTE:  The Scoop of the Day provides you with only part of the recruiting information that we have obtained on a daily basis. Everything else can be found in the Members Section of HOOP SCOOP Online, but it is available only via subscription.   So get your Visa or MasterCard ready and click on Subscribe. 

Thursday, May 31, 2001 - A year ago 20 of the top 100 juniors nationally had verbally committed prior to the start of the summer camp season in early July.  Well, it looks like that number could double if the current trend continues, as 26 players who are ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally have already verbally committed.  Also one of the top freshmen in the junior college ranks - 6'8 Qyntel Woods from Moberly (JC) MO, who recently picked Memphis - has also made an early commitment.  So have eight other juniors who don't rank in the top 100 nationally.    In other words, we already have tracked 35 early commitments for next year and the summer camp season is still a month away.  We also already have tracked three early commitments in the sophomore classes from 6'9 Soph Kenneth Harris from Hammond (Bishop Noll) IN, who is committed to Valparaiso a year ago, and 6'8 Soph Darian Townes from Alexandria (T.C. Williams) VA and 6'2 Soph Robert McIver from Stone Mountain (Redan) GA, both of whom picked Georgetown last week, and two commitments in the freshmen class from 6'5 Frosh Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN and 5'10 Frosh Desmond Gadis from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN, both of whom picked Purdue last fall.  In order to track this trend further you can check our on-going list by clicking on Early Commitments from the Class of 2002 and Beyond.  Not only will we update this this list on daily basis, but we will make the players color coordinated based on where they rank nationally.  Anybody who ranks among the top 20 nationally in high school or the equivalent in junior college or prep school is in red.  This list already includes one junior college player in Woods; five juniors in 6'7 Jr Carmelo Anthony from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'2 Jr Gerry McNamara from Scranton (Bishop Hannan) PA, 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'3 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA; one sophomore in Harris; and one freshmen in Vaden.  We also are starting to track players who have repeated their freshman, sophomore, or junior year and, as a result, will be a year ahead of the rest the players in their class.  We will do this by adding three stars after the player's name - e.i. 6'10 Jr Deng Gai from Milford (Academy) CT and 6'4 Jr David Teague from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME.  Both Gai and Teague are currently listed as juniors, but Teague will be in his 5th year of high school next year.    Actually we're not sure what to do with Gai, because he may enroll at Fairfield in the fall, if he is a partial qualifier, or he may return for another year at Milford Academy. 

Wednesday, May 30, 2001 - We have to give New York Riverside Church a lot of credit, because they don't have one player who is a prime high Division I target.   But they still walked through the NIKE Memorial Day Classic in Bloomington, IN and beat Boo Williams in the championship game, 63-62.   The leading scorer in the title game with 20 points for Riverside Church was 6'3 Jr Ricardo Soliver from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, but 5'9 Jr Keydren Clark from New York (Rice) NY was the guy who made most of the big plays down the stretch, as he scored eight of his 11 points at crunch time and brought Riverside Church back from a three deficit  with only a minute remaining in the title game.   However, throughout the tournament somebody different for Riverside Church stepped up each game, so we also have to mention 6'0 Jr Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, 6'9 Shakim Mitchell from New York (Rice) NY, 5'11 Jr Bobby Santiago from Bronx (All Hallows) NY, and 6'4 Ryan Williams from Troy (Redemption) NY.    The Boo Williams attack was much less balanced than Riverside Church's, as 6'1 Jr Johnny Gilchrist from Virginia Beach (Salem) VA, 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA and 6'6 Robert Strickland from Chesapeake (Indian River) VA scored 51 of their team's 62 points in the championship game.  However, that should change down the road as two outstanding young players get more confidence and experience.  We're talking about 6'7 Soph Darian Townes from Alexandria (T.C. Williams) VA, who recently made an early verbal commitment to Georgetown, and 6'2 Soph Marques Cooke from Suffolk (Nansemond) VA, who Boo Williams (the coach, not the team) thinks has more potential than Ronald Curry, but not as much potential as Allen Iverson.  And Boo should know, because both Curry and Iverson came up through the ranks playing in his program.  However, the championship game was really anticlimactic after watching 6'7 Jr Carmelo Anthony from Towson (Catholic) MD, 6'3 Jr Bracy Wright from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'2 Greg Brown from Milwaukee (Vincent) WI, and all the outstanding young players who were in attendence at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic.  Wright, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the class, as well as a legitimate top 15 junior nationally, was the leading scorer in the tournament averaging 29.3 ppg.  It was a close call, but in our mind he edged out Anthony as the #1 player in the tournament.  However, Anthony, who was the third leading scorer in the tournament with 23.8 ppg, is probably the better prospect, because he's an incredible athlete with tremendous versatility and an improved perimeter game.  Anthony, who already has verbally committed to Syracuse, also just gets better and better every time we see him, which leads us to believe that his upside is almost unlimited.  In other words, he's a legitimate top 10 player in the junior class nationally right now and he may only be scratching the surface.  Brown, who was the 6th leading scorer in the tournament with 26.5 ppg, also has come on like gangbuster since we saw him last summer.   Sure, there are still questions about Brown's lack of size, but his incredible athleticism, excellent upper body, and ability to hit the trey make him a legitimate top 50 junior nationally.  But our guess is that Brown will still get underrecruited his academic situation is a major question mark.  An all-tournament team was not officially selected at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic, but 6'8 Jr Sean May from Bloomington (North) IN, 6'3 Jarrett Jack from Durham (Mt. Zion Christian) NC, 6'5 Jr J.R. Morris from Milwaukee (Washington) WI, 6'4 Jr Ricardo Billings from Detroit (Rogers) MI, and 6'1 Jr Chase Griffin from Issaquah (H.S.) WA would have been locks, along with Wright, Anthony, Greg Brown, Elton Brown, Gilchrist, Clark, and Soliver.   Another candidate for the all-tournament team was 6'6 Lester Abrams from Pontiac (Northern) MI, but he went home early and didn't play up to expectations when we saw him, although he did hit several big shots late in the game, as the Family beat the Tallahassee Wildcats in the opening round of the playoffs.  We also have to give a special mention to Griffin, who reminds us so much of Marquette-bound 6'1 Travis Diener from Fond du Lac (Goodrich) WI, who established his national reputation in this tournament a year ago.  And just like Diener,  Griffin needs to get stronger, but he has great handling and passing skills, is quick off the dribble, and can beat you with his outside shot and/or going to the hole.  As a result, we think he's a top 100 junior nationally.  Griffin is the best player for the Emerald City Pioneers, who are like the Gonzaga of the AAU circuit, but we also have to mention 6'3 Soph Ryan Appleby from Stanwood (H.S.) WA, 6'9 Jr Kevin Field from Stanwood (H.S.) WA, and 6'5 Jr Grant Assink from Lynden (H.S.) WA.   Field is the best of the three right now, because he's a physical specimen inside, but down the road Appleby, who can play either guard spot and is an excellent athlete with enough to talent and potential to be ranked among the top 100 nationally in his class, will will get recruited at a higher level.  Assink's future is at the mid-to-low Division level, but we really like the way he gets after it on the boards and scores around the basket.  It's kind of funny, but we have yet to mention 6'4 Jr Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH, who is ranked among a lot of people's top 10 juniors nationally.  Unfortunately his team (the Charlotte Royals) got beat before I saw them play.   However, several people who did see him play were disappointed.   So we're sticking by our top 30 nationally ranking of McCants and holding off on any Jerry Stackhouse comparisons.  Instead, we believe McCants is a bigger stronger more athletic version of N.C. State's Damien Wilkins.   In other words, the further away from the basket McCants gets, the less effective he is.  We also have to mention 6'7 Jr Delco Rowley from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN and 6'7 Angelo Smith from Indianapolis (North Lawrence) IN, who led the Indianapolis Warriors to a final eight finish.  Actually we like Smith better right now, because he plays so hard inside.  But Rowley has shown dramatic improvement this spring and, as a result, schools like Iowa and Ohio State are showing lots of interest.   We've been hearing about the great sophomore class in Minnesota for some time, so it was a major treat watching Howard Pulley knock off Memphis, 84-61, in the semi-finals and Indiana White Team, 65-64, in the championship game of the 16-Under Division.   Running the show for Howard Pulley was 6'0 Soph Jessie Burton from Minneapolis (North) MN.  Not only is Burton an excellent ball handler and passer, but he's also extremely quick off the dribble and he's got great moves to the basket.  As a result, he reminds us of Boston College's Troy Bell, who was the last great point guard to come out of Minneapolis, MN.  Anchoring the inside with his athleticism, rebounding, and shot blocking is 6'7 Soph Dan Coleman from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN.  However, what makes Coleman a legit top 50 sophomore nationally are his soft touch, good moves round the basket, and 15' range.  One of the best outside shooters (11-26 from beyond the arc) in the tournament was 6'7 Soph Dan Fitzgerald from St. Paul (St. Thomas Academy) MN.   Fitzgerald is also very skilled and deceptively athletic, which is why he too should be ranked in the top 50-100 range nationally in the sophomore class.  Howard Pulley also had three excellent athletes - 6'1 Soph Kam Taylor from Minneapolis (North) MN, 6'3 Soph Darren Clarke from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, and 6'4 Soph Kevin Hennerson from Minneapolis (North) MN, who were interchangeable out on the perimeter - and 6'6 Soph Matt Annen from Elk River (H.S.) MN, who does the blue collar work inside. And just think how good this team will be a year from now when they also have 6'7 Soph Kris Humphries from Minnetonka (Hopkins) MN, who is the best sophomore in the state, but currently is playing up with the 17-Under Team.  The Indiana White Team was also a well balanced team that featured 6'4 Soph Sonny Troutman from Indianapolis (Brebeuf) IN, 6'2 Soph Matt Pait form Jeffersonville (H.S.) IN, 6'7 Soph Sam Pharr from Rockville (H.S.) IN, and 6'6 Soph Bil Duany from Bloomington (North) IN.  However, down the road we look for Duany emerge as the best of the group.  We're talking about an amazing athlete with an incredible wing span, tremendous versatility, and two older brothers who got recruited at the high Division I level.  And he's still growing!   We already knew about 5'9 Frosh Andre Allen from Houston (Booker T. Washington) TN and 6'8 Frosh Jerrell Houston from Memphis (East) TN, both of whom have been touted for the last year as potentially two of the best players to ever come out of the Mid-South.  However, we also were impressed with 6'7 Soph Courtney Bohanon from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'0 Soph Dustin Richmond from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'7 Frosh Shawne Williams from Memphis (Hamilton) TN, 6'4 Soph Vincent Camper from Oxford (H.S.) MS, and 6'0 Soph Del Harris from Somerville (Fayette-Ware) TN.  Also making the final four in the 16-Under Divison I was the California Team, which was playing up a year in class.  Yes, 6'4 Frosh Curtis Allen from Palos Verdes (Rolling Hills) CA, 6'11 Frosh Robert Swift from Bakersfield (Garces) CA, 6'7 Frosh Dominic McGuire from San Diego (Lincoln) CA, 6'0 Frosh Gabriel Pruitt from Compton (Centennial) CA, and 6'4 Frosh Joe Shipp from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA all are freshman and all have big time talent and potential.   Allen and Swift also have McDonald's All-American potential, because they will be ranked among our top 30 freshmen nationally.

Monday, May 28, 2001, and Tuesday, May 29, 2001 -When it is all said and done our guess is the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions during Memorial Day Weekend will likely be remembered by everbody who attended as the best event of the entire year.  Not only were most of the top players in the junior class nationally in attendance, but we also got our first look at an overwhelming number of outstanding young players, like 6'10 Soph Jackie Butler from McComb (H.S.) MS, 6'8 Frosh Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, 6'4 Frosh Glenn Miles from Birmingham (West End) AL, 6'5 Soph Lodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'5 Rodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'7 Frosh Joshua Smith from Mableton (Whitefield) GA, 6'3 Frosh Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, 6'9 Frosh ReSean Dickey from Clio (Marlboro City) SC, and 6'0 Frosh Darius Washington from Orlando (Edgewater) FL.  At the top of the list is Washington.  For the last three or four years I have had what seems like everybody and his brother tell me about somebody in the Class of 2004 who is supposed to be better than 5'11 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY.   Unfortunately, they all have paled in comparison to Telfair, who already is widely regarded as one of the top five players in NYC regardless of class.   However, we're not so sure about Washington, who scored 27 points versus the New Orleans Jazz in the 17-Under Divison on Court #3 at 6:30 PM game on Saturday night.   Then, he followed that with a 26-point effort against the South Carolina Ravens in the 15-Under Division on Court #3 at 9:10 PM and 19 points versus the Long Island Panthers in the 17-Under Division on Court #3 at the 10:30 PM.  In other words, he was virtually unstoppable in three of the final four sets of games Saturday night.    Washington, who has long arms, explosive quickness, deadley 3-point shooting range, and great ball handling and passing skills, also plays with the poise of a senior.    Although we're not ready to say that Washington is better than Telfair, we are ready to proclaim him as the #2 player in his class nationally.  And right behind him has to be Williams, who was the second best player on the Southeast Raptors behind 6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL.  Williams is extremely active inside, where he rebounds and scores against anybody - we saw him go head-to-head against 6'11 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA.  However, he also has the mobility, handling, and passing skills to play away from the basket.   Right now Butler is probably better than Williams, but he didn't show it when we saw him - he was slowed by a foot injury that occured in warmups.  Still, we have to give Butler, who is a top five sophomore nationally a lot of credit, for wanting it bad enough to not make excuses and play hurt.  The Stewart twins also lived up to all the hype.  As a matter of fact, they might even be better than the hype, as they both impressed us with their athleticism, versatility, toughness, handling skills, and outside shooting.  They also brought the house down on a number occasions with incredible moves to the basket and dunks that were nothing short of sensational.  In other words, we may be talking about two top five sophomores nationally.  Miles is an outstanding 2-guard who uses his athleticism to go to the hole or  create his own shoot out on the perimeter.   But he gets lost in the shuffle on the Southeast Raptors, which also features Moore, Butler, and Williams.  Smith is the best of the bunch on the loaded 15-Under Atlanta Celtics team, which also includes two other outstanding inside players in 6'8 Frosh Dwight Howard from Atlanta (Southwest Christian) GA and 6'10 Frosh Randolph Morris from Landmark (Fairburn) GA.  However, Wallace Prather, who is the man responsible for making the Atlanta Celtics one of the top five club team program in the nation, has yet to put all the pieces together and find the right chemistry with this bunch, as was evident by the fact they lost two game in the tournament.   What makes Smith special is the fact that he's a big time athlete and he's already versatile enough to play both inside and outside.  Evans is an outstanding combo guard with good ball handling skills and explosive speed and quickness.  Dickey, who had 25 points when we saw him in the 15-Under game against Fastbreak USA, has excellent moves around the basket, plus he's already a stopper at the defensive end.  Getting back to the older players, it came as no surprise when we found out that the Michigan Hurricanes had beaten the Long Island Panthers on Sunday afternoon in the championship game.  It also came as no surprise that 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI took home tournament MVP honors.  However, Roberson did not emerge as the winner in his head-to-head match-up on Saturday morning against 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL.  As a matter of fact, Roberson went 0-9 from the field in the first half, while Dockery showed that he is more of a pure point guard, as he made better decisions and impressed everybody with his tremendous passing ability.   However, midway through the second half Roberson hit a pair of 3-pointers and took over the game down the stretch.  Roberson also took over in the second half of the championship game en route to tournament MVP honors.  But clearly the best player in the tournament was 6'2 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC.  His incredible 45-point performance against the Raleigh Heat on Saturday afternoon was documented by the HOOP SCOOP on Sunday, but we didn't tell you that he followed that up with 41 points against the Grassroots Canada on Saturday night and 37 points on Sunday morning in the semi-finals against the Long Island Panthers.  Making this performance even more impressive in Sunday morning's loss was the fact that Felton was double-teamed the entire game, as 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY assisted the numerous Long Island Panther guards who would switch on and off Felton.  And just like in the previous two games against the Raleigh Heat and the Grassroots Canada, Felton brought his team back from a 15-point deficit to almost win the game.  It was Felton's 5th game in 36 hours.  So obviously he was tired when he missed three consecutive 3-pointers late in the game.  However, he still almost pulled it out, as he hit his first two free throws to cut the lead to only two with two seconds left in the game.  But his third free throw attempt, which he intensionally missed, bounced off the rimb straight to the floor, instead of back to him.  In the other semi-final game the Michigan Hurricanes beat the Tim Thomas Playaz.  In addition to Roberson, who was named the MVP in the 17-Under National Tournament, 6'6 Jr Fabian Davis from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC took home MVP honors in the 17-Under Select Tournament and 5'11 Jr Mario Moore from Nashville (Antoich) TN was named the MVP in the 17-Under Shootout.  Also named to the combined 17-Under All-Tournament Team were Felton, 6'1 Jr Allen Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who was the second leading scorer in the tournament with 30.0 ppg behind Felton who averaged 37 ppg, Stoudemire, Dockery, Ibrahim, the Stewart twins, Butler, 61'0 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'10 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Sr Ilian Evtimov from Winston-Salem (Bishop McGuinnes) NC, 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA, 6'7 Jr Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI, 6'4 Jr Maurice Ager from Detroit (Crockett) MI, 6'7 Cortez Davis from North Bridgton (Bridgton Academy) ME, 6'7 Kennedy Winston from Prichard (Blount) AL, 6'7 Jr Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, 6'8 Jr Chuck Davis from Selma (Southside) AL, 6'6 Jr Brandon Roy from Seattle (Garfield) WA, 6'6 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathhurst) ON, 6'4 Jr Cameron Bennerman from Greensboro (Grimsley) NC, 6'3 Casey Gibbons from Exeter (Phillips Exeter Academy) MA, 6'5 Jr Vincent Grier from Raleigh (Bonner Academy) NC, 6'6 Jr Eric Hicks from Greensboro (Dudley) NC, 5'11 Jr Matt Anderson from Lenior (West Caldwell) NC, and 6'8 Frosh Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, who averaged 27.0 ppg.  And the list of players who didn't make the all-tournament team is almost as impressive.  It includes Moore, Mike Williams, 6'4 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 6'3 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'10 Jr DeAngeleo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'5 Jr Trent Strickland from East Flat Rock (H.S.) NC, 6'10 Soph Major Wingate from Florence (Wilson) SC,  6'0 Jr Mike Lasme from Burlington (Life Center) NJ, 6'8 Jr Curtis Withers from Charlotte (West Charlotte) NC, 6'5 Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, 6'7 Jr Jermaine Spencer from New Iberia (H.S.) LA, 6'8 Jr Andy Freund from Wauwatosa (East) WI, 6'5 Jr Britton Thomas from Gastonia (Ashbrook) NC.  We didn't see much of the 16-Under age group, but we did see the Tim Thomas Playaz, which beat the Kappa Magic, 63-61, in the championship game of the 16-Under National Tournament.  We were impressed by 6'2 Soph Jamal Warren from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA, 6'7 Soph Demetris Nichols from Barrington (St. Andrew's) RI, 6'3 Soph Obie Nwadike from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'3 Soph Art Bowers from Newark (Hodgson Vocational Tech) DE, but only Bowers, who has named the tournament MVP, and Warren made the all-tournament.    Also named to the 16-Under All-Tournament team were 6'0 Soph K.J. Garland from  Greensboro (Day) NC, who was the MVP in the Select Tournament, 5'11 Soph Chris Paul from Clemmons West Forsyth) NC, 6'5 Soph Kenoaris Pelton from Goshen (H.S.) AL, 6'7 Soph Kenny Hooks from Hurley (East Central) SC, 6'4 Soph Laren Hutchins from Marietta (H.S.) GA, 6'5 Soph Darius Bee from Tallahassee (FAMU) FL, 5'10 Soph Bryan Smithson from Kennesaw (North Cobb) GA, 6'8 Soph Dominique Bedford from Mableton (South Cobb) GA, 6'7 Soph Juan Wheat from Fayetteville (Seventy-First) NC, 6'3 Jr Whit Holcomb-Faye from Winston-Salem (R.J. Reynolds) NC, and 6'10 Jr Stefan Zimmerman from Mountain View (Orem) UT.   After our comments above about 6'1 Frosh Darius Washington from Orando (Edgewater) FL, it should come as no surprise that he led the Fastbreak USA to the 15-Under Championship over Richmond Metro, 85-65.  He also was named the MVP in the 15-Under Division.  Joining him on the all-tournament team were 6'3 Frosh Tyree Evans from Richmond (George Wythe) VA, 6'0 Frosh Taurean Green from Winter Park (Lake Howell) FL, 6'0 Frosh David Wirth from Somers (Kennedy Catholic) NY, 6'3 Soph Andre Ingram from Richmond (Highland Springs) VA, 6'1 Frosh Zam Frederick from St. Matthews (Calhoun City) SC, and 5'5 Frosh Randy Simon from Lansing (Everett) MI.  We could go on and on and on, but we have to get to some of the other business of the day, plus we have to start writing about the NIKE Memorial Day Classic, which is our next major project (look for our in-depth report by tomorrow afternoon).  

Sunday, May 27, 2001 - It was the best individual performance we've seen in a long time.  Several thousand people were in attendance yesterday afternoon at the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in the Dean E. Smith Center for the 4:00 PM game between the Raleigh Heat and Beach Ball Select.   The main attraction was 6'10 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, who is the #1 recruiting target in the junior class for Duke, North Carolina, and N.C. State.  Also featured in the game was 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, who had been drawing comments throughout the tournament from Duke fans like "he's the best outside shooter I've ever seen."  Remember, Redick verbally committed to the Blue Devils last fall.  And he lived up to that billing again against the Beach Ball Select as he hit five treys, 11-12 free throws, and scored 38 points.  But when the game was on the line it was 6'2 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, who was totally dominant down the stretch.  He scored 45 points against a team that featured Randolph, Redick, 6'11 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA, 6'9 Jr Eric Williams from Wake Forest (Rolesville) NC, and 6'2 Jr Shawan Robinson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, but that only begins to tell the story.  Need a big 3-pointer to get back in the game?  Felton provided several.  Need a big turnover?   Felton took a charge on the ball late in the game, which was one of the best defensive plays of the entire tournament.   Felton also kept setting up 6'4 Jr Alex Spotts from Lexington (H.S.) SC, who hit several clutch 3-pointers in the final minutes.  And when the defense didn't get back and/or relaxed for a slit second on defense, Felton has used his explosive speed and quickness and incredible athleticism and body control to make another magnificient move to the basket.  In other words, Felton not only took over the game, but he came through in just about every way imaginable, except one.  He did miss a free throw that would have even iced the game a little sooner.  But in the final analysis it didn't matter, because Felton proved beyond all doubt in that he belongs among our top five in the junior class nationally.  But who do you take out?    Not 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, who had 19 points for the Long Island Island Panthers, and 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, who had 23 points for Fastbreak USA, when their teams went head-to-head the last game of the evening on Court #2 last night in the Dean E. Smith Center.  Not Randolph, despite the fact he didn't play up to his normal standards yesterday due to a cracked bone in his left foot.  Not 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Sagiaw (H.S.) MI, who led the Michigan Mustangs to an impressive 20-point win over the the Southeast Raptors in the final game of the evening in the Dean E. Smith Center last night on Court #3.  And not 6'11 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA, who was a force to be reckoned with earlier in the evening when the Atlanta Celtics faced the Southeast Raptors on Court #1 in the Dean E. Smith Center.  Yes, the gang was all here, but there appears to be six players currently in our top five nationally.  And that was the big story when we left the gym late last night.  Now we are heading to Bloomington, IN for the NIKE Tournament and we provide all the highlights from both tournaments when we get a chance to catch our breath in a day or two. 

Saturday, May 26, 2001 - The Michigan Mustangs have split into two teams, but it looks like Chris Grier's Michigan Hurricanes not only are going to weather storm, but they appear to be one of the favorites to win the Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions after knocking off the New York Ravens in their opening round game last night.  He missed a lot of shots, but 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI picked up where he left a year ago when he was the best player in this tournament, as he scored 28 points and was the best player we saw all night.  Roberson combines great quickness with incredible moves to seemingly do whatever he wants to on the court.   And just like Stephon Marbury he can play either guard spot, but his lack of strength, incredible quickness, and ability to get to the basket remind us more of Allen Iverson.  However, what makes the Michigan Hurricanes such a good team are 6'7 Jr Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI, who is a terror inside, 6'4 Jr Maurice Ager from Detroit (Crockett) MI, 6'5 Soph Olumyiwa Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, and 6'4 Soph Curtis Williams from Creedmoor (Christian Faith Center) NC.  All the Hurricanes were missing was a presence inside, but 6'9 Soph Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI arrived late tonight nad will be ready to go tomorrow.   Getting back Roberson he told us that he wants to get the recruiting process over within the next several weeks and that Duke and Michigan are the leaders.  In other words, if he can't go to Duke, it looks like he's going to opt for the next best thing - Tommy Amaker, who is a former Duke assistant and the new head coach at Michigan.   Roberson also mentioned Michigan State, Florida, Cincinnati, and North Carolina, plus he didn't rule out going hardship into the NBA draft next year, if he thinks he can be a lottery pick.  However, Roberson, who has over a 3.0 gpa and should have no problem on the SAT, also expressed a strong desire to graduate someday from college.   Also playing well in the Hurricanes-Ravens game was 6'1 Jr Allen Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who also scored 28 points, although he and Roberson weren't matched up against one another.  Speaking of Ray, his high school Gary DeCesare tells us that Wake Forest, Villanova, Memphis, N.C. State, Georgia Tech, and Miami-FL appear to be among the early leaders.  We also were very impressed last night by three other outstanding point guards in 6'4 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, who outplayed 6'2 Jr Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA in their head-to-head to match-up, 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, and 6'2 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC.   Williams tells us that Illinois, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Tennessee are his favorite schools.  Ingram likes St. John's, Villanova, Duke, Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and Seton Hall.  Felton committed to North Carolina two months ago.   Also impressing us last night were 6'8 Jr Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, 6'10 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'7 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'5 Jr Britton Thomas from Gastonia (Ashbrook) NC, 6'5 Jr Kevin Massiah from Toronto (York  Memorial) ON, 6'6 Jr Denham Brown from Toronto (Bathhurst) ON, 6'5 Jr Jonathan Modica from Smackover (H.S.) AR, 6'10 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'1 Soph Marcus Williams from Los Angeles (Crenshaw) CA, 6'3 Jr Casey Gibbons from Exeter (Phillips Exeter Academy) MA, 6'8 Jr Andy Freund from Wauwatosa (East) WI, and 6'5 Jr Trent Strickland from Henderson (East Henderson) NC, who made a verbal commitment to Wake Forest yesterday. 

Friday, May 25, 2001 - The Bob Gibbons Tournament of Champions in Chapel Hill, NC begins tonight at 7:00 PM and the field appears to be nothing short of spectacular.  We're talking about all five - 6'9 Jr Amare Stoudemire from Orlando (Cypress Creek) FL, 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ, 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC, 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI, and 6'9 Jr Sani Ibrahim from Winchendon (School) MA - of the HOOP SCOOP's top five juniors nationally, four of our top 10 nationally - 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC, 6'2 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL, 6'7 Jr Evan Burns from Los Angeles (Fairfax) CA,and   6'1 Jr Chadd Moore from Huntsville (Lee) AL.  And just missing being ranked among our top 10 are 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA and 5'11 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL.   There also are 21 other players in the tournament who legitimately are ranked among the top 50 juniors nationally.  That list includes 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, 6'1 Jr Alan Ray from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, 6'9 Jr Deng Gai from Milford (Academy) CT, 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY, 6'8 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY, 6'8 Jr Marion Boggan from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, 6'7 Jr Kennedy Winston from Pritchard (Blount) AL, 6'2 Jr Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA, 6'7 Jr Matt Trannon from Flint (Northern) MI, 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'8 Jr Yusef Baker from Orlando (Evans) FL, 6'2 Jr Deron Williams from The Colony (H.S.) TX, 5'10 Jr Mario Moore from Nashville (Antioch) TN, 6'2 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, 6'7 Jr Derek Burditt from Marrero (Ehret) LA, 6'7 Jr Marcus White from Chicago (Whitney Young) IL, 6'7 Jr Elliott Poole from Chicago (Farragut) IL, 6'9 Jr Eric Williams from Wake Forest (Rolesville) NC, 6'7 Jr Derrick Byars from Memphis (Ridgeway) TN, 6'7 Jr Curtis Withers from Charlotte (West) NC.   So when Bob Gibbons tells you that he has an overwhelming number of the nation's elite players, he is right on the money.   By our count 5+4+2+21=32 of the top 50 juniors.  The tournament also includes an number of the nation's most elite underclassmen - 6'8 Soph Jackie Butler from Macomb (H.S.) MS, 6'10 Soph Major Wingate from Florence (Wilson) SC, 6'3 Soph Lodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 6'4 Soph Lodrick Stewart from Seattle (Rainier Beach) WA, 7'3 Soph Sagari Allegne from New York (Rice) NY, 6'8 Jr Travis Outlaw from Starkville (H.S.) MS, 6'1 Soph Rayshawn Reed from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'8 Soph Lorenzo Thompson from Chicago (Crane) IL, 6'4 Soph Dion Harris from Detroit (Redford) MI, 6'8 Soph Walter Waters from Detroit (Southeastern) MI, and 6'5 Soph Olu Famutimi from Flint (Northwestern) MI, 6'8 Frosh Mike Williams from Camden (Wilcox Central) AL, and 6'8 Frosh Al Jefferson from Prentiss (H.S.) MS, all of whom legitimately rank among the top 20 nationally in their respective classes.  When the tournament tips off tournament tonight at 7:00 PM, we plan to be at N.C. State's Reynold's Coliseum for the game between the Raleigh Heat, which features Randolph, Redick, Walsh, Thompson, Eric Williams, and 6'2 Jr Shawan Robinson from Raleigh (Leesville Road) NC, and the Master's Hoops, which has 6'7 Ilian Evtimov from Winston-Salem (Bishop McGinnes) NC, who signed with N.C. State this spring.  We also plan to stick around for the next game at 8:30 PM between Fastbreak USA, which features Stoudemire, Baker, Outlaw 6'1 Jr Will Holloman from Jacksonville (Wolfson) FL, 6'4 Jr Chet Stachitas from St. Augustine (Nease) FL, and the Charlotte Aces, which has Withers and 6'4 Jr Maurice Petty from Shelby (Crest) NC.  Then, at 10:00 PM we will get to see all three games at the Dean E. Smith Center.  On Court #1 it will be the Michigan Hurricanes versus New York Ravens, which means Roberson and Ray will be going head-to-head.  On Court #2 it will be the loaded Long Island Panthers versus Team Carolina, which features 6'4 Jr Cameron Bennerman from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, who is ranked among a lot of people's top 100 nationally.  On court #3 will be the Panhandle Players with 6'9 Jr Mark Patton from Martinsburg (H.S.) WV versus the Middlesex Magic with 6'10 Soph Hassan Fofana.  Several days ago we mentioned the 8:00 AM game on Saturday morning between the Atlanta Celtics and the Connecticut Flame in the 15-Under Division and the 17-Under Division game at 9:20 AM between in the Illinois Fire and the Michigan Hurricanes (Dockery versus Roberson).  But some of the other most see games, all of which are at the Dean E. Smith Center, include the New Jersey All-Stars and the Illinois Gold (Dean versus Brown) at 1:00 PM, the Raleigh Heat versus the Beach Ball Select with Felton and Wingate at 4:00 PM, and the Atlanta Celtics with Ibrahim versus the Southeast Raptors with Moore, Butler, Williams, and Jefferson at 6:30 PM.  We also plan to watch the other two games at 6:30 PM in the Dean E. Smith Center extremely carefully, because it will be Martin Brothers Select versus the Long Island Panthers on Court #2, and the Fastbreak Express versus the New Orleans Jazz on Court #3.  Obviously these are the highlights, but it will be wall to wall basketball all day on Saturday beginning at 8:00 AM and ending after midnight and we will provide you with all the highlights early next week.  So stay tuned! 

Thursday, May 24, 2001 - For years Gary DeCesare, who is the legendary head coach at Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, has ran the adidas ABCD Camp like clockwork.   So you know that his 24-team event will be one of the best run events of the summer.  Three Striple Classic at Hofstra University, July 12th-14th, also promises to be one of the premier events in terms of outstanding talent and quality teams.   Don't believe it?  Well, just take a look at the field, which includes the Tim Thomas Playaz, New York Ravens, DC Assault, Atlanta Celtics, Michigan Hurricanes (formelyMustangs), Connecticut Select, New Orleans Jazz, Illinois Fire, Long Island Panthers, LA Rockfish, Beach Ball Select, FOH Wisconsin, Texas Blue Chip, EBO/Oakland, Fastbreak USA, Richmond Squires, Detroit/Inland, Southern Cal All-Stars, Baltimore Select, Team Carolina, Houston Superstars, and Raleigh Razorbacks.     In other words, DeCesare's event is so loaded that it is a must stop on everybody's summer camp schedule and he couldn't have planned it any better, because it will immediately follow the adidas ABCD Camp, in Teaneck, NJ, July 8th-11th.  And as long as we're talking about the summer camp season, my tentative schedule is as follows.  June 30th-July 2nd I will be in Washington, DC for the Pro Am Tournament and the NBA's Players' Association Camp.  Then, will arrive early for the adidas ABCD Camp in Teaneck, NJ, where I will attend a camp the Eastern Invitational College/Pro Camp in Teaneck, NJ, which will be joint production by DeCesare and Rob Kennedy, and spend the July 4th in New York City.  Then, I will be at the adidas ABCD Camp for the practice session on July 7th and the first day of games on July 8th.  Then, I will fly to Indianapolis, IN and attend the NIKE All-American Camp on July, 9th-10th and, then return to Teaneck, NJ for the All-Star Games at the adidas Camp on July 11th.  I also will remain in the area for the Three Striple Classic at Hofstra on July 12th-14th and combine my time between Five-Star Pitt III, which will be July 16th-21st, and Eastern Invitational II at Trenton State University, July 17th-21st.    Next, I will fly to Orlando, FL for the first few days of the AAU Super Showcase, which will be July 24th-27th, and Las Vegas, NV, for the last four days of the adidas Big Time Tournament, which will be July 25th-29th.  And on July 30th, I will return to Orlando, FL for most of the Junior Boys (17-Under) National AAU Tournament, which will runs July 27th-2nd.  Finally, I will crisscross the national to Portland, OR for the last three days of the NIKE Global Challenge in Portland, OR, which will be August 2nd-5th. 

Wednesday, May 23, 2001 - We have confirmed that Eastern Kentucky has landed 6'10 Johnny Hardwick from Compton (JC) CA.  This is an excellent signing for the Colonels, because Hardwick not only will provide the presence they need inside, but also is a big-time athlete with good shot blocking, and rebounding ability.  He joins 6'1 Kenyatta Dix from Frank Phillips (JC) TX, who signed with the EKU earlier this spring, and 6'6 Michael Haney from Madisonville (North Hopkins) KY, 6'1 Brett Howell from Auburn (H.S.) AL, and 6'9 Richard Sadler from Mount Airy (Habersham Central) GA, all of whom signed last fall, to give head coach Travis Ford what should be one of the top two recruiting classes in the OVC, along with Murray State.  It was reported earlier this week that 6'11 Donald Little is out at the University of Cincinnati due to off-the-court problems and now we're hearing that another Bearcat may be on the verge of transferring.  We're talking about 6'7 Antwan Jones, who a year ago was ranked as one of the top junior college players in the nation two year ago, but who had disappointing junior season, as he was slowed by injuries all last year.  Supposedly he's interesting in Florida A&M, because that's where his former junior college coach Mike Gillespe has been hired as the head coach, but we hear it's really between Kentucky Wesleyan, which was the Division II National Champions, last year and Georgetown College, which is one the premier NAIA programs in the nation.  Either way, Jones would be able to step in and play right away next year, instead of sitting out a year, which would happen, if he transferred to another Division I school.  And that's important, because Jones has NBA talent and potential.  Right now the smart money appears to be Georgetown College, because it's closer to Cincinnati, which is where his girlfriend lives.  But even if Georgetown doesn't get Jones, they should be pretty good, because 6'2 George Baker, who transferred from DePaul last winter, 6'3 Quintin Bailey, who was a walk-on at Louisville two years ago, 6'1 Jermaine Taylor from Louisville (Eastern) KY Belleville (JC) IL, are all expected to make major contributions next season.    We also understand that 6'1 Michael Griffith from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL is still looking a school, but also he is considering walking-on at Louisville.  

Tuesday, May 22, 2001 - We have confirmed that 6'1 Jr Taquan Dean from Neptune (H.S.) NJ, who is ranked #66 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP, has made an early verbal commitment to the University of Louisville.  This is huge, because it shows that new head coach Rick Pitino and his current staff are already able to do something that the previous regime was unable to do - close the deal early.  If you will recall, Pitino has been on the job less than two months and already he has landed an excellent combo guard in Dean, who is capable of both backing up and playing along side of 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY.   Speaking Hurt, he too committed to the Cardinals almost a year ago, but not before Arizona head coach Lute Olson forced the issue by giving Hurt an ultimatum, whereby, Hurt committed by X-date or the Wildcats took 6'2 Salim Stoudamire from Lake Oswego (H.S.) OR.  And that's exactly what happened.    Stoudamire verbally committed to Arizona about the same time Hurt committed to Louisville.  It also is big for the Cardinals, because Dean promises to be a four-year player.  But even more important, Dean can help Louisville recruit big men the rest of the spring and summer while he's at camps and on the AAU circuit.  We also expect the Cardinals to get a commitment in the near future from 6'4 Frosh Antwain Barbour from Wabash Valley (JC) IL, who led Elizabethtown (H.S.) KY to the Kentucky State High School Championship a year ago and Wabash Valley (JC) IL to the National Junior College Championship two months ago, and later sign the best three inside players they can get.  Right now almost everybody is a target, but the player they probably have the best shot at is 6'11 Jr Alexander Johnson from Albany (Dougherty) GA, who is ranked #27 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.  And the fact that Johnson may be transferring to Albany (Westover) GA, which is the school that produced 6'5 Greg Tinch, also could prove to be a huge advantage for the Cardinals.  Remember, Tinch signed a National Letter-of-Intent to play football at Louisville during the winter.  However, basketball is Tinch's first love.  As a matter of fact, we expect Tinch to red-shirt in football his first year and play exclusively basketball.  And, unless somebody really steps up wins the power forward spot, we'd wouldn't be surprised if Tinch steps into the starting spot.  Not only was Tinch, who is quick enough to guard a jet-quick point guard and strong enough and athletic enough to defend a big power forward, the best defender in the high school ranks a year ago, but he also is a world-class athlete and highlight film when in transition.  He can't shoot, but it doesn't matter, because 75% of his shots are dunks. 

Monday, May 21, 2001 - I talked to Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports briefly today and he thinks the quality of talent at the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions this weekend in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh, NC is potentially his best field ever.  He also expects to have 35-40 of the nation's top 50 juniors.  As a result, we plan to be there on Friday night and all day Saturday.   Then, we will get a 6:00 AM flight back to Louisville, KY on Sunday morning and drive to Bloomington, IN, where we should be able to see most of the action on Sunday and Monday at the NIKE Memorial Day Classic at the Bloomington Sportsplex.  In other words, we'll get to see two of the three days at both tournaments.  The NIKE Memorial Day Classic tips-off at 8:30 AM on Saturday morning and games will go non-stop, except for a break between 2:30 PM-4:00 PM, until 10:00 PM.  The same schedule will be in effect on Sunday, except Pool Play will end at 2:30 PM and play-off games start at 4:00 PM.  Monday's schedule will start with 16-Under Winner's Bracket games at 8:00 AM, 17-Under Winner's Bracket games at 9:30 AM, the 16-Under Semi-Finals at 11:00 AM, and 17-Under Semi-Finals at 12:30 PM, and the 16-Under Championship at 2:00 PM, and the 17-Under Championship at 3:00 PM.  In the 17-Under Division of the NIKE Memorial Day Classic Pool A will consist of the Charlotte Royals, Alabama Lasers, Team Texas, and the DC Blue Devils.  Pool B has the Indy Warriors, Portland Legends, Arkansas Wings, and Baltimore Blue.  Pool C includes the Houston Hoops, Bloomington Red, Emerald City Pioneers, and Magnolia Stars.  The Wisconsin Playground Warriors, Coast to Coast, St. Louis Eagles, and Mississippi Gulfport Stars at in Pool D.  Pool E has the New York Riverside Church Hawks, Memphis, Team Florida, and Howard Pulley.    In Pool F are Boo Williams, California Team Select, Bray Center, and Albany City Rocks.  Pool G includes The Family, Cleveland Top Prospects, Georgia Elite, and Queen City Prophets.  And the Illinois Warriors, Team Tallahassee, Kentucky Hoop Stars, and Shreveport Bossier Select are in Pool H.  For more information and the complete schedule go to www.sportscombine.com.  Getting back to the Bob Gibbons' Tournament of Champions, pool play begins on Friday night with 12 sets of games at 7:00 PM, 8:30 PM, and 10:00 PM.  Then, pool play resumes at 8:00 AM with the Atlanta Celtics loaded 15-Under Team against the Connecticut Flame at Cameron Indoor Stadium and a dozen other games beginning at 9:00 AM.  We'll probably also stay at Cameron for the second game at 9:20 AM between the Illinois Fire and the Michigan Hurricanes, because that should be one of the premier match-ups of the tournament as 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL goes up against 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.    Pool play will last until 9:10 PM, which is when the second place teams from each pool will square off, and finally at 10:30 PM it will be the winners from each pool in the 17-Under National Tournament and the first and second place teams in the 17-Under Select Tournament.  Sunday's schedule has not been announced yet.  In the 17-Under National Tournament Pool A will feature the Atlanta Celtics, Southeast Raptors (AL), Friends of Hoop-Seattle, and Team Dada (CA).  Pool B has Texas BlueChip, Illinois Gold, Tennessee Travelers, New Jersey All-Stars.  Pool C features the Martin Brothers Select, which won the Spiece Tournament two weeks ago, along with the Long Island Panthers, Team Carolina (SC), and Fort Worth Lions.   Pool D includes the Raleigh Heat, Beach Ball Select, Georgia Stars, and Master's Hoops (VA).    Pool E has the Alabama Ice, North Carolina Gators, Grassroots Canada, and Southern California All-Stars.  Pool F has the Tim Thomas Playaz, Los Angeles Paladins, Arkansas Hawks, and Friends of Hoops-Milwaukee.  Pool G has the Michigan Hurricane, Memphis Wildcats, Illinois Fire, and New York Ravens.  Pool H has Fastbreak USA (FL), New Orleans Jazz, and the Charlotte Aces (NC).  The 17-Under Select Tournament has the Houston Select, New York City Jaguars, Jackson Tigers (MS), and the Rhode Island Shooting Stars in Pool SA.  Pool SB has Jackson Panthers (MS), Illinois Central Hoyas, Ontario Wildcats, and Colorado 303's Finest.  Pool SC includes the Durham Disciples, Seattle Y.E.S. Red, Connecticut Flame, and the Challenge (AL).  Pool SD has the Atlanta Prep Stars, Panhandle Players (WV), Middlesex Magic (MA), and Tamarac Tarheels (FL).  For more information and the complete schedule go to www.bobgibbons.net.

Sunday, May 20, 2001 - Brooklyn Bridge was up by eight points with only three minutes remaining in the first semi-final game at IS8 at Jamaica, NY yesterday, but New York Riverside Church tied the game in regulation and won it going away, 98-88, in overtime.   Riverside Church was led by 6'3 Sean Dantzler from Bronx (Columbus) NY with 27 points, 5'4 Tyquan Goode from Brooklyn (Grady) NY with 24 points, including 5 3-pointers, 6'4 Eric Sterling from New York (La Salle) NY with 22 points, and 6'7 Wendell Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY with 18 points and 16 rebounds.  However, the best player was 5'11 Frosh Sebastian Telfair from Brooklyn (Lincoln) NY, who had 28 points.  "It was like watching Stephon Marbury reincarnated at the same stage," said Naclerio.  "Telfair has taken his game to another level.  I've never seen him play any better."  Complementing Telfair were 6'4 Jr Elijah Clarke from Washington (Springarn) DC with 22 points and 6'3 Soph Ramel Bradley from New York (Park West) NY with 12 points and eight assists.  In the second game the S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express was missing 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY, who was away over the weekend at a family reunion, and JYO might as well have been missing 5'11 Darry Hill from Bayside (Cardozo) NY, who tried to play on an ankle that he had sprained the night before.    So that balanced things out, as S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express featured a balanced attack with five players scoring in double-digits, as they won easily 90-67.  Boston University-bound 6'7 Rashad Bell from Fresh Meadows (St. Francis) NY had 15 points, 5'10 Soph Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY had 16 points, 6'0 Sundiata Gaines from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY had 16 points, Central Connecticut State-bound 6'7 Rob Barrett from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY had 14 points and 18 rebounds, and 6'2 Deshawn Warren from Astoria (Bryant) NY had 23 points, including six straight 3-pointers put the game out of reach early in the second quarter.  JYO was led by 6'1 Shabar Ewing from Cheshire (Academy) CT with 21 points and 6'4 Ryan Williams from Troy (Redemption) NY, who had 22 rebounds.  Also, without Hodge, S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express jumped out to 17-2 lead early over Riverside Church in the championship game this morning.    S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express also was up 20-12 at the end of the first quarter, but that did not stop Riverside Church from coming back to take a 35-31 half-time lead.   But that didn't last long, as the momentum changed again and S.O.N.D.A.Y Express took control of the game for good early in the second half en route to a 86-72 victory in the title game.  MVP honors went to Barrett, who finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.  Bell, who finished with 19 points, got the 30-inch color television, and Gaines was named the Rookie-of-the-Year.  Gibson, who finished with 18 points and 21 rebounds, got the Sportsmanship, which is given to the best player on the losing team.     The MVP for the entire spring in the IS8 League was 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ.  Joining him on the first team were Telfair, Gibson, Hodge, Barrett, and 6'5 Sam Mejia from Bronx (Roosevelt) NY.  The second team included Williams, Bell, Hill, Goode, 6'1 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony) NY, and 5'11 Jerel Blasingame.    The third team consistented of 6'0 Jr Jason Wingate from New York (Rice) NY, 5'11 Jr Gary Erwin from Brooklyn (Paul Roberson) NY, Columbia-bound 6'5 Matt Preston from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, Massachusetts-Amherst-bound 6'1 Brian Preston from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, 6'2 Jr Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY, and Hofstra-bound 5'11 Woody Souffrant from Brooklyn (Grady) NY.

Saturday, May 19, 2001 - We have already gone on record saying that new Rutgers head coach Gary Waters made a big mistake by not retaining assistant coach Danny Hurley.   Instead, he brought his entire staff, which hasn't previously signed a player East of Ohio, from Kent State.  However, now it looks like an even bigger disaster.   In addition to not being able to recruit Hurley's father's players at Jersey City (St. Anthony) NJ, we suspect the Scarlet Knights will also have a hard time getting players from Newark (St. Benedict's) NJ.  That right!  Danny Hurley will be officially named the head coach at St. Benedict's on July 1st and already there is talk about this prep school with dorms and a very close proximity to New York City becoming the Oak Hill of the North.   Our Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania/South Jersey Editor Allen Rubin tells us that 6'9 Mauricio Branwell from Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA has signed with Seton Hall, 6'8 Jason Herring from Philadelphia (Christian) PA has signed with East Carolina, and 6'2 Duane Robinson from Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME has signed with Rhode Island.  Our West Coast Editor Dinos Trigonis tells us that 6'2 Chris Ferguson from Irvine Valley (JC) CA has signed with Northern Arizona and 6'2 Eric Knight, who, along with Arizona State-bound, 6'2 Curtis Millage, led Los Angeles Southwest (JC) CA to the California Junior College State Championship, has signed with the University of Portland.  So has 6'9 Eric Soderberg from Corona (Centennial) CA.  Trigonis also tells us that new George Washington head coach Karl Hobbs is making a strong push for 6'4 Cody Pearson from Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame) CA.  Others schools on Pearson's list include George Washington, Pepperdine, Long Beach State, UTEP, and Morgan State.  We also hear that 6'9 Soph Harrison Schaen from Santa Ana (Mater Dei) CA, who is one of the top sophomores in the nation, made an unofficial visit to USC on Wednesday. 

Friday, May 18, 2001 - It looks like Monte Towe and his new staff at New Orleans have wasted no time landing what has to be regarded as the best recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference.  And that's saying a lot when you recall that Florida International's class was ranked #19 nationally last fall.   However, New Orleans' class, which includes 6'10 Nerijus Lisaskas from Lithuania via Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS, 6'11 Andriy Sukhotin from the Ukraine via Mississippi Gulf Coast (JC) MS, 6'6 Hector Romero from Venezuela via Independence (JC) KS, 6'0 Johnell Smith from Santa Fe (JC) FL, and 6'8 Victor Brown from Orlando (Edgewater) FL, would have been ranked among the top dozen recruiting classes last fall and likely will be ranked among the top 20 classes this spring.  Don't believe it?  Let's take a close look.  Smith was academically ineligible this spring, but in the fall he set the National Junior College scoring record with 86 points in one game, averaged over 30 ppg, and was good enough to get inquiries from schools like Kentucky, Florida, and Georgia.    He also was the #1-ranked combo guard in the junior college ranks by Jerry Mullen in his junior college scouting service. "Big-time shooter...gets his own shot," says Mullen.  If you will recall, Towe was the head coach at Santa Fe (JC) FL last season and obviously that's the Smith connection.  Towe also previously coached for three years in Venezuela, where he won the Venezuelan pro league one season, and, as a result, was able to take advantage of that experience when recruiting Romero.    You remember Romero, he's the strong athletic wing player who can score both inside and outside that signed with UNC-Charlotte a year and a half ago, but then went the junior college route.  Charlotte was still involved, as were West Virginia, and Manhattan, but Towe's Venezuelan contacts and the fact that Romero felt comfortable in New Orleans (it reminded him of home) apparently were the difference.  Lisaskas and Sukhotin were both stashed in junior college by Ronnie Everhart when he was at McNeese State, but when Everhart took the Northeastern job this spring, he stopped recruiting them, because he didn't need to sign any more big men in this recruiting class.   So the door opened for New Orleans to come in and steal them both.  Lisaskas, who is strong and physical inside, is more of post player.  He also is the better of the two right now.  However, Sukhotin, whose game is more on the perimeter, where he can use his deceptive athleticism and excellent mobility, has more potential.  New Orleans beat schools like Old Dominion and Texas Tech for Lisakas.  Vanderbilt, Arkansas State, and McNeese State had been showing the most interest in Sukhotin, who previously was a member of the Ukrainian National Team.  Last, but not least, is Brown, who impressed us last winter when we saw him at the City of Palms Classic in Ft. Myers, FL.  Brown has the skills of a wing forward, but he continues to grow.    So this skinny athlete, who also had been recruited by South Florida, Auburn, College of Charleston, and East Carolina, will likely end up being primarily a power foward down the road. 

Thursday, May 17, 2001 - Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Tulane has signed 5'11 Marcus Kinzer from New Hope (Solebury) PA and 6'2 Byron Parker from Tyler (JC) TX.  Neither is as good as the two players the Green Wave signed last fall - 6'5 Karl Hollingsworth from Jonesboro (Mt. Zion) GA and 6'2 Ben Benfeld from River Ridge (John Curtis) LA.   But both figure to add valuable depth, which is necessary in the running and pressing system that Shawn Finney has implemented as head coach of the Green Wave.   This also puts Tulane into a position where they can go after quality, instead of quantity this summer and fall, because they only have two scholarships available for next year.  However, they will have four or five scholarships available for the year after.  And that's pretty important when you are reminded that the sophomore class in both Mississippi and Louisiana are absolutely loaded.   Johnson also tells us that 6'6 Justin Lyman from Binn (JC) TX has made it official for Washington State and Texas has added 6'4 Terrell Ross from Allegany (JC) MD.  Tulane and St. Louis were involved with 6'10 John Chappell from Fork Union (Military) VA, who orgininally committed to Wake Forest, but reneged when Dave Odom got the South Carolina job.  So it makes sense that Chappell is following Odom to South Carolina.  Speaking of South Carolina, Johnson has confirmed that 6'7 Carlos Powell from Florence (Wilson) SC has signed with the Gamecocks.  Sure, Powell promises to be a good role player, but the real story here is Powell's teammate - 6'10 Soph Major Wingate from Florence (Wilson) SC is ranked as one of the top five sophomores nationally.  Our guess is that this should helph the South Carolina's chances of getting Wingate, assuming that he doesn't do something stupid, like go pro right out of high school.  Johnson also is reporting that 6'10 Trevor Harvey from Marshalltown (JC) IL, who originally is from the Bahamas and who originally signed with South Carolina a two years ago, has signed with Florida State.   And it looks like Johnson was correct about 6'7 Mike Hayes from Cowley (JC) KS.  He did sign a National Letter-of-Intent with Xavier last Saturday, but his mother never co-signed it.  So after taking a visit earlier this week to Connecticut, it appears that he will count with the Huskies' recruiting class, because he has signed an institutional letter of commitment with the Huskies yesterday.   However, he technically could still change his mind and go to Xavier, because the spring signing period ended on Tuesday and, as a result, the document he signed with Connecticut is not binding.  So stay tuned!

Wednesday, May 16, 2001 - Our Kentucky Editor Larry Kihnley believes that 6'1 Michael Griffith from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL is one of the biggest sleepers nationally who is still available.  However, Griffith, who averaged 6.1 ppg a year ago as a freshman at Tennessee State, has been plagued by injuries the last two years.  We're talking about an excellent outside shooter and a world-class athlete.  Only problem is that he's really more of an undersized 2-guard than a point guard.  But he still can play at a lot higher level than the schools that are recruiting him - UT-Martin, Robert Morris, and Kentucky Wesleyan, which is the current Division II defending national champion.  Kihnley also tells us that 6'9 Caleb Halcomb from Lincoln Trail (JC) IL is making an official visit to Vanderbilt and he might be the perfect quick fix to replace 6'11 David Harrison from Brentwood (Academy) TN, who was the Commodores top recruiting priority until recently when he picked Colorado over Vanderbilt and North Carolina.  Kihnley tells us that Halcomb, who originally is from Bowling Green (H.S.) KY, has improved dramatically since enrolling at Western Kentucky as a walk-on a year ago.  Apparently he fell through the cracks after he was red-shirted and, as a result, transferred to Lincoln Trail.  Halcomb is still raw, but he's a big time athlete who is very active inside.  He also has excellent shot blocking ability, good rebounds skills, and a 25 on the ACT, which is another reason why he would be been a perfect fit for Vanderbilt or Texas Tech, which apparently also has called.  We also have confirmed that 6'0 Rick Jones has finally surfaced and now is heading to Murray State.  If you will recall, Jones established his reputation as a junior in high school when he led Georgetown (Scott County) KY to the Kentucky State Championship in 1998.  He also led Scott County to a runner-up finish in the Kentucky State Tournament in 1999 and signed with Vanderbilt after he realized the University of Kentucky wasn't ever going to offer him a scholarship..  Jones led the Commondores in 3-point shooting as a freshman, but had off the court problems.  So he announced that he was going to transfer to Eastern Kentucky last spring.  However, that didn't work out either and, as a result, he has been missing in action ever since.  It also looks like Georgia State has a steal in 6'5 LeRoy Davis from Southern Union (JC) AL.  You remember him!  He's the player who signed with the University of Louisville last fall, but made it easy for the new regime to get rid of him when he didn't have enough transferable hours.  So he has been given his release.  It also appears that his National Letter-of-Intent is null-and-void.  But that doesn't mean he won't become eligible to play next year at Georgia State, if he improves several of his current grades in the summer or Georgia State will accept grades lower than a C as part of the 48 hours in transferable credits.  At Louisville they won't, which is how they got out of admitting him into school.

Tuesday, April 15, 2001 - Our New York City Editor Ron Naclerio says the big story in the play-offs at IS8 over the weekend was the play of 6'6 Jr Leonard Cooke from Old Tappan (H.S.) NJ.  "He was like a savage," says Naclerio.  "He plays so hard.  If that other guy, Amare Stoudemire is better than Cooke, he must be some player."  Cooke set the single-game tournament scoring record with 45 points  in his first game of the playoffs and then had 34 points, 24 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks in a 101-83 quarterfinals loss to S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express, which now appears to be the favorite, alone with New York Riverside Church's A Team, to win the championship next Sunday at 11:00 AM.   In the game against Cooke and the Wolfpack, 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY had 25 points, but S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express' best player really was 6'7 Rashad Bell from Fresh Meadows (St. Francis) NY.  Bell had 31 points and once again he showed why he is such a steal for Boston University.  Bell, who is ranked #7 in New York City's senior class by the HOOP SCOOP, reminds Naclerio a lot of Hodge.    "They both have that long skinny frame incredible wing spans, and a nice looking stroke from outside."  S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express also knocked off a loaded Long Island Panthers team, 87-66, in the first round of the play-offs.  Leading the way for the Panthers were 6'9 Soph Charlie Villanueva from Blairsville (Blair Academy) NJ with 19 points, 6'6 Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY with 12 points, 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY with 11 points, and 6'0 Jr Gary Ervin from Brooklyn (Paul Robeson) NY with 10 points. Bell and Hodge combined for 45 points and Central Connecticut State-bound 6'7 Rob Barrett from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY had 18 points for S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express.  However, the real difference in the game was the emergence of 5'11 Soph Marlon Smith from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, 6'0 Frosh Sundiata Gaines from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, and 5'10 Soph Japhet McNeil from Middle Village (Christ the King) NY.    "Not only have Smith, Gaines, and McNeil really stepped up their game's, but they also handled everything the Panthers threw at them, as they combined for 20 points, five assists, and only two turnovers."  They also combined for 25 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and two turnovers on Sunday against the Wolfpack.   Another one of the top performances of the tournament was turned in by 6'7 Wendell Gibson from Briarwood (Archbishop Molloy) NY, who scored 38 points, as the Riverside Church A team manhandled the Tim Thomas Playazz, 89-58, in the quarterfinals.   However, in all fairness, the Tim Thomas team was short handed, as 6'4 Soph Marquis Webb from Paterson (Catholic) NJ, 6'10 Soph Darryl Watkins from Wayne (Passaic County) NJ, and 6'5 John Allen from Coatesville (H.S.) PA all were no-shows for Sunday's game.  And apparently 6'0 Jr Elijah Ingram from Jersey City (St. Anthony's) NJ, who had hit 31-39 3-pointers in his previous four games, including 9-11 3-pointers in the first round of the play-offs the previous day, couldn't carry the load all by himself.  "Ingram just had an off night shooting the basketball," says Naclerio.  He was only 1-11 from beyond the arc, but he did have 10 points and nine assists against Riverside Church.  Also putting up impressive numbers for JYO, which beat Brooklyn USA, 96-94, in the first round, were 5'11 Darryl Hill from Bayside (Cardozo) NY and 6'4 Ryan Williams from Troy (Redemption) NY, who combined for 53 points.  Hill also had eight assists and Williams had six Vince Carter-like dunks, as well as a blocked shot that kept the game from going into overtime.  However, the real difference in the game was the war inside between 6'7 Tremayne Singletary from Milford (Academy) CT and 6'8 Marcus Austin from Elizabeth (St. Patrick) NJ.  Austin, who signed with Villanova last fall, is the higher ranked player, but he got out scored 19-4, out rebounded 12-6, and out blocked 4-1.   Instead, the player who stepped up for Brooklyn USA was 5'11 Jerel Blasingame, who, like Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley, has slipped through the cracks due to his inability to stay eligible in high school and, as a result, appears to be prime junior college material.    Blasingame had 21 points and 6'2 Jr Quincy Douby from Brooklyn (Grady) NY had 25 points, including six 3-pointers, for Brooklyn USA.  Also making a name for himself in the play-offs was 6'5 Sam Mejia from Bronx (Roosevelt) NY.  Mejia didn't show up until half-time of his team's 86-79 loss to the Gaels, but he scored 25 points in the second half and brought his team back to within one point.  Prep school is probably in Mejia's future, but he has legitimate mid-Division I talent.  Also playing well in that game for the Gaels was Columbia-bound Matt Preston from Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY, who hit six 3-pointers and scored 34 points.  Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the tournament was 7'3 Soph Sagari Allegne from New York (Rice) NY.   Sure, Allegne had 11 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks in a losing cause for the Gauchos A Team, but he needs to step it up and become more of a dominant force if he ever wants to realize his unlimited potential.  So with half of the quarterfinals games yet to be played, Brooklyn Bridge will face Rise Above, which beat the Hoop Street Gang in the play-in game last Thursday and upset the Bronx Gauchos A Team in the round of 16, at 6:30 PM on Friday, May 18th.    Then JYO will face the Gaels, which is really the Manhasset (St. Mary's) NY high school team, in the last quarterfinals game at 8:00 PM.   And that will set up the semi-fnals on Saturday morning between the winner of Brooklyn Bridge versus Rise Above and New York Riverside Church's A Team at 11:00 AM and the winner of the Gaels versus JYO and S.O.N.D.A.Y. Express at 12:30 PM.  The survivors will meet Sunday at 11:00 AM in the championship. 

Monday, May 14, 2001 - We told you several weeks ago that Manhattan was one of the leaders for 6'7 Charus Moore from Worcester (Academy) MA.   Well, it looks like we knew what we were talking about, because Moore has picked the Jaspers over St. Bonaventure, Rhode Island, Rider, New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, and Rider.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Andre Owens has transferred from Indiana to Houston.   Owens is not a great player, but he is a defensive stopper, as well as an outstanding athlete, a great kid, and an excellent competitor.  Owens, who will have to sit out next year, but guys like this don't have to play to make your team better.   Remember, transfers get to practice with the team while they are sitting out.   Speaking of Indiana University, it comes as no surprise that Mike Davis has hired Jim Thomas as an assistant coach.  If you will recall, Thomas, who has been a scout and assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors the last seven years, played at IU from 1980-83.  And this might be the beginning of a trend.   No, we aren't predicting that Davis' other two assistant coaches John Treloar and Dan Panaggio are going anywhere.  However, if and when they do move, our guess is that there will be pressure on Davis to hire somebody else, like another former player, with prior ties to the university.  We thought it was interesting that N.C. State assistant coach Sean Miller accepted the associate head coaching job at Xavier last Thursday.  We've also heard that N.C. State head coach Herb Sendek could be in line for the assistant coaching position with the Boston Celtics, but we don't believe it.  Instead, we think Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY head coach Gary DeCesare would be the perfect guy for Sendek to hire to replace Miller at N.C. State.  Remember, DeCesare's star player - 6'6 Julius Hodge from Bronx (St. Raymond's) NY - picked the Wolfpack last fall.  It also looks like Jim Christian, who was an assistant coach for Ralph Willard at both Western Kentucky and Pittsburgh, has gotten back into the business.  Christian has surfaced as an assistant coach at Kent State. Charles Ramsey has moved from the University of California to the University of Michigan.    This is interesting, not just because his boss former, Ben Braun, was at one time rumored to be in line for the head coaching job at Michigan, but also because Ramsey gives the Wolverines a recruiter with strong West Coast ties.  It looks like new Robert Morris head coach Mark Schmidt is putting together a good staff, as he's already hired former Duke point guard Jeff Capel and New Hampshire assistant coach Steve Curran.  We also have confirmed that former Seton Hall assistant coach Rob Jackson and former Drexel head coach Steve Seymour have both been hired at Siena and Fred Hill, who also was an assistant coach at Seton Hall during the Tommy Amaker regime, is now at Villanova.  And apparently Hill is the connection for 7'0 Chris Charles from Milford (Academy) CT, who originally committed to Seton Hall, but later changed his mind and, as a result, picked Villanova last week.  We also were glad see Kris Vance, who was the founder of the Derek Smith All-Stars AAU program, as well as a former assistant coach at Dixie (JC) UT, get his degree from the University of Louisville on Saturday.   Obviously, he's already looking for a job, but wouldn't it be something if Rick Pitino found a spot for Vance on his staff?  Actually, Pitino does still have one administrative spot to fill, but he would be smart not to hire Vance until August.  Not only does Vance plan to work the adidas ABCD Camp again this summer, but his experience this summer would be a value resource for any coach who doesn't have to hire somebody right away. 

Sunday, May 13, 2001- It looks like the University of Florida has wasted no time replacing 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) FL, who has announced that he will by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA draft.   That's right!  Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson is telling us that 6'8 Jr Mario Boggan from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA has made a verbal commitment to the Gators.  That brings the number of players that are ranked among the top 50 juniors nationally who have made early verbal commitments to 13.  If you recall, Florida also recently got a verbal commitment from 6'6 Jr Matt Walsh from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) CT, who is ranked  #35 nationally in the junior class by the HOOP SCOOP.   Boggan, who is ranked #37 nationally among juniors by the HOOP SCOOP, won't be ranked as a high school senior, because, he is already in his 4th year of high school.  Instead, he will be included on our 5th year list next year.  He also will attend Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, instead of Oak Hill.  Remember, despite what our buddy Eddie Oliver thinks, Oak Hill is not a prep school and, as a result, Boggan can not return to this basketball factory next season.  Speaking of Oak Hill, Johnson also tells us that head coach Steve Smith still has the Senegal connection in place.  First, there was 6'9 Jules Camara, who sat this past season at Kentucky.  Then, there was 6'9 Abdou Diame, who was a freshman last year at Auburn.  Now there is 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who recently entered his name into the NBA draft.   Soon it looks like there will be another big guy from the Senegal at Oak Hill and the word is that he's better than Diop.  So stay tuned! 

Saturday, May 12, 2001 - Two months ago we predicted that all of five of the highly touted big men in the senior class nationally - 7'0 Tyson Chandler from Compton Dominguez) CA, 6'11 Eddy Curry from South Holland (Thornwood) IL, 6'11 Kwame Brown from Brunswick (Glynn Academy) GA, 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, and 6'8 Ousmane Cisse from Montgomery (St. Jude) AL - would all by-pass college and enter their names into the NBA draft this spring.   Well, with Brown's annoucement, it looks like we're five-for-five on our prediction.  Four of the five will likely go in the high first round, Cisse will probably be a mid-to-late first round pick and the only other high school player to enter his name into the draft - 6'10 Tony Key from Russellville (H.S.) KY via Durham (Emmanuel Christian) NC and Compton (Centennial) CA - is almost guaranteed to not to get drafted.  Among the college players who have made their names available for the NBA draft are Arizona's 6'3 Gilbert Arenas, Pepperdine's 6'4 Brandon Armstrong, Kentucky's Keith Bogans, Villanova's 6'11 Michael Bradley, 6'7 Kedrick Brown from Okaloosa-Walton (JC) FL, George Washington's 6'1 SirValiant Brown, USC's 6'7 Sam Clancy,   Stanford's 6'11 Jason Collins, 6'1 Omar Cook of St. John's, Seton Hall's 6'11 Samuel Dalembert, Texas' 6'5 Maurice Evans, North Carolina's 6'4 Joe Forte, Arizona's 5'10 Jason Gardner, Seton Hall's 6'9 Eddie Griffin, Indiana's 6'10 Kirk Haston, DePaul's 7'0 Steven Hunter, Arizona's 6'7 Richard Jefferson, Arkansas' 6'8 Joe Johnson, Georgia's 6'0 D.A. Layne, Notre Dame 6'11 Troy Murphy, Kentucky's 6'9 Tayshaun Prince, Michigan State's 6'9 Zach Randolph, Michigan State's 6'6 Jason Richardson, Cincinnati' 6'2 Kenny Satterfield, DePaul's 6'7 Bobby Simmons, Clemson's 6'1 Will Solomon, Alabama's 6'7 Gerald Wallace, UNC-Charlotte's 6'9 Rodney White, N.C. State's 6'6 Damien Wilkins, and Arizona's 6'7 Michael Wright.   That's 36 players who have made their names available prematurely for the NBA draft and there is no question that most of them aren't ready.  As a matter of fact, last weekend at the Spiece Tournament in Ft. Wayne, IN, Van Coleman, who is the editor and publisher of Future Stars, presented me with a very startling statistic.  Did you know that in recent years 60% of the players who have entered their names into the NBA draft early haven't gotten drafted.   Sure, some of these guys won't sign with agents and, as a result, will be able to pull out up until a week before the draft, like Temple's 6'10 Kevin Lyde did several days ago.  But the professional European leagues have better players across the board right now than do the college ranks.  So we expect 10-20 foreign players to be taken in the draft and there are still some good college seniors available, like Duke's Shane Battier, Arizona's Loren Woods, Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley, UNLV's Kaspars Kambala, North Carolina's Brandon Haywood, Maryland's Terence Morris, Tennessee's Tony Harris, and Penn State's Joe Crispin.  So it's going to be real interesting to see who goes where in the draft, which will be June 27th.  However, it will be even more interesting to see who eventually makes it and who doesn't.  Our guess is that this will be remembered as the year that a lot of guys didn't make it.  There is just too much margin for error with most of these guys.  As a matter of fact, the only two players who we think are ready to make the transition to the NBA next year haven't entered their names into the draft.  We're talking about Duke's Jason Williams and Memphis-bound 6'2 Dajuan Wagner from Camden (H.S.) NJ. 

Friday, May 11, 2001 -We're already talked a lot about the great recruiting class that we expect Duke to land next fall.  Already having made early verbal commitments to Duke are 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA.   The Blue Devils also are believed to be the leader for 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL and 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC and among the leaders for 6'10 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK.  They also are the co-favorite, along with Michigan State, for 6'2 Jr Anthony Roberson from Saginaw (H.S.) MI.  But we haven't been mentioning Robeson as likely in Duke's great recruiting class, because he is the best friend of 6'4 Kelvin Torbert from Flint (Northwestern) MI, who signed with Michigan State last fall.  As a result, we think it will be very tough to beat the Spartans, as well as Michigan, which is expected to make a strong push now that Tommy Amaker is the head coach of the Wolverines.  But let's say that Roberson does pick the Blue Devils and 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL goes to University of Illinois.  Where would Dockery go?  Remember, Dockery's top three schools are Duke, Illinois, and Cincinnati.  Obviously it would be tough for Dockery to go to Duke or Illinois, but the Bearcats will be in need of a point guard next year, despite the fact they recently landed 6'0 Taron Barker from Odessa (JC) TX.   In other words, Barker may solve some short term problems for the Cincinnati next year, but he isn't good enough to scare off a great point guard, like Dockery, Brown, or Roberson, all of whom have the Bearcats on their list.

Thursday, May 10, 2001 - Our new Baltimore Editor Paul Bowden tells us that the latest list for 6'0 Jr Todd Galloway from Middleburg (Notre Dame) VA includes schools like Providence, UNC-Charlotte, Xavier, Miami-FL, La Salle, and West Virginia.  However, Galloway, who was reclassified as a junior this year, is expected to return to prep school next year and for our purposes will be listed as 5th year player, because he will be in his 9th and 10th semesters of high school.  In other words, his list will get longer before it gets shorter.  Also getting earlier attention from St. Joseph's, Richmond, James Madison, Dayton, VCU, Navy, and West Virginia is 6'10 Jr Kevin Steenberge from River Hill (H.S.) MD, who currently is ranked #21 among juniors in our Washington, DC; Maryland; Virginia Report, which was published earlier this week.  Making Steenberge even more intriguing is the fact that he combines size and agility with an excellent academic record.  "Kevin carries a 4.0 gpa and had already scored over 1100 on the SAT," says Bowden.  La Salle, Richmond, William & Mary, James Madison, Youngstown State, and Towson are all showing 6'4 Jr Gary Neal, who has transferred from Aberdeen (H.S.) MD to Towson (Calvert Hall) MD.   Bowden also thinks Neal will help Calvert Hall fight for the championship next year.  In addition to Neal, Calvert Hall also will have 6'4 Jr Dwayne Birden, who was a first team All-Catholic League player this past season, 6'4 Jr Pierre Jones, 5'10 Soph Maurice Barksdale, 6'1 Soph Vincent Dulaney, and 5'9 Soph Marcus Johnson all back next year.   6'6 Jai Lewis from Aberdeen (H.S.) MD, who was a First Team All Metro Selection in the Baltimore Area this year, will either go the junior college or prep school route.    Among the junior colleges involved are Western Wyoming (JC) WY, Paris (JC) TX, Hagerstown (JC) MD, and Garrett (JC) MD.  However, Lewis is close on the SAT.  So all he really needs to get are his core classes and, as a result, prep school might be a better option.  Bowden believes Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, Pittsfield (Maine Central Institute) ME, and Fitchburg (Notre Dame) MA are the most likely possibilities.  6'2 Calvin Dotson from Mott (JC) MI had verbally committed to Towson Catholic in April, but with the coaching changes has re-opened his recruiting and took an official visit to Northeastern last weekend.  Marcus Harrison, the 6'7 wing forward from Baltimore (Mervo) MD, and 6'6 Pierre Tucker from Baltimore (Dunbar) MD via Oakdale (St. Thomas More) CT both have signed with Colby (JC) KS.  For more information about players in the Baltimore Area, as well as the Baltimore Select AAU team, check out Bowden's web site at BaltimoreSelect.com.

Wednesday, May 9, 2001 - We also continue to hear that North Carolina is the favorite for 6'8 Jr Jason Fraser from Amityville (H.S.) NY and 6'6 Jr Curtis Sumpter from Brooklyn (Bishop Loughlin) NY and, if that happens, they could be on the verge of an incredible recruiting class.  And that's saying a lot when you remember that Matt Doherty and his staff have only been on the job less than a year.  If you will recall, the Tar Heels have already gotten early verbal commitments from 6'1 Jr Raymond Felton from Latta (H.S.) SC and 6'5 Jr Rashad McCants from New Hampton (Prep) NH and they also are still one of the favorites for 6'9 Jr Shavlik Randolph from Raleigh (Broughton) NC.  We still believe Duke is the favorite for Randolph, but, if the Tar Heels pull this off, that would be enough to tip the balance away from the Blue Devils in terms of who likely will have the #1 ranked recruiting class next fall.    Already the Blue Devils have early verbal commitments from 6'4 Jr J.J. Redick from Roanoke (Cave Spring) VA, 6'10 Jr Michael Thompson from New Lenox (Providence) IL, and 6'7 Jr Lee Melchionni from Ft. Washington (Germantown Academy) PA and they are believed to be the leader for Randolph and 6'1 Jr Sean Dockery from Chicago (Julian) IL and among the leaders for 6'10 Jr Sheldon Williams from Midwest City (H.S.) OK.  And if all that happens, it would make Duke almost impossible to beat.  Let's take a closer look using our 1-10 rating system.  Randolph is a top five player in his class nation.   So he is worth 10 points.  Dockery ranks among our top 10 nationally.   So he is worth nine points.  Redick and Williams check in at #11 and #12 in the class nationally.  So technically they are both worth eight points, but we will assign one an extra point to one of them since they are both on the borderline of being ranked among the top 10.  Thompson is a legitimate top 30 junior and Melchionni checks in the top 75 range.  So they are worth eight  and four points apiece.   So with the best case scenario Duke would have 10+9+9+8+8+4=48 points and that would be with Melchionni paying his own way as a walk-on the first year.  Remember, the NCAA allows you to sign a maximum of only five players one year and only eight players over two years.     However, let's say Randolph doesn't go to Duke, but they do get Dockery and Williams.  Then, their recruiting class would be worth 10 points less.   Instead, let's say Randolph, who is worth 10 points, picks North Carolina.   Felton is ranked among our top 10 nationally.  So he's worth nine points.   Fraser is ranked among the top 20 nationally.  So he's worth eight points.   Sumpter and McCants and Sumpter also would get eight points apiece, because they're in the 20-40 range nationally.   And if all this fall into place, 10+9+8+8+8=45.    In other words, both schools are going to have a great class regardless of whether they land Randolph.   However, Randolph will likely decide who has the #1 class, unless something unforeseen happens, like Randolph goes pro right out of high school, or somebody unforeseen at the present time cleans up in recruiting next year.  

Tuesday, May  8, 2001 - For the second consecutive week we are still catching up on Tuesday after being out of town over the weekend covering a major tournament, but this time we don't seem to be flooded with new signings and commitments.   The most interesting is Cincinnati's signing of 6'0 Teron Barker from Odessa (JC) TX.  We knew the Bearcats were looking for a quick fix to replace Kenny Satterfield, who recently entered his name into the NBA draft, at point guard, but we're not sure he's good enough to do that, despite the fact he was ranked as the #8 point guard in the junior college ranks by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook last fall.  A lot of college coaches saw Barker at the National Junior College Tournament in Hutchinson, KS and apparently he didn't play well, because they're telling us he's not good enough to even challenge Steve Logan at point guard spot.  Obviously time will tell, but this could effect how high we rank the Bearcats pre-season next fall.  If Satterfield had come back, we thought Cincinnati might have been a top five team next season. We also have confirmed that UAB has gotten a commitment from 6'4 Jeff Collins from Birmingham (Ramsay) AL, who was a sleeper right in their own backyard.  Not only is he a tremendous athlete and excellent outside shooter with deep 3-point shooting range, but he also wasn't expected to make it academically until the last minute.  And the timing couldn't have been better, because right about the time Collins got the necessary test score, the Blazers were losing out in the sweepstakes for 6'5 Larry O'Bannon from Louisville (Male) KY, who signed with Louisville two weeks ago.  So they just turned their focus onto Collins and getting this one done quickly wasn't too hard, because his mother already works at the school.  This means the Blazers are done recruiting, because earlier this spring they signed three quality junior college players in 5'10 Eric Bush from Barton County (JC) KS, 6'5 Antonae Roberson from San Jose City (JC) CA, and 6'8 Cedric Davis from Sinclair (JC) OH.   Roberson and Bush are especially noteworthy, because they both were ranked by Rick Ball in the Sporting News Pre-Season Yearbook last fall.    Bush also was regarded by many as the #2 ranked point guard in the junior college ranks behind 6'0 Marcus Banks from Dixie (JC) UT and Roberson was one of the top five junior college players in California last season.  

Sunday, May 6, 2001, and Monday, May 7, 2001 - In previous years we've pointed out that the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic is well on its way towards replacing the Indiana State Tournament as the premier basketball event in the state of Indiana.  We also made it a point to say the event is so good that I annually have to miss the Kentucky Derby to attend (I live in Louisville, KY and I have gone to the Derby most of my life).   But this year, with the new Spiece Fieldhouse in Ft. Wayne, IN, tournament director Bill Hensley has taken the event to another level.  We're talking about an incredible 8-court facility, which, along with the sports complex at Disney World in Orlando, FL, has to be the best place to watch a high school basketball tournament anywhere.  Sure, there is more competition than in the past nationally for teams and players.  But, if you are a player and you want to get seen on the first Saturday in May, which is one of the most important times of the year in terms of establishing your reputation heading into the Memorial Day Weekend three weeks from now and the summer camp season, this is the place to be.  Don't believe it?  Well, among those in attendance were Van Coleman and all his guys from Future Stars; the legendary Tom Konchalski of the HSBI Report; Roy and Harv Schmidt of the Illinois Bulls-eye Report and All-Star Sports; Dave Benezra of Recruiting USA, Rick Ball; who is the foremost authority on junior college players in the nation; Dave Telep, who is formerly of Rivals.com and soon to in charge of a new on-line internet recruiting web site; Reggie Tisdale, the Editor and Publisher of Indiana Basketball News; and Chris Johnson and myself for the HOOP SCOOP.   As a matter of fact, the only major recruiting and scouting service gurus who were missing were Bob Gibbons of All-Star Sports, who was running his own event; Brick Oettinger of the Prep Stars, the Recruiter's Handbook, and CNN/SI; and Stephen Wacaser, who currently is listed as missing in action.    So what better time to take your game to another level and establish yourself as one of the best players in the nation, which is something somebody does seems to do every year (i.e. Caron Butler  and Rashard Lewis in 1998)?  This year the most outstanding player was 6'0 Jr Dee Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who now has to be ranked among the top 10 or 15 juniors by the HOOP SCOOP. Brown simply picked up where he left off when we saw him two weeks ago in the Kentucky Hoopstars Classic in Louisville, KY.  He also had the best individual performance of the entire tournament when he had six 3-pointers and 20 points against St. Louis Gameface in a 8:00 AM round of 16 game on Saturday morning.    And that was just in the first quarter, as Brown finished with 38 points for the game.  However, he didn't put up big numbers at the expense of his teammates.    Brown is a streaky shooter, but he's also jet-quick, makes good decisions, and has excellent handling and passing skills.  Also ranked among of our top six players in the tournament were 6'4 Jr Jimmy McKinney from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'9 Jr DeAngelo Collins from Inglewood (H.S.) CA, 6'11 Soph David Padgett from Reno (H.S.) NV, 6'3 Jr Chris Rodgers from Portland (Jefferson) OR and 6'2 Jr Jeff Horner from Mason City (H.S.) IA.    However, the play of these elite players was not the big story.   Instead, the story was the emergence of players without big reputations, like 6'7 Jr Greg Brunner from Charles City (H.S.) IA, who, along with Horner, led Martin Brothers Select  to a 48-40 victory in the championship game in the Seniors-To-Be Division.   Brunner had 20 points in the championship game, but even more important were the intensity and toughness he provided for his team throughout the tournament.  Sure, you can argue that Brunner isn't tall enough to be a power forward at the college level and he doesn't shoot it well and doesn't appear to be quick enough to play out on the perimeter.  But it doesn't matter, because his team usually wins and he's a big reason why.  As a result, he was our choice for tournament MVP and he legitimately has to rank among our top 75 nationally.  Also firmly establishing their national reputations in this tournament were 6'7 Jr Ray Nixon from Milwaukee (Dominican) WI, 6'9 Jr Kyle Wilson from Dallas (Jesuit) TX, 6'9 Jr Derrick Grubb from Colleyville (Heritage) TX, 6'7 Jr Robert Frazier from Denver (Manual) CO, 6'8 Jr Delco Rowley from Indianapolis (Arlington) IN, 6'9 Jr James Augustine from New Lenox (Lincoln Way) IL, 6'8 Jr Dan Oppland from St. Louis (Whitefield) MO, 6'11 Jr Steve Cobbley from Pocatello (Highland) ID, 6'8 Jr Nicholas Kern from St. Louis (Vashon) MO, 6'1 Jr Derrick Finn from Newbergh Castle) IN, and 6'9 Jr Matt Kiefer from Evansville (Mater Dei) IN, all of whom should be ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally and/or have top 100 potential.  Nixon is a multi-dimensional athlete who can play any position on the court at this level, because he can block shots, rebound, beat you off the dribble with his quickness, handle, pass, and shoot the three.   He isn't as big as Antoine Walker was at the same stage, his court demeanor and style of play reminds me of Walker's.  I also am intrigued by the fact that a lot people from Wisconson are overlooking this guy.  As a result, we went back and watched Nixon play several more times.  And the last time he was the guy who brought the ball up the court and started the offense.  He also is a big-time athlete and plays with a lot of intensity.  So write him down as one of the biggest sleepers in the class, as well as a legitimate top 50 junior nationally.  Wilson isn't as athletic as Luke Axtell, but that's the best comparison.  Not only does Wilson have long arms, athleticism, and an excellent 3-point shooting touch, but he also is extremely mobile and versatile for somebody his size.  He also rebounds well for size, which is why he too is a legitimate top 100 junior.  Normally we don't like big slow white none athletic big guys, but the more you watch Grubb, the more you realize he's an exception to the rule.  Not only is he really skilled, but he has great hands, excellent passing skills, and overpowering moves when he gets the ball inside.    As a result, we have to rank him among our top 150 nationally in the junior class and he has the potential to move much higher, especially if he grows another inch or two and/or becomes a little more mobile.  Frazier is a big time athlete with long arms, quick hands, and the ability to get his shot against anybody.  However, this wing foward needs to develop more consistency, get stronger and, at times, play more under control.  As a result, ranking Frazier among our top 150 juniors nationally is safe right now, but he might explode this summer.  And, if he does, remember where you heard about him first!  Rowley is already a physical specimen with mobility and athleticism, but, once again, the key here is potential, because he is young for his class and is expected to grow several more inches.  Rowley also was tough to stop around the basket and, as a result, was the big reason why the Indianapolis Warriors advanced to a final eight finish.  Augustine didn't show up until the playoffs, but we really liked this long armed mobile white kid who rebounds, scores inside and passes extremely well from the high post.  Is he top 100 nationally?  Well, that was one of our topics of debate on Sunday at lunch.  If he's not, it's close!  And it may be a lock, if he can go out and hit the 3-point shot consistently.  And, if he can, Scott Padgett comparisons are in order.  Just like Padgett, he would be able to play the three spot offensively, but defensively he would have problems matching up against smaller and quicker wing players.  Oppland doesn't pass the lock test, but he is the ultimate blue collar warrior, as he scores inside and usually beats you with his hardnosed work ethic.  He also is stronger and quicker than he looks, plus he has a great nose for the ball.  Still, it came as somewhat of a surprise that Oppland, who reminds us a of poor man's David Lee, led St. Louis Gateway to a final four finish in the 17-Under Division and was the second leading scorer in the tournament behind Brown with 139 points in six games.  Cobbley is a big white kid with surprising quickness and athleticism.  He also plays hard, scores around the basket, blocks shots, and is an excellent rebounder.  However, it is his aggressivness and skills that make us think he should be ranked among the top 100 juniors nationally.    Make no mistake about it, Kern is a four who can step out and shoot the three.   As a result, this athletic power forward, who also is very effective scoring around the basket and on the boards, has to be ranked among our top 100 nationally.  Finn and Kiefer both have to make this list after leading Warrick County to into the championship game of the 17-Under Division.  They also finished ranked among the top 10 in scoring in the tournament (Finn was sixth with 121 points and Kiefer with 114 points in eight games).  Kiefer needs to get bigger and stronger, but is still is very effective inside at this level, because he likes to compete, has good hands, and has a good nose to the ball.  He also can go out on the perimeter where he shoots the 3-pointers and puts the ball on the floor.  Finn is not a lashy point guard.    Instead, he just gets the job done, because he is quick off the dribble, an excellent ball handler and passer, excellent 3-point shooter, and terrific competitor.    Another player who might fall into this category is 6'5 Jr Nik Caner-Medley from Portland (Deering) ME, who apparently played extremely well for the Pump'N Run Team on Saturday when we were watching another game.  As a matter of fact, one person who saw the game told us that Caner-Medley was one of the best players in the entire tournament.  However, his numbers (32 points in five games) reflect more what I saw - a solid role player on a good team.  Caner-Medley is a big-time athlete, but the word he get is that he needs more of uptempo setting to show what he's capable of doing.  Also establishing their national reputations in the Juniors-To-Be and Sophomores-To-be Divisions were  6'10 Soph Stefan Zimmerman from Orem (Mountain View) UT, 6'11 Soph Brian Butch from Appleton (West) WI, 5'8 Soph Andrew Lavender from Columbus (Brookhaven) OH, 5'10 Frosh Paul Paradoski from St. Louis (Vianney) MO, and 6'8 Luke Zeiller from Washington (Middle) IN, who is only in 8th grade.  Zimmerman isn't as good a shot blocker, but otherwise he reminds us of Joel Pryzbilla.  Zimmerman was unstoppable when we saw him score 34 points in the first round of the playoffs on Saturday night.  Not only does he have great post moves, an incredible wing span, soft hands, and a nice touch from 15-feet, but he's also surprisingly mobile for somebody so big and so young.  Butch has surpringly short arms for somebody his size, but does have a great feel for the game and, as a result, is already a great passer.  He also has a nice touch, good moves to the basket, and plays hard, plus even more growth is expected and he's already really quick and athletic.  In other words, just like with Zimmerman, the sky is the limit for Butch.  But the guy with the most potential is Zeiller and he's pretty good right now for somebody who is only 13 years old and only supposed to be in the 7th grade.  Yes, we have confirmed that Zeiller is a genius and, as a result, his parents pushed him ahead in school a year.  In other words, we're talking about a guy who likely will be 7'3 or 7'4 and we know for a fact he's already drawing big time looks.  As a matter of fact, he's already been to the University of Iowa on an unofficial visit.  Actually, this comes as no surprise, because he has family that  lives in Iowa.  Zeiller used his soft touch inside and a nice looking hook shot to score 12 points in the Sophomores-To-Be Championship Game.     Lavender is extremely small, but this small quick point guard was instrumental in leading All-Ohio Red into the semi-finals, as he scored 131 points in seven games and was the leading scorer in the Juniors-To-Be Division.  Paradoski is the point guard who led the St. Louis Gateway team into the finals of the Sophomore-To-Be Division.  He's excellent at breaking the double team, has good handling and passing skills, and is a good 3-point range.  But it's his savvy, and speed and quickness, and thin build that reminds us of Luke Ridnour at the same stage.    We also have to mention Paradoski' teammate - 6'6 Soph Luke Meyer from Washington (St. Francis Borgia) MO - because he had 19 points in the championship game and was the leading scorer among players in the Sophomores-To-Be Division in the Tournament.  Another important story involves the Spiece program, whose teams won both the Juniors-To-Be and Sophomores-To-Be Divisions.  In the younger age group it wasn't even close, as the Spiece Top Prospect knocked off the St. Louis Gateway in the championship game, 75-48, and 6'5 Frosh Robert Vaden from Indianapolis (Cathedral) IN showed by he is one of the top freshmen in the nation.  Sure, Vaden, who had 24 points in the championship game, might not grow, but physical speciemen's like this who are mobile enough and skilled enough to play the wing forward spot are few and far between.  It was very close in the Juniors-To-Be Division, as the Spiece Central Stars, finally prevailed, 73-67, against All Ohio Red.  The best player throughout most of the tournament for the Spiece team was 6'6 Soph Parnell Smith from Indianapolis (Pike) IN.  But the two players who came up big in the championship game were 6'5 Soph Austin Montgomery from Indianaplis (Perry Meridian) IN and 6'2 Soph Corey Johnson from Anderson (Highlands) IN, who combined for 34 points.  Lavander, who finished with 26 points, including 5 3-pointers, was the leading scorer for All-Ohio Red. We also have to mention 6'4 Soph Shannon Brown from Maywood (Proviso East) IL, who has emerged as the #2 sophomore in the state of Illinois.  Not only was the second leading scorer in the Juniors-To-Be Division with 125 points, but he also impressed us with his explosivness, 3-point shooting, and upper body.  A special thanks Bill Hensley and all the people connected with the Spiece Run'N Slam All-Star Classic who made this an extremely easy and enjoyable tournament to cover.

Saturday, May 5, 2001 - All systems are not go on the HOOP SCOOP All-American Premiere.  As a matter of fact, the final decision to pull the pug was made this afternoon.  In other words, there will be no camp in Memphis, May 18th-20th.   The decision had to be made due to logistical problems and the inability on our part to get the financial backing from several important sponsors that we needed to make this a first class event.  However, we haven't given up on the idea of having a superstar oriented event without the involvement of either of the two major shoe companies (NIKE and adidas) in the future.  Tentatively we are talking about rescheduling the event at Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA sometime in August.  But won't happen unless we have the necessary sponsorship, are able to fly most of the players from around the nation to Southern California, and have all the logistical things, like referees, uniforms, and transportation that are crucial to running an organized camp, lined before we ever make our intentions known publicly known.   And just for the record, if anybody involved wants to leak specifics about the camp in advance of an official announcement, that will be enough to ensure that I stay out of the camp business for goodt.  If you will recall, Dave Telep of Rivals.com listed the HOOP SCOOP All-American Premiere on his event calender in February when the camp was still in the planning stages.  Not only did he scoop us on our own camp, but he also speeded up the process and, as a result, forced us to make an announcement before we had everything in place.  And to be honest we still don't have everything in place.  I do want to thank Dinos Trigonis for all of his effort and hard work.  I also still believe that Trigonis could have made this one of the top events of the entire year, but if the HOOP SCOOP name is going be associated with it, I am not willing to wing it and see what happens at the last minutes.  

Friday, May 4, 2001 - This is not confirmed, but we have an excellent source who tells us that University of Connecticut assistant coach Karl Hobbs will be named the new head coach at George Washington and it could happen as soon as today.  Talk about a perfect fit!  Hobbs is one of the best recruiters in the nation, as well as one of the bright young guys in the business.  As a result, he's turned down several jobs in the last year.  However, coaching in the tough Atlantic-10 Conference at a great school like GW in Washington, DC appears to be the perfect opportunity for Hobbs.     We also have heard that Xavier assistant Mark Schmidt is getting the Robert Morris job and this too is a great hire, because Schmidt was one of the main reasons why Xavier has recruited so well in years.  And he has a potential gold mine right in his backyard, because the Five-Star Basketball Camp is run at Robert Morris during the entire month of July.  The suspense is finally over regarding University of Kentucky head coach Tubby Smith signing his new long-term contract.  He did so several days ago, but it still is not official until the school president, Charles Wethington, who has been out of time this week, puts his name on the dotted line.  Obviously this will help Kentucky's recruiting in the future, but right now the Wildcats appear to be well stocked at every position.  As a result, we think Kentucky should be one of the teams to beat in college basketball next year and, as a result, we would be surprised if Smith leaves for a NBA job, unless Philadelphia 76ers head coach Larry Brown retires or moves into a front office job.  It could happen in June, if the 76ers win the NBA Championship, or it could happen in a year or two.  If you will recall, Smith developed a close relationship with Brown when they coached the Olympic Team last summer.    Our Ohio Editor Chris Johnson tells us that Ohio State assistant coach Paul Biancardi is being mentioned for the Butler job.   At first this may comes as a surprise, but Biancardi has been laying the groundwork to steal a player or two out of Indiana's excellent junior class and he's is widely regarded as one of the bright young coaches in the business.  As a result, it is only a matter of time, before Biancardi finds the right job.  However, the guy who may have the inside track is Butler assistant coach Todd Lickliter, because it appears the players on the team are pushing him. 

Thursday, May 3, 2001 - We are getting ready to attend the 8th Annual Spiece Run & Slam Basketball Tournament at Ft. Wayne, IN this weekend and once again it promises to be one of the premier events in the nation.  It also will be played in the one of the premier facilities in the nation.  We're talking about the new Spiece Fitness Center, which has eight full size basketball courts and three smaller courts with adjustable goals.  This should make covering the Seniors-To-Be Division easier than ever, because eight of the 12 games that will be going on at any one time in that division will be played under the same roof.  Games will start at 7:00 PM on Friday, May 4th, and Tournament director Bill Hensley has lined up 48 teams in the Seniors-To-Be Division, 32 teams in the Juniors-To-Be Division, and 24 Teams in the Sophomores-To-Be Division.  Each team plays 3 pool games within their division and all teams advance to a single eliminination tournament.   In the Seniors-To-Be Division will include the Spiece Pistols, Minmesota Rebound, Waterloo Wildcats, and Long Island Roadrunners in Pool 1.  Pool 2 will include the L.A. Rockfish, Milwaukee Soldiers, North Texas Rice Owls, and Grand Rapids Storm.   Pool 3 has Pump'N'Run, Central Hoyas, Spiece North Stars, and Courthouse Elite.  Bloomington Red, Team Ohio, Cincinnati AAU Black, and Team Texas Select are in Pool 4.  Pool 5 includes Summit City Raptors, Kentucky Hoops Stars Elite, and Warrick County Wildcats.   Pool 6 has Los Angeles Paladins, Tiffany's, The Hoop, and the Friends of Hoop White.  Pool 7 includes 303 Finest, Cincinnati AAU Red, Friends of Hoop Black, and Chappell Sports.  The Indy Warriors, Inner City Players, St. Louis Mustangs, and Jersey City Heat are in Pool 8.  Pool 9 has Martin Brothers Select, Illinois Gold, Randolph Boys Club, and Gateway Basketball.  Pool 10 includes Wisconsin All-Stars, Ohio Valley, All Ohio Red, and Team Texas White.  Cincy AAU White, Salt Lake Metro, S.Y.F. Players, and Kentucky Hoop Stars Gold are in Pool 11.  Pool 12 has NW Indiana Players, St. Louis Gameface, Illinois Warriors, and Milwaukee Warriors.  Everybody will get a game on Friday night, a game on Saturday morning, and a game on Saturday afternoon.  Then, the first round and second rounds of the playoffs in the Seniors-To-Be Division be at 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.  Then, the third round will tip-off at 8:00 AM on Sunday morning, followed by the quarterfinals at 11:00 AM, the semi-finals at 2:00 PM, and the championship at 3:30 PM.  We aren't going to give you a pool-by-pool summary of the teams are in the Juniors-To-Be and Sophmores-To-Be Divisions, but we will give you the playoffs times.  The first round and second rounds for both divisions will be Saturday night at 6:30 PM and 9:30 PM.    The third round is scheduled for Sunday morning at 9:30 PM.  The quarterfinals will tip-off at 12:30 PM, the semi-finals will be at 2:00 PM, and the championship game will be 3:30 PM.   Our focus will be primarily on the Sophomores-To-Be and once again we are hoping to get a major jump on seeing some of the great players of the future.   Remember, a year ago in this tournament, we got our first look at 6'10 Soph Kendrick Perkins from Beaumont (Ozne) TX, who has emerged as the #2 sophomore in the nation.  If you will recall, Perkins scored 30-plus points in the championship game in the Sophomores-To-Be Division.

Wednesday, May 2, 2001 - The University of Virginia didn't get 7'0 DeSagana Diop from Mouth of Wilson (Oak Hill) VA, who recently announced that he would by-pass college and enter his name into the NBA draft.  So the Cavaliers coaching staff wasted no time going to Plan B and they have landed 6'10 Nick Vander Laan, who is transferring from California.  This gives Virginia not one, but two impact players who will be waiting in the wings next year.  If you will recall, a month ago Todd Billet transferred from Rutgers to Virginia.  And the timing is perfect, because Vander Laan, who was named to the All-Rookie Team in the Pacific-10 as a freshman two years ago, and Billet, who was a third team All-Big East Selection this past season, both will become eligible when the great Class of 1999, which included Travis Watson, Roger Mason, and Majestic Mapp, reaches maturity during their senior year in college.  Add a year of experience to the top 10 ranked recruiting class, which included 6'8 Elton Brown from Newport News (Warwick) VA, 6'3 Jermaine Harper from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA, 6'8 Jason Clark from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, 6'2 Keith Jenifer from Chatham (Hargrave Military) VA, that the Cavaliers signed last fall and Virginia should be one of the teams to beat in college basketball when the 2002-03 season roles around.  The HOOP SCOOP has confirmed that 6'2 Patrick Sparks from Greenville (Muhlenberg North) KY has a press conference scheduled for tomorrow and he expected to sign with Western Kentucky.  This is absolutely huge for the Hilltoppers, because Sparks is ranked as the #3 senior in the state in Larry Kihnley's updated Kentucky Report, which was published yesterday.  This also is important for Western Kentucky head coach Dennis Felton, because the Hilltoppers have nearly everybody back from a team that lost to Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and was a legitimate top 30 team at the end of the last season.    Sparks is best described as a flashy athletic combo guard who can beat most point guards off the dribble and shoot the lights out from 3-point land.  So we expect Sparks to fill the void at the 2-guard spot next year that will created by the graduation of 6'4 Nashon McPherson.  However, down the road we expect Sparks to emerge into the team leader, as well as the point guard who runs the show. 

Tuesday, May 1, 2001 - This comes as no suprise, but 6'1 Carlos Hurt from Louisville (Moore) KY, who is ranked among the top 10 seniors nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has passed the ACT and, as a result, will be eligible as a freshman next season at the University of Louisville.  Previously we'd reported that this would likely happen because Hurt was less than a point away from making it on his last attempt.   We also have confirmed that Hurt's AAU teammate from last summer with the Houston Hoops - 6'7 Chris Rhodes from Houston (Westbury Christian) TX - has made it official for the University of Mississippi and 6'6 Berry Jordan from Jacksonville (Arlington Country Day) FL has picked Arkansas.  Both players fall into the tweener size and, as a result, rank in the 100-300 range nationally.  Another one of the better players still available - 6'2 Kahleaf Watson from Dyke (Blue Ridge School) VA - appears to be close to making a decision.  Last weekend he was at Rutgers and this weekend he will be at Miami-FL and we think it will be one of those two, despite the fact that Florida State, Virginia, and Clemson have been recruiting him for football.  The deciding factor appears to be that Watson, who is a terrific wide receiver, wants to play both sports.  We also have confirmed that 6'3 Jr Chris Rodgers from Portland (Wilson) OR, who is ranked #60 in the junior class nationally by the HOOP SCOOP, has given Arizona an early verbal commitment.     This is interesting, because Rodgers, who is an excellent combo guard, as well as a very good outside shooter, becomes the 16th player who is ranked among our top 100 juniors nationally to have made an early verbal commitment.  If you will recall, a year ago over 20 juniors committed before the beginning of the summer evaluation period and, if the trend continues, that number will be even higher this year.  It also is significant, because a lot of people think Arizona head coach Lute Olson will retire soon.  However, people we've talked with close to the program tell us nothing could be further from the truth.  As a matter of fact, Olson has done a great job getting out this spring and following the underclassmen the Wildcats are interested in for the future.  Further evidence is provided when one finds out Olson doesn't have any real hobbies besides basketball, he only plays golf when he has to, and, with death of his wife at the beginning of the year and the fact that his children are all adults, there is nobody at home anymore.  Olson also is in great health and he makes a lot of money coaching.  So the smart money says he will coach at least another five years. 

To Return to Today's Scoop of the Day click on Today

To Subscribe to the Members Section click on Subscription